About
The Citizen Leader Alliance – Our Commitments
We are Committed to Limited Government
Government is a monopoly, and like all monopolies tends toward corruption and exploitative behavior. By necessity, therefore, the scope and scale of government must be limited. Limited government requires eternal vigilance through active participation in the political process by private sector leaders.
We are Committed to Free Enterprise and Free Trade
The most powerful, proven instrument of material and social progress is the free market. Entrepreneurs, who use markets to create and capture value, are a critical driver of this progress. To improve the condition of its citizens, a nation needs a legal and social framework that encourages and rewards risk-taking and entrepreneurship, and harnesses comparative advantage.
We are Committed to Individual Liberty
The United States was founded on the idea that the citizen is sovereign. Governments must be committed to the cultivation and protection of individual liberty, and its matched pair, individual responsibility. Our political system must serve the people, not rule them.
We are Committed to Economic Growth
Economic growth is essential to the flourishing of a nation. Efficient tax policy, stable and well-defined property rights, rational and restrained regulation, and freedom from the distortions of government encroachment on the private sector are prerequisites for the expansion of the economy and the national wealth.
We are Committed to Equal Opportunity
Our goal is a system that provides all citizens with the opportunity to achieve their potential. Some keys to attaining this goal are a strong educational system based on choice, a low tax, low regulation economy, respect for private property, government that spends within its means, a balanced civil justice system, a limited and effective criminal justice system, and a political system free from corruption, waste, and abuse. However, because not all people are endowed with identical talent, preferences, or luck, equal opportunity will always lead to unequal outcomes. Government should not punish success or reward failure.
We are Committed to Open and Respectful Debate
In recent years, we have seen a coarsening of our public and private discourse, and the rise of “political correctness.” We must be able to disagree without being disagreeable.
Who are we?
The Citizen Leader Alliance (CLA) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that was created by a group of Texas business and community leaders who are deeply concerned about the direction of the country and the state. Rather than building a typical organization to support candidates or issues, CLA is taking a new and innovative approach by supporting critical “infrastructure” projects and organizations that promote CLA’s commitment to re-establishing limited government, free markets, and individual liberty as principles at the core of the American system. Members also get to know their fellow leaders in a collegial environment, as CLA provides a forum for discussing and funding, on a voluntary basis, important policy-related initiatives. For more information contact Meredith Simonton at meredith@citizenleaderalliance.org.