MAY 27, 2016
DAYTON, TEXAS
The Republican Party of Texas State Convention gave us a new platform with weighted support for the first time, thanks to delegates being able to vote plank by plank. In addition, the new platform included five Legislative Priorities. Though the document is still lengthier than we would like, it was cut from over 40 pages to 33. Perhaps a goal to work towards in 2018 could be to shorten it further. To the RPT's credit, it is more succinct and flows better than before.
We do want to share that the platform advanced medical cannabis and touched on subjects such as State sovereignty, school choice and the removal of property taxes. Of course, there are still a few planks some of us in the Liberty Movement would still like to see removed, edited and added. But overall, we feel we have a better platform than we have had in a while.
The five Legislative Priorities set by the delegates are:
1. Pass constitutional carry while maintaining licensing as optional for reciprocity purposes.
2. Abolish abortion by enacting legislation to stop the murder of unborn children; and to ignore and refuse to enforce any and all federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, and court rulings, which would deprive an unborn child of the right to life.
3. Prioritize the allocation of funds to effectively secure the border through whatever means necessary, including but not limited to barriers, personnel, and technology over land, sea, and air, because the federal government refuses to secure the southern border of Texas.
4. Call for a limited Article V convention of states for the specific purpose of restricting the power of the federal government, including the implementation of term limits, and balanced budget amendment. Any proposed amendments must be ratified by ¾ of the states.
5. And to replace the property tax system with an alternative other than the income tax and require voter approval to increase the overall tax burden.
Overall, the local RLC continues to push for limited Constitutional Government based on the vision of our founders. We certainly appreciate the new county party leadership for their support and hard work as well. For the first time in a long while, the teamwork and cooperation of party leadership and the grassroots Republicans, from the RLC to the Tea Party, was outstanding in Liberty County. It is a new day in the local Republican Party, and we couldn't be more excited to assist the new local party leadership as much as we possibly can.