In the words of Clint Eastwood: “We own this county.”
Politicians work for us. They are our employees. They are stewards of the people’s trust, not rulers of the people. We, we the people, are the owners of this ship, and we entrust individuals to help navigate her on our behalf. Our destination is a future. A future embodied in the hope that our children will inherit this American experiment in better condition than the way we found it.
Unfortunately, in Obama’s America, less than half of Americans believe that our children will inherit a better future, according to a Gallup poll. Obama’s America feels more like we are drowning in a sea of debt than sailing on freedom’s tide. A majority of Americans have good reason to feel that way. In an August editorial in the Washington Times, our own congressman in Georgia’s 14th district, Tom Graves, wrote: “The problem with the president’s vision is a death spiral: Taxes have to keep going up to pay for the ever-increasing costs of the welfare state. There will come a point where nothing is left in the taxpayers’ pocket to take.”
Charting a new course for this country, a course back toward a brighter, freer future, is simply a matter of going back to the basics. Individual and economic freedom will take us there. Here are five simple principles for evaluating policies that will guide our course:
1) Adheres to the Constitution;
2) Lessens the tax burden;
3) Reduces the size of government;
4) Promotes personal responsibility;
5) Promotes liberty and justice for all.
We need more politicians who will use these principles as their guide. We need men and women who will lead this charge, not as elites, but as stewards.
The five principles mentioned above are Congressman Graves’ “Five Way Conservative Test.” Congressman Graves is leading this charge. These principles have been his compass all along, and his voting record is proof. America needs to get back on course. We need to sail toward a brighter future.
It is going to take strong leaders to get us there.
Leaders like Tom Graves.
Zach Hubbs, Ringgold
In war every single operation costs ten to twenty times what it cost in WWII; Catoosa county now has over 10,000 students, with nearly a 100 million annual budget. Big cities, like New York or Chicago must charge 4 to 5 times what we pay in taxes, not because they waste the money but because of so much infrastructure. New York now has over 50,000 police on duty. We need to get real about the cost of government.