Voters' Views: Joyce Brothers

The US primary season, in which the main parties select their presidential candidates, kicks off in earnest in the state of New Hampshire on 8 January.

Iowans have already stated their preferences in caucuses. Who will it be in New Hampshire? We asked six residents to tell us who they are supporting and why.

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Joyce Brothers
Operations manager| Republican

Illegal immigration is unfair to all who have worked through the process to become US citizens.

Age: 51 Lives: Tamworth Occupation: Operations manager Last election voted: Republican In 10 words or less: Wife, mother, sports fan, concerned American, politically opinionated Voters' Views: New Hampshire

"My choice for president is Governor Mitt Romney.

There are many major crises facing our nation. Romney is not reactionary and instead would carefully accept input from advisors before making decisions.

Rather than polarise, he would find common ground with opposing parties, religious leaders and foreign leaders to resolve issues.

Romney is also the best candidate for our economy. He has strong business skills, knows what is involved in creation of jobs and, I hope, would be able to bring businesses back that have moved to foreign countries.

Romney is working towards health care at a reasonable cost, using market-based approaches versus government Medicare or universal health programs that are costly and inefficient.

Legal immigration has made America the wonderful country it is today. However, illegal immigration is unfair to all who have worked through the process to become US citizens, and to those who have paid taxes all their lives to have social benefits. Romney would take a firm stand against illegal immigration.

Social Security, education and big business greed that is destroying our middle class need to be fixed, and I believe Romney will put us in the right direction.

Romney has signed a pledge to not raise taxes. I hope this includes no increase or creation of any new "fees"."

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Look out for an update of Joyce's views after the primary.

The readers' panel has been selected from as wide a cross-section of people as possible and may not be representative of wider US public opinion.

Your comments:

To all of you naive people who think and say that Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper, name one politician who is not. If you make a mistake in your past and learn from it and correct it, are you a flip-flopper too. Mitt Romney is showing more character than all the people and politicians who accuse him of being a flip-flopper by admitting he has changed his views and learned from previous mistakes. Besides this, he is the most intelligent, experienced, and qualified candiadate on either side that deserves to become the next President of the USA.
Manuel, Allentown-USA

Romney is the best choice for President on all fronts. He has all the promise of change that Obama does, the moral standing, ethics, and "sense of human being" that Huckabee has, and the drive, motivation and commitment of the other candidates.
Lauren, Provo, Ut

I like Romney because he is successful in the private sector. He has shown himself to be one of the most brilliant businessmen of our country. He's been a producer of American innovation and wealth, not a leech of that wealth like the other lifelong politicians running. He's not like the others; he is the best scenario for this country.
Brantley Oakey, Rexburg, ID, USA

Romney is the John Kerry of the Republican Party, a Massachusetts flip-flopper whose political ideologies conveniently suit the election he is contesting. He will face the same fate as John Kerry did if nominated.
Vivek Thuppil, Davis, CA, USA

Constitutional leadership is what I am looking for. Ron Paul has a pretty good voting record on the books, and has walked the walk pretty good. There is no other candidate running that has said that they will end the illegal practices against the US. Constitution.
Daniel Robert Smyth, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. USA

I agree with you that illegal immigration might be harmful for the US. But Romney's solution to it seems to be not so pragmatic. We need to understand this guy was a venture capitalist who amassed wealth through very complex ways. Nobody seems to know who this guy really his. He might be a suprise (a totally different person)once he gets elected.
Raj Anand, Chicago, USA

Mitt Romney is big business, literally, and he's stance on illegal immigration is foolish - the world is global now and the America economy fosters new jobs each day and the outsourced jobs are replaced as our skills change and grow - we adapt. Obama takes my vote, and in a loser case scenario, if a Republican wins,... well then it should be John McCain.
Jason O'Keefe, Andover, MA

I don't understand this: "illegal immigration is unfair to (...) those who have paid taxes all their lives to have social benefits". Many or most illegal workers pay income taxes, sales taxes, etc.; yet are not eligible for unemployment benefits, social security, etc. They are the ones who lose 100%. Instead, how about prosecuting their American employers who skip on employment taxes and fair wages?
Karl S., Santa Clara, CA

Many candidates share Mr. Romney's view of illegal immigration, but concrete plans for addressing it are hard to come by. Both Romney and Giuliani argue about their pristine pasts in managing immigration, but neither of their home states have borders which would give them relevant experience.
Dan K, Boulder, CO, USA

I am a Democrat and will be voting for Bill Richardson on Tuesday. However, I find Romney a very appealing and worthy Republican candidate, and, if he wins the nomination, I might very well cross party lines to vote for him.

Joyce Brothers raises good points about Romney in her blog, but, after watching the debates on Saturday night, the one that stands out in my mind is Romney's ability to unify and his willingness to listen to others and gather input before making decisions. I, for one, have had enough of the bull-headed approach to diplomacy that we've seen the last eight years.
Bart Bachman, Center Conway, NH

Major corporations are multinational, with no real borders. They will bring jobs back to America when wages fall to such an extent that they will be competitive with China.

This process is irreversible. You should have been more critical when deciding for whom to vote when you were 30.
John Locker, Manchester, NH, USA