Update: after the retreat, Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham outlined our spending game plan.
In defeating Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan changed the course of human history and rescued our nation from its deep malaise.
31 years later -- as we near what would have been Reagan's 100th birthday -- America once again needs rescuing.
Liberals in Washington have controlled the reins of power for two years and have worked hard to undermine the legacy of Ronald Reagan. And to date, they have been devastatingly effective.
Over 14 trillion dollars and rising in deficits, double digit unemployment, big-government health care mandates, higher taxes on job creators, American decline abroad, entitlement spending that is deep in the red and a renewed assault on the American family are all the hallmarks of liberal leadership.
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The temptation is to look at the havoc that has been wrought and be depressed. But we have turned the tide before, and with your help we will do it again.
Our determination to do this is the reason that we are in Simi Valley, California at the Reagan Library right now with the most conservative members of the House of Representatives at a retreat entitled, "In the Steps of Reagan."
We are here not just to honor one of our greatest leaders at the time of his centennial birthday, but more importantly to forge a path forward for our country at this critical juncture.
It is clear to us at Heritage Action that success in this endeavor will take real leadership. And we are encouraged to see the spirit of 1980 alive and well in the hearts and minds of these members of the 112th Congress.
We are only one day in to the three-day meeting, but already the talk from these new leaders is forward-looking, optimistic and some may even say, "sunny". Remind you of anyone?
How do we get back to a Constitutional Congress? That is the question these members are asking over and over again. And it is the question that is informing every policy discussion. This is the right question, because it forces people to think about what our Founders intended.
Over the course of the next couple days we will have conversations about drastically cutting federal spending, connecting with the grassroots (that's you!), spurring economic growth, reforming entitlements, reforming the tax code and much more. But again, the underlying question in all these discussions is about the constitutional role of Congress!
At Heritage Action, we are encouraged that a new crop of leaders in Washington is thinking about the right things and we are excited to be able to help them do this.
But, now it is up to you to help us remind them that they have the support to do more than just think about reforming Washington. Our time is short, and we must follow through with action if we are to truly follow in Reagan's footsteps and rescue our great nation.
Thank you for all you do to help in this cause.
Tim Chapman