> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.simpleliberty.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Our Founder - URL: https://www.simpleliberty.com/our-founder/ - Published: 2026-08-10T20:42:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T22:54:34.000Z - Description: One conviction, 40 years: Average citizens - not the ruling class - will restore America's character, stability, and founding principles. - Author: David Russell - Tags: Resource Library Hi! Simple Liberty isn't about me. But I founded it, so it's only polite to introduce myself. In 1986, Congress passed a law ordering itself to balance the budget by 1991\. Seven months later the enforcement was struck down, and nobody put it back. The debt was $2 trillion then.(1) Forty years later, it is nearly twenty times larger. They made a commitment. They did not follow through. It was clear America was in trouble. It’s worse today. The problem is not one political party. It is that too many people in our ruling class of politicians, billionaires, bureaucrats, and aspiring tyrants have stopped doing what is right. Their focus is to increase their power and wealth - not ours. Every four years since, I've hoped for candidates committed to the common good. Every four years I've been disappointed. **Here's where that leaves us in 2026:** - In 1964, 77% of Americans trusted their government to do what is right. Today, 17% do.(2) - Three-quarters of us say the political system needs major changes. Only one in four believes change is actually possible.(3) - Our national debt just passed $39 trillion — about $114,000 for every person in this country, including your kids. This year, for the first time in history, we will pay more than a trillion dollars in interest alone. That's more than we spend on national defense.(4) We've lost trust in the people who run our government. Many of us feel we can't make a difference. And worst of all, we're sacrificing our children's future to avoid hard decisions today. **So why did I wait forty years?** Fair question. Forty years ago, I had the conviction and none of the skills. So, I spent four decades getting some — coaching leaders for twenty years, training thousands of people in leadership and hiring and culture, writing five books, recording more than three hundred podcast episodes. None of it made me special. All of it taught me one thing: ordinary people like you and me, working together, can move this country in the right direction again. This is America's 250th year. If there was ever a moment to stop waiting, this is it. **What we do** Simple Liberty is a nonpartisan movement where ordinary citizens work together, respectfully, to develop solutions to America’s problems. Our method is four questions. What does this issue mean? What does the evidence show? How is it affecting real people? And what's the best solution for the common good? Before cable news and the internet, Americans worked things out on the front porch, at the kitchen table, in the diner, the barbershop, the church basement, the town square. Today, we've built a place to do that online. We call it The Commons. Let’s turn off the fear and the outrage. Pick one issue you actually care about, and work it through with us. When you're done, you'll understand the issue better than ever before. You’ll also learn how to discuss the facts calmly and give people time to change their minds. The Constitution put ordinary citizens in charge. It still does. But it was never built to run without us — and for too long, we’ve hoped our ruling class would provide wisdom, integrity, and courage. They have not. G.K. Chesterton is often credited with the idea that a true soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what's behind him. This speaks to who we are: ***We're not fighting against the people in front of us.*** ***We're fighting for the people coming after us.*** Chesterton is describing us! People like you and me who are doing this work. The road ahead is hard. History says that's when Americans do their best work. We need people of good character to get involved and stay involved. Are you with me? ***We can do this.*** Sincerely, Dave Russell Founder, Simple Liberty Foundation P.S. You can call me Dave, David, Russ, Russell, Brother, or Coach. I only ask that you use a nice tone of voice. :) (1) In 1986 - Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings), signed December 12, 1985; enforcement mechanism struck down in *Bowsher v. Synar*, 478 U.S. 714 (July 7, 1986). Debt figure: U.S. Treasury, Historical Debt Outstanding, FY1986. [https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/historical-debt-outstanding/](https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/historical-debt-outstanding/?ref=simpleliberty.com) *Bowsher v. Synar* in footnote 1 to the Cornell page ([https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/478/714](https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/478/714?ref=simpleliberty.com)) (2) TRUST - Pew Research Center, "Public Trust in Government: 1958-2025," December 4, 2025. [https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/12/04/public-trust-in-government-1958-2025/](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/12/04/public-trust-in-government-1958-2025/?ref=simpleliberty.com) (3) HOPE - Pew Research Center, "Americans stand out internationally for their pessimism about the nation's political system," April 15, 2026. [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/15/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system/](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/15/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system/?ref=simpleliberty.com) (4) DEBT - Peter G. Peterson Foundation, interest tracker: [https://www.pgpf.org/programs-and-projects/fiscal-policy/monthly-interest-tracker-national-debt/](https://www.pgpf.org/programs-and-projects/fiscal-policy/monthly-interest-tracker-national-debt/?ref=simpleliberty.com) Peter G. Peterson Foundation, "What Is the National Debt Costing Us?": [https://www.pgpf.org/article/what-is-the-national-debt-costing-us/](https://www.pgpf.org/article/what-is-the-national-debt-costing-us/?ref=simpleliberty.com)