The Republican Party of Taos Country Platform
The 2nd Amendment
We are strong supporters of the right to bear arms. Our founding fathers saw this right as the one that would secure for us all other rights. The original intent of the 2nd Amendment was not merely to allow for hunting or even home protection but to preserve the sovereignty of the citizenry against the threat of a tyrannical government. The Second Amendment enables law-abiding gun owners to protect themselves, their homes, their families, and their freedoms.
Sanctity of Life
We believe that life is a gift from the Creator and that as such it is sacred. We believe in protecting life, and quality of life, from conception until natural death. We support pregnancy centers that both educate and care for mothers in distress. We support adoption-friendly legislation and believe that a careful audit of CYFD and our foster care system is needed to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Voter Integrity
We support the right to vote for every eligible citizen. We believe that fraudulent votes dilute legal votes and disenfranchise American citizens. We believe that unsecure elections create an undercurrent of distrust in our government and weaken the fabric of our nation. We strongly support legislation that would require proof of both identity and citizenship to vote.
Immigration
We believe in the sovereignty of individual nations. As American citizens, we believe in the sovereignty of our home: the United States of America. We are a nation of immigrants, and we desire to see that grand tradition continue through a process of legal immigration. We whole-heartedly welcome all law-abiding immigrants. We believe that anyone who immigrates to our country should do so out of respect for and loyalty to our laws, our culture, and our great history.
Education
We support excellence in education through accountability. Strong parental involvement, local control, and school choice are the keys that will allow our children to succeed. All children should graduate high school with the ability to compete in a complex and changing world. We reject policies that trap minorities, the disadvantaged, or any child in a failing school. We reject policies that take away the rights of parents to choose the education they believe to be best for their children. We believe that the money should follow the child, thereby funding schools that work and defunding those that don’t.
Family
We support the traditional family and believe that when the family unit is strong our communities are strong.
Healthcare
We support accessible healthcare for all New Mexico citizens and the preservation of healthcare benefits for the elderly. We believe that healthcare is between a patient and his/her doctor, not the government. We encourage private-sector, free-market solutions to our current healthcare concerns.
Border Security
We believe that the integrity of our borders is vital to the safety of the citizens of New Mexico and the rest of the country. Open borders are dangerous for United States citizens and immigrants alike. The enticement of illegal immigrants to this country has resulted in tragedy and even death for those making the dangerous journey. We urge all state and local law enforcement agencies to fully cooperate with federal law enforcement efforts to secure our borders and prevent illegal entry. Additionally, we support all constitutional efforts to detect terror threats and prevent terrorist attacks on US soil.
Free-Market
We support government policies that make the American dream accessible. We support policies that promote the private sector over government dependence, allow for job creation, and reward work. Capitalism rewards those who contribute value to others’ lives through new inventions, innovation, and excellent service. We are committed to electing leaders and promoting legislation that will reverse the devastation caused by overregulation and allow the American free-market system to thrive once again.
The Constitution
We hold in high regard the Constitution of the United States of America. We agree with our founding fathers who put their faith in God and believed that all men are created equal. We believe that the freedoms recognized by our founding fathers were truly granted by God and should be upheld and not threatened by government. We support the checks and balances of the three branches of government that our founding fathers conceived for our protection. We believe that the nation birthed and raised under the guidance of our Constitution is the greatest and freest in the world, and we support candidates and legislation that uphold these timeless principles.
Federalism and Limited Government
We support those who recognize and respect the authority of our state and federal constitutions and work to limit government interference in our lives. The bigger our government gets, the more freedoms we stand to lose. The concepts of individual liberty and states’ rights that our founders established made America truly great. Today, those ideas and our liberty are under assault by the very government instituted to serve and protect us. We will continue to support candidates and legislation that conserve the principles of America’s founding.