With the death this week of George W. Romney at 88, this nation has lost much more than just an especially successful business executive and political leader.
More important, it has lost a true patriot whose love of country was reflected not only in his effective service as governor of Michigan in the 1960s and secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1972, but also in his perceptive grasp of complex national issues.It is a loss felt especially keenly in Utah, where Romney had deep roots and whose citizens admire his competence, candor and general set of personal values.
At American Motors Corp. and its forerunner, Romney oversaw the marketing of the first successful compact economy car in the U.S.
As a candidate for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination, he dropped out of the race after abandoning his support of the Vietnam War on the grounds that he had been "brainwashed" by the military. Vindication arrived several years later when many other Americans came to feel the same way.
The same candor also was evident during his stint at HUD. Instead of trying to hide bad news as government often does, he was so frank about scandals within the Federal Housing Administration that his honesty was credited with limiting the political repercussions. Instead of the usual bureaucratic response of calling for bigger government programs in response to problems, Romney suggested that the private marketplace is the best way of filling housing and other needs.
Romney's outstanding legacy to his country consists of his example of service and a strong set of values he once summed up in these terms:
- "It is free competitive enterprise that produces the greatest economic progress - not, primarily, government regulation and control."
- "No family, no enterprise, no government can continue to spend beyond its income, as we are doing, without becoming dependent, bankrupt or impoverished."
- "It is the individualism that freedom permits that makes superior American teamwork possible."
- "It is people helping people, not money, that most effectively solves social problems."
A few months ago Romney visited Utah and urged its residents to get more deeply involved in volunteering their services to a variety of community and charitable operations.
With his passing, all Americans can best honor Romney by taking his admonition to heart if for no other reason than that government cannot and should not do everything.