Dear Congressman Scott,
Last week I attended a meeting of the Dorchester County GOP, as I regularly do, and I appreciate that you took time out of your schedule to come and visit us and keep us up to speed on how things are going in the U.S. House. During your remarks, you hit on many key points, and one in particular that struck me as exceptional in comparison to the average politician. Rather than just pointing out how bad the Democrats are, you asserted that we Republicans need to improve our marketing of our message of conservative principles and American Values. You said (paraphrased):
“We have to stop talking just about the current election cycle and we need to present a long term plan for America. We should talk about 30 year goals, and give people an idea of where we want to take this Country.”
I absolutely agree. This is the difference between petty partisan politics and real leadership. This is the kind of thing that can win over not only the independent voters, but the trust of the American people. If this mission is carried out honestly, genuinely, and enthusiastically then the GOP won’t just win elections, it will win back the direction of the country, and hopefully restore freedom and the American way.
The question before us is: what is the long term vision? What is the 30 year plan?
I urge you to consider this question very carefully, and to not answer too hastily, bending to the influences of the current political moment. Do not create a plan that emphasizes “less government” or “more competition” and don’t use blanket answers such as “return to Christian values.” Do not mince words, do not present patchwork solutions, do not aim for the easily attainable. Nobody was ever inspired by pragmatism or compromise. No, people are inspired by ideas, integrity, honesty, consistency, and bold solutions that are based on right and wrong, not “popular right now.”
The truth of our current situation is that most people aren’t tuned in to Politics. Most people aren’t card-carrying members of the Republican or Democrat party. Most people don’t really follow the issues that closely, and really, who can blame them? What is there to be inspired about with our current state of partisan bickering, special interest lobbying, and endless thousand page bills that nobody reads?
I ask you to recognize that one of the most inspiring documents in history, the Declaration of Independence, does not say that we have the right to “more life” or “more liberty” or “more pursuit of happiness.” It says that we all have the unalienable right to our own life, our own liberty, and our own pursuit of happiness. It doesn’t say that, when a government violates those rights, the solution is “less government.” On the contrary, it says that when the government crosses those boundaries, we should remove the government!
Don’t take me the wrong way, I’m not asking you to introduce a bill to dissolve the government. What I am requesting is that as you formulate your 30 year plan to restore prosperity and freedom, you do not partake in the same sort of political thought that has dominated the discourse at the federal level for so long. I’m asking that when you present a picture of what things will look like 30 years from now it doesn’t leave every government institution in place with simply minor adjustments, tinkering around the edges, with some reductions. I’m asking you to plant yourself firmly in the perspective of individual rights and examine each and every aspect of the federal government and ask the fundamental question: is this the proper role of government?
If not, then take out your eraser, and wipe that particular function, or regulation, or department off of your long term vision. If it is wrong, just remove it. Then figure out a transition that will take us from today, to a future without that injustice. Do you want to inspire Americans to vote for Republicans to restore prosperity and freedom? If so, then show them a future where wrongs are eliminated, not simply reduced. Give us a vision that inspires our support, so that people will vote for Republicans, not just against Democrats.
As an example, let’s take the income tax. During every election in my life, Republicans have said that they won’t raise taxes. Sometimes they even say they are going to lower taxes! Unfortunately, that rarely happens. But is this really a message that inspires people? If a robber robbed you every month, then one month decided to tell you “don’t worry, next time I wont’ take quite as much” would that really make you feel any better about the situation? I doubt it.
When you set out your 30 year plan, you have the opportunity to propose the elimination of the income tax! After all, taking property from people just because they are productive can’t be rationalized as morally right. We also can’t say that we live in a capitalist country when people earn a paycheck and the government takes a large chunk of it, otherwise known as potential capital savings. So don’t offer us a vision that says you will “lower the income tax.” Instead paint a picture where we live in a free country, without an income tax, where the common man can accumulate capital! Of course we can’t do this over night, but we didn’t have an income tax until 1913, so surely you can come up with a plan that will abolish it over a 30 year span.
I could go on with many examples such as this but I think my point has been made. I appreciate your time and the amount of effort you put into communicating with your constituents. I hope that this message finds you well, and that it inspires you to be bold, and to fight for those principles that made this country great.
Sincerely,
Tom Utley
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