7 Principles of Sound Governance
Limited Governance
Government is constitutionally mandated, and some would argue divinely ordained as a source of good for the people by restraining evil and protecting the peoples lives, institutions, and traditions. Yet for many, government has become bloated, corrupt, and inefficient, as self-justifying institution exempt from assessment or appraisal. Legitimate government operates only by the consent of the governed and is more efficient and less corrupt when it is limited in its size and scope. Since the fundamental activity of any organization is to grow, constant vigilance is required to keep government activities within bounds, including decentralization of authority and periodic elimination of unnecessary regulations and bureaucracy.
Transparency
Government must be accountable to the people, or it becomes answerable only to itself: unmoored, renegade and ultimately hostile to the interests of the people. The best protection against government overreach is an engaged and informed electorate. Government must develop and employ means of continuously reporting its activities and finances to the people. Judicial and legislative oversight over the executive branch must be faithfully performed. Watchdog agencies must be maintained and fully funded.
Fiscal Prudence
Government at all levels has a moral and constitutional responsibility: to live within its means; bring spending under control; operate under balanced budgets; constrain open-ended entitlement programs; eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse; and maintain regular order and accountability in the budget and appropriations process. Societal problems are best addressed by community and commercial actors. Government operated solutions either by government employees or captive non-government organizations should be used only as the resolution of last resort. Taxes on commerce, such as ambiguous energy taxes are inflationary, taxing future as well as current generations and should be avoided.
Rule Of Law
The rule of law is our foundation of a government of laws and not of men. To maintain ordered liberty and a civilized society, public and private virtue should be encouraged; and justice must be administered equally and impartially to all. Each branch of government must adhere to the United States and Washington State Constitutions. In American, everyone who plays by the rules should get a fair shot, while those who flaunt the rules should be punished in accordance with the rule of law while being offered a path to rehabilitation preferred over punishment. Adequate funding and full staffing of Law Enforcement and Prosecutorial offices is a must for expeditious justice and protection of the innocent.
Free Markets
Free markets inspire innovation, economic expansion, and improvement in quality of life as risk-takers, entrepreneurs and business owners are given the liberty to pursue the American dream and create more jobs and upward mobility for more people. Government distorts free markets. Government intervention and regulation in the marketplace should be restricted. The people are better qualified to make decisions about their own lives and finances than bureaucrats and the private sector will outperform the public sector in nearly every scenario. The free enterprise system rewards hard work and self-sacrifice and is the basis and genius of the American economy.
Individual Freedom
In America, we proclaim the self-evident truths that all of us are created equal and granted by God the same inherent freedoms, such as the natural unalienable rights to life, liberty, conscience, free speech, the free exercise of religion, and the ability to pursue happiness, own property, build wealth and defend ourselves and our families. The purpose of government is to secure these rights, and the ideas we advance should always aim to maintain and increase the liberty of the American people.
Human Dignity
Your life matters. Every human life has inestimable dignity and value and every person should be measured only by the content of their character. A just government: protects life regardless of age or ability; honors marriage and family as the primary institutions of a healthy society; encourages its people to thrive in communities of their choice; and embraces the vital cultural influences of religion and morality. Public policy should emphasize the quality of hard work as the pathway out of poverty, while maintaining the virtue of providing meaningful assistance to those who are truly in need. Private assistance should always be preferred over public support.