The President’s State of the Union Tuesday evening was predictable and partisan, and his repeat agenda will fail to move America forward. Barack Obama sees government as the sum-all of American civilization, which is contrary to the concept that is this country.
America’s greatness has always been her people – the communities we create and the values we share.
The President and the political Left don’t see people as the driver of our politics, but politics as the driver of the people; they confuse society with the state, assuming that they are one and the same.
This false assumption is why every liberal solution begins and ends with government. Even when the private sector is invited to participate in their programs, it’s in a position of subservience to the state. In the President’s worldview, that which unites the American people is government and government programs. This is a short-sighted and cynical approach to American unity, and one that is totally contrary to the worldview of America’s framers and founders.
It is a false choice when the President and his party claim that Americans must choose to either grow government or help their neighbors in need and create a thriving middle class. This choice is rendered irrelevant when freedom and free-markets are allowed to flourish.
A growing economy, based on the ingenuity, creativity and commitment of private citizens exercising their God-given talents opens doors of opportunity for everyone. Building a culture of life, of faith and of family provide us with the social structures on which to build our dreams, and form a more perfect union.
The President has perfected the art of mischaracterizing his opposition, and anyone who dares question the effectiveness of his proposals. As Senator Marco Rubio stated, however, “Mr. President, I don’t oppose your plans to protect the rich, but to protect my neighbors.” It is a falsehood to claim that government is the protector of the middle class or that the President is a warrior for economic opportunity. In fact, growing government crowds out the private economy, which kills jobs middle class families depend on the most, and puts more hard working Americans into poverty and economic dependency.
We, as conservatives, must now make the case for what we are for, not just what we are against.
We are for national unity that transcends government, and is based on shared values.
We are for strong families, which lead to strong communities.
We are for economic opportunity for every single citizen, not dependency on government that destroys peoples’ dreams.
It is time to draw a line of demarcation where private society is not considered a subset of the state, but the cornerstone of American civilization.
President Obama’s proposals will grow the very government that has created the social stagnation and economic decline that is plaguing this country.
In this second term of the 44th President, I feel compelled to quote the 40th: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
