2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison

8/11/2019 2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison

1/6

Final2 14 M aine Republican Platform

HCDC M Commentary 7/12/14

Generat ions

of

Americans havefought

to

preserve

theRe public,ourfreedoms,and the American

w ay

of

life.

W e appreciatea ndhonortheserviceof

active

dutyandreserve military, veterans,

fire

fighters,police officers, sheriffs, first

respondersandEMTs,and allthosewhoserveour

statea ndnation. Todayo urconstitutional republic

is

threatened by a failure to adhere to the

principlesp ut forth in ourfo un ding documents. It is

onlyby restoring the principles of Liberty

that

w e canpreventthemoraland economic

collapsecurrently unfolding.

I. Accomplishments:

A.Enacted

the

largest

tax cut in

Maine history,

cutting$150 millionin the

first

2yearsand $500

million

over4yearsfor job creators and

hardworking

Maine families.

B . Welfare

a.

Prevented

an

expansion

of

we lfare which would

haveresultedin70,000 mo re peopleon the

welfare

rolls;

V

b.Te rminated Main e's statusa s asanctuary state;

c.

Imposed

a

drugtest requirement

fo r

w elfare

recipients

convictedofdrug crimes;

d. Strengthenedpenaltiesforviolationsofwelfare

rules;

e.

Placed

a

5-year

cap on

individuals receiving

welfare benefits.

C.Budget

a.Paid $500 million ow ed

to

Ma ine Hospitals

fo r

previousun paid w elfare debt;

b. ReducedMaine'sunfunded pension liabilities

by

$1.7billion

(41%)

toprotect the benefitso f

ou r

state workers;

c.Proposed balanced budgets that

did not

include

ta x increases

fo r

hardw ork ing Maine

families.

D .

Econom ic Development

a.HostedRe dTape W orkshops across thestate

with

over 1,000

jo b

creators

to

streamline

Maine 's

burdensome regulatory system;

And

w h at

o f

teachers, nurses , physicians ,

carpenters, truckers, construction w orkers, etc. etc.

etc.?

W hy are all

those mentioned those

w ho defend

or

represent authority? It'sprobably the fighting

metaphor rather than, say, a building or

creating metaphor.

Here, additionally,

is the

injunction

o f

threats, fear,

an d

the

specter

of

failure.

More

raisingofthreatand fear.

Mostof itwentto thew ealthy;the

hard

workers

got

$16 each. Now w ell established that the job

creators

were

and

are,

in

fact,

the

middle class

withmoney to spend. The w ealthy invest less but

trade securities more

They're talking here about denying healthcareto

70,000

Mainers. He alth care

is a

right,

n ot

w elfare.

Ignores real economic benefit

of

accepting

the $.

No evidence exists that we w ere one (plus

demonization of the poor)

More feara ndthreat anddemonizationof the poor

Repetition of word 'welfare' plays to the GOP base,

demonizes the poor, and conveniently ignores that

'promoting

the general welfare ' w as one of the six

itemized purposes

for the

U.S. Constitution

Again, hea lth care sho uld be a right, not we lfare

A travesty. Whacked

the

pensionfunds

and

reduced

benefits contracted fo rw ith people w hoserved th e

public theirwhole

lives.

Un ethical disrespect

for

people

and

contracts.

Obliged

by l w

to dothis.But for thelegislature

rejecting the Governor's

budget,LePage's

proposalswould have

increased

local taxes

dramatically.

Most regulations impose constraints to achieve

public bene fits. Aga in,the job creators rhetoric.


2/6

b.

W hile protectingou renvironment, passed

regulatory reform

ensuring Maine

is

business

friendly.

c.Passed free

marKeTrieaffh7insurance

reform,

without

government intervention, driving down

thecostofhealth insurancefor Maine familiesand

businesses.

Throughtheabove accomplishments, Maine's

unemploymentratedecreasedto the

lowest

level

since

2008.

n.

Th is platform

emb races principles and identifies

actions

toimplement them.

A .W e

proclaim allegiance

to the

Constitutions

of

theUnited States (U.S.) and theStateof Maine.

B.TheConstitutions, boththeU.S.andStateof

Maine,

are the

framework

to

which

all

legislation

m ust adhere. Progressive principles

areincompatible

w ith

theprinciplesof The

Republican

Partyof theStateofMaine.Inorder to

define the

specific policies encompassed

by

saidcon stitutionalprinciples,and tobuildon the

previouslystated accomplishments,be it

resolved:

T J The

government

of

Maine exists

to

preserve

and

protect certain natura l, inherent

a nd

inalienable

rights endowed

by our

Creator

for the

benefit, protection

and

security

of all

citizens

and

future

generations.

To

m aintain this doctrine

the

U. S. and

M aine Constitutions

are the

framework

to

which

all

legislation must conform:

A. D efend the

individual's right

to

keep

and

bear

armsasguaranteedby theMaine andU.S.

Constitutions;

B. D efend

state's rightsasreserved in theTenth

Amendment

to the

U .S. Constitution;

C.

DefendthesovereigntytheUnitedStates.

IV .T hestrengthofMaineand the United States lies

withth e

rights

andresponsibilitiesof the

individual:

A .

The

expression

of

religious

faith

must

not be

excluded

from

the

pub lic forum;

LikeLePage'sattempt

to gut

minin g regulations

regulatory reform ensuring Maine is business

friendly;

and keep chemicals inplastics??A nd

appointacorporate lobb yisttoheadtheD EP??And

advancetheproposed East West Corridor??

Itdrovethecost

down

for a few(yng&hlthy)but

raised

it

dram atically

fo r

older, rural, less

hlthy

patrons. Free market (read pro fit generating) is

exactly thewrongw ay to go. Markets don 't w ork in

health

care.

False.

It is

still

.4 %

higher than

the

start

of2008.

And wehavethelowestjobcreationratein the

nation.

This

is

something

we can

agree

on.

This soun s goodbut ignores the

effects

of

SCOTUS'

fundamental alteration of electoral

politics in the nation by C itizens United and

McCutcheon.

Incompatible, if GOP says so, but it reads T eddy

Roosevelt out of the Republican Party. Progressive

means making progress. Why is the ME GOP

opposed to it?

Actually,

this is not the w ay Ma ine's constitution

reads; this is an inaccurate statement. No w here does

it

say that the rights are

endowed

by our Creator

save for Section 3 of A rticle 1 w hich add resses

religious freedom. A surprising alteration.

T he

right

to

bear arms plays

to the GOP

base

but it

issurprisingto see it andStates'Rights cited first,

andw ithout mentioning freedom

of

speech,

religion,

or the

press

or to due

process,etc.

Again,noargument,butdoesthisinclude defending

the sovereignty of the U.S. against mu lti-nationa l

corporations when applying provisions offreetrade

treaties acting against our ow n self-governance?.

Or

maybe it 's

the

fa mily (see

VIE

below).

A n

expression of

me

vs.

we

Does this mean Christians have free rein? Wh at of

the

beliefs

of

others? Separation

of

church

&

state?


3/6

B. The profits of an

individual's

efforts an d

accumulation ofprivate property belongto the

individual;

C.

Supportth eassimilationoflegal immigrants into

Mainesociety;

D.A ffi rmEnglishas theofficial language of the

StateofMaine.

V .

Capitalismand thefree market system encourage

individual initiative

and a

prosperous economy:

A .Economic prosperityisachievedb ypromoting

investment ,

stability,

and a

positive business

climate;

B .

Enact RighttoWork laws that stimulate

economicgrowth;

C.HealthCareis

bes't

providedthrough

free

market

solutions;

D.

Ownership

of

private property

is

fundamental

to

libertyand a strong

economy;

E.Implementacomprehensive energy policy that

removes

government obstacles andreduces

th e

cost

of

energy

fo r

Maine families

and

businesses.

VI.

The

most effective government

is

closest

to the

people

and theleast intrusive:

A .Federalization

of the

Maine Woods will

not be

tolerated;

B.MunicipalHome Ruleis to beencouraged and

respected;

C.

Maine's colleges

and

universities should

b e

marketplacesofideas whereany individual's

poli t icalandreligious beliefsmay beexpressed and

shallberespected;

D.

Individualsareresponsible fo r

decisions

affecting

their lives

and

well-being;

E.W elfare is asafety-netforMaine's most

vulnerable;

F.Supporttherestorationoflocalcontrol in

education

asspecifiedin theMaine Constitution;

This plays

to

greed,

but it

also reflects

a

"me"

orientation which contrasts withthenotion that

society

is

strongest when

all are

part

of a

"we."

C D playto afearofchangeanduneasiness with

diversity

Yes,

but the

thirty year trajectory

o f

dramatically

increasing income andwealth inequalityis,among

other things, hollowingout themiddle class.

Again ,

inequality begets instability,and apositive

business climate must alsobe aresponsibleone

Thisis ananti-labor stance, encourages union

busting,and itsadvance overt heyearsh as

contributedto theweakened middle class.

We

emphatically disagree

and

point

to the

tremendous savings which could accrue

from

excising

profitfrom health

care. Free

market

doesn't worki nhealthcare.

Degree

and

balance here

are

important.

An

"I've

gotmine, sorry,th edoorisclosed toyou" mentality

weakens

society

Nothing here about environment lcost? Colossal

omission Short-term savingsvs.longterm resource

depletion

and

environmental degradation.

Arguably, this

is

inherently self-contradictory

and

demonstrably wrong. Some things (defense

and

healthcare finance)can 't bedone locally

So

much

for

anyone'sproperty rights

if

they choos

to giveit up fo r anational park

Unless,as wehave seen,thegovernor wantsto end

revenue sharing . . .

Evenif itignores science, orlogic, isdefamatory

hatespeech??

So

does

that mean

the GOP is for

marriage equality

bir thcontrol,and awoman's choicetoterminatea

pregnancy?

Weagree Butdefine vulnerable.

Wherehas it been

eroded?


4/6

a.

Parents have therightand responsibility to

educate the ir children;

Where

is the

broaderpublic'sright

to assure

that

it s done

so the

young

a re

prepared

fo r

citizenship?

b. The best academic opportunities are made

possible through educationalchoice;

c.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) must

be

re-evaluated with respect to local control, data

mining

o f

personal information,

and

curriculum;

G.

Protect local food rights

and

policies;

H.En sure the integrity of the election process.

VII.T he family is the

foundation

and

strength

of a

stable society; therefore the government should

not interfere,

but

rather support

an d

protect

the

integrity

and rights of the family:

A .Promote Family values;

B .Marriage

is

defined

as the

union

of one man and

one

woman;

C.Parents-

not

government- aremost capableand

responsible

to

m ake decisions

in the

best

interesto f their minor children, including medical,

disciplinaryan d educational decisions;

D .

We

believe

in the

sanctity

of

human

life-

from

conception to

natural death;

E. D iscontinue using state taxes

to fund

abortion

or

activities that run counter to the sanctity of

life;

F.Supp ort faith-based family resources.

VITI.Fiscal restra int

and

accountability

for all

levels

of

government

is

paramount:

A.Work

to

reduce spending

at all

levels

of

government,state, county

and

local

to

ensure fiscal

stability

and

m inimal debt

for future

generations;

B. Through sound fiscal managem ent reduce the

Maine tax bu rden, including fees;

C.Institute zero based bu dgeting in all programs

and require

the

government

and all

agencies

adhere to the Generally A ccepted A ccounting

Principles (GAAP).

Nonsense. Treating public education

as if its

purpose was to

satisfy

parental markets misses its

larger civic purpose.

How do we

all protect against

the

lowest common

denominator?

OK

Here weagree

No

study

ha s

shown that integrity

is

lacking. This

is

a scare tactic.

Is family even mentioned in the founding

documents? ndividuals have rights, not families.

Sociologically

family as foundation may be true,

but phrased this wa y it is a nod to authoritarian

structures and principles

A nd

thesea re

exactly what?

'Daddy

knows

best??'

This

is a

settled m atter

in

Maine

an d

nation.

N o

return

to

marriage inequality.

A n

authoritarian stance. Ignores benefits

of

health

for

others.

Legitimizes

violence

toward children

D & E are ananti-woman stance.Howdoes this

apply when a child is born into poverty given the

GOP antagonism to w hat they call 'welfare'?

So

charity

is to

come from churches.

A nd

what

then

is the

role

of

government

in

'promoting

the

general welfare ??

Paramount? Even

in

t imes

of deep

recession

or

environmental

or

national threat? Sometimes

th e

wraps ofrestraint haveto betaken off -

environmental disasters, economic collapse,

war . . .

and, by the way, Democrats support fiscal

responsibility,

too

This means shrinkage of government functions,

trying

to

make government

go

awa y. Self

government means

we get to

decide what

to do, not

that

we

have

no

government

at all it

does nothing.

The

Maine

GOP has

been successful

at

this with

the

result being

the

budgetcrises

w e

continue

to

face

a s

real needs

confront

us

(e.g., roads, schools, health

cai_,

etc.)we do nothave theresources to serve.

In principle, yes. Those

who

have experienced

ZB B

doubt it is a panacea. A gain Maine D ems support

fiscal responsibility.


5/6

D M o v i n g

forward

Maine Republicans support

the

following

initiatives:

A.Weencourageal lRepublican candidates tosign

thetaxpayer Protection Pledge

andopposeany and

al l

efforts

to

increase taxes

and

fees;

B .Reducing

th e

regulations

and

processes that have

a nega tive impact and place un due burd en on

private

enterprise;

C.

Ensure environmental regulations

are

based upo n

sound science and recognize the value of Maine's

outdoorheritage;

D. Conform

the state tax code to the federal tax

code to a chieve fairnessa ndequity;

E.

Repealthe

Affordable

Care Act (Obama Care)

and

all initiated

com ponents;

F. Ma nd atory min imum sentences to protect the

innocent

and thevictimsof crime;

G. The

Office

of

Program Evaluation

&

Government

A ccountabi l i ty (OPEGA), M aine 's

governmentalo versight agency and its mission to

achieveeffective and

efficient

state government;

H .A llstatequasi -governmen tautho rities mustbe

held

accountableto thestate legislaturea nd

the governor;

I.

Legislation that requires photo identification to

vote in the StateofM aine;

Starving needed governm ent fun ction s only hurts us

all by w ha t is cut, increases stress, and m akes

government much more contentious. Seriously

impedes flexibility.

Regulations protect us from f inanc ia lf raud,

environm ental poisons, in sure properly built roads

andculverts, etc. etc. Private enterprise mustbe

responsible,

no t

just

an

instrument

fo r

priv ate greed

We

agree,

butunderthe GOP it's tendedto be

w hatever business w ants , notwhat'sbest for all

We

agree

Isn't this what's already done? If not, we agree.

Absolutely no t

We're

not going back, only forw ard

to getting

profit

out of the system a nd m ovin g to

singlepayer, i.e., med icare

fo r

all.

Simplistic and naive . There are practical

difficulties, propo rtionalities to consider in

sentencing, apparent racism,

and the

consequences

of a system that has 2.2 MILLION incarcerated in

America (25% o f theworld'sincarcerated with5 %

of the population). This kind o f proposal removes

discretion fromjudges

to

prosecutors.

B ad

idea

Who canargue,but thepredecessoragency usedto

be where good plan ning was being done that was

valued by municipalities, and it 's still needed.

J.

Secure

the U . S.

borders

in

accordance with

current

Federal law .

No argument, again .

Not

needed;

a

"solution"

to a

non -existent problem

and

a transparent

effort

to shrin k the vote of those

considered undesirable

electors.

Fortress America. Discom fort with diversity.

For too ma ny years, Am ericans have trusted that

our

elected

officials

were working

to

protect

and defend our interests. W ithout persistent

vigilanceby thepeople, this trusti s often

misplaced. It istherefore incumbenton all of us to

stayinformed and involvedin the American

experimentof

selfgovernance. Those

of us who

Except

thatma n yofthese items listed w ould mo ve

Americabackwards ,n ot forw ards. Those o f us who

This last rings the bells of threat, fear, misplaced

trust,

and

separation

of the

"me" from "we"

but it

alsohas a'ring'oftruthtMt.E.g.,NSA s

systematically inv ad ing the priva cy of everyone.

And

corporations

h ve

come to control h uge swa ths

ofg overnmen t policy. Further, i t should be noted

that thereseemsto be afundamenta l

misunderstanding

of our

"experiment

in

self-

governance." M any of the thing s we believe about


6/6

have

uni tedbehindtheRepublican banner invite

you

to

join

us in

this task

and

support

th e

Republican

candidates

fo roffice

that uphold these

principles.

M AYGOD

BLESSAMERICA

ourgovernment are, infact,not so.Theyare

concepts

we

derivefrom

th e

Declaration

or the

Gettysburg Address,but are notembedded in the

Constitution,adocument originally conceivedby

and forwhite, male, property owners interestedin

so-called freeenterprise. Itlegitimized slaveryand

left

womenoutaltogether.Thatwehave advanced

so far

beyond that (progressed

is the

proper word,

but ME

Republicans line themselves

u p

against

it

is afunction o fstruggle, war, murder, persistencei n

th efaceoffierce opposition, plusth ecapacityfor

th e

applicationoftreasure (thatthesteep declineof

graduated income taxeshasmade moreandmore

difficult

in thelast thirty years). Progress fo r llo f

us, the we, is notincompatiblewith self-

governance

but the

impetus whichimpels

it. By its

anti-government

-

rather thanright sized

government- stanceand itsrefusaltoallowany

restoration

o f

revenues

it has

been responsible

fo r

shrinkingthis past generation, Maine's

GOP has

trumpeted- andbaldly admittedinthis campaign

document

-

that

it

actually opposes

our

progress

as

astateandnation.

Documents

2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison