It's that Romney is taking advantage of the government's "free stuff," too, and has been profiting from it handsomely for a long, long time - even as he rails about the "free stuff" that the government provides other people.

Do we want in this nation to lose the backbone of manufacturing in this country? Do we want to be a nation that doesn't want to manufacture anything?

Many original occupiers believe the political system has become so corrupt that even participating in it, engaging with it, corrupts the movement. I understand what they are saying. But often, change does come more quickly from the inside rather than the outside. My advice: try both. But don't try violence.

The question is what will Mitt Romney do as president if his policy is simply to be hands off and let the government be made so small it can be drowned in a bathtub. In the 21st century global economy, no state alone has the ability to compete against China.

I was approached by friends who encouraged me to run for an open seat - attorney general of Michigan. It was a big risk.

Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.

Caring for veterans shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It should an American one.