This budget offers a blueprint for safeguarding America from the perils of debt, doubt and decline. Americans, not Washington, deserve to choose the path their nation takes, and this budget presents a clear choice between the bleak future toward which the nation is currently headed and the prosperous future that Americans can build together with a government that is limited and effective.

Effective government is impossible without limits. It is no surprise that trust in government has reached all-­‐time lows as the size of government has reached all-­‐time highs. The Founders put limits on government because they understood the limits of government. In James Madison’s formulation, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. And if angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” As Madison reminded us, men are no angels, and government is “administered by men over men.”