At a Las Vegas rally yesterday Mitt Romney said he wants the Constitution amended to require a candidate to have "three years of business experience" to be eligible for President. I kid you not. Here is the quotation.
“In addition to the age of the president and the citizenship of the president and the birthplace of the president being set by the Constitution, I’d like it also to say that the president has to spend at least three years working in business before becoming president of the United States.”
Romney may be on to something. Here is my list of qualifications for President. Qualifications that would help people understand how to the country really works and how the people live.
At least one summer mowing lawns or babysitting
At least one year delivering newspapers
At least two years in the military or working with veterans
Membership in a labor union
At least two years of manual labor
At least three years teaching
At least six months washing dishes or waiting tables
At least six months collecting unemployment
A law degree and admission to the bar so you understand the Constitution and laws
At least one year working paycheck to paycheck
At least three years of public sector or public interest legal practice or equivalent
At least six months at a minimum wage job
At least three years of legislative experience
At least one year without health insurance
Owning no more than one house at a time
Now it would be hard for anyone to have all these qualifications. But I'd venture to say that a person who has at least half of them would be infinitely better qualified to serve as President than someone who just has "three years of business experience."
Business experience may be of value as one little part of your personality, but the United States is not a business. Business experience teaches you how to make money. That has nothing to do with running the government. The job of President is to promote and administer laws and a Government that will
Establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility, provide for the Common Defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
That, Mr. Romney, is what the job of President is all about. And it is a job for which you are profoundly unqualified.