www.riponsociety.org $6.95 U.S./$7.95 Canada Secretary Aimee Rogstad Guidera lays out the plan to improve education in the Commonwealth of Virginia Plus: Rick Hess assesses the state of post-pandemic schooling with kids returning to the classroom MAKING OUR SCHOOLS BEST IN CLASS And: U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer discusses the need to protect students’ mental health “COMMITMENTTOAMERICA”WhatRepublicanswilldoiftheyholdthemajorityintheHousenextyear.
Increasing choice, competition, and transparency is at the center of House GOP solutions to make health care more affordable.
By Cathy McMorris Rodgers
18 Congress Should Focus on Growing the Economy, not the Bureaucracy
By Aimee Rogstad Guidera
16 China is Stealing Our Technology and That Must Come to an End
Volume 56, Number 4 RIPON FORUM September 2022
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The earlier we help our youth who are struggling, the more likely we will be able to ensure a productive and prosperous future for the next generation.
By Patrick McHenry
9 Protecting the Mental Health of Our Students
The left’s out-of-control spending has led to sky high consumer prices — devastating workers and families.
By Vern Buchanan & Brett Guthrie
Sections 3 In this Edition 22 News & Events24 Ripon Profile of Governor Brian Kemp
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Our export control system has failed to protect U.S. technologies from fueling the rise of our adversaries’ militaries and surveillance regimes.
The American people cannot continue to bear the burden of Democrats’ failed climate and energy policies.
By Garret Graves
By Martin F. Lueken
7 Post-Pandemic Schooling: What Now?
20 A Commitment to a Healthier Future
10 Most States Embrace Educational Choice, and More States Should Follow
19 House Republicans Have Better Solutions to Address Climate Change and Restore U.S. Energy Dominance
Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
14 Congress Must Hold Big Tech Accountable and End its Abuse of Power
By John Katko
More than two years of school closures, masking, and disruption have been devastating for America’s students. Policymakers need to put politics aside and focus on getting them back on track.
“Ideas that matter, since 1965.“ Tauke
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Big Tech is a destructive force. It actively works against free speech on its platforms by silencing content it disagrees with.
17 Border Security will be a Higher Priority if Republicans Win Back the House
Publisher The Ripon Society Jim Conzelman, President
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The Biden Administration has abandoned any attempt to secure the Southwest border by ending effective border security policies
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4 Making Our Schools Best in Class
By Tom Emmer
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By Frederick M. Hess
Virginia’s Secretary of Education lays out the plan to improve schools and the quality of instruction in the Commonwealth and why a one-size-fits-all approach to education no longer works.
Support for private school choice is high, with more than 70 percent of school parents supporting education savings account programs, vouchers, and charter schools.
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According to U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (MN-6), policymakers also need to focus on the mental health of students, which, he writes, also took a hit over the past two years. “The CDC found earlier this year that 37 percent of high school students reported suffering from persistent mental health struggles, including stress, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic,” the Minnesota lawmaker writes. “The earlier we help our youth who are struggling, the more likely we will be able to ensure a productive and prosperous future for the next generation.”Oneotherway to help students, writes Martin Lueken of EdChoice, is by providing them an option of where they go to learn. “Educational choice,” Lueken argues, “is a commonsense policy to fix the adverse incentives underlying the public [school] system by placing parents where they belong: in the driver’s seat of their own children’s education.”
Ann Wagner - Vice Chair
And in our latest Ripon Profile, Brian Kemp discusses his proudest achievement as Governor of Georgia and some of the key challenges facing the people of his state. As always, we hope you find this latest edition of the Forum interesting and informative, and we welcome any comments or questions you might have.
Lou Zickar, louzickar@riponsociety.orgEditor
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“Under Governor Youngkin, our North Star is high expectations aligned to the demands of the knowledge economy for every student and school. All learners must be empowered with multiple pathways to post-secondary success which provide valuable exposure to the world of work. Therefore, we are launching at least 20 lab schools which will bring together higher education, employers, schools, and community partners to provide innovative approaches to raising student achievement while also building bridges with the world outside school walls.” Guidera goes on to detail further efforts the Youngkin Administration will be launching, including more fully engaging and empowering parents and teachers, whom she calls “the two most important factors in student success.”
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In addition to examining the effort to improve education in Virginia and elsewhere across the country, the latest Ripon Forum also examines the pledge being made by Republicans in their “Commitment to America,” which sets forth the agenda the party will pursue if it holds a majority in the House of Representatives next year. Writing essays in this regard are six of the seven Task Force Chairs responsible for developing this agenda. The Chairs writing for the Forum include: U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) of the Big Tech Task Force; U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (TX-10) of the China Task Force; U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY24) of the Task Force on American Security; U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) of the Task Force on Jobs and the Economy; Garret Graves (LA-6) of the Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force; and, U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (FL-16) & Brett Guthrie (KY-2) of the Healthy Future Task Force.
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With students returning to school this month, the latest edition of The Ripon Forum focuses on the effort to improve education in America and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted learning -- and youth mental health -- over the past two years. Leading our coverage of this critical issue is Aimee Rogstad Guidera. Guidera serves as Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In our lead essay, she writes about how student performance in the Commonwealth had begun to decline even before the pandemic, and the plan being put in place under the leadership of Governor Glenn Youngkin to improve education in Virginia schools in the years ahead.
U.S. Representatives:
“Recently released annual (Spring ‘22) test scores underscore the urgency of the crisis,” Guidera writes. “In math, for example, only 66% of our students are passing the test of their grade level standards, and it is shockingly worse for our economically disadvantaged (52%), Black (42%), Hispanic (53%), and students with disabilities (39%). The results are similar for our science scores. When society accepts that half of our traditionally underserved student populations are not mastering critical grade level expectations, we are condemning them to a life of diminished possibilities.”
Don Bacon
Ken
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In this editionU.S.ADVISORYHONORARYSOCIETYCONGRESSIONALBOARDSenators:
Also writing in this latest edition is American Enterprise Institute Scholar Frederick Hess, who examines the state of schooling in the wake of the pandemic and why policymakers must make every effort to help students catch up. “Researchers have found that students lost the equivalent of one-third to one-half of a year in reading, and nearly twice that in math,” Hess writes, referring to the impact of closures and shutdowns on American youth. Referring to the “disruption, politics, and assorted nonsense” that has plagued education over the past few years, Hess also urges public officials and school leaders “to eschew the sideshows and focus on getting kids back on track.”
Larry Bucshon, M.D. - House Co-Chair
Frank Lucas - House Co-Chair
Historically, Virginia’s schools have been regarded as among the best in the nation. But today tells a different story. Our reputation and overall high average performance masks widening achievement gaps in the Commonwealth’s schools as well as a recent downward slide in comparison with other states on a range of academic measures. We are facing declines in student performance that started long before the pandemic and were illuminated and exacerbated over the past two
MAKING OUR SCHOOLS BEST IN CLASS
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s first action within an hour of being sworn into office was to affirm his commitment to restoring excellence to education throughout the Commonwealth. Since Day One, his administration has been focused on providing every learner — regardless of background or zip code — with opportunities to access quality education. Our commitment to Virginians remains that every family has access to a quality education that prepares every child for success in life.
by AIMEE ROGSTAD GUIDERA
The plan to improve education in the Commonwealth of Virginia
RIPON FORUM September 2022Cover4 Story
Under Governor Youngkin, our North Star is high expectations aligned to the demands of the knowledge economy for every student and school.
To achieve those results, we must strengthen transparency and accountability to families, taxpayers, and citizens. In the name of “equity” over the past five years, state leaders lowered
Under Governor Youngkin, our North Star is high expectations aligned to the demands of the knowledge economy for every student and school. All learners must be empowered with multiple pathways to post-secondary success which provide valuable exposure to the world of work. Therefore, we are launching at least 20 lab schools which will bring together higher education, employers, schools, and community partners to provide innovative approaches to raising student achievement while also building bridges with the world outside school walls.
Our “one size fits all” system is failing our families. For that reason, we have created a new Office of Innovation within the Department of Education to catalog non-traditional school models, learn from them, and fuel a culture of innovation and excellence that will infuse the entire Commonwealth with energy and proven approaches leading to improved outcomes.
Lastly, we are restoring a culture of inquiry to
expectations for students and redefined success for students and schools by prioritizing incremental progress over mastery of content and skills. Governor Youngkin has doubled down on ensuring that we are providing an accurate and clear picture of how well our students are prepared for college and career. We will work with the State Board of Education to revise our Standards of Accreditation to ensure that schools that earn full accreditation are truly preparing the students in their care for the demands of the workplaces of tomorrow. The Governor will also ask the Board to raise the proficiency cut scores on our state tests from their current lowest in the nation as benchmarked against the Nation’s Report Card to the top Parents10%. and Teachers are the two most important factors in student success. We have created an Office of Parent & Teacher Engagement and Empowerment to ensure that these critical partners have the information, tools and training to work together to support student success. Governor Youngkin has reinforced the rights of parents regarding their children’s health, education, and wellbeing throughout his time in office. Parents matter. Teachers matter. So today, 15 school divisions are partnering with the VDOE and national thought leaders to pilot a transformational effort to ensure every student, parent, and teacher receive an easy to understand, comprehensive data picture of student proficiency and the student’s specific gaps in skill and content mastery. A Personalized Learning Plan will accompany every data snapshot, and we will be developing evidence-based professional development to ensure every teacher is trained to communicate this important information in a constructive, action-oriented manner that provides a way forward towards improvement.
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years. Recently released annual (Spring ‘22) test scores underscore the urgency of the crisis. In math, for example, only 66% of our students are passing the test of their grade level standards, and it is shockingly worse for our economically disadvantaged (52%), Black (42%), Hispanic (53%), and students with disabilities (39%). The results are similar for our science scores.
When society accepts that half of our traditionally underserved student populations are not mastering critical grade level expectations, we are condemning them to a life of diminished possibilities. This is what President George W. Bush poignantly named the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” I call it plain wrong.
leaders to protect and nurture freedom of speech and inquiry to ensure every student is taught how to think, not what to think. Education should provide them the tools and knowledge to do so.
Aimee Rogstad Guidera serves as Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Our goal — to provide a best-in-class education for every Virginian — will be realized when we work together with students, parents, teachers, employers, and policymakers to ensure high expectations and excellence for all learners in Virginia. When our students are prepared for success, our economy, communities, and democracy will be stronger. Our children deserve nothing less. RF
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our classrooms. A great education must address complicated and uncomfortable topics in ways that support critical thinking and vigorous classroom discussions — without injecting trending political views, indoctrination, or toprovidepractices.discriminatoryWewilltrainingourteachersandschool
Parents and Teachers are the two most important factors in student success.
Given all that, we should not forget that the teach er unions fought to prolong closures or that the Biden White House let the unions pressure the CDC to issue guidance making it tougher for schools to reopen.
Frederick M. Hess
by FREDERICK M. HESS
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pandemic has fueled an un precedented exodus from pub lic schools. Since 2020, public K-12 enrollment has declined by over 1.2 million students. In New York City, enrollment plunged from more than a mil lion students in 2019 to 760,000 today.Harvard
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Two years of off-and-on schooling, intermittent isolation, and uncertainty also battered students’ emotional health and social well-being. Lockdown culture took a toll on kids already prone to spend ing too much time online and not enough connecting to peers and mentors. The Sur geon General reported that the pandemic fueled increases in anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders, while leading to a troubling jump in adolescent suicide attempts.
The pandemic has been devastating for America’s students. More than two years of prolonged school closures, masking, and disruption have been cataclys mic for their academic success, mental health, and socialPublicwell-being.school leaders esti mate that half of their students began last year behind grade level in at least one academic subject. In three-quarters of schools, student quarantines or chronic absences disrupted learning last year.
public health pro fessor Joseph Allen put it thus ly last month: “Schools should be open. They should never have closed and should never close again. That was a mistake we will pay for over decades."
Allen’s stance is actually close to the conventional wis dom at this point. In December of 2021, UNICEF and UNESCO concluded that public health of ficials had closed schools too hastily, kept them closed too long, and erred by closing them “as a first recourse rather than a last measure.”
In September, the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported the biggest drop in 9-year-old reading per formance in 30 years and the first-ever drop in math. The re sults erased decades of modest gains. Researchers have found that students lost the equiva lent of one-third to one-half of a year in reading, and nearly twice that in math. And NWEA analysts have calculated that it will take students who started kindergarten in 2018 more than five years to make up the losses in reading achievement.
Learning loss wasn’t even ly distributed, but was most severe among low-income and minority students and those whose schools were closed longest. Harvard University’s Tom Kane and his colleagues found that students who remained virtual during 2020-21 lost half of a year’s math learning, compared with 20 percent for students who were mostly inperson. Because schools in Democratic communities tended to stay closed longest, academic disruption was especially severe for low-income, minority kids in blue cities.
But let’s turn to the more pressing question: What do we do now?
Post-Pandemic Schooling: What Now?
Researchers have found that students lost the equivalent of one-third to one-half of a year in reading, and nearly twice that in math.
Tune Out the Noise: There’s been a lot of disrup tion, politics, and assorted nonsense of late. Public officials and school leaders need to eschew the side shows and focus on getting kids back on track. Poli cymakers need to ensure that parents and educators have regular, reliable assessments that provide clear information on how students are doing and whether they’re making progress. School leaders need to open cafeterias; offer a full slate of after-school activities; give kids lots of personal and face-to-face time; and ensure that instruction is rigorous, engaging, and joyous.
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Maintain transpar ency: Perhaps the one positive legacy of remote learning is the window it offered parents into schools and classrooms, into what their kids were learning and doing dayto-day. Through all of it, the thing I heard most fre quently from parents may have been: “I had no idea.” No idea this teacher was so organized (or disorga nized). No idea how much (or how little) learning occurred in a school day. Parents can feel walled off from what happens in school. The pandemic turned that inside out. Policymakers and educators should seek to maintain that connection.
Rewrite the pan demic playbook: In the years before COV ID-19, public health of ficials came to embrace school closures as a de fault protocol. They as sumed, based on instinct more than evidence, that schools would be super-spreaders and that the impacts on students would be manageable. Well, in the case of CO VID-19, those assump tions proved disastrous ly wrong. Kids weren’t super-spreaders, were at minimal risk of serious illness, and the results of closure were devas tating. Moreover, once schools were closed, it proved tough to reopen them. Going forward, pandemic planners need to set a much higher threshold for school closure.Inthe course of the pandemic, states and communities have con
Catch kids up: Stu dents have suffered enor mous learning loss, with the most vulnerable stu dents experiencing the largest losses. Business as usual will not suffice. School routines need to be revamped in order to help students make up for the disruptions. This requires extended programming, more cus tomized options, and in tensive tutoring. School systems shouldn’t wait on the availability of lo cal tutors but make ag gressive use of digital tutoring providers with a track record of success. Addressing the inanities of remote learning will benefit from employing digital technology as a tool rather than a make shift crutch.
There’s been a lot of disruption, politics, and assorted nonsense of late. Public officials and school leaders need to eschew the sideshows and focus on getting kids back on track.
Expand options: On the whole, parents were
tinued to fully fund schools that were often remote or part-time. Washington has showered schools with more than $200 billion in emergency federal aid. It’s time for schools to repay that goodwill by doing right by their students and for policymakers to ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes we made. That won’t make up for the past few years, but it’ll be a start. RF
Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
surprisingly good sports when schools shuttered in March 2020. Suddenly deputized as full-time teach ers and tutors, many embraced homeschooling, ex plored learning pods, or turned to private schools and charter schools. Positive experiences and grati tude for viable alternatives helped drive support for educational options to record highs, making 2021 the “Year of School Choice.” Public officials should keep working to expand charter schooling, vouch ers, course choice, Education Savings Accounts, and more, with an eye to ensuring that all families have access to options that work for them.
Hundreds of people rally outside San Francisco City Hall on Feb. 6, 2021 to protest against remote education and demand schools reopen in-person education.
by TOM EMMER
RIPON FORUM September 2022 9
Last year, I met with a young man who never suffered mental health issues before the pandemic. However, the combination of not being able to spend time with his friends, participate in sports, or interact face-to-face with teachers eventually wore him down. Worst of all, he did not receive the attention he needed and deserved from his teachers and counselors.
should address it, including expanding telehealth options and improving coordination from all levels of government
In the case of COVID-19, the CDC found earlier this year that 37 percent of high school students reported suffering from persistent mental health struggles, including stress, anxiety, and depression, during the pandemic. I’m not at all surprised by this statistic, because I’ve seen it first-hand.
I agree with these recommendations, and I am confident most of my colleagues feel the same way. Fortunately, improving student mental health is an effort that can be largely achieved through smart policy changes and better allocation of existing resources — we don’t need to grow the size of the federal government to get betterToresults.spuraction, I recently sent a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona asking for clarity on the coordination, funding, and implementation of mental health resources in schools. I am also currently exploring policy options, including the creation of a new tax credit, that might encourage more individuals to pursue careers in counseling.Meanwhile,
the House of Representatives recently passed a mental health omnibus, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, with overwhelming bipartisan support. Among many other measures, this bill reauthorizes an important grant program that will help youth of all ages — but especially older adolescents, including those already off at college — who are struggling with substance abuse or suicidal thoughts receive the urgent mental health services they need.
I hope the Senate acts quickly to take up this mental health package and that further congressional efforts follow in its wake. The earlier we help our youth who are struggling, the more likely we will be able to ensure a productive and prosperous future for the next generation. I want to help achieve this important goal. RF
Protecting the Mental Health of Our Students
Tom Emmer represents the 6th District of Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sadly, this young man’s story is far from unique. In many cases, schools are not equipped to meet long-term mental health needs. Nationwide, there was only one school psychologist for every 1162 students in the 2020-2021 school year — less than half of the 1:500 ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists.LastDecember, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a report highlighting the severity of the youth mental health crisis and offering recommendations on how policymakers
The mental health of our K-12 students is in jeopardy, and Congress needs to act before the problem gets even worse.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of students experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40 percent over the past decade. Some stressors, such as the upsand-downs of the classroom or the growing pains of adolescence, have always been around; other, much more recent culprits –excessive social media use and the COVID-19 pandemic, most notably – are now taking a devastating toll, as well.
The earlier we help our youth who are struggling, the more likely we will be able to ensure a productive and prosperous future for the next generation.
Most States Embrace Educational Choice, and More States Should Follow
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State policymakers looking to improve their education system through educational choice should look to Arizona for inspiration. Arizona is home to some of the largest and oldest choice programs in the nation, and it continues to pursue ways to expand educational opportunities for families. In fact, Arizona recently passed the most expansive education choice program in the country, though opponents are working to refer the expansion to the 2024 ballot for voterArizonaapproval.expanded its Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or ESA, program to all K-12 students in the state. Every child in Arizona, regardless of race, gender, or income, would be eligible to receive a scholarship account worth about $7,000 per year to use at the school of his or her family’s choice. Students with special needs would receive an even higher amount that corresponds with their Statesneeds. shouldn’t shy away from choice programs such as Arizona’s. After all, among the different kinds of choice programs, ESA programs like Arizona’s offer the greatest flexibility for families and enjoy the highestESAsupport.programs allow families to access part or all of their child’s public school funding and use those funds for a variety of educationrelated services. Families can use ESA funds not only to pay for private schools, micro schools, or home schools, but they can access other services such as tutoring, therapies, and online Fundamentally,courses. a universal ESA program realigns incentives in states so that education dollars are used more
Researchers attribute greater tolerance for the rights for others, increased civic knowledge, reduced criminal activity, and increased volunteerism, social capital, and voter participation to choice programs.
Benefits also accrue to communities by making schools more integrated and improving civic outcomes for students. Researchers attribute greater tolerance for the rights of others, increased civic knowledge, reduced criminal activity, and increased volunteerism, social capital, and voter participation to choice programs.
by MARTIN F. LUEKEN
Martin F. Lueken
a meta-analysis of voucher programs based on all available random assignment research. They estimated an overall positive effect on test scores for students who participated in these programs. Moreover, students performed better the longer they remained in their program.Participating parents are also overwhelmingly satisfied with their choices. Parents often indicate school safety as one of the top reasons for choosing, and empirical research provides evidence that choice improves school climate and safety.
In the aftermath of the covid pandemic, 2021 was widely hailed as the “Year of Educational Choice.” That year, 18 states created or expanded educational choice programs. Today, most states have educational choice programs, with 32 states operating 76 programs.
This shouldn’t surprise us. Support for private school choice is high, with more than 70 percent of school parents supporting education savings account programs, vouchers, and charter Researchschools.backs up parents’ assessment. Overall, the large body of rigorous research on choice programs indicates that these programs tend to accrue benefits to not only students who participate in them, but also for families, public schools, and Researcherscommunities.conducted
With an ESA program like Arizona’s, the state empowers parents to spend their own publicly funded ESA dollars on their own children. We can expect parents will seek the highest value in education services they can purchase for their children, which will benefit both families and the state alike. In fact, research is quite clear that the state experiences fiscal benefits from these types of
effectively compared to current institutional arrangements. The flexibility from ESAs increases competition among education service providers and incentivizes providers to control costs. Such incentives are absent in the traditional public school system, which has long been the dominant provider of K-12 education, and costs for public school systems have inexorably risen for decades. Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman’s perceptive insight explains this dynamic: when bureaucrats spend other people’s money on someone else’s children, they don’t care as much about cost or value.
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Marty Lueken is the director of the Fiscal Research and Education Center at EdChoice.
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Educational choice is a commonsense policy to fix the adverse incentives underlying the public system.
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Educational choice is a commonsense policy to fix the adverse incentives underlying the public system by placing parents where they belong: in the driver’s seat of their own children’s education. RF
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programs.Despite having choice programs for decades, however, choice opponents routinely voice concerns that these programs harm public schools. They don’t. In fact, public school students on average experience gains in test scores when states implement private school choice programs. A meta-analysis studying these competitive effects wrote, “In general, competition resulting from school-choice policies does have a small positive effect on student achievement. The lack of an overall negative impact on student outcomes might ease critics’ concerns that competition will hurt those students ‘left behind’ due to school-choice policies.”
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With essays by U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Michael McCaul, John Katko, Patrick McHenry, Garret Graves, and Vern Buchanan & Brett Guthrie
What Republicans will do if they hold a majority in the House of Representatives next year. Report
Special
The Task Force is also developing solutions to address the harms Big Tech inflicts on children. According to recent research , 46% of all U.S. teens say they use the internet “almost constantly,” and 97% say they use the internet daily. This is hurting their mental health and has exposed them to harmful content like illegal drugs.
We’ve unveiled several solutions to equip parents with tools necessary to ensure their kids are safe online. These include the ability to monitor their kids’ use of social media, put time limits on use, and receive notifications about their childrens’ online activity. We’d also limit what data Big Tech can collect, share, and use about children, raise
Big Tech is a destructive force. It actively works against free speech on its platforms by silencing content it disagrees with.
RIPON FORUM September 202214 Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
Our Task Force has proposed solutions to hold these companies accountable for censoring Americans. To start, we’d narrow Section 230 protections, which Big Tech has exploited to justify its censorship, by removing ambiguity in the law so these companies can’t continue silencing constitutionally protected speech without consequence. We’d also require Big Tech companies to provide quarterly updates on its content moderation practices, and we’d sunset Section 230 protections after 5 years. This will increase Big Tech transparency and provide a timeline for Congress to reevaluate its liability protections if necessary. Finally, we’d strengthen users’ power to challenge censorship decisions by enabling people to petition state attorneys general and requiring Big Tech to improve its appeals process for users.
Congress Will Hold Big Tech Accountable and End its Abuse of Power
Big Tech is a destructive force. It actively works against free speech on its platforms by silencing content it disagrees with. Meanwhile, these companies continue to manipulate, harm, and exploit children for profit, ignore parents, and refuse to publicly acknowledge how their platforms endanger children’s mental health and well-being. Big Tech isn’t transparent about how Americans’ personal information is being stored in and accessed by countries like China. Big Tech has betrayed our trust, which is why House Republicans established the Big Tech Task Force to develop proposals that hold these companies accountable.
by CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS
A top priority for the Task Force is protecting free speech online. Free speech is a critical engine of progress in our society. It has led to ingenuity and innovation in everything from science to art and has been essential for entrepreneurial successes in every industry, including the tech industry. Yet Big Tech shut down this battle of ideas on its platforms. This was the case when Facebook and Twitter flagged and silenced the satirical website, the Babylon Bee . It was also the case when Big Tech suppressed legitimate debates and information about the potential COVID-19 lab leak, the New York Post’s Hunter Biden Laptop story, and, more recently, when these companies flagged posts — including from economists — disputing President Biden’s attempt to redefine an economic recession.BigTech should not be the arbiters of truth.
Lastly, we would require Big Tech to be transparent about sharing Americans’ personal information with countries like China. We learned that TikTok is collecting sensitive information on millions of American users that the Chinese Communist Party may access. This is a major breach of trust. No one’s online information should be given to or stored in China secretly.
the age of children covered under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act , require user-friendly processes for parents to reach out for help, and enable parents to hold Big Tech accountable when it knowingly facilitates illegal activity. Finally, we would require Big Tech to include warning labels about the risks and harms to kids using their products and services.
Our Task Force has proposed solutions to hold these companies accountable for censoring Americans.
For years, Big Tech claimed it was a bastion of free speech that only used the information we gave them to enhance our experience on its platforms. We now know these companies were deceiving us to pad their bottom line and become more powerful. It’s time Congress holds Big Tech accountable for its abuse of power to censor Americans, harm our children, and not protect our personal information. RF
Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
Cathy McMorris Rodgers represents the 5th District of Washington in the U.S. House of Representatives. She serves as the Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is the Chair of the House GOP Big Tech Task Force.
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We recently witnessed a PRC hypersonic missile test which circled the globe and landed with precision. This was only possible through U.S. technology that was sold to them. This should be a wakeup call to all Americans that we must take export controls seriously.
China is Stealing Our Technology and That Will Come to an End
Specifically, our export control system has failed to protect U.S. technologies from fueling the rise of our adversaries’ militaries and surveillance regimes. The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) within the Department of Commerce is overseeing a system that keeps very little technology away from the PRC.
Moreover, BIS can no longer hide information and avoid transparency from Congress and the American people We must fortify BIS and ensure they are carrying out their mission to protect American intellectual property and innovation. Our future depends on it.
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BIS can no longer look the other way or rubber stamp licenses when American companies are transferring sensitive technology to the PRC. The times have changed, and BIS needs to step up.
Michael McCaul represents the 10th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the Republican Leader of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and is Chairman of the House GOP China Task Force.
Yet for BIS, it is business as usual.
The answer is to actually follow the law and pursue new legislation to ensure there are effective technology controls and more robust involvement from other national security agencies.
Technological leadership will determine the outcome of our great global competition with the People’s Republic of China. They are using their Military-Civil Fusion Strategy to remove any barriers for its military to access technology being used in, or developed by, the commercial sector. If BIS continues to mindlessly green light sensitive technology sales, the PRC will use it against us.
A recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) study found that of the roughly $125 billion in U.S. exports to China in 2020, BIS required licenses for 2.1 percent of Alarmingly,exports.99percent of controlled technologies went to China without a license. This raises the question – why is the BIS failing at its job and how can we make it the effective agency it needs to be?
John F. Kennedy committed to putting a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s, he encapsulated the spirit of American determination, stating: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.”
by MICHAEL MCCAUL
Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
That speech personified American greatness, and we built our national strength on our technological prowess. Yet over the last few decades, we have seen American innovation stolen and sold to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), putting our technological leadership at risk of being overtaken.
Make no mistake — the BIS has one of the most critical national security jobs within the U.S. government. This agency can stop the transfer of U.S. technology to our adversaries who use it for military applications and human rights abuses. With the stroke of a pen, the BIS can constrain the PRC’s military and disrupt its surveillance state.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) within the Department of Commerce is overseeing a system that keeps very little technology away from the PRC.
America has always been a country at the forefront of innovation. As a nation, we imagine the impossible and then execute.When
Bad policies have dire consequences. And Democrats’ one-party rule of Washington has sent our nation, and thereby all Americans, through crisis after crisis. From the violent crime crisis plaguing America’s cities, to the Afghanistan crisis creating a terrorist safe haven, to the border crisis threatening our national security and the rule of law, Democrats’ policies are hurting Americans.Asaformer federal organized crime prosecutor in El Paso, Texas, I have witnessed the many seasons of the Southwest border. However, what is happening now is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The Biden Administration has abandoned any attempt to secure the Southwest border by ending effective border security policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols, Title 42 public health authority, and construction of the border wall system. Most recently, in a damning admission, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz admitted that the border crisis is a direct result of Biden’s ‘no consequences’ policy for migrants who break the law, illegally crossing the Sinceborder.President Biden has been in office, there have been more than 3.4 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border in addition to nearly one million known “gotaways” — those who successfully evaded U.S. Border Patrol agents. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has lost operational control of the border as a record number of illegal aliens, criminals, and gang members are being apprehended and unprecedented amounts of drugs are flowing across the border into American communities. For the first time in our nation’s history, there were a record-breaking 108,000 drug overdose deaths last year, stemming from increases in synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Border Security Will be a Higher Priority if Republicans Win Back the House
Since President Biden has been in office, there have been more than 3.4 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border.
House Republicans will keep our commitment to American security by building physical barriers along the Southwest border, investing in new and cutting-edge technology to support border security, hiring and training new front-line Border Patrol agents, and mitigating the free flow of fentanyl plaguing communities across the country. Additionally, we will work to force the Biden administration to reinstate the effective Migrant Protection Protocols, expand the use of Title 42 expedited removal authority to include all public health emergencies, and fix bad asylum policies that are pull factors and sources of enrichment for drug cartels while protecting those with legitimate claims.
John Katko represents the 24th District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the Republican leader of the Committee on Homeland Security, and is Chairman of the House GOP Task Force on American Security.
As leader of the American Security Task Force, I was tasked with building consensus in the Republican Conference around actionable and constructive solutions to ensure the security of our nation and the safety of all Americans. As part of this effort, we developed a legislative framework to address the worsening crisis at the Southwest border, that will be prioritized in a Republican-led House of Representatives and allow us to place a critical check on this Administration’s security failures.
by JOHN KATKO
The bottom line is that Americans are not safe under President Biden and Democrats’ one-party rule. I am proud of the work this task force has done to deliver a commonsense framework of solutions for the American people. I strongly believe that in November, Americans will see the value in our security agenda and give us the green light to get right to work. RF
Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
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Equally disturbing, an unprecedented number of individuals on the terror watchlist have been encountered trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry this fiscal year. As the number of known gotaways continues to increase at a record rate along the Southwest border, we cannot be certain exactly how
many known or suspected terrorists have entered the U.S. This is particularly concerning as President Biden’s botched foreign policy agenda in Afghanistan returned the country to a pre-9/11 footing and created a safe haven for terrorists.
Patrick McHenry represents the 10th District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the Republican Leader of the House Financial Services Committee, and is Chairman of the House GOP Task Force on Jobs and the Economy.
President Biden recently doubled down on his disastrous economic strategy by signing another reckless spending bill into law. Democrats attempted to mislead the American people by dubbing it the Inflation Reduction Act, despite non-partisan organizations — ranging from the Congressional Budget Office to the Penn-Wharton Budget Model — finding the legislation will not meaningfully stabilize consumer prices. To top it off, last month President Biden announced he will “cancel” student debt by executive fiat, shifting this massive financial burden from college-educated elites to hardworking American taxpayers and fueling inflation.
Growth Through Innovation. Innovation is central to American progress. It is also deflationary. By ensuring our regulatory and tax structures create an environment that fosters innovation, we can help entrepreneurs create the jobs of the future here in the U.S. and create sustainable, long-term growth.This is just one piece of Republicans’ Commitment to America. A House GOP Majority will be committed to creating long-term sustainable growth that strengthens our economy and provides opportunities for all Americans. RF
the U.S. Labor Force Participation Rate continues to fall. House Republican proposals, like preserving flexibility for working families and ensuring fulfilling careers for future generations, will rebuild the American work force.
Securing U.S. Supply Chains. Democrats have consistently put their radical agenda over fixing our broken supply chains. Nowhere is this more evident than the unconscionable baby formula shortage. House Republicans will take action to end our dependence on China and get goods moving again to ensure critical products are available across the country.
RIPON FORUM September 202218 Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
Americans are fed up with Democrats’ one-party rule in Washington. The left’s out-of-control spending has led to sky high consumer prices — devastating workers and families. Real wages are falling and everyday essentials like groceries, housing, and energy are unaffordable. Thanks to Democrat-induced inflation, more than three in five Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck.Last year, Democrats attempted to sell their so-called American Rescue Plan as a panacea for our economic recovery from the pandemic. Instead, the American people were saddled with 40-year high inflation, a crushing labor shortage, and supply chain bottlenecks.
by PATRICK MCHENRY
Democrats attempted to sell their so-called American Rescue Plan as a panacea for our economic recovery. Instead, the American people were saddled with 40-year high inflation...
Getting Americans Back to Work. Under Democrat leadership, millions of small businesses can’t find workers and
Congress Will Focus on Growing the Economy, not the Bureaucracy
Republicans have a plan to rebuild the greatest economy in decades – experienced pre-pandemic, under GOP leadership. The Task Force on Jobs and the Economy is offering solutions to fix Democrats’ mismanagement of our economy and get our recovery back on track. Our proposals target four key themes:
American families simply cannot afford Democrats’ far-left agenda. In fact, 70 percent of Americans say our country is headed in the wrong direction, according to a recent poll by Politico and Morning Consult.
Sound Money, Fiscal Sanity, & Budget Enforcement. Democrats’reckless spending created 40-year high inflation, making life unaffordable for millions of Americans. House Republicans will reorient our economy around sound money principles by returning fiscal sanity and budget enforcement to Washington. A House GOP majority will also provide robust oversight of the Biden Administration to ensure taxpayer dollars are not vulnerable to waste, fraud, or abuse.
red tape to let America build our clean energy future and export our resources, restoring U.S. leadership so we can beat countries like China and Russia, adopting purposeful conservation efforts, and making our communities more resilient
Between 40 year-high inflation, record high gas prices, surging electricity costs, and an economic recession, American families are struggling to make ends meet. But instead of developing a plan to increase American energy production and solve this crisis, President Biden and Congressional Democrats have a different idea: burden the American people with higher taxes and keep more American energy locked in the ground with their poorly named Inflation Reduction Act
For example, while natural gas production increased by more than 90 percent from 2005 to 2020, the United States reduced emissions more than the next seven emissionsreducing countries combined during that same time period. In fact, without restrictive government mandates, the U.S. surpassed the goals Democrats attempted to set in their flawed cap and trade climate bills. The results are clear: free market innovation and conservative principles, not top-down and heavyhanded government regulations, led to emissions reductions and slashed energy costs for American households.
Unlike the botched policies we’ve seen under the Biden Administration, our agenda won’t kill American jobs or make American energy more expensive through increased taxes and regulation. Instead, House Republicans are focused on solutions that make American energy cleaner, more affordable, and more accessible so we can reduce emissions around the world while growing American jobs and lowering costs for the American people.
With proper leadership and a cohesive energy strategy –something we are missing from the Biden administration – we can restore U.S. energy dominance, decrease global emissions, and help drive down energy prices. If Republicans earn back the House majority in the fall, we will be ready to enact this strategy RF
Americans cannot continue to bear the burden of Democrats’ failed climate and energy policies.
by GARRET GRAVES
RIPON FORUM September 2022 19 Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
Americans cannot continue to bear the burden of Democrats’ failed climate and energy policies. That’s why as a part of Leader McCarthy’s Commitment to America, he created the Energy, Climate, and Conservation (ECC) Task Force to identify and develop policy solutions that reduce emissions and lower costs based upon America’s energy resources – not foreignOveradversaries.thelastseveral months, the ECC Task Force rolled out a policy framework in six key issue areas focused on unlocking American resources, leveraging American innovation, cutting
Garret Graves represents the 6th District of Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves as the Republican leader of the Select Committee on Climate, and is Chairman of the Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force.
House Republicans Have Better Solutions to Address Climate Change and Will Restore U.S. Energy Dominance
Instead of reducing inflation, this law will increase the financial burden of nearly all Americans. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office, the Inflation Reduction Act will increase taxes on millions of middle class Americans despite Biden’s campaign promise that “no one making less than $400,000 will pay a single penny more in taxes.” Couple this with the Biden Administration’s deeply flawed energy policies that have decreased our energy security and caused sky-high energy prices – all while increasing emissions in theYouprocess.read that right. Despite all the green rhetoric, the environment has gotten worse under the Biden Administration. While the U.S. reduced emissions by 10.2 percent during President Trump’s four years (or an average of 2.5 percent each year), U.S. emissions increased 6.2 percent during Biden’s first year in office.
looking at ways to improve treatment, the Task Force’s proposals focus on promoting and supercharging the availability of lifesaving cures and therapies. To increase access, we are working on lowering costs of these new treatments and promoting American-made medicines to prevent patients from being held hostage by the global supply chain crisis.
Vern Buchanan represents the 16th District of Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves as the Republican leader of the Ways & Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. Brett Guthrie represents the 2nd District of Kentucky in the House and serves as the Republican leader of the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. Together, they serve as CoChairs of the House GOP’s Healthy Future Task Force.
Increasing choice, competition, and transparency is at the center of the Task Force’s solutions to make health care more affordable.
In addition to expanding access to innovative health care
Democrats’ attempts to “fix” problems in health care with a top-down, Washington-knows-best approach leave too many Americans without access to adequate care. After more than a year and a half of Democrat control in Washington, we have seen Democrats push for one-size-fits all, government-run health care. This gives more power over patients’ health care to bureaucrats and enacts laws that result in fewer medical cures for patients, higher launch prices for drugs, and subsidized health care for wealthyRepublicansAmericans.’Healthy Future Task Force, which we co-chair, has a different vision that involves modernizing, personalizing, and improving the health care system to help Americans live healthier, longer lives. The Task Force has spent over a year engaging the American people and listening to their experiences with the health care system. Our members hosted roundtables and heard directly from doctors, patients, and companies working on cutting-edge technologies and therapies.With this information, we developed solutions to improve the health of all Americans by expanding choices, lowering costs, and modernizing treatment options. This approach is in stark contrast to Democrats’ big government health care failures.When
by VERN BUCHANAN & BRETT GUTHRIE
technologies, we want to safeguard and maintain expanded telehealth access that patients, especially seniors, benefitted greatly from during the pandemic. Our solutions also aim to improve our nation’s fiscal health by cracking down on taxpayer dollars wasted on improper payments in government health care programs.
Democrats’ plans for socialized medicine and governmentrun health care will ultimately lead to fewer cures, worse care, and limited choices. Republicans are prepared to improve the American health care system by getting policies signed into law that will lead to more cures and choices, better care, and lower outof-pocket costs for patients. RF
RIPON FORUM September 202220 Special Report: The GOP’s “Commitment to America”
Increasing choice, competition, and transparency is at the center of the Task Force’s solutions to make health care more affordable. Patients deserve to know the price they will pay before they receive care, which is why the Task Force is focused on unlocking a new, revolutionary wave of health care price transparency. Further, the Task Force has developed solutions to give businesses and employees more flexibility, including through association health plans and Health Savings Accounts, to offer or purchase, respectively, the most affordable health insurance policy that best meets employees’ needs.
The Task Force believes public health security is national security. America learned a costly lesson regarding significant shortcomings within our public health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed solutions to tackle future health crises by channelingthepoweroftheprivatesector;usingeffective,transparent, accurate, and timely communications from government leaders to the American people during future pandemics; and ensuring our supply chains are secured. The Task Force also wants to see thorough investigations into COVID-19’s origins, policies that build upon the success of Operation Warp Speed, and accountability for the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.While Democrats want to put bureaucrats in charge of patients’ health care, Republicans know the doctor-patient relationship is foundational to quality care. The Task Force wants to get Washington out of the doctor’s office and remove federal mandates to ensure patients remain the focus of visits. We also want to ensure patients have access to quality care by promoting programs that bolster our health care workforce and improve access to real-time care.
We Will Commit to a Healthier Future
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Diaz-Balart & Gonzales Discuss Hispanic Outreach and Their Efforts to Expand the GOP
Those leaders were U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) and Tony Gonzales (TX-23), who are Chair and Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, respectively. Diaz Balart kicked things off by outlining how the GOP can win over Hispanic voters.
DC – The Ripon Society held a breakfast discussion on August 1 st with two Republicans who are leading the charge to recruit more Hispanic candidates to run for political office and ensure the GOP makes inroads in Hispanic communities across the country.
“You’re starting to see a dramatic change in the attitudes of the Hispanic population around the country,” Diaz-Balart stated. “I always warn people, it’s not that Hispanics love Republicans, but they’re getting really, really concerned about what the Democrats are doing, and what the Democratic Party has become, frankly.”“I’ve been hearing for a long time, ‘Latinos should be Republicans because they’re conservative, because they’re hardworking, because they don’t
RIPON FORUM September 2022News22 & WASHINGTON,Events
trust government, because they believe in making sure that they have control of their kids’ education, and they support public safety.’ My question in return has always been, ‘Alright, but then why aren’t they Republican?’ And I think the answer to that really is rhetoric. It’s not policy.”
“If we can just get Republicans to understand that no matter how good the policy may be, if you insult somebody, you’re going to lose them. That realization is starting to happen. And more importantly, the realization that the Democratic
“I represent 42% of the Southern Border. It takes me ten hours to get from one end of my district to the other. It’s two time zones. It’s just a lot—Texas 23 is just a lot. We’re at the frontline of this border crisis and we have been for a very long time. One of the things that I’ve done is host other Members of Congress in the district to see it firsthand.
“It’s going to be an agenda that Republican candidates are going to be able to use, and on issues that resonate. More important is that on the first day we’re going to hit the ground running with this agenda.”
top priority here in Washington, but the primary concern for his constituents back in Texas.
people are tired, to Mario’s point. People are tired of the rhetoric. We know what’s wrong. We know we’re paying $5 for gas. We know the border is out of control. We know inflation is through the roof. We know there are no housing opportunities. We have to be the party of solutions.”
“There is a cultural experience that people are getting, and they realize the people of South Texas are the same people of Northern Mexico. They’re the same. There just happens to be a border between them. From these visits, we get to have deeper conversations on immigration reform. I think this is something that the Republican party can lead on.”
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I think a lot of times it’s because they don’t have an option to vote for. And for the first time in a long time, we have so many Hispanic candidates up and down the ballot in every single race that you can imagine. That is very can’tgood,andandbrokenspeakthetwointocan’tpiece“Thepowerful.otherofitisyoujustshowupacommunityweeksbeforeelection,alittleSpanish,thentakeoffthinkyou’reright?Youjustthrow
some money in Spanish TV and go, ‘There’s our Hispanic outreach.’ You can’t do that because guess what? They’re going to see right through that, like any other community would. You have to show up early, you have to show up often, and you have to be genuine.”Gonzales explained that, along with needing to interact with Hispanic communities, Republican candidates must also stand for a platform that offers realistic solutions to today’s biggest issues.
“One of the things that I’m really excited about is what Kevin McCarthy put together,” Diaz-
Balart said, alluding to the House GOP’s Commitment to America. “If you look at what happened when Democrats took control, it took them a while to figure out what they were doing. We’re not going to have that problem. We already have an agenda.
“You have to show up early, you have to show up often, and you have to be genuine.”
Party that has become the party of the extreme left just does not fit with Latinos in the United States. We are now entering, I think, an historic“It’sGonzalesmoment.”agreed.excitingtosee the future of where our party is going,” the firstterm lawmaker stated. “Oftentimes, we all hear the same things: ‘Why aren’t Hispanics Republicans?’
“The other thing I would say is
The pair then took a number of questions from the audience, including what they will be talking about to voters back home about ahead of Election Day.
Also attending last Thursday’s breakfast meeting was the newly elected Representative from Texas’s 34th Congressional District, Mayra Flores. RF
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RIPON FORUM September 2022 23
For Gonzales, he points to border security as not only his
“I tell folks that, yes, you’re going to see the border. You’re going to see the security piece to it. You’re going to get all those fancy photos that you see all the time, and you’re going to be able to have all these talking points to be able to go on Fox and do all these media hits that you want to do. But you’re going to see a whole lot more to the border than just that.
Tony Gonzales Remarks to The Ripon AugustSociety1,2022
“Ideas that matter, since 1965.“
Proudest achievement so far during your tenure as Governor: When I ran for Governor, I committed to putting hardworking Georgians first ahead of the status quo. While we’ve accomplished much in pursuit of this goal, such as raising teacher pay and cutting state income taxes, I’m most proud our state has led the nation in recovering from the economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020 we found ourselves facing an uncertain future. As the facts and science evolved, so did our response as we worked to protect both lives and livelihoods. Even in the face of harsh criticism from the media and the left, we pursued a measured reopening that allowed struggling businesses to stay afloat and preserved countless jobs, as evidenced by our all-time low unemployment rate. Now, over two years later, we are well-positioned to continue growing jobs and investments statewide.
Top challenge(s) facing Georgians that you are working hard to address: In Georgia, we’re proud to be recognized as the No. 1 state for business, but we know we have to keep chopping to maintain this status. I’ve been particularly focused on bringing economic opportunity and prosperity to every corner of our state. In support of this mission, we’ve made great strides in expansion of broadband internet access to our rural areas by bringing together government at all levels with private partners. We also want these areas to have the resources they need to thrive, so we are working diligently to ensure rural healthcare is reliable and affordable across our state. We’ve increased the number of health insurance carriers, with 98 percent of Georgia’s 159 counties now offering more than one carrier, and we’re investing in bringing more healthcare workers to communities statewide.
Name: Brian P. Kemp
RIPON FORUM September 202224
Previous positions held: I built my first business, Kemp Development and Construction Company, from the ground up with a pick-up truck and a shovel. Since then, I’ve been blessed to find success as an entrepreneur, with businesses and investments in banking, farming, timber, manufacturing, and real estate. While I was working to build these businesses, I grew frustrated with government standing in the way of its citizens’ success and ignoring their concerns. That’s why I ran for and served in the Georgia State Senate in the 2000s, then as Secretary of State from 2010-2018: to cut red tape and streamline government.
Finally, a prediction – will the Bulldogs be successful in defending their national title this season? Last year’s season was a dream come true for generations of Georgia fans. There will certainly be stiff competition to repeating from familiar foes, but I believe the Dawgs are as strong as ever.
Occupation: Governor of Georgia
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At AstraZeneca, we’re pushing the limits of science through our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy to deliver net zero healthcare, manage our environmental impact and invest in nature. By reducing carbon emissions, harnessing sustainable green energy and working toward a 100% green fleet, we’re championing sustainability for a healthy planet, healthy people and a healthy society.
AstraZeneca is a proud supporter of the Ripon Society.
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