The Day We Begin To Dig Out....

...is today.  When I am in my dotage and the Dow is at 22,000, entitlements are under control, and our medical system is still privatized, I will look back at today as the first day we began to take the country back--back from those who would relegate us to Euro-mediocrity in the name of "fairness"; those who believe in competitive markets, as long as it is government competing against the private sector; those who believe in collectivism rather than the power of the individual; and those who look believe the fruits of man's labor belong to the government, whose oblige is required for him to retain any of it.

Republicans will win a great victory today, but they should not view it as a mandate to govern as they have in the past.  Americans want LESS government MORE CHEAPLY administered.  They want SUFFICIENCY rather than SATISFACTION when it comes to ameliorating the impact of income disparity in our country.  They want the country to behave more like they do--or should--and live within their means.

Nearly eighteen months ago on this blog, I put forward Ten Principles for a Republican Renaissance.  I repeat them here and now, so that you might adjudge their validity and continuing utility as Republicans continue their quest for good and just government:

Ten Principles for a Republican Renaissance
• America is a special place; it is different from every other nation on earth as a result of its founding, the way it grew, the causes it fights for and its dedication to freedom. It is a country worth fighting to preserve and improve.

• Markets that are more free are better than markets that are less free.

• The American people enjoy many rights. With those rights come obligations.

• The basic component of the American social fabric is the family. Families come in several different guises, but the primary responsibility of the family is to provide a safe and loving atmosphere for the development of children. A primary role of government is to support the family.

• One of the basic building blocks of our society is the public school system. We are committed to its sustainment and improvement. We believe that schools work best when parents, teachers and community leaders work together at the local level. National school policies and national teacher unions are not essential to the task of improving public education.

• Taxation is a necessary evil. In our modern society, we have come to expect many services from government that sustain our quality of life. We must never forget that taxation is always confiscation; the money was earned by the sweat of our brows, and it is government’s burden to prove why it needs the money, not our burden to prove why we should keep it.

• The business of America is business. This does not mean that the modern Republican party is beholden to business, big or small. It means that the modern Republican Party recognizes that commerce is the lifeblood of our Republic. It is what puts food on our tables, and it is what equips our matchless Armed Forces. One cannot be pro-America and anti-business.

• More government equals less freedom. It cannot be otherwise. Each and every function or power we grant to our government is a choice to surrender freedom.

• Human life is worth protecting, be it unborn or at its end. We are dedicated to policies that further these ends, but we recognize that there are those with whom we disagree. Those disagreements should take place in the bright light of the political system, where difficult questions of law and policy are best arbitrated.

• We are dedicated to a politics of civility. We will wage wars of ideas, but we will not demonize those with whom we disagree. We will hold our ground on what truly matters, and we will work hard to find genuine compromise on questions of policy…but not principle.