House Republicans Unveil "A Pledge to America"

GOP plan has concrete solutions. Dems are left with nothing but attack ads!

The big day arrived Thursday, September 23,2010. On this day the GOP Leadership in the House of Representatives unveiled the program of  solutions they will implement if they retake control of that legislative body after the fall election.

This is no top down set of instructions from Washington to the people, as you might find with Democrats in Congress who think THEY know best. This is a bottom up platform of ideas that the American people have said THEY want to see.

Writing the Pledge began after months of listening to the American people and learning what is important to them via the America Speaking Out program which sought the views of citizens in meetings all across the country and online. The Pledge reflects the highest ideals of American democracy as it reflects the will of "we the people" not we the government.

Introducing the Pledge at a family owned business in Sterling, Virginia, House GOP Leader John Boehner said this:

“Across America, the people see a government in Washington that isn’t listening, doesn’t get it, and doesn’t care. Today, that begins to change,” House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said. “This new governing agenda, built by listening to the people, offers plans to create jobs, cut spending, and put power where it belongs: in the hands of the people. 'A Pledge to America' offers a new way forward that hasn’t been tried in Washington: an approach focused on cutting spending instead of accelerating spending, and eliminating uncertainty for the private-sector innovators and entrepreneurs who create jobs. These are the solutions the American people are demanding, and Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid should act on them before Congress adjourns for the fall.”

The preamble for the Pledge with a link to download the PDF file (135 mb) states that:

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.
...
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.

Based on citizen input, The Pledge covers five main issue categories:

•Creating Jobs. “A Pledge to America” reflects Americans’ demand for immediate action on policies that will end uncertainty for small businesses and help our economy get back to creating jobs. This new governing agenda contains a plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America competitive – including stopping all tax hikes, reining in red tape, and repealing ObamaCare’s ‘1099 mandate.’

•Cutting Spending. “A Pledge to America” embodies Americans’ rejection of the now-thoroughly discredited notion that we can simply tax, spend, and borrow our way to prosperity. This new governing agenda contains a plan to cut spending and reduce the size of government – including cutting government spending to pre-‘stimulus’, pre-bailout levels, imposing a hard cap on future discretionary spending, and ending TARP once and for all.

•Reforming Congress. “A Pledge to America” acknowledges that we cannot get our arms around the issues of the day when we have a government that refuses to listen to the people and ignores their priorities. This new governing agenda contains a plan to reform Congress and restore trust – including implementing ‘read the bill’ reform, allowing for more open and fair debate, and requiring that every bill contain a citation of Constitutional authority.

•Repealing and Replacing The Job-Killing Health Care Law. “A Pledge to America” recognizes that the American people continue to squarely oppose the government takeover of health care, with its higher costs, higher taxes, job-killing mandates, and Medicare cuts to pay for a massive new entitlement. This new governing agenda contains a plan to repeal and replace the job-killing health care law with common-sense reforms focused on lowering costs and protecting American jobs.

•A Strong National Defense. “A Pledge to America” reinforces Congress’s responsibility to help provide for a strong national defense and fashion a coherent strategy to confront and defeat the terrorist threat. This new governing agenda contains a plan to keep our nation secure at home and abroad – including passing clean troop funding bills, keeping terrorists off American soil, and fully funding missile defense.

Read the full document for more specifics. Legislation, much of it blocked by Democrats who have controlled Congress since 2007 (you don't hear them talk about that much when they are blaming Bush for everything), has already been written and introduced which will speed much of the Pledge into law.

Obama and the Democrats have frequently demanded to know what our plan is. They can no longer insist that we have no new ideas or that we will return to the policies of George Bush. But that won't stop them from attacking the Pledge. Partisan attacks is all they have to run with in these last six weeks before the fall election.

Since 2007 Democrats have controlled Congress. For the last 20 months they have controlled the White House as well. They had the power to do whatever they wanted and look at the result:

Take the Citizen's Pledge

In six weeks America will begin the long, slow process of restoring what has been lost. It will be the first of many steps to come but one of the most dramatic and important!

Do what you can to help. Register your friends and family members to vote. Help them fill out applications for absentee ballots if they might find it inconvenient to vote on election day. Talk to your friends and family about the issues. Make whatever monetary or volunteer contribution you can to candidates in your area or across the country.

Today, make your Pledge to being restoring America one vote at a time!