Every day I thank God for his blessings and the chance to serve him one more day.  Each day that goes by is a gift.  I never know what is in it until it unfolds.

The 2012 elections are fast approaching, and in all of life, preparation is key.  It is not yet time for me to announce a run, but it is time to prepare.

In 2012, redistricting will re-draw all the legislative district boundaries, and who runs in what district is a conversation to be had after that process is done.  The conversation to start now is whether we will have the money, the organization, and the vision to prevail in 2012.

Much will be at stake.  Mr. Obama thought he had a mandate, and he took it seriously.  He has piled on more debt, more oppressive government, and more statist rhetoric than we could have imagined, and as a result, in the 2010 congressional election, the voters said “enough!”, but this is not going to do the job.

In Minnesota, the voters also said “Enough!” and elected a very different legislature, but chose to seat a governor who is committed to the very overspending and government overreach that brought us to where we are today.

In both the state and federal governments, the last two years has been spent passing laws that expand and extend the reach of government.  At the federal level, the expansion has been massive.  At the state level, thanks to Gov. Pawlenty and a united GOP caucus in the legislature, some of the most damaging initiatives were stopped.

Laws are easy to pass, and very difficult to repeal.  Every “entitlement” worms its way into our culture, and encourages people to be dependent.  Dependents do not stand up and fight overbearing government, they fight to keep their benefits.  Dependents should not be surprised when their freedom – sold to government – is lost.

The 2010 election showed that we are still a strong people, and that we still believe that personal responsibility, individual liberty, and independence are at the core of our culture.  In 2012, we will have to face up to the mammoth debts we have racked up, and pay our bills.  This will require huge sacrifices.  Frankly, I would compare it to the hangover after a long bender.  We must throw out the politicians who still see government as a giant cookie jar, and politicians as those who decide who gets what.

Debt is intoxicating.  It tempts us to delay the pain, to “kick the can down the road”, but the road has an end, and like with the bender, it has to end.  The sooner it ends, the less painful it will be.

We must return government to its proper, limited role.  It should protect our God-given liberties, not invent new ones that it can distribute and control.  We cannot keep our liberty when government is deeply into the business of picking winners and losers.  We keep our liberty when we are responsible, independent, and involved in governance.

I am not announcing a run for office in 2012, but I plan to do everything I can to strengthen the Minnesota GOP (http://mngop.com), the local GOP in BPOU 39a (http://39agop.com).  My primary goal is to encourage as many people as I can in the next 18 months to take seriously the duty to be involved in the duties of citizenship.

Our future and the future of our children depend on it.