- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Robyn Blumner
When I used to get nervous over upcoming law school exams, I'd take some solace in yogurt. The calming effect wasn't in the eating of it, but rather in the expiration date. I'd realize that by the time my carton of yogurt had spoiled, the anxiety and the exam would be behind me.
My yogurt trick is not helping with the presidential election. The reality is: the election itself is just the beginning of what could be a harrowing future.
Presidents alter the trajectory of nations and the life prospects of citizens, from FDR giving us
Think about it. Had Bush not "won" the presidency, a lot would be different today. America would be in substantially less debt. Bush nearly doubled the national debt, despite having come into office with a budget surplus. And, yes, the debt has increased under President Barack Obama, but it was Bush who teed it up, leaving a
Without Bush's war of adventurism in Iraq, the 4,500 service members who died there might still be alive today, the 32,000 wounded might still be whole and healthy, and the trillions of dollars spent might have been saved.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito would not be on the
Religion wouldn't have interfered with embryonic stem cell research. America would never have tortured its prisoners.
Choosing a president does not just affect four years or eight, it affects generations.
Here are five ways Mitt Romney would indelibly alter the United States if elected Tuesday:
The Role of Government:
Superstorm Sandy is a reminder of Romney's radical view of how small the federal government should be. Romney's dangerous suggestion that the
Energy and the Environment:
Romney has ridiculed President Obama for his efforts to combat global climate change, another backward viewpoint that looks even more dangerous in the aftermath of Sandy. Romney wants more coal power, the aggressive expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling and a revitalized nuclear power industry, with fewer environmental and safety regulations. He calls Obama's new car and light truck fuel efficiency standards "extreme," even as they've been lauded by auto industry and environmentalists alike for advancing energy independence, technological innovation and greenhouse gas control.
Health Care and Entitlements:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 79 years old. If Romney gets to replace her and/or another liberal justice with a conservative, the court will reverse decades of progress on reproductive rights, workers' rights, church-state separation and the ability of consumers to get a fair shake against big corporations.
Tax Policy:
Romney believes the current system where the wealthiest Americans often pay a lower income tax rate than the middle class is fair. By refusing to ask more from the rich, Romney wins in two ways: he cements America's stark income inequality where so much wealth flows to the top; and he starves the federal government of the money to fulfill its obligations.
Tuesday's election will determine our nation's future. Its consequences have no expiration date.
AMERICAN POLITICS
WORLD | AFRICA | ASIA | EUROPE | LATIN AMERICA | MIDDLE EAST | UNITED STATES | ECONOMICS | EDUCATION | ENVIRONMENT | FOREIGN POLICY | POLITICS
A Romney Presidency Would Erase Decades of Progress | Politics
© Tribune Media Services, Inc