Romney will foster a culure of life and opportunity

{mosads}Instead, it is government’s role to promote opportunity so that every American has the chance to succeed and thrive. Our country has long been a place where anyone – no matter who their parents are, no matter where they’re from – can achieve their dreams. But unfortunately, for all too many Americans, that opportunity is slipping away thanks to President Obama’s failed policies.
 
On President Obama’s watch, 23 million people are struggling for work, one in six Americans is living in poverty – the highest level in a generation – and 47 million people are on food stamps, an increase of 15 million over the last four years. More people are trapped in a crumbling Medicaid system than ever before, yet President Obama has failed to fix it, despite his own acknowledgement of the desperate need for reform. More generally, his only solution to our nation’s challenges has been to throw more taxpayer money into failing government programs that don’t serve and care for our most vulnerable brothers and sisters as they should be served and cared for.
 
When it comes to Medicaid, if anything, President Obama has made the situation worse.
 
His health care takeover doubled down on our broken Medicaid system, driving up costs, lowering quality, and reducing access to care. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 11 million more people will be forced into the Medicaid system every year beginning in 2016. The total cost of President Obama’s massive Medicaid expansion? $642 billion.
 
At the very same time, President Obama has waged a war on Catholic institutions by restricting their religious liberty – one of our most basic rights – through the ObamaCare mandate. This runs counter to our nation’s heritage of faith and tolerance and to the founding principle that our government should respect religious values, not silence them.
 
Fortunately, voters have the opportunity to vote for change this November. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan offer a different approach that protects religious freedom, reforms and strengthens our safety net programs, while also focusing on supporting upward mobility for all Americans.
 
In fact, Mitt Romney is the candidate in this race who has put forward a credible plan for saving Medicaid so that it can continue to serve and support our country’s most vulnerable citizens. He will restore state leadership for Medicaid and replace ObamaCare with real healthcare reform that provides better care at lower costs. Under his plan, states will have greater freedom to develop innovative, effective approaches that best serve those in their care.
 
Even more importantly, when Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are in the White House, they will foster a culture of life and a culture of opportunity. They’ll rein in out-of-control federal spending that has stifled economic growth and burdened our children and grandchildren with debt – an economic and a moral imperative. And their policies will create 12 million new jobs and grow the economy so that hurting Americans have a chance to build a better future for their children and grandchildren.
 
As Paul Ryan recently said in his speech about upward mobility in Cincinnati, Ohio, we must measure compassion by how many people we help escape from poverty – not by how much government spends. That’s the way I believe we can best fulfill our calling as Catholics, and that’s the reason I’m supporting Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan this November.
 
Campos-Duffy is a Catholics for Romney-Ryan National Advisory Committee member.