Mitt Romney’ choice of Congressman Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate underscores and validates his judgment and leadership abilities. Great leaders don’t need to know the detailed specifics of every issue. They do need to surround themselves with highly competent individuals who can address those specific areas. Paul Ryan’s extensive budget experience gives him the requisite skills, abilities, and knowledge of the specific budget issues that imperil us today.
Whether or not we like Congressman Ryan isn’t important. What is important is that he has developed a detailed and specific budget and a pathway to resolving our ever increasing national debt. This is particularly noteworthy because President Obama’s budget proposals have been overwhelmingly defeated in the Democrat controlled Senate and his administration has failed to approve a budget any year since his election.
It is disheartening to see the uninformed public be mesmerized by the popular and socially trendy people to witness that popularity becoming the primary qualification for election to public office. As a society we need to decide what is most important for the short and long term future of our nation. I submit that while beauty and popularity are temporary, competence and success are productive and enduring.
The real questions are; do we want to elect an individual that may project a very favorable personal image but lacks the requisite leadership and professional skills? Or, do we want to elect someone who can solve the multitude of problems that face our nation? I will choose competence over charisma every time and I hope you will choose the same. November is our opportunity to make this choice and I hope that we all choose wisely.
