Elaine Lac
Staff Writer
After the three presidential debates, students are only left with waiting for Election Day on Nov. 6. Are you for the big business-minded, conservative candidate, Mitt Romney, or the middle class-supporting, liberal candidate, Barack Obama? Obama’s first two lackluster deliveries during the debates struck a large amount of doubt in liberals and the undecided majority. However, in the last debate, Obama displayed his expertise in foreign policy, thus restoring confidence in his abilities. Ultimately, Obama is the better candidate suited for the current state of America.
Throughout the election, Obama has consistently stated that his economic policy will focus on job growth. The idea is to improve America’s overall economy through small scale job creation to improve America’s deficit. The focus is on clean energy, education and infrastructure. From an environmental standpoint, clean energy is a smarter alternative to trying to maximize use of US coal and oil that Romney believes in. Romney’s decision to turn away from foreign dependence on fossil fuels is correct, but using all of our coal and oil isn’t sustainable. The conservation of coal and oil can happen; however, there is an expiration date on that use. Investment in clean and alternative energy is needed before we run out of coal and oil.
Educational improvement is another area America needs to focus on. Our educational practices are outdated and obviously inadequate. We are continually moving down in our educational quality. Romney claims that when he was governor of Massachusetts, his state was a leader in educational performance. These practices were instituted by a governor before him, leaving little credibility for Romney.
Promoting improvements in infrastructure is important in creating jobs. The idea is to help the middle class to lower class make money and produce a turning economy. Romney, on the other hand, promotes helping the upper-middle to upper class by promoting business growth. He believes that this can be fueled by extending the Bush tax cuts and cutting government spending and bureaucracy. The Bush tax cuts were only to be implemented for a small period of time to begin with. They were initiated after Sept. 11 as a way to stimulate the shaken spending population. However, these cuts have been extended for far too long and ultimately are unneeded. Next, Romney believes that by cutting vital government agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he can stimulate the economy. This agency has proved vital, especially during Hurricane Sandy. Businesses can survive the taxes, the same way Romney can.
Romney’s consistency in policies also comes into question. It’s difficult to trust a presidential candidate who flip-flops as much as he does. One could attribute this to his lack of expertise. He was quoted on believing that Russia, and not the Middle East, is the most dangerous threat to the United States. He then flip-flopped again during the last debate by saying that he meant that the Middle East was the United State’s greatest threat. He has changed his stance many times in talking about the economy, health care and foreign policy. He has also been recorded disparagingly regarding lower class America, and saying they are not his priority. The president is supposed to represent the best interest of America, and disregarding them isn’t going to win him many points.
Obama has stayed consistent in his plans. He has been our president for four years, and he has made America a little better since coming into office. Economic growth has increased slightly, and in the face of adverse obstacles, he is still trying. America has to focus on progressive socialized ideas which many countries such as Sweden and France use. They have the best education, healthcare and happiness rating because the government takes care of them. The era of capitalistic control died after the Industrial Revolution spurred innovation. Care for the majority of America comes first, and Obama will deliver that.