Mitt Romney Talks Business and Politics at 2015 International Home + Housewares Show

The United States has the ability and potential to lead the world on many of today's largest global challenges, but it needs to take definitive action on those issues and could benefit from more of a business mindset, Gov. Mitt Romney said today at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor addressed attendees at the Show's Industry Breakfast/IHA Annual Meeting this morning.

Romney opened his remarks by pointing out "I spent my life doing what you're doing now.....business. And frankly, it's what I expected to being doing now. But as you know, my career has taken a few detours." After a stint with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, his time as Massachusetts governor, and his unsuccessful run for President, Romney said he "came away more optimistic and encouraged about America. You see people who aren't making the nightly news....you see all kinds of ordinary people who are working hard every day. (Americans) are good people...a big-hearted people...hard-working people. We're risk-takers, we're entrepreneurial and we're patriotic.

"The only thing that could keep us from remaining the leading nation in the world would be if we fail to make any progress on the major challenges of our time," he said. He went on to detail the challenges of most concern: the national debt, global warming, poverty, education, income equality and our military edge in the world. On the national debt: "Clearly this is a challenge of monumental proportion. But neither (political) party has come up with a clear proposal for how to address it." On poverty, "I believe this is one of the greatest challenges certainly for the people involved, but also for our economy and for the global economy."