You might have heard me talk about our organization's Governing by Principle campaign, which coincides with this year's election campaign for legislative and statewide offices. We have identified ten principles we believe are essential for setting and evaluating state-level public policy.
We'll be publishing a primer that describes these principles in conversational language, and we'll be sending that to all the candidates - and to you if you request one.
What are the principles? The first few are these:
1. Government exists to protect rights, not create them.
2. The legitimate power of government begins and ends with the people, while its authority comes from the Creator.
3. Just because a problem exists doesn't mean government should try to fix it.
4. Long-term and cumulative consequences should be considered more carefully than short-term benefits.
5. Government has nothing to give anyone except what it first takes from someone else.
To get a copy of this primer, go to mspolicy.org, or call us at Triple 8 MS Policy.