1. Individuals have certain rights inherent to human beings, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These “unalienable rights” are endowed by our Creator and cannot be taken away. For example, 51% of the people are not entitled to confiscate the property of the other 49%.
2. Governments are instituted to secure these rights and derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. If the people have not granted a power to the government through the Constitution, it does not have that power.
3. Limited government is essential to the protection of liberty, and the checks and balances established by our Constitution are essential to limited government. These include enumerated powers, federalism, the separation of powers, and the rule of law.
4. Liberty and equality are not the same. Liberty demands that men begin life equal to every other while character and accomplishment define their stature moving forward. Government should not favor one individual or group over others in an attempt to achieve equality.
5. Private property and free markets are essential to our prosperity and freedom.
6. Reckless government spending is harmful to our economy and condemns the people to a form of oppression through high taxes.
7. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, “. . . whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it . . .”
These principles are as important today as they were at our founding. They set our country apart and make it a model of freedom and prosperity for the world.
We are proud of this heritage and wish to preserve our “Great Experiment” for generations to come. We believe this requires stating how our government is violating these principles and what corrective action must be taken.