Obama Isn’t the Enemy

“Obama Isn’t the Enemy” – Shocked to see that title?

Well, it’s true.

Obama is merely the latest embodiment of the problem. Yes, he should be defeated and yes, he is horrible for the country. But…getting rid of him will not fix what ails the Republic.

Our illness has been around for much longer than Obama, and will continue if we do not understand a very basic formula: personal freedom + economic freedom = prosperity.

I know it seems simple, but that’s really the point, isn’t it? It should be simple. So why has it become so difficult? It’s because BOTH parties have used big government to weaken the prosperity formula.

Many “conservatives” or “Republicans” have sought to use their versions of big government and central planning policies to advance their respective beliefs, which have no adherence to that prosperity formula.

As an example, let’s play a little game to see this lack of principle in action. Try to name the administration – Republican or Democrat – on these pieces of legislation which Congress signed into law within the last 20 years:

– The largest entitlement expansion since the Great Society – R or D?

– One of the largest stimulus/wealth redistributions in American history, prior to 2009 – R or D?

– Largest infringement on personal liberties since the Alien and Sedition Acts – R or D?

– Largest infringement on the free market system in world history – R or D?

– Largest federal overreach into local schools and communities in American History – R or D?

Have your scorecard ready?

You may be surprised to hear…. all that legislation is from a Republican administration – George W. Bush:  Medicare Part D, Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, Patriot Act, TARP and No Child Left Behind. These policies resulted in a 104% increase in spending during the Bush presidency alone.

And we seem to have more of the same right now. For those considering the 2012 Romney/Ryan vs. Obama/Biden paths to fixing the Republic – you’ll want to look at the the lack of difference in their plans. You may also want to consider Romney’s recent position on not repealing all of Obamacare.

Party and candidate driven politics has led us down the wrong path, largely because most politicians, regardless of party, have allowed their self-interests to perpetuate an infrastructure which feeds the size, strength and influence of government. They have no incentive to change, and merely support positions which perpetuate their own existence. This paradigm must end.

And so we must evolve. Ohio must evolve. Some of us are proposing a concept called Ohio 2.0.

That means – in order to understand what needs to be fixed, we must re-frame the debate. Take away the party labels and stop listening to the rhetoric. We must ask ourselves just one question about any elected official or piece of legislation – will it/they make a stronger individual or a stronger STATE? Pro-individual or Pro-government?

Every person or piece of legislation can be separated into those categories – protecting personal and economic freedom or carrying out a master or central plan from the top.

Out of necessity, central planning and collectivism requires the subjugation of personal and economic freedom, so through we are proposing to play the game on a whole new field. A field of issues seen through the prism of personal and economic freedom, and coalition building to advocate for issues which support these tenants. No political party baggage. No special interests. No favoritism. No politicians leading the way – just a focus on the issues which revolve around personal and economic freedom for all.

We saw shades of this potential as we supported the Healthcare Freedom Amendment, Issue 3, which won 66% of the statewide vote, and all 88 of Ohio’s counties. How was this result possible in what was supposed to be a “Democrat” and “Union” heavy turnout which rejected the collective bargaining reform bill, Issue 2, by 62%?

How? Because people rallied to the idea of protecting personal and economic freedom. Call it part of the American DNA, but we want to protect rights. We want to defend freedom, and so do most Americans.

Most Americans want economic freedom to provide for themselves and their families and personal freedom to choose the life that they want to live. Is that too much to ask from government – to merely protect rights and property, so we may live our lives in peace?

We will focus on advocating for public policy solutions with an eye on personal and economic freedom for everyone, but with an equally important focus on the concept of federalism. The idea that responsibility of our daily lives falls on us, and when government is needed – it’s best at the state level, not the federal level. Bigger, more distant, more centralized government is never better. We believe that changes at the state level will trickle up to the national level, and so the change to America 2.0 begins in the states.

It begins in Ohio – not in DC!

Efforts which led to an Ohio Healthcare Freedom Amendment showed us what was possible when people focus on policy and own the means to change themselves.

We continue by supporting Workplace Freedom – the simple idea that workers should not be forced to join a union or pay dues or fees – just to have a job. Ohio should be a state which enjoys workplace freedom for everyone. Learn more about the Ohio Workplace Freedom Amendment here. This policy paves the road to substantive change at every level, and represents a definite step forward for our state and Republic on what could be the most important issue of our time. This policy is the beginning of what leads America down the path to real prosperity once again.

Policy based coalitions do work. These coalitions build the means to have even more electoral impact while changing key policies. Key policies create the path to a freedom-centered society, and electoral impact means we can pressure legislators to cut the strings of funding from the federal government. No funding means very little control. Very little control means – less money spent, less regulation, less intrusive government, etc. The return of federalism means greater personal and economic freedom for everyone!

And it all starts by abandoning the boom bust cycle of candidate centered elections and party centered politics. It takes us back to what the founders understood: freedom is popular. Build a future based on protection of liberty and property, and the rest takes care of itself.