I grew up as a poor kid in Appalachia. We were happy, independent of government “help,” and didn’t know we were poor. I attended the public school system before there was a federal cabinet level department of education. The system was controlled locally by the parents of the kids attending. At home, we did everything for ourselves—from growing much of our food to building our houses. I worked my way through engineering college, and through years of hard work have developed a career to the point where I am now leading some of the largest industrial construction projects in North Carolina.
I don’t want the government telling me where I can educate my children, where and how I get medical care, who I can marry, nor whether I can rent a room over my garage. But today, our government controls all of that, and by doing so, picks favorites. Government should see everyone the same; today all decisions are based on one special interest group or another. When one is favored and helped, others are by definition disfavored and harmed. Why does the government control sending our kids to the school of the government’s choosing even if that school is performing poorly? Why do some people believe a woman has the “right to choose” to keep or abort a pregnancy, then not believe that the same woman should have the “right to choose” the school for that child? Why does the government restrict your right to own an apartment on your property and rent it at the price you determine is fair, while at the same time raising taxes to pay for housing for people who cannot afford to live in town? You cannot see the principle at work in each of these examples for one reason: the positions are not based on principles. They are based on the special interests of the person or party with the greatest influence who sets policy. Then they force these “rules to live by” onto the rest of us. I will serve by getting the government out of these decisions, and focusing on basics. I will serve based on principles, not whims and special wants.