By Larry R. Marshall, Founder

As I begin this long journey I do not presume to have the literary genius of Thomas Jefferson or any of the founding fathers. Nor do I claim to have the eloquence of many political essayists of today. Suffice it to say I hope my love of my country and my passion for the incredible foresight and amazing brilliance of our founding fathers in devising and establishing our constitutional republic will shine through. The three separate but equal branches of government and the built in checks and balances, provide all that is necessary for us to succeed as a nation and as a people. Hopefully, it will help those who read what has been written in this and the following pages to understand our system is unique and contains all that is necessary for a free, open and just society with a vital and fair economy for all who wish to participate in it. For if this nation is to continue to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people, it is necessary that we re-establish our constitutional republic and our way of life, which had always made us the envy of the world, as well as, the moral, economic and military leader of the free world.

Over the recent years it has become painfully obvious something needed to be done with our dysfunctional government. The initial question is what is the answer, and further analysis resulted in but one conclusion. We must have a new political party to address the key issues facing our country and to protect our way of life.

Recent history has shown us neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party, our two dominant political parties is any longer the answer. The Democratic Party is no longer the party of either Truman or Kennedy. It has become the party of bigger government and higher taxes, without regard to our national debt and what it is doing to our economy and the middle class. Many wish to point to the economic success of the Clinton administration because there was no increase in the national debt and we experienced a balanced budget, However, a closer analysis suggests such credit is not due the Clinton administration, but a vibrant dot-com economy, which brought immense and quick wealth to many. It was also aided by the Republican Party’s Contract with America, which led to a balanced budget, an advantage the Republicans soon lost due to their arrogance and hubris. Under President Obama we have lost our freedom to choose our own doctor and are forced to buy insurance from a specific plan or face a penalty. Sadly, that usurpation of our freedom and liberty was sustained by a Republican appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In addition, President Obama and his administration have again almost doubled our national debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion, further putting the future of this country in jeopardy and endangering the economic security of our children and grandchildren. As one of our founding fathers was want to explain, “There are two ways to enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.”, said John Adams, second President of the United States.

Likewise, it was thought the Republican Party was the party of fiscal responsibility, limited government and individual liberty and freedom. However, that belief was shown to be a myth after the election of President George W. Bush, who positioned himself as a “compassionate conservative.” However, the facts show President Bush doubled our national debt from $5 trillion to $10 trillion in his two terms, even though he had a Republican Congress during 6 of the 8 years he was President. As this is being written, as a result of the federal budget, passed through Congress under the leadership of Republican Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, then signed by Republican President Donald Trump, the Republican Party has now contributed more to our National Debt than the Democratic Party. In addition, the statistics show President Bush added 23,000 employees to the federal payroll. Most astonishing is when the President involved the federal government in the life and death question of Terry Schiavo in the state of Florida, An issue that is very personal and by any account should be left at the state level for the very personal decision by the family of whether to remove life sustaining assistance to an individual who is in a vegetative state. This interference with our constitutional form of government was a gross violation of the federalist principles established by our founding fathers.

The other minor parties, from a total vote perspective have done virtually nothing to change this landscape. The Green party, is addressing primarily the environment. While this clearly is an important and admirable issue, since we must all recognize we only have one environment, it has little chance of getting any significant standing in an election year, with all the other issues before us. The strongest of these other parties appears to be the Libertarian Party, but even that party is struggling to gain 1 million votes. Though it was allegedly established in 1971, it simply has done nothing to change the political climate or significantly alter the political debate. While we agree with its strong support for individual freedoms, it has done little to stake out policies and positions on specific issues to garner the support needed to change the political landscape in an election year and impact the future of this country. If it hasn’t had an impact in 49 years, how much longer can civil libertarians and others wait for success and a change in our government policies.

Hence, I have established the American Center Party, based on a policy with a strong Jeffersonian democratic and civil libertarian philosophy. The following is a brief statement of the fundamental and underlying philosophy of the party, as well as, brief positions on specific issues facing America today. It is not intended to address all the issues facing the nation, but to give a brief but fundamental understanding of the basic philosophy and principles for which the American Center Party stands and by which it would govern. Hopefully, you will read the following as an American and not as a Democrat, Republican or member of some other political party. In so doing we look forward to your moral and financial support in hopes of revitalizing the political debate on the real issues facing our country and directing us to a revitalization of our constitutional republic, which again can be the envy of the world, as well as, the moral, economic, and military leader of the free world.

I am an American first, last and always. That didn’t change when I served as a Republican State Senator in Missouri. As a result, I’m issue oriented and not an ideologue of any particular persuasion. Consequently, as you read and consider what is written herein, don’t tell me you’re a conservative. Don’t tell me you’re a progressive. Don’t tell me you’re a liberal. Don’t tell me you’re an environmentalist. Don’t tell me you’re a Libertarian. Tell me what you think are the major issues facing this country. Then tell me where you stand on those issues and what you intend to do about them. Then, and only then, will the basis exist for a meaningful dialogue and discussion.