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How to submit a column It's often repeated in stories about me or my race for U.S. Senate that I am a "libertarian." In my mind, the word "libertarian" has become an emotionally charged, and often misunderstood, word in our current political climate. But, I would argue very strongly that the vast coalition of Americans — including independents, moderates, Republican s, conservatives and "Tea Party" activists — share many libertarian points of view, as do I. I choose to use a different phrase to describe my beliefs — I consider myself a constitutional conservative, which I take to mean a conservative who actually believes in smaller government and more individual freedom. The libertarian principles of limited government, self-reliance and respect for the Constitution are embedded within my constitutional conservatism, and in the views of countless Americans from across the political spectrum. Our Founding Fathers were clearly libertarians, and constructed a Republic with strict limits on government power designed to protect the rights and freedom of the citizens above all else. Our deep respect for these principles of liberty and the laws that protected them are what allowed America to become the greatest, most prosperous nation in human history. Other principles shared by libertarians and traditional conservatives will be familiar to most, because they are the story of our greatness. They include sound money (meaning a dollar that keeps its value over time); a foreign policy of peace through strength, of neither military weakness nor overreaching nation-building; and a government that lives within its means and abides by the limits set forth in the Constitution. These are the views that unite many conservatives and libertarians. And they form the basis for my campaign this year, one that has struck a chord with Republicans, independents, libertarians, and Tea Party activists. Trouble started decades ago Our current economic crisis, the recent bailouts and the overreach of the one-party rule in Washington have crystallized something for millions of Americans — that something has gone terribly wrong. And it didn't start in 2008. It goes back decades. More and more power became centralized in Washington, D.C., as the federal government responded to every new crisis — from the Great Depression to the Great Recession of today — by expanding its reach deeper into all of our lives. Now Washington forces us to buy health insurance while limiting our choices. Programs must fit its bureaucratic standards, effectively putting government in control of what medicines and treatments millions of Americans can get. The bailouts and federal takeovers of the past two years have made the federal government the nation's top mortgage lender and a major player in auto manufacturing, as well as Wall Street's ATM of first and last resort. This departure from the limited government envisioned by the Founders has encouraged too many Americans to forget their heritage of freedom. When there is a problem, Washington tells us, more government is the solution. A careful look at some libertarian views, however, could reawaken in us the virtues this nation was founded upon: hard work, individual responsibility, families and neighbors taking care of one another, and honest competition in the marketplace — not phony competition in which politicians deem favored businesses "too big to fail." The people's role What the Founders intended, and what many libertarians today want, is something different: a federal system that keeps decision-making close to the people. The federal government should not do what the states can do for themselves, the states should not do what local governments can do for themselves, and local governments should not do what families, faith groups and individuals can do for themselves. The Founders understood, however, that the federal government has important roles to play, both in protecting our nation and in protecting the rights of its citizens. State and local governments can exceed their powers and injure citizens' rights just as the federal government can. That's why the Constitution explicitly forbids states to do certain things, such as issue their own currency. Before the Constitution was ratified, states created inflationary currencies to defraud creditors. Sometimes federal action is necessary to correct violations of rights at the state and local levels. Liberty is secure in a federal system when the federal government and the states check one another, not when either side completely dominates the other at the expense of freedom. Liberty is our heritage; it's the thing constitutional conservatives like myself wish to preserve, which is why Ronald Reagan declared in 1975, "I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." I am sure that this belief is becoming more and more vital to our very survival as a nation — that belief in self-reliance, limited government and the Constitution hold the keys to fixing our problems and getting our nation back on track. And, I also believe that the common bond of liberty can unite Americans and build a winning political collation to stand up against big government elites in both parties while reclaiming our freedom and prosperity. Rand Paul is the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. 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