Letter to the Editor

The Romneys

Friday, September 14, 2012

Dear Editor,

Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina are a long way from Nebraska.

Yet television and the Internet bring events like the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention directly to us.

When I was growing up in Denver in the 1940s and early 1950s, we depended on newspapers and radio as sources of information. My maternal grandfather worked for the Rocky Mountain News, so we paid close attention to what it said. There was no Internet or Wikipedia.

Aug. 27-30, of 2012, I was able to sit in a comfortable recliner and see interesting groups of people at the Republican Nation Convention. There were special cameras bring members of the Romneys into clear focus. Although my family has known the Romneys for several generations, I learned things that I did not know before.

Concerns were addressed like the 16 trillion dollar national debt, lack of jobs, deployment of troops to trouble spots in other parts of the world and equal education for everybody.

Ann and Mitt Romney spoke about their devotion to the their family, their religious values, and some of their personal trials and triumphs.

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, tempered his criticism of President Obama when he said, "He promised us candy, but gave us cavities."

Paul Ryan, vice presidential candidate, spoke about his home in Janesville, Wisconsin. He talked about the death of his father when he was 16. He also spoke of the sacrifices of his mother.

Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida, caused the audience to laugh when he said that the only people who thought he would win a senate seat were his own family. (He and his family were Cuban Americans.)

The couple who spoke about Mitt Romney's compassion toward their son David, age 14, brought tears to many eyes. He helped him write a will and arranged for him to be buried in his Boy Scout uniform. When he (David) died, he gave the eulogy at his funeral. Romney was a busy executive, but gave many hours of service to others as a Mormon Bishop.

Helen Ruth Arnold

Trenton, Nebraska

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