I agree with Zukerman on this point: this election comes down to the economy. In the end, if the United States runs out of money, it cannot promote the values of justice and liberty I hold dear to my heart.

I also share the belief that President Barack Obama has not succeeded in the way millions of us wished. The country faces trying times and must accept there is no quick fix; it will recover only if both parties work together to push towards recovery.

However, the nation must either choose President Obama or Gov. Romney to lead us through this revival. Faced with these options, the responsible and reasonable choice is to allow President Obama to continue on his path toward full recovery.

It is easy for the stagnant economy to enrage citizens and cause them to blame the incumbent. It is equally as easy to forget that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created 2.5 million jobs, expanded the economy by 3.8 percent, kept 7 million Americans above the poverty line, cut taxes for 95 percent of the work force and invested billions in scientific and industrial research which continue to pay dividends.

Regardless of your point of view, these are the facts: the stimulus helped. The country is not where it needs to be, but it is heading toward recovery, and stagnation is always better than recession.

I would go on to Romney’s economic plan; however I, like many others, remain in the dark about what he would actually do.

I believe he would follow through on his published economic plan, which promises to reduce the deficit by extending the Bush tax cuts permanently, cutting the income tax by 20 percent and giving the military $2 trillion, although this contradicts basic addition.

Romney added he would fund his entire plan by closing loopholes and deductions, although he has yet to list a single loophole or deduction he would close (as of press deadline). Even if he had, this income would come nowhere close to paying for his plan.

Regardless of your point of view, these are the facts: his proposed plan is not mathematically possible. He has essentially justified a widespread cut of income by hoping there is enough change in America’s couch cushions.

His plan of saving the economy without new taxes sounds ideal, but like all ideologies, it is not realistic. In order to diminish the deficit, the country will need to reduce spending, eliminate loopholes, and raise taxes. There is no way around it.

The country remained opposed to any revenue increase for eight years, and it just narrowly avoided a second Great Depression.

Times are too dire to elect a candidate based on vague economic jargon interspersed with Bush-era policies. President Obama’s plan isn’t perfect, but it has helped millions of Americans and is mathematically possible. The country can either elect Romney and hope he formulates a new plan in which two plus two equals four, or re-elect President Obama and continue a slow but assured recovery.