THE CHOICE FOR AMERICA'S MIDDLE CLASS

The president's mantra throughout this campaign has been that he is the champion of America's middle class. That's a clever theme for a stump speech, but the facts show otherwise.

When he took office Barack Obama pledged that in his first term in office he would bring the country together, lower unemployment to 5.6%, cut the national debt in half, reduce healthcare costs and create cheap, abundant energy.  After four long years he has done none of the above.

Instead the country is more divided than ever, unemployment still hovers near 8%, the national debt has grown by more than 50% ,the average American family's annual healthcare costs are up $2,000 and gas prices are double what they were when the president took office.

Last month the number of new jobs created in the United States was equaled by the number of jobs lost. Gross Domestic Product growth slowed to 2%. Jeffrey Immelt, the chairman of the president's jobs council, has announced that he is voting for Mitt Romney. The president's response has been to continue blaming George Bush and to reject any responsibility for the results of the last four years.

The fact of the matter is that the president's programs are not helping America's middle class. And frankly, they're not intended to. Rather they are meant to redistribute redistribute other people’s money and to use that redistribution to foster dependency on government and buy votes for progressive politicians.

The net impact of the president's agenda will be to make America's middle class a permanent underclass that relies on government bureaucrats for all of its needs - jobs, education, housing, healthcare, transportation and retirement income. If his tax plans are implemented, only the super-rich, Hollywood stars, and professional athletes will have the opportunities that today are available to all Americans. Why? Because, under the Obama tax plan, when your income reaches a certain level, you'll be paying so much in taxes that you won't ever become financially independent. If you want to see Barack Obama's vision for America, just look to Europe.

Mitt Romney understands that America's free enterprise system has done more to lift people out of poverty than all of the government programs ever devised. He knows that entrepreneurism and the growth of small businesses have provided Americans with the highest standard of living that the world has ever known. 

Romney's message is resonating with the American public. A number of mainstream Democrats, like former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder are praising him, and several liberal news outlets are now supporting Romney's election. Newspapers like the Columbus Dispatch and the Des Moines Register, which last endorsed a Republican in 1972, have recently endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Today, they were joined by no other than liberal stalwarts the New York Daily News and Newsday.

On Tuesday, voters will choose between two very different visions of America’s
future. For the sake of America’s middle class, they should choose Mitt Romney’s.