From Entitlement to Empowerment
An Urban Manifesto 2011
By: Pastor Stephen E. Broden, Star Parker, Michel Faulkner, Isaac Hayes, Robert Broadus
Overview
Founding Principles and Religious Freedom
We believe the driving force that underpins the greatness of our nation is represented in two ideals that are inextricably connected to the founding principles evident in the Declaration of Independence: liberty and religious freedom. These two ideals are interwoven throughout America’s founding documents and contribute to the first principles that launched this nation into existence.
We believe the essence of liberty enjoyed by Americans is the proper limitation of government; and in our nation the limitation of government is achieved through the Constitution. The Constitution was constructed as a regulator of the government’s potential to overreach into the private affairs of “we the people.” The framers wrote the Constitution to govern the government and not the people. The strength of our republic, as envisioned by the founders, was not in the power of the government, but in “we the people.”
We, who undersign this document, affirm the founding principles set forth by the framers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We further believe that the first principles of liberty, equality of opportunity, natural rights, consent of the governed, the rule of law, self government, independence, constitutionalism, private property, limited government, and religious freedom; when properly taught, understood and applied are some of the solutions to the prodigious economic and social issues facing the Black community. It is our firm conviction that the solution to the current crisis facing our nation and the Black community is not the expansion of government, but the limitation of Government, and a return to founding principles and personal responsibility.
Marriage and the Black Family
We believe marriage is a union between one man and one woman that was instituted by God. At its origin, marriage is a religious rite that cannot be altered or abolished by an act of Congress or the Judiciary. Its intent is the creation of a stable nuclear family, the procreation of a prosperous nation, and the sustainability of the human race.
We believe that life starts at conception and is a gift from God, rather than a “punishment” or “lump of tissue” as some have opined. Half of Black pregnancies end in abortion, functioning as an unofficial genocide of the Black race. This cannot continue.
Therefore, based upon this evidence, herewith are some things that Conservatives will have to do if the Black family is to improve:
· Oppose all efforts to destroy the lives of the unborn by advocating pro-life policies, such as right-to-life legislation and the expansion of pregnancy care centers.
· Ensure the history and intent of marriage stands by strengthening the “Defense of Marriage Act” to immune religious institutions and religious individuals from same sex laws.
· Eliminate the “Estate Tax,” which discourages the accumulation of family wealth. Eliminate the “Marriage Penalty,” which unfairly punishes couples for marrying.
Economic Empowerment
We believe the number one priority for all Americans who care about jobs and prosperity is to promote maximum economic freedom: tax rates no higher than needed to finance the appropriate functions of government, a sound legal system to protect private property, and a regulatory environment permitting ease of starting and running businesses.
We believe it is time for a different approach to economic development in Black America. Excessive government financed by excessive taxes diminishes economic freedom and cuts economic growth.
We believe policy for promoting economic development in Black America should have two prongs. First, policies should be advanced that will maximize prosperity in the nation as whole. Second, policies should be advanced that will optimize attitudes and behavior among Blacks to take optimal advantage of, and contribute to, this prosperity.
Education and School Choice
It has been widely documented that the public education system in America has failed inner city urban schools. The public school system has failed to prepare Black and other Minority students in America to compete in a 21st century economy.
We believe the solution for better educating inner-city students is parental choice. Parents should have the opportunity to choose a safe and effective environment for their children to learn and advance academically.
We believe parental choice would introduce competition into our educational system that will improve our children’s preparation and help to eliminate poor performing schools out of the marketplace. Funding should follow the child. Tax dollars raised for education should go to the school chosen by the parent. We propose two ways to make this happen: vouchers or tuition tax credits.
Healthcare
Today our present "Healthcare" System in the United States is based on Sickness and Disease, not Health and Wellness. We spend more on healthcare than any other industrialized nation and yet have the highest rates of chronic, life-threatening illnesses. This is especially true in communities of color. We have built a system based on treating chronic symptoms with Government subsidies rather than on fighting preventing disease. Seventy percent of the money spent on "Healthcare" goes toward illnesses that we can prevent, minimize and in some instances reverse. This has created a government-financed "Healthcare" System that is reactive, not proactive.
We do not believe that it is the federal government's role to provide healthcare. We do however believe that we can and should have a legislative agenda that provides leadership in bringing together the public and private stakeholders to offer solutions for the disparity and deficiencies in our Healthcare system. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have failed to address the disparity in Health Care among communities of color because they have advocated that it is Government's role to provide and regulate healthcare as the only direction our healthcare system can go. The public sector health care has made billions of dollars from treating chronic sickness and not offering long-term health and wellness solutions. As leaders we need to be involved on the ground, working with community groups and the business community, to come up with innovative solutions to our healthcare needs. We need leadership to provide financial and market-driven incentives that will promote wellness and not sickness.
In Conclusion
We believe that the United States of America are ready for a different direction and a nobler heritage than what has been laid out for us by Black leaders and other politicians for the past half-century. We base our political worldview on our deep and abiding faith in Almighty God, and the uncompromising spirit of freedom that our founders embraced in creating this great republic. We believe that only with intelligent, conservative solutions applied to the political process can we overcome the challenges facing the Black community and the American public in general regarding the Economy, Education and School Choice, Marriage and Family, and Healthcare. We pledge to strive to achieve solutions to these and other challenges by pursuing conservative means, employing the minimum government and intrusion on the rights of the people, while laying a clear path forward for other politicians to emulate, based on policies that derive from the Constitution, conform to the principles of Liberty, and further us in the service of the will and Providence granted to us by our Creator, through which all things are possible.
Attesting to this in Washington, D.C. on the seventeenth day of March in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and in the Independence of the United States of America, the two-hundred and thirty-fifth, we the undersigned candidates have affixed our names:
No comments:
Post a Comment