Rob and Lauren Hudson: Letter of Common Ground about free enterprise, freedom and hope


Letters for families based on the book “It Can Be Done” @studentsleadusa

We want an economic system that features hope because hope propels us forward and it leads to perseverance in difficult circumstances. We write to make a case for promoting freedom and capitalism because they have helped provide hope to hundreds of millions of Americans.

In a free market system, productive effort usually leads to success, which inspires and reinforces hope. Peoples’ successes prove we have not misplaced our hope. As we attend more school, complete more training, and/or become more proficient in our jobs, we increase our chances of making a better life for ourselves and our families. Family improvement from generation to generation fosters more hope.

With capitalism, people can find new, better jobs they didn’t have before. One successful business can help improve thousands of lives. As we hope for better jobs and better opportunities for our families, there’s no doubt that a lot of our hope for success comes from liberty and free enterprise, even if we don’t usually think of it that way.

With free enterprise, tens of thousands of businesses work to solve problems, employing more than a hundred million people in our country every day. As we try to make the United States the best place to do business in the world, more employees can secure great jobs. Our system of business delivers unique opportunities to pull together to help nearly everyone to help themselves and others.

The hope and optimism needed to go into business in capitalism should not be overlooked. Think about risking your savings to follow a dream, with no guarantee of success. When we see people building successful businesses through capitalism, it helps prove we can do it, giving us more hope.

Like businesspeople, we should be willing to fight for our future and be optimistic about it. Doing a good job today may lead to a better job tomorrow. With capitalism – and in life, for that matter – one success can lead to another success.

The employees of today’s businesses may someday have their own businesses. Many years into the future their children may go into business. They’ve seen success and how it works. They know how work builds confidence and self-esteem, with money earned and lives changed. With all these people starting businesses, tens of thousands of lives within families can be improved.
In turn, thousands of new businesses can improve millions of lives. When we’re successful in doing this across the country, every person who wants a good job has an opportunity to earn one. Most of us overlook America’s economic success story, but we built it based partly on common sense. There’s really nothing too complicated about it – our system provides a way for people to carry out their natural desires to dream and create.

Freedom, in the right economic system like free enterprise, breeds hope. Our common ground in America should include inspiring hope by preserving connections between effort and success. Our common ground should also include a desire for progress from one generation to the next, all of which provide further hope.

Many of our country’s great achievements came from hope within a capitalist economic system. As President Ronald Reagan said, “Never forget that this is America, the land where dreams come true.” Freedom and liberty, exercised within free enterprise, helped us get there.

Frost Brown Todd LLC Member and business lawyer Rob Hudson is a Past Chair of the Northern Kentucky Chamber. 2018 Independent Author of the Year Lauren Hudson is a Singletary Scholar at the University of Kentucky. Their next letter will explore common ground about freedom and education.


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