SECTION 1: GOVERNMENT
WE believe that government’s role is to protect the life and liberty of all citizens regardless of age or development.
WE believe that the United States Congress and the Washington State Legislature are the sole bodies given constitutional authority to enact laws, and that government agencies should be prohibited from imposing regulations which exceed the authority of the laws passed by our elected representatives. Judges elected and appointed to our Courts must use judicial restraint, follow the state and federal constitutions, and never use international law to determine state or federal constitutionality of law.
WE support effective election reform.
WE believe that in order to provide Social Security to current and future retirees, Congress must work to develop a reasonable plan that not only secures our present system, but enables generations to come with a logical and affordable program.
WE support, at state and federal levels, a balanced budget, tax relief, the protection of human life from conception through the end of life. We support our state’s law, the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman. We also support a federal Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We believe this is necessary to safely protect the institution of marriage.
National security requires controlled borders and a rational policy allowing legal immigration. Therefore, WE support securing our national borders and a comprehensive immigration policy that does not include amnesty for illegal immigrants. We believe that enactment of a meaningful temporary guest worker program which includes proper security measures would allow those who wish to participate in our economy to do so in a legal and responsible way. All applicants for such a program must initiate and process their application in their native land.
WE support a strong national defense and we believe that we must win the War on Terror to ensure homeland security.
SECTION 2: EDUCATION
WE support the establishment of minimum graduation standards in our state’s public schools. We believe local school districts are responsible for the curricula and learning assessments that verify our students have met the minimum graduation standards set by the state. However we also support a statewide- standardized WASL curriculum, with materials funded by the state, in order to prepare students to pass the WASL and achieve academic success.
WE believe that schools should be free to develop instructional approaches to prepare our youth to be independent, responsible and productive citizens, including an emphasis on basic academics and opportunities for vocational and technical training.
WE support merit pay for teachers.
WE support a voucher system to allow parents to choose educational opportunities for their children outside of the public school system.
WE support parents who choose to home educate their children and oppose any mandatory credential requirements for parents to be teachers as a condition of their decision to homeschool.
WE support our legislators’ goal to fully fund basic education first.
WE believe higher education standards should be established by the state and administered by the individual institutions of higher learning. Providing class availability to allow students to progress toward graduation on time must be a priority in our colleges, thus reducing the cost a college education for families and taxpayers.
SECTION 3: CRIMINAL JUSTICE
WE believe government’s duty is to keep its citizens and their property safe, and that a criminal justice system should make individuals accountable for their crimes. Emphasis must be placed on restitution to the victim and punishment which, by example, will provide a deterrent.
WE believe our state must improve the way it protects its citizens by keeping violent felons off the streets and give law enforcement the tools it needs to succeed and protect our children from sex offenders.
WE believe capital punishment should be enforced for appropriate offenses with reasonable limits placed on the endless appeals process.
WE oppose the legalization of currently illegal drugs. We believe that illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, pose a serious problem in our communities. We believe drug dealers should not be allowed to negotiate their penalties or convictions, and that drug users should be evaluated for treatment.
SECTION 4: ECONOMY and BUSINESS
WE believe that the free enterprise system is the world’s best economic system, and that it should be allowed to function and flourish free from excessive government restrictive laws and burdensome taxes.
WE believe that the fundamental benefit of a free-market system is the creation of jobs for families in Lewis County, Washington State and our Nation.
WE believe government must practice fiscal responsibility, achieve a balanced budget through budget cuts and balanced spending, and make budget cuts a priority. We believe this will keep us fiscally in-line with inflation and population growth as mandated in Initiative 601.
WE support the repeal and/or reduction of restrictive governmental regulations and taxes in order to make Washington a “business friendly” state.
SECTION 5: HEALTH CARE
WE believe that basic health care should not be denied to any individual because of a person’s quality of life. We believe that health care choices are a personal issue and that individuals can make better decisions about their own care than government.
WE support personal/private tax-exempt health savings accounts.
WE support free-market-driven solutions, that are not mandated by government, and that reduce health care costs by offering more and better choices for consumers.
WE oppose human cloning. We support continued non-embryonic stem cell research.
WE support tort reform, and support limits in the amount of non-economic damages juries can award in medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. Without limits, people in our state will be unable to receive proper medical and childbirth care because doctors cannot afford the high premiums of medical malpractice insurance.
SECTION 6: PRIVATE PROPERTY
WE believe property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society.
WE believe it is the proper role of government to protect the private property rights of its citizens.
We support the reduction of excessive regulations which restrict owners’ enjoyment and use of their land.
WE support legislation that will prohibit all governmental agencies from the use of eminent domain for the development of private property in order to increase revenue. We support compensating property owners at fair market value when their property (e.g. timber, water and mineral rights) is devalued, diminished or taken by government action. Any property owner who has lost property to eminent domain shall have the right to redeem the property, for the price they were paid, if the condemning authority sells any or all of the property.
WE believe that water rights shall remain with the property when sold or transferred.
WE support the revision of the Shoreline Management Act to ensure the full use of private property by its owners.
WE support the reform of the Growth Management Act, including election of the members of the Hearings Boards, and tightening up requirements for parties to challenge local government zoning decisions through the GMA Hearings Boards.
SECTION 7: NATIONAL DEFENSE and FOREIGN POLICY
WE believe that the United States’ government exists, most fundamentally, to secure the safety of its citizens, protect our borders from illegal crossing, and to negotiate international treaties that first benefit its citizens. We believe in a strong national defense and a strong military that supports the physical and economic security of the United States.
WE believe it is the duty of the United States’ government to maintain a strong Homeland Security Department.
WE believe our military should be under United States’ command exclusively, and that under no circumstance shall our national sovereignty be forced to submit to any international body.
WE support our troops in their commitment to win the War on Terror.
SECTION 8: TRANSPORTATION and ENERGY
WE support the creation of regional transportation plans for each region’s voters to approve or reject.
WE support the prioritization of highway projects and efficient use of public monies to reduce congestion and maintain the infrastructure on a regional basis, not giving priority to any region in the state over any other. We support streamlining the process for transportation projects by reducing out state’s complicated and bureaucratic permitting process.
WE believe that the answer to our country’s pressing energy needs lies in the development of safe, clean, renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, wave, tidal. We encourage the development of alternative technologies to supplement the current technologies and resources currently in use.
WE oppose the removal of dams used for hydroelectric, irrigation and transportation.