I grew up in New England, and by the time I got to high school my family was living in Milford, NH. Back then, much more so than it is today, New Hampshire was truly the “Live Free or Die” state. Almost everyone fiercely guarded their individual liberty and were highly skeptical of big government. They believed in hard work, independence, and the American Dream. These are the values that I grew up with.
By the time 1980 rolled around, I was a sophomore in high school. I hadn’t really thought much about politics at that point in my life. But then my Dad dragged me out to a presidential debate at nearby Nashua High School.
I thought to myself, “Here is a man that believes what I do. He is eloquent, funny, but also a fighter.” I got to shake our future President’s hand that night, and I became an instant fan. I went on to volunteer for his campaign that year, and I am still very proud that I could help.
While President Reagan was certainly charismatic, his greatest strength was that he was a committed conservative. He recognized what our Founders knew – that government needed to be small and was there to secure our individual liberty and preserve the American Dream for all of its citizens. Big government is the antithesis. By attempting to micromanage the lives of its individual citizens, it places the “collective good” above the dignity of the individual.
I still believe in true small government conservatism. The sad part is that much of our once proud Republican Party does not. The establishment and the party leadership of the GOP actually hate true conservatives. For the sake of political expediency, they will still call themselves “conservatives.” However, their actions speak louder than words and their “conservative bona fides” are limited to “We are less liberal than the Democrats.” How sad!
Why it Matters
You might be asking yourself what any of this has to do with our school system? Because we have plenty of Republicans elected to our local school boards, and to other educational offices within the state, who are placing the “common good” over the good of individual students. They refuse to speak out against divisive programs in our schools, like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL), that are intent on creating serfs, instead of creating critical thinkers and well-informed graduates. I will!
I will place the emphasis back onto each of the approximately 25,000 NHCS students. I will place the emphasis back on their academic and future success. I will restore the hope of the American Dream for all of our students.
