By James Holman
Special to the Chronicle
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney faced off in the first of three presidential debates. With the nation in one of the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, this debate was focused primarily on the economy and how the next president will turn economic conditions around in the next four years. Creating jobs, taxes and lowering the national debt were among the topics discussed. Healthcare, another heated topic, was also debated by each of the candidates.
Four years have gone by since Obama’s inauguration and still unemployment is high and the conditions among middle income families are not up to the standards in which this country is capable of. We need a leader whose policies will stimulate growth and create jobs and a thriving economic environment.
It was clear that Governor Romney came to this debate prepared. There was passion in his voice, sincerity in his heart, and an evident backbone necessary to lead a nation. President Obama, on the other hand, looked as if he could care less about being in the debate hall. There was a lack of energy in the president’s overall persona, and his body language said it all.
Romney stood tall and made eye contact with the president while Romney was speaking, and even while the president was speaking. Obama made little eye contact and was slouched over the podium for much of the debate. Maybe the president thought that this debate would be a sure thing for him. He didn’t expect Romney to set the record straight about his own agenda that has been so misconstrued by the Obama campaign and media bias.
The debate consisted of many different policy points that each of the candidates would put forth during their term in office. Governor Romney’s primary concern is to put people back to work. The unemployment rate was 7.8 percent as of September, but for the last 43 months unemployment has been higher than 8 percent. Romney proposed a plan that will produce 12 million jobs. Lowering taxes on the middle class is a primary component to Mr. Romney’s plan. The Governor will not lower the taxes on higher-income individuals, but will not raise them either, in order to promote job growth. President Obama’s proposed tax hike on the wealthy will cost nearly 700,000 jobs; jobs that we cannot afford to lose at this time.
Governor Romney touched upon the point of America becoming an energy-independent nation, which would also create jobs and cease our dependency on foreign nations for oil. Sure, going green is the future of energy, and technologies like these should be developed in order to sustain our global environment; but right now the United States needs access to the great amounts of clean coal and oil that we do have.
President Obama spent 90 billion dollars in green energy, one of those companies included being Solyndra. Governor Romney wants to end reckless spending, create jobs, and lower taxes. For the record, none of these policies would add close to 5 trillion dollars to the national debt, even though that is what the media wants you to believe. With this economic plan and the election of Mitt Romney, the United States of America will once again be a prosperous nation, and recovery will begin for the millions of Americans whose lives depend on it.