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.

Mount Rushmore

The name Mount Rushmore is used when referring to a huge carving on a granite cliff in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore National Memorial shows the faces of four American Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Washington's head is as high as a five-story building and is to the scale of a human being 465 feet tall.

The American sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed Mount Rushmore and supervised most of its work. Workers obtained measurements for the figures by using models that were one-twelfth actual size. They used drills and dynamite to cut the figures from Mount Rushmore's granite cliff. Work on the memorial began in 1927 and continued over 14 years with a few lapses in work. Borglum died in 1941 before seeing the memorial completed, but his son finished the work.

Mount Rushmore is located in the mountains twenty-five miles from Rapid City. The memorial rises 5,725 feet above sea level and more than 500 feet above the valley. Mount Rushmore is taller than the Great Pyramid of Egypt and is part of the National Park System.

Facts for this post came from an article in World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, pp 887-888, that was critically reviewed by the National Park Service.

Millard Fillmore

Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) was born in Locke, New York, on January 7, 1800, the second child in a family of six boys and three girls. His father lost his farm through a bad title and then rented some land covered with woods. Millard helped his father clear the trees and farm the land. Fillmore's time in school was very short, but he learned reading, spelling, arithmetic, and geography. His father owned only two books; one was a Bible and the other was a hymnbook. Fillmore bought his first book, a dictionary, at age 19. He taught school while studying law with a local judge and opened a law office at age 23. He married, Abigail Powers, one of his former teachers, at age 26; she was two years older than he. She continued to teach school, and the couple had two children, a boy and a girl. The family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1830. Fillmore served several terms in the United States House of Representatives before being nominated for United States Vice President on a ticket with Zachary Taylor, hero of the Mexican War. They won the 1848 election with a margin of 36 electoral votes. Millard Fillmore was the second person serving as Vice President to become the President of the United States. He became the President when Zachary Taylor died. His most important action was his support for and approval of the Compromise of 1850. The signing of this series of laws helped to delay the Civil War for more than ten years. He did not personally approve of slavery, but he loved his country enough to prefer compromise to war. During his administration, the basic postal rate was reduced from 5 to 3 cents by Congress. Mrs. Fillmore was not healthy but did arrange for the first cook stove in the White House as well as the first library there. Fillmore and his cabinet helped to fight the fire that burned the Library of Congress in 1851. Fillmore was not nominated for President in 1852, and Franklin Pierce became President. Mrs. Fillmore died less than a month after they left the White House and was buried in Washington, D.C. Fillmore returned to Buffalo and resumed his law practice. He ran for president again in 1856 but was beaten by James Buchanan. Two years later in 1858 Fillmore married Mrs. Caroline Carmichael McIntosh, a widow. He opposed many of the policies of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War but favored the Reconstruction program of President Andrew Johnson. Fillmore died on March 8, 1874, and was buried in Buffalo, New York. Facts for this post came from an article by Michael F. Holt, World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, pp 100-103.