Ronald Reagan famously said, “We are a nation with a government – not the other way around.” Unfortunately, this seems less and less the case. We have spent too much time letting government restrain us, when we should be restraining government.
Today we have a federal budget that is five times larger than when President Reagan uttered those famous words, and two and half times larger than just a decade ago.
Under the Obama Administration, we have seen deficits skyrocket and the national debt increase by over $5 trillion dollars. That’s a lot of zeroes to have to borrow from our children and grandchildren.
In Texas, things don’t look quite as bad, but we are still facing a budget shortfall entering the next legislative session. Clearly, our leaders have relied on too many sleight-of-hand accounting tricks in the past to balance the budget. We can’t keep putting a band-aid on this broken system.
A fiscally strong Texas is the best way to ensure prosperity for all Texans. To achieve this, we must audit every agency, cut wasteful spending, and streamline government with the goal of increasing economic freedom for families and small businesses.
We must also guard against crony capitalism by eliminating sweetheart deals that favor Big Business and special interests over small and family-owned businesses that have a strong impact in our communities.
Less government means less power in the hands of bureaucrats, and more power residing where it should – in the hands of the people. When focused and limited to its core responsibilities, government can and should encourage a fertile environment for citizens to dream bigger dreams and live freer lives.
In the history of the world, only the past 240 years have seen the sovereignty of the individual reign over the power of the state. That’s a debt we owe our Founders, as well as the men and women who fought bravely and sacrificed for our freedom.
Texas must not let these heroes down. As your next state senator, I will ensure that the Lone Star State shines brightest when it represents the people and that we lead the nation in education, innovation, and job creation by truly letting freedom ring.
Texas is a thriving state with a government – not the other way around. Let’s keep it that way!