Protecting Liberty

Member Group : Lincoln Institute

I know a family who came to America in the 70s from Saigon. They tell a riveting story about abandoning their home in the middle of the night with their young children running to the shore and seeking passage out of their home country.

They came to America with no money, no friends and speaking limited English. Mom and Dad got jobs working on the cleaning crew in hotels and today they own several restaurants in their community. Their oldest son is a doctor and several of their adult daughters are successful entrepreneurs.

I know another family whose ancestors came to America as pilgrims and like my friends from Vietnam, they too left their homes fleeing bad government while not knowing what to expect in pursuit of a better life. In a few years, the fourth generation of that family will enter college.

These are the stories of America. Hundreds of years apart, two families, from two different parts of the world find hope and prosperity in America.

In a recent poll, Americans were asked if "life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us." Fully 76 percent said they do not have such confidence. Only 21 percent did.

I’m one of the 21 percent who remains optimistic. I can’t help myself. We have three kids, and I want them to have the chance to live better than we do today. I want that chance for all our kids.

But, it’s not going to happen unless we lead the way and demand more, and that usually means less, from our elected officials in Pennsylvania and in Washington. A too big government full of waste and guided by favor-making and overreaching regulation won’t do if we want the next generation to succeed.

America and Americans have succeeded for generations because individuals were free to pursue the life they wanted for themselves. Today, the elected ruling-class, aided by their friends in the media and academia, has taken to telling the rest of us what we should eat, what kind of healthcare we must have, which light bulbs we can buy and what we are allowed to talk about. And, when telling us what to do doesn’t work, they pass laws to compel us to do what they want.

The bigger the government, the smaller the individual. When our government is focused on small things, it can’t do the important things well. And most solutions, guided by the government are not usually the best solution for our communities or our families.

So, what will you do to lead the way? What will you do today to make sure the path is clear for the next generation to pursue its dreams and for individuals to retake control of their own decisions, free from government intervention and the demands of the ruling-class?

I will tell you what I did. I joined the team at Americans for Prosperity. I am honored and excited to be the new state director for such an amazing team of grassroots advocates for free-market policy in Pennsylvania. It’s the collaborative work of each one of us that will pave the way for a better tomorrow. As the PA state director, I am committed to working with our grassroots volunteers to further expand the network, provide grassroots advocates with the tools they need to engage their legislators and remind our leaders that they can usually do more by doing less.

As someone recently said, "its not enough to sit on the sidelines and gripe." Don’t sit on the sidelines. Join us by volunteering—knock on doors, send letters, write an email, tweet, make phone calls. We need you and the next generation needs you.

Our next day of action is September 6. Log on to www.iamafp.com to sign up. Join us—the next generation is counting on us.

My name is Beth Anne Mumford, state director for Americans for Prosperity – PA
You can find us on the web at www.americansforproserity.org backslash Pennsylvania. Like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter to engage in the conversation.