The 2008 IL GOP Platform -- part 1

No, we don't have the platform. At least not one I've seen yet. It's three weeks until the June 6 state convention in Decatur, and as a delegate from Bremen Township, what I will be asked to vote on matters to me. One thing I'll be asked to do is accept or reject the 2008 IL GOP Platform. 

So, I began reviewing our 2004 IL GOP Platform, and began remembering what a chaos the process was that year. I observed as a reporter, and it was crazy. The members of the platform committee didn't know what was being proposed, and only the chairman, now-Metro East Judge Steve McGlynn, knew what was going on. Everyone else was in the dark until just days before the convention.  By then, it was too late for concerned platform committee members to do other than accept the proposed wording.

This year we're hearing the platform committee members are being kept in the dark about the rewriting process again. The party has had four years to prepare for this convention, so there isn't much of an excuse for the up until now lack of communication -- unless the intent is to limit discussion once again.

I've been told that in the past there was a concerted effort among IL GOP staffers to keep convention delegates and platform committee members in the dark about the platform so as to keep discussion, debate and "divisiveness" from edging its way into IL GOP's Big Tent. 

The platform is the IL GOP's foundation. It's important what we believe, what we're going to stand for, and what we propose for the future. It certainly matters to me as a delegate what I will be identifying publicly with -- and its important that I - and every other convention delegate - know what we're voting on in plenty of time before June 6th.

The state party asked this week for proposed changes to the platform. Let's discuss it here over the next few days, starting with Page 1.

What would you change in this first section? Please comment on this section only under this post. We'll get to the others, too. We promise.

Now's your chance to tell the rest of us what you've told the IL GOP . . .

From 2004 IL GOP posted on the IL GOP website HERE

Our Platform

Since the election of 1860. the Republican Party has had a special calling - to advance the founding principles of freedom, opportunity, and limited government and the dignity and worth of every individual. Illinois Republicans have provided critical leadership, to this Country and those causes, from Abraham Lincoln, to Ronald Reagan to J. Dennis Hastart.

These Principles form the foundation of both an agenda for America in the year 2006 and this Platform for our party. They point us toward reforms in government, a restoration of timeless values, and a renewal of our national purpose.

We commit ourselves to the values that strengthen our culture and sustain our nation: family, faith, personal responsibility, and a belief in the dignity of every human life.

We offer not only a new agenda, but also a new approach - a vision of a welcoming society in which all have a place. To all Americans, particularly immigrants and minorities, we send a clear message: this is the party of freedom and progress, and it is your home.

The diversity of our State is reflected in this Platform. We ask for the support and participation of all who substantially share our agenda. In one way or another, every Republican is a dissenter. At the same time, we are not morally indifferent. In this, as in many things, Lincoln is our model. He spoke words of healing and words of conviction. We do likewise, for we are bound together in a great enterprise for our children’s future.

We are the party of the open door, determined to strengthen the social, cultural, and political ties that bind us together and make our country the greatest force for good in the world. Steadfast in our commitment to our ideals, we recognize, as did Ronald Reagan, that members of our party can have deeply held and sometimes differing views. This diversity is a source of strength, not a sign of weakness, and so we welcome into our ranks all who may hold differing positions. We commit to resolve our differences with civility, trust, and mutual respect.

We seek to be faithful to the best traditions of our party. We are the party that ended slavery, granted homesteads, built land grant colleges, and moved control of government out of Washington, back into the hands of the people. We believe in service to the common good – and that good is not common until it is shared.

Our vision is one of clear direction, new ideas, civility in public life, and leadership with honor and distinction.

To the citizens of Illinois, we commit ourselves to the following:

• To do all in our power to strengthen the families of Illinois;
• To ensure that high quality healthcare is available throughout our State in both rural and urban areas;
• To reduce the size of government and the number of citizens dependent upon government;
• To make our communities safer through reducing crime and drug use;
• To provide a foundation for job creation and business expansion across the State and reduce regulations and taxes that smother the free market;
• To restore fairness and balance to a legal system that has become unfair and unbalanced;
• To commit necessary resources to combat terrorist attacks and to fight and win the war on terror;
• To make our public schools among the best in the nation; and
• To protect the fundamental right to life and dignity of every human life including
  the lives of unborn children.

to be continued . . .

Comments

What government has been reduced in size since 2004? How about the county of DuPage? Do Republicans support, say, abolishing township government? Or consolidating units of local government in a state that boasts the most ulgs? If this principle isn't one Republican officials embrace in practice, perhaps it's time to scrap it.

[Marriage Defender]

I thought their platform was to get along with the Democrats so we can cut Combine Deals!!

[Don Castella]

I was curious about other state platforms, so I searched online to compare them. The Texas platform stood out among the ones I read. It boldly stated timeless principles and applied them to the policy issues of the day.
Illinois Republicans would do well to set out these principles with similar boldness and show all how we can apply them to address the many difficult challenges Illinois faces.

[jorod]

Here's my agenda:

1. Reduce the number of elected offices. Someone once said there are over 40,000 elected offices in Illinois. Why do we need to elect the county clerk or clerk of courts? All you are doing is creating little fiefdoms ripe for corruption.

2. Voting districts are gerrymandered and facilitate election of corrupt officials. Voting districts should be geometrically similar, either squares or rectangles, with deviation only for natural boundaries such as rivers.

3. Secret primaries. The current party primary system ensures election of corrupt machine politicians. Let voters vote for the best people in either party. If this had been followed in 2002, Paul Vallas would probably be governor now.

4. Appoint judges. Having judges elected does not ensure good judges. Judges can be nominated by a committee of legal peers, appointed by the governor with approval by the Illinois senate. Think of the money that could be saved.

5. End monopolies like the public schools. Go to a voucher system for education and health care and encourage outsourcing of services. Competition will bring economic efficiency to schools and force the schools to focus on the needs of students instead of the needs of politicians, bureaucrats, union bosses and patronage workers. People will vote with their dollars. Poor people would receive much better health care if they could buy their own insurance and use private hospitals. In Cook County, Stroger Hospital has become a home for unemployed friends and relatives of Todd Stroger.

6. Require that all government contracts with third parties be posted on the State's website and full disclosure made about who the contracts are with. Additional links could provide information on the principals in the companies and if they have any criminal records. It would be very hard to get involved with corrupt individuals if millions of citizens could review them on the internet. There used to be a listing of all lobbyists on the internet but it seems to have disappeared. Put all the lobbyists on the internet and list the contributions they made to elected officials.

7. Require that all school districts and agencies that receive state funding and all municipalities put their working budgets and pertinent financial information on their websites. The real budgets not the phony ones. This will provide disclosure and let people analyze the financial health of government entities. Some have recommended all check book records be put on the internet.

8. Pass a resolution recommending allowing US oil companies to drill for more oil in the US.

9. Recommend that the US Congress limit increases in government spending to 2% per year. This will allow for economic growth that will help balance the budget, allow for debt reduction and make more money available for other programs.

10. Recommend the same 2% limit on all state governments as well. If the Illinois general assembly had followed this formula in 2002, the budget would have been balanced by now.

11. Develop policies and programs aimed at the middle class. The middle class consists of the workers and people who make things work. Your lights don't go on because Barak Obama makes a speech. They go on because some worker is watching the turbines in the electric power plant. Reach out to these people. Cut government spending by ending government subsidies that are killing the taxpayers. Whether its education, health care, energy, government meddling only increases prices. Cut back on government.