THE 2018 SOUTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM
AS ADOPTED BY THE 2018 SOUTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN PARTY STATE CONVENTION ON JUNE 22nd, 2018.
Preamble
The fundamental principles of the South Dakota Republican Party are rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of South Dakota. The Party supports the preservation of our Republic, its ideals, and its institutions for the good of all Americans.
We believe the strength of our nation derives from an adherence to Judeo-Christian values. We support our nation’s heritage of religious freedom and personal responsibility. Republicans recognize we must be proactive in defending freedom at every level. We believe in equal rights and equal justice for all.
We recognize the free enterprise system and the work ethic of our people as the foundation of our economic success and security. The proper role of government is to provide for the people those critical functions that cannot be properly performed by individuals or private organizations. The most effective and responsible government is government closest to the people. The Republican Party, including its members, leaders, and elected officials must be cognizant of this Republican Platform and the fundamental principles of the Constitution of South Dakota and the United States of America.
We believe South Dakota is an exceptional place to live, raise a family, and pursue economic opportunity. To those ends, and for the people of our state, the South Dakota Republican Party commits itself to the following platform.
Platform Summary:
INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY—The rights of American citizens proceed from The Creator, not from government. Government authority proceeds only from the consent of the People. Individuals, including the unborn, have the intrinsic right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We affirm the sanctity of all human life.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY—Individuals and families are responsible for their behavior. Public policy should encourage and empower their efforts to provide for their own health, safety, education, moral fortitude and personal wealth.
PROPERTY RIGHTS— We support private property rights as guaranteed by the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution.
LIMITED GOVERNMENT—Federal, state and local governments should be transparent and limited to their respective roles as essential to inherently governmental functions.
TRIBAL RELATIONS— We believe the best interests of all South Dakota citizens will result from working cooperatively with tribal governments.
PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH AND THE RULE OF LAW—National security, national sovereignty, public safety, the right to self-defense, the rule of constitutional and statutory law, and civil justice should be preserved without excessive burdens to civil liberty.
LOWER TAXES—The State should only collect taxes to fund legitimate government functions. Government taxes and fees should be limited to essential, inherently governmental functions.
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS—We support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, as confirmed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
FAMILY INTEGRITY AND THE AMERICAN MORAL TRADITION—Traditional American families should be encouraged and moral values supported by policies to nurture strong marriages consisting of one man and one woman.
QUALITY EDUCATION—Parents have the first and primary responsibility of educating their children. We support access to locally controlled education.
1.0 Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Energy
1.1 Agriculture – We support a strong and viable economy for agriculture.
1.2 Free Markets – We support competitive markets.
1.3 Environment – We support the responsible use of our natural resources.
1.4 Energy Development – We support private efforts to develop and utilize traditional, new, and renewable energy resources.
1.5 Use of Public Lands – We support the responsible, multiple use of public lands.
1.6 Property Rights – We support private property rights and due process.
2.0 Economic Development and Jobs
2.1 Economic Growth – We support the creation of new jobs and economic development that will create a jobs environment that will enable our youth and adults to stay in the great State of South Dakota.
2.2 Right-to-Work – We support the right to work provision in our state constitution. We support the employee’s right to have a secret ballot in any election called to organize a union.
2.3 Infrastructure – We support the development of modern infrastructure to foster economic growth.
2.4 Government Intrusion – We believe economic activity thrives in an environment of limited government intrusion, and can be stifled by government overreach, and excessive taxation and overregulation, especially from the federal government. We believe government should not compete with private enterprise.
3.0 Health and Human Services
3.1 Well-Being of All – We affirm our commitment to the physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of all South Dakotans.
3.2 Opposition to Socialized Medicine – We support the private practice of medicine and oppose socialized medicine in the form of a government-run universal health care system.
3.3 Government Healthcare Systems – We encourage timely, accessible, and high quality healthcare for South Dakotans served by the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Services, and encourage expedient referrals to private sector providers.
3.4 Healthcare Cooperation – We encourage working relationships with faith-based organizations to address well-being.
3.5 Caring for Others – We affirm our commitment to address the needs of citizens who are physically or mentally unable to care for themselves.
3.6 Role of Parents – We affirm the rights of parents as the primary nurturers, responsible for the financial support, moral training, education, childcare, health care, and discipline of their children.
4.0 Education and Cultural Affairs
4.1 Quality Education – We support our state’s commitment to quality education consistent with Republican values. We support public, private, and home school educational opportunities.
4.2 Local Control – We support returning control of the school curriculum to the parents and communities that fund it. We support the elimination of all federally mandated requirements.
4.3 Parental Rights – We support the rights of parents within the public school system. We believe parents have the right to personally observe classroom instruction, access their children’s instructional materials and records at no cost to them, and to have a voice regarding their children’s involvement in national assessments. We believe in a wholesome educational setting, free from inappropriate sexual or cultural information in our curriculum and classrooms. Furthermore, we believe that participation in school sponsored sex education ought to be entirely a parental opt-in.
4.4 Value of Abstinence – We encourage instruction to students on the social, psychological, economic, and health gains to be realized by abstinence from sexual activity until marriage.
4.5 Cultural Importance – We recognize the relevance of history and heritage in South Dakota. Our greatness results from diverse individuals assimilating into our American Heritage. “Out of the many we are one.” We support the English language as a unifying factor to this end.
4.6 Historical Foundation – We support the teaching of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the South Dakota Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the historical role of faith and the Bible. We support further emphasis on the principles and values upon which our nation was founded, such as a constitutional republican form of government and the benefits of capitalism.
4.7 Key Texts – We support the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools and oppose deletions, changes, or amendments to the Pledge. We support the display of the South Dakota Motto, “Under God, the People Rule,” in our schools. We support display of the Ten Commandments in schools.
4.8 Technology – We acknowledge the need to strike a balance between technology and human interaction.
4.9 Data Protection – We support the protection of personally identifiable information. We oppose the unethical collection of personal information. Such information should not be obtained without legal consent.
4.10 Free Speech – Free speech shall not be infringed. Free speech on college campuses is to be celebrated. “The United States of America is a free speech zone.”
5.0 Government Affairs
5.1 We support a lower tax burden, limited and effective spending at all government levels, as well as limiting growth of government.
5.2 We support the 10th Amendment and oppose government mandates.
5.3 We support balanced government budgets.
5.4 We respect the American flag and encourage flag etiquette.
5.5 Entitlement Reform – We support entitlement reform at the federal level in order to put federal entitlement programs on a sound fiscal basis.
5.6 We support all efforts to guarantee the integrity of our elections. We believe SD voters should be informed of the origin of political ads.
5.7 Judges. We support the appointment of state and federal judges who support a constructionist view of the Constitution.
5.8 We believe the free flow of information empowers and energizes a republic and serves to keep government accountable. We support the federal Freedom of Information Act.
5.9 We support the rights of immigrants to enter our country legally and support the rights of legal immigrants to work in our state. It is the responsibility of the state and federal state governments to enforce immigration laws and to protect our borders.
5.10 We affirm our commitment to work cooperatively with tribal governments.
5.11 We expect the courts of South Dakota to refrain from relying upon foreign law.
5.12 Candidates and Public Officials- It is the responsibility of elected officials and candidates to read and familiarize themselves with the Republican platform and the constitutions of the U.S. and SD. We encourage the county Central Committees to use these documents as a means to educate the public.
5.13 Electoral College – We support the Electoral College. We support a party system as the best way to engage the voting public.
6.0. Tribal Relations
6.1 We are committed to improving Tribal Relations by working cooperatively with tribal governments to enhance the lives of our state’s tribal members.
7.0 Public Safety and Security
7.1 Equal Justice – We support the fair and equal administration of justice to protect the public and their property, to assist victims of crime, punish as well as rehabilitate offenders, and assist in the transition of offenders into society.
7.2 Law Enforcement – We support law enforcement and their work to provide citizens with a crime-free environment. We applaud and appreciate those involved with public safety in South Dakota.
7.3 We support the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
7.4 Homeland Security – We support a strong and reasonable approach to homeland security that protects our safety, our borders, and our liberties.
7.5 Armed Forces- We support with all our hearts those men and women and their families in all branches of the armed forces, past and present, who have sacrificed their time and lives for our country.
8.0 Family and Community Values
8.1 Families – We recognize the family as the central core of society. We recognize parents and parental rights as the foundation and proper authority for South Dakota families.
8.2 Free Exercise of Religion – We support the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
8.3 Exploitation and Abuse – We oppose exploitation, trafficking or abuse of adults, children and the unborn.
8.4 Marriage – We believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman. We affirm it is in the best interest of children to be raised by a mother and a father.
8.5 Sanctity of Life – We affirm the sanctity of human life, including the unborn, the elderly, the chronically ill, and the terminally ill. We oppose abortion and assisted suicide in all forms. We believe that life begins at conception.
8.6 Stem Cell Research – We oppose embryonic stem cell research. We support alternatives not involving the killing of human embryos, such as adult stem cell research.