Let's Make America, America Again

I've been thinking about some ideas for a speech I'd love to hear Mitt Romney give.  The theme is the title of this piece.  Here's some of it (this is Romney speaking):

Everywhere I go people come up to me and say "I don't even recognize my own country anymore. The America I grew up in almost doesn't exist, and in its place we have a mess."

I agree. It's a mess, but it doesn't have to be.

As I look around the country these past few months I've seen so-called "Occupiers" taking over and defiling taxpayer-owned parks while impotent and enabling mayors just look on and watch taxpayer property being destroyed. I see a party promoting a tax system that would punish success and reward sloth. Dependence on government programs is now considered a virtue while being able to support yourself is vilified. Everyone's a victim of some unseen power that changes every day depending on the president's audience.

I see a president who has been in office for over three years but still doesn't think he's responsible for anything that has happened...except killing bin Laden, of course. He wants us to accept 8%+ unemployment rates and $4 a gallon gasoline as the new normal. His budgets, which don't even draw votes from his own party, have massive unsustainable deficits as far as the eye can see. He is quite willingly, and with the accomplices in his own party, leading America on a steady and steepening path to collapse.  He just doesn't get it.

This is not the America we knew. This is an effort to turn the greatest nation in history into just another failed European social democracy.

Of course, President Obama probably doesn't know better. How else can you explain his many speeches, all saying the same thing, as nothing he does creates real change. I'm sure it was easy to solve all the world's problems from the comfort of an Ivy League faculty lounge where every untested socialist idea is a winner and where even tested ideas failed only because they weren't given an adequate chance. Sure, the world is a pretty simple place in the halls of academia.

But the real world has proven to be very different. Those ideas which made so much sense at Harvard aren't working in America. They're making things worse. Sure, this president inherited a tough economic situation - not unlike President Reagan in 1981 - but his job was to make it better, not make it worse. Reagan passed the test. Obama...not so much.

It's time for real change. When I'm president I'll have an energy policy that really means "all of the above" and not just whatever today's energy flavor of the day is or campaign contributor of the day wants. The energy markets will know we're serious about exploiting our own resources, whether it be oil, coal, gas, wind, sun, or anything else.  We'll change the entire psychology of the energy markets.

I'll have an education policy that gets the federal government out of the way. Local school districts and teachers need to be able to do what's best for their students without interference from a Washington bureaucrat that's never been in a classroom.

I'll have a tax policy that rewards hard work and success and encourages capital investment. I won't have a system that puts so much of the burden on so few of the people. President Obama says he wants "shared sacrifice" but what he really wants is dependency for the many funded by the relatively few. That's nothing but shared misery.

We'll have a military that's second to none, ready for anything, and that isn't sent to places where there is no compelling national interest. We will not risk the lives of our service people or the funds in our treasury on some sort of international meals on wheels program.

Our foreign aid program will be quite simple - if you're our friend we'll do what we can to help. If you're not, don't bother asking.  If you believe in freedom, we'll get along fine.

As far as domestic aid programs, we'll continue to help those who truly need our help. But for those who can work but will not, don't expect the government to compensate you for your bad lifestyle choices. If you choose to drop out of school, have children out of wedlock, use illegal drugs, commit crimes, or just don't want to be a useful contributor to society, we will do you the best favor we can and quit enabling you. You're on your own. We must get our fiscal house in order - we can't afford to reward bad behavior.

We're going to help businesses find a way to succeed. If your company is in a place where success is nearly impossible due to excess regulations or burdensome taxes, we'll create programs to help you move somewhere else that's friendlier to your business. States will high taxes and regulation will find their tax base fleeing...until they fix their problems. We have 50 states and no one says you have to stay where you are. We want you to be a success story.

And I'm going to do my best to help the Hollywood community by making sure George Clooney has time to make movies and no longer has to work as a presidential adviser. It's the least I can do for the entertainment business.

When we make important decisions, one word will be prominent...freedom. How does this decision help our citizens to enjoy more freedom? How does this economic plan promote freedom? How does this regulation, or more importantly removal of regulations, make this a freer country? I'm not going to tell you how to eat, what to watch, or what you should do in your spare time. I want for you what I want for myself - freedom to choose my lifestyle and activities, even if some of those choices are deemed politically incorrect.

Bottom line - my administration will do everything in its power to make America, America again. And with your help, and God's blessing, we'll get it done.

Now THAT'S a speech. If Mitt Romney gave that speech he'd probably win 40 states. Feel free to send it to him with my compliments.