A person seeking approval or authority to put a plan of any importance into effect would normally be expected to reveal the plan’s essential details to those from whom approval is needed, such as the voters if the person is a candidate in an election. But, in the case of Mitt Romney, who is asking people to choose him as president of the U.S., instead of offering plans for how he would lead the country, he offers platitudes.
For example, he says his plan for economic recovery is to “grow the economy.” That is a goal, not a plan, and how he would accomplish it remains a secret. There is a scattering of broad points he mentions, but without details, such as that he would cut many government programs and repeal Obamacare (though he lately says he would keep “some parts” of that healthcare law). Which government programs he would cut are unnamed, though he says many would be cut.
Romney also says he will reduce taxes 20 percent across the board, but will not increase the deficit, claiming that his program cuts, elimination of deductions and loophole-closings will balance the taxes lost. The Brookings Institution finds that Romney’s plan would, instead, add $5 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years and that no plan of cuts could “come close to paying for the $5 trillion.” The report concludes that Romney’s reliance on cuts and reductions, if it were to avoid adding to the deficit, would have to shift a heavy burden onto the middle class.
We should be aware that when Romney’s big cuts across the range of government programs take place, many government workers will be thrown out of work, further depressing the economy.
When we put together assorted remarks Romney has made, such as that college and university-bound students borrow the money from their parents, or that the 47 percent who do not pay (do not owe) taxes are “lazy” persons who do not take responsibility for themselves, it is clear that he is prepared to cut the programs which humanize our society, the programs supporting education, protecting air and water quality, food and drug safety, and providing a social safety net to help those in dire need. The child tax credit, the Earned Income tax credit, mortgage interest deductions, and deduction for state and local taxes are also among the likely candidates for Romney’s secretly planned cuts.
In our country’s history, the objectives of securing a decent life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were understood as a collective or societal goal, one basic to what it meant to be an American. Now we have a man seeking the presidency who rejects that goal, substituting “every man for himself” as his guiding principle. Collective goals such as improving the quality of life in the society do not seem to have a place in his thinking.
Bob Crawford
Roanoke