Convention of States Action invited our friend Micheal Austin to address the growth of big government to a group of grassroots activists in Olathe on October 18, 2023. Michael is a Free Market Economist, former Chief Economic Advisor for the State of Kansas, President of Knowledge and Decision Economics Consulting firm and State Director of Coalitions for Americans For Prosperity.
Michael brought into focus the two competing philosophies that drive our politics in the 21st century as they have for thousands of years. One view being that we live in a fallen world that requires a system of checks and balances to maintain order. Our founders adhered to this view in their vision of government with limited powers and a robust and engaged citizenry to ensure that our God-given rights were never alienated. The second philosophy being the opposite: mankind is inherently good and everything will work out when we give power to a few and let them decide what is best. These visions of a constrained and unconstrained government have defined our political landscape from the beginning of recorded history.
Let no one misunderstand, Convention of States Action adheres to the philosophy of a limited government, constrained by the people through the checks and balances in our Constitution including our active participation in the political process.
I encourage you to watch Michael's brief address for a couple of reasons. First, Michael shares three important policy issues that will likely dominate the debate in Topeka next year. While there will be other issues including our property rights and election processes, we know that taxation, education and energy will consume a large share of the legislative agenda next year. As engaged citizens we need to be communicating with our legislators to be sure they are representing our views on these issues.
Second, we need to see the bigger picture. This is not just about lower or fairer taxes. It is about our willingness to constrain big government from regularly seizing our earnings and restraining economic growth and individual prosperity. It is not just about ensuring our children have access to a quality education. It is about who decides where and how we spend our education dollars. The unconstrained Utopian vision of society currently dominates public education and we cannot afford this to continue, either economically or morally. It is not just about rising energy rates. It is about an unconstrained energy monopoly asserting harmful policies based on a concocted man-made climate change narrative. A narrative that ultimately seeks to depopulate our planet. And while they are at it, they want to replace our beef with bugs.
The upcoming debates in Topeka will be the battlefields in the continuing great war between good and evil. Let your legislators know where you stand on these issues between now and the start of the 2024 session in January. Don't know how to reach them? Start here.
The coming elections for your city council and school board are front and center. Which candidates adhere to the constrained view of government and are willing to claw back the excesses that have been dug into local government and schools? Do your research and help those candidates. Call them up, make a campaign contribution, put out a yard sign and make sure your friends and family understand the issue and they vote!
Send the link to this page to your friends and ask them to watch Michael's talk and grasp the big picture.
If you have not petitioned your legislators for a Convention of States. Do it now.
- Term limits on Congress and federal officials
- Fiscal restraints on the federal government
- Limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government
