We, the Republican Party of Cache County, affirm our belief in a Divine Providence and recognize the importance of the moral and spiritual foundations upon which this State and Nation are built. We affirm our support for individual freedom as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and protected in the Constitution. We applaud the efforts of people in all parts of the world to obtain the freedoms which we enjoy in this land. Republicans in Cache County, and our candidates for office, subscribe to this Platform and will work to implement its principles.

 

We support the Platform of the National Republican Party. Republican principles are consistent. Our candidates do not espouse one position while in Utah and another while in Washington. The Republican Party accepts its responsibility to nominate candidates of high character and vision and to maintain nomination and election procedures which are open and fair.

 

1. LOCAL GOVERNMENT. We applaud Republican efforts to return authority from the Federal government to the citizens and to our local governments. We encourage more citizen involvement with local governments and in elections. Governing bodies should conduct all business in open and well- publicized forums, except for matters specifically excluded by law. Government employees are accountable to the citizens and should be held to the highest ethical and moral standards. Campaign finance sources should be promptly disclosed.

 

2. TAXATION. The combined burden and complexity of Federal, state, and local taxes are too severe. Republicans support tax reforms at each level, including reducing tax rates, simplifying tax rules and reports, shifting taxing authority from the Federal to state and local governments, fully disclosing all taxes imposed indirectly through businesses, and limiting taxes by popular vote and constitutional law.

 

3. PUBLIC SPENDING. Governments should live within their means. All budget items should be reviewed regularly and made subject to sunset laws, with unnecessary functions eliminated rather than reduced. We support increased privatization of government operations and we propose a review of all local and state operations to determine which can be done as well or better by competitive enterprises.

 

4. EDUCATION. We declare excellence as our standard in education. We applaud Utah's families, along with our teachers, schools, churches, and other organizations, for achieving nationally recognized success in spite of limited resources. We encourage systematic changes in the funding and administration of education in Utah as necessary to further promote excellence, parental involvement, more choices and competition, and better opportunities for our best teachers and administrators. We affirm the continuing need for strong public schools with adequate funding. We support increased equalization of school funding state wide. Public schools should support community laws, morals, and ethical values.

 

5. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. We support the expansion and diversification of our local economy to improve employment, business opportunities, and family income. We support Utah's Right-To-Work Law. We favor open and competitive enterprise and oppose legally protected monopolies, whether private or governmental. We support only those development incentives which are in the public interest and are cost-effective.

 

6. PROPERTY RIGHTS & LAND USE. Ownership and control of private property are essential to individual liberty and the rights of property owners should be vigorously preserved. Owners should be compensated for any public taking of their rights or control of property. Public officials should wisely plan for and manage public properties and utilities.

 

7. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. We should maintain a balance between resource use and conservation, with consideration for community values and economic analysis. We value the natural beauty and resources of our local canyons, and we support responsible roadway improvements in those areas for public access, while preserving the natural beauty. Almost 40 percent of Cache County is owned and managed by the federal government. Cache County is well equipped to manage public lands and has demonstrated its ability to balance conservation, recreation and economic interests. We believe that the government closest to the people governs best and managing our public lands is no exception. Cache County should manage the vast majority of its public lands, putting them to multiple, complementary uses. This governing model will help ensure that local voices are not only heard, but integrated into the management of our public lands.

 

8. WATER. Our local water resources should be controlled locally, when possible, and should be efficiently allocated to their best uses. We support efforts in Cache County to improve our water use practices and to utilize all of the water that we have been allocated by the State of Utah. We support water planning that includes adequate storage in Cache Valley for our needs.

 

9. FAMILIES. The family is the fundamental institution and strength of our society. We support legislation which recognizes the rights and the responsibilities of parents for their minor children. We believe in the right to life for both the born and unborn, and we strongly oppose legalizing abortion except to preserve the life or health of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. We believe that men and women should be responsible in their sexual relationships and that parents should teach that responsibility to their children. We urge the strengthening and enforcement of laws protecting against pornography, prostitution, abuse within families, and the abdication of parental responsibility.

 

10. PUBLIC SAFETY. The primary role of government is to protect its citizens. We applaud the dedication, sacrifices, and bravery of law enforcement personnel. Crimes should be thoroughly investigated and the accused promptly tried with due process. Sentences, including the death penalty, should be appropriate to the crime, should be imposed without undue delay or repetitive appeals, and should include restitution when possible. Legislation should not interfere with a citizen's right to keep and bear arms, but the use of a firearm in any criminal act should be severely punished.

 

11. SOCIAL SERVICES. Social service programs should emphasize rehabilitation and self-sufficiency, and control over them should shift to local and state government. Recipients should be required to provide dignifying service or work, when they are able, in exchange for the assistance received. Fraud and abuse, which reduce public support and resources available for worthy recipients, should be combated by program reforms, investigation, prosecution, and recovery. The timely payment of child support payments should likewise be enforced.