Her Campus Mizzou Weighs In- Election 2012

DISCLAIMER: These views do not reflect those of the entire Her Campus Mizzou staff. These staff writers have chosen to voice their own personal opinions about the election which are not in any way affiliated with the views of Her Campus Mizzou. Be sure and vote if you haven’t already!

Why GObama?-Carleigh Cavender

DISCLAIMER: I’m 19, and in college, and learning. I’m going to keep this vague, because I’m not an expert and would probably produce a very shoddy explanation if I tired to get to specific. So don’t hate too hard.

I’m voting for President Obama for a lot of reasons: he likes Harry Potter; he plays basketball; he hosted a Q&A on Reddit; he has his own hilarious meme, and as a further testament to his relatability to my generation, he even referenced that meme on Reddit.

OKAY so I realize that while Obama definitely wins when it comes to being “cool,” this doesn’t necessarily have any relevance to how well he stacks up against Mitt Romney as the leader of our country, such as: The Economy.

Mitt Romney may be a brilliant businessman, but the United States isn’t a business, and while our economy desperately needs to be revitalized, I’m not convinced Romney is the candidate to do it. As far as tax cuts go, Romney is generally in favor of continuing the Bush-era tax cuts for households averaging income greater than $200,000, while Obama believes a tax increase on these higher earning households is a key piece of deficit reduction. From what I’ve read, economists agree that tax cuts don’t generate government revenue, unless they’re paired with spending.  Also, Clinton and the elder George Bush raised taxes and what resulted? An economic boom. George W. Bush cut taxes and what resulted? Economic recession. Sorry Mitt, but I’m not convinced your tax cuts will actually help out the economy.

I’m done talking economics, partly because I’ve been relentlessly studying for my economics 1015 test later this week and am fed up, and partly because it takes me 30 minutes to form a sentence that I know is factually correct. Ain’t Nobody Got time for That.

Moving onto an issue that is very dear to my heart: Marriage Rights. Romney’s position on same sex marriage greatly deters me from casting my vote in his favor. He supports the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. President Obama is opposed to this act, and has recently stated that he thinks same sex couples should be allowed the privilege of a recognized civil union. I believe marriage is a civil right, and I don’t quite understand how this can be disputed. When our country denies a same sex couple the civil recognition of marriage, we essentially belittle that couple’s love. We legally say we value it less than an ‘ordinary’ marriage between a man and a woman, and that we would allow our homophobia to justify keeping our fellow Americans in a prison of second class citizenship.

Another large social issue where Romney and I disagree: abortion. Abortion is old. Like REALLY REALLY old. As in abortion has been around longer than Christianity, and will probably continue to exist until science produces a method of contraception that is scientifically infallible and human-proof. Until then, no matter how vigorously society shakes its fist at abortion, humans will continue to make silly mistakes and seek desperate solutions for those mistakes. This doesn’t mean I hate the unborn or that I agree that killing and innocent child is an appropriate solution for an immature adult, only that I recognize illegalizing abortion is very impractical, even irresponsible.  Eliminating it translates into increasing the rates of black-market abortion. Why do this, when we could provide safe, sterile abortions for unexpectant mothers, while working to lower the abortion rate through methods such as the Obamacare mandate, which would provide free birth control, and therein reduce abortion rates. Abortion is an ugly, traumatizing ordeal; why push it out of mainstream society and isolate the women that endure it?

The last issue I wish to discuss is Climate Change. President Obama is very conscious of the looming realities of a changing global climate. He has advocated what the Washington Post is calling the most sweeping air attack on air pollution in U.S. history. He plans to impose Carbon Dioxide limits on new power plants, and as a part of his auto bailout, he tightened fuel efficiency rules. He has also backed a new EPA regulation on mercury and other similar toxin emissions.  All of these acts help improve the air we breathe, and consequentially, save lives. Gov. Romney however has thus far stood against these advances. I agree that the Romney’s main talking point, the economy, should be one of the most important issues that voters must consider Tuesday. However, it shouldn’t be at the cost of ignoring other issues. Romney was once passionate about cutting humanity’s impact on the environment, but his party has since changed his policy. His new attitudes are that “we don’t know what’s causing climate change on this planet” which is unacceptable. Climate experts agree, humanity is “very likely” changing the balance of our global environment; how can a shrewd businessman dispute this evidence?

Both candidates lack my full stamp of approval. Both are inconsistent politicians that bend to the political power of their respective parties. Both champion the death penalty, which is more expensive than lifetime prison sentences and has drained 4 billion from California alone since 1978.  Both have absolutely insane running mates. Both can’t be perfect. But Obama is definitely the better candidate.

Top 5 Reasons I’m Voting for Mitt Romney- Emma Reynolds

As the great Ronald Reagan once said, “Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” Flashback to the past four years and ask yourself, “What has Obama done to protect the people?” Obama has inflicted a sense of dictatorship and decision making over the lives of ALL Americans. Our individual rights are diminishing at a rapid rate and with four more years of this guy you can say goodbye to choices that you want to make for your future AND for those of your family. What we need is LESS government, NOT MORE.

It’s crucial for young voters in this modern age to stay informed. As we are transitioning out of our teenage years and into the real world, the political issues of this country begin to affect us more directly. We are in college for one reason, and that is to become educated so that we can enter the workforce prepared to work hard, start a career and make a living. We will have families that need support, taxes we’ll need to pay and healthcare we’ll need to acquire.

1) Romney has experience in both government and the private sector.  He has run successful businesses, saved the Olympics and turned around the state’s economy while being the governor of Massachusetts. He plans to decrease taxes on small business owners in America. By doing this, those small businesses will be able to hire more people, lay off less workers and stimulate economic growth. Obama is increasing taxes on small businesses, and thus decreasing the rate of job creation. This is important for college graduates because right now 50 percent of college graduates cannot find a job. In fact, there are over 12.5 million adults out of work.

2) Romney and running mate Paul Ryan have a plan that will create a more balanced budget and reduce spending on things that aren’t crucial to the success of America. Romney wants to handle the deficit in a fiscally responsible way by creating jobs and cutting federal spending. Unlike Obama’s approach, raising taxes is not the answer.

3) Romney’s steady, strong approach to the three debates, even during Obama’s ruthless attack of his character, is the type of president I want to see for this country. I don’t support somebody who will point the fingers but someone who can stand strong when times get rough.

4) Romney is a true American that would never criticize, lie and abandon America, like Obama has. When Obama released his apology, he apologized for our freedoms of speech and our opinions as Americans. No president should ever apologize on behalf of his country or go abroad to criticize America.

5) Vice President choice Paul Ryan helps Romney bring a fresh outlook to America. Obama has been dishonest by saying he has brought bipartisanship to the legislature. Romney, as former Governor of Massachusetts, knows how to work with Democrats to actually create a more unified legislature.

I am proud supporter of Mitt Romney and his American ideals. I support his plans to create a unified country that looks out for our best interest, and his plans to promote hard work. The future success of college students like me depends on change of leadership. This is the most important election of our time and this great nation needs to be united once more with a leader who wants to unify and better this country.

• obama
• politics
• romney