I'm voting for Mitt Romney, and so should you

Just thought I'd add my voice to the grassroots effort to get the word out about Mitt Romney, although I would imagine most people who know about and read my blog are already planning to do so. Many others have said it better than I can, nonetheless, here are a few points I'd like to make.

McCain's Liberal Record

Scott asked me the other day why so many conservatives hate McCain so here is a quick bullet list of some key liberal positions he's taken:

• Illegal immigration - he was in favor of a plan many conservatives called "amnesty" giving illegal immigrants already in the country the chance to pay a nominal fee for legal status, without a great plan for securing the borders
• Taxes - he is in favor of reversing the Bush tax cuts
• Environment - he is in favor of a domestic plan that would add a $0.50/gallon tax for US citizens to buy gas and increase utility payments by 20%. This would only serve to drive business out of the U.S. and without being a part of a more global effort won't have any positive effect on the environment.

Things I like about Romney

• NO ONE will be better for the economy than Romney. If there's anything he's proven in his career in the private sector, as head of the 2002 Olympics, and as Governor, it is that he knows about money and economics and has the ability to turn things around.
• He takes a firm stance against illegal immigration.
• He is in favor of "winning" the war in Iraq - not just getting out or getting through it but actually coming out victorious and strong.
• He walks the conservative walk - he lives an admirable and respectable personal life that displays first-hand his commitment to family values. I submit that leaders in conservative Muslim countries around the world would have more respect for an American leader who shares some of their traditional family values. That would be good for our country.
  

The other night Scott was watching the Daily Show with John Stewart and they showed a clip of Mitt Romney speaking somewhere and saying that people should actually get married before having kids. That was the setup for this whole sketch showing a reporter in the 1950's basically making fun of Romney for having such old-fashioned, out-of-touch ideas. It infuriated me that people out there, even if they don't live that way themselves, can't at least admit and recognize that it is better for kids to be raised in a secure environment with a mother and father.

Happily married couples

Secure kids

Happy & secure adults

Positively contributing members of society

Of course it is in no way the role of the government to enforce this lifestyle, but I believe that is the answer to the bulk of society's problems and we'll get a lot closer to promoting that if we have a President who shares and lives the principles himself and can lead by example.

Here is a link to an Interview with Mitt Romney on the John & Ken show on KFI 640 in California. He talks a lot about his position on illegal immigration, since that is a particularly hot topic for John & Ken.


Also, here are some interesting facts and anecdotes passed on to me by my friend Adam:

*Romney to the Rescue*

Mitt graduated with honors from Brigham Young University in 1971. Four years later, he graduated from a joint JD/MBA program from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He graduated cum laude from law school and was named as a Baker Scholar, graduating in the top five percent of his business school class. His success in academics would translate well in the business world.

**The Magic Touch**

After finishing college, Mitt went to work for The Boston Consulting Group, where he had worked as an intern. From 1978 to 1984, he served as vice president of Bain & Company, Inc., another local consulting firm. He eventually left to co-found Bain Capital—a private equity investment firm. During the fourteen years he headed the company, Bain Capital's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments was 113 percent. His leadership and business instincts played a vital role in the success of well-known companies such as Staples, Brookstone, Domino's, and The Sports Authority.

In 1990, Mitt was asked to return to Bain & Company as CEO to help them avoid financial collapse. Within a year, Mitt was able to make the company profitable again, without layoffs.

**A Friend in Need**

In July 1996, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner in Mitt's firm, disappeared. She'd been missing for three days, and her father was distraught. It was discovered she had attended a rave party in New York City, became high on drugs, and had not been seen since.

Mitt immediately closed down the entire firm and flew thirty business partners and employees to New York City to search for the missing girl. He set up a command center in a conference room at a hotel. He then hired a private detective firm to assist with the search and established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the New York City Police Department. He also called everyone he did business with in New York City, asking them to help the company find their friend's missing daughter.

Mitt and others scoured every part of New York City, searching through Central Park, asking drug addicts and prostitutes if they had seen her. They even made rounds at the local night clubs at 3:00 A.M. hoping someone would recognize her.

The next day a teenage boy phoned in and asked if there was a reward, but he became nervous and hung up. Fortunately, police were able to trace the call to a house in New Jersey. They found her in the basement, shivering from drug withdrawals and close to death. Doctors would later say she probably would not have lasted another day.

"Mitt's done a lot of things that people say are nearly impossible," says Robert. "But for me, the most important thing he's ever done is to help save my daughter."

**Olympic Heroes**

Mitt left his lucrative job in 1998 when he was asked to assume leadership as president and CEO of the troubled 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee, which was riddled with corruption and had fallen $379 million short of its revenue benchmarks. He immediately worked to raise money and cut costs. Before he arrived, the organizing board regularly enjoyed elaborately catered meals. But in his famous no-nonsense business approach, Mitt served pizza at his first board meeting, charging each board member one dollar per slice.

During his Olympic leadership, Mitt not only filled the $379 million gap, but he generated nearly a $100 million surplus. He would also personally contribute one million dollars to the Olympics and donate his $825,000 salary to charity. While America was still mourning the horrific events of 9/11 just a few months earlier and national security was on high alert, Mitt had the tattered flag that flew over Ground Zero reverently brought to center stage in the opening ceremonies. He showed a worldwide audience the resilience and strength of the American people while heading the most successful Olympic Games in history. This effective leadership would prime him for his run for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.

When it came time to choose people to help carry the Olympic torch across the U.S., Mitt settled on the theme of heroes. He chose Ann as his hero, and she had the honor of running with the Olympic torch in hand.

While this was a privilege in itself, it was especially meaningful to the Romneys. Ann had made great strides in overcoming the debilitating symptoms of her disease, and it was an amazing feat for her to run at all. When she first moved to Utah with Mitt in 1999, she could barely walk. Tears streamed down the faces of her husband and children as they ran beside her, and her friends wept as they cheered her on from the sidelines. Everyone recognized the magnitude of her accomplishment and acknowledged the moment as a deeply personal victory for her.