Letter to the Editor

Mitt's struggles

Monday, November 19, 2012

Dear Editor,

As America struggles to keep from falling over the fiscal cliff in 2013, let's say a few prayers for Mitt Romney.

Losing the 2012 presidential election was difficult for him and his wife, Ann.

Time on earth is limited. We all make mistakes. We have regrets and make resolutions. Our experiences strengthen us.

Strength of character goes back several generations in the Romney family. His great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, left Preston, England in the 1860s. He was a Mormon pioneer, who pushed a handcart loaded with his possessions across the plains of Nebraska to Utah.

Religious persecution caused him to take his family to Colonia Jaurez, a Mormon settlement in Chihuahua, Mexico.

In 1911, Pancho Villa and his banditos attacked numerous towns, including Colonia Jaurez. Miles Gaspell Romney, son of Miles Park Romney and grandfather of Mitt, went to Idaho.

They worked as a family in the Idaho potato fields. They kept their U.S. citizenship and built a new life.

It was a terrible financial struggle and greatly affected George Romney, father of Mitt. At age 6, he worked alongside the adults. Miles Gaspell started a drywall business. George did drywalling when he was in high school. The debts piled up when Miles Gaspell died.

George Romney took his family to Detroit, Michigan. Six months after he became involved in establishing the new American Motors Co., his business partner died. George struggled, using the family savings that were carefully set aside for building a house. He persuaded stockholders to hang on and used that important house money to save the company.

Mitt and his siblings were expected to do chores and weed the garden. Young Mitt grumbled about it, but obeyed.

Lenore Romney, Mitt's mother, was rated as a "super-mom" by her children. She took troubled kids into her home, who were placed into foster care. Her goal was to get them on track.

I hope Hispanics will forgive Mitt for his remarks about illegal immigrants. After all, the Romneys were forced to return to the U.S. before Pancho Villa and his men killed them.

Mitt Romney tried in his own way to redirect America on the right path. He has some regrets, but did make some resolutions to solve our nation's problems.

References: "No Apology" 2010, Wikipedia 2011, and Family History of August A. Hjorth, my Danish grandfather who traveled to Utah with Miles Park Romney.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska

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