Rick Perry in Speech at 2011 CPAC conference

On Health Care: ObamaCare is a trainwreck of a plan

I sincerely hope our principled senators, regardless of party, will toss out that trainwreck of a plan or its mandates will cripple our healthcare system and its price tag will bust our budget.

Our Medicaid population and accompanying financial burden are growing as we speak and, in 2014, ObamaCare will cause them to explode. Right now, this Washington-centric approach to healthcare has a whole lot of states on a collision course with bankruptcy.

Instead of oppressive mandates, we need solutions like block grants and the freedom to improve health care delivery with innovation, flexibility and local input. You and I believe, and at least two federal courts have confirmed that it's unconstitutional and wrong for the government to force someone to buy health insurance.

On Immigration: Secure the Mexican border against drug cartels

As a result, we continue to deal with violent Mexican drug cartels who work closely with transnational gangs on our side of the border operating with no regard for the law or respect for life.

The bad actors in Mexico are getting worse, and the risks to our citizens continue to rise along the border and in communities across this country where drugs continue to flow. We need 1,000 National Guard troops to support current law enforcement operations on our border until they can provide those 3,000 more border patrol agents. We also need Predator drones flying along the Texas-Mexico border providing real time intel to our state and local operation centers.

On Principles & Values: Unelected judges shouldn't tell us when & where we can pray

They are also fed up with unelected judges telling the when and where they can pray or observe the Ten Commandments.

This simmering frustration erupted in an overwhelming landslide of conservative voices on election night including members of that new, legitimate force the TEA Party movement.

On Tax Reform: Taxation is not the solution; live within our means instead

Do you agree with them that the only solution to our challenges is more taxation? More borrowing? More spending? More central control? Me neither.

Over time, Washington has extended so-called "lifelines" to potential voting blocs lines that now bind the hands of state leaders and choke off individual liberties at every turn. As people of conscience, our challenge is to untie those knots that restrain us and return to the vision of the founders.

Americans want government that is leaner, more efficient, and less intrusive into their personal lives. They want government that will live within its means. Americans are obviously fed up with the so-called "progressive" movement that, long ago, set aside the people's interests in favor of expanding government and raising taxes while doing the bidding of labor unions and activist judges.