CafeMom members got an exciting opportunity recently: They were invited to submit their questions to presidential candidate Mitt Romney for an exclusive feature in Sunday's Parade Magazine! Kelsey M. of Orange, Virginia asked, "I'm a stay-home mom of two children. How will your presidency improve my life?"
I think that's one of the most important questions we all consider when we look at the two presidential candidates. What are YOU going to do to make MY life better? For Romney, the answer comes down to two priorities: More jobs and school choice.
Here's the exact quote from Romney:
One, you'll be able to see better jobs with rising income again. And you'll know that when your kids go to school, it's a school of your choice, not the government's. And you'll know that when your kids come out of school, there will be a good job waiting for them.
Romney didn't elaborate on what exactly he is going to do to make those better jobs happen. But I do know part of his platform is providing tax breaks for corporations. Does that actually work?
Obama is also saying more and better jobs is a priority. I think it's important for both candidates to say more about how they'll make that happen. These issues get really wonky quickly, but it's important to pay attention.
As for school choice, I think Romney may be talking about charter schools and private school vouchers. As you've probably guessed, I lean pretty liberal. But not when it comes to school choice.
Here in New York City a lot of us are frustrated and fed up with our local public schools. We want alternatives! Change happens so slowly in public schools (especially in huge systems like ours), and our children need better schools NOW. When it comes to our kids, a lot of us are ready to ditch abstract ideals (like keeping money in regular public schools) if it means a getting better education for our children today. What's more, school choice may be one of the few issues Obama and Romney both support, though they differ on the specifics.
Read more of the Romney interview in this weekend's Parade.
Do you think a Romney presidency will really produce more and better jobs? How do you feel about school choice?
Image via Austen Hufford/Flickr
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Comments 13
I'd really like to know if he is going to raise taxes on the middle class and cut out some of the things that help us most, like daycare duductions and flexible spending plans. That's where it will hurt us most.
And how exactly does he plan on handling the potential for massive amounts of families wanting one particular school? Overcrowding students into that one school (which can lead to students not getting the proper education/attention individually)? Or do some get turned away (in which case, NO, you don't have your choice you were promised)?
It's easy to tell people what he THINKS they want to hear, but hopefully people are smart enough to not just bank on false promises with no real backup of how those things will be accomplished and any necessary contigency plan.
So far, the only thing OWEbama has done is grant "waivers" to states (where the teachers unions are reliable democrat donors and campaign workers) to the Bush/Kennedy "No Child Left Behind" law. (ignoring that pesky Constitution thingie...) In those states, your teachers union benefit package will not be left behind, even if your child is...
As for jobs, sorry the Q&A did not give you the level of detail that you demand of ONE of the candidates. If you check his web site, you will find details that are even more extensive than "hope" and "change". However, I have heard that OWEbama is going to start "focusing like a laser" on our post WWII RECORD level of unemployment any time now...
I love that you guys are already slamming Romney for this. It would be great if you wanted to ask those types of hard questions for your president but I guess your just to busy worshiping him.
I think Romney needs to give us more information. I do like having choices for school but I realize no matter what no program will be perfect. I am not a huge Romney fan but I believe because he has owned his own business he will get the government out of the way so people are more comfortable investing and in turn hiring people. You liberals keep talking about how great it is that he wants to tax the rich, but he wants to tax business's on their gross income not their net. So lets take a small business owner that makes 250,000 dollars a year before he's paid his rent, insurance, and employees. You have totally screwed him over and are cutting into his profit which is his reason for starting a business. We work with investors all the time and they all say the same thing. I am just not comfortable gambling with my money while this president is in office. Basic question is are you doing better than you were three years ago? Is this country doing better than it was three years ago? The answer is no so its time to give someone else a chance. At least this guy has saved someones job before.
Don't believe everything you hear in a democrat campaign commercial.
However, if the "Bush tax cuts" are eliminated, middle class taxes WILL go up. (so will taxes on the bottom end of the income scale)
RMT, if you can't get into a school because it's full, how can you blame someone else for that? No president can control who wants what school. It's a first come first serve and that's the school's rule not the governments.
Um- you DO realize that in this country, you have the right to pursue your own success and happiness, but that it isn't actually OWED to you...right? Since when is a President responsible for making MY life better? I kind of thought that was my responsibility. That's a very important word actually, RESPONSIBILTY. Personal responsibility allows for people to succeed, to build the life they want through THEIR OWN choices. Don't want your own home, or a nice car? Fine- don't work hard, don't be responsible for your own actions, and make sure you depend on your government to make your choices for you while they take care of you. Just don't complain that you're unhappy, unsuccessful, and have nothing-
@Guest-I don't believe everything I'm told. That's why I put the word "if" in my sentence. It was a question about is tax plan for the middle class, not an accusation. Read more carefully before you make a smartass comment.
School "choice" and "vouchers" is such a joke that I cannot believe people are falling for it. Maybe a couple of kids may end up in "better" schools. But people need to face facts: schools do not have to participate in schools of choice, and they don't have to take vouchers. I live in a state that is big on school choice. I live near a wealthy school district and they just started taking a handful of "school choice" kids- and only for 3 elementary grades; NO high school. Know why? Because they don't want "those" kids bringing down their standardized test scores. All of the other wealthy surrounding school districts offer 1 to 2 seats per grade- and on a lottery basis. In none of these districts do you get to "choose" your school; you take the seat in whatever school they give you- and those seats are usually in the "failing" schools in their district.
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So choose a charter school? Just got a letter from my kid's charter school- its "failing" too. I have 3 kids: one in public, one in a charter and one in an academically rigorous and expensive Catholic school. Bar none- the Catholic school is the best. People think a voucher will allow them entrance to a good private or parochial school? Good private schools don't need or want voucher kids. Over the years, I saw a number of kids asked to leave my kid's Catholic school for infractions that made public school teachers I know say, "That's all they did?" And those kid's parents were paying customers. And by paying, I'm not talking about just tuition. Because anyone who sends their kid to private or Catholic school knows that tuition is just the starting point of the paying. I easily spent another $3 to $4 thousand a year beyond basic tuition costs. And I was small potatoes there. You know how lower middle-class kids who can't really afford it get to go to these schools? The schools provide scholarships- so thatthey can choose the kid. Just take a look at Louisiana- its only the crappiest schools that are accepting a lot of voucher kids. The good schools? The private and parochial schools? They're giving up just a couple of seats.