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America Speaking Out: Restoring the Bond of Trust

By: Congressman Jeb Hensarling (Diary)  |  May 25th, 2010 at 07:00 AM  | 

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With congressional disapproval ratings wallowing between 65%-75%, it’s clear that Americans have lost faith in the bond between themselves and their elected leaders. As a conservative, I sense that Americans no longer trust Washington to promote solutions to our nation’s challenges that do not mortgage our children’s futures. What’s most frustrating is the reality that Washington refuses to have a real conversation with the American people about the direction of our nation. Many Americans believe that leaders in Washington have lost touch with those who sent them there – the people. If you believe, as I do, that it is past time to put ‘We the People’ back in our nation’s driver’s seat, I invite you to join America Speaking Out.

America Speaking Out allows you to be at the genesis of a discussion that will lead to a new congressional governing agenda. Through America Speaking Out, ‘We the People’ have the opportunity to offer positive solutions to our challenges. After all, the best ideas come from Americans who work hard and pay the taxes.

America Speaking Out is a state-of-the-art platform that allows you to share your priorities and ideas for a national policy agenda. You can suggest your own solutions and provide feedback on the ideas of others. Everyone can see the solutions that are on the table, make comments on them, and register their approval or disapproval. It brings the halls of Congress into American homes and uses the best of social media to allow America’s many voices to be heard.

As the former Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, I am excited that Republicans have created www.AmericaSpeakingOut.com in recognition that the American people are in charge. We serve in “The People’s House,” and the people deserve to have a say in the way it is run and the policies it passes. It’s critical for any new agenda to begin with the people.

We want to have a conversation with the American people about a new direction, but we don’t come without our own ideas. The new governing agenda will fit within a principled, conservative framework based on limited, more accountable government; economic freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values, and the Constitution; and providing for strong national security.

Clearly our nation is on an unsustainable path of too much spending, too much taxation and too much Washington in our everyday lives. So many of us are frustrated that we are living in an America that looks much different than the America that promised unlimited opportunity as a birthright. Now is your chance to be part of the discussion about how we should go about solving these problems.

I encourage you to join America Speaking Out and to attend one of the America Speaking Out town hall meetings in the weeks and months to come. It’s time to give power back to the American people and restore these broken bonds of trust.

www.AmericaSpeakingOut.com

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COMMENTS

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  • http://charlemagne-the-hammer.blogspot.com/ DerKrieger

    ‘I sense that Americans no longer trust Washington to promote solutions to our nation?s challenges…” because there is nothing outside Congress’ enumerated powers that I want them promoting solutions to. That is part of the problem Rep. Hensarling, too many in DC believe that the solutions to our “problems” have to begin and end in DC. How about you just leave us alone to figure it out for ourselves at the local and state levels if we even need government in the first place.

  • wolfster38

    For our elected employees

    http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=400175

    http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00024922

    http://www.votesmart.org/speech.php?can_id=49827

    • libertyshrugged

      and about time for Republicans to embrace technology in this way. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up like the typical “suggestion box” where the input is ignored.

      For me, I cannot create an id nor login, so a critical technical issue needs to be fixed to make it more accessible. (I use a Mac with Safari). I’m chomping at the bit to get aboard and offer constructive ideas.

      • libertyshrugged

        I have now been able to register and await my email confirmation. thx.

        • texasgalt

          Club for Growth:

          Nine lawmakers, all Republicans, received perfect scores from the organization: Georgia Reps. Paul Broun and John Linder, Arizona Reps. Jeff Flake and John Shadegg, Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx, Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, California Rep. Tom McClintock.

          http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37349.html

      • jiminga

        I looked at some of the ideas on the site and easily came to the conclusion this is a waste of bandwidth. Our true conservative congressmen (not RINOs) know exactly what we want, and so does the administration. After November we hope someone will act on what we want and need.

        • RedLeader

          Why in God’s name did you pay for this web site with taxpayer money? Not only is it wrong, it’s just plain dumb. You’re now telling the American people that you can’t figure out what we want you to do unless you spend our money trying to collect our thoughts…and we’re supposed to thank you for this?!

          The GOP has zero credibility with the public, and this stunt proves just how disconnected Congress really is. Why anyone in the House Republican Caucus thought it would be a good idea to spend taxpayer money to hear how much we want you to cut spending is beyond me. Not to mention the fact that you’re walking questionable legal lines here. Why didn’t the campaign committee just pay for this effort? Ugh…it’s stuff like this that makes me seriously considering leaving the party.

          • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

            on the way out….

          • RedLeader

            I assume then that you have no problem with Congress using your tax money on what is obviously a campaign effort?

          • Achance

            It doesn’t say either on the site or in the article how it is funded. Could just as likely be NRCC or some other mechanism. Yet, unless you have some specific knowlege, you just went off like a bottle rocket over something you don’t know.

          • RedLeader

            The FCC regulates that anything paid for by a political committee a) must be for political purposes and b) must have a disclaimer. Second, if you spend ten seconds on the Internet, they tell you it’s paid for with caucus funds, and that they know that they’re walking a fine legal line here. See this article in Roll Call for one: http://www.rollcall.com/issues/55_138/news/46679-1.html.

            It’s a glaring example of the disconnect between Washington and everyone else. They just don’t get it…they really don’t.

          • Martin Knight

            Posers are so annoying …

          • tngal

            And we ARE frustrated. We appreciate the opportunity to present our ideas. We do it daily, on any blog or to any neighbor we run across. But our solutions and suggestions go unanswered, because right now we’re not holding the majority of seats.

            Whether its tort referm, term limits, entitlements, amnesty, jobs, cap and tax, deficit, foreign allies and enemies, you name it. We have voiced our opinions and we have offered solutions. We hold rallies, call our legislators, visit their offices. fax and email. Sometimes the solution is just to vote no. Other times its more complicated like anchor babies but solutions have been offered.

            Thank you for offering another venue to air our concerns. Hopefully, when we get the majority of seats our concerns will finally be addressed.

            .

  • mkozikowski

    This sounds like a good idea. The American Forum for Republicans cannot be a bad thing.

    But, I believe that we are already experiencing this activity right here.

    I have seem many Congress persons post on this site. Why would we be looking to start a new venue? This site is huge and is already populated with the people to which we (conservatives) are already listening.

    Perhaps the new site should just point back to a reference to RedState.

    You remember the old adage?

    “United we stand, divided we fall”!

    Let us all stay united here! Instead of dividing ourselves to lay victims to the wolves and vultures.

    • libertyshrugged

      Having browsed the site, there is a big difference in the way issues are organized. With a good participation, this will allow specific issues to indicate what is more important and enable conservatives to fine tune policy. Who knows, maybe Republican and Tea Party thinking may get closer and more unified as a result?

      By contrast, RedState is focused chronologically according to the issues of the day. We all need to look beyond critique and get more constructive.

  • cwilson

    but I have to ask, Do we really need Yet Another Website?

    If you’ve been paying attention AT ALL, you already KNOW what we — conservatives, the Tea Partiers, disaffected Democrats — want you to do.

    Cut The Fracking Spending.
    Stop the @#^!#$ Borrowing.
    Stop the Growth of Government — where government expands, freedom shrinks (examples too numerous to mention…but I’ll mention one: the FTC’s end-around on SCOTUS, by reclassifying the internet…)
    Guard the Border.
    Oppose New Taxes (like Cap N Tax).
    Repeal ObamaCare.

    I think that pretty much covers it — and it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out — or a new website. It takes You Guys, actually DOING it. (Granted, until Pelosi — and later, Reid and Obama — are democratically deposed, all you can do is hold the line. So do that.)