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Conservatives are the heirs to the Founders' vision. But we have to act like it.

We have become bound by a political straitjacket that frames every debate: Too much federal government. Yet our forefathers forged this system for us. The federal government can accomplish what the states, acting alone or even in concert, cannot.

If we continue to allow the federal government to live beyond its means, we will all soon have to live beneath ours.

Let us seize the special opportunity that is ours to act boldly and decisively at a time when the eyes of our fellow citizens, both present and future, are upon us.

As Democrats, we have a patriotic duty and political imperative to lay out our ideas for protecting America.

We also must pull from our highest ideals of justice and protect against those ills that destabilized our economy - like predatory lending, over-leveraged financial institutions and the unchecked avarice of the past that trumped fairness and common sense. Our platform calls for significant cuts in federal spending.

It is my determination that we, as a party, continue to make that fundamental restatement of liberal values in the politics of our country.

If a liberal political philosophy stands for anything, and I am no longer sure it does, then it must mean that we are committed to the leveling of the playing field for everyone.

The Republican name used to be synonymous with limiting the size and scope of government, and we need to re-establish that reputation. We must work to eliminate government waste, make certain taxpayer dollars go to meaningful programs, and leave resources directly with the people.

Our goal is to displace the entrenched powers in Washington, restore the rightful balance between the state and federal government.