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Freshman Republican Ron Johnson gave his first speech from the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon, remarks that lasted roughly seven minutes and reflected the central theme of his 2010 campaign -- alarm over the long-term growth of government.

Saying this is a “moment in time when our nation is in peril,” Johnson said that 100 years ago, “the individual was preeminent and government’s role was modest and pedestrian.”

Johnson singled out two early 20th-century developments that he said led to the unchecked growth of government: the adoption of the Sixteenth Amendment that led to the income tax; and the introduction of the cloture rule in the Senate, which allowed for a super-majority of senators to end filibusters and cut off unlimited debate on legislation.

Today, he said, the combined size of local, state and federal government was approaching that of nations in Western Europe.

“We haven’t reached that tipping point yet but we are extremely close,” said Johnson, who said he grew up in an America where "hard work was valued, personal responsibility was expected and success was celebrated, not demonized."

Said Johnson:

“I am sad to say what I have witnessed during my lifetime is a slow but steady drift, and I would argue over the last two years, a lurch, toward a culture of entitlement and dependency. This is not an America I recognize."

The Oshkosh Republican said, "We have racked up enormous debt, and now the bill is coming due.”

Johnson said the fight over the current year’s budget has been an argument over a “few billion dollars,” when “our problem is a thousand times larger than the current debate.”

You can see the speech here.