Talking Points
Abortion
Abortion is perhaps the most divisive topic in recent political memory, and deservedly so. The left believes that the “liberty” of a pregnant woman is omnipotent; nothing can abridge her right to choose the outcome of her fetus. However, this argument is null if the fetus is a proved living human individual, as it would then be granted the general protections of the Constitution–the rights to life and liberty–that are guaranteed to all of those who reside in the United States.
The fetus is indubitably a human being, as two the mating of two like species can only produce another of that same species. Additionally, the fetus is undoubtedly a living individual, as biological properties reveal that life cannot produce non-life, thus two the reproduction of two living individuals can only produce another living being. Likewise, fetuses and embryos consistently exhibit all aspects of scientific life: they maintain homeostasis, are an organized grouping of cells, possess a metabolism, exhibit growth and reproduction, adapt continuously to the womb environment, and respond to stimuli within the mother. Finally, genetics tell us that this fetus is a unique individual, as at conception it is instilled with its unique set of DNA that it will retain throughout its life as a human being.
With this in mind, we can see that the termination of an unborn child relies solely on the basis of the individual human being’s location; since the fetus is located in a different spatial area than most other organisms, it is discriminated on based solely on this fact. Liberals oft argue that dependence on the mother erases the distinction between the two; however this is not the case throughout the classification system in the biological world. Members of the Monotremata Order—platypuses and echidnas—lay eggs instead of maintaining a gestational birth, and the fetuses of these fellow mammals form outside the womb of the mother. No rational human would argue that a Monotreme’s fetus was still a part of the mother since it develops outside of her body in an egg. For the sake of biological consistency, this same principle should be applied to fellow mammals—in this instance, humans—as the primary difference is once again seen to be merely location in terms of a forming embryo.
Therefore, the fetus, throughout all stages of development, deserves the necessary protection afforded all other people under our Constitution. The argument is not about the superfluous right to privacy created in Griswold; rather, it is about the justice afforded all individuals, without regard to age or location, by our constitutional system.
Affirmative Action
We strongly oppose all forms of discrimination based on race, including any preference shown by the government toward individuals of a minority race. We believe that this reverse form of discrimination is not only patronizing for those who it claims to benefit, but also encourages a victim mentality due to the race of the individual. This ideology dulls the desire for individuals to succeed on their own, without the aid of the government, and encourages a visible separation from the rest of society.
Nowhere is this scene more noticeably than in the Democrat Party’s fawning over the “perfect affirmative action baby,” Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor admitted that is would have been unlikely that she would have been accepted to Princeton or Yale based on her test scores like her fellow colleagues; rather, she was admitted exclusively because of her racial makeup happens to be a minority in the United States. Actions such as these deprive hard-working, white, honest, intelligent individuals from advancing within academia, as they are passed over in favor of minorities with less remarkable scholastic performances.
Finally, the Left’s hypocrisy is continually evident in their attacks against the firefighters of New Haven, including Mr. Ricci, where Sotomayor and her racially-motivated cronies sided with the local government in disputing test results exclusively due to the fact that no blacks would be promoted within the department, as they scored comparatively poorly on the objective advancement test.
Death Penalty
The argument about the death penalty should not revolve around the allegation that the death penalty is “cruel and unusual;” rather, it should revolve around whether or not it is constitutionally permissible by other portions of the Bill of Rights. The Fifth Amendment explicitly allows for the death penalty, by stating that no person may be “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Thus, the logical implication of this phrase is that an individual may be “deprived of life”–put to death–if given the right to due process–a fair, speedy trial by his peers/
Economy
Republicans strongly endorse the belief that lower taxes on all individuals, the poor, the wealthy, and the middle class, benefit the entire society. Under Presidents Coolidge, Kennedy, and Reagan we experienced some of the largest tax cuts in history, and in each decade entered into an unprecedented era of growth. Republicans reject the class warfare ideology initiated by Karl Marx and advanced by the Democrat Party that leads people to believe that certain individuals should contribute greater portions of their income in taxes than other solely for the reason that they have worked diligently to increase their own personal wealth. Hardly being without ideas, the GOP has floated ideas such as the elimination of the death tax, the institution of a fair tax or flat tax, and large reductions for all taxpayers.
Coupled with a reduction in taxes must be a reduction in spending, as it is a necessary component of limiting the size of the federal government. We support President Obama’s pledge to eliminate fraud and waste within Medicare and Medicaid, but we believe this is merely the beginning. The practice of earmarks, frivolous stimuli, immeasurable subsidies, and the like is gravely injuring the financial standing of this nation. We continue to see a drop in the prominence of the dollar throughout the financial world and calls for a new world currency due to our rising national debt. To reverse this trend and preserve our Union, it is imperative for us to adopt a reduced tax and spending rate.
Essential to the restructuring of the economy is attention to the failing government programs of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, as it is expected all will go bankrupt within the coming decades. A gradual phasing-out of Social Security is most likely necessary to guarantee the reception of funds by those who have paid into the system, while allowing those younger individuals to steadily opt out of the system to ensure that they do not receive any of their funds when they retire.
Finally, the ceaseless bailouts coming from Washington, whether they be for banks, the automobile industry, insurance companies, or others, are permanently damaging to the infrastructure of our financial system. The reduce accountability and the desire for profit, which inspires businesses to cease monitoring themselves as staunchly as they should. This not only creates a burdensome reliance on the government and an increase in the debt, it encourages poor behavior on the part of businesses by providing financial incentives for marketplace failure.
Education
One of the most unfortunate things about the political track our nation is currently careening down is that education is usually neglected as an important issue. The success of private schools has demonstrated that the public school system is failing miserably, as only a meager seventy percent nationally graduate from public schools on time. Clearly, throwing money at the problem has been a miserable failure, as schools in the District of Columbia now pay approximately $14,000 per student, but have an on time graduation rate of less than fifty percent.
The iron fist of the teacher’s unions must be broken like the statue with feet of clay in the Book of Daniel, as these corporate entities have completely disregarded the needs of our most important assets. Pay for teachers based on their performance within the classroom–as well as their participation and involvement in extracurricular activities–should be explored, as should the termination of teachers who fail to instill students with the necessary knowledge for future success. Most importantly, State Parties should encourage experimentation with vouchers to introduce competition to a failing industry; if parents were able to choose the school their children attended, schools would be forced to improve and streamline their budget to maximize efficiency for instruction.
Energy & the Environment
To increase domestic energy production in an effort to reduce our dependence on foreign, unstable, dictatorial oil producing nations, the Republican Party endorses an all-of-the-above approach, where we continue to develop coal, oil (offshore and ANWR drilling), hydro, wind, geothermal, and nuclear energy. Nuclear power, which powers seventy percent of France, seems the most promising, as it is able to provide significant energy, and does not pollutants, leaving the Left few aspects to whine about. While development is still needed on properly and safely discarding the resulting waste, this problem would be solved through the necessity of innovation with the expansion of the nuclear industry.
While we adore our surrounding environment and the glorious outdoors, we believe that environmentalists have elevated their cause to that of a religion and fail to appropriately address facts. We believe climate change should be approached with a hesitant skepticism, as a belief that humans can drastically alter nature is an arrogant position to adopt. Additionally, we support the efforts of the creators of Not Evil, Just Wrong in making the argument that one must recognize that we are a part of our environment, and should therefore not make decisions that would cause our fellow man harm. Unfortunately, the prohibition on DDT has decimated the Third World in terms of malaria deaths, and proposed international laws such as the Kyoto Protocols would irreversibly damage our societal and financial structures through effective world taxes and a the discouraging of business. Most importantly, however, is the effects such regulations would place on poor families; they would be unable to “make ends meet” with an additional tax on home heating oil, which would severely endanger the people of our northern states.
Ethics
After finally removing some corrupt members of our Party who immediately defected to the Democrat Party, we are now in a better position to speak about ethics within government. We believe that it is essential for the government to be completely transparent to promote complete public involvement in the political process. The Republican Party stands staunchly opposed to the bribery and debauchery of public officials and believes strongly that individuals must be held accountable for their crimes and actions in court as well as at the ballot box, regardless of political standing. Practicing the values we propose is essential to the adoption of those same principles, as the Founding Fathers argued intensely for morality within, and without, government.
First Amendment
As Republicans, one of our chief concerns is the eternal protection of the rights to free and uninhibited speech and religion for all individuals. This belief, especially of the former, is echoed exquisitely and elegantly by former Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, who held that the abridgement of speech, particularly political speech, was an affront to what the Founding Father’s original intent for this nation was. However, this does not necessarily extend to freedom of expression–i.e. flag burning–as Justice Black argued that there was a monumental distinction between speech and expression, largely that the Constitution offers no prohibition on the regulation of the latter.
The right to express one’s religious convictions is also a central tenet of the First Amendment, but is often neglected by those on the left, particularly in regards to the ban on the “free exercise” of religion. Secularists have all but succeeded in forcing religion out of the political arena, yet this was not the intent of the Founders. References to Divine Providence are found all throughout the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, our National Motto, our National Anthem, and our Pledge of Allegiance, demonstrating the essential role in which He has played in the formation of our country. Any dismissal or denigration of this historical fact is a figurative walloping of the cheekbones of our upstanding Founders.
Foreign Policy
Over the past few months, President Obama has demonstrated his naiveté on the international scene; whether it is “closing down” Guantanamo Bay, eliminating our missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, or failing to demonstrate a consistent policy on Iraq and Afghanistan. .
It is imperative that we maintain a strong military presence in the Middle East to send a message to nations such as North Korea and Venezuela that we will not tolerate either nuclear development or the assault of our valuable allies—in this case, Israel. Part of this is the necessary troop surge in Afghanistan recommended by General McChrystal; to prevent a potential inevitable defeat, we must multiply our troops stationed in the region decisively. The intelligence of a troop surge was best enacted by General Petraeus in Iraq due to Republican support; we were able to completely turn around the war in that nation and prevent the Islamic terrorists from once again seizing the Babylonian region.
Additionally, it is indubitably important to demonstrate our quest to increase military technology, primarily through a missile shield stationed in Eastern Europe. Alongside this, the security of our homeland is a top priority; because of this, Republicans believe that Guantanamo Bay must remain open to house indescribably dangerous terrorists who would otherwise provide security risks outside Club Gitmo. Furthermore, enhanced interrogation techniques along the lines of those described by Liz Cheney are essential to gaining information from suspected terrorists, as they have provided for the countless stymieing of terrorists by Islamo-fascists on the homefront.
A foreign policy that emphasizes the strength of the United States as exemplified by President Ronald Reagan is necessary to increase American dominance across the globe. While we should continue to perpetuate the uniquely American policy of “looking out for the little guy,” we need to make our interests primary and never give in to superfluous demands at the negotiating table.
Health Care
As the debate of the year heats up, Republicans have continuously offered solutions on how to bring down the costs of health care; unfortunately Democrats have completely ignored any ideas regarding true reform. One of the major aspects of the Republican plan is the incorporation of tort reform, to eliminate frivolous lawsuits, reduce the cost of malpractice insurance for doctors, and preventing defensive medicine. Additionally, allowing for the purchase of health insurance across state lines would reduce costs for individuals, since a plan that costs $960 in Kentucky should not cost over five times that in New Jersey. Likewise, we believe that it should be made easier for individuals and small businesses to enter into health care cooperatives, or agreements, where they would be able to lobby for a reduced rate. This increases their ability to receive affordable insurance drastically, since without such co-ops it is difficult to receive individual plans.
As part of the debate over health care, we must realize that a large portion of the uninsured, namely those our age, choose not to have a health care plan, as it is often more affordable to reject the costs when most of us are young and healthy.
Our main concern over the ever-increasing debate over health care, however, is the dramatic costs it would impose upon our national debt. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan group, estimates that Max Baucus’ bill in front of the Senate Finance Committee would cost $774 billion ($1 trillion for the House’s H.R. 3200), which would have to be offset by large tax increases. This, coupled with the fact that the health care bills would likely encourage employers to “dump” their employees into the theoretical public option, leads us to strongly condemn the current bills in Congress. Furthermore, a public option would almost certainly lead to a single-payer system, as private companies could not compete with the federal government, since the latter is allowed to take on unlimited levels of debt, while private companies are not. With a single-payer system in play, Republicans would be extremely nervous of the rationing, reduced quality of care, and long wait times that would ensue, as we have seen throughout Canada and the United Kingdom.
Homosexual Marriage
Oftentimes the argument presented in favor of homosexual marriage is phrased in a somewhat libertarian nature; that is, even though you may not personally endorse the behavior, forcing others to abide by this standard is not in line with other Republican ideals. However, this argument distorts the standing of conservative beliefs as well as ignores the role that the government has continued to play in the maintenance of morality. Few complain over governmental regulations of private hard drug use, safety laws made to protect citizens at the state level, the prohibition of polygamy, and animal rights laws, which are undoubtedly interventions at the state level in regards to the morality of its private citizens. Therefore, the nation should not completely shy away from legislating morality in this important area, as traditional, monogamous marriage has been a staple of civil society for over two thousand year. The eradication of this long-standing tradition would pave the way for the rabid acceptance and instruction of lifestyles that many Americans do not find socially acceptable in schools across the Union.
Illegal Immigration
Integral to the continuance of this nation is the deep respect for the laws of the land, chief of which is acknowledging that individuals must abide by our laws when entering the nation. While believing that personal charity is an essential component of a nation, we believe that it is the responsibility of the government to enforce laws to create an environment where each individual is treated fairly. To do this most effectively, we must ensure that illegal aliens do not get precedence over legal immigrants who are trying to enter our country through the proper channels. Currently, illegal aliens are overburdening, not only our naturalization services, but our education systems, hospitals, and prisons, causing large tax burdens for American citizens. While we appreciate their desire to join our great nation, they must do so legally by leaving our country and applying for either visas or citizenship.
Second Amendment
The Second Amendment, which reads “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed,” is a clear reference to the rights of individuals to possess weapons, as demonstrated in the landmark decision District of Columbia v. Heller (2008). Liberals often absurdly assert that the Second Amendment was formed to allow for the development of state militias; however this makes no sense as to the Amendment’s placement in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees the rights of individuals rather than groups, and the Second Amendment is logically and constitutionally no different. Furthermore, the incorporation of the Second Amendment is of utmost importance for Americans, as currently individuals in states such as New York and Wisconsin are not sufficiently allowed to practice their firearms rights. This policy would be consistent with other Supreme Court decisions, where the justices have slowly incorporated various rights, while neglecting Second Amendment privileges.
Unfortunately, we currently have a left-wing president who believes that it erroneous, nay maleficent, to “cling to [one's] guns and religion.” This lack of respect for the rights of gun owners has manifested itself in the defeat of the Thune Amendment in the Senate, which would have allowed for individuals to carry a concealed weapon across state lines if they possessed a concealed carry permit in their home state. It is our sincere hope that liberals will change their attitudes toward the Second Amendment when they come to realize that guns do, in fact, save the lives of thousands of Americans.
