Preamble

The Douglas County Republican Party presents its 2016 Platform and renews its dedication to the following beliefs:

We believe the strength of our state is in its people. We believe the input and participation of each person is critical to maintaining government which represents and encourages individual initiative and the free enterprise system and which has given our nation an economic system second to none.

We believe that good government should guarantee to its individuals equality before the law regardless of race, creed, age, gender, national origin, or income level and that each person’s ability, dignity, and freedom, as well as responsibilities, must be recognized and honored.

We believe that government should promote the health, welfare, and safety of the individual and that government’s proper function is to do only those things which individuals cannot do for themselves.

We believe the foundation of the Republican Party is broad, and, regardless of its position on any particular issue, all Nebraskans are welcomed to join and support Republican, constitutional, and conservative philosophy, principles, and candidates.

With these principles, we believe that the Douglas County Republican Party is the vehicle for persons who desire a positive and responsive government at the city, county, state, and national levels.

Agriculture

The Douglas County Republican Party recognizes agriculture in all its many facets, including farming, ranching and agribusiness, as Nebraska’s primary industry and the cornerstone of its economy. We support the establishment of expanded markets as part of a fair and open global marketplace. We believe in a free and open marketplace functioning in fairness to family farms, ranches, and smaller and independent agribusiness operations and we encourage the enforcement of state and federal anti-trust laws to their benefit.

Crime and Public Protection

Government should provide protection for all our citizens. Our safety must be the guiding principle of criminal justice. This requires a judicial system that imposes swift and sure punishments, including death for heinous crimes, strict incarceration for violent crimes and punishment for non-violent crimes.

We believe that legalized gambling creates negative social and economic effects upon individuals, families and the community. We therefore oppose any further gambling expansion in our state.

We call particular attention to the problems of illegal drug use and legal drug abuse, child and spouse abuse and neglect, and pornography, which strike at the roots of our family. We deplore the emphasis of sex and violence in the media and encourage all citizens to actively discourage such emphasis. We urge our elected officials to routinely examine the laws of our state to ensure the protection of our citizens, especially our children in this area.

Education

We believe that parents have the primary responsibility for their children’s education. Therefore, we support policies that provide parents with maximum control of the rearing of their children, including academic, moral, and religious education. We support efforts to provide parents with increased educational options for their children such as vouchers, charter schools, and trade schools. We oppose Common Core and believe that control of all aspects of public education should rest with local school boards, not district, state or federal agencies. We urge citizens to require fiscal and educational accountability from policy makers, educational institutions, and educational professionals to assure that quality services are being rendered.

Economic Development

We believe the free market is the cornerstone of Liberty, producing a growing economy, which provides the best opportunity for citizens to support their families. Therefore, we support low tax, low regulation policies to promote risk taking and investment that fuels private economic growth and job creation that lifts families out of poverty, thus enhancing each human being through the dignity of gainful employment.

Environment and Natural Resources

We affirm our continuing commitment to clean air and water, productive lands, forests, abundant wildlife, and responsible stewardship of our God-given natural heritage. We believe that Nebraska’s water is a resource vital to economic health and maintaining a high quality of life. Its preservation is essential and its management should occur on local and state levels and should address the potential of future water shortage.

We support the return of control of public land within the states to the state level whenever possible. We support policies which protect the rights of hunters, fishermen, and other sportsmen on public lands.

Such policies as those concerning wetlands and endangered species must be balanced between environmental and economic concerns and should not threaten individual property rights. Therefore, we oppose Agenda 21 and similar policies.

Energy Policy

We oppose actions by Congress that would increase the cost of energy to U.S. consumers in the absence of clear proof that the current climate has been substantially changed by the activities of man and that any proposed solutions should be cost effective. We support the free market pursuit of energy independence and self-reliance. 

Family

We support measures that strengthen and affirm the family and marriage as the natural indispensable institution for human development. We oppose laws that intrude unnecessarily on the rights of the family, contribute to the dissolution of the family, or interfere with parental rights. We recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We support efforts to reform regulations that make adoption needlessly difficult.

Fiscal Responsibilities

We believe that all public entities have the responsibility to American individuals and families to operate under balanced budgets and fight increasing taxes by managing taxpayer funds in a prudent and fiscally responsible manner. All public programs should be held accountable for elimination of wasteful practices.

Excessive taxation and government regulation has made it increasingly difficult for families to meet their needs. We favor a tax policy that supports and strengthens the American family.

Flag

We support a Federal Constitutional amendment to ban the desecration of the American flag. 

Health Care

We oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This act is in strict violation of the intent of Article I, Section 8, U.S. Constitution as it requires citizens to purchase service from a third party. We favor tort reform, tax policies, and regulatory changes that would afford citizens the opportunity to purchase health care as they deem appropriate using the free market.

Human Rights

We believe that all human beings have an unalienable right to life which is endowed by their Creator from the moment of conception to natural death, and which the state exists to protect. We, therefore, affirm that government acts outside its authority when it grants anyone the right to take innocent human life. We believe that the concept of equal rights and equal responsibilities under the law is basic to a free society and oppose discrimination that violates our unalienable rights. 

Immigration

We support the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We support and welcome all legal immigration into the United States. In fairness to legal immigrants we support stringent federal, state, and local efforts to stem the tide of foreign nationals violating immigration laws to illegally enter the United States. We strongly oppose any means of amnesty and the use of funds, federal or state, to provide social services to individuals who illegally reside in this county.

National Popular Vote Compact

We oppose the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as it is in strict violation of the intent and purpose of Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 and Amendment XII to the U.S. Constitution. The purpose of the “Electoral College” process is to elect the President and Vice President of the United States and in doing so obtain a “sense of that people” without establishing a “pre-existing body” that may be subject to improper influence.

Natural Born Citizen

We support a Constitutional Amendment or Congressional legislation that would define the meaning of “natural born citizen” as cited in Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution.

Official Language

We support a constitutional amendment and legislation establishing English as the official language of the United States as it is in Nebraska.

Privacy Rights

Pursuant to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, the Federal government is responsible for securing the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of its citizens. We wholeheartedly support the Office of Homeland Security in their quest to do the same. However, we are deeply concerned that in their efforts to secure these rights, the rights guaranteed to citizens by Amendment IV, U.S. Constitution have been and are currently being violated.

Right to Keep and Bear Arms

We support the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legislation, state or federal, which would have the effect of infringing upon this unalienable right.

Senior Americans

We believe that our senior citizens deserve the opportunity to live their lives with dignity and with continued confidence in the integrity of the Social Security system. We believe that the solvency of Social Security must be a continuing concern of our elected officials, as should matters of intergenerational equity. We support exemption from Federal and state income tax for Social Security benefits.

Social Services

We believe that those who cannot provide for themselves should be assisted by government, private philanthropy and faith based groups, but that every effort should be made to help them become self-supporting, productive citizens with pride in their independence. We support welfare reform policies to prevent abuse of welfare programs that lead to multi-generational dependency.

Transparency

We believe that the government operates best when it is transparent and accountable. We support open votes for leadership positions in a legislative body.

Veterans

Recognizing the special sacrifices of those that are serving and have served in our nation’s armed forces, we support reasonable compensation for those Nebraska residents on active duty and for retirement benefits of veterans and their survivors. We support exemption from state income tax for both active duty military pay and veteran’s retirement benefits. We further support federal and state policies granting veterans greater flexibility and access to rightfully earned medical care.

Voter ID

We believe that elections are important to our republican form of government. The authenticity and reliability of our election system is needed to ensure that each person’s vote counts in an election.

We call for the passing of a verification procedure (widely known as Voter ID) by our state legislature or via a ballot process.

A person who is registered to vote but who does not possess any of the documents which may be used as approved government-issued photographic identification and who wishes to vote may apply for a free non driver identification card.

We feel that these ID requirements are not intrusive to one’s ability to vote or to their freedom and liberty. On the contrary these requirements are meant to guarantee a person’s rights, especially for those in the minority, which is a pillar of our U.S. Constitution.

Revised April 2016 – Copy Presented to Convention