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My Point of View by Brad Kramer

How does politics play a role in your daily life? Politics can seem very intimidating and aggravating, but that is a good reason to get involved. Being elected to a position representing our citizens was never meant to be a career. The more people get aggravated with the process and leave the conversation because of apathy ensures career politicians will not be challenged by voters or new candidates.

As we face new and exciting, but sometimes scary, changes in the world, we are always changing as a society. In a conversation with my daughter who is new to being an adult, I challenged her to always examine her beliefs and values and scrutinize them. Even if I was the one who taught her a belief, she should challenge it with what she learns, and if it doesn’t withstand scrutiny, it is time to examine it. During that conversation, she asked if I recommend investing in NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and cryptocurrency. I couldn’t tell her if she should or not, but that neither was even in our vocabulary when I was raising her. Continuing to learn was her responsibility. The world I had raised her to understand had already changed to include major financial vehicles that will undoubtedly be a big part of her generation’s economy, which even if she doesn’t invest in, she should learn about. Conservative values help us navigate these changing times with core beliefs of accountability, responsibility and duty to our country, so even as we may change how the technology and financial systems operates, we can adapt to changes while holding onto what makes us Americans. Technology may bring changes, but the fundamental values surrounding liberty and freedom that make us Americans must be the lens through which we adapt to change, not trying to adapt liberty and freedom to fit technology.

My great-great-great-grandfather served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Over a few generations, we’ve seen innovations and changes to our world and society that are almost unfathomable, but we are the same species with the same brains and biology as our ancestors who were just discovering such basic amenities like telegraphs, steam engines and kerosene lamps. America’s Founding Fathers laid out the framework for a new nation that would already be drastically different by the time the Civil War broke out. That framework has given us a nation that has been an example of what is possible for the world. 

Rights comes with another word that we do not seem to want to talk about. And that is responsibility. If nobody is willing to fight and die for your “right,” it’s probably not a right. Americans of all ethnicities and backgrounds have served our country because they believe in your rights to free speech, to believe in God, to bear arms, and more, but I highly doubt many would sign up to secure many of the new “rights.” When we identify something as a fundamental right, the other side of that coin is responsibility. Democrats are quick to introduce many things that sound nice as rights but are ill-prepared to be responsible for the security of those rights. As they start to stack the deck with what they consider rights, they quickly cast the responsibility onto “the rich,” whoever that is. I’m sure not “the rich,” but my taxes keep going up uncontrollably to pay for everyone’s “rights.” As I build a business, I pay so many taxes, including payroll taxes that pays into Medicaid among other things, but making sure I can pay my own family’s medical expenses is a bigger challenge. I’m sure every small business owner in town can agree. It’s not “the rich” that pays that tab. The government could secure the entire fortune of our richest elite and still not make a dent in their spending. As they keep throwing new and exciting spending projects out, they keep replying to the question of who will pay for it with, “the rich.” Democratic math doesn’t work. Remember common core math?

If you want your voice heard and your values reflected in our society, you must show up for the conversation and take the responsibility to learn about the issues to the best of your ability to make informed decisions. Leaving those decisions to the experts ensures your voice is replaced by lobbyists and career politicians. We have inherited a nation that has lifted humanity through America’s dedication to the principles of liberty and equality of opportunity. It’s up to us to show up for the discussions on the challenges that arise, like artificial intelligence, global events, the role of media and free speech, education and many more issues that change as fast as we can address them. 

The Freeborn County GOP would like to welcome you to the discussion!

Brad Kramer is a member of the Freeborn County Republican Party.