I often speak about the motto of my alma mater, West Point: “Duty, Honor, Country,” and how these three words play a critical role in shaping our campaign message.  Clearly, after the time I’ve spent talking with people across Wisconsin–and across the country–over the past 15 months of campaigning to be Wisconsin’s next U.S. Senator, “Duty, Honor, Country” is as much a part of your motivations as it is mine.  I’m proud to call you fellow conservatives; I’m proud to call you friends…

…and never before has the need for us to draw a line in the sand in defense of liberty been more important…or so worth sacrificing for.

A Sacrifice That Matches The Need

I’ve put my entire life on hold and I’ve thrown all the resources I have into this race.  These sacrifices–on face value–are not distinctive.  What is unique, however, is the fact that I am missing time with my children (12, 7, and 3) who are each going through a phase in their life where I can add value and play an important role.  While my family and I recognized this cost prior to my candidacy, no one else in this race has children as young as mine, which gives me a completely different perspective on this campaign…and a significantly more intense reason to fight.  I haven’t already lived the American Dream–I’m still pursuing it and want to ensure it’s viable for all American generations–current and future.  Put simply, I’m not just sacrificing money–which can be replaced, I’m sacrificing formative time away from my kids…which is irreplaceable.  I’m completely willing to make this sacrifice, however, because our country–because this fight–is that important to me…and it is a lesson that must be passed on to Americans of all ages: stand up and fight for what you know is right, regardless of the sacrifices.

That’s what made America great, and it’s what will carry us through these times.

The Mission

We’re facing challenging times right now.  Our economy has been in recession for more than a year, we have record numbers of unemployed Americans, and with tax increases looming it doesn’t appear that things are on pace to immediately improve.  We’re engaged in a war on terror in two nations overseas with the constant threat of that expanding other areas, all the while we’re seeing terrorist attacks succeeding here on our own soil because our federal government has been negligent in keeping us safe.  Along similar lines, we have a tremendous problem with illegal immigration and the far-reaching implications it has on everything from education to health care to housing to drug trafficking to national security and so on.

We can do better.  American Exceptionalism doesn’t tolerate these problems.  Neither do I…and there’s nothing I won’t do to ensure our nation’s future is secure.

Strike Swiftly.  Strike Boldly.

Fixing our economy is simple—we MUST stop the out of control spending in Washington and reform our tax code so that we all have more of the money we earn in our pockets each pay period.  We should eliminate the current progressive tax code that allows 53% of Americans to avoid paying federal taxes altogether and migrate toward a consumption based system that doesn’t require citizens to file an annual tax return, lowers the tax obligation for nearly ALL Americans, ensures that everyone participates and finally gives hard-working Americans the ability to determine how much money they want to send to Washington in the form of taxes. That’s real control over your government.

Next, we need to recognize that the War on Terror will not be won relying solely on antiquated legislation like the Patriot Act.  Our enemy knows how to work around it and is forcing us to rely on failed detonation systems to be our only safeguard against car bombs in New York City and underwear and shoe bombs in our skies.  This is not a sound strategy and is one that needs to be replaced immediately.  We need leaders who will help determine a victory strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan—then allow our armed forces to pursue it instead of bogging them down in politically-correct rules of engagement that do little more than make our sons and daughters…our brothers and sisters…sitting targets.

Finally, we need to take illegal immigration seriously.  This means actually enforcing the laws we currently have on the books, sealing the borders, sending those who are here illegally home, and ending the incentives that our government gives immigrants to come here illegally.

A Reason For Optimism

We’ve faced challenges like this before.  We’ve been through hard times before.  We’ve had big-government elitists tell us that they know how to make decisions for us better than we can for ourselves before…and each time, Americans—like you and me—have stood up and said “not on our watch.”  This time is no different.  I’m heartened by America’s dedication toward moving this country forward, but I’m also extremely optimistic about our future.  I know that–together–we can stand up to and overcome anything that threatens our liberty.  Together, we’ll demand accountability, integrity, and character from our elected officials.  Together, we’ll ensure that this nation has a new birth in liberty and that this nation of the people, by the people, and for the people shall never perish from the earth.

I am honored to stand with you in our constant battle to preserve this nation we all love…and I look forward to watching the dawn break on a new morning in America with you this November.

God bless.

www.davewestlake.org