As much as people try to make the SWAC-GOP area struggles into something they are not, the fact is plain and simple: we stood up for what we believed in.
We are Republican for a reason.
We are the grassroots that the Republican Party of Virginia wants to grow. Guess what? We've grown the Party tremendously the past five-six years in the Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County Units. We continue to be the reddest part of this Republican red state.
From little activity and little infrastructure ... to three active Units ... we have put blood, sweat, and tears into cultivating the grassroots in the central part of the Shenandoah Valley, building on what had been put there by those before us.
We believe in God and the original intent of the Founding Fathers as they struggled to build a foundation for this country with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
We believe in the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan and stand by the tenets of the Virginia Republican Creed.
We believe in limited government which means our electeds need to spend judiciously, eliminate waste, and avoid burdening citizens with unnecessary taxes. We are not anti-tax ... we are responsible tax.
When we supported a candidate against Emmett Hanger, it was not because we did not like Emmett Hanger as a person. It was because he had strayed from the fiscal conservative values he had promised to abide by even as his constituents asked that he not vote for more taxes ... even as he made that promise ... and then as he broke that promise. He stood with the "Gang of Five" as they joined Democrat Governor Mark Warner in passing the largest tax increase in Virginia history.
We believe in country, in patriotic pride, in teaching our children the heritage and proud history of America. We believe in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, reading from the Bible, and hands-on American government.
We believe in supporting our military, shaking their hands, and thanking them for their service to our country to keep us free from terrorism. We believe we should honor and grieve with the families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms ... and never forgetting that sacrifice.
We believe in publicly showing our support for those who are halfway around the world serving in the War on Terrorism.
We believe in flying our American flags on a daily basis, not just on holidays. We believe in wearing flag and yellow ribbon lapel pins.
We believe in personal responsibility.
We believe in supporting the businessman who provides the jobs that allow us to live in a comfortable lifestyle. Abraham Lincoln once said, "I never got a job from a poor man." Government should not discourage citizens from owning and operating their own companies by over-taxing and over-regulating.
We believe in hard work, free enterprise, closed borders, legal immigrantion, and drilling for oil in ANWR. We should be independent when it comes to oil, and stop turning to Saudi Arabia, South America, and other countries for our petroleum needs.
We believe the Republican Party has lost its way the past several years by losing its identity, by running candidates who did not stand strong for conservative values, by trying to move to the center to avoid offending anyone. The only problem was ... they offended us, the conservatives, the ones who still believe we are Republican for a reason.
I love my country, my state, and the Shenandoah Valley. I want to see us be the best we can be.
May God bless America.
Showing posts with label Republican for a reason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republican for a reason. Show all posts
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Republican for a reason ... not going "back to the future"
I am Republican for a reason. I took the values and principles of the Party to heart because they are what I believe and they are what I live.
The Virginia Republican Creed says:
For a short while after 9/11, we were all Americans. Then the partisanship took over and the greedy need for power consumed.
Even within my own Party I see "politics as usual" amongst long-time public servants who are stuck in the past and cannot adjust to changing times.
And times are changing. This is not the Republican Party of 20 and 30 years ago. We face different challenges than they did in those days. We cannot stay stuck in time by going back to the future.
We face terrorism, first and foremost. People want to kill us simply because we are not like them. That, in and of itself, should pull us together as a nation. But it doesn't.
We face a Democrat party that wants to have a repeat of the Vietnam War -- again going "back to the future" -- by causing defeat here on the homefront through the media and anti-war rallies. They want to withdraw our troops in defeat instead of letting them complete their mission. There are many of us who stand up for our military and publicly hold rallies to show our support for our troops and our President.
We face a Democrat party that wants to take us in the direction of socialism. Health care for all, impose laws on personal freedom, take away the individual drive to do better.... Socialism has not worked around the world but a free Republic such as the United States has.
Why am I a volunteer in politics?
I did not do this to go along to get along. When I disagree with my public officials, whether they be Republican or Democrat, I speak up. That is the way of America, and I know I will not be thrown in jail if I do not agree with those in power.
"Those in power" should listen to the people. It is when they lose touch and refuse to communicate -- when they get caught up in the power rush and the frills and perks of having "honorable" listed in front of their names -- that they forget where they came from.
In a community that is changing on a daily basis, there is change in the air politically as well as the changing dynamics of new folks moving into the Valley. In an area that has been predominantly Republican for years, Democrats are becoming energized and targeting Republican office holders.
Many of those Republican office holders have been there for years. Have they lost touch? Are they living in the past instead of changing with the times?
Are they welcoming to newcomers who move to the area? We are encourged to be a "big tent" but that tent needs to also include people who were not born and raised in this area.
That big tent needs to include conservatives as well as moderates and, yet, the conservatives are constantly admonished and challenged for holding their beliefs. If we look closely enough, those conservatives basically hold the same beliefs as the "moderates." But the moderates have been here longer....
Working the grassroots the past eight years has been eye-opening in that many of the young people in the Valley are more conservative than the older generation. They believe in God; they believe in personal responsibility; they believe in strong defense of our country; they believe in lower taxes and responsible spending.
That is the future. That is not going "back to the future."
Change is in the air, not just for Republicans, but for the Democrats who are now tearing each other up with those in the camps of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama going after each other in a vicious way. The way things are going, there could be chaos at the Democrat convention this summer.
These are unsettled political times in America. It is more important than ever to remain involved in the political process.
I am Republican for a reason ... my beliefs in responsible government, my children's future, my love of country, my belief in God, and my deep appreciation of the men and women who protect us at a time of war.
I truly mean it when I say, "May God bless America."
The Virginia Republican Creed says:
We Believe....Those beliefs became stronger after our nation was attacked on 9/11/01. It touched me personally in a way that strengthened my resolve to work for good government representation to provide strong national defense for our country.
That the free enterprise system is the most productive supplier of human needs and economic justice.
That all individuals are entitled to equal rights, justice and opportunities and should assume their responsibilities as citizens in a free society.
That fiscal responsibility and budgetary restraints must be exercised at all levels of government.
That the Federal Government must preserve individual liberty by observing constitutional limitations. That peace is best preserved through a strong national defense.
That faith in God, as recognized by our Founding Fathers, is essential to the moral fibre of the Nation.
For a short while after 9/11, we were all Americans. Then the partisanship took over and the greedy need for power consumed.
Even within my own Party I see "politics as usual" amongst long-time public servants who are stuck in the past and cannot adjust to changing times.
And times are changing. This is not the Republican Party of 20 and 30 years ago. We face different challenges than they did in those days. We cannot stay stuck in time by going back to the future.
We face terrorism, first and foremost. People want to kill us simply because we are not like them. That, in and of itself, should pull us together as a nation. But it doesn't.
We face a Democrat party that wants to have a repeat of the Vietnam War -- again going "back to the future" -- by causing defeat here on the homefront through the media and anti-war rallies. They want to withdraw our troops in defeat instead of letting them complete their mission. There are many of us who stand up for our military and publicly hold rallies to show our support for our troops and our President.
We face a Democrat party that wants to take us in the direction of socialism. Health care for all, impose laws on personal freedom, take away the individual drive to do better.... Socialism has not worked around the world but a free Republic such as the United States has.
Why am I a volunteer in politics?
I did not do this to go along to get along. When I disagree with my public officials, whether they be Republican or Democrat, I speak up. That is the way of America, and I know I will not be thrown in jail if I do not agree with those in power.
"Those in power" should listen to the people. It is when they lose touch and refuse to communicate -- when they get caught up in the power rush and the frills and perks of having "honorable" listed in front of their names -- that they forget where they came from.
In a community that is changing on a daily basis, there is change in the air politically as well as the changing dynamics of new folks moving into the Valley. In an area that has been predominantly Republican for years, Democrats are becoming energized and targeting Republican office holders.
Many of those Republican office holders have been there for years. Have they lost touch? Are they living in the past instead of changing with the times?
Are they welcoming to newcomers who move to the area? We are encourged to be a "big tent" but that tent needs to also include people who were not born and raised in this area.
That big tent needs to include conservatives as well as moderates and, yet, the conservatives are constantly admonished and challenged for holding their beliefs. If we look closely enough, those conservatives basically hold the same beliefs as the "moderates." But the moderates have been here longer....
Working the grassroots the past eight years has been eye-opening in that many of the young people in the Valley are more conservative than the older generation. They believe in God; they believe in personal responsibility; they believe in strong defense of our country; they believe in lower taxes and responsible spending.
That is the future. That is not going "back to the future."
Change is in the air, not just for Republicans, but for the Democrats who are now tearing each other up with those in the camps of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama going after each other in a vicious way. The way things are going, there could be chaos at the Democrat convention this summer.
These are unsettled political times in America. It is more important than ever to remain involved in the political process.
I am Republican for a reason ... my beliefs in responsible government, my children's future, my love of country, my belief in God, and my deep appreciation of the men and women who protect us at a time of war.
I truly mean it when I say, "May God bless America."
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