THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM OF SCOTT COUNTY, IOWA
Preamble and Statement of Principles
The purpose of the platform is to inform voters, party leaders, candidates, and elected officials on current issues and core beliefs that have been compiled through our grassroots organization. As an open and inclusive party, we respect our fellow Republicans to continue discussions on certain matters of policy.
We invite all citizens to join us in this periodic dialogue structured to strengthen our process of self-government that is vital to maintaining a strong and vibrant nation.
This platform is erected on foundational principles that will unite Americans to recognize and meet the challenges that inevitably arise when defending individual liberty, free enterprise, innovation, and opportunity.
1. Human Rights
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
2. Economy, Labor & Business
The key to prosperity is a legitimate return on an individual’s labor, talent, capital, and risk. We believe wages should be negotiated between the employer and employee. We believe in free trade and the free market.
3. Agriculture
American farmers produce the most bountiful, affordable, and safest food in the world. American agriculture leads the way in developing innovative production practices that meet the demand of the world. This will continue with limited government interference in agriculture.
4. Natural Resources and Environment
Property ownership is a fundamental right in this nation. With that right comes the responsibility to be good stewards of natural resources and the environment. We believe that a combination of self-interest, the free market, and social pressure is motivation for voluntary environmental stewardship.
5. Education
A country’s strength is dependent on a well-educated citizenry. Effective education is dependent on responsible parents who are a child’s first and most enduring teachers. These parents can best make decisions for their child which mandates a system that facilitates local control.
6. Health Care
We believe that health care should be a private relationship between a physician/health care provider and the patient. Eliminating third party payers will restore a private relationship and reduce medical costs.
7. Taxes and Spending
When the government spends more than it collects, the government runs a deficit, which increases the debt. Debt undermines economic growth and stability, and the burden is shifted to future generations. The goals of tax reform should be simplification, transparency, and increased economic growth.
8. Law Enforcement
We are Republicans because we believe that justice is the fabric of a free society, and that law enforcement is an integral part of justice. Domestic tranquility is achieved through just laws which are based on the Constitution and reasonably enforced. We believe that the security of all citizens is a function of government and that secure borders are necessary for a sovereign nation.
9. National Defense and Foreign Policy
The U.S. Constitution empowers the Federal Government to maintain an adequate military force to secure the border of the United States and to carry out our nation’s foreign policies. We recognize the need to ensure that our government exercises this power with wisdom and restraint, not rushing to conflict or using war for political or economic gain, so that our enemies fear us not because we are powerful, but because we are just.
10. Government
We believe in a small, effective, and accountable government that is grounded and limited to the constitution.
11. Republican Party
A Belief in Limited Government: Government must be limited to preserve the sanctity of liberty of individuals.
A Belief in the Right- to-Life; We assert that the right to life is protected by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution from conception until natural death.
A Belief in Free Market Economics: We believe that the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are self-evident truths as described in the Declaration of Independence. These rights are only achieved through free market principles.
A Belief in a Strong National Defense: It is the constitutional duty of the government to protect our borders. Military force and structure should be determined by current threat assessment.
Resolutions 2024
1. Human Rights
- We assert the sanctity of all human life from conception until natural death.
- We support a human life amendment to the Iowa and U.S. Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.
- We promote education on alternatives to abortion and support organizations that facilitate adoption.
- We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or fund organizations which perform or advocate it and will not fund or subsidize health care which includes abortion coverage.
- We believe that parents are responsible for their children, and we support the rights of parents to be the authority for education, discipline, protection, medical and mental health decisions. No minor child can participate in gender-affirming care without parental consent.
- We recognize two biological sexes, male and female. We are in opposition to individuals identifying as something outside of the two biological genders.
2. Economy, Labor & Business
- We believe that a limited government allows free enterprise and opportunities for long term economic growth and prosperity. We oppose subsidies and mandates.
- We opposed any lending institutions from using social credit scores. Example: ESG Score
- We believe trade treaties require Congressional approval.
- We are in favor of anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws to promote a free market economy.
3. Agriculture
- We support the Iowa Legislature enacting statutes wherein foreign principals cannot directly or indirectly own, have a controlling interest in, or acquire by purchase, grant, devise, or descent any agricultural land in the state.
- We support free and fair trade and the removal of unfair barriers to American exports.
- We encourage honest, voluntary labeling of food.
- We expect imported food to be held to our high safety and quality standards.
4. Natural Resources and Environment
- We oppose the State of Iowa granting eminent domain authority to any private entity when used for the land acquisition, construction, and maintenance of CO2 transportation facilities.
- We support maintaining the current authority of the Iowa Public Utility Board to grant the right of eminent domain to utility companies of the development, construction, and maintenance of electric, wire line, fiber optic, and hydrocarbon transmission corridors.
- We support prioritizing development of all domestic sources of hydrocarbon energy using all proven methods to include fracking and mining.
- We support prioritizing development of nuclear power generation using current, proven methods with the Federal Government reducing the regulatory and financial hurdles to their development and operation.
- We oppose Federal limits placed on personal use of private property, except in rare cases of gross lack of stewardship.
5. Education
- We support abolishing the Federal Department of Education and its Common Core Curriculum. All curriculum and assessment should be replaced with local design.
- Iowa schools should teach students basic knowledge and American exceptionalism and reject Critical Race Theory and other curricula that promote Marxist doctrine and encourage division based on creed, race, or economic status. Full transparency of public-school curricula shall be the right of citizens.
- We support providing armed security at Public Education Facilities.
6. Health Care
- We believe that health care solutions are best selected by the individual in relationship with their care provider and that free enterprise is best suited to meet the health care needs of the American people.
- We support full repeal of the Affordable Care Act and returning health care to free market principles.
- We support systemic reassessment of long-term care facilities to identify better options for caring of individuals with chronic mental and behavioral impairments.
7. Taxes and Spending
- We demand that all levels of State and Federal Government adhere to a balanced budget and surplus resources be utilized to reduce fiduciary deficits.
- We believe the purpose of taxation is to fund the constitutionally mandated functions of government, not to redistribute wealth.
- We support simplifying Federal and State complex tax codes.
- We believe that the work that the government performs should be transparent and accountable to the citizens. Any entity using public funds should be subject to financial audits.
8. Law Enforcement
- We expect secure national borders and enforced immigration laws.
- We support all laws that protect individual rights as defined by the Constitution. (Includes the 2nd Amendment)
- We support strengthening and enforcing human trafficking laws.
- We request the state concealed carry law reciprocity from state to state.
- We demand an end to warrantless domestic surveillance programs aimed at citizens.
9. National Defense and Foreign Policy
- We support a change in the National Defense posture to making defense and enforcement of immigration laws a top priority, using all available governmental agencies including the U.S. Military to guard our national border.
- We further support the Federal Government using all available means to effect re-emigration of all illegal aliens to their country of origin where humanely feasible.
- We must maintain an industrial base and military force within the United States which can support our national defense, sovereignty, and global interests. Military force structure including active, reserve, and National Guard should be determined by current threat assessment and not political favor.
10. Government
- We believe private property rights are an extension of unalienable rights of individual citizens and are protected by the Constitution.
- We believe judges should uphold their oaths of office to adhere to the Constitution or be removed from office.
- We support term-limits for appointed federal officials and members of Congress.
- We believe that respectful religious interaction is protected by the First Amendment.
- We oppose “Sanctuary cities.”
- We believe English should be the official language of government.
- Belief and support in our constitutional republic can only be restored with greatly strengthened ballot integrity. We believe this can be accomplished by maximizing same day voting using machine-counted paper ballots, stringent absentee ballots measures making absentee ballots available only for those physically unable to travel to voting site, and photo identification requirements.
- Voting is a right reserved for eligible citizens of the United States. Election law must be uniform, secure, and enforceable to protect that right and ensure only verified citizens take part in accordance with the Fifteenth Amendment, Section Two.
- We oppose the use of Public-School facilities for housing illegal immigrants.
- Recipients of Welfare, Food Stamps, and Medicaid should be subject to drug testing.
- We believe that the census process should require recording the citizenship status of each resident and that only citizens should be counted for establishing congressional representation.
11. Republican Party
- We urge the Republican Party to recruit and support candidates who stand for lower taxes, smaller government, the elimination of waste and fraud, and who value individual responsibility.
- We recognize and value the work of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women, the College Republicans, the Iowa Young Republican Federation, Scott County Teenage Republicans, and the Scott County Republican Women.
- We support efforts to educate voters about the principles of the Republican Party. We will improve communication to Republican voters on opportunities for volunteering for events.
- The purpose of the party platform is to represent current issues, communicate grassroots concerns and cite our core beliefs to recruit Republican voters and give guidance to our party leadership, our candidates, and our elected officials.
- The platform must be honored and implemented by the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) and Republican National Committee (RNC).
- Republican Party dollars and resources should only be directly given to Republican candidates and causes.
- The Republican Party should encourage in person voting rather than vote by mail