John of Des Moines
03-04-2010, 11:32 AM
From the Des Moines Register (http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20103040337):
Guest column: Restore America by getting government under control
At no other point in recent decades has the political climate presented us with so great an opportunity to return our nation to prosperity and to reclaim the freedoms big government has stripped away from us.
Thanks to the tremendous growth of the Internet, as well as the unprecedented interest in the message of individual liberty kindled by such vast access to information, millions of Americans are now organizing and taking action.
In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country, and the unique people of each area I have visited have only deepened my conviction that no other idea can unify, excite and mobilize Americans as powerfully as the message of peace, prosperity and freedom.
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It is encouraging to see so much outrage finally being directed toward the proper recipient - an out-of-control federal government - but if the Republican Party wants to capitalize on its current momentum, it needs to permanently reject the policies that led to its devastating defeat in 2008.
In 1994, a similar populist revolt, under the banner of "the Contract with America," swept Republicans into power across the country and gave them majority control of the U.S. House for the first time in 40 years. It was this new attention to limited government beliefs that encouraged me to set aside my private medical practice and return to Congress.
Throughout the years, however, I watched Republican optimism and principled convictions surrender to political posturing to retain power.
A promise to cut waste and empower parents by eliminating the U.S. Department of Education became a tenure that more than doubled it.
A repudiation of nation-building morphed into a trillion-dollar foreign policy that steadfastly guards the borders of other nations while neglecting our own veterans here at home.
A resolve to promote individual responsibility gave way to a bill containing the largest expansion of Medicare since the program's creation.
President Obama is correct on one point: The time for change is now.
There is no limit to what can be accomplished if those who espouse a limited government message on the campaign trail will implement its principles upon entering Congress.
Rising generations know that America's current course cannot be sustained, and they are ready to change direction. When I speak on college campuses across the country, the topic that consistently gets the loudest applause is stopping our system of endlessly printing money out of thin air by ending the Federal Reserve and returning to sound money.
The economic crisis has inflicted considerable pain, leading to common-sense questions about how we got to this point and how we can recover. We have to be ready to provide answers - answers that do more than just pay lip service to cutting taxes and freeing small businesses from red tape, but answers that proceed from a firm, consistent conviction that a free people, unencumbered by the burdens of omnipresent government, have the ability to create, stimulate and innovate their way to success far more than a crowded room of bureaucrats thousands of miles away can ever hope to equal.
True change will object to any unbalanced budget, instead of merely trimming around the edges.
True change will remove barriers to competition in health care and offer Americans tax credits and tax deductions for their medical expenses, allowing them to pursue the plans that fit them best.
True change will stop punishing productivity by eliminating the immoral income tax and estate tax, returning to taxpayers the money that they - not the government - work hard to earn.
Ultimately, this return to core principles is about much more than winning elections. It is about protecting future generations and guaranteeing them the same promise of liberty our forefathers entrusted to us. And it is about returning America to its position as the leading example and inspiration for those in distant lands yearning to live in freedom.
We who believe that government which governs least governs best must lead the way.
And by the way, the next Campaign For Liberty regional conference is scheduled for May 14-16 in Des Moines.
Guest column: Restore America by getting government under control
At no other point in recent decades has the political climate presented us with so great an opportunity to return our nation to prosperity and to reclaim the freedoms big government has stripped away from us.
Thanks to the tremendous growth of the Internet, as well as the unprecedented interest in the message of individual liberty kindled by such vast access to information, millions of Americans are now organizing and taking action.
In the last few years, I have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the country, and the unique people of each area I have visited have only deepened my conviction that no other idea can unify, excite and mobilize Americans as powerfully as the message of peace, prosperity and freedom.
Quantcast
It is encouraging to see so much outrage finally being directed toward the proper recipient - an out-of-control federal government - but if the Republican Party wants to capitalize on its current momentum, it needs to permanently reject the policies that led to its devastating defeat in 2008.
In 1994, a similar populist revolt, under the banner of "the Contract with America," swept Republicans into power across the country and gave them majority control of the U.S. House for the first time in 40 years. It was this new attention to limited government beliefs that encouraged me to set aside my private medical practice and return to Congress.
Throughout the years, however, I watched Republican optimism and principled convictions surrender to political posturing to retain power.
A promise to cut waste and empower parents by eliminating the U.S. Department of Education became a tenure that more than doubled it.
A repudiation of nation-building morphed into a trillion-dollar foreign policy that steadfastly guards the borders of other nations while neglecting our own veterans here at home.
A resolve to promote individual responsibility gave way to a bill containing the largest expansion of Medicare since the program's creation.
President Obama is correct on one point: The time for change is now.
There is no limit to what can be accomplished if those who espouse a limited government message on the campaign trail will implement its principles upon entering Congress.
Rising generations know that America's current course cannot be sustained, and they are ready to change direction. When I speak on college campuses across the country, the topic that consistently gets the loudest applause is stopping our system of endlessly printing money out of thin air by ending the Federal Reserve and returning to sound money.
The economic crisis has inflicted considerable pain, leading to common-sense questions about how we got to this point and how we can recover. We have to be ready to provide answers - answers that do more than just pay lip service to cutting taxes and freeing small businesses from red tape, but answers that proceed from a firm, consistent conviction that a free people, unencumbered by the burdens of omnipresent government, have the ability to create, stimulate and innovate their way to success far more than a crowded room of bureaucrats thousands of miles away can ever hope to equal.
True change will object to any unbalanced budget, instead of merely trimming around the edges.
True change will remove barriers to competition in health care and offer Americans tax credits and tax deductions for their medical expenses, allowing them to pursue the plans that fit them best.
True change will stop punishing productivity by eliminating the immoral income tax and estate tax, returning to taxpayers the money that they - not the government - work hard to earn.
Ultimately, this return to core principles is about much more than winning elections. It is about protecting future generations and guaranteeing them the same promise of liberty our forefathers entrusted to us. And it is about returning America to its position as the leading example and inspiration for those in distant lands yearning to live in freedom.
We who believe that government which governs least governs best must lead the way.
And by the way, the next Campaign For Liberty regional conference is scheduled for May 14-16 in Des Moines.