Discerning Citizen grew out of a passion I have developed in recent years for learning about the Founding of our nation and its philosophical underpinnings. This site is a "brain dump" of sorts for the things I have learned in my studies over the past five years. Considering the incredible volume of material out there I know that what I have studied thus far is only scratching the surface, but it is clear to me that our nation has strayed far from the original course of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets that our Founders set for it. Our government is not as limited as it once was, having evolved into a $3 trillion fiscal sinkhole with endless red ink that grows more meddlesome and intrusive with each passing year. We are no longer a "modest republic" that seeks peace through trade and otherwise largely minds it's own business. Instead we have become a global empire with military bases all over the world that topples sovereign governments and uses bombs and missiles to "export" our way of life. We no longer have free markets due to regulation and taxes that have encouraged companies to take their jobs to cheaper nations overseas. Our savings are being robbed through an intentional policy of monetary inflation that has resulted in the debasement of our currency and the accompanying rising cost of living. Most critically, we have forgotten that our rights come from God and that it is the proper role of government to "secure" our rights and otherwise leave us alone.

   As citizens, we must never forget that the leaders we select and the decisions they make will have a direct impact on our freedoms and the character of the nation we leave to our descendants. Will we leave our children a nation as free and just as the one we inherited from our ancestors? My hope is that what I have learned will help others see today's issues through the lens of the Judeo-Christian, classical liberal* worldview that birthed this nation. My hope is that it will be apparent how important it is that Americans today not evaluate policies and candidates through a Democrat or Republican lens, but through the lens of our Founding values. Only by doing this can we we protect our freedoms for future generations and be more discerning citizens.

- M. Roberts

June 16, 2008

*Classical liberalism is a philosophy that grew out of the Enlightenment that emphasized natural law, (the laws of God), reason, individual liberty (as embodied in our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property), free markets, and limited government. Classical liberalism is at its core a philosophy of freedom, emphasizing the belief that the proper role of government is to protect the unalienable rights of the people and otherwise leave them free to manage their own lives.