As the Republican primaries slowly reveal Mitt Romney as the obvious contender for the United States presidency, focus on the economy is off the backburner and has found itself being touted again as a serious national issue. Social conservatism glib talk has hopefully made its exodus with the likes of Rick Santorum. Social issues have distracted discussion of issues such as jobs and the economy, issues more pressing and of far more importance than almost anything else being spouted about during the height of the debates.
It is good for the nation that Romney and President Barack Obama have re-started the debate on the economy. However, it is worrisome to note they may have gone off on tangents of their own. Obama has been a vocal proponent of the scant-evidenced “Buffett Rule,” calling for higher taxes on the richer sections of the country’s population. Romney, on the other hand, has stuck to appeasing voters by making lofty promises to cut taxes, without indicating any means of balancing the $15 trillion national debt. Both arguments seem to stem from ideology, rather than forming any concrete basis for pursuing them.
Such uncompromising rhetoric-driven positions promise to exacerbate the indecision witnessed so many times in Washington this year that almost shut down the government. With the economy slowly beginning to pick up and show signs of recovery, it is imperative laws and policies enacted serve to sustain and enhance the growth, even if it means straying from established partisan policies and talking-points.
Anurag Mandalika is a graduate student in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Please send your thoughts to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
