BEFORE YOU VOTE LOCALLY REPUBLICAN PLATFORM 2016
Please read the party ideal We affirm — as did the Declaration of Independence: that all are created equal, endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our standing in world affairs has declined significantly — our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us. the current President of the United States — to impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.
Please read the party ideal We affirm — as did the Declaration of
Independence: that all are created equal, endowed
by their Creator with inalienable rights of life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.
Our standing in world affairs has declined
significantly — our enemies no longer fear us and
our friends no longer trust us.
the
current President of the United States — to impose
a social and cultural revolution upon the American
people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination
to include sexual orientation or other categories.
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• R E P U B L I C A N P L A T F O R M 2 0 1 6 •<br />
Amendment declares that private property may not<br />
be “taken for public use without just compensation.”<br />
The Supreme Court’s Kelo decision undermined this<br />
safeguard by allowing local governments to seize<br />
a person’s home or land not only for vital public use,<br />
but also for “public purpose,” which thus allowed<br />
the government to seize it for transfer to private<br />
developers or other private entities. We call on any<br />
state legislatures that have not already done so to<br />
nullify the impact of Kelo within their jurisdiction<br />
by legislation or state constitutional amendments<br />
declaring that private property may be taken only<br />
for true public use, and we join House Republicans<br />
in supporting the Private Property Rights Protection<br />
Act.<br />
The government at every level must always<br />
pay just compensation whenever it takes private<br />
property to achieve a compelling public use, with<br />
the money coming from the budget of the agency<br />
performing the taking. This includes the taking<br />
of water rights and the taking of property by<br />
environmental regulations that destroy or diminish<br />
the property’s value.<br />
Civil asset forfeiture was originally intended<br />
as a way to cripple organized crime through the<br />
seizure of property used in a criminal enterprise.<br />
Regrettably, it has become a tool for unscrupulous<br />
law enforcement officials, acting without due<br />
process, to profit by destroying the livelihood of<br />
innocent individuals, many of whom never recover<br />
the lawful assets taken from them. When the rights<br />
of the innocent can be so easily violated, no one’s<br />
rights are safe. We call on Congress and state<br />
legislatures to enact reforms to protect law-abiding<br />
citizens against abusive asset forfeiture tactics.<br />
The Fifth Amendment:<br />
Intellectual Property Rights<br />
Private property includes not only physical<br />
property such as lands and homes, but also<br />
intellectual property like books and patents. Article<br />
1, section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress the<br />
power to safeguard intellectual property rights<br />
for “Authors and Inventors.” By protecting the<br />
proprietary rights of creators and innovators, the<br />
Constitution promotes the general welfare by<br />
providing incentives for investment in all sorts of<br />
technology and artistic works. Intellectual property<br />
is a driving force in today’s global economy of<br />
constant innovation. It is the wellspring of American<br />
economic growth and job creation. With the rise<br />
of the digital economy, it has become even more<br />
critical that we protect intellectual property rights<br />
and preserve freedom of contract rather than<br />
create regulatory barriers to creativity, growth, and<br />
innovation.<br />
Protecting intellectual property is also a<br />
national security issue. We must guard against<br />
counterfeit parts that can compromise the<br />
reliability of our weapons systems and the safety<br />
of military personnel. Today, the worst offenses<br />
against intellectual property rights come from<br />
abroad, especially in China. We call for strong<br />
action by Congress and a new Republican president<br />
to enforce intellectual property laws against all<br />
infringers, whether foreign or domestic.<br />
The Ninth Amendment:<br />
The People’s Retained Rights<br />
The Ninth Amendment to the Constitution<br />
declares that “[t]he enumeration in the Constitution<br />
of certain rights shall not be construed to deny<br />
or disparage others retained by the people.” This<br />
provision codifies the principle that our national<br />
government derives its power from the governed<br />
and that all powers not delegated to the government<br />
are retained by the people. We call upon legislators<br />
to give full force to this fundamental principle.<br />
We welcome to our ranks all citizens who are<br />
determined to reclaim the rights of the people that<br />
have been ignored or usurped by the federal and<br />
intrusive state governments.<br />
The Tenth Amendment: Federalism<br />
as the Foundation of Personal Liberty<br />
Federalism is a cornerstone of our constitutional<br />
system. Every violation of state sovereignty by<br />
federal officials is not merely a transgression of one<br />
unit of government against another; it is an assault<br />
on the liberties of individual Americans. Hence the<br />
promise of the Tenth Amendment: “The powers not<br />
delegated to the United States by the Constitution,<br />
nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to<br />
the States respectively, or to the people.” The<br />
Constitution gives the federal government very<br />
few powers, and they are specifically enumerated;<br />
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