While at a Kent County Republican Party event in 2008, I noticed the Justin Amash campaign for State House. I was very impressed with the commitment to liberty that was expressed by the Amash campaign. As 2009 draws to a close, I am able to confidently assert that Kent County has no better advocate of basic liberty, restrained government, and economic freedom than Representative Amash.  For example, Rep. Amash introduced a Bill that affirmed Michigan's commitment to the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Unlike the Rick Perry stunt in Texas, which focused on "states' rights," Amash's Bill was focused on reserving the basic rights of individuals. Rep. Amash has opposed union wage controls in government contracts and special interest tax breaks and subsidies that pick and choose favored industries (See HB 4629 and HB 5247). Representative Amash is also not afraid to break ranks and vote "no" when the majority of the Republican caucus goes along with the House Democrats. 

In a nod towards meaningful constituent interaction, Representative Amash keeps everyone up-to-date on the House Agenda and his votes through his Facebook page. He also actively responds to postings on the page and is frank in his references to current news events. This is exactly the kind of authentic representative government that was intended for our republic. Instead of maintaining a narcisistic level of indifference, Representative Amash embraces online interaction with the taxpayers.

This type of praise for Representative Amash is long over-due, and it has been my failure for not paying close attention. Allow me to now note: as more and more Republicans cave in to the temptation to save people from the free market, especially here in Michigan, Representative Amash continues to be liberty's laudable standard-bearer.