Dear Fellow Platform Committee Members,
I would like to first say I am honored to have the opportunity to serve with each of you. I look forward to the flow of ideas that will occur through healthy debate as we collaborate together to make our party stronger, keep Texas red, and present to our fellow Republicans a platform we can all be proud of.
In order to not be self-contradictory, let me state the purpose of this email: I want to put forward a defense of the “Brief Platform.” I trust you will allow me to make my case to you before we meet so as to promote the premise in a way that is not tainted by either side, and to promote honest and healthy discussion and thought.
I’m sure we are all aware of the debate on the length of the current 2014 platform. Regardless of your position, I ask you take a moment and consider the argument I will attempt to lay out here. I am also attaching the version of the brief platform that passed with a large majority in the Tarrant SD12 convention. I know a version of this platform has passed in a multiplicity of other conventions. I believe this particular version to be a very strong starting point. I want to emphasize the “starting point,” because I do not want there to be any confusion in thinking that I propose this particular version to be the final one we submit to the body to be voted on. However, I believe it to be a strong and robust starting point to begin with, and then we can weigh the planks that will be proposed in our hearings and amend them to this starting point.
A party platform is defined as:
A list of the values and actions which are supported by a political party, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public’s support and votes about complicated topics or issues.
Several of the observations I have made in presenting the shorter platform are listed below and I would like to attempt to address what I truly believe to be the honest and heartfelt concerns by my fellow Republicans:
• The current platform should be the starting point to build on.
• Our current platform has “teeth,” meaning it allows us to keep elected officials in line and accountable.
• Without a detailed platform that dives deep into the issues, we will be left vulnerable to our elected officials who we inherently do not trust and have habitually broken trust with us.
First, I would like to address the “teeth” concern. I submit to you the question: Which is a stronger and more timeless document? The U.S. Constitution or the Texas Constitution? The U.S. Constitution would typically be the answer of a strong majority of our fellow conservatives, and Texans per se. Why? There are several reasons: With only 4,400 words, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. Alternatively, the Texas Constitution has 93,000 words and has been amended almost 500 times. In addition, the difference between the two documents is clear: one focuses on core values and principles, while the other delves into details and minutia that has resulted in a document that is difficult to enforce, much less read with full comprehension.
Now, I ask you, which document is easier to enforce? Which one has more teeth? If forced to choose between the two documents, which would you opt to live under? One you can read with full comprehension and therefore enforce what it says. The other is highly complex and the length of a long novel. These comparative principles also apply to our state party platform. Brevity lends itself to enforcement. It reminds me of the wise words of King Solomon: “When there are many words, sin is unavoidable” (Proverbs 10:19, CSB).
Secondly, the current platform can be construed as inconsistent in various parts. This adds to the difficulty of holding elected officials to it. (e.g., The platform urges that the Republican Party’s primary goal is limiting government power, then goes on to include dozens of planks that call for more laws and an increase of that very same government power over the lives of Texans.)
Please also note the historical precedents and people whom we, as conservatives, hold dear and oft quote. Our founders believed in the power of brevity as exemplified in the United States Constitution and in our founding documents. I doubt there would be many who would argue with their wisdom and, I believe, divine guidance in assembling these powerful and timeless documents.
I believe we, in turn, would be wise to follow these strong historical proven leaders and work toward a platform that encompasses our values, our beliefs—our core, our heart. The current platform can appear to operate out of fear. Fear of our elected officials; fear of liberal slants; fear of our faith being stripped from the public square; fear that immoral behavior is ever encroaching into our society.
As a believer, I believe the presence of fear is the absence of something greater. Our party has stronger ideas, stronger voices, and the luxury of standing with truth. These are places of strength. Let us choose not to operate out of fear, rather let us stand and boldly declare our core beliefs with clarity and conviction. Let us stand and advance our principles, not cower behind a document that can no more protect us than the paper it is printed on.
In the Bible, Jesus simplified the entire Old Testament law into eight truths—or for our purposes, “planks”—in the Sermon on the Mount. He then further simplified the entirety of the law into two simple planks: Love God. Love your neighbor. I highly doubt that many, if any, would say Jesus was foolish, didn’t know what he was doing, or that he was attempting to “weaken” scripture. We operate our spiritual lives under these principles. We should not live in fear of operating our political lives in the same way. To our very core, we are all conservatives because of our principles. Shouldn’t we then use those basic principles as our statement of belief to the world?
I ask you to stand with me to support the brief and concise platform.
The Brief Platform as passed in SD12 (Tarrant):
Resolved, we, the delegates of this convention believe that the Republican Party
of Texas platform should be brief and concise clearly stating our core
principles and beliefs. We believe the example attached to be reflective of these
principles and to be considered for the permanent party platform.
Whereas, we believe that the essential tenets of republicanism are simple and few
Whereas, we believe that the Platform of the Republican Party should simply communicate those basic ideas;
Whereas, we believe that a platform should serve as tool to share our message with others, not as a tool to divide and exclude;
Whereas, we believe that the Republican Party of Texas’s official 2014 Platform deviates from those basic principles.
"PREAMBLE
We, the Republican Party of the Great State of Texas, affirm our belief in God and declare our support for government based upon a moral and
spiritual foundation. We affirm freedom for every individual as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution.
We believe that citizens' needs are best met through free enterprise, private initiative, and volunteerism. We support the “Rule of Law” and believe
in upholding the law of the land.
THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
We believe government properly exists by the consent of the governed and must be restrained from intruding into the freedoms of its citizens. The
function of government is not to grant rights, but to protect the unalienable, God-given rights of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
We recognize the right of the individual to own property. We resist any effort by government to take private property without a demonstrable public
need. We strongly oppose civil forfeiture of private property absent the conviction of its owners for a crime involving its use.
REAFFIRMATION OF STATES' RIGHTS
We oppose congressional, judicial, and executive abrogation of the principle that the powers not delegated to the Federal Government by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. We oppose unreasonable and intrusive
federal mandates.
Article V
Article V Convention- Under no circumstances shall the Bill of Rights, the first 10 constitutional amendments, be changed in any manner. We urge
the Texas State Legislators to take the lead in calling for an Article V Amending Convention of States, for the specific purpose of reigning in the
power of the federal government. Any proposed amendments must be ratified by ¾ of the states to take effect.
ETHICS AND STANDARDS
We demand honesty, integrity, and accountability of our public officials. We will work to expose and stop corruption. We reject the buying and
selling of endorsements in all elections.
NATIONAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
We support a military force of sufficient strength and readiness to deter any threat to our national sovereignty or to the safety and freedom of our
citizens. We support the Constitutional mandate to protect and secure our national borders. We oppose placement of United States troops under the
command of the United Nations. We support lawful efforts of local law enforcement agencies to protect citizens in their homes and in their
communities. We urge reform of the legal system to accomplish a swift and balanced administration of justice, including consideration of rights of
the victim.
SELF DEFENSE
We support the constitutionally protected, natural right of the people to keep and bear arms, which shall not be infringed.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION
We uphold freedom of religion for every citizen and expect the protection of government in securing to us this unalienable right. We affirm the right
to religious expression, including prayer, in both private and public.
FAMILY VALUES
We recognize the family as the fundamental unit of society. We recognize the family unit as being one man and one woman. We affirm that parents
have the fundamental right and primary responsibility to direct the upbringing of their children and to provide nurturing care, discipline and
training in moral values.
RIGHT TO LIFE
We believe all human life is sacred and should be protected from conception to natural death.
HUMAN SERVICES
We support requiring welfare recipients to work towards self-sufficiency. We reject the notion that the federal government may mandate the
purchase of any insurance product or penalize the failure to do so.
MEDICAL RIGHTS
Texas citizens should have the right to take their own health care decisions, both in the type of provider they choose and how they pay for their care,
without discrimination or interference from government
EDUCATION
We believe that all children should have access to quality education. Parents have the primary right and responsibility to educate their children, and
we support their right to choose public, private, charter, or home education. We support the distribution of educational funds in a manner that they
follow the student to any school, whether public, private, charter or home school through means of tax exemptions or write offs. We reject federal
imposition of educational standards and the tying of federal education funding to adopting federally mandated standards.
TAXATION AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage further simplification of tax systems, the elimination of the estate tax, and broad-based rate reduction where possible. We reject the
imposition of a state income tax and support a meaningful reduction and eventual elimination of property taxes. We urge increased fiscal
responsibility in all aspects of government.
REGULATION
Regulatory power now exercised by the federal government must be reduced. Regulatory responsibility is best exercised at the lowest feasible level
of state and local government.
IMMIGRATION
We support legal immigration. The immigration process must become more effective to reduce the desire to immigrate illegally. We oppose
granting government benefits to those illegally present in the US. We believe current laws against employing or harboring illegal immigrants
should be vigorously enforced. We support strong punishments for those engaging in human trafficking. We call on the US Federal government to
secure the boarder. If the Federal government fails in this effort the State of Texas has the right to protect its citizens, businesses and ranches if the
federal government fails to enforce its applicable laws.
TEXAS STATE SOVEREIGNTY
It is the sacred responsibility of the States as creators of the Federal Government to keep the federal powers within the limits set by the Constitution.
We recognize that any usurpation of State Sovereign Powers by the Federal Government should be corrected by the State Legislature and enforced
by the Governor’s office, thus protecting Texas State Sovereignty.
ADVANCED DIRECTIVE
We support the written and expressed wishes laid out by legal advanced directives and/or wills and/or the immediate living
family.
RULE OF LAW
We believe in strict US Constitutionally based rule of law. We support the principle of judicial restraint, which requires judges
to interpret and apply, rather than rewrite or ignore the law. We support judges who strictly interpret the law based on its
original intent. We oppose judges who assume for themselves legislative powers.
FOREIGN POLICY
We support the spread of representative forms of government, free market enterprise, private humanitarian aid to developing
countries, continued favorable treatment of proven allies, censure of adversarial entities that seek destruction of other countries
and strong policies on confronting terrorists. We oppose United States aid to any foreign entity that consistently votes against
our interests or is openly hostile to our nation. We oppose foreign aid, except in cases of national defense or catastrophic
disasters, with Congressional approval.
ISRAEL
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. Our foreign policy with
Israel should reflect the right of sovereign nations to govern themselves and have self-determination. In our diplomatic dealings
with Israel, we encourage the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, but oppose pressuring Israel to
compromise their sovereignty or security."
