OPINION:
The future of the United States of America, despite our current challenges, is bright if we follow fundamental principles. Here are ten of them:
1. Our rights come from God, not the government.
The Declaration of Independence clearly spells out this fundamental truth. Sadly, it seems like many leaders over the past two years have forgotten this concept. It is the responsibility of the government to protect our rights.
The document that founded our country also explained that it is the right of the people to adjust or abolish a government that does not defend our God-given rights and replace it with one that does. This idea might be crossing the minds of many people in Canada these days.
2. Science tells us that an unborn baby is a human being.
For all of the talk about following science, many radicals ignore it when it comes to protecting unborn children. Life is the first God-given right. We must protect it.
3. Strong families are the key to strong societies.
For years, I noted the research from the Brookings Institution that shows when people graduate, get a job, and then wait until they are at least 21 and married to have children, 98% live middle class or better lives. It is morally sound and logic-based too.
4. Parents, not the government, raise children.
Parental rights are paramount to a free society. These rights have been challenged over and over again these past few years. Thankfully, parents are starting to push back against the elites. A free society must protect parental rights — particularly when it comes to education and health care.
5. Children should be taught objective American and world history.
Students should learn the good, the bad and the ugly — not just the negative side of our history. Plus, they should learn how to put it into context with what was happening in the world at that time. Throw in a real education on objective economics and financial literacy and we would have a much better country.
6. Fundamentally unfair for people who were born as men to compete in sports against women.
People born as men have different bodies than those born as women. That gives them an advantage in certain sporting events. For the same reason we don’t let 19-year-olds compete against 10-year-olds, it is not fair to let those born as men compete against women.
7. People create jobs, not the government.
Too many politicians think that they create jobs. They don’t. The government either creates an environment that is better for job creation or worse. Employment flourishes when entrepreneurs feel free to grow. Restrain the government and watch the economy grow.
8. Freedom of speech is protected in the Constitution, but it should be revered on our college campuses.
When the University of California at Berkeley tried to put restraints on bringing Ben Shapiro on campus to speak, Young America’s Foundation took them to court. Ultimately, they had to settle because free speech cannot be restrained on a public campus. The mere fact that we had to take legal action against an institution of higher education, however, shows how “wokeness” is really against real dialogue on ideas. Diversity of ideas is about the only form of diversity discouraged on campuses these days. That must be corrected.
9. America is an exceptional country.
Our nation was founded on the belief that all people are created equal and that God has endowed us with certain unalienable rights. In other words, we are a nation founded on freedom.
President Ronald Reagan loved to refer to our nation as the shining city upon the hill. Our freedom and opportunity make us a beacon to people around the world. More than 1 million come here each year. America has four times as many foreign-born citizens as the next closest country.
Over the many years of our history, many have taken great risks to reach our beloved nation. Often, their family members and friends stayed in the home country while they came to live their piece of the American Dream. Freedom and opportunity for all are what make us exceptional.
10. Solving the challenges we face in the world would be much easier if we loved God and loved one another as we love ourselves.
Respect.
When my sons were young, we taught them the importance of respect for God and for other people. So many of the challenges we face in the world today come down to the lack of respect. Too many people have lost the ability to disagree, without being disagreeable. If we love and respect God, we will treat other people the way we want to be treated and that will lead to a much better society. That is the most important fundamental truth of all.
• Scott Walker is the president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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