Born in Goldsboro, Larry Britt retired as a sales manager in the home decor and gift industry. He founded the Western Wake Republican Club in Cary before moving to Chocowinity about 10 years ago. He is a past chairman of the Beaufort County Republican Party and currently serves as president of the Beaufort County Republican Club. He lives in Chocowinity with his wife Jackie.

There has been a lot of talk in certain circles around Beaufort County lately about “Principles,”  more precisely, “Republican Principles. ” The dictionary defines principles as “a fundamental truth or law; a moral law or settled reason of action.” Ronald Reagan was once quoted as saying, “Die-hard conservatives thought that if I couldn’t get everything I asked for, I should jump off the cliff with the flag flying č go down in flames. No, if I can get 70 or 80 percent of what it is I’m trying to get … I’ll take that and then continue to try to get the rest in the future.”

I refer to Reagan often because he not only epitomized Republican principles he was practical in advancing those principles over the term of his service to this country. He was willing to take one step back in order to be able to take three steps forward. The overall results of his methods are obvious.

Some of our local “die hard” conservatives believe just the opposite. If they can’t get all they want with every vote, if they can’t get everything their way, they are willing to settle for nothing and fall over the cliff with their conservative flag flying. They willingly and proudly point to the many 5-2 decisions in our county government … all of which were lost! They went over the cliff with their flag flying but not winning a single conservative principle. Unfortunately, a lot of the time they were not wrong about their principles but their unwillingness to compromise has led them to not achieving any of their goals, and has also caused an irreversible divide of the Republicans in Beaufort County. Some far-right commissioners have a following of unflinching supporters that vote for them. However, other more moderate Republicans have the same devotion and vote for some other commissioners.

I sincerely believe that all our Republican commissioners share the same Republican values and ideals. After two years as Republican county party chairman, the biggest obstacle I tried to overcome was not the difference in the Republican principles of these two groups, but the difference in their method of achieving them. The hatred that has been built up on

both sides over the years is properly unfixable, and that’s unfortunate! I know Republicans on both sides and even though they have the same values and principles, they continue to be led farther and farther apart for no apparent reason other than pride. Every Republican has his own level of Republicanism. After all, they could be independents or even Democrats, but they aren’t because Republican values and principles that have been unique to the Republican Party for 157 years. Abraham Lincoln once stated the first Republican government principle, “to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere.”╩It is true that many Republican leaders have strayed far from President Lincoln’s words. It’s taken many years, a little bit at a time, for them to get to where we are now, and we will not╩reverse it all at once or on every vote, not even by going over the cliff wrapped in our conservative flag!

Republicans might want to take a lesson from Republican and Democrat progressives who have been willing to take small, but steady steps toward their goals, goals that they were close to achieving before the American people began to wake up prior to last year’s elections.╩Republican principles can be restored to our government in the same way, a little bit at a time, and with a little give and take. Whether we are talking about our county, state, or nation, our principles cannot be forced on the people anymore than anything else can be forced on a free people. Over time, more and more people will wake up and remember what made our country great. Proven conservative values and principles will always survive when compared with other forms of government. Any majority that we gain on the county commission, the state Legislature, or our nation’s capital, cannot be used to force even the most justified principle.