Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney hit campus on Wednesday to talk about global warming, the national debt and the United States’ competitiveness on the world stage — the three most important issues facing the country, he said.
Speaking to a small group of business students, Romney said one of the most important issues today is the nation’s ability to compete in the private sector, losing its competitive edge to places like China, he said.
“Great things come from a great economy, and yet we are making America more and more difficult as a place to do business,” Romney said.
Romney said the U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. He said the regulatory system favors the biggest banks over small businesses, and labor rules favor unions. Hitting on a current note, Romney said the Affordable Care Act — the subject of a Congressional stalemate that shut down the federal government earlier this week — makes it more difficult for small businesses to decide to hire people.
“We’re in a competitive battle. We run around the world as if we’re the only place in the world that has plenty of potential to remain the economic powerhouse of the world,” Romney said. “It is not written in the stars that American has to be the world’s strongest economy.”
On the subject of the national debt, Romney said lawmakers should consider making changes to government programs like Medicare to reign in the debt.
“At some point, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and interest consume all of the federal revenue. There would be no Department of Defense, no Justice Department, no Health and Human Services Department. All gone because those non-discretionary programs basically take over the budget,” Romney said.
The former governor of Massachusetts also discussed his views on climate change.
“A number of people, myself included, think the world’s getting warmer. I believe that human activity contributes to it. I don’t know how much, but I believe we contribute to it somewhat,” Romney said. “This is not just an American issue. This is a global issue. They don’t call it America warming. They call it global warming.”
He acknowledged that while greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. are on the decline, emission rates are increasing in countries like China and India — and that those gains outweigh the decreases in the U.S.
Romney also spoke of his unsuccessful run for the White House in 2012.
“It was a great experience,” Romney said. “If you get the chance to run for president, do it.”
However, one presidential bid was enough — Romney said he will not run again, adding that future candidates need to do a better job of explaining how entrepreneurs and innovators benefit the middle class and the poor as well as the wealthy.