Romney Campaign Press Release - The Romney Agenda: Change Begins With Us

"We've got to start acting like Republicans, not earmarking Republicans, not big government Republicans, but like Reagan Republicans and Teddy Roosevelt Republicans. They led us along the right course. ... It's time for change in Washington and change begins with us." – Governor Mitt Romney _{^{(Governor Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, Mackinac Island, MI, 9/22/07)}}

FISCAL RESTRAINT IN WASHINGTON

" Republicans for Change believe in small government. ... Republicans for Change are also fiscally responsible." – Governor Romney

Living Within A Budget In Washington:

Governor Romney Will Cut Spending In Washington. Like the millions of families and businesses across the country, government must also live within a budget. Excessive spending is not an option for American families and should not be an option for Washington politicians.

- Governor Romney Will Veto Appropriations Bills That Exceed Spending Targets. He will veto any non-defense discretionary appropriations bill that grows spending at a rate greater than inflation minus one percent (CPI-1%). This will save $300 billion over 10 years.

- Governor Romney Will Review And Reevaluate All Federal Spending Programs. He will undertake an exhaustive review of each federal program to eliminate wasteful programs.

- Click Here To Read Governor Romney's Plan To Cut Wasteful Spending.

Tax-Free Savings For Middle-Class Americans:

Governor Romney Will Make Middle-Class Savings Tax-Free. Governor Romney has proposed making income from interest, dividends and capital gains tax-free for middle-class families.

- Governor Romney's Plan Will Allow Over 95% Of American Families To Save And Invest Tax-Free. Any taxpayer with Adjusted Gross Income of under $200,000 would pay a tax rate of absolutely 0% on all of the income they earn from their savings, capital gains and dividends.

- With Tax-Free Savings, More Americans Will Join The Investor Class. Tax-free savings will encourage more families to build wealth by saving, investing and participating in the stock market, which will help grow the economy.

- Click Here To Read Governor Romney's Plan To Make Middle-Class Savings Tax-Free.

Letting The American People Keep More Of Their Hard-Earned Money:

Governor Romney Has Proposed A Strong Tax Relief Agenda. Governor Romney will make the Bush tax relief permanent, cut tax rates for all Americans, abolish the death tax, and make the corporate tax rate more competitive with the rest of the world.

- Click Here To Read Governor Romney's Plan To Cut Taxes.

A STRONGER AMERICA AND MORE SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS

"Republicans for Change believe in strength. We know that the best foe against tyrants and the best ally peace has ever known is a strong America." – Governor Romney

Strengthening Our Military:

Governor Romney Will Defend America By Strengthening Our Military. Across America, there are thousands of families with members in the Armed Forces, Reserves and National Guard who need more support from Washington.

- Governor Romney Will Add At Least 100,000 More Troops To Our Armed Forces.

- Governor Romney Will Commit At Least 4% Of Our Gross Domestic Product To Defense. This will help provide the resources needed for equipment, modernization, training, treatment and care of our wounded soldiers.

- Click Here To Read Governor Romney's Full Plan To Strengthen Our Military.

Defeating The Jihadists:


Governor Romney Has Outlined A Comprehensive Strategy To Defeat Terrorism And Ensure American Security. As part of his Global Initiative for Values and Freedom, he will create the Special Partnership Force built on a core of Special Forces experts trained to work with local governments around the world.

- Click Here To View Governor Romney's PowerPoint On The Special Partnership Force.

Securing Our Borders:

Governor Romney Will Secure Our Borders And Enforce Our Current Immigration Laws. Governor Romney believes we must enforce our laws, secure our border, put in place an enforceable employment verification system, and provide no special pathway to citizenship for those here illegally. Governor Romney will cut back federal funding to cities that are "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants and refuse to comply with federal law or aid federal law enforcement.

- Click Here To Read Governor Romney's Plan To Enforce Our Immigration Laws.

SUPPORTING STRONGER FAMILIES

"Republicans for Change believe in strength. ... And we will strengthen the American family." – Governor Romney

Championing Traditional Marriage:

Governor Romney Supports The Federal Marriage Amendment. He testified before the Senate in favor of the Amendment, and wrote to all 100 U.S. Senators asking them to vote for the Amendment.

- Click Here To Watch Governor Romney Discuss The Need To Protect Traditional Marriage.

Protecting Our Children:

Governor Romney Will Clean Up The Culture That Surrounds Our Children. Governor Romney will work to ensure that every home computer has effective software to filter out unwanted pornography. He will enforce our nation's obscenity laws and punish retailers who sell excessively violent and sexually explicit video games to minors.

Governor Romney Has Proposed A "One-Strike, You're Ours" Law To Protect Our Children. To help protect our children, Governor Romney will propose new, tougher federal penalties for first-time offenders who use the Internet to sexually assault children.

- "One-Strike, You're Ours" Includes Lifetime Tracking By Global Positioning Satellite (GPS).

- Click Here To Read More About Governor Romney's Initiatives To Protect Our Children.

UPHOLDING HIGHER ETHICAL STANDARDS

"Republicans for Change have high ethical standards." – Governor Romney

Stripping Pensions From Those Government Officials Convicted Of Breaking The Law:

Governor Romney Will Strip Federal Employees Convicted Of Official Misconduct Of Their Pensions. We should expect more from our leaders in Washington and those convicted of breaking the law should be stripped of their government pensions.

- Click Here To Watch Governor Romney Propose This New Law.

Leading By Example:

Governor Romney Will Prohibit Family Members Of Cabinet And Senior Staff Members From Lobbying The Executive Branch. If elected President, one of his first acts will be to issue an Executive Order prohibiting the immediate family of his Cabinet and Senior Staff from lobbying the Executive Branch. The standard for high ethical conduct has to be set at the top.

THE STRATEGY FOR A STRONGER AMERICA

"Our future depends on our willingness to hold to the principles that have guided and built our nation. It depends on the character and sacrifices of the American people. And it depends on leadership to craft and implement a Strategy for a Stronger America." - Governor Romney

Read Governor Romney's Full Strategy For A Stronger America:

To read more about Governor Romney's agenda to change Washington, please click on the Strategy for a Stronger America , a compilation of his policy proposals for conservative change and to meet the new generation of challenges confronting our nation. Since January 2007, Governor Romney has outlined more than 50 different policy proposals. From defeating violent Jihadists to protecting traditional values, Governor Romney believes we can build a stronger America by taking Washington apart and putting it back together based on conservative principles that strengthen our national defense, our economy and our families.