Category: Mason Speaks

There is no denying that the two men vying for the White House are supremely qualified and capable.  They are both devoted family men as well.  America has been through rough economic waters and it is now time to choose a direction for recovery.

The sentiment that pervades the United States is one of underperformance.  We have such potential as a people.  After all, it was us who through our sweat and tears, blood and sacrifice brought this land to the pinnacle of world growth and productivity.  There is a palpable sense that while America looks poised for a big comeback, we are not producing to our potential.

In any enterprise, private or public, the buck needs to stop with a leader. Over the past four years, America’s recovery post-recession has been the worst in a century. Home values are still at record lows.  Banks are still sheepish to lend.  Gas prices are still at record high levels.  Take home pay for the average family is still the lowest in decades.  Most prominent though, are jobs and the lack of them.  The unemployment rate when the President took office and where it is now are the same.  However, the workforce itself has shrunk over his term to the lowest in three decades.  There are still over 23 million people not employed today.

The President likes to blame his opponent and his party for America’s current predicament.  What he neglects to mention is that for the first two years of his term, he and his party controlled the levers of power to such an extent that the Republicans were powerless to stop them.  These current economic conditions are the direct result of faulty policy, crafted and signed under the misguided leadership of Barack Obama.  There is no one else to blame besides the President for the stagnation that is the result.

After the litany of pain and dysfunction that was the last four years, one would think America needs someone who is more of a doer, not just a talker.  Maybe America needs someone who has had business, non-profit, and government experience and achieved vast success in those fields.  America would need someone who is dubbed a turnaround expert.  Mitt Romney had an overwhelmingly successful record in business.  His turnaround of the Salt Lake City Olympic games after 9/11 was masterful.  His ability to govern and achieve success in an 85% Democratic legislature would be a breath of fresh air to Washington’s gridlock.

Take away the smallness that this campaign has sometimes stooped.  Forget binders and Big Bird, tax returns and ‘Romnesia’.  These are all distractions from the reality Americans can clearly see around them.  We have big problems to tackle and we need serious and successful men and women to solve them.

Barack Obama was elected four years ago to fix America’s problems.  On nearly every measure and even using his own benchmarks, he has failed to bring the change America needed.  The American people gave Barack Obama the position and power to lead the nation out of the economic wilderness, even though he had never led before.  Four years of meager growth and stagnant incomes were the result.  Now it’s time for the American people to give Mitt Romney, a man who has a distinguished track record for turnarounds, a chance to do it again.  Governor Mitt Romney should receive America’s vote to be the next President of the United States.

 *The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. 

Photo from: fairfaxcounty.gov

A vote for Romney is a vote …

-for someone who supports a Constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage.

-to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Legislation that once fully implemented in 2014, will have given upwards of 30 million Americans the opportunity to receive health insurance that would not have access otherwise.  Legislation that gives any one making between 133% and 400% above the federal poverty level tax credits to help pay for insurance and the choice of states to receive federal funding and expand Medicaid for those who live below the poverty line.  Legislation that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with preexisting conditions and capping the amount of coverage a person can receive.  Legislation that allows people to be covered by their parent’s insurance plans until they are 26 years old.  Legislation that eliminates copays for preventative care and decreases the cost of prescription drugs.  Legislation that drastically improves America’s health care system.

-to defund Planned Parenthood, the nations largest provider of women’s preventative care; an organization that one in five women have visited in their lifetimes and serves as the only medical personnel over half of its patients will see all year.

-to appoint 1-3 Supreme Court justices that believe it is not unconstitutional to tell a woman what to do with her body and will have the ability alter the makeup of the court for decades to come.

-for a Vice President that believes women should be forced to give birth to their rapist’s child.

-for someone who would like to expand the publically funded voucher system for private education.  This is money that would be taken out of public schools and be given to private schools, including religious institutions, obscuring the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

-against progress.

*The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

UPDATE 11/2/12 – Whether due to the “Mass Tweet” or not, Mitt Romney will be visiting campus this Monday, November 5th. http://www.mittromney.com/events/fairfax-victory-rally-w-mitt-gop-team

Article Posted: 10/10/12

As many GMU students know, President Obama spoke to our university during a campaign event this past Friday. Many students have been asking, “What about Mitt Romney, is he going to visit George Mason?” Students, whether Romney supporters or not, would like to hear from both candidates that they have to choose between on November 6th.

To encourage and invite Gov. Romney to visit campus, we’re organizing a mass tweet at Mitt Romney to get him to visit us here at Mason. The idea was first thought up during my radio show, Take it to the Hill, when we were talking about how my former High School did the same thing to get “RG3” (The Redskins’s starting QB) at one of their football games. What if we got hundreds or thousands of Mason students to tweet at Romney? We could probably influence and encourage a campaign stop here on campus before the election. These campaigns don’t ignore their twitter accounts; they notice these kinds of things. When the Romney campaign notices a ton of tweets popping up from Mason students wanting Romney to speak on campus, they might just happen to decide to do it.

This Friday, October 12th, between 4PM and 6PM, we’ll all be tweeting “@MittRomney” to let him know the George Mason University student community welcomes his presence and encourages him to come and speak to us. Let’s make sure both Presidential candidates stop by this election season, because Mason VOTES

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Create a Twitter account.
2. On Friday, between 4PM and 6PM, tweet @MittRomney
Example tweets: “@MittRomney ,come visit us at George Mason University! #GMU    #MasonVotes” , “Obama already spoke to us, it’s your turn @MittRomney!, we want to hear what you have to say #MasonVotes”, or ” Hey @MittRomney , don’t miss out on VA’s best university! Come speak at #GMU! #MasonVotes”
3. Tell others to Tweet! Get your friends on campus involved, the more people we have tweeting, the more effective this mass tweet will be!
4. Re-Tweet other tweets that are sent to Mitt Romney and tweet multiple times!

Whether you just want to hear from both candidates or if you want to show Romney that GMU supports him, this is a great nonpartisan mission to have both Candidates visit the George Mason University Fairfax Campus.