The 21st century presents challenges to America like none before. In order for our country to remain the preeminent nation on earth, it will require new ideas and a society that lets success flourish from the bottom up. Miami University College Republicans are committed to an America where all have the opportunity to succeed, and we're focused on advancing the principles and ideas that help society to do so. Right now, many believe the Republican Party is faced with a Hobson's choice: either to stick to the principles upon which our party was founded and continue to lose elections or compromise our principles and potentially still lose elections. Neither presents a viable option. Young Republicans recognize there is a simple solution: the answer lies not in changing the message of our party, but rather altering its delivery.
Let's face it, Washington is in complete disarray. It's imperative that our generation recognizes the consequences that have resulted from a government living beyond its means. A mere 25 years ago, our national debt stood at $2 billion. The national debt has increased over 50 percent under the Obama administration and currently stands at seventeen trillion dollars and counting. If these numbers don't alarm you, they should, because our generation and future generations will be paying for it. It's simple: the government cannot continue to spend money it doesn't have. The American people budget their money every month and the government should do the same. Examining and reforming entitlement programs will immensely aid in decreasing our country's debt. We as young conservatives, are focused on fiscal responsibility because we recognize the government's spending is jeopardizing our future and diminishing our opportunities.
Conservatives believe that there are essential issues that affect us all. In order to achieve complete liberty for all citizens, it's imperative to reduce the size and scope of the government. The founders built this country on the idea that the government is the servant of the people and for the people, not the other way around. Big government only minimizes individual rights and freedoms of the citizens. In order for man to be free, government must be limited. This is where individual responsibility has to come into play.
At a certain point, individuals need to be held accountable for their own actions. Our generation is focused on the conservative theme of personal responsibility. The media enjoys portraying this as selfish or greedy, but in an earlier time period, it was recognized as being a productive and active member of society. We ask nothing more than for people to strive to be their best and we diffuse this thinking into how government should be managed. The mistaken belief that the government should act as a parental surrogate is the biggest failure of our generation. Hard work and determination will get you farther than the government ever will. Individual responsibility is a pillar of what it means to be a Republican, as well as an American.
To celebrate our generation's potential to take the helm of this great nation, our organization's shirts display President Reagan's famous quote, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
The College Republicans believe we must continue to fight for freedom and we ask for our generation to examine the big picture and join in a cause that believes in expanding liberty to all. In doing so, we ensure the economic security of our nation with the objective of handing the next generation a nation better off than we found it.
The current state of our Union is dismal, as the future leaders must work to restrain the excess of government spending and incompetent handling of issues A through Z. Consider this: where will we stand when we are left to pick up the pieces of a debt-ravaged nation? Who will we turn to when conflict stirs beyond our borders? These issues will not sit idle. We will be expected to pay our debts, and come to the aid of those in need no matter the language they speak or the god they pray to.
As Congress recently passed yet another short-term reprieve to avoid a fiscal crisis, inevitably kicking the can further down the road, we as an organization ask you to consider just where we will be if our nation continues to head down the path of fiscal irresponsibility and an ever expanding government.
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