"We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding. Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.As the Republican primaries continue, I pray the candidates, delegates & voters will pledge themselves to these "First Principles" & the voters & delegates will choose their candidate based upon them. These are principles all Republicans can rally around; they are eternal & provide a focused anchor for the Republican base among all the rhetoric & bombast of a primary election season.
These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.
Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America's principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. The self-evident truths of 1776 have been supplanted by the notion that no such truths exist. The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant.
Some insist that America must change, cast off the old and put on the new. But where would this lead -- forward or backward, up or down? Isn't this idea of change an empty promise or even a dangerous deception?
The change we urgently need, a change consistent with the American ideal, is not movement away from but toward our founding principles. At this important time, we need a restatement of Constitutional conservatism grounded in the priceless principle of ordered liberty articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The conservatism of the Declaration asserts self-evident truths based on the laws of nature and nature's God. It defends life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It traces authority to the consent of the governed. It recognizes man's self-interest but also his capacity for virtue.
The conservatism of the Constitution limits government's powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively. It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic.
A Constitutional conservatism unites all conservatives through the natural fusion provided by American principles. It reminds economic conservatives that morality is essential to limited government, social conservatives that unlimited government is a threat to moral self-government, and national security conservatives that energetic but responsible government is the key to America's safety and leadership role in the world.
A Constitutional conservatism based on first principles provides the framework for a consistent and meaningful policy agenda.If we are to succeed in the critical political and policy battles ahead, we must be certain of our purpose. We must begin by retaking and resolutely defending the high ground of America's founding principles."
- It applies the principle of limited government based on the rule of law to every proposal.
- It honors the central place of individual liberty in American politics and life.
- It encourages free enterprise, the individual entrepreneur, and economic reforms grounded in market solutions.
- It supports America's national interest in advancing freedom and opposing tyranny in the world and prudently considers what we can and should do to that end.
- It informs conservatism's firm defense of family, neighborhood, community, and faith.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Conservatism: A Statement for the 21st Century
The American Spectator has written The Mount Vernon Statement with five "First Principles" in a consise framework for all Conservatives to follow. These take conservative values into a practical, political framework. Here is the Preamble & the "First Principles."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
"The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: “quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author’s observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.” "
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
This post by Lionhead is in clear violation of the Fairness Doctrine and is a violation of the law. I suppose that rule of law isn't really important to self styled conservatives.
Sorry Anonymous, throw your aspersions elsewhere. You are wrong. First, there are no excerpts; it is shown in its entirety. Second, it is fully sourced with a link back to the original author or group. Third, the material is not copyrighted.
You loose counselor. Case closed.
All material is copyrighted as soon as it is published, whether in print or on the internet and is protected by copyright law unless the publisher expressly waives those rights in print. Copying in full without express consent of the original author is absolutely a violation of copyright law. The fair doctrine allows another party to quote SHORT excerpts or passages, which is clearly stated in the first response above.
Post a Comment