About Government

1.  We believe that people should enjoy the fruits of their labor and that government should keep taxes low and affordable.  Government should generally avoid providing services for the few at the cost of the many. (I Agree!)

2.  We believe that the primary mission of Town, County, and Local Governments is to provide for our safety and security, roads and highways, and our local environment in accord with the public’s wishes, not by engaging in social engineering. (I Agree!)

3.  We believe that government is best which governs least, only where required, and at the lowest level closest to the people.  Government regulations should be simple, make sense, and not be onerous or intrusive.  We believe government can be active and useful to facilitate the private sector, but should not be used to supplant it or to compete with private, tax paying entities. (I Agree!)

4.  We believe that it is not the role of our local officials to speak for us or to legislate on matters over which they have no control and which are assigned to higher levels of government, that to do so is usurpation of power. (I Agree!)

5.  Government should work for us; we should not work for government. (I Agree!)

6.  We believe taxes should be kept sustainable and that government finance should be sound, pay as you go, not transferring costs through debt to future generations.  Government financial management should be prudent and free of “one time fixes” or “smoke and mirror” solutions. (I Agree!)

7.  We believe there is no such thing as “government money.”  It is all our money, all derived from the private sector and individuals.  It is the total tax burden that counts. (I Agree!)

About Individuals and the Private Sector

8.  We believe in an ownership society, one in which all people may participate, and where people are judged on their individual merits, not as group members or collectively. (I Agree!)

9.  We believe that our personal lives ought to be our own, beyond the reach of government when we are not hurting others.  Our choices and priorities should be honored whenever possible.  We must be responsible for our mistakes; we must not be “bailed out” if we make bad choices. (I Agree!)

10.  We believe that citizens should actively participate in their government, seek office for its burdens and responsibilities, not for power, and that they should spend time in the private sector living under the laws they pass.  Therefore, we favor term limits on offices and on political careers. (I Agree!)

11.  We believe that capitalism, regulated to prevent excess, is the best system for human prosperity.  Therefore, we oppose government operation, participation in, or control of, businesses. (I Agree!)

12.  We believe that citizens should be allowed direct democracy, the initiative, referendum, and recall. (I Agree!)

13.  We believe that in the marketplace of ideas, our ideas will usually prevail and we do not fear that marketplace.  We support free speech and honest, open, and secret ballot elections, with honest voting and vote counting. (I Agree!)

14.  We believe that the minority, not just the majority, has rights and those rights must be respected. (I Agree!)

15.  We believe in the following values: individual responsibility, self respect, strong families, tolerance of the views of others, and decision making based on principles, not expediency. (I Agree!)

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