Time for our principles to align with our politics
By Chris Miller
State Representative 110th District
“Write the vision and make it plain so those that read it can run with it.”
– Habakkuk 2:2
A recent Gallup poll showed that only about 15 percent of Americans want to defund the police.
Many other ideas of the radical left poll just as badly. For instance, an NPR/PBS Newshour poll showed that 28% of adults said they have a favorable view of socialism while 58% said they had an unfavorable view. The unpopularity of socialism is why Bernie Sanders is not the Democrat nominee for President.
America is and continues to be a center right nation. So how is that the radical left is such a powerful political force when the vast majority of Americans do not subscribe to their extreme point of view?
The answer is that the radical left has hijacked many of our nation’s institutions and used these institutions to advance their agenda. The radical left has taken over the national press corps. Case in point is a New York Times editor who was forced to resign simply for publishing an op-ed from a US Senator who argued against the idea of defunding the police – a position that is in line with 85 percent of Americans.
Democrat professors outnumber Republican professors at America’s top colleges by a margin of 9-1. In the 2016 election cycle, 80 percent of the political donations from Hollywood went to Democrats.
Once the radical left takes over – they push out any competing thought as part of their effort to remake and reshape our country. Their hope is that the American people will remain asleep at the wheel and wake up to the new America the radical left is trying to build.
The country we know, and love could cease to exist if we as patriotic Americans do not take a stand. We have an obligation to articulate with clarity, conviction, and consistency what we believe and how timeless our ideals can best serve all the people of our state and our nation.
We can’t change the entire country, but we can make a difference where we live. Illinois is broken. The combination of political corruption and inept leadership has ruined our state financially. Illinois is in crisis, but I believe our state is worth saving. I am calling on my colleagues to join with me in adopting some basic principle of governance that will enable us to turn our state around. Specifically, we as legislators need to stand for:
- Individual Liberty – The birth of our great nation was inspired by the bold declaration that our individual, God-given liberties would be preserved against government intrusion.
- Limited Government – The best protection against government largesse is term limits, fair maps, and an informed electorate.
- The Rule of Law – America is “a government of laws and not of men,” and the rule of law must be maintained at the federal, state, and local levels. No one is above the law.
- Fiscal Responsibility – The Legislature has a moral and constitutional duty to bring spending under control, reform and modernize entitlement programs, eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, advance pro-growth tax reforms and permanent tax reductions, and ensure full accountability in the budget and appropriations process.
- Fair Markets – In Illinois, government has too often created obstacles to the progress and prosperity of our people. We the people are better qualified to make decisions about their own lives and finances rather than bureaucrats.
- Human Dignity – Because all men are created equal and in the image of God, every human life has inestimable dignity and value. In Illinois, everyone who plays by the rules should get a fair shot and legislators have a moral obligation to oppose policies that diminish these quintessential American ideals.
- Peace Through Strength – The first obligation of the government is to protect its citizens. Every brave citizen of Illinois who has served at anytime in the U.S. Armed Forces, and all those who serve in our communities in any capacity as first responders, deserve our honor, respect, and full support
These are the principles on which our nation was founded, and these are the principles most Americans still embrace. It is time for the silent majority of patriotic Americans to stand up and be heard. If we don’t, we will surrender our country to a radical minority whose policies are morally, financially, and intellectually bankrupt. The vast majority of American are personally opposed to the radical policies of the left. Now it is time for all of us to vote our principles and rescue our communities, our state, and our nation.
