Freedom
Freedom is the core of all human progress. It is a truly American value. Freedom brought the pilgrims across the Atlantic on the Mayflower; it represented “true north” for millions of enslaved Americans during the Civil War; and calls for freedom awoke the American sleeping giant during the World Wars. We have always been the shining city on a hill, and the flame of freedom has been our beacon to the world.
But more and more, our freedoms are challenged by threats both abroad and domestic. Freedom will always pose a threat to tyrannical dictators and oppressive regimes. I have spent my career in the U.S. Congress trying to expose individuals like Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez for his oppression of the Venezuelan people because I believe the fight for freedom is worthwhile. Freedom is the core of all human progress, but no one is truly free without security. And only when freedom and security exist together, can true prosperity be achieved.