“To my mind, the most fundamental role for government in a democratic society is to extend equality of opportunity, to insure that each individual has the tools necessary to take control and choose the course of his or her life.”

St. Louis, MO -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/09/2008 -- Independent U.S. Presidential Candidate Blake Ashby released a whitepaper today on the role of government in a democratic society. (www.ashby2008.com).

"To my mind, the most fundamental role for government in a democratic society is to extend equality of opportunity, to insure that each individual has the tools necessary to take control and choose the course of his or her life." said Ashby. "I am running for President because I believe that we as a nation are losing sight of this role for government, and our government is starting to fall short of fulfilling this most basic responsibility.

"If we continue down our current path, the rare level of freedom and control that this country has achieved will slowly seep away, likely never to return. If we allow this to happen, we, this generation, will have failed as stewards of our country - through neglect, we will have ceded our special place in history, and the United States will go the way of Ancient Rome or the British Empire. "

About Ashby 2008
Blake Ashby is a life-long Republican who is running as a cranky Independent Presidential Candidate because he has become frustrated with the fiscal irresponsibility and misplaced social conservatism of the Republican Party. He believes, as so many Americans do, that the strength of our nation's government has been weakened by political hypocrisy on the parts of both major parties, and their neglect of the critical issues that affect America most is making our nation vulnerable. Ashby's goal is to stimulate debate on the hard issues facing our country, and hopefully to help force the Republican Party to return to its roots.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

St. Louis, MO -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/04/2007 -- Independent U.S. Presidential Candidate Blake Ashby released a video of his speech from the Ashby 2008 campaign kickoff. (www.ashby2008.com).

"The speech is long and tedious, but the issues are important for our country," said Ashby. "To my mind, the purpose of the U.S. Government is to extend equality of opportunity to all Americans. I know that we have opportunity now, but I am concerned that it is slipping away from us. Will our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities? Is individual freedom and self-determination slipping away from us?"

"This isn't just a philosophic question," noted Ashby. "It defines what the future of the United States will look like. An active government aggressively promoting equality of opportunity is our best chance to maintain the dynamism of our society. Potential does not respect economic or ethnic boundaries – it is distributed throughout our society. We as a country must continue to tap into the potential of all Americans. This is our country's best chance to cheat history, to avoid the decline that has brought down great nations throughout history."

About Ashby 2008
Blake Ashby is a life-long Republican who is running as a cranky Independent Presidential Candidate because he has become frustrated with the fiscal irresponsibility and misplaced social conservatism of the party. He believes, as so many Americans do, that the strength of our nation's government has been weakened by political hypocrisy on the parts of both major parties, and their neglect of the critical issues that affect America most is making our nation vulnerable. Ashby's goal is to stimulate debate on the hard issues facing our country, and hopefully to help force the Republican Party to return to its roots.

For more information: http://www.ashby2008.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm