Americans, the decision is in your hands....

The political conventions are over.  A decision looms for the American people on what kind of country they will have in their own lifetimes.  The difference between two candidates for President has never been clearer than now.  And you get to make the final decision.  This is not the year to sit this one out.  Not voting is cowardly and foolish.  The effects of this election will have the most life-changing outcomes on Americans and the world.  Do you want the vision of the Democrats?

...or the Republican vision?

The above acceptance speech at the Republican Convention in August was the carefully rehearsed "coming out" for the less-known GOP candidate. His biggest problem in this election is that voters don't feel they know who Mitt Romney is and many feel he's changed his political positions out of expedience to win the Republican nomination.  What was missing in his speech was why he has changed his position on abortion rights, contraception, gay marriage, and health care since he last governed (as Governor of the state of Massachusetts).  Also absent in his speech were some of the key issues facing the next U.S. President. In the above speech,  did he mention Iraq or Afghanistan once?  NO, not once although those wars begun by a Republican administration have dominated our economy and contributed to our growing national deficit.  How about his position on the care and support of our military soldiers and veterans?  We owe it to our wounded warriors, their widows and orphans, and the unemployed veterans to support them now and for the next 50 years. THAT is another ongoing cost of our entitlements that we taxpayers support.  No mention of our soldiers fighting for our country far from home. Perhaps he doesn't know anyone fighting in the Marine Corps or the Army? Amid his criticism of President Obama, did Romney provide a clear road map on how his policies would bring the economy back and employ workers in good jobs?  Does his speech promote a positive future where all Americans feel welcome and safe in their own country -- or does it reinforce fears and distrust of Americans who may not look like Republicans and have different religious beliefs or skin color?   What vision did he offer the poor, the disabled, the sick, and the elderly that he was concerned with their future and quality of life?  What did he say to assure young people that they could get a good education without incurring a lifetime of debt to pay for it? And, did Mitt Romeny offer any policy he would support to address the environmental disaster facing our world with global warming and it's impact on our food supply, world peace, and our health? He could only mock our President who does understand the geopolitical reality and insecurity that global warming and our unsustainable life-style brings.   It's important to look at what Mitt Romney says and does when talking to the common folk as well as when he gets grilled by journalists or debaters when he is less prepared to respond to questions about his views and beliefs.  These "off the cuff" moments help us to take the measure of a man and to help us understand his true demeanor and suitability to be the most powerful political leader in the world.

On immigration policy:

On the most recent foreign crisis in Islamic countries when he jumped in to condemn the President before all the facts were known:

And in regard to his credentials as a businessman who knows how to fix our economy, what exactly did he do to improve the economic health of companies that Bain Capital directed?  He outsourced the jobs of Americans overseas.  His criticism of President Obama on China Trade falls flat when you look how Romney personally benefitted in enriching his company by profits attained when Bain Capital reorganized companies to send manufacturing jobs to low wage countries and China.  Romney backs a tax code that rewards businesses for sending jobs overseas by eliminating taxes on their profits when they do so. The Obama campaign recently hit back on Romney's misleading ads on the Obama administration's record on China and trade policy.  The ad brings to light that since Obama took office, 500,000 new manufacturing jobs have been created in America.