Today American traditions, culture, politics, and economy are all in significant decline. Since 1979 Gallup polling has measured America’s confidence in 16 of our major institutions. The latest poll, July 2023, shows the lowest level ever of popular trust in these institutions proportionally at 26%. Only two institutions enjoy a majority of trust, the military and small business. In essence “We’ve Gone from Trust to Bust”! We believe a return to Republican principles, shown below, offers our country a pathway to reclaim our government and we will rebound to the Constitutional Republic the Founders intended.

U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson, Utah, in 2018 drafted this short summary of the central beliefs of American conservatives to help anchor the work of the Republican Study Committee in the timeless principles that made our nation the freest, strongest, and most prosperous in human history.

1. Individual Freedom: In America we proclaim the self-evident truths that all of us are created equal and granted by God the same inherent freedoms, such as the natural and unalienable right to life, liberty, conscience, free speech and the free exercise of religion, and the ability to pursue happiness, own property build wealth and defend ourselves and our families. The purpose of government is to secure these rights, and the ideas we advance should always aim to maintain and increase the liberty of the American people.
2. Limited Government: When applied as written, our incomparable Constitution provides important safeguards against government encroachment, a vital separation of powers, and a necessary system of checks and balances.
3. The Rule of Law: Ours is “a government of laws and not of men,” and the rule of law is our foundation. To maintain ordered liberty and a civilized society, public and private virtue should be administered equally and impartially to all. Each branch of government must adhere to the Constitution, and the judicial branch must not be allowed to assume or exercise legislative or executive powers.
4. Peace through Strength: The first obligation of the federal government is to provide for the “Common defense” of the United States by protecting our homeland and our strategic interests aboard.
5. Fiscal Responsibility: Because government has refused to live within its means, America is facing an unprecedented debt and spending crisis. Federal debt now exceeds $31 trillion, and our current fiscal path is unsustainable and dangerous, jeopardizing our nation’s economic growth, stability, and the security of future generations. Congress has a moral and constitutional duty to resolve the crisis, bring spending under control, balance the federal budget, reform, and modernize entitlement programs, eliminate fraud, waste and abuse, pursue continued pro-growth tax reforms and permanent tax reductions, and restore regular order and accountability in the budget and appropriations processes.
6. Free Markets: Government often stands as the greatest obstacle to the progress and prosperity of free people. Free markets and free trade agreements allow for innovation, improvement, and economic expansions as risk-takers, entrepreneurs and business owners are given the liberty to pursue the American dream and create more jobs and upward mobility for more people.
7. Human Dignity: Because all men are created equal and in the image of God, every human life has inestimable dignity and value, and every person should be measured only the content of their character. A just government protects life, honors marriage and family as the primary institutions of a healthy society, and embraces the vital cultural influences of religion and morality. Public policy should always encourage education and emphasize the virtue of hard work as a pathway out of-poverty, while public assistance programs should be reserved only for those who are truly in need. In America, everyone who plays by the rules should get a fair shot.