Agriculture, alternative energy, and job creation were on the agenda of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney during a visit to Council Bluffs today. The former Massachusetts Governor met with a group of western Iowa farmers, then held a rally in Bayliss Park. It was his first visit to Iowa since May 15.
Tom Oswald is a fourth-generation farmer from Cherokee County. He told Romney that regulations and the national debt are hurting the agriculture industry that provides his family’s livelihood. “They came here for a dream. And somewhere in a basement, someone is working on a dream. And if that person becomes successful, between the government deficit and what that could financially do to him, or the tax policies…limiting people’s dreams concerns me,” Oswald said.
Romney told Oswald the national debt is an issue that will plague Americans for generations to come. We’re going to be long gone before these debts are paid off,” Romney said. “And it’s very, very sad. I saw even today that the President is proposing another stimulus…and let’s go out and borrow some more money. I think a lot of folks are saying ‘gosh, wait a second, this borrowing and this spending has got to stop.'”
During the rally, Romney criticized President Obama as being “out of touch” with what’s happening in the U-S economy. “This morning, the president had a press conference…and one of the most interesting things he said is ‘the private sector is doing fine,'” Romney said to groans from the crowd. “Is he really that out of touch? I think he’s defining what it means to be detached and out of touch with the American people.”
Around 400 people gathered at Bayliss Park to hear Romney’s 17-minute long speech.