Romney Campaign Press Release - The Romney Agenda: The Four Walls Of The Iowa Home

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Romney Press Shop (857) 288-6390

"And it is the strength of this nation's families that ultimately determines America's strength in the family of nations. That is why I believe that the most important work for the future of America is the work that goes on within the four walls of the American home."
– Governor Romney (Gov. Mitt Romney, Remarks At The Family Research Council, Washington, D.C., 10/19/07)

Governor Romney's Conservative Plan To Strengthen And Empower Iowa Families:


Today, In Iowa, Governor Mitt Romney Outlined His Conservative Plan To Strengthen Families In Iowa. There is much our nation can do to strengthen families because our future is determined not just by heads of state but also by heads of households. As President, Governor Romney will ensure that Washington stands alongside parents in Iowa who are building stronger families.

- Governor Romney Believes Our Nation And Iowa Are Stronger When We Have Stronger Families. The source of most of society's social problems can be traced to a breakdown of the family. Iowa is wealthier, healthier and stronger when it has strong families. It is the strength of our families in Iowa and across the country that ultimately determines America's strength in the family of nations.

WALL #1: Championing Marriage:


Governor Romney Will Champion A Federal Marriage Amendment To Protect Marriage As The Union Of A Man And A Woman. In Massachusetts, Governor Romney fought to promote traditional marriage after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalized same-sex marriage. The importance of defending marriage was made even more critical with the recent Iowa court decision on same-sex marriage. Governor Romney believes marriage is primarily about the development and nurturing of children. Every child deserves a mother and a father.

- Governor Romney Is The Only Major Republican Candidate Who Supports A Federal Amendment Because It Is The Only Way To Truly Protect Marriage.


- Governor Romney Spoke Out Against The Iowa Court Decision Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage. "The ruling in Iowa today is another example of an activist court and unelected judges trying to redefine marriage and disregard the will of the people as expressed through Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act. This once again highlights the need for a Federal Marriage Amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman." (Romney For President, "Governor Mitt Romney On Iowa's Defense Of Marriage Act," Press Release, 10/25/07)

Governor Romney Will Realign Government Incentives To Encourage Marriage, Not Penalize It. Today, a single mother with child care who marries the father of her child can lose as much as $6,000 a year in government benefits. Their combined incomes can disqualify them for Medicaid, housing vouchers, food stamps, and welfare. It is time to make fathers responsible for their child's health and care. Furthermore, we need to end the tax penalty on married couples.

WALL #2: Protecting Our Children:


Governor Romney Will Fight The Modern Plague Of Internet Pornography. We must clean up the culture that surrounds our children across the country. Computer pornography has given new meaning to the words "home invasion." As President, Governor Romney will work to ensure that every home computer has an easy to engage pornography filter so that parents can protect their children.

- Governor Romney Has Proposed A New "One Strike, You're Ours" Law Toughening Sentences Against Online Predators. Predators who use the Internet to sexually assault children will be subject to a new "One Strike, You're Ours" law of imposing long prison sentences followed by lifetime GPS tracking. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as of April 2007, there were over 6,000 convicted sex offenders in Iowa.

Governor Romney Will Take The Campaign Against Drugs To A New Level. We can do a better job educating our kids on the perils of drug use. Parents may be the best anti-drug there is. A study last month showed that young children who come from homes where families had dinner together five times a week or more were 1/6th as likely to have used drugs.

Governor Romney Will Work To Better Schools And Better Education For Our Children. Governor Romney believes in school choice and that every child should have an equal opportunity to have a good education. He supported school choice and fought for charter schools in Massachusetts, and he will do the same thing in Washington.

- For Parents Home-Schooling Their Children In Iowa, Governor Romney Proposes A Federal Tax Credit To Help Defray The Cost Of Home-Schooling Expenses.


- Governor Romney Will Help Iowa Parents Save For Their Children's College Education. He has proposed a middle-class tax-free savings program for every Iowa family earning $200,000 a year or less. Under his plan, their tax rate on interest, dividends and capital gains will be absolutely zero.

WALL #3: Strengthening And Empowering Families:


Governor Romney Will Convene A White House Summit On Strengthening Families. As President, Governor Romney will act to strengthen the family, particularly in the inner cities of America. This White House Summit will be a springboard to develop new initiatives to strengthen families across the country.

Governor Romney Will Reinstate The Family Impact Statement. In an effort to keep government from doing things that hurt and weaken families in America, President Ronald Reagan issued an Executive Order establishing a requirement that new government policies and programs be subject to the Family Impact Statement. However, this Executive Order was rescinded by President Clinton. As President, Governor Romney will reinstate the Family Impact Statement and initiate an audit of all current programs and policies which may negatively impact families.

- Governor Romney Will Support The Rights Of Iowa Parents Who Are Not Always Consulted About Decisions Affecting Their Children. The work of being a parent is hard enough without the government making it harder.

Governor Romney Will Ensure That Families In Iowa Have Health Insurance. Using proven, free-market principles, Governor Romney's plan will ensure every citizen has health insurance, without new taxes, a government-run HillaryCare style system or socialized medicine. More than 270,000 people, or nine percent of Iowa's population, lacks health insurance. In Massachusetts, Governor Romney put conservative principles to work and the number of uninsured has been cut in half.

Governor Romney Will Defend Our Religious Heritage. As President, Governor Romney will ensure that his Attorney General defends the free exercise of religion. The United States is a nation under God and should remain that way.

As President, Governor Romney Will Lead By Example. The First Family represents America to the world and represents America to our children and grandchildren. As President, Governor Romney's family will live up to a higher standard and always try to make the American people proud.

WALL #4: Promoting A Culture Of Life:

Governor Romney Will Be A Pro-Life President. Governor Romney will appoint and fight for judges who follow the law and Constitution, who understand judicial restraint and will not legislate from the bench. As President, Governor Romney will promote pro-life polices. He will oppose taxpayer-funded abortion, partial-birth abortion, abortion in military clinics and funding of abortion in international aid programs. He will work to ban embryonic cloning. He will work to increase adoptions by making the adoption tax credit permanent and raising awareness about embryonic adoption, or snowflake babies.

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.