Ron's Core Values

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . . (Declaration of Independence)

1. Rights Come from God, not Government.
 
     I believe that God is our Creator and that He has endowed us with the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Contrary to contemporary thought, rights are not bestowed upon us by government. Quite to the contrary, it is the people, who by mutual consent, willingly surrender certain of their rights in order to establish an effective and efficient system of communities, municipalities, states and federal government. Any government that presumes the power to grant liberties to its citizens will also presume the power to take liberties from them, and that without their consent.

2. The Equality of Man.

    It is evident that men are born into society with a great deal of differences between them.  So when I speak of the equality of men I mean that they are to be treated as equals (1) in the sight of God, (2) before the law, and (3) in the protection of their rights. In our system of government, neither Congress, judges, the police, nor any other group, class or body of citizens (even though they may be in the majority) has the right to disrespect and trample upon the liberties of others.  To do so is oppressive and tyrannical.

3. Limited Government.
 
    I believe that the primary role of government is to secure and protect the rights of its citizens. This would certainly include a military for defense, a judiciary, a police and fire department, etc., to protect the rights and property of individuals.  It may also include any number of other services that are deemed appropriate and supported by the people, such as utilities (water, sewer, sanitation), a system of roads and parks, and so forth.  For government to raise taxes on its citizens for programs, projects and services not supported by them is an abuse of power and an abridgement of personal liberties.

4. A Representative Government.

    Abraham Lincoln expressed it the best when he described our Democratic-Republic as a government of the people, by the people, for the people.  Those who lead us are to rise up from among us, be duly elected by us, and then serve us by working on our behalf and for our best interests.  That’s what a citizen-based representative government is all about.  Elected officials are not just stewards of the people’s trust, they are guardians of their personal liberties.  Though our representatives are called upon to make difficult decisions as they carry out the will of the majority, they must fervently protect the rights of the minority while doing so.

     Richard Henry Lee said, It is certainly true that a popular government [such as ours] cannot flourish without virtue in the people.  Benjamin Rush, a signor of the Declaration of Independence, added, Without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. The necessity of virtue and morality within our society and among our elected leaders is a constant theme that runs throughout the writings of the Founders.  Why?  Because they knew that liberty unbridled by virtue and morality would eventually lead to decadence; decadence would in turn necessitate more and more government restraint; and, when that restraint became intolerable, it would lead to rebellion among the people.

6. The Necessity of Checks and Balances.

    In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution (Thomas Jefferson).  Experience verifies that even the best of men, under suitable circumstances, could commit the worst of immoral acts.  That is why, among the many other checks and balances interspersed throughout the Constitution that the Founders gave us the Bill of Rights.  The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of the people to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.  These freedoms of speech are protected for the church, the press and the people so that they, too, would become part of the complex system of checks and balances needed to counteract the natural tendencies of government toward excess and corruption, tyranny and oppression.

7. Stewardship and Individual Responsibility

     I believe that before God created man He fashioned the earth and prepared it to sustain human life.  He then changed man with the responsibility to maintain it.  Embodied in the biblical account of creation we find the concepts of stewardship and individual responsibility.  As mentioned above, though all men are created equal they are born into this world with any number of significant differences.  That being said, man has a personal responsibility to make the most of that which he has.  The more faithful he manages that which has been given him, the more he will receive. This is all part of the law of the harvest that God has interwoven into virtually every aspect of man’s life on earth.