I am a conservative because I believe, as did Ronald Reagan, that government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem. As a conservative, I believe that the values and ideas that motivated our Founding Fathers are worth conserving; values and ideas such as free enterprise, individual freedom, and limited government. Most importantly, I firmly believe that the most effective solutions to our country’s problems are consistent with these values and ideas.

I am a conservative because I believe, as did the Founding Fathers, that God created man with certain unalienable rights, and man, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights. Thus, it follows that man is superior to government and should remain master over it, not the other way around. Therefore, I believe the government has no innate power or privilege to do anything. Its only source of authority and power is from the people who have created it. This means that the proper function of government is limited only to those spheres of activity within which the individual citizen has the right to act. Therefore, the government’s proper role is to defend our life, liberty, and property. It cannot claim the power to redistribute the wealth or force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will.

The problems in this country came from government stepping outside of its bounds and taking on a regulatory and redistributive role. As Americans, we cannot permit government to manufacture its own authority out of thin air, or to create self-proclaimed powers not delegated by the people. I am a conservative because I believe the values and ideas of individual freedom, free enterprise, and limited government are in jeopardy. These are the time-tested principles that have made America the most free and prosperous country in the world, and we should do whatever it takes to protect and preserve them.

Ronald Reagan would be proud! Thats why he is giving me a thumbs up!