Dear Editor:
Mitt Romney’s recent overseas trip was gaffe filled? I think not. He simply stated what many already believe.
During his London visit Mr. Romney said, “The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging,” The private contractor G4S was tasked with providing 10,400 private security guards for the Olympic games. At the start of the games only 4,000 were on the G4S payroll. Because of this failure the U.K. government was forced into providing 3,500 military personal in order to ensure adequate Olympic security. Additionally, 72 hours before the Olympic opening ceremonies unions representing both airport passport control and mass transit workers called off strikes that had threatened boarder security and logistic chaos before and during the Olympic Games. These two situations are totally unacceptable and Governor Romney’s articulation of this common sense thinking is an indication of his results-focused leadership.
Romney’s speech in Israel suggested that Israeli culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than their Palestinian neighbors. One obvious example of that cultural advantage is the economic contribution of Israeli women. Although no two Middle Eastern countries have identical legal and religious systems, women are second-class citizens in virtually all of them. By oppressing women, Middle Eastern culture suppresses their economic contribution and marginalizes roughly half their population. In contrast, Western and European style democracies encourage the full participation of women in all aspects of the economy. The advocacy of cultural equality unleashes the full producing capacity of the entire population, and as a result the economy benefits more completely from the contributions of all its citizens.
Instead of bowing to foreign leaders or apologizing for America’s success, Governor Romney stated the obvious in London and took a major risk in Israel. Effective leaders do not sugar-coat obvious failings and great leaders understand we must embrace the ugliness of the present in order to change the future. Masking these realities with charges of racism and insensitivity only serve to identify those of us who are unwilling to take the necessary political risks in order to make the tough decisions.
Sincerely,
Richard Skalski