Newspaper Endorsements

On October 28, 2012 on This Week with George Stephanopoulos it was brought up that the Des Moines Register, the largest paper in Iowa who hadn’t endorsed a Republican since Richard Nixon in 1972 - had endorsed Mitt Romney saying: Barack Obama…with a theme of hope and change…A different reality has marked his presidency. His record on the economy the past 4 years does not suggest that he would lead in the direction the nation must go in the next 4 years.

Contrary to the Des Moines Register the Chicago Tribune endorsed Obama saying - "…Romney advocates less spending, less borrowing -- overall, a less costly and less intrusive role for government in the lives of the governed" but the Tribune concluded that he had been "astonishingly willing to bend his views to the politics of the moment: on abortion, on immigration, on gun laws and, most famously, on healthcare." I found plenty of articles citing which papers were endorsing Obama as well as those endorsing Romney; some even show which ones changed positions - Democrat to Republican as well as Republican to Democrat. Some newspapers that endorsed candidates in 2008 decided not to pick anyone this year and several that did endorse Romney expressed the hope that, if elected, he would turn out to be the moderate Romney, not the "severe" conservative he presented himself to be in the Republican primaries. As of October 27 Editor & Publisher, considered the longtime bible of the newspaper business, showed there were 112 newspapers for Romney and 84 for President Obama; the list didn't include papers from Sunday when many deliver their endorsements (in 2008 E&P's final tally showed daily newspapers endorsing Obama over Republican John McCain by 296 to 180).

The Los Angeles Times, for what it's worth, endorsed Obama and followed up with an explanation from Editor Nick Goldberg of why the newspaper endorses anyone at all given its mandate to be nonpartisan and unbiased in its news articles. There was a reminder that the paper’s first endorsement, in 1884, was for Republican James G. Blaine. Who you say? Republican incumbent Chester Alan Arthur lost the nomination to Blaine and Democrat Grover Cleveland won the election. In my opinion the Des Moines Register is making the same poor endorsement as it did when it endorsed Nixon who had one of the most corrupt administrations in US history; it is picking Romney’s budget plan that has been debunked by economists and recently by the CEOs of major US companies over the health and welfare of the people. All of this only substantiates my position that the news media can provide bad information, ignite fires and make poor decisions like ordinary people, perhaps it’s because of our poor education system.  

Romney Working with State Legislature

On the October 28, 2012 This Week with George Stephanopoulos show, Newt Gingrich said – Barack Obama would love to have the worked with the legislature as well as Romney did – he worked with an 85% Democratic legislature.

Romney’s term as Governor began January 2003. Per Wikipedia Romney attempted to persuade the legislature to relax state rules to allow outsourcing state services to private contractors and it was rebuffed; he vetoed a funding bill for payment of attorneys representing the poor declaring that it was more important for the state to balance its books than to pay attorneys and the attorneys should provide the services pro bono - MA's court-appointed attorneys were being paid some of the lowest hourly rates in the nation and the cuts provoked outraged attorneys to strike and the plan to remake the court system was unsuccessful. Romney’s approval rating began to drop in April 2004 and a March 2005 poll found that only 32% felt he should be re-elected if he ran for a second term (69% Republicans, 31% Independents and 12% Democrats). In July 2006 Romney offered the assistance of the state police force to municipalities dealing with increased crime rates; his offers were rejected; officials from the Boston Police unions said "if state aid hadn't been cut in recent years, then the city's police force might be staffed adequately to handle the crime surge." With the 2006 budget all 250 line-item vetoes were overturned and for the entire year all of Romney's vetoes of legislative bills were overturned by the Massachusetts Legislature. Even though the state had collected a record-breaking amount of tax revenue in fiscal year 2006, $450 million from the rainy day fund was needed to cover the increased spending for fiscal year 2007. Romney vetoed the transfer of funds; it was overturned by the legislature. In November 2006, Romney used his emergency budget-revision authority to cut the $450 million from the budget saying "One of the primary responsibilities of government is keeping the books balanced. The problem here is not revenues; the problem is overspending…" Later, Romney restored some of the money. Romney issued 844 vetoes as governor and a large share were overturned by one or the other of the state houses. Late in Romney's term, his vetoes began to also annoy Republicans in the legislature and he lost support among them too. 

This does NOT sound like someone who crossed the bipartisan aisle to work with the legislature. 

Romney's Massachusetts Job Record

On the October 28, 2012 This Week with George Stephanopoulos show, Newt Gingrich said – Barack Obama would trade the job creation of Romney as Governor in a heartbeat….you look at Romney’s record and it makes Obama’s record look pretty thin.    

Per Wikipedia when Romney took office in 2003 the nation as a whole was still suffering the effects of a recession. Massachusetts (MA) was losing manufacturing jobs and with an economy heavily dependent on the technology sector it had been badly shaken by the dot-com bubble collapse. When the national economy eventually began to improve, the state lagged behind the rest of the nation in job growth and employment; growth rose at a rate of 1.5% compared to the national average of 5.3%. Over the course of Romney’s term MA was 47th of the 50 states in new job creation (supports Obama’s October 27 comment). However, the annual rate of job growth was improving by his last year in office, moving MA up to 28^th place. The improved growth was in part because of the statewide health care reforms that were signed into law in April 2006 – it created a 7.6% increase in job growth in healthcare and social assistance positions. Romney also personally intervened to help attract to the state, or maintain within the state, large employers, such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Procter & Gamble’s Gillette. Some business leaders said Romney’s policies that increased fees and corporate tax revenue drove up business costs and weakened job growth (an argument Romney uses today).  

On average unemployment rates were slightly worse in the rest of the nation than in MA. Unemployment in MA rose during Romney’s first year from a rate of 5.6% in January 2003 to a peak of 6.0% in mid 2003. It then steadily declined over the remainder of his term, ending at 4.6% in January 2007 for a net improvement in unemployment of 1.0%. However, much of the improvement reflected was in the loss of working-age adults from the labor force, many of them having left MA for other states - MA experienced one of the highest levels of net out-migration of any state during Romney's term. This exiting of the labor force brought MA from the nation’s 29th in highest unemployment to 18th by the end of Romney’s term. (People dropping out of the working force is an excuse today’s Republicans argue about the national unemployment rate dropping – talking out of both sides of their mouths seems to be a standard practice.)

Let’s see MA’s job growth increased because of health care and Romney argues the opposite today. Unemployment dropped only 1% during Romney’s governorship because of his policies. The unemployment rate in February 2009 was 8.3%, in September 2012 it was 7.8%, only a .5% drop but the unemployment rate stalled because the Republicans in the legislature killed every bill that would have improved the situation. I don’t think Romney’s record was so good. 

Romney's Massachusetts Tax Plan

On October 27, 2012 the President in Nashua, New Hampshire, on the Massachusetts (MA) border, said while Romney promised to fight for jobs and middle-class families when he ran for governor, he ended up…raising fees that hurt the middle class. Obama said - There were literally cradle-to-grave tax hikes and fees, there were higher fees to be a barber, to become a nurse, higher fees for gas, higher fees for blind people who needed to get a certificate (saying) that they were blind; rounding out the list was a fee on funeral homes. Obama who has been accused by members of the birther movement of being born outside the US joked that Romney even ‘‘raised fees to get a birth certificate, which would've been expensive for me.’’ Obama added that during Romney’s time as Governor only 3 states ranked lower in job creation than MA. Romney spokesman Ryan Williams called Obama’s criticism ‘‘laughable coming from a president whose only plan for a second term is to recycle the failed policies of the last 4 years.’’ Williams said Romney cut taxes 19 times as governor and created tens of thousands of new jobs. I’ll address taxes first - you judge whether or not he cut taxes.

Per Wikipedia MA raised $500 million in new revenue during Romney’s first year in office from fees, more than any other state surveyed; he proposed 33 new fees along with increases in 57 existing fees (they did include those cited by Obama); his proposal called for a $50 fee for tuberculosis tests and a $400 fee for those who tested positive (the tuberculosis fees were rejected by the legislature). Opponents said many of the fees posed a hardship on those who could least afford them and critics including some conservatives complained that Romney was using these fees increases as a tax increase in disguise after having promised he would not raise taxes. Romney said that the fees were distinct from taxes because fees were charged for particular services provided whereas taxes were assessed more broadly, without expectation of any specific services (critics noted this explanation applied to only some of the fees). (Does this argument sound familiar - the Republicans used it in trying to fight ObamaCare.) Romney increased the state gasoline fee 2 cents per gallon and generated about $60 million per year in additional revenue (surpluses of $40 million over the cost of the originally intended cleanup of contamination around underground fuel storage tank). The tax burden in MA during Romney's governorship according to an analysis by the Tax Foundation from 2002 to 2006 found the average rate of state and local taxes in MA rose from 9.6% to 10.2% compared to the national rate which rose from 9.5% to 9.7%. Romney did propose a "tax-free shopping day", a property tax relief for seniors, a manufacturing tax credit and working with the legislature, Romney developed the Massachusetts Military Enhanced Relief Individual Tax (MERIT) Plan to provide property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and grant spouses of veterans killed or missing in action since September 11, 2001 full property tax exemptions for 5 years; after 5 years the spouses received an annual $2,500 exemption; it was signed into law on August 14, 2006.  

Romney's Massachusetts Budget

Per Wikipedia having vowed not to raise taxes Romney on announcing his 2004 budget proposal said by reorganizing the state bureaucracy along with reducing waste and fraud he would save $2 billion. Democratic legislators and independent analysts called that estimate vastly overdrawn and the Massachusetts (MA) Taxpayer Foundation, a nonpartisan business-funded organization that monitors state finances, suggested the figure might be closer to $100 million; Romney eventually conceded that the figure could not be reached without new revenue. MA had enacted a tax increase prior to Romney taking office (which he opposed during his campaign) that reduced the deficit, projected to be $3 billion, by $1.3 billion. Romney required state workers to make larger contributions toward health insurance, consolidated agencies of the state executive branch (such as Health & Human Services)–cut workers by 40% (2,000) down to 3,000 workers, raised fees and changed the business tax code to prevent businesses from evading payment of taxes; businesses called the changes tax increases but Romney defended them as the elimination of “loopholes.” Examples of these changes included blocking corporations from transferring intellectual property assets to shell companies in states with lower corporate tax rates, preventing banks and some corporations from avoiding taxes through paper restructurings, eliminating tax breaks for direct mail advertising and taxing sales of software downloaded over the internet (which was untaxed) at the same rate as identical software purchased in stores. The Romney administration sought an exemption to avoid having to comply with a federal law passed in 2004 that mandated that states lower their corporate tax rates. Romney's business tax "loophole closures" brought in $350–375 million per year. Unanticipated federal funds reduced the budget gap further and in combination with funding cuts, fee increases, collection of more business tax revenue, and reliance on funds in the state's ‘rainy day fund’ (known as the Stabilization Fund) Romney and the legislature were able to balance the 2004 budget. Romney declared "We have successfully closed the largest deficit in our state's history without raising taxes." Some called the statement dishonest citing the large increases in fees and business tax revenues as well as the increases in fees and taxes levied by local governments in response to Romney's policies. Upon leaving office in January 2007 Romney argued that he had left the state with a large budget surplus, after he cut hundreds of millions of dollars of programs. While campaigning for the presidency Romney said "we didn’t just slow the rate of growth of our government, we actually cut it."  However, upon taking office, successor Governor Deval Patrick said there would be a $1 billion deficit for fiscal 2008 if existing service levels were carried over into the next year's budget.  

Romney’s campaign makes the same promises he made to MA and he touts his success as Governor for the reason we should elect him president. Take a good look. He wants to send programs back to the states-as governor he tried to outsource jobs (like at Bain). Taxes went up higher than the national average (the details will follow). He used MA’s rainy day fund (like Social Security and Medicare) and received funds from the federal government to balance his budget.

Business Supports Obama Approach

On October 25, 2012 CEOs from more than 80 major US companies pressed Congress to reduce the federal deficit by raising taxes and cutting spending. They warned that the uncertainty spawned by the deficit is dampening businesses' hiring and investment and stifling the fragile economic recovery. They also seek federal investment in infrastructure and math and science education. The CEOs said no matter which party wins on November 6 tax increases are inevitable. Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna, said "There is no possible way; you can do the arithmetic a million different ways. You can't tax your way to fix this problem and you can't cut entitlements enough to fix this problem." Dave Cote, chairman and CEO of Honeywell International Inc., said "What it really comes down to is if we still have the political will to be a great country." The CEOs head a diverse array of corporations, including Microsoft, Boeing, Federal Way-based Weyerhaeuser, Aetna Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Time Warner Cable Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., General Electric Co., Dow Chemical Co., Verizon Communications Inc., Bank of America Corp., AT&T Inc. and Allstate Corp.

On October 26 a poll shows that among voters 18-29 the President is winning 64% to Romney’s 34%. The Commerce Department reported that the economy grew 1.3% in the second quarter of 2012 and 2% in the third quarter and analysts say the risk of another recession is low. Romney called for bold change for the economy but offered no specifics – Vice President Biden said he’s in denial over the improved economy.  

On September 23’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Reince Priebus of the Republican National Committee said “…we have to start having people in office that commit to the promises they make.” George Washington said “Individuals entering into society must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest.” It is obvious that young Americans are concerned for their future if Romney is elected – I don’t know why their parents aren’t concerned for them. The companies are saying what President Obama and economic analysts have been saying all along - the Romney/Ryan budget doesn’t work. It’s too bad these CEOs waited so long to support tax increases, infrastructure and education. I’d like to know why this information didn’t spread across the nation as loud as the anti-Obama articles did. 

US Education

George Washington said “To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.” I’m going to expand on this as literature and the arts have been cut over and over again by Republicans and Romney’s plan for education goes further than this in taking education from our country.

A Washington Post February 11, 2011 article said Newsweek reported in September "US students who once led the world, currently rank 21st in the world in science and 25th in math". In the latest annual report on American Education by the Brookings Institution, Tom Loveless, a former teacher currently with the Brown Center on Education Policy, said "The US never led the world. It was never number one and has never been close to number one on international math tests or on science tests for that matter. It is more accurate to say that the US has always trailed the world on math tests. There was no sharp decline--in either the short or long run. The US performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has been flat to slightly up since the test's inception and it has improved on TIMSS (the Third International Mathematics and Science Study) since 1995." Loveless, a leading expert on PISA and TIMSS is part of the specialists who advise those programs; his report says the first international test comparable to those 2 was the First International Math Study in 1964; it assessed 13-year olds in 12 countries-the US placed #11; other age groups were tested with similar disappointing results. The December PISA and latest TIMSS tests the US did better; scoring in the middle of the pack; an analysis of PISA results by a Stanford University economist showed the US was up 5 points in reading, 13 points in math and 13 points in science. Loveless said - If we maintain that pace we will boost the US gross domestic product by at least $41 trillion in the next 20 years. The Post updated its article on July 2, 2012 and said-In 1965 the International Educational Achievement (IEA) study of mathematical achievement in 12 countries asked students to solve 70 problems; the top scoring country was Israel (a mean score of 36.4 correct items) and US students placed last with a score of 13.8. During the 1981-82 school year the IEA assessed 12^th grade students on 6 topics: number systems, sets and relations, algebra, geometry, elementary functions and calculus, and probability and statistics and the US ranked last among advanced industrial countries. The authors said “at the 12th grade level, the US curriculum is much more like that of early years of secondary school elsewhere while the curriculum of most other countries is more like that of beginning college level.” In 1989 a dozen countries and Canadian provinces participated in a mathematics assessment conducted by the Educational Testing Service and the US ranked last. An international study in the 1990s tested 13-year olds in mathematics in 15 countries; the US placed next to last. The results of science assessments of high school students in 1973 placed the US 14 out of 14; in the mid-1980s the US in biology was 13 out of 13; in chemistry 11 out of 13 and in physics 9 out of 13 countries. In 1991 the US in science was 13 out of 15. US students at no time were #1. In my opinion, if Loveless is correct it would be wise for the US to invest in education as the President has said.