Nevada's New Paulian Platform Planks!!!

Before Beers walked out on us, at least we were able pass the following sa-weet Paulian planks:

State Platform 2008 - 2010

Preamble:

We believe that government is instituted solely to secure the life, liberty and property of the citizens of the country, that the Declaration of Independence defines the philosophical foundation of the country, that the Constitution of the United States is the basic law governing the existence and operation of the U.S. Federal Government and the first ten amendments describe its limits, and, as Thomas Jefferson said, that the government that governs least governs best.

Federalism & Limited Government

1. We support less government, less taxes, less regulation and more self determination.

2. All legislation, Federal Agencies, and public servants must adhere to a literal interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and as instructed by the Tenth Amerndment, in conjunction with Article I, Section 8.

Patriotism

3. We recognize the importance of the national vaules expressed by our flag, anthem, Pledge of Allegiance and other patriotic symbols that define us as a nation and we believe that the words, “in GOD we trust,” should remain on our currency and the words “under God” should remain in our Pledge of Allegiance.

Taxes and Government Spending

4. We support reform of Social Security, including establishment of private retirement accounts and prohibiting use of its funds for any other purpose. All citizens shall have the right to opt out of the system, but the government must honor its commitments to those who have paid, are legally in the U.S., and remain in the system. We propose the abolishment of the Windfall Elimination Tax when computing Social Security Benefits. We oppose Nationalization of Healthcare.

5. We urge the Nevada Legislature to cut spending and avoid new taxes to encourage strong economic growth. We support the Nevada Constitutional Requirement of a 2/3 majority legislative vote to raise state taxes. We support balanced state, local and federal budgets. We oppose unfunded mandates, Riders, Ear-marks and Set-asides at both the state and national level. We support the permanent elimination of the Federal Death Tax.

The Economy

6. We support a strong private minerals industry. We support the Nevada Mining Association endorsed reform of the 1872 mining law and strongly oppose any laws, regulations, ordinances or any other legally binding actions that diminish the ability of the minerals industry to discover and or access minerals and mine them.

7. Fires are increasing because of the lack of livestock grazing. Therefore, livestock grazing shall be increased immediately on Federal Lands.

Education

8. We support a parent’s right to choice in education including vouchers, charter schools, and home schooling. We also support the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. We further oppose requiring licensure for parents who choose to home school. We support the elimination of the No Chile Left Behind law and required the State of Nevada to replace the No Child Left Behind concept.

Family Values

9. We affirm the sanctity of human life and the inherent dignity of each human being from conception to death and oppose cloning complete human beings. We support the private development of adult stem cell research and we support all efforts to stop human trafficking. We support the definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman.

The Environment

10. We support initiatives to maximize the development of America’s domestic oil, gas, coal, solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear resources, and the development of alternative sources of energy to reduce the nations’s dependence on foreign oil. We support granting local government more authority in decision-making regarding water rights within their jurisdiction.

Legislation

11. We demand the repeal of McCain-Feingold and reaffirm the right of free political speech. We support legislation to require full disclosure of all donations made to political candidates.

12. We support the repeal of the Federal Reserve Act and the return of the power of minting and coining money to the Congress of the United States as so stated in the Constitution. In addition we demand a return to a gold and/or silver backed currency as provided for the U.S. Constitution.

13. We demand that electronic voting only be allowed when uniquely numbered receipts are provided to the voter and results are made publicly available showing simultaneously all votes comprising the total by receipt number.

The Litigation Crisis

14. We believe in informing juries that it is their power and duty to decide on both the law and the facts as they apply to each case so that justice is the main priority. We support the election of judges.

Immigration

15. We welcome legal immigrants from all nations, cultures and races. We demand strict enforcement of all immigration laws by all levels of government. We demand that the federal government secure our borders. We do not support amnesty, government benefits or other special treatment for aliens who have or will enter the United States illegally. We support English as the official language of the untied States and the printing of government materials in English only.

National Defense and Veteran’s Affairs

16. We support all of our men and women in the military who are serving both in the United States and around the world and the missions of all U.S. troops around the world. Be they active duty, National Guard, or reservist, they have our highest admiration and respect. We support honoring veterans with education benefits and we support a strong Veterans Administration subject to strong oversight and audit, to assure veterans and families receive the care and support as promised.

Constitution, Bill of Rights and Protection of Rights

17. We believe that the First Amendment to the Constitution was intended to prevent a state-sponsored religion rather than a separation of God from public life. We affirm that the Second Amendment protects an individual right which should be enforced as strictly as the rights protected by the First Amendment.

18. We support repealing the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act. We support repeal of the federal act requiring a national ID card or other required identity papers providing government with “big brother” intrusion into constitutional freedoms.

U.S. Sovereignty & Trade

19. We support the withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations. We demand that Nevada join Montana, Idaho, Utah and other states in opposing the North American Union (NAU) in withdrawing from the Security & Prosperity Partnership (SPP), withdrawing from North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and that Congress resume their duty of regulating Commerce with Foreign Nations.

Eminent Domain

20. We oppose Federal legislation regarding public lands including wilderness in Nevada counties unless approved by the county.