"Let us raise a standard."

By Siena Hoefling

January 16, 2009


America ’s Independent Party promises to do things differently. We believe, with George Washington, that we must "raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair," and leave the rest to God.

To raise that standard, we hold to principles by which the people may govern themselves. These include the principles of natural law that were appealed to by our Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, and that then illuminated our constitutional system. These also include principles of personal integrity, including wisdom, honesty, and faith.

Faith must be considered a first principle in everything we do in party business, in public service, and in personal life. For, faith is based on the premise that God blesses His handiwork. We must believe that God has an interest in our national survival, and that He therefore must be sought for as the Chief Architect of our work. Our challenge is to do what is right in accordance with His will, and trust that it is always the best approach to take.

Benjamin Franklin advised the same spirit at the drafting of the Constitution. In a speech on the convention floor in Philadelphia, he said:

[T]he longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

We have been assured . . . in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and byword down to future ages.

The Founders laid this sure foundation. To hope that our projects may be blessed to restore the republic these men built, we surely must be as faithful. This means rising above the world’s methods and putting aside the folly of human stratagems. "If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work?" inquired George Washington of the convention delegates to whom he encouraged to raise the standard.

In our policy agendas, recruitment methods, fundraising tools, and all aspects of the party, we must stand faithfully on the foundational principles we preach. Then the fruit we bear will be a pleasing invitation to all of like mind to join us.

So that our cry may be "God bless America!" let our work be His work.