THE PROUD TO BE REPUBLICAN PLEDGE

I am Proud to be Republican.

To be Republican goes beyond anyone political party or person, it is about principles. It is a way of thinking about the world and the best ways to make this country a better place.

To be "Republican" is believing in equal rights, justice and opportunity for all Americans and helping everyone to be the best they can be.

To be "Republican" is the belief that we all have the potential to achieve great things and a belief in the very principles that gave freedom and equality to all Americans after the Civil War and prompted the end of the Cold War.

To be "Republican" is believing that the strength of our nation lies with the individual. To be "Republican" is the belief that we are all responsible for our actions and accountable for our results and in helping those who cannot provide for themselves.

To be Republican is a belief in Freedom:

• Freedom from excessive government regulation ... so we have more control over our own future.
• Freedom from excessive taxation ... so we can keep and spend more of what we earn.
• Freedom in the form of a Free Enterprise system ... so our citizens ultimately control the marketplace.
• Freedom of speech, thought, economic, religious and political choice.
• Freedom for all mankind ... so we can all pursue the American Dream.

To be Republican is the belief in a strong national defense, which our forefathers intended and without which no other freedoms in America could survive.

While I am proud of what Abraham Lincoln did to "free our nation" and of what Ronald Reagan did to "keep our nation free", I am more proud of preserving and believing in the principles they stood for: one nation under God; a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; a nation that is a shining star on top of a hill.

I am proud to be Republican because it is the Party of Lincoln and Reagan. It is the Party of Freedom; Equality; Responsibility; Unity; and the Defender of the Constitution and our unalienable rights, "that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

I am Proud to be Republican and to think Republican and I pledge to uphold these principles, which will assure that America's best days are still ahead.