Republican Party Platform

Report of Platform Committee
North Carolina Republican Party
Adopted in Convention on June 4, 2010
Winston-Salem, NC

Article I: Family

1. Our nation’s strength lies with the family where each new generation gains its moral anchor. It is the first school of good citizenship, the engine of economic progress, and a haven of security and understanding.
2. The ideal environment for raising children is a two-parent family. We support policies that encourage a husband and wife to live in harmony in one home. We recognize that single parents often succeed and that two-parent families sometimes fail. We praise the courageous efforts of single parents who work hard to provide stable homes.
3. Government cannot legislate love or compassion and should not preempt parental responsibility. Government should protect children from abuse and neglect, balancing parental rights with the protection of a child’s safety and wellbeing. We support private initiatives that promote healthy, nurturing families and provide services to dysfunctional families. Taxpayers should not fund benefit plans for unmarried partners.
4. We support federal and State constitutional amendments to limit marriage to the union of one man and one woman. We oppose adoption or foster parenting by same sex couples.

Article II: The Economy

1. The free enterprise system is the most effective and just economic system. Economic freedom is essential to human liberty and dignity.
2. Government ought to provide an environment for individual initiative and enterprise unencumbered by excessive regulation and taxation.
3. Growth in employment and personal income requires expanding capital formation. We oppose the taxation of capital gains as ordinary income.
4. We urge Congress to keep taxes low by making permanent the tax rate reductions of 2001 and 2003. We do not support the estate (death) tax.
5. North Carolinians pay the highest tax rates in the southeast. Government spending should not increase more than population growth and inflation. We support zero-based budgeting and a taxpayer’s bill of rights.
6. We oppose bailouts and corporate welfare. It is contrary to the free enterprise system to recruit or retain businesses with targeted tax incentives when other businesses bear the full burden of taxation. Raising tax rates on many of us to provide preferential treatment for a few is unfair. The best way to promote economic growth is to reduce our overall tax burden.

Article III: Individual Liberty

1. We embrace the vision for America established by our Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, including its Bill of Rights, and the North Carolina Constitution, including its Declaration of Rights.
2. The State must not interfere with freedom of religion. Public schools should not discriminate for or against any religion nor deny equal access to school facilities. We oppose efforts to remove the recognition of Almighty God from our schools, courts, currency and Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Government should treat all citizens impartially, without regard to wealth, race, religion, sex, political affiliation or national origin. We oppose all forms of invidious discrimination. Sexual orientation is not an appropriate category.
4. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of free citizens to keep and bear arms. We oppose further restriction on the ownership, sale, purchase and “lawful carry” of firearms by law-abiding citizens. North Carolina should eliminate statewide “no carry” zones.
5. Private property should not be taken by condemnation except for a legitimate public use, and upon prompt payment of just compensation. A state constitutional amendment should be submitted promptly to the people.
6. Annexation laws should be reformed to eliminate involuntary annexation.

Article IV: Sanctity of Life

1. We believe in the sanctity of all human life.
2. Unborn children have Constitutional rights to life and liberty. We urge the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade. We support a human life amendment. We oppose efforts to mandate the provision of abortion or to fund organizations that provide or promote abortion services.
3. We support adoption through significant tax credits and insurance reform.
4. We respect parental rights and responsibilities with respect to their minor children. Informed consent and parental consent should be required before any minor receives family-planning services.
5. We support developments in biomedical research that enhance and protect human life. We oppose developments that do not treat each individual human as a locus of unique and irreplaceable God-given dignity, no matter how weak, immature, or dependent. We oppose all procedures that intentionally destroy innocent human life. We oppose human cloning and the destruction of human embryos. We support adult stem cell research.
6. We support treating the infirm and elderly with love and respect, not as a burden. We oppose euthanasia.
7. We urge the recruitment and support of candidates who will work hard to protect all innocent human life.

Article V: State Government

1. We expect legislators to be efficient, effective, ethical, and responsive.
2. Legislative session limits must be accompanied by measures to ensure that policies are made by legislators and not by unelected employees.
3. Government should encourage honest, productive work. We oppose gambling, including the state lottery.
4. Each level of government should fund the programs it requires of other levels of government.
5. No State funds should be spent without an explicit appropriation. We oppose “slush funds” as rewards for political support. Raiding of dedicated funds should not be allowed except in an emergency as determined by law.
6. Every bill heard in committee should receive a recorded vote. The budget bill should be made public at least forty-eight hours before the final vote in each house.
7. We support the issuance of a driver’s license or state identification card only to those who are lawfully present. Taxpayers should only pay for services for those who are lawful residents, except in life threatening emergencies.
8. The mental health system needs to be reformed. The needs of patients must be the first priority. This requires diagnosis, comprehensive care, follow-up, and stiff penalties for those who abuse or exploit patients.
9. We encourage transparency at all levels of government with easy disclosure and access to all government budgets, including the compensation of employees.
10. Elected officials should avoid appearing in “public service ads” during their election year.

Article VI: Elections

1. We support photo identification to deter voter fraud. Only North Carolina citizens should be allowed to vote. We welcome naturalized citizens to our party.
2. We support compact contiguous single-member districts that do not split counties or precincts.
3. We recognize the independence of the judiciary and oppose the appointment of state judges to full terms. To hold our trial courts accountable through direct elections is a valuable right.
4. Voters should have timely information on candidates’ campaign finances. We oppose funding election campaigns with public funds.
5. The party affiliation of judicial candidates should appear on the ballot.
6. We oppose any foreign influence on our elections.

Article VII: Education

1. Public education should be excellent. Parents, not the state, should control their children’s education.
2. Choice and competition have served us well in higher education and should be used to improve education at other levels. We support tax credits for parents who relieve the burden on our public schools by lawfully educating their children in private or home schools. There should be no additional restrictions on parents’ options to privately educate their children.
3. The cap on the number of charter schools should be removed. Existing charter schools with a record of success should be duplicated.
4. Real education reform requires local control of curriculum, budget, textbooks and personnel. Parents must have complete access to all curricula.
5. Reform requires nationally normed testing, cutting administrative waste, and facilitating alternative teacher certification. Students must have the best possible teachers, whether physically present or by use of technology. Teachers should be paid, retained, and promoted based on the quality of their work, not on longevity. Teachers should be trained in the subject matter they actually teach. Highly qualified teachers at low-performing schools should be paid more if their students show academic progress.
6. Children should be able to read and write at grade level. High school graduates should be proficient at the twelfth grade level. Social promotion should be ended.
7. Schools should encourage patriotism and the values of Western civilization. They should teach the true facts of the history of the United States. Schools should require a course on economics and government so that students will be prepared to vote as informed citizens.
8. We support regular recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, display of an American and State flag and use of our national motto — “In God We Trust.”
9. We oppose mandatory sex education in public schools. Sex education should not be required without parental consent. No birth control devices or drugs should be distributed in public schools. We support teaching abstinence until marriage as the expected norm for sexual behavior. Abstinence until marriage is the most effective way to prevent teenage pregnancies, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases, and to create healthy relationships and self-esteem. Public schools should not be used to teach children about homosexual behavior.
10. We support the right of students to pray in school and at public occasions without censorship.
11. We oppose the restriction of free speech and free assembly by public institutions on ideological or religious grounds.
12. We encourage expanding vocational opportunities.

Article VIII: Justice

1. The first duty of government is to maintain law and order, allowing the people freedom to pursue the blessings of life and liberty and the fruits of their labor.
2. Premeditated and deliberate murder calls for the death penalty, which is directly proportional to the wrong perpetrated against its victim. We should drastically reduce the time between death sentence and execution in order to have an effective deterrent.
3. We support educational and treatment programs for drug and alcohol abuse. Stiff punishment for those who drive while impaired is appropriate. Drug dealers must face stiff punishment.
4. We are repulsed by the rise of gratuitous violence and pornography in literature and music. We support mandatory labeling of these products. Laws should control obscene or sadistic materials.
5. We want stiff penalties enforced for abducting, exploiting or abusing children. We abhor domestic violence. We support organizations that provide effective solutions for domestic violence.
6. Prisons should pay less attention to inmate comfort and more to security, education, and labor. Inmates should be required to work, without competing with private enterprises.
7. We support tort reform, including a cap on awards for pain and suffering, reform of the collateral source rule, allowing more of the award to go to the victim, and structured payments of awards.

Article IX: The Environment

1. We are stewards of our God-given natural heritage. We have a duty to protect the earth’s resources.
2. If regulation is needed to protect the environment, government should not proceed without evidence that the benefits warrant the cost. Humans are a critical component of the ecosystem. Regulations must ensure a balance between humans and the environment.
3. When government reduces the economic value of property it should compensate landowners for their loss. Local governments are adversely affected when the value of the land is diminished for conservation.
4. We support energy security and a move toward energy independence. A comprehensive energy policy based on free markets includes offshore oil and natural gas, nuclear power, solar, wind, and alternative fuels. These can safely improve our economy, prevent us from being held hostage to oil-producing countries, and provide jobs for our citizens. This will keep the cost of energy affordable.
5. We support federal revenue sharing with those states directly affected by offshore exploration and development in federal waters. This can be used
to subsidize research and development of alternative energy generation and distribution and to offset coastal impacts.

Article X: National Policy

1. We support the war against terrorism and stopping rogue nations from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Americans owe our continued freedom and security to the brave men and women of our armed forces. The military should be provided the resources to maintain full combat readiness while ensuring the safety of its soldiers. Denying necessary reinforcements to our troops is not “supporting the troops.”
2. The most important responsibility of the federal government is “to provide for the Common defense”. Our borders must be made secure. The Federal government should enforce its immigration laws.
3. Rules against sexual misbehavior in the military should be retained.
4. English should be the official language of the United States.

5. Our participation in any international body must never sacrifice the sovereignty of the United States. The United States does not need permission from the United Nations or any other international body to defend itself.
6. We recognize the need for treaties. We should withdraw from any treaty that compromises our sovereignty or undermines national defense. Foreign court decisions are not relevant to interpretation of the U.S. Constitution except when construing terms known at the time of ratification.
7. We support a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. We support spending cuts as the right means to balance the budget and tax rate reductions as the right way to stimulate the economy.
8. Social Security must be placed on a sound financial basis. The federal budget should be balanced without using Social Security reserves. These reserves should be dedicated toward meeting future obligations. We support offering workers more choice and control over their own retirement security.
9. Wise health choices are best made by individuals guided by sound medical opinion. We reject socialized medicine and a governmental takeover of the health care system. Choice and information will allow a reduction in costs. We support medical savings accounts which combine personal responsibility with access to affordable healthcare. We oppose the “individual mandate” which would compel our residents to purchase health insurance.
10. We support health care freedom to encourage disease prevention and to reduce costs.
11. We call on Congress, the President, the courts and the state to abide by the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. We oppose encroachments upon all rights which the Constitution has reserved to the states or to the people.
12. The Grand Old Party was born in the 1850’s out of the abolition movement. Slavery has been abolished in the United States but tens of millions of
people around the world continue to live in bondage. Our foreign policy should encourage freedom from slavery for all.
13. We oppose Federal “card check” legislation that denies workers a free and fair election with a secret ballot on the fundamental question whether they choose to be represented by a union.

Respectfully submitted the 6th day of March, 2010.

2010 Platform Committee:

Bob Steinburg	Edenton	District 1
Jim Lee	Clayton	District 2
Perry White	Nags Head	District 3
B.J. Lawson	Apex	District 4
Buck Golding	Low Gap	District 5
Robert Simpson	Burlington	District 6
Frank Iler	Oak Island	District 7
Jim Bention	Monroe	District 8
Lee Ann MacMillan	Gastonia	District 9
Fred Jarrett	Lincolnton	District 10
Wiley Westall	Asheville	District 11
Patricia Armstrong	Charlotte	District 12
Jeff Morse	Raleigh	District 13
David Sawyer	Bryson City	Member At Large
Dena Barnes	Summerfield	Member At Large
Paul Stam	Apex	Chairman