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Romney's missteps in Europe

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To the editor:

The Republican Party wants Mitt Romney to be our next president. So, he goes to Europe to show his foreign relations skills and promptly insults our long-time ally, the United Kingdom.

He starts by calling the country Great Britain, when the correct name is United Kingdom and has been since the 19th century. This is not unlike how Romney continues to refer to the Soviet Union, which has not existed since 1991, instead of Russia.

Romney criticized the U.K.’s handling of the Olympic games on the eve of their commencement. He seems to have genuinely angered Prime Minister David Cameron, a rare European ally in the lonely fight against European-style socialism.

Then, Romney announces that he had a meeting with the head of the British intelligence MI6. The British government does not even admit that MI6 exists, let alone saying who the head of it is. Another blunder.

Romney has attacked President Obama as a bumbling leader who has diminished American leadership, but now the true bumbler, Mitt Romney, has once again made an appearance.

If elected, Romney is going to have to work hand-in-glove with Prime Minister David Cameron and other world leaders on the ongoing global financial crisis and other issues. What unintended offenses are going to tumble out of his mouth then, when he’s representing our nation on the world stage?

Romney is currently vetting his possible vice president choices and they have to provide at least 10 years of tax returns, but Romney is only letting the voters see two years of his returns.

Here is what the very conservative New Hampshire newspaper the Union Leader wrote recently about Romney’s tax returns.

“There is no place for secrecy or, indeed, privacy in a presidential campaign. If you want the job, you have to subject yourself to the scrutiny.You have to be prepared to stand and explain, indeed, justify, your actions. If they are legal, then so be it. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this entire controversy is the one NOT being discussed much: How did Romney get himself into this position in the first place? He has been running for office for a long time. His presidential aspirations predate the tax returns in question. What could he possibly have been thinking when he failed to ensure that everything contained in those documents was above reproach? Or was he simply not thinking at all? Surely he could not have arrogantly believed that he could withstand any storm that developed by bluffing his way through it? If so, it hasn’t worked.”

The Republicans are offering a presidential nominee who would have let the auto industry go bankrupt, who thinks unemployment insurance is a disaster, who would cut Medicare and Social Security benefits, and who doesn't even want us to know where else he would cut spending.

The Republicans are offering a presidential nominee who will cut benefits on just about everyone who needs them in order to finance tax cuts on corporations and the very wealthy. The Republicans are offering a presidential nominee whose austerity would be as cruel and stupid as that now crushing Europe, but which would benefit the extremely wealthy such as himself.

The American voters should pay attention. Because as shocking as it is, Romney's foolishness is just a sideshow. The spotlight should be on the collapse of the British economy, and how a Romney presidency would import some recent Anglo-Saxon heritage that everyone should understand and no one should want to suffer. Under the Conservative austerity government Britain's economic output collapsed by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2012 as the country's double-dip recession extended into a third quarter.

Lastly, Mitt Romney likes proclaim how he saved the 2002 Olympics in Utah. He conveniently leaves out the $600 million in federal funding to help cover costs. There were also roads, bridges and other infrastructure paid for with $1.1 billion in taxpayer money. He did not do it by himself.

Sincerely,
John Hiestand
Hillsboro

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