Four years ago, President Barack Obama overwhelmingly won the youth vote based on his promises of hope and of change. However, four years later, young people have good reason to be disappointed by President Obama’s term in office.

It is clear from Obama’s two last minute trips to speak in Milwaukee and on Bascom Hill that he is desperately trying to win over Wisconsin. He depends on Wisconsin for a victory. However, are we going to allow ourselves to fall for his countless slogans once again?

We are still waiting to see the positive change we were told to believe in four years ago. We are all hard working students, and it is not fair for us to be misled by campaign advertisements and slogans which can defer us from opportunities for success in the future. This time around, we will not be as easily persuaded.

During Obama’s term in office, our national debt has encountered a 51 percent increase, our unemployment rate has risen by 4 percent and gas prices have increased by 110 percent. As young adults, we need to look at our future and decide who will move our economy and country forward, not backward. Obama wants us to trust him for a better future, however, under his term the cost of a college education and student debt have both risen, and the average debt burden for a college graduate has reached $25,000. There are still too many students who do not have access to the high-quality education they deserve.

Under Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s leadership, we will be able to look forward to a brighter future for students. His Plan for a Stronger Middle Class will create 12 million new jobs and increase take-home pay. He plans to provide access to affordable and effective higher education by welcoming the private sector instead of rejecting it. He will implement new innovative and competitive regulations, and strengthen and simplify our financial aid systems. Mitt Romney would require states to evaluate each public school on its contribution to student learning. He would repay them with increased flexibility and would block existing federal funds for states that attract and reward good teachers.

We know that Mitt Romney’s plan will create jobs for us to hold when we graduate, ease the burden of debt that Obama’s administration has placed on us and stimulate economic growth. Obama’s visit tomorrow has not – and will not – change the current economic situation we face as students under his administration.

Annie Murphy is a member of University of Wisconsin-Madison College Republicans.