It’s safe to say that the upcoming election will be plenty exciting. The most recent electoral analyses suggest that the results remain inconclusive. The last time we such a close race was in 2000 and we all know how many votes made the difference: merely 537. So if there were one advice that I could give all of you, it is this: Vote. It is your civic duty and responsibility as a citizen of this country.
But the question remains: Whom should you vote for? My goal in the next few paragraphs is to make a case for the Republican nominee, Governor Mitt Romney. We all know that the primary concern during this election cycle is the state of our national economy. This election is not about abortion. It’s not about same-sex marriage. It’s not even about immigration. All those topics are important, but they are not fundamental to this election.
Having said that, my first and foremost reason for supporting Governor Romney lies with his vast experience as a successful businessman. Many of you would probably agree that practical experience is just as important, if not more important, than a purely theoretical experience. The Governor’s many years of successful pioneering in various industries, as opposed to President Obama’s limited experience as a community organizer and college professor, certainly qualify as remarkable and rare attribute in a presidential candidate.
Secondly, the current state of unemployment remains at a historically high rate. No one disagrees with the fact that the President inherited a collapsing economy; the previous administration was by no means a success. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the past four years have seen an unemployment rate well above eight percent, showing little signs of improvement. When you factor in those who have given up the search for employment, the number grows closer to fourteen percent. If the same policies remain in play, the stagnation will only get worse. Under the governorship of Mitt Romney, Massachusetts’ unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in the decade. Governor Romney’s policies managed to cut spending while at the same time lowering the unemployment rate, as opposed to President Obama’s policies of increased spending that have somehow resulted in higher unemployment rates.
Finally, during his term as Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney managed to turn a budget deceit and turn it into a budget surplus. President Obama on the other hand has failed to keep one of his previous campaign’s most fundamental promises: Cutting the deficit in half. Instead, the President has added more to the deficit than the last three presidents combined. And while the deficit might not be the forefront issue during this election cycle, it nevertheless remains one of the most problematic, long-term issues that this country faces. Governor Romney’s proven track record of handling deficit spending makes him much more qualified to handle this problem in the long-term.
Over all, I want to emphasize that given the current concerns of this election cycles, I believe that Mr. Romney is the more suited candidate to best deal with those concerns. I have no doubt that President Obama worked tirelessly during his term for the sake of Americans. However, the presidency is much more than intentions: It’s about actions and results. Unfortunately, the past four years have seen little improvement. It’s time for some real change.
Mikaela Brown 
Sophia Hunter 
Jayme Fisher