Guest Column by Tracey Mann: Restoring the American Dream

July 2, 2010

Guest Column: Restoring the American Dream

Politicians are killing the American Dream.

For the first time this year, I saw a fireworks stand being put up just east of Great Bend as I returned home to Salina after campaign events in Garden City and Dodge City last week.  My heart pounded with patriotic pride as I reflected on the great gift that we have all been given by being Americans.  However,that feeling quickly turned to anxiety at the direction of our country and then frustration at the politicians that are taking us there.

Simply put, politicians are killing the American Dream.  For more than two hundred years, Americans could look ahead with the satisfaction that the generations that would come after them would inherit a country with more opportunity than ever before and more hopes of happiness, prosperity, and the freedom to live life to the fullest.  Sadly, that is no longer the case.

Politicians have frequently chosen to look after their own careers and not the interests of the country.  Too often they are working to win reelection or get promoted to the next political office rather than doing what is right for “we the people”.  The result?  A federal government that has doubled in size in the past ten years, a$1.5 trillion dollar deficit adding onto our crippling $13 trillion national debt, a federal takeover of health care, a border that is not secure, a national unemployment rate hovering around 10% and a country that is not willing to stand up for life, traditional marriage, the second amendment or our veterans.  It is hard to believe that future generations will have the same opportunities that we have had.

So how did we get to this place?  One bad decision at a time.  How are we going to get out of it?  We must stop promoting politicians and instead elect leaders with experience in small business and agriculture.  Our Founding Fathers never intended for a political resume to be a requirement to serve in Congress.  It is time for a generation of public servants of all ages without political backgrounds willing to make hard decisions now instead of passing the buck to the next generation.  We need servant leaders more concerned with doing their job than with keeping their job and who are willing to make decisions that are best for America regardless of popularity or whether or not they will win the next election.

During my campaign for Congress, I have released my Mann Plan to get our country and Congress back on track.  Though not popular with many in Washington, I have been surprised and humbled by how it has been positively received as I have spoken about it in every one of the 69 counties that make up the Big First.

I believe our campaign is on the right track because I know that this campaign is not about me, or any of the candidates.  It is about you.  It is about “We the People.”  It is about you telling the government what to do, not the government telling you what to do.  It is about the enduring dream that says when you work hard, play by the rules and try to care for your family, you can leave the next generation a little better off.  If the people of the 1stDistrict decide I’m the best person to represent them in Congress they can know that I’ll never forget who I represent and, more importantly, I’ll never forget the ideas and dream that has made this country great.

Tracey Mann is a candidate in the Republican primary for Congress in the 1st District.

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