In 1976, Ronald Reagan was asked to write a letter about issues confronting the world for a time capsule to be opened a century later.
Many challenges Reagan mentioned, including inflation, social unrest, and a distrust of our leaders in Washington, sound all too familiar today.
The United States, Reagan wrote, had to choose "between continuing the policies…that have led to bigger and bigger government, less and less liberty, redistribution of earnings through confiscatory taxation… or trying to get back on the original course set for us by the Founding Fathers."
"Will we choose fiscal responsibility, limited government, and freedom of choice for all our people?" Reagan asked. "Or will we let an irresponsible Congress set us on the road…to economic ruin and state control of our very lives?"
Too few of our lawmakers in Congress are willing to choose liberty and personal responsibility. And too many have led us down a path of hopelessness, distrust, cynicism, statism, and division.
For the sake of our country today -- and for it to survive another 100 years -- that has to change. And I want to help lead that change.
That's why I'm proud to announce my candidacy for United States Congress to represent the people of Nevada's 3rd congressional district.
I was raised by a single mom in rural Appalachia. She worked at Walmart during the day and cleaned offices at night to make ends meet. Times were tough.
But when we -- and others in our community -- needed a hand, we didn't look to the government. Neighbors, family, our church, and our friends supported each other. White, black, gay, straight, Democrat, or Republican, it didn't matter. We all pitched in when someone needed a meal, a few bucks, or help around the house.
And that's the way it should be.
When I was a kid, I was zoned to attend failing schools. My family lied and said I lived with my grandparents, who lived in a much better school district. That one decision changed the course of my life. Despite coming from a lower-income family, I was able to get a quality education and go on to attend college and grad school.
That inspired my belief that every student deserves the opportunity to attend the school best suited to their needs and learning style.
While in grad school for public policy, I dedicated my life to advancing personal liberty, human rights, and limited government.
I'm proud that I've spent over 20 years working at think tanks, media outlets, and grassroots organizations fighting to allow people to live their American Dream.
Along the way, my wife and I started our own small business, and we've been able to live our American Dream, too. But it wasn't always easy.
I lived in my car while I founded a nonprofit committed to exposing government corruption and wasteful spending, and promoting personal freedom. My work eventually led to lower taxes on working Americans, fewer regulations on minority small business owners, and improved government transparency.
My story is very different from Susie Lee, who represents Nevada's 3rd congressional district today. She has never had to work a day in her life. She has no idea what it's like to scrounge up spare change to pay for gas.
The toughest decision she has to make is whether to fly private or first class.
She has used her position to become even richer. Her shady insider stock trades have made her millions of dollars – all while she ignores the very people who elected her and Americans suffocate under the weight of skyrocketing inflation.
In other words, she is exactly the kind of leader weakening our great country, and whose decisions will leave America a shadow of its former self for our children and grandchildren.
I am running for Congress to repair our country today, and to make America a better place 100 years from now.
I will fight for an honest, ethical, transparent government that respects the Constitution.
I will prioritize strengthening the economy and reducing inflation. We must stop printing money we don't have to pay for things we don't need. We must also reduce energy prices and secure our national security by stopping extremists' war against our domestic energy supplies.
I'll ensure Americans' hard-earned dollars are well-spent. As one of America's best-known and most-effective government watchdogs, I've already saved taxpayers more than $60 billion in my career by exposing wasteful government spending.
I will stand up for America's seniors and ensure they receive the Social Security benefits they worked for their whole lives, while making the program solvent for future generations. And I'll demand we secure our southern border and stop the flow of violent cartels, human traffickers, and deadly Fentanyl into our communities.
Finally, I believe in healing the rifts created by politicians, media, and special interests. In these contentious times, we must elect people willing to heal wounds, unite us as Americans, and govern without abusing power.
Thinking of the Americans reading his letter a century in the future, Reagan wrote, "If we here today meet the challenges confronting us, those who open that time capsule 100 years from now will do so in beauty, peace, prosperity, and the ultimate in personal freedom."
"If we don't keep our rendezvous with destiny, the letter probably will never be read, because they will live in… a world in which no one is allowed to read of individual liberty or freedom of choice."
I invite you to join our fight to meet the challenges confronting us so that we may keep our generation's rendezvous with destiny. Please visit our website at www.DrewForNevada.com to learn more about me, donate, and find out how you can help take back one of the most winnable seats in America.
With principled leadership, respect for one another regardless of our differences, and a dedication to the values that made the United States the freest, most prosperous country the world has ever known, we can safeguard peace, prosperity, and personal freedom for Americans today -- and 100 years from now.
Drew Johnson is a Republican candidate for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district. He is a columnist, government watchdog, and tax, budget, and energy policy analyst who serves as a scholar at several free market think tanks.
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