The election is over, the dust has settled and most of the campaign signs have been harvested.  While the results of my campaign were less than what I had hoped for, I feel I ran a good campaign.  Looking back there is very little that I would change and I have no regrets about the campaign that I ran.  I want to congratulate both Jeff and Wanda for good campaigns and best wishes for Jeff over the next two years.  The hard work is just beginning and I wish him the best of luck in that endeavor.

            I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those who helped me during this campaign.  There have been so many people that have contributed their time, energy, and money to this campaign by collecting signatures, putting out signs, handing out leaflets, telling friends and neighbors, and knocking on doors.  To each of you I sincerely thank you.  I want to especially thank my wife Liz for her assistance and tolerance, and my campaign treasurer and mother-in-law Jane for all of her support and assistance.  Without them, I could never have attempted this endeavor.

            To those who followed my web site, thank you for your comments and support.  I will keep this website active and will continue to write posts as events take place and issues arise.  I do not expect to write as often as I have during the campaign, but I will address issues that affect us on a state and federal level.

            Thank you all, and God Bless,

               Mark Smith

            How to properly fund our schools has been a question we have been struggling to answer for years.  Options range from having the state completely fund our schools to having parents pay for the education of their children.  Providing a public education has been an important part of American culture since the founding of this country.  Our forefathers knew that an educated population was essential for the country to be successful.  The Ohio constitution says that the legislature will provide for an adequate education.  This does not mean that the state will completely fund that education, but will provide the means for that education; whether it comes from the state, allowing the local community to collect taxes, or a combination of the two.  Currently, the state provides $5,700 per student to provide for that education, with the remaining money needed coming from the local community.  No matter the equation, the bottom line is that our schools are funded completely by tax dollars; all we are really arguing about is the collection method.  With that in mind, the real question to me is how we fund our schools with the least impact on tax payers.  As I wrote in my previous post, the more money we accept from big government, the more regulations and restrictions we will have placed upon us.  It is not that we are not providing enough money to our schools; it is how those dollars are being spent.  Our local schools have so many mandates placed upon them by the government that our local educators have limited control over education and spending.  These mandates were designed to address issues in large schools located in our largest cities and do not necessarily apply to our smaller schools.  The cost of implementing those mandates consumes a larger percentage of our smaller school’s budgets and in many cases is simply not cost effective. 

            Rather than turn to government to solve our problems, I propose that we resolve this issue where it occurs, at the local level.  In my judgment, we need to reduce the mandates placed on our schools and allow our local officials more control over our schools.  We elect our local school board members and we hire our superintendents and principals; we do so because we think that they can do the job.  I think it is time we let them do that job.  Our schools are representative of our communities.  Our local educators know the morals and values of our communities.  They need the control to be able to determine what to teach and how to teach it, they need the control to determine where best to apply our tax dollars to most efficiently and effectively educate our students.

            Predominately, we generate our local funding from property taxes which is wrong for both the tax payers and the schools.  As tax payers, we don’t pay our bills with our property value; we live off of our income.  Those that are retired and living on a fixed income face rising inflation eating into their income putting them in dire financial straits.  Property taxes also put our schools on a fixed income.  Regardless of whether property values rise or if the number of students in the district significantly rise, the school essentially receives the same amount of revenue from a property tax.  Just as inflation eats into our income, higher utility bills, higher medical insurance premiums, and other elevated costs eat into our schools’ income.  A much better method of collecting local taxes is through an earned income tax.  It is better for tax payers because it does not tax those that are living on their retirement income.  If a tax payer finds their income reduced through layoff, downsizing, outsourcing, or having to take a lower paying job, their tax liability is reduced accordingly.  As the economy improves and prevailing wages rise, revenue to our schools also rises and provides a hedge against inflation, preventing the need to put additional tax levies on the ballot.  Schools that have adopted permanent income taxes to fund their schools have essentially eliminated the need to ask for additional funding.

            By giving our school officials control to determine how best to educate our children and how to spend our precious resources efficiently and effectively and by utilizing an earned income tax; we can improve our children’s education and do it with fewer tax dollars.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”; “You can’t get something for nothing”. We have all heard and recited these phrases many times, these words may have never been truer than today. Whether we are talking about individuals, schools, small businesses, or major corporations, whenever the government offers money in the form of welfare, subsidies, or bailouts, there is a price to pay. This price is steep and it is paid by us all. Our social spending, the war on poverty and the New Deal, has cost this nation billions of taxpayer dollars with nothing to show for it. If poverty were simply a situation of having no money, we would have eradicated poverty years ago. Agriculture subsidies come with regulations that restrict what farming practices farmers can use. It limits what they can grow and where they can grow it. Our administrators have lost local control of our schools since accepting increased federal and state funds, exponentially increasing the cost to operate our schools. Individually, when we accept government payments there are also restrictions and expectations placed upon us. State and federally funded universal health care will come with the expectation of modified behaviors; tobacco products, fast food, and foods considered unhealthy will all be heavily taxed, restricted and in some instances even outlawed. Risky behaviors will be restricted and more regulations will be enacted, all for “our own good”. Helmets will be required for motorcycle riders, all passengers in an automobile or bus will be required to use seatbelts, gun ownership and even carrying a pocket knife will be restricted and banned. These advancements in regulation upon the citizenry have already occurred in Great Britain since adopting Universal Health Care.

Our current “economic crisis” is another prime example of paying dearly for a “free lunch” as government tries to inject itself into the free market. Capitalism, lack of regulation, or oversight is not to blame for our current situation. Our current problems started with the New Deal but were greatly exacerbated over ten years ago with the creation of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These are government run agencies that determined success not by merit or real earnings, but by a social agenda for the purpose of giving loans to individuals that could not qualify for traditional loans and were high risk for repayment of those loans. This type of subversion of the free capitalist market skewed the market, artificially elevating home and stock values. Home owners as well as investors saw their portfolios grow seemingly overnight because of this “free lunch”. What we are now facing is nothing more than a necessary correction of these markets. Unfortunately, so many financial institutions, businesses, and individuals are so heavily leveraged that they cannot survive these devaluations and are becoming financially insolvent. As this happens, banks don’t know who next will default on a loan or declare bankruptcy; therefore banks have tightened the flow of money and are limiting loans to other banks, businesses, and individuals. Even responsible businesses and individuals cannot borrow money no matter how good their credit rating is. Now, the same government that thought injecting itself into the banking industry was a good idea wants to apply even greater controls over all aspects of not only the financial industry, but to all businesses and individuals. Instead of having to live through this “bitter pill” for several months, our government wants to extend this misery for several years. The Great Depression was brought about by a very similar type of government intervention and it lingered for ten years because of government interference. Government intrusion will not prevent the correction; in trying to control and soften the blow of the correction, government will simply cause the effects to be felt for a much longer period of time and costing us all even more money in the long run.

In the event of this bailout, there will be no accountability. The market will not be cleansed of those entities that utilized bad business practices; those entities will still exist and will continue to apply the same bad business principles that put them in this very predicament. In my judgment, we need to allow the marketplace to determine the winners and losers; we need to allow the losers to fade into the history books while allowing the winners to grow and newcomers to the market to be allowed to compete. Those businesses that apply sound business practices should be allowed to succeed and not be held down by the losers that are being artificially supported by an intrusive government at the taxpayers’ expense. The apparent economy of the 1990’s may have been a wonderful feast, but as we taxpayers will soon find out, there is no free lunch.

            As far back as the ancient Greeks, it was known that a true democracy can survive but only a few years before the population will begin to vote to raid the treasury and bankrupt the country.  As such our form of government, a republic, is designed with checks and balances to prevent such detrimental decision making.  We trust our representatives at all levels of government to uphold the constitution and make decisions on our behalf for the greater good of all citizens.  Therefore, one of the most critical duties of State and U.S. Representatives is that of drafting legislation and passing laws.  There have been numerous instances where well-intentioned legislators drafted and subsequently passed bad laws.  Nearly all of these laws at first appeared to improve some aspect of society, but then in practice either did not work or created such problems as to be counter productive.  In my judgment good legislation consists of 5 basic criteria that must be addressed before the legislation should be considered for law.

1.      The legislation accurately addresses the problem or issue.  An example of bad legislation that does not address the problem is zero tolerance laws in our schools regarding weapons on school property.  Zero tolerance toward weapons sounds like a good idea; after all, what parent does not want their child to be safe at school.  In reality, zero tolerance laws have proven to be ineffective; they have not reduced school violence, and have only made criminals out of innocent students.  There is no evidence that this law has ever prevented any school violence or attacks anywhere, nor can it.  If a person has made the premeditated decision to bring a gun, knife or other weapon to a school, shopping mall, or any public place for the purpose of doing harm to others, they have already made the decision to break numerous laws including assault and murder.  Merely having a zero tolerance law against bringing weapons onto school or public property will not change their motives or prevent them from carrying out their evil plans.  Instead, all this law has accomplished has been to make criminals of students who have brought a butter knife to school in their lunch for the purpose of putting peanut butter on a cracker, or have inadvertently brought a pocket knife to school when they forgot it was in their pocket.  This logic also applies to zero tolerance toward drugs at school.  There have been as many students suspended for bringing over the counter medications for legitimate purposes as there have been for bringing illicit drugs for nefarious reasons.  Zero tolerance laws have not and will never address the real issue of making our schools or public property safer.

2.      Unintended consequences are minimal and are addressed in the bill.  There are abundant examples of legislation that when passed, created new, unintentional problems that were worse than the original problem.  Prohibition was one such example.  The 19^th amendment created so many problems with organized crime and boot legging, that just a few short years later the 21^st amendment had to be passed to suspend the 19^th amendment.  Recently, the law prohibiting smoking in all public places including private businesses has created unintended negative consequences.  Restaurants and bars have lost customers, lost revenue and many have gone out of business.  Diseases related to second hand smoke exposure have reportedly risen in children because people that previously smoked in bars and restaurants are now smoking more at home, thereby increasing their children’s exposure to second hand smoke. 

3.      There are no existing laws that address the problem or issue.  Numerous recently passed laws were unnecessary because the problem had already been addressed in previous laws.  Many states and cities have passed gun control legislation when existing laws against assault and murder already were in place.  This type of legislation is usually just feel good legislation that allows lawmakers to appear that they are taking action and expand their resume’ of accomplishments while really not doing anything.  A proposed ban on using cell phones while in a car also fails to meets this criterion of good legislation.  The basic reason for the bill is to prevent reckless driving.  There are already several laws making it illegal to drive in a reckless and risky manner.  Yet people still engage in distracting activities such as applying makeup, eating, talking to passengers, disciplining children, changing the radio or CD, and even reading books and newspapers while driving on our roads.  The existing laws regarding reckless driving, speeding, tailgating, failure to signal, etc… already hold drivers accountable for their actions and choices without needing to create more laws.

4.      The proposed law is enforceable.  If a law sounds good, but can’t be enforced, then what good is that law?  A Missouri State Representative has proposed a bill making it illegal for a restaurant owner to serve anyone that is obese.  There is no way to enforce this type of legislation.  Will restaurant owners be required to weigh customers before taking their order and then keep a record for the Department of Health’s statistics?  Who will decide if a customer meets the definition of obese?  In my judgment this is a classic example of an overreaching government trying to apply itself to a realm of citizen’s private lives where government has no right to be.

5.      The proposed law is constitutional.  Sometimes we try to address problematic issues but in the process the proposed law violates the rights and freedoms of the citizens.  Ultimately these laws are addressed in the judicial system, but only after copious tax dollars and years have been spent in debate. 

     The role of government is not to impose ever increasing restrictions on the population, elevating government’s self importance in the process.  Rather, government’s role is to protect the constitution and the rights and freedoms that document guarantees us; to enforce our existing laws, and to create an economic and social environment that allows for economic success. 

            The price of oil is declining, U.S. exports are slowly rising, once vacant houses are starting to sell, and the value of the dollar is beginning to rise.  This is good news for Americans, but does it mean our economy is on the mend?  Not necessarily, the good news we read in the headlines today are due in large part to slowing economies in other parts of the world.  China’s exports, while still strong, are beginning to show weakness due in part to Western Europe.  England is facing a housing market collapse that could be far greater than what we in the U.S. have experienced.  Most European countries are experiencing an economic slowdown and London is forecasting a recession that could be the worst economic downturn in decades.  Even Russia’s robust economy is showing signs of weakness.  While Americans are realizing some much needed relief at the gas pump, it is not a time to return to our apathetic mindset.  Rather, this is a temporary mild relief that provides us an opportunity.  Our dollar is experiencing some relative strength, which combined with excess gasoline inventories, is lowering fuel prices, which is giving us an opportunity to proceed with expanded domestic drilling plans and alternative energy technology development.  When gasoline was $4 per gallon and analysts were forecasting it even higher, consumers across the nation were asking why we as a nation were not utilizing all of our domestic resources.  Now is the time to build the infrastructure needed to utilize these resources later, rather than wait until oil prices elevate again.  As I have stated in the past, it is my judgment that becoming more energy independent is an issue of national security as well as one of economics.  As long as we rely on nations that are unfriendly toward the U.S., our economy, our foreign policy, and our freedoms will be dictated to us by foreign nations.  This is clearly not the American way and not what has made our country great.  In order to become energy independent it is imperative that we continue to push for more offshore drilling, the use of oil shale, the conversion of coal to liquid fuel, and construction of new nuclear power plants.  In my judgment we need continued research of wind and solar power technologies and most importantly battery technology.  Until we develop the technology to efficiently store electric energy, solar and wind power will never be efficient, reliable sources of energy.

            As gasoline prices and the accompanying inflation rates decline, if we allow ourselves to once again become complacent about our energy future, we will look back at this time and ask why we allowed our nation and way of life to be compromised when we had the opportunity to prepare.

            In my previous post I explained my view on the direction America’s energy policy needs to go.  Some of the responses to my post expressed concern as to what can be done to reduce energy prices while we develop and improve new technologies.  In order to explain this we must first examine what is applying downward pressure on our economy, creating the rampant inflation we are experiencing, and elevating oil prices to unsustainable levels. 

            As you know all too well, it would be difficult to exaggerate the impact that escalating energy costs have on our economy and the lives of Americans.  Our dependence on foreign oil has added to our trade deficit which has contributed to the declining value of our dollar and led to our highest rate of inflation in recent history.  Excessive energy costs have created a downward economic cycle that is at risk of spiraling out of control.  As energy costs rise businesses pass the cost on to the consumer.  Consumers, who are facing increased costs and limited resources, are conserving where they can and limiting discretionary spending.  This in turn is reducing business revenues in nearly all industries causing large corporations and small businesses alike to reduce their production, shrink their workforce, declare bankruptcy, and in some cases go out of business altogether.  Of course this further reduces consumer spending and the downward pressure on our economy continues.  We cannot simply save our way out of this cycle.  While individual conservation will have some effect on our personal finances, it does nothing to substantially reduce the price of energy.  Few businesses can significantly reduce their energy consumption without severely impacting production levels.  Shrinking production to the extent necessary to affect energy usage will result in vast layoffs, increased unit costs to recover fixed overhead costs, and therefore compound our rate of inflation.  Oil is the life blood of economic growth and the unintended consequences of elevated energy prices, such as inflation, are already proving to be disastrous. 

            The good news is we do not have a shortage of oil at this time.  There are no reports of fuel rationing, no gas lines like we saw in the 1970’s, and no gas stations are running out of gasoline to sell.  In the short term, there is little that we can do to affect the price of oil today outside of reducing restrictions and regulations on domestic oil drilling and on building additional refineries.  The current price of oil is driven by the futures price of oil.  Oil futures are driven by speculators and based on future supply and demand.  Rather than blame the speculators, we need to pay attention to what they are basing their decisions on.  Soaring oil prices fueled by speculation means that based on expected global oil production capacity and anticipated global oil consumption, demand will exceed supply in the future.    What the speculators are telling us and what we need to respond to today is that there will be oil shortages in the future unless we start doing something now.  It is no coincidence that since President Bush repealed the Presidential ban on offshore drilling, oil prices have receded by nearly $30 per barrel.  If our government will simply allow oil companies to locate, drill, and refine oil, they will effect a change in the global oil production capacity portion of the speculation equation which will cause oil futures and thus current oil prices to be reduced now even though they may not actually be able to produce that oil for several years. 

As we explore and drill, we must continue our research to discover and refine sustainable sources of energy.  One source of sustainable electrical power that is readily available is nuclear.  It is clean, cost effective, and safe.  Western Europe produces most of its electricity from nuclear power; France generates nearly 80% of its electricity from nuclear power.  Current power plant design is safer and more efficient than any of the nuclear plants we are currently operating and can be constructed and on line within 5 years, unless our government burdens the construction and approval process with excessive restrictions and regulations.

While calling on all Americans to inflate their tires may not have much of an impact on the cost of energy or our economy; there are options available to us that will result in more affordable energy, reduce our inflation, and provide much needed relief to all Americans.  We must demand that government create a comprehensive energy plan that reduces crippling restrictions and regulations to allow the United States to become energy independent and to allow all Americans to go about the business of growing our economy and pursuing our goals and dreams.

A popular topic today revolves around energy policy and fuel prices.  As the price of a gallon of gasoline exceeded $4.00, the focus of the Presidential candidates as well as the media shifted almost exclusively to energy plans.  We have heard plans that include non-existent technologies to plans that are outright ridiculous in nature.  We have seen the oil company executives called before congress and the oil speculators are next in line for scrutiny.  The circus atmosphere surrounding this debate is taking away from the real issues.

            The real issue is that we must do what we can today to minimize and ideally eliminate our need to import foreign oil.  To increase our self reliance we must drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), drill off shore, drill in the Gulf of Mexico, sign claim rights and drill in the Arctic.  Processing the oil shale in Colorado and the oil sands in Canada are viable options that were not economically feasible just a few years ago.  Refineries to convert coal to gasoline and diesel fuel and additional nuclear power plants are current technologies that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  As we shift to domestic oil production, simultaneously we need to continue to develop more advanced technologies for sustainable energy in an effort to become energy self sufficient.  Currently we are spending billions of dollars each year to import oil.  This is not a “transfer of wealth” as some would lead us to believe; rather it is an exchange of wealth, using our dollars to purchase the energy that fuels our economy and way of life.  In the past it has been less costly to purchase foreign oil than to produce our own oil, this is no longer the case.  Many of the countries that we have conducted business with for years are now or are becoming anti-American. 

As we sit idly by arguing the virtues of non-existent technologies, Russia and China are quietly purchasing and claiming oil and mineral rights all around the world.  If we continue to be blinded by reality we could easily find ourselves at the mercy of these countries, depending on them to provide us with the very life blood of our economy and way of life.  While the price of gasoline and the resulting rampant inflation has awakened America to our weak energy policy, the real issue is not necessarily that of mere economics, but on a larger scale of national security.  Our total economy, and thus the strength of our nation are fueled by energy, primarily oil.  If we do not take steps now to start to become more energy independent, we will in the not too distant future become totally dependent upon anti-American countries to provide us with oil. 

            The United States defeated communism and caused the fall of the Soviet Union not through her military power alone, but rather by causing the former Soviet Union to collapse it’s economy through excessive spending.  We are currently on the other end of that same tactic.  Russia, Venezuela, and Iran are earning billions of dollars in oil revenues as we sit on our own untapped resources, increasing our trade deficit and further devaluing our currency.  Yes, it may take years to build the infrastructure, nuclear plants, and refineries; but every day we delay is another day further from completion.

            The first step toward achieving energy independence is for government to remove the barriers to our energy companies.  Congress must repeal the ban on domestic oil exploration and drilling.  The approval process for new refineries and nuclear power plants must be streamlined.  American businesses and people must be allowed to do what we do best; create superior products and processes through risk, innovation, and hard work.  Given the opportunity, Americans can and will overcome this latest attack on our very way of life, but government must get out of the way to create that opportunity.

It is difficult to turn on a radio or television and not hear someone telling you what is wrong with America, or locally, what is wrong with Ohio.  We are constantly bombarded with news of escalating energy prices, unemployment rates, rising health care costs, and jobs that are being exported out of Ohio or even beyond our borders.  While all of these issues are of concern to us all, it is also important to look at what we as Americans are doing right and how we will overcome these obstacles, just as we have overcome insurmountable obstacles in the past.  Today it seems that everyone in the media is asking us to look to government for solutions to our problems, that somehow we are unable to create our own solutions.  Rather than look to government, we must do what Americans are best at, we must look to ourselves, look to our own ingenuity and creativeness for solutions to the ills of our state and nation.

            At the birth of this nation our founders framed the constitution to allow for individual freedoms.  We have the freedom to try, the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail.  We have the right to be wealthy or poor, the right to work hard or not work at all, the right to pursue our dreams or to be content with where we are.  These rights and freedoms are not things that the government gives us, but rather recognizes as inalienable rights given to us by God.  One of the arguments over slavery was that the economy would collapse in the South without slaves to work the farms.  When land owners could no longer own slaves, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin.  Technology and man’s creativity replaced slaves.  Government did not create it, nor did government mandate its creation.  It was individual greatness that overcame the problem and made cotton production more efficient, more profitable, and more affordable.  Did Mr. Whitney succeed on his first attempt?  No, he had many failures but from these failures came success.  Failure is not the end of an idea or a process; rather it is the beginning of success.  Without failure there can be no success. 

            The answers to our problems cannot be found in government, but rather in the individual greatness of the people.  Our society is the greatest society that exists.  It is a result of individuals that risk their money, dedicate their time and ingenuity to start a business and make it successful.  It is individuals that continue even though they face potential failure and expand their business, hire employees, and create our economy.  It has been individuals, not a government trying to see to our every need, treating us as a child or an invalid that has made our country great.  Our solutions will come from people who risk their capital, use their ingenuity, and work tirelessly.  They will endure failures, but they will also enjoy success as long as our government stays out of the way and does not intercede with excessive restrictions and regulations.  It will be the people that create solutions to our escalating energy costs through their visions and drive; perhaps building nuclear power plants or refineries to convert coal to fuel, or using algae to create fuel.  It will be the people that create new medicines and new medical procedures that improve our health and at a lower cost.  It will be individuals that take the risk and open new businesses or expand businesses here in Ohio that will create jobs and expand our economy.

            It is the individual greatness of people, the American Spirit that has made America the greatest country on the planet.  It will be that spirit that moves us on to greater success in the future rather than the surrogate government that so many politicians and those in the media try to suggest.

Those in favor of abortion consider an unborn child nothing more than a growth on a female body, to be treated and removed as a cancer. Others, as do I, feel that upon fertilization the cell is a human life. Our current laws are so confusing as to be hypocritical and contradictory. It is considered murder to harm a pregnant woman so as to cause the death of her unborn child, yet it is perfectly legal for a doctor to terminate the life of that same unborn child.

Our laws currently give an unborn child property rights, but not the right to life. A man can will his estate to his wife, children, and any unborn children of his marriage, yet current law does not protect the right of that unborn child to life. President Reagan once raised the question that if a woman chose to abort an unborn child after her husband’s death, would it not be considered murder for financial gain? No judge that I am aware of has offered to answer that question.

I recognize abortion as the taking of a life. In our Judeo-Christian religion we recognize the right to take life in defense of our own. Therefore abortion is justified when done in self defense, to protect a woman’s health and life. I also believe a woman has the right to defend herself against rape, she should not be forced to bear a child resulting from the violation of her person and therefore the abortion is an act of self defense.

I can think of no instance that justifies partial birth abortion or the termination of life of a child that has survived an attempted abortion. These cases simply cannot be justified by natural law and are an abomination of humanity.

            On Independence Day, I, like many Americans, reflect on what this day represents, on our declared freedom from a faraway government that had become increasingly tyrannical.  We all, as Americans, have a responsibility to preserve the freedoms the founders fought and died for.  We must ensure that the government continues to serve the people and not the other way around.  Government must do what is necessary, but only that which is necessary.

            For some time now we have fallen into a pattern of describing our choices as left and right, becoming a standard rhetoric in political philosophy.  But is that really an accurate description of the choices before us?  If we were to continue far enough in either direction, one will take us to communist totalitarianism; the other will take us to fascist totalitarianism.  Isn’t our choice really not of left or right, but as President Reagan believed, that of up or down?  Down through the welfare state to more and more government growth accompanied by more government authority, less individual liberty, and ultimately totalitarianism always proposed and advanced for our own good.  The alternative is the dream conceived by our founding fathers, up to the ultimate in individual freedom. 

            We don’t celebrate Dependence Day on the 4^th of July, we celebrate Independence Day.  We celebrate the right of each person to be recognized as an individual, possessing the sacred right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.  With our independence goes a spirit of generosity that is more evident here than in any other part of the world.  Acknowledging that we are all created equal, we are willing to help those who, through no fault of their own, are in need of our assistance.

            I began my adult life as a Republican, casting my first vote in 1980 for Ronald Reagan.  During his reign he slashed tax rates for all Americans, created a period of economic growth the likes of which the world had rarely seen, and re-established this country as the world’s super power.  Under his leadership we again recognized and rewarded individual greatness and defeated communism around the world.

            As the years went by and his visions were forgotten, did I leave the Republican Party, or did the leadership of that party leave not just me, but millions of Republicans that believed in the principles and philosophy of conservatism?  Freedom is not something that we can strive for once, achieve, and have forever.  In order to keep it, we have to keep working for it and sacrificing for it as long as we live.

            There are those who tell us that for reasons of security or to prevent economic disaster, we must surrender our individual freedoms; we must create more restrictions and regulations on corporate and individual behavior.  This is not about left or right.  Again, our choice is about up or down; up to the ultimate in individual freedoms or down to the ash heap of a fallen society.  Those that would trade our freedoms for perceived individual or economic security are taking us down the wrong path.

            As we celebrate our independence today, let us not mourn the fallen soldiers. Rather, let us honor them by remembering and protecting the freedoms we enjoy that they fought for and made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve.