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2008 Platform (filtered to about a specific bill)

This is a plank-by-plank review of the 2008 platform. Use the links at right to narrow it down, or explore alternate views:

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Showing only planks with about a specific bill fault: Platforms promote principles and policies. Planks must not push particular polymorphic political proposals, including bills. (show all planks)
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Remedies to Activist Judiciary

Preserving American Freedom > Reforming the Judicial System > Remedies to Activist Judiciary
We call Congress and the President to use their constitutional powers to restrain activist judges. We urge Congress to adopt the Judicial Conduct Act of 2005 and remove judges who abuse their authority. Further, we urge Congress to withhold Supreme Court jurisdiction in cases involving abortion, religious freedom, and the Bill of Rights.
(plank deleted)

The platform must be a statement of principles, not a laundry list of named bills. No bill is perfect.

The remainder of this plank duplicates both the good and bad points of the Judicial Restraint plank.

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Campaign Finance Reform

Preserving American Freedom > Restoring Integrity to Our Elections > Campaign Finance Reform
We support the uninhibited right of individuals to express their political preferences, including unlimited contributions to candidates, campaigns, and causes of their choice.We urge immediate repeal of the McCain-Feingold Act.

The platform should be about ideas, not about specific legislation.

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Pledge of Allegiance

Preserving American Freedom > Honoring the Symbols of Our American Heritage > Pledge of Allegiance
We support continued inclusion of references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance, National Motto, and National Anthem.We support adoption of the Pledge Protection Act. We also demand that the National Motto "In God We Trust" and National Anthem be protected from legislative and judicial attack.

We should not call for passage of specific bills.

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Protection of Women's Health

Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health > Protecting Innocent Human Life > Protection of Women's Health
Because of the personal and social pain caused by abortions, we call for the protection of both women and their unborn children from pressure for unwanted abortions. We commend the Texas Legislature for the passage of the Woman's Right to Know Act, a law requiring abortion providers, prior to an abortion, to provide women full knowledge of the physical and psychological risks of abortion, the characteristics of the unborn child, and abortion alternatives. We urge the state government and the Department of State Health Services to ensure that all abortion providers are in compliance with this informed consent law and to ensure that all pregnancy centers and other entities assisting women in crisis pregnancies have equal access to the informational brochures created by the Department of State Health Services.
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It is a Constitutionally-protected free speech right to convince mothers either way on abortions. We should not take the Democrat option of reducing fundamental rights.

The Legislature in 2003 already required certain information be made available to mothers. See the actual material. We are dangerously close to contradicting Republican opposition to socialized medicine, where bureaucrats will get in the way of doctor-patient relationships.

It is simply a basic expectation that agencies enforce the laws they are required to uphold. Commonsense statements do not need to be written in the platform.

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Parental Rights and Responsibilities

Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health > Protecting Our Children > Parental Rights and Responsibilities
We call for revisions to the Texas Family Code's Rights of Grandparent, Aunt, or Uncle subsection to only permit judgments against unfit parents.We believe that parental rights and responsibilities are inherent and protected by the United States Constitution. Local, state, or federal laws, regulations, or policies shall not be enacted that limit parental rights in the rearing of both biological and adopted children. The Party supports the Texas Parental Rights Restoration Act to amend this statute and restore the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. We unequivocally oppose the United States Senate ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would transfer jurisdiction over parental rights and responsibilities to international bureaucracies.

A more direct plank will get the point across better.

The Parental Rights Restoration Act called for changes in the Family Code (link), so reworded to call for the changes instead of attaching hopes to a specific bill.

While the Convention on the Rights of the Child has legitimate criticism, the idea that it transfers jurisdiction to the UN is paranoid.

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Electronic Privacy

Promoting Individual Freedom and Personal Safety > Individual Freedom > Electronic Privacy
We believe all law-abiding citizensCitizens should be free from government surveillance of their electronic communications except in cases directly involving national security. Except for non-citizens, we furtherwhen authorized by a warrant. We oppose any national ID program, including the Real ID Act and. We oppose the use of Radio Frequency Identification Chips (RFID) on humans except for prisoners.

Electronic communications are just a subset of the things that should be protected from unlawful surveillance. Also, national security is just one of many valid reasons why surveillance may be necessary.

RFID can be a useful way to track prisoners.

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Problems

Show problem parts of the platform:
Platforms promote principles and policies. Planks must not push particular polymorphic political proposals, including bills.about a specific bill (6)
Parts of these were recently implemented.accomplished (11)
Parts of these only promote limited religious viewpoints.advances religious doctrine (8)
Too many positions already overwhelm voters. We cannot add more without a plan to cut ballot complexity.another elected office (6)
The GOP should not be a virulent, anti-homosexual crusade.anti-homosexual crusade (6)
These destroy useful customs or start us down slippery slopes.bad precedent (17)
Cliches belong on the playground, not in serious platforms.cliche (5)
These contradict other planks.contradictory (13)
These simply go too far, overshooting a rational remedy.extreme (25)
These have factual errors.incorrect (11)
These planks advanced contemporary liberal causes or expand government.leftist (22)
These planks require belief in something that is untrue.misinformed (18)
These are not appropriate for a platform document.misuse of platform (6)
These planks have minor punctuation or grammatical errors.needs copyedit (8)
These problems were fixed before the 2008 platform was published.no longer relevant (3)
"Black helicopters" and paranoid conspiracy have no place in our party.paranoid (15)
Parts of these do nothing useful.pointless (61)
These proposals would make our kids stupider.reduces education quality (3)
These planks are internally redundant or repeat other parts of the platform.redundant (41)
These planks should propose a more general solution.too specific (6)
These planks are unclear or unfocused.vague (19)
Puffy prose, hackneyed phrases, and obscure words create pinheaded, unfocused, and inaccessible platforms. Platforms must be simple and direct.wordy (47)

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