I came across this depressing map called "The Decline: The Geography of Recession". This map was last updated on July 15, 2010 with information from the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Labor statistics. It shows the deteriorating transformation of the U.S. Economy.
Take a look:



A larger and easier to read version can be found here.

Things are not looking good. I would not expect the economy or job growth to improve much over the next 2 years. This is what will make the 2012 Presidential election one of the most important in the history of our country.

Mitt Romney's Time is now!



There are several good choices among the 2012 Presidential hopefuls but only one GREAT CHOICE for what needs to be done to put America back on the road to economic recovery. That candidate is Mitt Romney. Not only would he bring his success as a Governor to the Presidency but he would also and more importantly bring his business savvy.

PLEASE NOTE: Several links to back up the claims in the highlights below, can be found here.

Here are some of the highlights of his success in that area taken from Wikipedia:

• 1977- 83 Bain & Company - Romney proved adept at learning the "Bain way", which consisted of immersing itself in each client's business, and not simply to issue recommendations, but to stay with the company until they were effectively changed for the better. With a record of success with clients such as the Monsanto Company, Outboard Marine Corporation, Burlington Industries, and Corning Incorporated, Romney became a vice president of the firm in 1978 and within a few years one of the its best consultants. Romney became a firm believer in Bain's methods; he later said, "The idea that consultancies should not measure themselves by the thickness of their reports, or even the elegance of their writing, by rather by whether or not the report was effectively implemented was an inflection point in the history of consulting.

• 1983 - 90 Bain Capital - A spinoff of Bain & Company, Romney founded the company with Bill Bain. At first, Bain Capital focused on venture capital opportunities. Their first big success came with a 1986 investment to help start Staples Inc., after founder Thomas G. Stemberg convinced Romney of the market size for office supplies; Bain Capital eventually reaped a nearly sevenfold return on its investment. The firm's successfully invested in or acquired many well-known companies such as Accuride, Brookstone, Domino's Pizza, Sealy Corporation, Sports Authority, and Artisan Entertainment, as well as lesser-known companies in the industrial and medical sectors. Bain also was involved in leveraged buyouts which sometimes led to layoffs. Of these, Romney later said, "Sometimes the medicine is a little bitter but it is necessary to save the life of the patient. My job was to try and make the enterprise successful, and in my view the best security a family can have is that the business they work for is strong."

• 1990 - 92 Bain & Company - Romney returned to Bain & Company which was facing collapse as a favor to his mentor Bill Bain and was named CEO taking only a symbolic salary of one dollar. Romney managed an effort to restructure the firm's employee stock-ownership plan, real-estate deals and bank loans, while rallying the firm's thousand employees, imposing a new governing structure that included Bain and the other founding partners giving up control, and increasing fiscal transparency. Within about a year, he had led Bain & Company through a highly successful turnaround and returned the firm to profitability without further layoffs or partner defections. He turned Bain & Company over to new leadership and returned to Bain Capital in December 1992. 

• 1992 - 99 Bain Capital - Romney left Bain Capital in February 1999 to serve as the President and CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee. By that time, Bain Capital was on its way to being one of the top private equity firms in the nation, having increased its number of partners from 5 to 18, had 115 employees overall, and had $4 billion under its management. His experience at Bain & Company and Bain Capital gave Romney a world view that was business oriented – centering around a hate of waste and inefficiency.

I'd like to hear about similar experiences of other candidates in this area. I don't believe there are any. This is why I believe Romney is unique and that HIS TIME IS NOW!