Yet today, we have placed the government in the role that was reserved for citizenship. In our recent efforts to create a more perfect Union, we have relied too much on the government and too little on ourselves. We have forgotten that self-government demands the habits and virtues required for such a government. At some point, we decided that goodness for the nation simply came from the greatness of government. But the greatness of our nation can never be measured by the size of our GDP, or even the strength of our armies.
National greatness rises from personal goodness.
That is the starting point for ending the era of big government and beginning the era of an unlimited America. Our mission is to re-limit the federal government, to release economic opportunity for all our citizens, and to renew our families and our culture. Fifteen years ago, President Ronald Reagan spoke before the British Parliament and made a prediction that shook the world. Many of Reagan's listeners thought he was dreaming. But Reagan had faith in freedom.