– I heard that there are some amazing things embedded in the Texas State GOP Platform, so I downloaded a copy over the Internet ➡ and went for a read through it. Given that our country is currently deeply influenced, if not outright controlled, by republicans from Texas, this seems like reasonable knowledge to have.
– Here are some quotes I pulled straight out of the document. For the most part, I’ll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions – though I have highlighted things here and there. If the highlight is blue, I liked it. If it is red, I have my doubts about it (or I doubt that they are thinking about it the same way I am). And, finally, if I can’t resist making a comment, it’ll be in green.
– After I copied the paragraphs that interested me, below, and highlighted them, I was surprised at how many things in the Texas GOP’s platform I agreed with. But, not withstanding that observation, there were also many with which I thoroughly disagree.
– if you find this list tantlizing, I urge you to read the full document through for yourself and add your comments here.
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Throughout the world people dare to dream of freedom, of opportunity, of a beautiful country in which to grow, to raise their family, to worship God in their own way without fear.
We believe that human life is sacred, created in the image of God. Life begins at the moment of fertilization and ends at the point of natural death.
We believe that traditional marriage is a legal and moral commitment between a natural man and a natural woman.
We further support the abolition of federal agencies involved in activities not originally intended to be delegated to the federal government under a strict interpretation of the Constitution.
Oppose the expansion of federal law-enforcement authority and the use of military personnel and equipment against American citizens.
Congress to immediately cut all foreign aid to any nation threatening our citizens and providing aid or comfort to terrorist organizations or providing arms to other nations hostile to the United States.
review and revision of those portions of the USA Patriot Act, and related executive and military orders and directives that erode constitutional rights and essential liberties of citizens.
We urge the U.S. Congress to call for a clear vote of the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico to decide between statehood and independence, for the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
we oppose any attempt to introduce direct democracy (Initiative & Referendum) into our state constitution
We support a law that would require all sentences, paragraphs, sections, and any inclusion to legislation, continuing resolution, law or bill be germane to the title of the act.
We oppose passage of any international treaty that overrides United States sovereignty, including the Kyoto Agreement and the Biodiversity Treaty.
We oppose the Endangered Species Act.
We urge government management of public lands and resources be conducted based upon policies that prioritize human need over other considerations.
We oppose a mandatory national animal identification system.
We call for the Internal Revenue Code to be changed to allow a religious organization to address the vital issues of the day without fear of the organization losing its tax-exempt status.
We support legislation requiring labor unions to obtain the consent of the individual union member before that member’s dues can be used for political purposes.
We believe a candidate running for office should be required to actually reside within the geographical boundaries of the office sought.
prohibition of internet voting and any touch screen voting or other electronic voting which lacks a voter verifiable paper trail.
We support legislation to prohibit former legislators, government employees, and officials from acting as lobbyists for a foreign government and/or any business for a period of five years immediately after leaving public service.
Ten Commandments – We understand that the Ten Commandments are the basis of our basic freedoms and the cornerstone of our Western legal tradition. We therefore oppose any governmental action to restrict, prohibit, or remove public display of the Decalogue or other religious symbols.
We decry any unconstitutional act of judicial tyranny that would demand removal of the words “One Nation under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.
We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.
We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple.
We oppose the use of public revenues and/or facilities for abortion or abortion–related services. We support the elimination of public funding for organizations that advocate or support abortion. We urge the reversal of Roe v. Wade. We affirm our support for the appointment and election of judges at all levels of the judiciary who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life.
We oppose legislation allowing the withholding of nutrition and hydration to the terminally ill or handicapped.
We oppose the sale, use, and dispensing of the “Morning After Pill”
We unequivocally oppose the United States Senate ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would transfer jurisdiction over parental rights and responsibilities to international bureaucracies.
We support welfare reforms designed to break the cycle of dependency by requiring welfare recipients to work, learn, or train in exchange for their benefits.
We strongly favor legislation recognizing legitimate alternative health care choices.
The Federal Government has no constitutional jurisdiction over education. We call for the abolition of the U. S. Department of Education and the prohibition of the transfer of any of its functions to any other federal agency.
To build strong and lasting relationships, we support the requirement that schools teaching sex education must teach directive abstinence until heterosexual marriage with an uninfected person as the only safe and healthy means of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies among unwed students.
We support school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded and which form the basis of America’s legal and its political and economic systems.
We demand the abolition of bilingual education as it currently exists in Texas.
We encourage legislation that prohibits the enrollment and education of children whose parents are unlawful residents in the United States. We do not believe there is any entitlement for these children to receive pre-school, elementary, secondary, or post-secondary educational services paid for by American taxpayers.
We support the objective teaching and equal treatment of scientific strengths and weaknesses of scientific theories, including Intelligent Design. We believe theories of life origins and environmental theories should be taught as scientific theory not scientific law; that social studies and other curriculum should not be based on any one theory.
We call upon Texas legislators to prohibit reproductive health care services, including counseling, referrals, and distribution of condoms and contraception through public schools.
We support the mandatory installation and use of seat belts and safety glass on school buses and any and all vehicles which transport children.
America is a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian principles. We affirm the constitutional right of all individuals to worship in the religion of their choice. (I’m confused – what exactly does this say?)
We pledge to exert our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and dispel the myth of the separation of church and state.
We call on Congress to sanction any foreign government that persecutes its citizens for their religion.
We believe all law-abiding citizens should be free from government surveillance of their electronic communications except in cases directly involving national security. This includes any government mandate of trap door encryption standards.
We deplore all discrimination based on religion, race, color, national origin, gender, age or physical disablement.
We urge the immediate repeal of the Hate Crimes Law, which is unnecessary and unconstitutionally creates a special victims class.
We support imprisonment for life without parole for habitual felons.
No convicted criminal should be allowed to profit from the sale of rights to their story for books, movies, etc. while incarcerated, on parole, or on probation.
We believe that properly applied capital punishment is legitimate, is an effective deterrent, and should be swift and unencumbered.
We support full disclosure of all “on” and “off” budget spending. We demand that our federal legislators vote only for balanced budgets, and that the Social Security Fund never be used to balance the budget.
We also believe that all government contracts should be awarded by competitive bids.
We urge that the IRS be abolished and the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution be repealed.
The Republican Party of Texas is in favor of abolishing property taxes.
We oppose any taxation of the internet or internet services.
the foundation of our National Energy Strategy must be a competitive domestic oil and gas industry.
support technological development of environmentally safe uses of nuclear, coal and biomass for our national energy needs
promote all forms of domestic energy production including ANWAR, offshore California, and the East Coast, while minimizing environmental impact.
An individual should have the freedom to work in the job he/she desires without being forced to join or pay dues to any organization.
We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed and that wages should be determined by the free market conditions prevalent in each individual market.
build a physical barrier along the entire length of our country’s border with Mexico, beginning with urban interface locations and appropriate monitoring
deploy the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (I.C.E.) within the U.S. to locate and secure all illegal aliens who have previously entered our country and expedite their return to their source country
We oppose the federalization and militarization of local police forces.
use random selection and terrorist profiling as a criteria for determining persons to be searched at U.S. airports
thoroughly inspect the contents of vehicles and containers coming across our borders using rapid and accurate technology.
not entering into any new arms control agreements with any nation that is not currently complying with previous agreements
systematic assimilation of legal immigrants into the American culture; baseline requirements for citizenship to include proficiency in the English language, study of American history and of the American form of government
development of a practical, limited, and temporary worker program that does not serve as an automatic path to citizenship
the cessation of the issuance of visas to individuals from foreign countries that sponsor terrorism
requiring naturalized citizens to renounce their native citizenship and surrender their foreign passport
We oppose illegal immigration, amnesty in any form, or legal status for illegal immigrants.
suspending automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrant parents
elimination of all laws requiring hospitals to give non-emergency medical care to illegal immigrants
the withholding of federal highway funds from any state that issues drivers licenses to illegal aliens
the disqualification of homosexuals from military service
health and disability benefits equal to active military for national guard and military reserves if injured while on active duty
the continuation of the all volunteer armed forces
We believe that the United States and Israel share a special long-standing relationship based on shared values, a mutual commitment to a republican form of government, and a strategic alliance that benefits both nations. … In summary, our policy is based on God’s biblical promise to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel and we further invite other nations and organizations to enjoy the benefits of that promise.
we encourage the President to do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring or developing atomic weapons.
We urge Congress to authorize fund expenditures and audit measures on research and development of alternative fuels to reduce the United States dependency on foreign oil producers and ensure no financial support of terrorist sponsoring nations.
We believe it is in the best interest of the citizens of the United States that we immediately rescind our membership in, as well as all financial and military contributions to, the United Nations.
unalterably oppose any agreement or treaty that seeks to establish an International Criminal Court (ICC)
We oppose … payment of any debt allegedly owed to the UN
We oppose … Ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty
We urge Congress to evict the United Nations from the United States and eliminate any further participation.