Mitt Romney is championing an economic vision that benefits the wealthy few at the expense of the middle class—and he's taking that vision on a four-day, four-state bus tour. Take a look to see how Romney Economics would impact the communities he's visiting.

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  • The end of the road

    Four days, three states, one message: Mitt Romney and his new running mate, Paul Ryan, would throw the middle class under the bus.

    We've met seniors who are concerned that the Republican ticket is going to end Medicare as we know it and put their health and well-being at the mercy of insurance companies. We've met small-business owners who say that business is better under President Obama's policies—and they can't afford to go back to the Republican policies that crashed the economy, raised their taxes, and kept customers away. And we met legislators from Romney's home state of Massachusetts who headed south just to caution voters against making the same mistake they did in electing Romney, a governor who ran his state's economy into the ground.

    Our bus tour ends today, but we'll be holding Romney and Ryan accountable at every step of the way for the next 84 days.

    *From our last stop, Tampa, Florida, it's 4,872 miles to Mitt Romney's old Swiss bank account, 584 miles to his offshore investments in the Cayman Islands, and 1,103 miles to his shell corporation in Bermuda.

  • Made in America

    At campaign stops and small-business events across the country, there's one line you'll hear President Obama say over and over again: "Let's create jobs here in the United States, hiring American workers, making American products, selling them around the world, stamped with three proud words: Made in America."

    Julie Reiser owns Made in USA Certified, a small business in Boca Raton, Florida, that specializes in making sure that products claiming to be "Made in America" truly are. Today, she opened up her business to the Romney-Ryan Economics: Middle Class Under the Bus tour. It was a fitting stop: Mitt Romney has a history of sending jobs overseas, and he's currently campaigning on a tax plan could create up to 800,000 jobs overseas.

    "Made in America" doesn't seem to mean much to Romney, who profited off of investments in companies that were dubbed "pioneers" of outsourcing. And it certainly doesn't mean much to the candidate who, when the American auto industry and a million jobs were on the line, cynically said, "Let Detroit go bankrupt." But to those whose livelihoods are intertwined with the strength of American manufacturing, "Made in America" is a label that means a great deal.

    Reiser's business has given her a deep appreciation for how important it is to support American businesses and their lifeblood, American workers. "President Obama understands this," she says, and he's made good on his word. Whether it's the 18 times he's cut taxes for small businesses or the Affordable Care Act tax credit that help small businesses provide employees with health benefits, Reiser says she's "grateful to have a President and a country that has created an environment that allows someone like me—a small, woman-owned business—to succeed."

  • Jacksonville seniors say no to Paul Ryan’s plans for Medicare

    Mitt Romney has chosen Paul Ryan as his running mate—to the alarm of Florida's seniors.

    "In Florida, there are a lot of people like myself who depend on Medicare and Social Security," says Don, a retired Navy veteran who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. "And Mr. Ryan has put forth a plan that's going to deal negatively with both of those things—severely so."

    He's referring to Ryan's signature budget, which would end Medicare as we know it, turning it into a voucher program. Not only would the Ryan plan be an incredibly risky move that could shift thousands of dollars in health care costs to America's seniors, but it would also break our nation's fundamental promise to seniors.

    "Mr. Romney has called it the best plan available," says Don. "He is a Ryan budget devotee. And we know where Medicare and Social Security are going to go if he has the ability to affect the changes he wants to."

    "I paid into Medicare," says a Jacksonville senior and veteran named Charles who brought a copy of his Medicare benefits book to today's Romney-Ryan Economics event. "I paid into it for more than 30 years. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan want to wipe it out. But they're not going to win in this town—we're not going to let it happen. Seniors and veterans will be supporting Barack Obama for four more years."

  • North Carolina’s small businesses can’t afford Romney-Ryan Economics

    Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They create two out of every three jobs in the United States and, in North Carolina, small businesses make up 98% of all employers.

    Rasheeda Hasan left a career in banking to find a way to give back to the community where she grew up. She now owns a property development company in Charlotte. Hasan joined our Romney-Ryan Economics bus tour on the UNC Charlotte campus—because she says small business owners can't afford Mitt Romney's plan to raise their taxes. Here's why:

    "When I see President Obama, I see a leader who understands people like me—the small business owner who is essential to the success of our towns, cities, state, and our country. President Obama understands that, and I know he's got my back.

    "I don't think Mitt Romney has that same understanding.

    "The Romney tax hike on the middle class would put 840,000 North Carolina small business owners earning under $200,000 at risk of facing a tax increase of more than $500. That's $500 that goes toward paying my electric bill, my water bill, and giving my employees a raise. Romney is still convinced that tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires are going to trickle down to the small business owners making less than $200,000 a year. But that's exactly the wrong formula for small business owners like myself who are trying to make ends meet and grow thriving businesses.

    "North Carolina sent President Obama to the White House in 2008 because we knew he was going to be a fighter for us, for our families, our small businesses, and our economy. That's what he's done for us. And we're going to work every day between now and November to ensure he continues to fight for North Carolina families and our economy."