LIBERTY: FINISH THE RACE

"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty."              -Ronald Reagan

"Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith."                -Ronald Reagan

Many in the main-stream media will speak of the 2010 election cycle as the next significant opportunity for power to shift in government. That futuristic frame of reference ignores the more significant opportunity that citizens and elected officials have DAILY to speak up, dialogue, and take constructive action to tackle the pressing issues of our day. Today. Every day.

The state of the American economy may be one of the most pressing issues we face as a nation. Recessions occur cyclically regardless of which political party controls Congress or the Presidency, so I do not wish to devolve into a partisan finger-pointing exercise here. Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke have served Presidents of both parties. Unemployment lines and lost healthcare benefits deny families the fullness of the American dream in Democratic and Republican households alike. Simply, persistent economic struggles in our nation threaten our Liberty.

Economic strife is the volcano that spews forth the oppressive lava of government largesse and regulation. If we are to prevent the overreaching of federal regulation and federal financial entitlement spending, we must restore fiscal discipline to the outflow of our federal tax dollars. We must restrain the federal knee-jerk impulse to raise additional revenue through taxation. We must guard against benignly-titled legislation and programs that further restrict our free markets, free movement, and innovation.

We let our guard down as a nation when we focus too much media attention on the lingering effects of mortgage-backed securities, corporate downsizing, and bank failures. If we allow our elected officials to act on the media hysteria, we end up with new regulations, new controls, and limits on free market freedoms that kill entrepreneurship and innovation. One need only look back as far as the post-Enron media-frenzy to recognize the Sarbanes-Oxley framework that emerged from that event.

Our elected officials in every era--and especially our current era--must put partisanship aside to come together to craft fiscally-responsible, low-regulation solutions that will encourage free market entrepreneurship and innovation; reward research and development of new products and technologies; employ the hardworking men and women who welcome the workplace opportunities that full employment brings. Do not allow the mainstream media to lull our elected officials into building a Big Brother state.

Taxation, regulation, and unrestrained handouts will NOT strengthen our Nation and safeguard our Liberty.

We MUST do everything that can be done to restore our economic vitality in a responsible manner, so that those who come after us can recognize that we finished the race, kept them free, and kept our Faith.

TODAY'S QUESTION: As an elected official who represents ALL the citizens [regardless of party], can you put aside partisanship to build consensus toward restraining aimless taxation and regulation, to instead strengthen free market innovation that leads to increased employment and economic prosperity for America?

UNANIMOUS CONSENT: VICTORY WITH HONOR

"You give me your shield of victory,
And your right hand sustains me;
You stoop down to make me great."
                                                -Psalm 18

 

"Today we did what we had to do. They counted on America to be passive. They were wrong."

-Ronald Reagan

Today, as every day, I thank our veterans and active duty and reserve service members. No just war is entered into casually or without gut-wrenching deliberation given to the certain peril of our nation's sons & daughters, fathers & mothers, brothers & sisters. The entry into the Pacific theater that followed the bombing at Pearl Harbor and the horrific bombing of that September 11th both necessitated that our nation do "what we had to do."  Vietnam, Korea, Bosnia, Somalia and the first Gulf War were no less challenging. America always leads when called to action.

When our last Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces sent my brother, sister and brother-in-law to fight the War on Terror, along with hundreds of thousands of our brave service members, I believed (and still believe) that his decision was guided by wise counsel from above, sincere counsel from military leaders, and studied counsel from civilian leaders. Partisanship does not and cannot enter into the decision to deploy troops to safeguard the security of our Great Nation and its global security interests. Thus, I will likewise support the decision of the leaders who will redeploy my sister next year. I do not allow partisanship to enter into an arena where consensus is required to save lives.

War is expensive, but defeat is far more expensive. Peace is preferred, but passivity in the face of terrorism weakens a nation. We will eventually depart militarily from Afghanistan and Iraq, and our Nation will do so victoriously with Honor.

Thus, I move for unanimous consent...on the issue of the successful, fully-funded, fully-resourced prosecution of the War on Terror and full aftercare for our brave veterans upon their return. We are not a nation of warmongers, so we must trust our military leadership when they lead our troops toward victory. Save the partisan put-downs for debates over pork barrell projects!

There is no time for filibusters, holds, and delay on decisions that provide adequate reinforcements, armor, provisions, vehicles, artillery, and veterans benefits. We all can appreciate meaningful debate and the yearning for peace sooner than later, but God help the member of Congress whose partisan delay tactic allows one more soldier, sailor or marine to lay dying on the foreign battlefield for want of armor, ammunition, or reinforcements. That brave service member did NOT volunteer to become a partisan pawn in a cable news sound bite --he/she volunteered to protect our nation and bring home Victory with Honor.

TODAY'S QUESTION: Can we put aside petty partisanship on matters of successfully prosecuting and provisioning the War on Terror until the victory has been concluded and our troops have safely returned?

FOR THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE

"He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'" [Matthew 25:20-21]

"...[B]ut rather labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with one in need...[And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ." [Ephesians 4:28, 32]

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What if we could invest in Americans, reduce waste, increase GDP, and improve family morale with a philosophical shift in the administration of taxpayer funded unemployment benefits? Would Congress have the courage to take action?

The recent extension of unemployment benefits is but another chapter in an economic saga for which the end has yet to be written.  Among the unemployed are many skilled and talented job seekers eager to return to gainful employment. The economic meltdown's domino effect has led many breadwinners to lose their previously "secure" positions, despite dedicated their dedicated service to their former employer, coupled with specialized technical training and/or post-graduate education.

As the unanimous Senate vote and earlier overwhelmingly bipartisan 331-83 House of Representatives vote suggest, no God-loving person would want to see their neighbor's family starve or lose their home simply as a collateral result of a layoff.  Yet I would put forth that there would be a more effective manner in which these taxpayer dollars could be transferred from the federal coffers to the family budgets.

If one were to agree that a majority of unemployed men and women possess the strong American work ethic and derive dignity and self-esteem from actively engaging in productive and creative work, then might there be a better manner to pay out these taxpayer-funded benefits?

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  Among the unemployed are skilled architects, engineers, and building trades. Are there not schools, government buildings, hospitals, and housing projects in needs of expansion, maintenance, or repair?
  
  
  
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  Among the unemployed are skilled technology professionals. Are there not public schools, state universities, government agencies, hospitals, and the military in need of networking & cabling, software design & programming, data mining, and hardware deployment?
  
  
  
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  Among the unemployed are skilled teachers, counselors, and administrators. Are there not at-risk children (pre-K through high school) who could benefit from the caring, compassionate attention that additional educators and specialists could bring to challenged & underfunded public school systems?
  
  
  
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  ...and so forth...
  
  
  

I think we would be hard pressed to find able-bodied Americans who wouldn't trade the hours of stress, loneliness, and uncertainty for the engagement of familiar or new meaningful contribution to the economy. So long as we've made the decision, through our Legislative and Executive Branches to spend taxpayer funds to support families through a prolonged period of unemployment, can't we at least structure such a program to produce a return on our investment instead of simply a government-funded benefit?

TODAY'S QUESTION: How can Congress restructure future unemployment compensation legislation to produce the greatest return to our nation on the meaningful and necessary investment of taxpayer funds?

GENUINELY PRO-LIFE HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION

"Happy those concerned for the lowly and poor; when misfortune strikes, the Lord delivers them...
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed, allays the malady when they are ill." [Psalm 41:2,4]

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." [Matthew 23:23]

If we are to engage in honest, Christ-focused debate amidst crafting truly comprehensive health care legislation and retake the lead in ensuring that a bill emerges that will reduce costs to businesses, protect human life at ALL stages, and encourage further medical technology innovation, we must restrain our urge to communicate solely via cable news soundbites and caustic blog postings.

Jesus valued LIFE...ALL life.  We tend to focus so much upon the blight caused by abortion that we neglect to speak to the truths of those already born and suffering (children, seniors, etc.).  Jesus cared for and encouraged others to care for the poor, the children, the sick, the widows.

He did not employ a partisan litmus test before administering healing.  Jesus did not come only to heal one party, one gender, or one economic class to the exclusion of others, and the Lord's message as told to us through Scripture is no less poignant and clear today than it was thousands of years ago: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you."  Be not a modern day Pharisee, but be a Light upon the Hill.

Instead of fighting AGAINST health care legislation, why don't we Conservatives retake the high ground in the debate and restore our principles to the legilation in a manner that will allow us to go back to our Districts and be able to share with our constituents our pro-active efforts on their behalf.  Cancer doesn't evade conservatives' children, nor does dementia evade their elderly parents.  Being uninsured after a job loss is not limited only to members of the liberal caste.  Wouldn't we benefit more if we could stand before our constituents back home, men and women, young and old, Republican and Democrat, business owner and retiree, and tell them of our SUCCESS in fighting for ALL OF THEM.

Personally, I wish Ronald Reagan and Lee Atwater could have been with us longer...Why don't we retake the initiative on this legislation, build consensus around God-fearing, pro-life, fiscally responsible free market principles, and be heralded in history as the party that governed our citizenry with compassion and delivered REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM.  Or, as I heard a pastor say once, "Be Jesus to others in all of your affairs, as you may be the ONLY Jesus that someone encounters today."
TODAY'S QUESTION: How can YOU embrace the Lord's Word in the health care debate so that YOUR principles are encompassed in the final legislation in a manner that benefits ALL of God's children?

YOUR AUDIENCE: THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORATE

When the media spin is peeled away from the November 3, 2009 election results, one sees the unvarnished result in the seeming hodge-podge of results across the spectrum: the Independent Electorate spoke for themselves at the ballot box.

One can reconcile the seemingly diverse results of well-won gubernatorial victories by Bob McDonnell (VA) and Chris Christie (NJ), Michael Bloomberg's 3rd-term mayoral victory in the Big Apple, and Bill Owen's century-aged Democratic victory in the NY-23 congressional district within the context of voters choosing the candidates that they themselves perceived to be the best qualified to address their respective local, state and national issues.

Particularly in the Virginia and New Jersey contests, both victors sincerely and consistently engaged the citizens of their states in real dialogue so that they, as candidates, could develop broad-based plans to address their citizens' concerns. The 2010 gubernatorial contests in Texas (Governor Rick Perry) and Michigan (current Attorney General Mike Cox) reflect similar genuine family-focused, pro-free market solutions to the real challenges facing men and women, business leaders, and municipalities.  Particularly in Michigan, candidate Mike Cox continues his genuine, heart-felt mission of representing ALL citizens with his well-researched, comprehensive practical plan to rejuvinate Michigan on several critical fronts (see: http://www.mikecox2010.com/putting-michigan-back-to-work/).

The victors in local, state, and national elections in 2010 (much like 2008 & 2009) will be drawn from the men and women who propose comprehensive, practical solutions. The real challenges facing our nation's citizens know no partisan bounds. Unemployment, high taxes, lost health insurance, foreclosure, and crime cut deeply through Republican, Democrat, and Independent families, farms, and business alike. While bitter, partisan punditry may make for entertaining cable news shows, only REAL solutions that address REAL FAMILY & BUSINESS concerns will lead that ever-important Independent Electorate to pull your lever in 2010.

TODAY'S QUESTION: What are YOU doing to engage YOUR electorate personally to sincerely identify the pressing challenges and craft meaningful solutions that will ensure the resurgence family and business financial security?

YOU: THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR

Ronald Reagan's 1976 is for many a forgotten footnote in the annals of history. Instead we should recognize its similarities to December 1773 aboard the cargo ship in Boston Harbor, followed by the tumult of 1775 and the Spirit of 1776.  Recall that when the War ended and the Constitution had been signed, many who had previously been in opposition to the Colonists eventually came to be governed by the new nation. We saw such consensus-building on the heels of defeat occur again following the Civil War, when the opponents again recognized the greater value in healing the nation and looking forward.

I have spoken earlier of the importance of adhering to our principles, even in periods of legislative loss, and continuing to convey those principles (and the solutions they undergird) in the most pro-active and broad-based manner possible.

Recall Reagan's smile...his charm...his wit. Reach back into your memory of the 1980 Presidential debate and hear Ronald Reagan chide Jimmy Carter to a knowing American audience, "There he goes again!"  America nodded in agreement all the way to the ballot box that year. Yet, Ronald Reagan never had to resort to banal name-calling, slander or lies against his enemies. No, President Reagan needed only to communicate to America why conservative principles, as intended by our Founders, could pull the nation out of deep recession, draw back the Iron Curtain, and restore Faith to families regardless of political affiliation.

When a conservative prevails in an election, he/she prevails because members of both major political parties, as well as a significant percentage of Independents have embraced his/her sincere message. As I mentioned in a previous segment, electoral victories are no longer won simply by garnering the votes of one party. Real solutions will affect partisans and non-partisans alike, just as real challenges (unemployment, loss of health care, crime) do not stop only at the doorsteps of Democrats or Republicans.

The United States of America was founded by God-fearing and spriritual individuals, committed not to anarchy but committed to balanced federalism, free markets, and strong national defense. More than two centuries later, a majority of Americans continue to adhere to these conservative principles and passionately shun losses of civil and fiscal liberty at the hand of bureaucratic legislatures and executives.  When you win your election, you represent not only your supporters but also those voters who had opposed you. We must be principled enough to boldly represent our entire electorate once the votes have been cast.

We must continue in our grassroots efforts and public campaigns for office to emphasize that we have the solutions that will deliver bi-partisan and non-partisan healing. Smile more, explain plainly, engender trust with your sincerity...and when you must draw distinction between your solid solutions and your opponents failed policies, do so with a wit and a knowing wink that would make President Reagan proud.

TODAY'S QUESTION: How can you improve your message to emphasize your principled, practical solutions in a manner that appeals broadly across party lines.

VISION TO VICTORY

Ronald Reagan had it; Governor Rick Perry has it. Do you have it?  If not, you'd better get it...so that others will get it.

Every election will be decided when the independents lean in. You want a clear landslide--but you'll win with 50.1% .  The right and the left will reliably remain loyal.  Always.  But the most recent presidential election differed from the 2000 presidential election simply because the independents leaned in a different direction.

Independents lean toward the most compelling vision, and then cast votes in the hope that the future will be better than the past. Ronald Reagan emerged at a time when America perceived that its President had yielded too much ground both at home (think Energy Crisis) and abroad (think Iranian Hostages). Ronald Reagan delivered confidence, growth, and patriotism to a nation that sorely needed it. Reagan successfully worked within his party and across party lines, ideological lines, and oceans.

More recently, Governor Rick Perry has skillfully guided Texas through the nation's economic turmoil. Education, entrepreneurship, clean energy, construction, and healthcare have all improved and prospered under his leadership. Texas' future looks equally bright under his continued leadership, because Governor Perry communicates his vision through actions that families and business leaders readily identify with and embrace.

Fear, negativity, and obstruction only have so much mileage. Name-calling and demagoguery provide red meat for pundits until the next news story comes along.  But families and business leaders look for tangible results and then vote accordingly.

Reagan and Perry, both smart leaders, have understood that the people (the voters) want to trust, identify with, and believe in their elected leaders. Their visions convey optimism without yielding values and principles. Both leaders could disagree with others without being disagreeable, both domestically and internationally.  Leading from a vision of growth, optimism and consensus-building, effective governance has followed.

TODAY'S QUESTION: How are YOU going to convey your PRINCIPLES and VALUES so that the deciding majority embraces your VISION?