Adopted May 3, 2002
- We believe that we must protect our country and our fellow citizens by supporting President George W. Bush as he defends our nation against terrorist attacks;
- We believe that Maine per capita income is low because our tax burden is high and that reducing tax rates will increase both income and tax revenues;
- We believe in gaining economic prosperity and freedom for all Maine people, through changing our anti-business laws that keep jobs and money out of our state and letting hard working Maine people keep more of their own money;
- We believe that all Maine people deserve quality, affordable health care that can be achieved by giving control and choice back to the people through competition and promoting healthy life styles;
- We believe in planning for the future of our state, by ensuring that our children have the best educational opportunities possible through increased accountability and educational choice;
- We believe in the power of the individual over the power of the government to make personal decisions affecting their future and their well-being and that the role of government is to serve the people, not for the people to serve government;
- We believe in private ownership of Maine lands, that is consistent with our economic system, limited government, good land stewardship and our Constitution should be a priority;
- We believe in the Second Amendment and Maine Constitutional rights to bear arms;
- We believe Maine people need to cease state policies that worsen the division of the Two Maine’s;
- We believe in a ban on partial-birth abortions and requiring parental or judicial consent to perform an abortion on a minor.
Based on these principles, we support the following initiatives:
- Opposing all budgets that do not reduce the tax burden;
- Easing regulations that are destructive to Maine’s economy and are shutting down family stores, businesses and the traditional Maine industries of forestry, fishing and farming;
- Elimination of the business equipment tax that prohibits expansion and growth;
- Conforming the state tax code to the federal tax code to control our swelling tax burden on our citizens;
- Promoting competition in the health care system to lower costs for our state’s families, seniors, and workers;
- Tax incentives for new businesses that relocate to Maine to provide jobs for our neighbors;
- Enforcing existing criminal laws to protect the innocent and the victims of crime;
- Reforming education through accountability and choice for our teachers and children and providing incentives to attract quality teachers.
Source: Maine Republican Party Internet web site, November 14, 2002.