America's Foundational Vision of Limited Government
These are the core of what is now called ``Classical Liberalism`` (NOT modern social liberalism).
We plead with quiet ``liberals`` to end their unholy alliance with decidedly ILLIBERAL totalitarian
Progressives/Marxists and rejoin the broad societal consensus with conservatives dedicated
to preserving these enlightened, fundamental principles of Western Democracy.
(1) Every person has certain Rights, granted directly by God.
(2) NO entity should be permitted to violate those (inalienable) rights in a society.
(3) Among these Rights (non-exhaustive) are:
- Life (a Gov’t that cannot, or will not, protect the most basic right to life does not deserve to exist)
- Liberty (including but not limited to):
- Freedom of Conscience/Religious Exercise
- Speech
- (Investigative) Press
- Association and Assembly
- Petition and Protest
- Armed Self-defense
- Pursuit of Happiness
- Free Enterprise
- Possession of Property
- Freedom from Overt Government Tyranny
- Non-consensual Quartering of Troops
- Unreasonable Search & Seizure
- Lack of Due Process
- Lack of Peer Jury Trial
The defining characteristic of any Government is NOT the Making of Laws (anyone can make up rules), it is the effective Monopoly on Force it has to ENFORCE Laws.
Government is any entity with the intent & ability (Power) to force people to follow its rules.
(4) The APPROPRIATE role of Government (the core reason it is constituted) is to use its Just Power to secure citizens’ God-given, inalienable rights (1,2,3).
(5) When that Power (Monopoly on Force) is granted with the free Consent of the Governed, it is Just.
When the Power is exercised without the free consent of the governed, it is unjust.
(6) Governments can fail the people in two ways. They can be:
(a) Incapable, Unresponsive, or Unwilling to secure citizen rights (Impotent)
(b) Actively violate those rights without recourse (Tyrannous / Despotic)
The Declaration of Independence lays out a lengthy list of long-standing grievances without redress, falling into both categories.
(7) The Danger of a Human Government (any entity with a Monopoly on Force) unable or unwilling to use its Power to protect citizens from violations of their rights or without Strong Limits on its own capacity for Tyranny is Self-Evident.
(8) The choice to Dissolve, or even significantly alter, a political institution is not a decision to be made lightly.
(9) The Government must have different groups of people in charge of the different functions of government, and internal Checks and Balances between the different branches of Government (Const. Articles 1, 2, 3: Legislative, Executive, Judicial Branches).
(10) The Scope of the Federal Government’s power must be limited to those that are enumerated, and power not enumerated should instead be vested in the States (Const. Amendment 10: Federalism).
(11) The People themselves have a right to personally defend their states, themselves, and their freedoms (Const. Amendment 2).
The question of why certain RIGHTS are enumerated in the Constitution (and others not enumerated) is particularly relevant given the recent explosion in people, or groups of people, claiming “rights”:
to not be offended,
to feel safe and comfortable (physically, psychologically, emotionally…),
to feel included, seen, heard, loved, appreciated, affirmed… or any other collection of emotions considered positive,
to migrate (including into other countries, regardless of their laws),
to “free” healthcare,
to privacy,
to abort a baby,
to legally marry person or thing you want,
to consume various harmful substances,
to employment or guaranteed income,
to self-identity as anything and have that recognized by others …
To be sure, the list of rights addressed in the Declaration and Constitution are NOT exhaustive (Const. Amendment 9).
However, the foundational rights specified in America’s founding documents are:
(1) Grounded in the Western Tradition. Historically, these rights rests on multiple, long-standing, legal, cultural, and religious traditions as well as having a foundation in the natural law tradition.
(2) Highly successful in structuring American Society. Practically speaking, these have been codified for hundreds of years in American law and they have produced the most successful modern, pluralistic society on Earth.
(3) Exclusively NEGATIVE RIGHTS. That is, constitutional RIGHTS establish limits on what natural liberties other private citizens may legally TAKE FROM (DO TO) you.
They are not POSITIVE RIGHTS: You have no constitutional right to the voluntary effort of other private individuals, things that others must GIVE TO (DO FOR) you.
The constitution only specifies positive legal obligations for the institution of government toward its citizens (ie entitlements), and very few of those at that.
Note: For greater context and understanding of the original intent of our nation’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights (1st 10 Amendments to the US Constitution) drew heavily from the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
These Concepts Promote LIMITED Government (3 Ls)
Less Bureaucracy & Government Intervention
Lower Taxes Generally, esp for Small Businesses & Middle/Low Incomes
Law & Order
Equal Protection of Our Rights Under the Law
A Government that can’t, or won’t, secure our rights (impotence), or itself chooses to violate them (authoritarianism/tyranny) is intolerable.
(1) A strong (defensive-oriented & efficient) military, ADEQUATE FUNDING OF THE POLICE, and well-trained, crime-responsive policing (not “community-responsive,” which now means some people deciding for themselves what laws they will be required to follow) to protect citizens’ rights are the core purpose of Government.
(2) Every law a Government considers should be viewed through a critical/ skeptical lens:
(a) Does this fit clearly within the Government’s Constitutionally defined role?
(b) How does this impact citizen rights?
(c) Is it appropriate / just to enFORCE citizen compliance with this “at the barrel of a gun”? While perhaps overly dramatic, compliance with the state is almost always obtained through FORCE (even if it is usually implicit, or threatened).
(3) In contrast to Democrat Party views throughout American history (from Slavery, to “Jim Crow,” to “Affirmative Action”), Government/ Law/ Police/ Military should NOT be in the business of discriminating on the basis of religion, race, or sex, nor weaponized for biased political, social, or personal persecution. We must have ONE standard of justice with Equal Protection Under the Law.
Less Bureaucracy & Regulation of Our Lives
(1) The private sector handles nearly every activity in life more efficiently than the Government (UPS vs USPS). Even “popular” Government programs (Medicare, postal system, roads…) run at a massive loss, or are Ponzi schemes, driving them rapidly toward insolvency. The popularity of Government programs rests on people charging their “Free Lunch” to their grandchildren’s credit card.
(2) The Government is not our Mother, and should never try to be our Nanny. When Government provides private sector social services, it destroys private charity & community involvement. Those community issues instead become the Government’s responsibility. This leads to Entitlement, Waste, Exploitation, Fraud, and Dependency… and seizes the rightful domain of Voluntary Community & Church engagement.
(3) Central Planning leads to Dictatorship. When Government gets involved in social engineering (regulating the choices that people make for their own lives), Economic (livelihood) / Police / Military force eventually are turned against the “unenlightened” dissenters. Governmental Paternalism, whether a “nudge” or a “push,” eventually leads to darker places. Taken beyond the most basic of incentive structures, “The Carrot & The Stick” are tools of authoritarians who see people as livestock to be managed & controlled, not as free citizens.
Lower Taxes Generally,
esp. Small Business & Middle/Lower Income
Inordinate Taxes Are:
UNJUST
(1) What is MY “fair share” of what
YOU earned through your hard work?
Inefficient and/or Counter-productive
(2) Individuals & private companies spend their OWN money far more efficiently than Incompetent Bureaucrats.
(3) Money is an incentive to work, so
Taking Money Away is a Work Disincentive.
Higher Taxes => Less Overall Economic Activity.
(4) Biz taxes are often counter-productive:
a. Passed on as consumer taxes (Inflation)
b. Less profit => Less Attractive for Biz, Fewer Jobs
Dangerous & Enable Tyranny
(5) The Power to Tax is the Power to Destroy.
Government should encourage fair, anti-
monopolistic competition. It should NOT
determine economic Winners & Losers.
When it does, we get Cronyism: Corporate Lobbying & Big Government merges.
While America should be pro-free enterprise:
Contrary to Supreme Court precedent, Corporations, (Non-profit) NGOs, and Political Action Committees ARE NOT PEOPLE, and should not be treated as such (anything beyond a sole proprietorship). Like many pressing issues, Corporate rights are not specified in the Constitution and should be determined via legislative process, not Judicial Fiat.
We Proudly Promote Our Shared Values (4 Fs)
Family (Pro-Life, Pro-Adoption, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Family Development)
Freedom (No Emergency Suspends Our Constitutional Rights; Technology & Public-Private Partnerships Must NOT Erode Our Liberties)
Fairness (De-Politicizing ``Justice``, Equal Protection; Election Integrity (Count Every Legal Vote); Fair Trade & Economic Policy)
Current Issues of Elevated Urgency (Hot Buttons: 4 Ss)
Secure Elections & Secure Federal Borders
Spending Responsibly on Sane Priorities (Deflationary Policy)
School Choice (Eliminate All Marxist Influence)
*Disclaimer: The specific policy proposals detailed below are embraced by the majority of our candidates. However, not every office (Local, State, Federal,…) has influence over every policy, and not every candidate supports every proposal. Check the candidate’s website.
Approach this from a place of: “On which points do we share common ground, and how can we work together on those for positive change?“
Faith
People of Faith have every bit the right to engage with government & political processes, and advocate for their values, that any other group of people has. We proudly embrace our religious values as informing our legislative priorities, and as foundational to American society.
Absolute Freedom of Conscience & Non-Violent Religious Expression:
*Prohibition on Military, Government, Employer & Business Interference with Beliefs:
-No ideological, or political purges!
-No government funded ideological indoctrination, training or personnel (incl. DEI).
-No Denials of Religious Vaccine Exemptions… At minimum, push federally for retroactive Honorable Discharges for service members with denied exemptions.
-No Private Social Media Platform Censorship of religious expression, codified in the Communication Decency Act, Section 230.
Family
Pro-Life & Adoption, Not Abortion: Abortion kills a human being.
*We promote the 2022 Pro-life KY Constitutional Amendment, assuring that the judiciary will not stop implementation of existing trigger laws, in the event the Supreme Court returns power to stop abortion to the states.
*Enhanced Adoption/Foster Family Stipends.
Remove Marriage Disincentives from all Social (welfare) Programs. End marriage to the state: return parents (mostly fathers) to homes.
*Support Child Tax Credits (up to 4 children for each financially responsible parent).
*Strict Enforcement of Child Support Delinquency Laws.
Sexual abuse can destroy young women and their likelihood of forming relationships & families:
*Enhanced Funding for Rape Kit Processing.
*Support sentencing enhancements for non-statutory rape: Without condom; Forcible impregnation.
Freedom
No “Emergency” Should EVER Take Precedence over Constitutional Rights.
2nd Amendment Sanctuary: No Law Enforcement Personnel in KY Shall be Permitted to Aid Enforcement of Any Federal Firearm Law or Regulation More Restrictive than current (2021) Federal Law. (HB159/HB28)
Promote policies prohibiting:
*Termination of employees for off job 1st Amendment protected speech (cancel culture)
*Denial of financial services for ANY reason other than return on investment (financial blacklisting & redlining)
Medical Bodily “Autonomy” (the right to refuse medical treatment for oneself, and with wide latitude for dependents) is a fundamental liberty:
* Personal medical information should be of the highest confidentiality, and should not be required to be disclosed to nearly anyone for nearly any reason.
* This right becomes even more essential when the long-term effects & risks of medical treatment are permanent or uncertain (eg with some vaccines).
Fairness
LEGAL FAIRNESS-EQUAL PROTECTION:
We must have true Equal Protection Under the Law: No Political Bias or Weaponization of Military, Law Enforcement or Justice Department. Prosecutorial discretion must be legally reigned in, through charging and sentencing standards, and a-political review committees.
Government should never be in the discrimination business: Ban differential policies, hiring, education, or training on the basis of race, religion, or sex (eg. DEI, CRT) by those receiving any public funds (incl. government contractors).
ECONOMIC FAIRNESS-FAIR MARKETS:
We champion the American Worker, we must make things and restore dignity of work in America!
*Buy American and “Buy Bluegrass” Policies. KY Proud and “KY Crafted” tax incentives.
*Federal Fair Trade deals (no dumping, IP theft, currency manipulation, etc.).
ECONOMIC FAIRNESS-TAX CODES:
*We are not Anti-Success. However, we must Close Tax Loopholes favoring the rich & powerful, like (Hedge Fund) Carried Interest.
*Keep estate (death) tax moratorium, but with a cap: up to the greater of 1st $1M per child, or $3M per estate.
*Tech and Financial Monopolies must be broken up, to promote real market competition.
Safe Streets
FUND THE POLICE: Promote and support well-funded, well-trained, crime-responsive & community-cooperative policing (incl. outreach & youth programs).
The only way to stop a determined bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun:
*Strengthen Stand Your Ground, Castle, and Self-Defense Laws.
*Promote Firearm Safety Training.
*Consider limits to “Gun Free Zones”, incl. many private businesses.
The Police must never be party to the violation of the law or citizen rights.
*As technology facilitates the expansion of a (private business owned) surveillance state, the police must never violate the spirit of the 4th, 5th, and 14th Amendments.
*Personal information (eg DNA, fingerprints, financial records, …) collected during a police investigation should never be disclosed, retained, or archived unless a person is convicted of the underlying felony.
Secure Elections &
Secure Federal Borders
EASY to in-Person Vote, HARD to Cheat:
*Must show government-issued photo Voter ID (no more school IDs) for ALL ballots. Extend that requirement (copy of Photo ID) with verified excuse Mail-ins.
*No Internet Connectivity of Voting Machines.
*Human Auditable Paper Ballots, with exact match of ballot samples to electronic poll book and ballot count data (not “risk limited” audits).
We are NOT Anti-immigrant (most share our values). We are PRO-Controlled, Merit-based Immigration targeting needed skills (not for cheap labor/wage depression, or demographics):
*Finish the Wall.
*Re-instate Remain in Mexico.
*Enforce deportation of Visa overstays for people with non-critical skills.
*Strongly consider eVerify of legal work status.
*Public burden-exclusionary & Merit-based immigration, with one-nuclear family limit on chain migration.
Spending Responsibly on Sane Priorities
(Stop Biden-flation)
There is no such thing as a Free Lunch, someone always pays. All too often, esp. for the most popular (and debt-expanding) government programs, it is our grandchildren’s credit card that we are charging :
*Statutory controls on Quantitative Easing & Money Printing. Audit and consider expanded regulation of the Federal Reserve.
*Push for Balanced Budgets.
*Promote local production & supply chains (eg Prime Act & Farmers Co-ops).
*All taxes are wealth redistributive: If pushing for Zero state income tax to entice business investment (a plausible strategy), the revenue should be made up in a way that keeps the tax burden off of middle and lower income families (hence on those with higher disposable incomes and accumulated wealth).
School Choice
(Eliminate All Marxist Influence)
Children do not belong to the state, and PARENTS MUST BE EMPOWERED to shape their children’s upbringing & education.
We embrace a PARENTAL BILL OF RIGHTS to counteract the corrosive, institutional Marxist Insanity steadily inundating our educational systems at all levels.
Parents have a right to:
*SAFETY: … know their children are physically safe when sent to school, through adequate law enforcement & security.
Keys for safety: HARDEN SCHOOLS. REQUIRE SROs. ALLOW CERTIFIED TEACHERS/STAFF TO CARRY FIREARMS. EXPAND ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS & MENTAL ILLNESS RESOURCES FOR KIDS WITH PERSISTENT BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS.
*TRANSPARENCY: … proactively know what their children are being taught, through mandatory posting of all lesson plans at least one week ahead of time on the school’s website. Parents should have to explicitly OPT-IN to any controversial instruction (incl. the next two categories). In-person Public Comment periods should be mandatory for all School Board meetings (or legislative hearings).
*NON-INDOCTRINATION: … NOT have their children indoctrinated in, or even willfully (favorably) exposed to, Marxist Ideology, or Race or Sex Discrimination in Public Ed (HB 18).
*NON-SEXUALIZATION / NON-CORRUPTION: … determine the age of exposure to sexual material that their children receive. The public school has no business addressing concepts like Sex (prior to high school), Sexuality, or Gender (esp. Fluidity); that is a parent’s role. This includes prohibiting pornography & obscenity in schools (incl. library resources). Also, any discussion or counseling must be disclosed to the parent.
*QUALITY SCHOOLS: … have good educational options WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. Within a School District, experienced public school teachers should be required to teach in significantly under-performing schools (rather than this being teacher union-driven & up to senior teacher discretion). Also, we must have educational tax Money Follows the Child, including to charter, home-, and private (incl. religious) schools (discussed below).
We must Empower Legislators to finally fix & elevate the KY educational system, so there are no more excuses. While the government may have a compelling interest in assuring an educated populous, this does NOT mean that they have a compelling interest that allows it to control all education. PARENTS are the primary and principal stakeholders in the education of children, not the state.
We support True “Money Follows the Child” SCHOOL CHOICE: Public education revenue should go wherever Parents choose to educate their kids. Specifically, this means:
*Permanent funding of legal Charter Schools (still “public schools,” just with less school board oversight).
*KY Constitutional Amendment removing Section 189 (which was a so-called Blaine Amendment), which prohibits governmental education funds going to religious (“sectarian”) schools (an anti-religious violation of #1A requiring litigation). Give legislators ALL options for improving our schools, including competition.
*Educational cost reimbursement: initially via HB 563 (2021) Tax Credit matching, but soon via a true Voucher program introducing real choice/options to poor parents and true competition in the educational system.
*Consider the dissolution of the Federal Department of Education, returning control of public education to each state, consistent with the US Constitution: Amendment #10, and the enumerated roles of Gov’t.
** Credit to the ESCAPE Coalition (https://ESCAPECoalition.com) for these educational reform ideas **
In short, What are some of our key principles & priorities?
Policies that Promote (Traditional) Conservative Values like Faith, Family, Freedom & Fairness:
Fighting for individual liberty and freedom Promoting free speech expansionism (a society that embraces free speech, not just freedom from government interference) Promoting free & fair (neutral) investigative press (instead of one-sided “Fake News”), allowing gov’t transparency (1st Amendment) Protecting the right to assembly and peaceful protest Expanding functional 2nd Amendment rights, and the right to self defense (eg castle, stand your ground, constitutional carry laws) Welcoming religious faith and values in the public square (respecting the 1st two clauses of the Bill of Rights) Embracing individual freedom of conscience/belief Insuring the ability of religious organizations to continue their social mission (incl. when providing gov’t services with gov’t funding) while fully respecting their faith traditions Promoting family formation & development, including adoption Establishing Medical Freedom that protects medical confidentiality and conscientious refusal of treatment Prioritizing mental illness treatment, and drug (esp. opioid) addiction recovery & rehabilitation Globally competitive education systems (incl. post-secondary) that also reflect the values of Kentucky’s taxpayers Parental Rights to School Transparency, Non-indoctrination, Non-sexualization & Safety, allowing parents to instill values in their own children “Money Follows the Child” (not the bureaucracy) School Choice Tax reform that promotes economic growth, small businesses, competition & free enterprise, with a corresponding reduction in gov’t spending Preserving the American Dream: promoting economic upward mobility through hard work & innovation Reviving our economy by getting able-bodied Kentuckians trained and back to work Low inflation, fiscally sound economic policy (inflation is an unapproved tax on everyone, but esp. it is a regressive tax on the poor) Fair elections & legal/justice systems that protect everyone equally, and treat the accused solely on the facts and merits of their case Law & Order with Equal Protection Under the Law, enforced by supported, well-equipped, well-trained, crime-responsive policing & prosecution Secure, trust-worthy elections Secure borders, with merit- & skill-based legal immigration
No more laws that threaten constitutional rights (eg gun control) No censorship, political correct speech codes, or cancel culture No more abortion (enforcing an abortion ban to protect unborn human life) No more mandates (esp. medical), or new regulations (and removal of unnecessary ones) No new taxes on workers, or increased tax burden on the poor or middle-class No nanny-state, larger than life government No more expansive administrative state: career unelected bureaucrats effectively acting as legislative, executive, and judicial branch No discrimination by the state on the basis of race, sex, or creed No political or social indoctrination in public schools No domestic economic protectionism, corporate bailouts, or picking “winners and losers” among industries using the force of government No sweetheart deals made with taxpayer dollars or subsidies, handouts to the rich; any incentives/enticements must have a repayment plan No cronyism, nepotism, backroom deals, or unequal prosecution or politicization of the justice system for the connected or wealthy(*Substantial credit to Rep. Savannah Maddox for list compilation, though with alterations and expansions.)
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THINKING LONG-TERM
STOP STRENGTHENING OUR ENEMIES,
START BUILDING UP OUR ALLIES.
We must start building an ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY:
A “city on a hill” that is separate from, and superior to, the current one
that is controlled, at nearly every turn, by our powerful ideological foes.
To control language & information is to control thought:
(1) We must control our ability to speak and associate freely, instead of being confined to a MATRIX of censorious, left-wing communication echo chambers (FAKE NEWS, REGIME MEDIA, HOLLYWOOD, BIG TECH).
(2) We must supporting our own content producers & generate more high-quality, high-production value content to out-compete NYT, WaPo, Hollywood, Netflix, Amazon, NBC… in the marketplace of ideas.
BUSINESS BLACKLISTING
Build Up Conservative Social Institutions
Stop Financially Supporting Businesses that
Actively Advocate Against your Values
(3) Temporary Boycotts without media pressure are pointless. Be thoughtful with your purchases, even if it is (almost always) a lesser of two evils decision. Cut companies that advocate against your values out of your life completely. BLACKLIST them and form new purchasing habits. Build up local, small businesses, and religiously grounded, liberty-minded corporations.
(4) Build up and strengthen existing conservative social institutions, infrastructure, groups, and advocacy networks in your world.
ESCAPE Coalition
Enabling School Choice & Alternative-ed for Parental Empowerment
“Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.” – Reagan
“Only a fool would allow his enemy to educate his children.” – Malcolm X
Nothing has been more destructive to the long-term prospects of liberty than Marxist infiltration, control of, and indoctrination within our educational system (esp. higher ed & teacher colleges). Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.
ESCAPE is a Coalition of Education Activism Groups, Concerned Parents, and Community Leaders have begun several initiatives to address Kentucky’s Educational System. Beyond legislative actions, these groups have been working to facilitate K-12 homeschooling and helping to start Christian Schools.
Take this ESCAPE Coalition Parent Survey about your interest in School Choice and Alternative Education. Then, print out and popularize this flier to other concerned parents and grandparents (eg hand them out in a blitz at school events, after-school pick-up lines, etc.).
MAYBE YOU?
For state & local offices, it's not as hard as you think! Contact us well before Jan. 7, 2022 to File for a Political Run.
To Vote Out RINOs in the May 17 Republican primary,
Switch your Party Affiliation by Dec 31, 2021.
To Vote Out Dems in the Nov 8 Gen. election after
an address change, Register to Vote by Oct 10.
It only takes about 5 minutes.
A fantastic way to build our movement is through collecting contacts for like-minded people and then putting them together with existing groups and resources. Let your friends and social media contacts know about the broader liberty activist network out there.
ISSUE AND LOCATION TARGETED PETITIONS that you then promote on Social Media are a great way to easily and cheaply collect those contacts and build our networks.
Educate Teachers on Availability of Affordable, A-political Unions
The largest national Teacher Unions (AFT; NEA/NFT) have become among the largest and most influential financiers of left-wing political candidates and opponents to School Choice. Not to mention, they have been major proponents of their members indoctrinating children in to radical Marxist ideology.
Try handing this flier out at, or taping to the door of, the teachers’ entrances at schools one or two days every week.
