In the past 24 months I have undergone a huge political transformation, from calling myself a lifelong Republican to realizing that the current two party monopoly and their political games are responsible for so many of the problems that face our nation . To me, Republicans and Democrats seem to be motivated only by their own quest for elections and power instead of doing their jobs and looking out for the best interests of the American People.
Political talker Glenn Beck set the national 9.12 movement in motion, and I was one of the founding members of our local Palouse 9.12 Project. Here's the critical 4-1-1:
The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the greatest nation ever created.
That same feeling – that commitment to country is what we are hoping to foster with this idea. We want to get everyone thinking like it is September 12th, 2001 again.
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it?
Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore?
Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach…as if you’re completely alone?
If you’ve answered YES, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull back the curtain, you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all - we surround them.
One of the things that drew me to the 9.12 movement was that there was a core values statement. Before there even was a "movement" per se, listeners were asking themselves what they believed. To be a part of the movement, you needed to sync on 7 of the 9 principles, which makes sense - because without common principles and beliefs, how can you have a cohesive group?
"At the origin of America, our Founding Fathers built this country on 28 powerful principles. These principles were culled from all over the world and from centuries of great thinkers. We have distilled the original 28 down to the 9 basic principles."
So here are the principles and values that I believe in, and that I will use as your city councilman to make important decisions that affect your life. Even if you don't agree with all of them, I would hope that you can see how by even considering them, I will make an effective and principled leader...
9 Principles
1. America Is Good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” (George Washington)
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday. “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man." (George Washington)
4. The family is sacred.
My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government. “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” (Thomas Jefferson)
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty.
Justice is blind and no one is above it. I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” (Thomas Jefferson)
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,
but there is no guarantee of equal results. “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” (Thomas Jefferson)
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to.
Government cannot force me to be charitable. “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” (George Washington)
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority
or to share my personal opinion. “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” (George Washington)
9. The government works for me.
I do not answer to them, they answer to me. “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” (Thomas Jefferson)
12 Values
1. Honesty
2. Reverence
3. Hope
4. Thrift
5. Humility
6. Charity
7. Sincerity
8. Moderation
9. Hard Work
10. Courage
11. Personal Responsibility
12. Gratitude
Principles & Values: "The American Trinity"
The concept of "The American Trinity" was originally raised by radio host / columnist / lecturer Dennis Prager. Not to be confused with the Christian Trinity (which is a theological statement), the value system of the American Trinity, which is largely responsible for our nation's exceptionalism, is captured on all of our coins, and can be found nowhere else in the world.
1. "E Pluribus Unum" - From many, one. We don't care about your origins - ethnic, religious, racial. So long as you work with us to build a better nation, you are one of us.
2. "In God We Trust." - America was founded on the notion that God is the source of our values. Inalienable human rights come from God, not the state, and we establish governments by LOANING out some of that power. In most nations, the citizenry gets their rights from the state, which means the state can amend those rights. Not here.
3. "Liberty." - While we're not the only nation to enshrine liberty, we're the only one to do so in conjuction with "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust." Liberty doesn't guarantee equality, in fact Liberty and equality are often in conflict. Liberty allows us all to end up where our talents, abilities, hard work, and luck may take us.
But rather than read my interpretation of of "The American Trinity," please take a moment and watch Dennis Prager describe it himself. While I don't agree with everything Prager says, I find him to be an amazing intellectual speaker who regularly makes me challenge my own personal insights and beliefs. You gotta love someone who challenges you to think.
A Final Note...
Sometimes people can get the wrong impression of someone who holds strong principles and values. In fact, I don't mind telling you that I have had more than one person tell me that posting mine on this website in the manner I have could be a mistake.
I disagree.
I believe that you, as a voter, have the right to know what I believe in and what I stand for. And trust me, just because I hold certain principles and beliefs, that does not mean I want to shove them down your throat. I would hope that by leading by example I could show you that these principles work as a guiding factor in personal and public life. But like you, I am a flawed individual, and these are choices we all need to make personally.
