“Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.” Thomas Jefferson’s statement would certainly apply to the current state of our political system.

Nearly four years ago a vast majority of Americans elected Barack Obama into office and, with that, believed that the United States was headed towards a much brighter future. Now here we are, less than three months away from the next presidential election, and the state of our nation has only gotten worse, both economically and politically. All can agree that our dismal economy must be corrected, but opinions on how to go about doing so have never been more polarized. Most individuals with right-wing ideologies believe that President Obama is incapable of leading our nation out of this recession and are ready for an immediate change, Mitt Romney being the “change” most of these conservatives believe will work.

Mitt Romney has a very successful economic background; his wealth can speak for that. However, until the former governor of Massachusetts entered the national stage of politics, his overall political views were extremely similar to President Obama’s, both socially and fiscally. There’s a reason “Obamacare” has been the most successful in Massachusetts (thank you, Governor Romney). Also, it’s no secret that Romney has flip-flopped on numerous social issues from gay rights to abortion. These changes in opinions are obviously politically motivated, but nonetheless it says a lot about Romney’s character and inability to articulate his own beliefs and ideas. If Romney wins the election this November, one thing Americans can be sure of is that their voices will not be heard whatsoever compared to those of corporations.

Of course, President Obama is just as guilty of this as Governor Romney; however, no one can say that Obama has not been true to himself and his beliefs while in office. Those who say Obama lied to America to get elected were clearly not paying attention. When running for office, the President rarely minced words when discussing his intentions for implementing “socialist” policies. Whether they’re truly socialist or not is debatable.

Regardless of what you think of either candidate, stability within the executive branch is the best thing for the state of the union. Historically, when the White House changes parties, the power of the presidency increases and civil liberties and the voices of the individual citizen are reduced greatly. Electing Mitt Romney at this point would only insure a stagnant Congress for at least four more years, as well as a serious breach of individual freedoms. If President Obama is reelected, in four years both parties will hold primaries and the buffet of possible candidates for each party will look much more appetizing. For conservatives in particular, big names such as Marco Rubio and Chris Christie, who decided not to run in this election, would both be considered very quality candidates for the Oval Office, and unlike Romney both individuals are real conservatives who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and be true leaders. If American citizens hope to regain their say in the direction this country goes, the answer is not to put a man in power who will only serve as a puppet for the people who got him elected.