Ann Romney

                    The GOP Convention took place last week in Tampa, Florida, and Mitt Romney is now the official Republican nominee for the office of President of the United States.  I listened to many of the speeches and liked most of them.  I particularly enjoyed the speech given by Ann Romney on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.   

            I do not know Mitt and Ann Romney personally.  I do not travel in the circles of the rich and famous or in the circles of leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (often known as Mormons); however, I understand Ann's thoughts about her husband, children, grandchildren, and America.  I consider that her thoughts were "spot on!"

                    "I'm not sure if men really understand this, but I don't think there's a woman in America who really expects here life to be easy.  In our own ways, we all know better!

                    "And that's fine.  We don't want easy.  But these last few years have been harder than they needed to be.  It's all the little things - that price at the pump you just can't believe, the grocery bills that just get bigger; all those things that used to be free, like school sports, are now one more bill to pay.  It's all the little things that pile up to become big things.  And the big things - the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just get harder.  Everything has become harder.

                    "We're too smart to know there aren't easy answers.  But we're not dumb enough to accept that there aren't better answers."

                    I appreciated knowing more about how Mitt and Ann met and what they were like as young adults.  I like to hear a man or a woman express love for his or her spouse, children, and grandchildren.  I am grateful for Ann's expression of love and trust in her husband. 

                    After describing how she met Mitt at a high school dance, she continued, "That was 42 years ago.  Now we have five sons and 18 grandchildren and I'm still in love with that boy I met at a high school dance.

                    "I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a `storybook marriage.'  Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once.  And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer.

                    "A storybook marriage?  No, not at all.  What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage.

                    "I know this good and decent man for what he is - warm and loving and patient…."

                    "You may not agree with Mitt's positions on issues or his politics…. 

                    "But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next president:

                    "No one will work harder.  No one will care more.  No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!  …

                    "This is the man America needs.

                    "This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can't be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair.  This is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard.

                    "I can't tell you what will happen over the next four years.  But I can only stand here tonight, as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment:

                    "This man will not fail.

                    "This man will not let us down.

                    "This man will lift America!  …

                    "You can trust Mitt.

                    "He loves America.  He will take us to a better place….  Give him that chance.  Give America that chance.

                    "God bless each of you and God Bless the United States of America."

                    This speech by Ann Romney was much easier on my spirit than when I heard Michelle Obama say that she had never been proud to be an America until her husband was elected as the President of the United States.  America needs Mitt Romney, but we also need Ann Romney by his side.  I supported Mitt before I heard Ann speak, but I will give him even more support now.  Romney for President!

                   

End the War on Women

                    The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday comes from an essay written by Daniel Burton, a contributor at ksl.com entitled "Lessons learned from political `War on Women.'"   That principle is:  The war on women would quickly end if men, women, and political leaders would recognize the power and influence of women and treat them fairly and equally.

                    The essay eloquently describes the many ways that women bring blessings to their homes and communities.  Burton wrote, "When we come down to it, this is about how we - men, the government, and CNN pundits - get out of the way and let women make the choices themselves.  Whether it's a husband, father, or government, women don't need men to tell them what is right or what is wrong, how to spend their money or whether they should be working or not.  They know what is best for their families and they are perfectly adept at figuring it out without Uncle Sam telling them how.  They just need to be treated like their decisions - whether to stay-at-home and raise their children or to share the responsibility of providing with dad or even to not have children at all - matter and are respected."

                    This man values the women in his life.  This fact is obvious from his essay - for which I am grateful.  I encourage you to read it and learn the lessons that he gained.  He ended his essay with this statement:

                    "It's tough to be a mother, and no one should try to tell them that one political party or the other knows what's best for them.  They know best for themselves.

                    "What do women want?  They want to be treated equally and fairly in whatever choice they make.  They are smart, they understand the effects of their choices, and they move the economy.  Whether they choose to be in the workforce or at home, it's time we treat them like they are the equals that they are."

Why I Will Vote for Mitt Romney

                    My faithful readers know that Mitt Romney has not always been my choice for the Republican nominee for President of the United States.  I intentionally avoided the implied idea that I would vote for him simply because we belong to the same church.  My actual first choice was Governor Rick Perry for several reasons.  I like the fact that he has experience in successfully running a large, productive state - a state that is producing jobs in a nation that is losing them.  I like his casualness and friendliness; I suppose I fall for the "cowboy" type.  I was very disappointed when Governor Perry dropped out of the race.

                    None of the four remaining candidates are the perfect one for me because none of them meet all of my qualifications.  I have listened carefully to their words, watched their body language, read the pros and cons about each one, watched each candidate's interactions with their families, and prayed about my choice.  I came to the conclusion that Mitt Romney is the only remaining candidate for the nomination that deserves my vote.  I will try to explain my line of thinking.

                    First of all, Mitt Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes referred to as Mormons.  As I am also a member of this Church, I understand the expectations and requirements to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I believe that most members of the Church are honest and dependable people who are good citizens of their nations.  The fact that Mitt Romney pays millions of dollars in tithing to the Church indicates to me that he is honest in his dealings with God; this means that he is most likely honest in his dealings with his fellowmen.  Mitt has also served as a bishop and as a stake president.  He would not need to be perfect to be called to these positions, but he would have to be a very good man to hold them.  Since I do not know Mitt personally, I am relying on my knowledge of the many good men I do know who have served in these positions.

                    Second, I like the way that Mitt Romney interacts with his wife and family.  I absolutely love the way he looks at Ann!  Any man who loves his wife this much is a good man!  It is very obvious that she is the light of his life, that she has a very positive effect on her husband, and that they have a happy marriage.  From all indications and reports, the Romney sons are all good, productive members of their communities who are doing their part to make the world a better place.  It is obvious that Romney's wife and sons support him.  Having Ann and their sons solidly behind Mitt would completely free him to concentrate on the business of running the United States.

Ann appears to be the perfect helpmate for Mitt.  She has the ability to soften his rough edges and bring out the best in him - and there appears to be a lot of good there to bring out.  This is one reason why the Romney campaign keeps Mitt and Ann together as much as possible.  Their oldest son, Tagg Romney, recently said in an interview, "… we don't want a situation where they're apart for three weeks.  You can tell when she's off the trail for too long - my dad has got some sharper edges.  He's a little less patient.  …She'll say, `Oh, don't sweat it, you don't need to worry about that,' and distract him. We always call her the dad stabilizer.  He needs to be with her."  A senior campaign official added, "It's something we weigh all the time.  He's just a better candidate when she's around."   Ann "exudes empathy and authenticity" and helps us to get a better idea of who Mitt really is.

                    Third, I was pleased to read an article written by Linda and Richard Eyre about Mitt Romney.  I do not know the Eyres personally but feel that I do.  I have read several of their books about families and used their Joy School pre-school program for my own children.  I believe that they are good people, and I trust their judgment.  When they say good things about Mitt Romney, I pay attention.  Their article about the wonderful "happy surprise" in store for the American people with Romney as President can be summed up with their "prediction".

                    "Here's a prediction:  As this long and tedious campaign wends its way through nomination and finally to the November election, Romney will continue to be viewed as the most competent and practical candidate, but he will also gradually be revealed to be the most moral, most family-committed and most values-driven candidate (and the most personally humble)….

                    "And despite all of the predictions that the general election campaign will be full of attacks and negative campaigning, it is likely to be between two family-prioritizing men who will each make the case that they are loyal to their own wives and children and that they care about the families of every American.  And that just might make for a November campaign that takes a higher road than most people think it will.  It might even become a campaign that we want our children to watch!"

                    Fourth, Mitt Romney is gaining more support from Tea Party activists and conservatives.  Romney is apparently more conservative than we have been led to believe.  The Romney win in Illinois seemed to push conservatives towards Romney as he now has more than twice as many delegates as his nearest competitor, Rick Santorum.

FreedomWorks (the organization that first "ignited the tea party as a national mass movement") is no longer opposing Romney.  FreedomWorks Vice President Russ Walker said, "We are dedicated to defeating Obama and electing a conservative Senate that will help Romney repeal Obamacare and address the nation's economic and spending challenges."  

Other Tea Party favorites are endorsing Romney.  Florida Senator Marco Rubio endorsed Romney on Fox News' "Hannity" show:  "It's evidently and increasingly clear that Mitt Romney's going to be the Republican nominee.  I am going to endorse Mitt Romney.  He offers such a stark contrast to the president's record."  He added that it was time for the Republican primary to end.  

Representative Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, endorsed Romney on "Fox and Friends", saying that Romney is the "best person to beat the president" and warning that it was time for the primary contest to end.  He said, "I am convinced that Mitt Romney has the skills, the tenacity, the principles, the courage and the integrity to do what it takes to get America back on track."

Senator Jim DeMint did not give an outright endorsement of Romney but said that he was "excited" about possibility of Romney being the Republican nominee.  As DeMint is known as a conservative "kingmaker", his comments carry a lot of weight.  He said, "I can tell conservatives from my perspective is that, I'm not only comfortable with Romney, I'm excited about the possibility of him possibly being our nominee."  

Fifth, my most important reason for voting for Mitt Romney is prayer.  I have studied the issues and pondered all the information I have at my disposal.  I then took my decision to the Lord.  I feel strongly that Mitt Romney is the best man running for President of the United States and will gladly vote for him.  I encourage you to study the issues, pray about the situation, and hopefully come to the same conclusion as I did.