Trust is the Cornerstone of Our Republic
Trust is the cornerstone of our republic democracy, whether it be the delicate social contract embodied in our Constitution or the daily transactions that we engage in every day—trust is the fabric that ties it all together. The debate over the relationship between government and the governed is not new. From the Old Testament to the age of Greek philosophy, from the New Testament to the Middle Ages—history is replete with tyrannical, obtrusive, and inept examples of government at the expense of everyday citizens. The wisdom of time, however, helped to guide the framing of our own Constitution toward a limited, responsive, and representative framework establishing a delicate check and balance on three primary functions of self-government.
Tellingly, only 19% of Americans have faith that federal officials will do the right thing ‘most of the time,’ while confidence in local and state officials is substantially higher at 66% and 57%, respectively. Despite a recent uptick in voting participation, studies show the US ranks 31st out of 50 surveyed democracies. The disconnect between the federal government and the people it is consecrated to serve clearly calls for reforming the way we operate our government at the federal level. Compounding this challenge is record spending and debt incurred by Congress with a bloated federal bureaucracy far in excess of the nation’s needs. Could it be that our very own government is getting in the way of Americans achieving prosperity?
Restore Trust will remind our fellow Americans of our unassailable rights to scrutinize, to demand, and to expect modernized and efficient government. We will support candidates and elected officials who fearlessly champion new approaches to reduce the size and scope of government, and who reform bureaucracies to make America more competitive. We will continue to recognize that righteous government cannot be achieved by statically etching documents with no ongoing participation from its people—nor do we accept that government bureaucracy left untouched or scrutinized will somehow achieve positive outcomes.
I ask that you join me in this effort to reconsider the role of limited government in our lives and to help us Restore Trust in our framework that we hold so dear.