Resolutions for Precinct Conventions
Today we’ll be posting resolutions for the precinct conventions. A word of caution is in order, though. There were so many resolutions offered for consideration, we didn’t have any time to whittle them down! So, throughout the day, we’ll be updating this post with a number of resolutions. We’ll try to post as many as possible so everyone can get a good idea of what has been offered, but due to the last-minute influx of resolutions, this will be an ongoing process all day. Check back often, as the list will keep growing.
Before submitting any of these resolutions in your precinct, you should keep these things in mind:
1. As a practical matter, resolutions should first be compared to the party platforms to make sure the subject is not already treated adequately in the platform.
2. Resolutions should be short, clear, and deal with one item or subject, and carry a title so readers know the subject immediately.
3. Choose your “top three” or so resolutions to offer at convention. Offering 30 resolutions for debate and discussion can prove problematic, and extend convention long past the limits of most people’s tolerance. Trust me on this.
4. Be generous with others in the convention, and helpful to the convention chair, by making more than 4 copies of your resolutions. This makes dealing with them quick and painless.
5. Remember that if your resolutions are not passed in your precinct, you can go to the Senate District Convention Resolutions Committee meetings and resubmit your resolution for a second look before the next level of convention. You would contact your Senate District chair for your county. Harris County Republican SD chairs can be found on the HCRP website.
Here are resolutions submitted by HTPS members. HTPS has written no resoutions and posting the resolutions is not an endorsement of them by HTPS.
NEW!
The last resolution from Chris Bounds, Financial Peace For America, is a little garbled on the last paragraph and I’m having difficulty discerning what exactly is trying to be said there. Can somebody help?
Concerning Art Bedford’s call for Texas to become an Initiative and Referendum State,
I Protest.
First, The Texas Constitution wisely prohibits I&R in Article 1, section 2. I&R has all but destroyed the State of California by changing it’s republican form of government into a democracy. California extended the legislative authority to the people at large (a fourth branch of government) which is prohibited under the Texas Constitution.
Second: Rather than granting more power to the people, I&R gives power to highly-organized and well-financed Special Interest groups of every description (Gambling, Teachers’ Unions, Trial Lawyers, Assisted Suicide, Anti-Right to Keep and Bear Arms, et al) who can afford to purchase big liberal media. A poorly informed and impassioned public acting on sound-bite disinformation can disregard individual rights and take away our God-given right to life, liberty and property.
Third: Yeah, Right–Term Limits — Duh! In 1996, nine of fourteen I&R states, having been misled by the U.S. Term Limits organization into thinking they were voting for congressional term limits, actually voted to call for a Constitutional Convention (Con Con) to rewrite our U.S. Constitution! They did not know that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in May 1995 that neither State Legislatures nor Congress can enact congressional term limits—a federal constitutional amendment is required.
Fourth: Anti-hunting initiatives passed in Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington in 1996, with anti-hunting special interest groups spending more than $7 million — outspending the opposition by more than $400,000.
Fifth: According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Initiatives are over-financed. More money is being spent on initiatives than on all 120 legislative races, recently exceeding $100 million in any given year.”
Sixth: According to New American Magazine, “George Soros and other billionaire ‘populists’ have been funding referenda in various states. Ralph Nader and the well-heeled eco-socialist cadres at the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, et al are committed to the referenda process.”
Last: There are almost as many reasons to oppose I&R as there are historically passed I&R propositions. I urge everyone to print this out and take it to your precinct conventions, as I&R will undoubtedly rear its ugly head, again, in your precinct, as well-meaning and uninformed citizens along with the news media advertisers press for this money making (for them) destruction of government.
Tom, I have serious misgivings about I&R in Texas and have never supported it either. It’s a can of worms I think Texas should avoid opening. Good point about printing out your response and taking it to the convention in case it comes up. Let’s hope people do so.
I agree: No to I&R. We are still a Republic. I’m bringing Tom’s comments with me to my convention.
Here is my resolution to expedite an end to the federal income tax:
Whereas, the Republican Party of Texas platform advocates elimination of all federal income taxes to be replaced by a consumption based tax system; and
Whereas, basic economic principles dictate that elimination of the federal income tax on individuals and corporations would spur unprecedented foreign and domestic investment in the United States resulting in unprecedented economic expansion; and
Whereas, within our current economy, the United States cannot fund fully its financial obligations and essential functions without irreparable damage to the quality of life, security and moral standing of America and her People;
Now, therefore, the United States should work with all deliberate speed towards the elimination of all federal income taxes and replacement of same with a consumption based tax system to provide for the essential functions and obligations of the federal government, while leaving all other powers and functions to the sovereign States and their sovereign People.
I’d suggest printing and taking Tom’s arguments against I&R with you to the Senate District or County conventions as well. The subject of I&R could very well come up there.
“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”
Thomas Jefferson
James,
In the last paragraph I am stating that bailout funds that have been repayed by the lendees (AIG, banks, etc) back to the Fed or funds that have never been spent by the Fed should be paid back to their original source of funding (foreign treasury bonds – i.e. China).
Perhaps there is a better way to state that so feel free to make changes along those lines as you wish. Some people call for that money to fund tax cuts but that call unsound since it was funded by debt. Make sense?
I wrote this resolution to work with federal legislation I have authored to restore our individual freedom and State sovereignty under the long neglected 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
If you and your fellow precinct delegates adopt this resolution, and can help see that it is adopted again at the Senate
District and State and National Conventions, it will strengthen our Party platform and the effectiveness of my legislation by making it difficult for the federal courts to overturn or
interfere with our mutual intent: To get the federal govenrment out of our lives and out of our pockets and truly let Texans run Texas.
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> The legal research, litigation, and legislative experience I gained first through my successful lawsuit to end federal Judge William Wayne Justice’s 25 year rule over Texas prisons, and now through my work in Congress have convinced me that a resolution like this one adopted at the precinct level coupled with federal legislation designed to achieve the same purpose can create an impenetrable barrier protecting our personal freedom and the autonomous sovereign authority of our State government, as the Founders intended.
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I sincerely hope that you will offer this resolution at your precinct convention, Republican, Democrat and Libertarian. >
If you agree, please copy and send this email and the resolution to friends and family around Texas, as I am, and encourage them to help.
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> Thank you entrusting me to represent you in Congress, and for taking the time to consider my request.
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> Sincerely
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> John Culberson
> Member of Congress
> Texas
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> Resolution Reserving Individual Rights and Autonomous State Sovereignty
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> Whereas the Federal Government has no authority beyond what the
> Constitution confers, and
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> Whereas Chief Justice John Marshall was the most zealous advocate among the founding generation of an all powerful Federal Government, and even he understood that the 10th Amendment and the Constitution reserved all powers not delegated to the Federal Government “to the States respectively, or to the People,” and that it was self evident, as he told the Virginia Constitutional Ratification Convention in June of 1788 that “a power remains [with the people or the State] till it is given away,” and
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> Whereas the Republic of Texas existed as a free and sovereign nation before it adopted the U.S. Constitution and became a State in 1845, and
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> Whereas the laws and Constitution of the Republic of Texas guaranteed the people of Texas individual rights and liberties, and guaranteed that the people of Texas “shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and possessions,” and that “every citizen shall have the right to bear arms in defense of himself and the Republic,” (Constitution of the Republic of Texas, Declaration of Rights, March 17, 1836), and the laws of the Republic provided for public safety and security, and
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> Whereas the Constitution of the Republic of Texas guaranteed that “No person’s particular services shall be demanded, nor property taken or applied to public use, unless by consent of himself or his representative, without just compensation,” and
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> Whereas the U. S. Constitution also guarantees the People individual rights and freedoms, and does not delegate any authority to the Federal Government to control the health or safety of ourselves or our families nor any authority to require Americans to buy health insurance or to require health care professionals to perform or not perform health care services, and since these individual liberties were guaranteed to all Texans before we joined the Union by the Constitution of the Republic of Texas,
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> Therefore, be it resolved by the delegates to Precinct _______
> Convention held on Texas Independence Day, March 2, 2010,
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> That we reaffirm the reservation of our undiminished absolute right to provide for the health and safety of ourselves and our families without any interference of any kind from the Federal Government,
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> That unless we voluntarily enroll in a Federal health care program, we do not consent to any Federal mandate that we buy health insurance,limit our health care choices or provide health care services, and
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> That we will work diligently to ensure that a new majority is elected this fall to Congress that is committed to the restoration of the Constitution’s limits on the size, power, and cost of the Federal Government, and that will enact legislation designed to restore State sovereignty and individual rights and freedoms which predated the ratification of the Constitution
Congressman John Culberson gives a more thorough explanation of his resolution on his blog at http://www.lettexansruntexans.com
Normally, it would not be appropriate to advocate for any elected oficial or candidate in a true “Tea Party” forum such as HTPS. However, since he has neither a primary opponent nor a democratic oponent this election cycle, I do want to offer one personal observation about John Culberson.
Those of us who have followed his carrer and know him personally, can attest that restoration of the reserved powers under the 10th Amendment has been a consistent core conviction and passion of his ever since he first ran for the State legislature as a young law student and defeated an incumbent Republican.
He’s serious about this!
Jan Heinrick hit on just about everything I’m concerned about.
But, needs to be separated into individual resolutions.
Typo corrected: http://lettexansruntexas.com/ is the website where Rep. Culberson’s resolution is explained.
The 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act needs to be changed, yes — but it cannot deny citizenship to any child born within the United States. “Amendment XIV, Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
But the “anchor” part needs to be done away with: the illegal-immigrant parents must be deported and their child will go with them. When the child grows up, he can return, but he cannot stay as an infant with parents who are here illegally.
The “Fair” Tax is anything but! A true Flat Tax could be better — everyone pays the same percentage of all income, with no exemptions whatsoever.
Rich folks save and invest; they do not use all their money to buy necessities or even fancy expensive toys. Poorer folks do. Also, if rich folks want to buy something and it costs more than they consider proper, they can go elsewhere to find it. Check out what happened to the New England boat-builders when the Federal government decided to tax personal yachts as luxuries.
Here’s a good one posted as a response in the other column about resolutions, from Julie Turner of North Houston Tea Party Patriots:
WHEREAS, Article 2, Section 1 and Article 7 of the United States Constitution require the President and the Senators, Representatives, members of the State Legislatures and all executive and judicial officers of both the United States and the several States to take Oaths of Affirmations to support the United States Constitution.
IT IS RESOLVED, that all laws, executive orders, regulations, judicial rulings or any other documents or orders that pertain to the execution of office by any of the aforementioned individuals who are required by the United States Constitution to take Oaths or Affirmations to support the United State Constitution, include in them reference to the specific provision(s) in the United States Constitution under which such laws, executive orders, regulations, judicial rulings or any other documents or orders are authorized.
Except! Ms. Turner has the wrong numbers for the one bit of the Constitution. Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8 has the presidential oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution; Article 6, Clause 3 lists all the offices whose holders must swear to support the Constitution.
Jan Heinricks has a pretty good list but as previously stated they need to be separate resolutions, unless closely related.
Re Chris Bounds 2nd resolution, There needs to be a number attached to the federal spending limit. For example, except in time of declared war, the federal budget shall not exceed 18% of the GNP.
The instant runoff election proposal by John Thompson is unworkable for any down ballot race in Harris or any other large county. It’s difficult enough to select even one candidate.
The resolution committee normally starts with the prior approved resolutions. Then they take in the information from the precincts(there are 82 precincts in SD 17)with over 800 precincts in Harris County. Duplications are thrown out and then the others are reviewed based on the Committee’s view about the Republican Platforms conflicts with the resolution.
There is an open agenda from the public to come and watch this process and speak on your resolutions. This is a good time to set your resolution in a good light or collective view. Thinking about smaller government and less taxes does help weed out conflicts. You can not always get the right words in a single setting. So ask for criticism and key words to help promote your resolutions. So make a little history and ask questions, listen to the answers and get involved. Nothing else works better then that.
Anyhow, based what I have learned, I started an experiment a couple of days ago with.
hey there, this might be little offtopic, but i am hosting my site on hostgator and they will suspend my hosting in 4days, so i would like to ask you which hosting do you use or recommend?
See the option saying Publish? Please don’t ever click this again. The Internet thanks you.
It was recently reimaged by experts in the field provided that here are some promising points of views.
I’m about to lower the boom on that conclusion.