Although I've always called myself a Republican, over the years my politics have spanned a wide spectrum, shaped by my personal experiences.

Before I owned my own business, for instance, I never gave much thought to business taxes. But to be sure, once I had the experience of paying the business tax-collector every month, I formed a strong opinion about business taxes. And I became much more interested in how those tax dollars were spent. I became more interested in the people that made those decisions. I then wanted to help recruit and elect new representatives.

That is a natural progression of political activism. I think we can all identify with that progression. If you think about your own experiences you may identify with specific events that have shaped your political viewpoint. You may think of an experiencethat has attracted, repelled, refined or shaped your own political spectrum.

It is important to recognize that we all have a different set of experiences. We are each unique, and our politics are not precisely the same. I believe this is what brings rise to what I call republican qualifiers, such as 'moderate' republican, or 'socially conservative' republican. It is a shorthand we use to communicate with our peers. We are telling them where we fall along the political spectrum. And I would argue, we are really communicating our own personal experiences that have shaped our politics.

We have a tendency to become miopic in our idea of exactly where we fall on this spectrum. And we judge people whether they fall a little bit more right or left of us on a particular issue.

If you have an issue or two that are important to you, I encourage you to embrace those ideas and bring your voice forward within the party. I'm hoping to have more discussion on a broader range if issues and we need you.

And I challenge you, after you have brought your voice forward, whether the party reflects precisely the way you think of your issue or not, pan back and take a look at the party. Ask yourself, "Are we bringing forward the spirit of the Consitution?" Are we upholding the ideals of self-reliance, limited, responsible government and the protection of individual and inalienable rights?

I may never think exactly as you do on every issue. All that means to me is that I have had a different set of life experiences. My idea of politics have been molded a little bit differently than yours. That makes me no more, nor no less a Republican. I will unabashedly announce I'm a Republican without qualifiers.

And whether or not you are a reflecting pool of my each and every thought, I will fight as an equal alongside you in our quest for freedom. Together our voice will be heard in the neighborhoods around our county. We will call out those that think government is the solution to each an every problem. We will find and add to our voice those that believe in self-reliance and free enterprise. We will work tirelessly with one voice until our country turns from the populist ideas of nationalism and wholy embraces the ideas of our founding fathers and their gifts to us: The Delclaration of Independence and the Constitution.