Winning Back America (Rep. Mike Pence)

First out of the gate was the $787
billion so-called stimulus bill that was nothing more than a wish-list
of liberal spending priorities.  Following the policies of more
spending and more debt — the same policies that got us into this mess
— would not get our economy moving again.  House Republicans responded
with an economic recovery plan that would have delivered immediate tax
relief to struggling Americans.

The Republican plan embodied
conservative principles that have always led to economic prosperity —
tax relief for working Americans and small businesses. When the votes
were counted, a majority of Democrats defeated our proposal yet stood
stunned as every House Republican said “no” to more government and more
debt.  

That vote was a defining moment for House Republicans as
it put the White House and Democratic congressional leadership on
notice that the time to go along to get along was over.  

But
Democrats didn’t get the message.  Instead of working with Republicans
on solutions to get our country back on track, they continued down the
road of big government and out of control spending.

In fact,
as national unemployment continued its climb toward a heartbreaking 10
percent, the White House and Democrat congressional leaders unveiled
one job-killing idea after another.  Their budget-busting proposals
will cost $3.7 trillion and raise taxes by hundreds of billions of
dollars.

They introduced an energy tax that would raise energy
prices on businesses and homes and inflict more pain at the pump.  And
despite enormous pubic opposition, they continue to try and pass a
government takeover of health care that they wrote with special
interests behind closed doors.  The Senate-passed plan is 2,700 pages
long, will raise taxes, raise health care costs, mandate insurance and
fund abortion coverage.  

These may be the challenges we face
but the solutions are not found in the halls of Congress or in the
offices of government bureaucrats.  There are found in the common sense
of the American people — at kitchen tables, in tractors and combines
and coffee shops across this great land.

Whether it is working
toward energy independence, lowering health care costs or fixing our
economy, we labor in vain unless we put the American people at the
center of our future.

That is why House Republicans have offered
American solutions to the challenges we face, not government
solutions.  We introduced a comprehensive strategy to achieve energy
independence, common-sense reform to lower health care costs, and a
responsible federal budget that lowers deficits without raising taxes. 
You can learn more about our solutions by visiting gop.gov/solutions.

If
the events of this past year taught us anything, it’s that the American
people want us to win their country back.  And Republicans are fighting
to do just that.  We will seize every opportunity to take our ideas and
proposals to the president, to Democrats in Congress, and to the
people.  Most importantly, we will continue to fight for the common
sense and common values of the American people in 2010.

There
are some liberals in power who feel that victory is near, but the
American people can rest assured that House Republicans have only begun
to fight.  We are in a battle to preserve all that makes America great
and now is the time to do our duty.  

The freight train of big
government may be losing steam but liberals in Washington won’t give up
without a fight.  House Republicans are in the fight.  But we need your
help.  

Do all you can because a minority in Congress plus the
American people equals a majority.  With your help we can win back
America.  

Crossposted from Human Events.