Why I Changed My 2008 Vote From Obama to Romney

A Northern California newspaper that owns the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News, made a recommendation that Obama should be re-elected. The reasoning that they provided in support of its endorsement for the re-election of President Obama was flawed and follows the typical belief of the left leaning media. As someone who voted for Obama in 2008, I have seen the error of my ways.

1. The Economy - They said that Obama had inherited the worst recession since the Great Depression. The economy has experienced recessions as bad as the one inherited by Obama. In the Carter years there was double digit inflation and double digit interest rates, neither of which was faced by Obama.

They pointed to the Dow doubling since Obama took office, but they did not look to see why that happened. Although the TARP program was initiated by Bush, Obama administered much of it and provided billions of dollars to the financial sector with no strings attached. That was followed in February 2009 with the American Reinvestment Act which provided $800 billion to "stimulate the economy." Instead of working with the core of the problem which they had helped create, namely the collapse of the housing market, the banks invested in the stock market, which drove the prices higher. They then cashed in slowly, paid back the loans, and started paying outrageous bonuses to themselves again. I have talked to hundreds of individuals who have been destroyed by these policies, and know of four who committed suicide. They are not better off than four years ago.

They also claimed that Obama "saved" the auto industry, pointing to General Motors. In reality, I think it is important to note that General Motors did exactly what Romney had suggested, which was to go through bankruptcy. By doing so, they were able to void their contract with Toyota regarding Nummi, which cost the Bay Area tens of thousands of jobs. The money that the taxpayers provided to GM, which we will never get back, went to shore up the Auto Workers Union. California is a lock for Obama, so he needed to structure the GM bailout to take care of the Ohio and Michigan voters.

2. Foreign Affairs - Contrary to their opinion letter, Bin Laden was not an accomplishment for Obama. Rather, it was an accomplishment for the CIA and the interrogation techniques that Obama disapproved. When he called on the Navy Seals, they got Bin Laden. When the Seals called on Obama in Libya on September 11th this year, they got denied.

The doctor in Pakistan who provided us with the precise location of Bin Laden was arrested by the Pakistani government and is sitting in jail, without hardly a complaint from Obama. His entire Middle East policy is a failure because that region has no respect for the United States.

3. Domestic Issues - While I agree that our health care issues need to be addressed, Obamacare is not the answer. Of course those with pre-existing conditions will agree that Obamacare is great. Think about it, though. If I wrap my car around a tree and am uninsured, should I be able to call an insurance company, purchase a policy and ask them to fix my car? Health care issues must be addressed, but it must take into account tort reform, availability of health providers, business interests and how to handle the poor without penalizing someone who can afford an enhanced health insurance policy.

We cannot continue to spend more than we take in, nor can we depend on the federal government to provide the incentive to create jobs through bureaucratic control.

Finally, I agree that people who were brought into the country illegally should not be held responsible for what their parents did bringing them here. However, I cannot support Obama's rejection of the U.S. Constitution, which requires laws to be created in Congress and enforced by the President. He has unilaterally made his own law and decided what laws would be enforced.

Eventually, when the federal government gets big enough, the first amendment might be ignored, much like the 10th amendment is, and "Freedom of the Press" will give way to government ownership of business, not unlike GM and AIG.

Based upon the many failures of Obama over the past four years, and the lack of any substantive plan, I will be changing my vote to Mitt Romney.