“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.

Mention illegal immigration and it is likely to strike a cord with many people in different ways. There are those that feel compassion for the immigrants that enter our country illegally for the purpose of supporting their family, and there are those that see illegal immigration as a threat to our national sovereignty and way of life. As I have said before, there are only 3 things that we citizens should rightly expect from our government: Protecting the constitution and the rights it guarantees, creating an environment where the economy is allowed to grow, and enforcing our laws. I see the illegal immigration issue as affecting all three of these areas and as such must be addressed.

By turning our backs on this problem we are condemning those here illegally to a life that is essentially slavery. If the owner of a business has chosen to expand his business and the predominant wage for that type of work in that area is, for example, $12/hour, by the time the employer pays social security, health insurance, workers compensation, vacation and sick time, he is actually having to pay $18/hour or more to hire an American or legal immigrant worker. But, if he can hire someone who is in the country illegally, the employer can pay that worker as little as $5/hour with no other taxes or benefits to pay for that worker. Because a person is in this country illegally, they have nowhere to turn for help or for protection from unscrupulous employers. They cannot command a living wage, let alone a predominant wage. Since they have no health care insurance, illegal workers turn to emergency services for even routine medical care, thereby increasing the cost of medical care to all Americans. They are forced to live in substandard housing with as many as 30 people living in a single family dwelling.

As a compassionate nation that believes that all men are created equal, we cannot allow this to happen within our borders. Of course we have all heard the claims that they perform a service that Americans won’t do. Ironically, that is exactly the same argument that farmers and businessmen used to support slavery in this country from the time the Republic was founded until the end of the Civil War. 40 years ago when immigration laws were changed, tomato farmers claimed that their crop would rot in the field without the cheap labor illegal immigrants provided. The crops did not rot in the field, rather, some enterprising individuals created machinery to harvest the tomatoes, ultimately increasing efficiencies and lowering costs to the consumers.

Unless we remove the incentives that attract people from outside our borders to sneak across, there is no fence or security system that will stop illegal immigration. Unless we can stop illegal immigration, giving amnesty to those that are already here will only create a vacuum that will entice and attract more illegal aliens. The way to remove the incentive is to place severe penalties on employers that hire illegal aliens. As the state of Arizona has already proven, as you eliminate the job opportunities, illegal aliens will leave the area and move to where there are jobs available.

The cost of illegal immigration on our economy is staggering. Last year the Los Angles Times published some astounding statistics. According to the L.A. Times 95% of all warrants for murder in L.A. County are for illegal aliens, 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are here illegally, 60% of all HUD occupants are illegal aliens, and 40% of all workers in L.A. County are working for cash and not paying taxes because they are predominately illegal. The cost to our corrections facilities, our social services, our hospitals, and the loss of tax revenue add up to a potentially devastating amount that law abiding, tax paying citizens must pay for.

One of the things that has made this country the greatest country on the planet is people leaving their homeland and migrating to the U.S. They bring with them their ideas, their talents, and their drive to become successful because they know that this is the land of opportunity. Over this country’s history we have attracted the best and the brightest from around the world. If we are to keep this country the land of opportunity, we must enforce our laws.

            Since the inception of the Great Society, we have been increasingly conditioned and expected to turn to government for the answers to the ills of society.  Government is not the answer to the state’s problems, it is the problem.  There are really only three things that citizens should expect from their government at any level.  We should expect the government to protect and secure our freedoms, to create an environment where the economy is allowed to grow, and enforcement of our laws.

            As the size of government grows, an ever increasing amount of money is removed from our economy to support that government in the form of ever greater taxation; taxes on our income, on our property, on our investments, on our expenditures, on businesses, on utilities, on fuel, on inheritances, and on our savings.  In nearly every aspect of our daily lives the government is taking money in the form of taxes out of the hands of its citizens, money that otherwise would have been available for people to spend, save, or invest as they see fit; assets that are no longer available for industry to reinvest in the form of research, development, and expansion.  This, in conjunction with excess regulation and red tape restricts our economic growth.

            Our freedoms are not given to us by our government, only to be taken back when they become inconvenient.  Our freedoms are inalienable rights given to us by God, our Creator and cannot be taken from us unless we willingly surrender them.  If we allow our rights and freedoms to be taken from us in exchange for perceived physical or financial security, we shall in the end, have neither.

            Government does not create jobs nor create a robust economy.  Government on its own has nothing; it only has what we, its citizens, give to it.  Government does not create wealth or goods; it only redistributes the assets it has taken.  People, through their ingenuity, labor and risk create our economy and wealth. 

            Our laws, our constitution is not based upon the laws of man, they are based upon natural law, the laws of God.  As such these laws must be upheld in a consistent manner for all citizens.  No one can be above the law, and no one can select which laws we choose to enforce and which we choose to ignore.

            Rather than turn to government, we must turn back to what made America great.  We must look to the people for the solutions to the ills that we now face.  Individual ruggedness, innovation, accountability and risk taking will provide more sound solutions to our current social and economic plights.