The Next Generation of Leaders

This morning, I was proud to speak at the Young America's Foundation’s 32nd Annual Conservative Student Conference.  The video of my speech is below.  A few quotes:

“They call it the American Dream for a reason: Because it is American. It is unique to this land. Of all the countries in the world, it is America – and ONLY America – that embodies the cherished principle that embodies the cherished principle that every human being has a 'right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,' and that those rights come from our Creator and not from government."

“Last year, the federal budget deficit tripled in size, reaching an all-time record of $1.4 trillion.  We face trillion-dollar deficits for as far as the eye can see.  There is simply not enough money in the world to pay for all of these debts without raising interest rates or devaluing the dollar (or both).  We owe it to our children and grandchildren to stop these ‘spend-and-borrow’ policies that weaken our economy at the expense of China and other powers.” 

“This is a challenging time in the history of our nation; but it’s also an exciting time.  And I hope you’re excited too.  At my town hall meetings, up until 2 years ago, I almost never had people quote the Constitution to me; now it happens all the time.  During President Obama’s first year in office, sales of Atlas Shrugged – which was published over 50 years ago – tripled, reaching over 600,000 new readers.” 

“Because of your commitment, I believe that one day we will look back at the year 2010, and say, ‘That was the year America woke up and reclaimed its destiny; that was the year the American Renaissance began; and that was the year the American Dream was passed down safely to the next generation.’”