| Utah Republican Party State Party Platform (as ratified at the 2004 State Convention) |
Weber Democrats Say: |
| PREAMBLE We, the Republican Party of the Great State of Utah, 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. |
Utah Democrats reaffirm the simple and timeless values which have made Utah and our nation great: protecting freedom, promoting responsibility, planning for the future, and supporting common sense solutions to community problems. Democrats cherish the individual freedoms set forth in the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence, and have an abiding faith in the judgment of hardworking Utah families. |
| 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. |
Utah Democrats believe government is constituted by the people to serve the noble purpose of creating an orderly, safe society that promotes the common good. Utah Democrats embrace moderation, reason, openness, and inclusion as we uphold Utah's values and build on our magnificent heritage. |
| PRIVATE PROPERTY We recognize the rights of the individual to own property. We resist any effort by government to take private property without an overwhelming need for public use. We strongly oppose the forfeiture of private property from innocent owners. |
Utah Democrats embrace the rights of property owners. |
| REAFFIRMATION OF STATES' RIGHTS We oppose congressional, judicial, and executive abrogation of the principle that the powers not delegated to the United States 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. |
Utah Democrats oppose any effort to amend either the state or federal constitution to restrict civil liberties or to limit states’ rights. |
| ETHICS AND STANDARDS We demand honesty, integrity, morality, and accountability of our public officials. We will work to expose and stop corruption. |
Public officials must serve with integrity, dignity, responsiveness and fiscal responsibility. Utah Democrats support public officials receiving an appropriate salary and benefits, but public service should not be used for personal financial enrichment. |
| 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 agree that Defense is
important while noting that we currently spend more than $390B.
The total spent by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea is $117.5.
|
| We oppose placement of United
States troops under any foreign command,
including the United Nations. |
When our national leaders deem it important to the national security interests of our country to act multilaterally, we support the placement of our troops in joint operations with NATO and United Nations forces. |
| 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. We support capital punishment when appropriate. | We also support law enforcment
while beleiveing that removing the conditions that promote crime would
be more effective. While supporting capital punishment, we note
that there is a possiblilty of error and that the appeal process in
capital cases is more expensive than life imprisonment. |
| SELF DEFENSE We support the individual constitutionally-protected right of the people to keep and bear arms for security and defense of self, family, others, property, or the state, as well as for other lawful purposes. We encourage personal responsibility for the care and use of these firearms. |
Utah Democrats support the right of citizens to possess firearms for lawfully defending their families and property and for sporting purposes. We also support common sense measures to reduce gun violence and enhance public safety, enforcement of gun laws, and education on the safe use and storage of firearms. |
| FREEDOM OF RELIGION We claim 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. |
Utah Democrats support the right of all Americans to express their faith. We affirm the protection the Constitution gives to religious expression and recognize the historic role people of faith have played in our heritage. Whenever religious rights are threatened, we will stand against it. |
| FAMILY VALUES We recognize the traditional family as the fundamental unit of society. 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. |
Utah Democrats believe that strong families strengthen society and are the foundation of our communities. We know that the primary responsibility of raising children belongs to parents, not government. To help families survive and thrive, Utah Democrats will support programs that lend families a helping hand in times of need. |
| RIGHT TO LIFE We believe in the right to life for both the born and unborn. We strongly oppose abortion, except to preserve the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. We believe the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We believe all human life is sacred regardless of age or infirmity, and therefore we oppose abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the public funding of any of these abhorrent practices. |
We do not support abortion but
recognize that being a parent is a commitment that may impose an
impossible burden on some. We strongly believe that we should
offer help to parents and children and others so that few are forced to
make such cruel choices. |
| HUMAN SERVICES We believe that the primary responsibility for meeting basic human needs rests with the individual, the family, and the voluntary charitable organizations. We recognize, however, that there are special social needs which must be addressed through state human service programs. We support requiring welfare recipients to work towards self-sufficiency. |
Utah Democrats believe that all Utahns should labor to the best of their abilities to provide for themselves and their families. For these efforts, employers should pay a decent life-sustaining wage and appropriate benefits or taxpayers unfairly end up subsidizing those employers who fail to meet these standards. Utah Democrats support programs for low-income working families that break the cycle of dependency, reward industry, promote self-sufficiency, support parenting, and encourage families to stay together. We also believe that government must continue to provide assistance to the low-income disabled and elderly members of our society who cannot provide for themselves. |
| HERITAGE We recognize the contributions made to our quality of life through ethnic diversity. |
The Utah Democratic Party is a party of inclusion and diversity, encouraging the participation of people with differing opinions and backgrounds. We embrace diversity as a source of strength in our community rather than a reason for division. As such, we respect the individual conscience of each Utahn |
| EQUAL RIGHTS We believe that no individual is entitled to rights that exceed or supersede the God-given individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Utah. |
Because constitutions are created to grant freedoms, preserve liberties, and limit government, Utah Democrats oppose any effort to amend either the state or federal constitution to restrict civil liberties or to limit states’ rights. Utah Democrats encourage our government to protect against discrimination and victimization based on status. |
| 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, or home education. We support incentives to promote competitive excellence. We encourage cooperative initiatives to help all Utahns become literate in English. We support the prudent and profitable use of school trust lands. We support all interest and dividends from the permanent State School Fund being distributed to each public and charter school to improve student academic performance. |
Utah Democrats believe all children have the right to a quality public education and that providing that education is one of the primary responsibilities of state government. Utah Democrats are concerned that Utah has the lowest per pupil spending on public education in the nation. We support rational education reform based on quality research which must be developed and implemented by educators in concert with parents, along with business, community, and higher education leaders. Utah Democrats believe providing financial resources for education is an investment in our future and not an economic liability. |
| TAXATION We accept the necessity for limited taxation in order for government to perform and administer those services which meet essential public needs. However, we recognize that the power to tax is also the power to control, and believe that the best way to control government is to strictly control the amount of taxes imposed on the people. We encourage further simplification of tax systems, the elimination of the estate tax, and broad-based rate reduction where possible. |
We support the restoration of progressive taxation in Utah, through income tax re-bracketing and indexing the new brackets for inflation. We support shifting the tax burden from sales tax on food to other sources of revenue. We do not support the elimination off the estate tax since that would only serve to protect existing inequalities based soley on birth. |
| REGULATION We recognize that government regulation can be a major impediment to productivity and to competition. We must rely more on market forces and less on government. Regulatory power now exercised by the federal government must be eliminated or returned to state and local governments. |
Many regulations are the direct
result of past abuses. Government can play an important role
in fostering healthy competition, supporting innovation, promoting job
creation, ensuring worker safety, protecting consumers from unfair
practices and fraud, and maintaining a well-educated workforce.. |
| ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT We believe that a strong, diversified economy based on a positive work ethic, a well trained and well educated work force, a business-friendly environment, and safe work place will help Utah compete in a world market place. We believe that developing our human resources is essential to the future of Utah. We support the Utah Right to Work Law. |
Utah Democrats have always been pro-business. Economic development generated in the private sector creates the wealth that sustains a high living standard in Utah. Government can play an important role in fostering healthy competition, supporting innovation, promoting job creation, ensuring worker safety, protecting consumers from unfair practices and fraud, and maintaining a well-educated workforce. |
| THE ENVIRONMENT We appreciate the quality of our environment. Our air, water, and land are at the heart of our existence and must be protected through balanced management. We support reasonable laws and volunteer efforts to improve air and water quality. We continue to seek responsible solutions to controversies surrounding uses of our wilderness. We seek to preserve the environment while serving the best interests of our Utah citizens. |
Utah Democrats seek to ensure the protection of public health and create a legacy of clean, safe air, soil and water, and a sustainable and balanced plant and animal wildlife population with adequate winter and summer range. Polluting businesses should be held responsible for paying their fair costs of cleanup and restoration. |
| We oppose as unconstitutional
the declaration by any President without approval from Congress of any
large trace of land as a national monument. We call on the Governor of
the State of Utah to use the Constitutional Defense Fund and other
resources at his disposal to bring any such declaration affecting Utah
before the United States Supreme Court for reversal |
We place great value on conserving our diverse natural resources and public lands that belong to all the citizens and future generations. Utah Democrats encourage open and democratic debate on land management decisions.Utah Democrats support the protection of wilderness with the right of access to use it responsibly. |
| JURY The jury is a fundamental institution of liberty, because it is the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution. The jury has the right and the authority to acquit if jurors feel justice will be served. |
Utahns have a right to the speedy resolution of civil and criminal court cases. We believe that victims deserve to participate in criminal justice processes that are equitable and effective. Utah Democrats believe that a fundamental premise of our federal and state constitutions is that all citizens should have equal access to the basic privileges of citizenship. Utahns believe in fairness. Fairness requires that all citizens enjoy the full benefits of citizenship regardless of their race, gender, religion, age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or economic status. |
| OUR MISSION The Republican Party is a party by the people and for the people. We appreciate the productivity of our citizens, affirm the infinite worth of all individuals, and seek the best possible quality of life for all. We invite all citizens to join us in working together for a better Utah. |
Utah Democrats believe government is constituted by the people to serve the noble purpose of creating an orderly, safe society that promotes the common good. Utah Democrats embrace moderation, reason, openness, and inclusion as we uphold Utah's values and build on our magnificent heritage. |