Townhall columnist Star Parker is right. America should listen to Congressman Paul Ryan (WI-1) and the points he made last week at Heritage Foundation. We should combat the Democrats' weapon of choice for this campaign season -- class warfare rhetoric -- and return to America's tried and true basics for success: limited government, individual rights, free markets and traditional values.
Illinois' conservative leadership at the URF calls them the "LIFT Principles" - limited government, individual liberty and responsibility, free markets, and traditional values.
Ms. Parker explains why she agrees with Paul Ryan that traditional values are important to keep as a conservative warfare staple:
To sum up his working hypotheses: These are the values that made America great. Our economic machine is sputtering today as result of departure from these values. Today’s task is to restore them and get America growing again, which will benefit everyone.
Ryan contrasts this individual-centered, bottom-up, principles driven vision, with the take on things of our current administration. They believe everything starts in Washington, and that they can design, create, and finance with taxpayers’ money, a prosperous, just America.
Then Ms. Parker gets to the heart of the matter - the importance of traditional values in America's prosperity - traditional marriage:
Almost 80% of households with the highest average income include a married couple compared to 17% of households with the lowest average income. Sixty percent of highest average income households have earners with at least a bachelors degree, compared to 12 % of the lowest.
And those that want to conveniently dismiss the value of traditional values embrace a destructive moral relativism, Ms. Parker, a black conservative leader in her own right, opines:
They conveniently ignore that liberals are the ones who have pushed the moral relativism and welfare state dependence that has destroyed black families over the last 60 years. And it is these same liberals who fight to keep low income kids in failing public schools and fight efforts to get school choice.
Liberals argue it was easier 60 years ago to escape a poor family setting, the foundation for their class warfare rhetorical weaponry. But 60 years ago, things were very different. Traditional values was a prominent part of America's principles.
But 60 years ago the probability was much higher that a poor individual lived in a household with married parents, a work ethic, and traditional values.
Paul Ryan sounded the trumpet last week, warning of the coming attack on our basic principles coming in the Democrats' 2012 battle plan. Star Parker picked up call in her Townhall column today. And thankfully, Illinois' URF will pick up the challenge and join the clarion battle cry in Illinois.
The way out of the slump America and Illinois is in and to combat the Democrats' battle plan is to boldly uphold the L-I-F-T Principles: Limited government, Individual rights, Free markets and Traditional values.
