What I Believe

By Douglas William "Ambassador" (Kmiec) Kmiec

Ideas do have consequences; here is what I believe and below that how these beliefs have advanced the interests of the United States

I believe in America. I believe in her essential goodness.

I believe that those who work hard should be admired and rewarded with a family wage.

I believe that all of us are called to help those less fortunate not only because we may someday be less fortunate ourselves, but because it is right.

Genuine charity is a matter of love not coercion.

I believe governments must observe a rule of law: promoting trade, not war, abroad; and at home, equality and fairness + matters way past due for women and ready to change.

The Supreme Court deserves our respect when it honors the Constitution, but not when it finds it easier to fabricate gun and corporate rights than to respect life and democracy.

Those of us who proclaim a special calling to protect the innocent need to step up, not to condemn, but to help.

We need to respect each other's religious beliefs and be understanding of our differences without being so darn sure we are always right.

Our education systems are too expensive and too inflexible. Education can't be just about staying in the seat or teaching to a test; today's jobs require that classrooms allow students of any age to go in and out as needed to refresh and reinvent and reconfigure an American spirit that cannot be defeated.

You know all about me (http://www.kmiec2014.com) I worked for two presidents + one Republican; one Democrat, but really, I only worked for you and I would like to again.

A PHILOSOPHY INFORMED BY FAITH, STRENGTHENED BY COURAGE, & LIVED WITH ABUNDANT ENTHUSIAM & KINDNESS DIPLOMAT

Friend Father & Grandfather

Teacher

Our two political parties have let us down; "we the people" must reaffirm that which really matters: family - the first vital cell of civilization. meaningful work that is of service to others. neighborhoods that reveal beauty and a personal ethic of stewardship peace achieved not by threat, sanction, or rogue drone, but through diplomacy built on an understanding of diverse cultures and not the imposition of our own. freedom premised on a self-reliance that still looks out for the other guy.

Good ideas can be found in blue states and red states and in diverse corners of the world, it is in the small things we differ; it is in the larger things we are all the same. Some years ago, Robert Kennedy challenged us to erase the poverty of spirit; the loss of purpose and dignity that afflicts us all. Ronald Reagan sought to remind us of the human qualities of initiative in support of the common good that allowed us to dream of being respected as "the shining city on the hill"; We are on the verge of eliminating one of the last major prejudices in our land, welcoming women fully into public and private leadership Let us, then, never fail to dream and let us safeguard our dreams from the shadow of the enclaves of corporate power that having siphoned wealth in great disproportion now seek to do the same with human rights.

The GNP, Dow Jones, the S & P, the Nasdaq, while adequate economic measures, are not the measure of a life well-lived and it is to that pursuit of happiness that allows us to approach the future and its challenge with optimism.

And what has been the yield of my belief. Here is the testimony of some who will be familiar to you:

Doug,

Thank you for fairly and objectively explaining the legal issues in enrolled bills. As you return home to Notre Dame, I know you will continue your efforts to instill in your students an appreciation for the history, text and structure of our Constitution. May God bless you, Sincerely, Ronald Reagan, 1989

As head of (The office of legal counsel) OLC, and earlier as its principal deputy, Doug Kmiec was very much "the Atty. Gen.'s lawyer," and I was glad for it.... Professor Kmiec provided principled and candid legal advice to the president, to me,and indeed, to the entire executive branch... (Professor Kmiec's legal advice was critical to DOJ's work to preserve the Constitutional authority of the presidency and a proper balance between state and federal power.

Edwin Meese III 75th Atty. Gen. of United States, 1992