"What this conference has been about in many respects, and certainly something I've tried to convey on the stage a moment ago, is: look around the room. You're not alone. Recognize that you represent folks from a cross-section of communities that are asking themselves the same question [on how to save the country]. You now represent a way forward for them."
Thank you, Chairman Steele!
Mesa, Arizona Councilmember Julie Spilsbury: “[I believe] desperately that the character of our leaders matter…our country can get over bad policy, but not bad character”.
Former Governor Chris Christie: “I taught class at Yale this fall, where I found that half my class was getting stuff from TikTok. If you’re getting it from TikTok, it’s a problem”.
Former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer: “A lot of people said that I was involved in the fight for democracy, but I think it’s part of a broader fight, that’s really a fight about truth”.
Today I was privileged to interview Jeff Carson, election reformer and all-around good guy. In less than ten minutes we covered a whole host of issues, ranging from his political work, to his advice for the younger generation, to how painful it is being a Florida State football fan. I even taught him about chicken wings.
The strength of our republic depends upon the moral conviction of our elected officials. If we don't pick inherently trustworthy people to lead us, they will bring the character of the country down with them. Unethical and immoral behavior can never become the norm.
No one is entitled to their own facts – regardless of party. Data isn't something to be afraid of and intelligence isn't something to demean. We aspire to an objective political discourse that is uncompromisingly honest. The currency of good ideas must again be their rationality and logical persuasiveness, rather than how loudly they are shouted.
The law is a great equalizer. No one is above it. It maintains order and commits us to common rules. The Constitution isn't perfect, but its mix of individual rights, enumerated and separated powers, checks, and balances is the greatest formulation of self-government yet devised. The rule of law and the Constitution must be defended.
There are plenty of things that government could do, but only certain things that government can do. The Framers specifically enumerated the powers of Congress in Article I, Section 8 – everything else was left to the states and to the people. Whichever challenges the government chooses to tackle, it must tackle them within the boundaries laid down by the Constitution.
When the government performs one of its enumerated powers, it should do so at the lowest level that can effectively accomplish the goal. This limits the social cost of bad policy and permits experimentation and adaptation across differing local needs. One size very rarely fits all.
People are meant to be free, not controlled. They often achieve more when left to their own devices to organically work together towards shared goals instead of at the state's direction.
When barriers to entry are low and sufficient competition exists, the free market is the single-greatest mechanism that the world has ever known for allocating scarce resources, making goods more accessible, improving the human condition, & driving innovation and progress.
We believe the pursuit of happiness requires a fair shot at success, but does not guarantee a particular outcome. And for good reason. Opportunity empowers us to push toward our own better versions of happiness, while a guarantee dampens that uniquely American spirit and often leaves us all worse off.
The government oversees the people's money and other resources – not its own. As a result, it has a duty to manage the public fisc, public lands, and other public resources responsibly and in the long-term interest of the people. Ever-growing debt is a national security risk and our environment will be the same one our kids inherit. We have a moral duty to leave things better and more secure than we found them.
We should not entrust our culture to the outcomes of our elections. Instead, we should let American culture be the product of the civic associations, faith communities, and families that comprise the great fabric of our country. Limited government and small-l liberalism make this possible.