|
x
The following is
the text of the Oklahoma County Republican Party
platform, as adopted at the county convention on
March 22. The current chair is Al Mertens, vice-chair
is Marlene Do.
(Posted 3-30-03)
Oklahoma County Republican Party
2003/2004 Platform
Preamble
The Oklahoma County Republican Party
holds the following truths to be self-evident:
• All persons are created equal.
• All persons are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights which include the Right to
life, the Right to liberty, the Right to own property
and the Right to the pursuit of happiness.
• The purpose for which governments are
instituted is to secure these unalienable rights.
• Governments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed.
• Because such unalienable rights have been
endowed by the Creator, they may not rightfully be
denied by government.
• We recognize the heritage of the Republican
Party in the principles of Abraham Lincoln-that no
human being should be considered the property of
another. We recognize the unalienable rights of all
those created by God, without regard to race, color,
creed, religion, national origin, ethnic background,
or status of human development.
• The Oklahoma County Republican Party
accordingly welcomes all citizens to participate in
and support the principles and candidates of the
Republican Party.
• We recognize that political activity alone
cannot deliver our beloved land from the crises it
faces. We therefore call upon all Americans to look
to the Creator for guidance to return America to its
founding principles of spiritual and moral character.
National Issues
We state our support for the Bill of
Rights,including:
The right to keep and bear arms;
Freedom of speech;
Freedom from unjust search and seizure;
Freedom to exercise religion.
1. We support foreign policy that acknowledges the
sovereignty of the United States and places the
interests and values of its citizens above those of
the United Nations or any international organization.
2. We support a strong, well funded military and its
ongoing modernization. We oppose the acceptance of
homosexuality in the military. We value the
contribution of women in noncombative military roles.
3. We support the scrupulous fulfillment of promised
retirement benefits to veterans and retirees. We
support improved pay, living conditions, and
educational opportunities for our armed forces to aid
in retention and retirement.
4. We support the continued effort to pursue, and
bring to justice, terrorists and the entities that
harbor or support them.
5. We affirm that support of other democracies such
as Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan is in our
interest, as well as theirs.
Government Reform and Accountability
1. We support enactment of reform in the judicial
system for the purpose of swift justice and reducing
the time for appeals. We support victim's rights.
2. We support the review of improving efficiency and
organizational structure of county and State
government for the purpose of strengthening
accountability.
3. We support enactment of tort reform by the State
Legislature.
4. We believe that all elected officials should be
required to abide by the same laws and regulations
that private citizens are required to follow.
5. We support the freedom for a private business to
succeed or fail as a private enterprise.
6. We support more efficient and less invasive
government at all levels.
Family
The traditional family, consisting of a husband
and wife, is designed to provide each family member's
physical, emotional, financial, spiritual and social
needs. Both parents are needed to support and
encourage happiness, health, and a good education for
their children, creating the next generation of
citizens that are constructive members of society.
Multigenerational families foster mutual respect and
cooperation while providing support of extended
family members and forming enduring relationships.
1. We support the right of parents to raise, educate
discipline, nurture and spiritually train their
children without government interference. We also
support those who choose the vocation of homemaking.
2. We believe that pornography, including Internet
pornography, destroys the moral conscience and we
urge the rigorous enforcement of all anti-pornography
laws. Government agencies or tax-supported
institutions, especially libraries and public
schools, should not provide access to pornography.
3. We believe in welfare reform to help those truly
in need. We support holding responsible those who are
financially able to provide for themselves and their
children. We support programs that include faith-based
organizations that promote traditional marriage,
stabilize marriages, decrease out-of-wedlock births
and encourage responsible parenting.
4. We believe in the values of hard work and prudent
use of money. The lottery or any form of gambling
encourages the belief in getting "something for
nothing," and leads to the destabalization of
families.
5. We oppose our State government promoting and/or
supporting any form of gambling.
6. We support a reduction in taxes, enactment of
legislation and public assistance policies that
encourage a commitment to traditional marriage and
strong families. We support the passage of a
voluntary Covenant Marriage law in Oklahoma and the
elimination of 'irreconcilable differences,"
when there are minor children, as a basis for divorce.
7. We believe in the sanctity and value of human life
from conception to natural death. We oppose abortion
including the use of RU-486 and partial birth
abortion, euthanasia and mercy killings and the
funding of such by the government.
8. We support legislation that prohibits taking the
life of the unborn for the purpose of harvesting and/or
any service related to the donation or selling of
organs and tissue.
9. We oppose human cloning.
10. We encourage an adoption process that recognizes
the rights of parents while maintaining safeguards
for the children. Except for adoption by qualified
relatives, we support adoption by traditional
families consisting of a husband and a wife.
Education
1. We believe in a quality education for all children
so that no child is left behind.
2. We believe in a strong curriculum based on core
subjects: reading (including phonics in reading),
writing, math, English, science, American history,
world history, and geography. We support the
elimination of the Federal Government's efforts to
control classroom curricula.
3. We support strict accountability of local school
boards to parents. We support a parent's choice of
schools, including but not limited to public,
private, parochial, charter or homeschooling.
4. As guaranteed by the First Amendment, the free
exercise of religion shall allow in schools voluntary
prayer, voluntary posting of the Ten Commandments,
the teaching of the Founding Fathers and the
principles of the founding of our Nation.
5. We support the mandatory teaching of our
representative form of government, a Federal
Republic, to encourage understanding and civic
participation within the population. This would
include, but not be limited to, the Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution, Federalist Papers and
other founding documents.
6. We believe it is the parents' responsibility to
educate their children regarding sexual conduct,
supported by locally approved character education
programs.
7. We support teachers and administrators as they
lawfully deal with disruptive behavior in order to
create safe classrooms.
8. We believe programs which collect nonacademic
student information have been unsuccessful thereby
wasting limited education funds, and such programs
should be eliminated.
9. We believe that in public schools where evolution
is taught, creation should be taught as well.
10. We believe that "alternative lifestyles"
and their acceptance should not be taught in public
schools.
11. We oppose social promotion in public schools.
12. We support the consolidation of public school
administrative functions.
13. We support the evaluation of the functions and
responsibilities of the State Department of Education
to determine its contribution to learning.
Taxes and the Economy
1. We support the development of a well-defined
energy policy at both the state and national levels
that includes, but is not limited to, the economic
encouragement to produce and refine oil and gas, to
enhance efficient use of these products, and policies
that promote self-sufficiency and the development of
alternative energy sources.
2. We support an overall reduction in federal, state,
local taxes and fees on the citizens and businesses
of Oklahoma.
3. We support discussion and open debate on reducing
taxes in such areas as: the estate tax, the sales tax
on groceries and non-prescription drugs, and the
elimination of State income tax on retirement income
for citizens who have reached retirement age as
defined by Social Security. This list should not be
considered comprehensive, but rather representative
of the many methods by which the tax burden on our
citizens could be reduced.
4. We support efforts to reform Social Security that
will enhance its long-term stability and provide
beneficiaries more ownership and control over their
individual Social Security accounts.
5. We support efforts at all levels of government to
reduce wasteful or frivolous spending, as well as
fraud and abuse-especially before any attempt at
raising taxes or fees is made to address a funding
issue.
6. We support zero based budgeting.
7. We support strict accountability standards for all
government officials in the expenditures of their
particular office, and for specific legislative
penalties for failure to adequately account for funds
expended under their control.
8. We support tax policies that encourage personal
responsibility and provide incentives for economic
creativity, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation.
Election Reform and Other Issues
1. We support repeal of the unconstitutional
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
2. We support a limit to the number of annual
election days in Oklahoma.
3. We support legislation requiring voters to present
a photo identification issued by a domestic
government agency that will verify that they are in
the correct precinct before being issued a ballot.
4. We believe proof of citizenship and identification
should be required in order to register to vote.
5. We believe in accountability for the accuracy of
voter registrations.
6. We believe that all delegates to the Republican
National Convention should be duly elected by their
state or congressional district conventions held the
same year as the National Convention.
Commendations
1. We commend President George W. Bush, a person of
high integrity and wisdom, on the return of dignity
and honor to the White House. We commend the
President on his persecution of "the war on
terrorism" in an open and aggressive style, and
we support his actions in defense of our safety and
security.
2. We commend both Steve Largent and J.C. Watts for
their years of honorable service in the House of
Representatives.
3. We commend Governor Frank Keating on eight years
of dedicated service to the State of Oklahoma and to
the Republican Party of Oklahoma.
4. We commend those who serve in public office and
promote Republican principles.
5. We commend Steve Curry for his leadership of the
Oklahoma County Republican Party during the past two
years.
|
