Republican Party Platform

Platform 2004 - 2007
Adopted February 22, 2004

Overview

The Platform of the California Republican Party is a general set of principles and beliefs that guide our Party on state issues. It is not meant to be a detailed document that addresses every issue and policy of importance to California, just as it cannot foretell every significant issue that may arise in the course of its four-year existence. Therefore, it may be complemented from time to time in the form of detailed resolutions, policy statements, and other positions that may be considered and adopted by the California Republican Party in accordance with its By-Laws. Sections are listed alphabetically and not in order of priority or importance. As well, the reader may reference the Republican Party's National Platform for other detailed positions pertaining to the federal government and national issues.

• Introduction
We, the members of the California Republican Party, believe in the inalienable, natural rights of each individual as endowed by our Creator, including the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. We agree with our nation's founders that government is instituted to protect those rights and will oppose all efforts to interfere with their legitimate exercise. The Republican Party is committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, which is the law of the land, and further to interpreting the Constitution in its original intent as written by the Founding Fathers. The Republican Party recognizes that the United States is a republic, governed by laws enacted by elected representatives pledged to protect the rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Republican Party, from its inception, and under the leadership of its first President, Abraham Lincoln, has championed justice, equal rights, and opportunity for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or national origin. We are proud that our President, George W. Bush, has put into action our messages of hope, opportunity, family values, and individual rights; which is an inclusive message for all who love freedom, believe in individual rights and responsibility, and believe in government of the people.

• Agriculture
Agriculture, California's leading industry, exemplifies the free market at work and requires the use of farmland and animal production industries. Therefore, the CRP opposes extremism that, in the name of animal rights activism or environmental protection, has resulted in over-regulation of California agriculture and other businesses in the state. Water is the life-blood of agriculture. Republicans support and encourage efforts to protect and promote the availability of water for agriculture.

• Crime and Justice
One of the principal duties of government is to protect the public safety and to maintain law and order so that individuals can be free to pursue the fruits of life and liberty. Crime has been on the decline in recent years, yet it remains a significant problem throughout our nation. Better allocation of state resources can help insure the rights of innocent people and victims as well as the rights of the accused.

Recognizing that we live in an era of increasing prison populations and that victims of crime are too often forgotten, the CRP supports prisoner work programs so that prisons can become self-supporting. We support laws requiring criminals to pay restitution to their victims. We also support prison construction with a focus on security, inmate labor and education. We call for a repeal of the "Prisoners Bill of Rights" and oppose conjugal visits for prisoners.

While the death penalty is an effective deterrent, we believe it is primarily a just punishment for certain crimes. Therefore, we support judicial enforcement of California's death penalty law and call for legislation to restrict the time and number of endless appeals that make a mockery of the law.

We acknowledge and affirm the role of Republican-sponsored legislation such as "Three Strikes and You're Out" and "10-20-Life" as the primary reason for the dramatic reduction in crime in California. We will steadfastly oppose ongoing efforts of Democrat legislators to weaken these effective laws.

"Crime Victims' Reform" achieved major improvements in our criminal justice system, especially reforms related to protection of crime victims and reduction in delays of the implementation of justice. We support continued enforcement and strengthening of these reforms as vital steps to assure public safety.

The CRP supports protection of the public from further acts of violence by career criminals through a tougher parole determination process and a significant, meaningful parole system that provides for administrative re-incarceration of those in violation of their parole.

Recognizing the judiciary's critical role in the safety of all Californians, we support the appointment of qualified judges dedicated to the separation of powers. We oppose the practice commonly referred to as "judicial activism" and support judges who strictly adhere to their constitutional role.

We support effective anti-drug education programs. We call for stiffer punishment for drunk or drug-impaired drivers. Drug users must face stiffer penalties for contributing to the demand that makes the drug trade profitable. We support increased mandatory sentences for drug traffickers and dealers.

We stand with the majority of Americans who oppose pornography, whether in literature, music, electronic media, or the Internet, because of its effects leading to increased prostitution, child molestation and other crimes. We vigorously endorse stiffer penalties to control obscene materials, especially those, which exploit children. We support the forfeiture of material gains from the production and distribution of illegal pornography.

We endorse stiffer penalties for those who abduct, exploit and abuse children or commit domestic violence and spousal abuse. We support efforts to force "dead-beat" parents to meet their financial obligations.

• Defense and Veterans
The ability of our military to counter foreign threats has improved under our Republican President. Thanks to the leadership of President George W. Bush, America's adversaries know that we mean business in the protection of our homeland and our interests. We must give the highest budgetary priority to National Security, continue to increase defense capability, ensure we maintain military superiority and deploy whatever resources the Commander-in-Chief deems necessary to protect America. Ultimately, our defense is the courage and skills of our military personnel who lay their lives on the line to protect our nation. We must never allow them to be put under foreign command, nor should they ever be committed to foreign conflict unless U.S. national interests are directly at stake and there is a clear military goal and a firm exit strategy.

Recognizing the special sacrifices of those who are serving and have served in our nation's armed forces, we support reasonable compensation and state income tax exemptions for the pay of California's residents on active duty and for retirement benefits of veterans and their survivors, and we believe that a priority should be resolving the crisis of homelessness among veterans. We also support legislation to end means testing related to veterans' benefits and federal policies to grant veterans greater access to rightfully earned medical care, including efforts to "privatize" the operations of the Veterans Administration. • The Economy and TaxesThe CRP affirms its belief that the market economy, allocating resources by the free play of supply and demand, is the most just, efficient and productive economic system known to man. The primary responsibility of government in the free enterprise system is to provide an unencumbered environment for the expansion of jobs and income through open markets and individual enterprise.

A strong economy and good quality of life require a sound infrastructure. It is time to reinvest in California's infrastructure. We must rebuild and improve our highways and our public and private transportation systems, develop increased storage and efficient utilization of water, upgrade our medical and educational facilities and acquire open space and habitat. This investment should be increasingly "pay-as-you-go," with reduced dependency on bonds.

Capricious regulations and arbitrary bureaucracies are a burden to every person, business and organization in California. They not only destroy market incentives and opportunities, but cripple innovation as well. Regulation and taxation reduce and redistribute income rather than create wealth. The expansive role of the bureaucratic state in taxation, regulation and services must be rolled back to bring economic benefits to every citizen. To create a society modeled on privatization, modernization, technology and volunteerism to reduce the size of government, we support restrictions on the power of state agencies and unelected officials to enact regulations on their own. We support Republican proposals for a cap on all taxes - federal, state and local combined. President Bush has shown the way that the best way to stimulate our economy and create jobs is through tax cuts, not tax increases.

California's combined income and sales tax rates are among the highest in the nation, placing us at a significant competitive disadvantage. Our tax burden has been increasing at an unprecedented rate. (Only passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 has held taxes somewhat at bay.) Recognizing that California's hard-working citizens are best able to make the important financial decisions affecting their families, we favor major reductions in the tax burden to a level necessary only for the essential functions of government. We support reduction and elimination of taxes on private enterprise that drive capital, talent, and jobs to other states. We oppose the adoption of Internet-related taxes.

As the Party of taxpayer protection, we stand firmly behind the historic principles of Proposition 13 and oppose all efforts to undermine the two-thirds vote requirement for passage of school bonds, as well as any other bonds, taxes, or increases in government spending. We support Republican legislators' efforts to abolish the Vehicle License Fee, the most blatant example of the liberal Democrats' unwillingness to return unneeded tax revenues to the citizens of California. We call for the elimination of stealth taxes imposed by unfunded federal and state mandates.

In an opportunity society, we know it is morally correct to encourage citizens to take responsibility for themselves and their children and further recognize such ideals must be emphasized in reforming social welfare programs. Therefore, we support Workfare for welfare recipients to provide fairness for workers and taxpayers and to free thousands of recipients from dependency on the welfare state.

Public employees should not be organized into unions that thwart the objectives of citizens and taxpayers through lobbying efforts paid for by dues that have been involuntarily extracted from public employees' wages.

Government monopolies and mandates reduce the quality and increase the price of all consumer products and services. We favor the reduction and elimination of all regulatory barriers and subsidies on trades and occupations. We support every worker's right to choose or decline union representation. We support competitive private sector participation and privatization in all welfare, transportation, utilities, and other government services. We support the principles of free, fair and open trade with foreign nations, providing America's sovereignty and security are not compromised.

• Education
The CRP supports the broadest educational opportunities for all students as well as open competition among schools for the best scholastic achievement. As President Bush has stated, there will be no child left behind. We support the maximum amount of parental involvement and local control as well as a minimum of bureaucratic and monopolistic restrictions on educational services.

We commend California's hard-working teachers as they play a fundamental role in educating future generations. However, their efforts are frequently impeded and unfairly controlled by union bosses who have a disproportionate influence over our children's education. Abraham Lincoln warned, "The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."

Recognizing the current crisis in California education, the Republican Party supports placing priority on basic competence and the ability to reason in fundamental educational skills (phonics-based reading, writing, arithmetic) through strong curricula developed by local school boards. Equally important is teaching the attributes of good citizens, including strong moral character and good judgment. A priority for the CRP is the safety of our students, faculty and staff.

Because California's bloated public education system faces no competition for tax dollars and, therefore, has no incentive to change, we support school choice programs whereby parents may choose from among public and private schools to educate their children. We support the rights of parents to home-school their children without interference from government and elimination of regulations that stand in the way of charter schools. We call for a return of local control to parents, local school boards and communities. We also support reforming the State Department of Education as well as an end to social engineering programs such as Goals 2000 and School to Work.

We favor an end to movements to instill "politically correct" values and revisionist curricula into public schools, which serve only to detract from the critical importance of parental input while dividing the citizenry and producing misguided and uneducated students. We support academic achievement as the measure of a student's success, and reject so-called "social promotion."

The CRP supports a merit-based pay system for teachers and administrators to assure that the best and most effective teachers and schools are rewarded for their outstanding contributions to education. We oppose union control of California's education system and support elimination of sole bargaining provisions and programs that usurp the power of locally-elected school board members.

We support the right of students to engage in voluntary prayer in schools and the right of the community to do so at commencement or other school-related activities. We call for equal educational opportunity, including the possibility of vouchers or educational savings accounts, for all Californians. College admissions should be based on demonstrated academic merit alone. We agree with 61 percent of the voters of California who favor elimination of California's bilingual education program.

• Equal Opportunity
The foundations of the Republican Party are rooted in the propositions of equality under law and vigorous enforcement of individual rights. We recognize that equality of opportunity is vastly different than socially engineered or government-mandated equality. Liberty and equality of result are incompatible, and the former should never be usurped to secure the latter.

The CRP will never tolerate discrimination or become a vehicle for those who believe rights are to be apportioned based on litmus tests or predetermined quotas. We support merit, not some immaterial genetic attribute or religious belief, as the foundation of any employment or advancement decision. We support laws that prohibit employment and housing discrimination on the basis of the immutable characteristics of race, ethnicity, nationality and sex, or on the basis of religion as protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any special privileges, rights, or accommodations based on sexual or behavioral preferences.
• FamilyNational renewal starts with the family. Family is where each new generation gains its moral anchor. It is the school of citizenship, the engine of economic progress, and a permanent haven during societal change. As Republicans, we believe the home should remain the central place for individual decision-making and issues impacting the family should not be handed over to intrusive government bureaucrats.

Recognizing the family as the foundation of our society, and that parents are most capable of making decisions for and about their children, the CRP opposes any effort to weaken parents' freedom of decision and choice, as well as any abridgment of parental rights by the state.

We recognize that the two-parent family provides the best environment of stability, discipline, charity and responsibility. We commend and support those single parents who struggle to maintain stable homes for their families. We resist the efforts of the liberals in the Democrat Party to redefine the traditional family. We offer the Republican Party as an option to all who are concerned about the deterioration of the American family.

Recognizing the traditional model of monogamous heterosexual marriage as the only stable relationship upon which to build a society, we believe that homosexuality should not be presented as an acceptable "alternative" lifestyle in public education and policy. We oppose granting to homosexuals special privileges, including marriage, domestic partnership benefits, and child custody or adoption.

• Federalism
The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." The CRP supports the President's efforts to abide by these clear constraints on federal power and reverse the federal encroachment upon the powers and rights reserved and delegated to the States and the people. We favor state determination, without federal mandates or subsidies, on all matters consistent with the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. • Health CareWe desire adequate health care for all and affirm that health care choices are primarily a matter of personal liberty. Because we recognize that market solutions are the most appropriate means of meeting rising health care costs, the CRP supports legislation designed to create private sector solutions, such as small business group insurance reforms, self-employment premium deductions and medical savings accounts.

We oppose government-mandated health insurance plans, which would increase national health insurance costs by well over $100 billion a year, and recognize that a government-controlled plan would surrender forever the freedom Californians now enjoy to make personal decisions about their health care and well-being. We oppose nationalized, single-payer or socialized health care as well as all efforts to federalize health care.

• Immigration
The CRP recognizes that our country is enriched with the vast influence of immigrants from all over the world who have come to the United States of America for the unlimited opportunities, freedom and prosperity offered to every working citizen.

We support and welcome all legal immigrants and others who are here by due process and are productive, law-abiding citizens. In fairness to them, we oppose the tide of illegal immigration and support federal efforts to stem it. We further support the disbursement of federal funds to California to pay for federally mandated immigration programs and termination of the legal requirement for non-emergency assistance to illegal immigrants.

• Private Property Rights and the Environment
We affirm our continuing commitment to clean air and water, productive forests, abundant wildlife and responsible stewardship of our God-given natural heritage. However, environmental extremists have created a burdensome system driven by special interests whose claims are accepted without scientific and economic accountability. We support streamlining the environmental regulatory system to protect the environment, encourage business profitability, create jobs, and protect property rights. We support free-market, technologically and scientifically sound solutions to environmental problems.

We believe the environment is best protected by extending and enforcing private property rights, rather than by regulation. The CRP supports clear civil remedies rather than arbitrary bureaucratic rules to protect all natural resources. It is imperative that ecological benefits of regulation be measured against the total societal costs and based upon sound scientific evidence.

Republicans oppose land confiscation and controls that deprive individuals of basic property or water rights. The CRP stands firmly in opposition to uncompensated taking or condemnation of private land, water or property rights by government for public use and environmental concerns.

• The Right to Bear Arms
The right to bear arms is guaranteed in the Constitution. Persons without that right are subjects, not free citizens. We recognize that criminals ignore laws, but law-abiding citizens are negatively impacted by thousands of current gun laws that have had no impact on criminal use of firearms.

The CRP supports adding provisions to the State Constitution protecting the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms and possess ammunition for defending themselves, their families, homes, and property, and for hunting and recreational uses. We oppose gun registration. We support passage of statewide criteria to allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.

We support enhanced sentencing for those using a firearm in the commission of a crime. We call for the elimination of waiting periods that prohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing firearms and support implementation of an instant background check system that protects law-abiding citizens while guaranteeing their rights.

• The Sanctity of Life
We note Thomas Jefferson's sentiment that "the care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government," and that the United States Constitution guarantees no one "be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law." The CRP affirms its support for the protection of innocent human life at every stage, from the pre-born to the elderly, the infirm and the disabled.

As the Party for Life, we stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose taxpayer funding of abortion and abortion for sex selection. We oppose the heinous practice commonly known as partial-birth abortion and urge the State Legislature, the Congress and President to pass legislation to ban this procedure. To restore to the states the right to determine the abortion issue, we support the reversal of Roe V. Wade. We oppose efforts to legalize assisted suicide.

We support and strongly encourage positive alternatives to abortion such as adoption, which we will promote through legal reforms. We support the existence of pregnancy counseling centers throughout California that offer a private sector alternative during a crisis pregnancy. As well, we support parental consent as a prerequisite for any minor receiving family planning services or having an abortion.

• Tort Reform
Tort litigation is out of control and endangering the economy of California. Clear guidelines for valid claims of product liability and personal injury are essential to vibrant trade and innovative services. We favor reasonable damage limits and consistent punitive damages when losses are due to intentional misconduct. We believe that the costs of frivolous and malicious claims should be borne by unsuccessful plaintiffs. President Bush has clearly stated that no patient has ever been healed by a lawsuit. Truer words have never been spoken.