Fellow Patriot,

This is a personal appeal from me. It has not been written by anyone else, but is my direct communication to ask for your help in working together at this crucial time in the life of our nation.

America has always been distinguished from other nations and cultures by our driving ambition, opportunity and initiative. This drive has resulted in the most successful people and country in the history of the world. It has enabled us to assist the less fortunate of those in our society, and even to help others around the world that have not had the benefit of our plentiful opportunities and the freedom under our Constitution to pursue those opportunities.

I started life with good hard-working parents. My father was a meat cutter and my mother was a church secretary. I went to public schools, the public University and Law School. While in Law School, I met the love of my life, Roxane. Together we raised two boys -- now grown men -- who make us so proud every day. The love of my family and the knowledge gained through my education gave me the support and tools I needed to achieve what I have accomplished in life and in my career.

I tell you this because I know that I am not alone in these blessings. Nor am I alone in my gratitude for them and my desire to ensure that they are passed on to future generations. We both want to make sure that those who come after us have these same open roads to success, don't we? This is the only proven and reliable path to financial success, to fulfilled happiness and to true freedom for all Americans.

I know that many of you -- like me -- are concerned that those open roads are in danger of being closed down. The actions and debates coming out of Washington are a great concern. This is not because there aren't real problems that working men and women in this country are facing. There are real, serious and persistent problems, and we are long overdue in facing them and solving them -- whether it's the high cost of health care, our dependence on foreign oil, or the difficulty of finding a job.

The challenge is, however, that what is coming out of Washington will make things worse. I'm asking for your help because I don't believe we have to settle. I believe we can do better. And I know you do too. We can set aside politics, focus squarely on problems and put forward real solutions that improve people's lives and the future prospects of our country. And we can do so in a way that's not a government bailout or handout or command and control, but an approach that taps the potential in each of us as free individuals and the can do spirit that has made our country great.

“New Freedom” is what I call this approach. Its goal is to set down the principles that will inspire and guide the solutions we design for the future.

It is essential that we solve problems while maintaining the liberty and independence of our people and our country. ”New Freedom” keeps as much money in the pockets of people as possible, while demanding that government solve problems in a way that respects the demands placed on people who work every day to pay their bills and provide for the needs and dreams of their futures.

The challenge to this approach is what is coming out of Washington right now, which I call “Old Liberalism.” Its goal is to define and govern people’s lives for them, and then tax people as much as possible to fulfill that vision. Those who advocate “Old Liberalism” believe people can’t successfully determine their own futures and the future of the country.

We see the push and pull of “Old Liberalism” and “New Freedom” play out every day.

We all know that we have government that is simply not sustainable at its current levels. Every day we hear stories about state treasuries issuing IOUs or leasing their assets for up-front cash. We see that that Medicare at the federal level is projected to be bankrupt by 2016. Yet the answer for “Old Liberalism” is to both keep spending and introduce new spending, and to finance that spending through borrowing, largely from the Chinese government, and drawing more dollars from the taxpaying public.

“New Freedom” calls for an honest assessment of government spending and to steward taxpayer dollars in ways that actually solve problems while protecting our freedom today and our children’s freedom in the future.

In health care, it is clear that “Old Liberalism” stands squarely in favor of a government takeover of health care. The result will be bureaucrats inserting themselves into decisions that should be between doctors and their patients and increased taxes to pay for an increasingly inefficient system. As P.J. O’Rourke once said, “If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it’s free.”

"New Freedom" means addressing the real, serious and persistent problem of the uninsured in America with reforms that make our system better. That means higher quality, more affordable and overall greater value health care.

The environment is another issue where the way forward for “New Socialism” is clear. “Cap and Trade” threatens to drive up energy costs by imposing new taxes on businesses and consumers in the guise of license fees.

With “New Freedom,” environmental policies would foster increased use of renewable energy and less dependence on foreign oil, while promoting greater efficiency and the elimination of waste. It would not achieve this through the drain of higher taxes, but with incentives that tap the innovation and entrepreneurship that’s abundant in our private enterprise.

If we continue down the path of “Old Liberalism” instead of “New Freedom,” there will be no money left for the equally essential goals of better transportation and education. And that is not to mention the preservation of the safety of our country from foreign attack. The safety of our nation continues to be in jeopardy. We must keep our country safe, and preserve our liberties from enemies, home and abroad. As the Governor of Virginia on 9-11, I saw very closely and personally what the future holds for us if we don’t prepare for terrorist attacks.

We must begin to recognize that we cannot keep taking money from our people who need it for independence, education and a decent quality of life. The programs coming out of Washington mean reckless spending and using borrowed money and deficits to finance an explosion of public debt. The result will be inflation, higher interest rates and the dramatic raising of taxes.

In sum, we must reject the “Old Liberalism” being put forward by President Obama and those in control of the U.S. Congress. We must embrace and advocate “New Freedom.” This is the purpose of the Patriots Committee, and I need you to join. I am willing to devote much of my life to this endeavor, and to help preserve the opportunities I had for present and future generations. But I cannot do this alone.

To be effective, the Patriots Committee must employ persons in finance, communication, administration, and in developing the smartest and most effective internet strategies available today. We have to create a forum for new ideas, different from the out-of-touch ideologies put forward today in Washington, in the far left media, and in many of our state capitals. We must support candidates who are dedicated to principle, in Virginia and in other states, who will adhere to principles of limited government and freedom. We must create a grass-roots organization, and seek new thinkers who can promote a decent society where people are in control of their own lives and live free.

Many of you hold strong opinions on what needs to be done, but don’t feel you have an effective way to actually participate in needed change. The Patriots Committee is intended to provide you a way to not be a passive by-stander, but an active participant in shaping your country and state.

The Patriots Committee has established levels of donation to seek major donors, but also offers levels in which anyone can participate. We have established societies with the Patriots Committee, named for great American Patriots who helped shape this nation when everyone sought to preserve liberty and unbounded opportunity. The levels are defined in a separate attachment with this letter and on the patriotscommittee.com website.

I am asking you to join the Patriots Committee. I am asking you to go to the web site: patriotscommittee.com, and join one of the societies that will allow this Committee to stand for "New Freedom" and for the future for all of us. I am asking you to add e-mails to our list. Just consider a few people who you know that would like to join such a committee, and societies within it, to pursue the “New Freedom” I have set out and get permission to send us their e-mail address. Do you know anyone dedicated to the future of American liberty? Of course you do. Get permission to send us their email address. I also have a Facebook page. Please go on and join it. We can still save the future, if we all join together and take action. Liberals don't just watch, they act. We must also act. Who of you will answer the call?

The policies being forced on us now are old policies of the last century. It’s time to begin to build "New Freedom" to preserve our country's initiative and allows our people to control their own destiny in the 21st Century. There is no time to waste. Please go to patriotscommittee.com and join now. With your help, the future and "New Freedom" begins now.

Sincerely,

James S. Gilmore