Ken Earley Prof. Hankinson 01 February 2012 Honors 2030 Who Is Buddy Roemer?

America changes its face every four or eight years as a new president enters the Oval Office. Citizens weigh important issues and pick the best candidate to be the Commander-in-Chief. As the primaries and caucuses are taking place throughout the nation, the fate of the GOP is being determined, as a viable contender looks to unseat the incumbent President Obama. The field of Republican candidates is continually narrowing as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are emerging as front-runners. Learning about candidates a making the most informed decision is the basis of democracy, though the system has broken down over the past few years as more and more Americans are becoming unconcerned with politics. Buddy Roemer is a presidential hopeful who has faded into the background behind his competitors. He is a viable candidate that America has seemingly forgotten. Roemers upbringing, career, political experience, and beliefs on certain issues all make him a viable candidate for the presidency. Buddy Roemer was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 4, 1943. He graduated high school as the valedictorian at age 16. He then went on to earn a bachelors degree in economics--and later earned his MBA--from Harvard University. In the years following his graduation Roemer used his financial expertise in the private sector, working for his fathers computer business. Roemers political career began early, starting at the state level on his home turf. In 1972, Roemer served as a delegate to

Earley 2 Louisianas constitutional convention, where he helped draft the states constitution. He continued in Louisianan politics serving as a member of Congress from 1981 until 1988. Roemer left his post in Congress in order to oust the incumbent, and in many eyes corrupt, Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards. In 1987, he was elected governor, taking the reigns in 1988. Roemer was a Conservative Democrat in Congress and as he began his governorship, but switched parties in 1991; while still serving as governor, Roemer declared himself a Republican. This may be Buddys biggest blemish, as some may see him as a flip-flopper. The facts remain that Roemer served as a conservative Democrat for 20 years and has since served as a conservative Republican for more than 20 years. Louisiana was truly in a downtrodden state as Roemer took over control of the state, he worked hard to uplift the Louisiana as a whole. At the time, Louisiana was a large polluter, had high unemployment rates, and a hefty budget deficit. Roemer was fairly successful at righting the course of Louisiana, curbing problems and making progress towards rebuilding a respectable state. Under his tenure, unemployment was cut in half, stringent pollution guidelines were enacted, the state budget was balanced, and educational standards were improved. Roemer was able to fix all of Louisianas ailments by overhauling the entire financial structure and directly addressing the most pressing issues. Roemer served only one stint as governor in Louisiana; he then went on to utilize his financial skills in the business world. Since 1992, Roemer has served mainly as a CEO at various organizations. He established the Business First Bank in Louisiana, which has grown steadily since its foundation, currently managing over 650 million dollars in assets. Buddy Roemers past political and private experience is a good basis for a presidential candidate. He has had successful run in Congress, as a governor, and as

Earley 3 a business professional. While personal experience has some effect on the image of presidential candidates, where they stand on important issues is often a major deciding factor. In the 2012 election, there are a handful of issues that the American public has deemed imperative. According to a gamut of the most recent polls, including the CBS News, The New York Times, and the ABC News polls, conducted in 2012, the most important factors in this years election are the economy, including unemployment, job creation, and the national budget deficit; politics, including politicians, ethics, and corruption, and healthcare, (other was also included in these polls but no qualitative data was compiled) (Problems and Priorities). These broad categories are the most important issues to Americans, this year. The presidential hopefuls can be made or broken based on just one of these issues. Buddy Roemer has addressed each of these issues in hopes of proving his presidential worth. He is well qualified to speak on economics as his collegiate and professional careers have been centered on his knowledge of business. Roemer believes that national spending should be cut in order to make positive progress into lowering the national debt. He plans to reduce government spending by one percent, or 140 billion dollars, every year for the next five years. Roemer proposes to decrease spending by eliminating all energy subsidies, including petroleum and gas, and disassembling the Department of Energy. Medicare and social security would also be effected, Roemers plan is to raise the eligibility age by one month each year, for twentyfour years, resulting in a gradual two year bump in age requirement .Staff, Balancing The Budget). Taxes are also a pivotal part in balancing the national budget. Buddy

Earley 4 believes that the national tax code and the Internal Revenue Service are in need of major reform, reducing the size of the IRS to 5 percent of its current size. He is proposing a flat tax system similar to the system proposed by Steve Forbes. The system would be comprised of a $50,000 tax exemption for families of four, with a flat 17 percent tax beyond the $50,000. Effectively this would equate to no extra federal taxes on families making less than $50,000, while those making over $100,000 would pay an 8.5 percent federal tax. This tax structure eliminates further deductions and exemptions, offering a clear and concise tax code. Corporate tax would go under a revision similar to personal taxes, no longer allowing multi-billion dollar companies like GE to escape paying taxes. This corporate tax reform is in an effort to fight the special interests of large corporations with lobbying power (Staff, Tax Talk 2012: Buddy Roemer). Creating jobs is also a necessary step in bolstering the American economy. Buddy plans to take help banks lend to businesses in order to create more jobs on a national level. Helping small businesses to create jobs would be an immediately effective way of boosting the economy from the ground up. Reforming the economy has a trickle-down effect on every aspect of American life. Politics has been a hot button issue as of late as the American public is less trusting of politicians and the political system. One way that Buddy Roemer plans to boost trust and integrity in politics is to reform the way that politicians use campaign-finances. Buddy desires a system of transparency and full disclosure. There are millions of dollars that seemingly come from nowhere, a system of disclosure and limits could be possible. Roemer has a 48-hour reporting period that keeps the American public in the information loop for his campaign. He would like to make this period standard, keeping politicians

Earley 5 instantly accountable for their campaign finances. Buddy also desires to do away with Super PACs, in an effort to cut the monetary impact on political corruption, requiring full disclosure of every campaign contribution. Along with the elimination of Super PACs, Buddy wishes to limit PAC contributions to the level of individual contributions. Also, Roemer would eliminate the participation of registered lobbyists in campaign fundraisers, and bring criminal punishments for violation of these transparency laws. These laws and policies would apply to every office at every level, encouraging disclosure between politicians and citizens (Staff, Fighting Special Interests). Money is often seen as the root of evil, encouraging communication would also encourage trust. Beyond reforming the financial structure of the United States and encouraging trust and transparency for politics as a whole, Buddy also has a plan for healthcare. Roemer is an insulin dependent diabetic and has been for over 40 years, his personal health issues have made him more in tune with the health issues of America. Buddy wishes to completely overhaul the current healthcare system. He desires to eliminate Obamacare and help Americans and insurance companies live cohesively. He also desires new healthcare laws to require tort reform, which he achieved as governor in Louisiana. The push for tort reform would encourage insurance companies to ensure more people by providing an extra layer of protection against injury lawsuits. Roemer also desires to allow citizens to buy insurance across state lines, in an effort to minimize the miniature monopolies on insurance within each state. This would allow citizens to find the best possible insurance and encourage corporate competition between large insurance corporations. This spirit of competition would also apply to pharmaceutical manufacturers, creating a competitive market for medications, driving

Earley 6 prices lower and progress higher. Healthcare providers would also be motivated to cut costs for customers by allowing them to keep 25 percent of their savings (Staff, Reforming Healthcare). The capitalist way encourages businesses to compete for their customers business, which in turn provides a better, more affordable experience for consumers. Buddy Roemer is a viable candidate for the presidential seat. Since graduating from Harvard Business School, Buddy has spent many years succeeding in politics and in business. He is the only presidential candidate with prolific experience in the corporate world, as well as, legislative and executive politics. His values are not terribly different from other Republican candidates, he has a conservative mind-set and a proven track record in the areas that America needs most. His political future is not bright as of the beginning of 2012, he hasnt garnered enough recognition to even participate in major political debates. In the Iowa caucus, Roemer mustered only 17 votes, less than four candidates who have officially dropped out of the presidential race, Bachmann, Huntsman, Perry, and Cain (Johnson, GOP Caucus Results). Buddy tweeted I almost have enough votes in Iowa to start a bowling league.#Roementum (Buddy Roemer's Self-Deprecating Tweets During 2012 Iowa Caucus). Possibly as a result of his late entrance and lack of financial backing, Buddy hasnt been able to participate in much campaigning. Though a viable candidate, Buddy Roemer doesnt likely have enough Roementum to take the presidential seat. His views arent too radically different from his conservative counterparts, but most of America doesnt have a clue as to who Buddy Roemer is. The former governor, former Congressman, and successful businessman is

Earley 7 hardly a household name, though he may actually be a more qualified candidate than most of the field.

Earley 8 Works Cited

"Buddy Roemer's Self-Deprecating Tweets During 2012 Iowa Caucus." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/buddy-roemertweets_n_1182624.html>. "Problems and Priorities." PollingReport.com. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm>. Johnson, Craig. "2012 Iowa Republican Caucus Results." Iowa Caucuses. Des Moines Register. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/data/iowacaucus/results/>. Staff Writers. " Balancing The Budget | Buddy Roemer for President." Buddy Roemer for President | America Needs Buddy for President 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buddyroemer.com/node/45>. ---. "Fighting Special Interests | Buddy Roemer for President." Buddy Roemer for President | America Needs Buddy for President 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buddyroemer.com/node/44>. ---. " Reforming Health Care | Buddy Roemer for President." Buddy Roemer for President | America Needs Buddy for President 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buddyroemer.com/node/54>. ---. "Tax Talk 2012: Buddy Roemer | Buddy Roemer for President." Buddy Roemer for President | America Needs Buddy for President 2012. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://www.buddyroemer.com/node/54>.