GOP releases “Pledge to America” agenda

From the “Pledge”:

“America is more than a country.

America is an idea – an idea that free people can govern themselves, that government’s powers are derived from the consent of the governed, that each of us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can – given economic, political, and religious liberty – advance themselves, their families, and the common good.

America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.

Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course.

These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans.

In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.

An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down longstanding laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.

Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose.

Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country’s compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common good.

The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated.

With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity.

We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.

We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.

We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us in forming a new governing agenda for America.”

Here is Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) discussing the document on Fox and Friends today.

Excerpts from the video above:

“A Pledge to America is going to lay out our agenda for what we’d like to see this congress right now do to get spending under control, to get this economy moving again, to protect our nation, to battle against the massive expansion of government that’s been under way, and to get us back to the ideals and the values of the broad mainstream of the American people.”

On How the American People Drove this Governing Agenda:

“I think that the Tea Party movement and the people who’ve attended town hall meetings over the last year-and-a-half have sent a deafening message to Washington, D.C. that enough is enough. They want to see us get back to the practice of fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility and government reform. They want to see us get government spending under control and get this economy moving again, and they want to see us do all of that in a way that’s grounded in the freedom and limited government traditions of this country. So yes, this is a big, big hat tip to all the American people that are standing up and saying we can do better.”

On the Importance of Social Issues in A Pledge to America:

“First and foremost what they’re going to see in the Pledge to America today, which was not in the original Contract with America, is a statement about the sanctity of life and a statement about traditional marriage. And I think that’s an important accomplishment for everyone in this country that cherishes the common values of our country.

“I think it was important that Republicans make an affirmative statement in favor of traditional marriage in the Pledge to America. We’ve done that. But don’t miss the fact too, that in the Pledge to America today the American people will see that Republicans are prepared to commit to deny all public funding for abortion at home and abroad. And we will work to make that a government-wide ban. And so, different from the original Contract with America – yes, we deal with spending, with jobs, with government reform, with security – but we also make a strong affirmation to the broad mainstream traditional values that really make this country great.”

And for those of you who wish to read the entire document her is the link.