Republican Reformation

Republican Reformation

Whereas, The Michigan Republican Party claims to be the party of Reagan, and to stand for limited government, lower taxes, and liberty. However, the actions of the individuals elected under your banner speak louder than words, and we don’t believe you anymore;

Whereas, Contributors who have given money and volunteers who have worked countless hours making phone calls and going door-to-door for you are fed up. The trust of citizens who once believed that an “R” after a politician’s name indicated a person who  would uphold the principles of individual responsibility and limited government has been violated;  

Now Therefore, We no longer will contribute our time, talent and money to candidates who do not represent our values, and will no longer assume that the “R” brand has any meaning in this regard; and be it  

Resolved, that any candidate who wants our support will have to prove that he or she is committed to our values by affirming the statements listed below. Posturing and empty campaign promises won’t cut it; actions speak louder than words, beginning with making these concrete and unambiguous commitments to represent our values:                         

New Patriot Pledges

…for such a time as this

State Offices

1. I will not vote for budget bills that are not part of an overall freeze in government spending, with no gimmicks including accounting changes, tobacco lawsuit or other “securitization,” shortchanging pension contributions, etc. I will also not vote for a budget that appropriates more than 95 percent of current revenue projections.       
2. I believe the government already takes too much and will sign a no net tax increase pledge. I will not try to talk my way out of signing this by mischaracterizing the nature or content of this pledge.
3. I will support removing a cap on charter schools (and genuine variants).
4. I support elimination of the state “prevailing wage” law, and a ban on the use of “project labor agreements” and all other measures that unnecessarily raise the costs of government construction projects and discriminate against employees who choose not to be forced into a union.
5. I will support a law establishing that no school, state and local government labor collective bargaining agreements can force employees who choose not to belong to a union to pay “agency fees” to a union.
6. I support placing all new local and school employees in defined contribution pensions (401K-type), oppose any expansion or enhancement of pensions for existing employees, and support limiting public employee health care benefits to the private sector average.
7. I support a law prohibiting any state environmental regulations or standards that exceed federal requirements.
8. I will support -  and demand an immediate roll call on – passage of a constitutional amendment as proposed by 2009 House Joint Resolution Z and Senate Joint Resolution K, which would affirm that “every person has a right to provide for his or her own health care,” and prohibit “any state law or rule that would directly or indirectly compel any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.”
9. I will work to reduce the size and scope of the federal government’s control on our state, and will oppose federal proposals that create or expand social welfare and related programs that distribute money to states.

 Federal Offices

1. I will not vote for any budget that does not impose an overall freeze on government spending.
2. I believe the government already takes too much and will sign a no net tax increase pledge. I will not try to talk my way out of signing this by mischaracterizing the nature or content of this pledge.
3. I will support an energy plan that calls for the removal of regulatory roadblocks to expanding nuclear energy and oil and natural gas extraction, and does not restrict the use of coal to provide abundant and less costly electrical generation.
4. I believe in the sovereignty and security of our country and therefore I will support measures to close our borders except for designated immigration points so we will know who is entering and why. I will vehemently oppose any measure giving any other country, the United Nations, or any other entity power or authority over U.S. citizens.
5. I will oppose any law or rule that would directly or indirectly compel any person, employer, or health care provider to participate in any health care system.
6. I believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth and therefore will not apologize for policies or actions that have served to free more people all around the world from poverty and tyranny than any other nation in the history of humanity.