Besides being the theme song of "The Jefferson's" during the 70's, "Movin' On Up" could easily be the theme song of our nation.  At the time of the founding of our nation, Europe operated under a system where most of the power, wealth and property resided in the hands of the aristocracy.  The rest of the population faced little chance of improving their lot in life or of giving their children a better future, regardless of how hard they worked.

 

America took a different track.  Land in this new nation was made available to entrepreneurial farmers who were free to reap the rewards of their labor and use this homestead as a foundation to move up the economic ladder.  America became the land of opportunity and people from around the world yearned for the chance to come here and "Move on Up".

 

This experiment created a robust middle class that became the foundation that allowed our nation to become the wealthiest in the world.  Rather than restrict the accumulation of wealth, these policies created broad based prosperity such that today almost 50% of the wealthiest individuals live in the United States.  However history has shown that a nation needs to be purposeful in policies that protect and promote this concept of upward mobility.  The natural tendency is for power and property to accumulate in the hands of a select few.

 

We have entered a time where the middle class is under attack, where upward mobility has become a downward slide.  My children are coming to age in an era where for the first time in the history of our nation their generation will be less prosperous than the previous generation.  We have left them with a burden of debt and unfunded responsibilities that will rob them of the opportunities that my generation was able to enjoy.

 

I am running for office, not to protect my own wealth (there is not much to protect) - but to ensure that America remains a land of opportunity for our children and grandchildren.  We owe much to previous generations that sacrificed so that we could have abundant opportunity.  It is now our turn to stand in the gap and protect the interests of those that will follow.

 

This starts with policies that protect and promote small business.  The small business owner is the current equivalent of yesterday's homesteader.  Just like the homesteader, this entrepreneur is willing to put a stake in the ground and risk it all to have a chance to reap the rewards of his or her labor.  Just as our nation took an active approach to the establishment of the homesteader,  I believe we need to be active in promoting small business.  We need to ensure that capital is available for this sector of our society and that environmental and commercial regulations are sensible.  I recently spoke to the owner of a restaurant who was extremely frustrated with our governmental policies.  His statement to me was "I just want government out of my face".  He's right.  Government should not be "in the face" of the small business owner, keeping him or her from succeeding.  Government should have it's hand on the back of the small business owner providing a path to prosperity. 

 

Sustainable prosperity also requires sound financial disciplines.  We all understand that the family that continues to spend more than is earned will eventually face financial ruin.  Yet our government has continued to ignore this basic financial principle and has accepted as normal a pattern of deficit spending.  One of the legacies that my generation will leave to the next is the awful burden of debt.  My oldest son Davis is 15.  His share of the national debt now stands at $85,000.  Unless we restore discipline to our government, it is entirely conceivable that when he finishes school and enters the workforce this debt burden will exceed $100,000.  I believe that this burden of debt will rob Davis and his generation of the opportunity that once was an American principle.  This can not be the legacy that we leave our children.

 

Our government desperately needs leaders that have the principles and integrity to make the difficult choices to balance our national budget.  This can be done!  Our nation actually generated a budget surplus at the end of the Clinton administration - only to see the next administration allow the budget rules that led to this surplus expire enabling a return to deficit spending.

 

We had such leaders in the past.  I think of George Mahon, the Democratic Congressman from West Texas who served for 20 years on the House Appropriations Committee.  As Chairman of this committee Congressman Mahon stated "Philosophically, I do not intend to abandon the principles which I have so frequently enunciated in the past - that except in times of war or deep depression, we should not initiate new programs or expand old ones unless we are willing and able to provide the funds to pay for them."  When Mr. Mahon retired from Congress in 1978 our nation lost the steadying hand of West Texas responsibility.

 

It is into the footsteps of Congressman Mahon that I seek to serve.  I would ask that you join me as we work to restore the principles that served our nation so well in the past and seek to leave a nation to our children that really is a land of opportunity.