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The Oregon Republican Party (ORP) Platform Caucus
convened in Bend last week. Its adopted Platform encompasses nearly ten pages
of thoroughly deliberated and well-stated Republican principles. The adherence
of the nearly 200 delegates’ to strong Republican values is inspiring,
reassuring and comforting.
The
Natural Resources and Environmental Stewardship plank unambiguously supports a
number of values that I strongly endorse.
Delegates voted unanimously to oppose
the breaching of dams. They support including all current and
future hydropower
generation in Oregon's Renewable Portfolio Standard
and strongly encourage expanded
water storage through construction of new or enhanced
reservoirs. The delegates recognize that storage must be sufficient to provide
sound water management and hydroelectric power generation while maintaining
appropriate environmental policy based on reproducible, verifiable science.
Also supported and encouraged by the ORP and its
delegates is the transfer
of federal public lands to local
control, excluding sovereign nations, as provided for in the Constitution
of the United States Article 1 section 8 and the 1859 Oregon Act of Admission. They
strongly advocate for the multiple use of our public lands to help sustain and
grow Oregon forest, livestock, agriculture and tourism industries.
The ORP believes that the ownership of private
property is the cornerstone of personal freedom, including the rights of
prospectors and miners. It recognizes the critical importance of water for
agriculture and industry by supporting the Constitutional protection of
established surface and groundwater rights as real property.
Delegates voted to oppose the withdrawal, use, or
taking of private lands to create wilderness, national monuments or any other
restrictive categories without approval by the people of Oregon and of Congress.
They likewise voted to oppose any taking of private property, through the establishment
of unreasonable setbacks for any reason, without fair compensation established
by due process in a court of law.
The
Law and Criminal Justice plank explicitly states many principles that I
strongly support.
The ORP unequivocally advocates our Second
Amendment rights for all law-abiding citizens to keep and
bear arms in a manner of their choosing without government interference. It
further advocates the unalienable right of all people to use any reasonable and
necessary force to defend their homes, themselves and others, as well as their
property and livestock, against human or animal threat without fear of criminal
or civil reprisal.
Delegates voted to support the funding of public
safety as the ORP' highest priority. They advocate for equal enforcement of the
law, truth in sentencing and the exercise of judicial restraint with strict
adherence to the Constitution.
Further, they believe laws for the punishment of crime
must be founded on the principles of protection of society, the preservation
and protection of the rights of crime victims, personal responsibility and accountability
for one’s actions. Primary objectives are the reformation of offenders and
restitution for crime victims.
The delegates support strengthening of both
legislative and public oversight of administrative
rules and the rulemaking processes in order to ensure
conformity with legislative intent, Oregon statutes and the Oregon
Constitution. In addition, they believe all Oregon residents must receive full
justice in the civil court system, including equal discovery rights and the
completion of a fair and impartial hearing before an administrative agency may
institute fines, invoke penalties or revoke rights.
A
new Government Transparency, Accountability and Honesty plank includes several
issues that I have introduced or supported in the
Oregon Legislature.
The ORP believes in limited, accountable, efficient
and transparent government, at all levels, that operates within a balanced
budget and which performs its core constitutional functions with the highest
ethical standard.
Delegates supported ending the abuse of the
Emergency Clause, advocated for the guaranteed protection
of whistleblowers and supported empowering elected legislators and public
officials to compel sworn testimony by all Oregon government officials, on the
public record under penalty of perjury.
The ORP advocates for the legislative power to impeach
statewide elected officials as well as any political appointee to state
agencies requiring Senate confirmation, and to remove them from office by a supermajority
vote of the Senate. It believes that government accountability must include
independent audits and more complete, timely and affordable compliance with
public records requests. The ORP wants state and local taxing authorities to be
required by statute to regularly post on their official websites and the state
transparency website all of their most critical financial details, including ending
balances, current debt, current revenue and assets and future obligations.
Delegates want every bill introduced in the
Legislative Assembly, as
well as all proposed amendments, to be sponsored by a clearly
identified legislator. They also request that each legislative bill be prefaced
with a “because clause” clearly identifying the problem the bill is meant to
address.
The
Health Care plank is well-summarized in its preamble.
Families and individuals have the sole responsibility and right to make their
own health care decisions. A free market system of health insurance and health
care delivery is the surest way to provide high quality affordable health care
that preserves individual freedom and privacy. We advocate the protection of
the physician-patient relationship, the promotion of competition and the
provision of individual choices.
Delegates reaffirmed their commitment to the repeal of
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare.”
They oppose any state effort to impose the provisions of the Act in Oregon, or
any other state act with similar provisions.
Further, the delegates are committed to the aggressive
pursuit of tort
reform legislation to help reduce the costs of health care,
avoid the practice of defensive medicine and improve health care quality.
Finally, the ORP delegates confirm their belief that
our unalienable rights are endowed by our creator and that government without
the consent of the governed is tyranny. They expect local, state and federal
governments to protect our individual rights, freedoms and private property.
They affirm that the powers of the federal government are limited to those
enumerated in the U.S. Constitution and restricted by the 9th and 10th
Amendments.
The ORP Platform document is meant to represent a compilation
of the political and moral beliefs of many Republicans. It is not expected that
every Party member will unequivocally endorse every component of the Platform.
Nor should every provision be used as a “litmus test” for potential Republican
candidates. However, taken as a whole, I believe if fairly represents
mainstream Republican political philosophy.
The entire ORP 2015 Platform can be found online here.
Please remember--if we do not stand up for rural Oregon, no one will.
Best Regards,
Doug
Senate District 28
Email: Sen.DougWhitsett@state.or.us I Phone: 503-986-1728
Address: 900 Court St NE, S-311, Salem, OR 97301
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/whitsett
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