I'm a People First Republican

The slogan on my campaign literature reads "We The People." I hardly attribute my election victory to that slogan but I've been elected as a Representative of the people and plan to continue to listen to them and seek to be their representation. We saw a right-of-center popular uprising a few years ago with the Tea Party. Today we see a left of center popular uprising with the Occupy movement. One champions free market capitalism and it's perhaps too early to say for sure but the other seems bent on more Socialism or Marxism. One blames government and one blames corporations and banks. Fact of the matter is the government so far has only bailed out the banks and the big guys. The party that has the plan to bail out the little guy is the true party of the people. And by bailout I mean freedom not freebies.

From both vantage points I hear similar sentiments of a people not truly free. Here we are in the land of the free and yet so few are truly free. On both the right and on the left, most are shackled wage slaves and I have a lot to say on how an individual can break free of the bondage there. Personal responsibility is the path to freedom. Government needs to get out of the way so people can pursue life, liberty and happiness. As Herman Cain points out, the order is important. You can pursue happiness as long as it doesn't take away my liberty.  And you can pursue liberty as long as you aren't infringing on someone else's right to life. People are frustrated to the degree they aren't truly free.

If it's true that underneath the popular protests of the left and right are similar sentiments of people not truly free, how does one represent them in the halls of power? For starters, you don't alienate them. This past weekend at our House Republican Caucus retreat, we talked about our priorities and focus these next two to five years as SD House Republicans. My contribution was to make a case for a People First agenda. I made up the term People First Republicans to underscore the importance of making sure we remain of the people; including children and the elderly, the poor and working poor, Hispanics and immigrants, natives, and the unemployed and underemployed middle class. I spoke of this nation now being in the first skirmishes of what I foresee as a Great Class War, and I do view it as manufactured.

The NY Post today dubbed Obama as "an isolated man trapped in a collapsing presidency." No rejoicing from me on his implosion due to his disastrous policies because it is not just his presidency that is collapsing, this great nation suffers the consequences. And so Obama has few remaining friends and few remaining cards to play except the race and class cards. That is what we are seeing and America is now fighting the first battles in what I foresee as a Great Class War. The people don't win that battle. In fact, if this escalates and it easily could as the left isn't as mannered as the right, Marshall Law is a possibility in our cities.

So, as we seek entitlement reform (inarguably, our present course is entirely unsustainable) we need to highlight how Republican solutions aren't heartless. As we seek immigration reform, we need to proceed in ways that don't alienate those here legally. Particular to our state, my native friends have told me for years that our native populations loyalty to the Democratic Party has left them no better off than they were before and there would be a shift to the Republican ticket if Republicans demonstrated some concern for their people, or people in general.

Sounds like I'm beating the compassionate conservatism drum again. Sort of. I foresee increasing numbers of frustrated people as a result of failed economic policies, irresponsible consumerism and Poor Dad thinking, and to the degree Republican solutions are seen as little people friendly, we will see the greatest days of our party. So far all I'm seeing in the Occupy movement is the lazy versus the greedy. I concur it is high time we renounce unbridled usury, greed and cronyism. But the solution isn't more government. The solution is we empower and incentivise the people to prosper and reward big banks and big business to the degree they get their foot off the neck of the little guy.