The 2012 presidential election season is particularly contentious for a very good reason. Forget the party affiliation, Democrat/Republican, because the choice is more fundamental: What is the appropriate role of the federal government in the day-to-day social and economic lives of the average American?

Since the election of Barrack Obama, a liberal Democrat, the government has played an expanding role. His opponent, Mitt Romney, a liberal Republican, believes that a larger government role interferes with how the average American wants to conduct their social and economic lives. Therefore, in a sense, this election cycle is very much a referendum on a single issue: The role of the federal government in our society