by Sarah Schopick
When it comes to whom to vote for president, the choice is pretty clear to me. I consider President Barack Obama an obvious choice, at least for anyone who wants the economy to improve or who cares about public education. Mitt Romney plans on taking us back to the past while Obama plans on taking us to a better future.
Obama plans on sticking with what we have known throughout history to work. However, Romney plans to keep doing what we already know does not work.
Obama wants to get rid of former President George W. Bush’s tax cuts on those who make more than $250,000 annually while Romney intends to make them permanent.
We already know that giving tax breaks to the rich does not work, and we keep doing it. Instead of having tax breaks, Obama wants those who make more than $250,000 to pay higher taxes; the same tax rates that we had when Bill Clinton was president and the economy was in a better place and the budget was balanced.
It does not make sense that those who make more money would get tax cuts when there are people who are truly struggling to pay their bills. Those people are the ones who need the tax cuts because they’re struggling.
Obama is about change while it seems that all Romney is concerned with is winning. The focus of Romney’s campaign is on the middle class while Obama focuses on helping everyone.
Obama also wants to help illegal immigrants become legalized because they do not pay taxes. I support this because they are already receiving tax benefits, so they might as well pay taxes. If they pay taxes, then that will actually help stimulate the economy.
Romney wants to cut the “tuition breaks” and all the benefits that draw immigrants into America, but that will not work because immigrants will always see opportunity for a better life in America.
Obama’s upbringing is what makes him able to relate to so many Americans. Growing up tight on money enables him to have empathy for the lower classes and allows him to understand the important issues in the average American’s life. He has the insight and the passion to change the situation.
Romney is discon- nected from the lower classes because he grew up wealthy. In a video interview with Romney on ABC News, Romney was asked how much middle income is and he said, “middle income is $200, $250,000 or less.”
According to the Huffington Post, his campaign later clarified that Romney was referring to household income and not individual income. The Census Bureau reported that the median household income in the United States is just over $50,000.
Another disadvantage Romney has gained from his upbringing is that he is not as socially skilled as someone who grew up with average Americans, like Obama.
The social capabilities of a president are often overlooked but they are a very important characteristic for a president to possess. As commander in chief and the key diplomat for the United States, it is important to have social skills because you often meet with prominent figures in other countries.
I have more respect for Obama because he started out small and worked his way to the top, which reflects the average hardworking American. It is inspiring to see these things in a president.
It seems to me that Romney cares about winning more than he actually cares about the people and, therefore, will not work hard once he gets what he wants. As seen in his business, as president, he could just sit back, relax and wonder why everyone is blaming him for problems that arise.
Romney intends to make education budget cuts, which would bring us back to a day where only the elite are educated. I agree with the ancient Greek philosopher, Epictetus, who said that “only the educated are free.”
Why should something as trivial as your socio-economic background be able to decide whether or not you are truly free?
We all have a responsibility as a people to stop expecting the president, the government, etc., to fix everything for us instantaneously. We need to take action, too. We need to take charge of the situation and try to come up with solutions rather than play victim and expect the government to fix everything.
