1978 GRASSROOTS REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
PREAMBLE
This platform is an intentional departure from past platforms. It does not purport to treat every issue affecting Maine people. Instead, it is the Convention’s feeling that the Maine Republican Party should make a brief and succinct statement of those issues that were shown to be most important to Maine ’s citizens at over 14 public hearings throughout the state.
It is a product of the people of Maine .
SECTION I
PRINCIPLES
The Maine Republican State Convention has accepted the Republican Principles as Section I of the 1978 Platform.
Recognition of each person’s ability, dignity, freedom and responsibility is basic to good government.
The free enterprise system and the encouragement of individual initiative and incentive are musts for a strong economy.
Government exists to protect the freedom of each individual, not to restrict it.
Government should get involved only in those things which the people cannot do, or cannot do as well for themselves.
Those who cannot provide for themselves should be assisted by both government and society, and every effort should be make to help them become self-supporting, productive citizens with pride in their independence.
Equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity belong to all, regardless of race, creed, color, national origin or sex.
The preservation of our nation and the security of our citizens depend on every citizen’s respect for the Constitution, the laws and the courts.
Government must maintain sound money and responsible economy. The rights of life and liberty are meaningless if citizens are deprived of their property through excessive taxation, inflation and government waste.
While we remain militarily strong, our efforts toward world peace and friendship will continue.
SECTION II
APPLICATIONS
1. HEALTH We support the position of the Republican Congressional Caucus which calls for a National Health Insurance Program to provide relief for those who experience catastrophic health problems, both physical and mental, which severely deplete a family’s wages and savings.
2. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR THE ELDERLY We hold that it is the duty of the State to defend the rights of elderly citizens living on fixed incomes against the ravages of inflation and increased taxation.
3. TAXATION The Republican Party supports limiting taxation by State government to a fixed proportion of the annual aggregate state income.
We also call for across-the-board tax cuts to stimulate the economy and to provide tax relief to the overburdened taxpayers of Maine .
We also call for end of deficit spending by the Federal Government.
A new and fairer means of distributing state aid to Maine communities should be devised by the Legislature in the next Legislative session, using a method other than state valuation.
4. INFLATION To curb inflation, we call for moderation and restraint in the federal government’s fiscal and monetary policies.
5. WORK We believe in the high potential of the Maine work force and that employers in the private sector (businesses and individuals) be encouraged to provide more jobs through incentive methods rather than through the expansion of publicly-funded programs and that there be a reevaluation of the C.E.T.A. program to provide more control and have the salaries not exceed the average salary for similar work.
We support the Legislature in its action to maintain the rights of employees to negotiate “just cause” clauses in contracts.
We also encourage all municipalities to enact ordinances governing their welfare programs to provide work programs for all of their welfare recipients where ever possible in order that all may be helped with dignity and fairness without being degraded by “handouts”.
6. ENERGY We oppose the Dickey-Lincoln Hydro Electric Power Project because the environmental destruction and economic burden would far outweigh the anticipated benefits. However, we feel other potential hydro electric resources of the state should be developed through private enterprise
We will support any reasonable plan to promote the conservation of energy in our state and country. Furthermore, we support continued research and development of alternative energy sources for Maine such as solar, wind, geo-thermal and wood. We also support the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project.
Recognizing the practical need for nuclear powered energy today, we strongly encourage increased research and development to solve the problem of nuclear waste disposal.
7. INDIAN LAND CLAIMS
WHEREAS, the “Joint Memorandum of Understanding” of the White House and the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Tribes seeks to settle the Maine Indian Land Claim by wrongfully placing the major burden of settlement on the State of Maine and fourteen of Maine’s most vital businesses and major employers, and
WHEREAS President Carter’s personal legal advisor, Judge William Gunter, has acknowledged that private property owners within the claims area do not bear any responsibility for creation of the Indian Land Claim problem, and
WHEREAS Judge Gunter has concluded that the United States Government bears the principal responsibility for creation of the problem, and
NOTING that the proposed settlement would permanently damage the economic and social welfare of the State of Maine , and
FURTHER NOTING that the proposed settlement undermines the morale and spirit of the Maine people by violating cherished American principles of equal protection of the law and private ownership of property,
BE IT RESOLVED THAT Maine Republicans join Congressmen Cohen and Emery in opposition to the proposed settlement contained in the “Joint Memorandum of Understanding”, and
FURTHERMORE SUPPORT our Congressmen’s efforts to impress upon the President of the United States and other elected officials that the Federal Government must assume full responsibility for what is recognized by the Maine people to be a problem of the Federal Government’s own making.
8. FISHERIES We support prompt development and promotion of a modern, comprehensive fishing industry.
We support the continued efforts of our Congressional Delegation to increase Maine representation on quota-setting boards and we believe Maine should have greater input into the laws and regulations which control the waters traditionally fished by Maine fishermen.
9. AGRICULTURE We support the development of more intensive agricultural production and the full utilization and protection of our farmland and natural resources. We urge expansion of cooperative private marketing facilities to enhance the acceptance of Maine products.
10. LORING We oppose reduction or closure of the Loring Air Force Base.
11. JUSTICE Since the 108th Legislature under the Juvenile Code established intake workers to deal with juvenile offenders, we now need group homes, half-way houses and follow-up services to work effectively with the causes of juvenile crime.
We support the commitment of funds to provide more and better facilities for adequate prison housing and services.
WHEREAS the Carter Administration is presently working on gun legislation; LET IT BE KNOWN THAT this Convention opposes Gun Legislation or bureaucratic regulation (including registration of handguns) and reaffirms our belief in the right of the people to bear arms as guaranteed in the U. S. Constitution.
We support increased training, compensation and resources for prosecutors to promote professionalism and encourage experienced counsel to seek and retain these positions.
We support the rights of victims of crime and recommend increased services and compensation for victims and witnesses.
12. EDUCATION We recognize that each student is a unique individual with his or her own needs and abilities. Education should be a joint effort of the family, school and community to meet such needs and develop these abilities to each student’s fullest capacity.
Let’s bring discipline back to the school, so that willing students continue to have maximum opportunity for mastery learning of the 3R’s.
We believe that the Post-Secondary Vocation-Technical Schools should be separately administered and separately funded to provide superior technical-vocational training with up-to-date equipment.
We support the continued improvement of the University of Maine in fiscal and academic integrity, which we are also pleased to observe in Maine ’s private colleges.
13. PROMOTION We support continued and expanded promotion of State of Maine products, industries and tourism.
14 COUNTY GOVERNMENT BUDGET We support necessary legislation to change the procedures by which county government budgets are adopted, to make county government more responsive to the taxpayers of Maine.
15. TRANSPORTATION We believe that private industry should be encouraged to expand public transportation in the State of Maine .
The Maine DOT should spend more of the road budget on the improvement of secondary and local roads.
The State of Maine should encourage the increased use of water transportation by assisting private industry with the development of coastal deep-water ports.
We applaud and encourage Maine-based airlines for their initiative in increasing service for Maine citizens and urge continued aid to airports.
We believe that the development and maintenance of healthy railroads in Maine are necessary for an adequately balanced state transportation system.
16. CULTURAL SERVICES Cultural services have been recognized as a vital element of Maine ’s economy and life-style. Their impact and potential impact on jobs must not be overlooked. We recommend that the 109th Legislature support the development of cultural services as an important part of state government.
17. WHEREAS, the organizational structure of the Republican Party in Maine at all levels has not been subjected to a comprehensive review for many years, and
WHEREAS, the Maine Task Force of the Republican National Committee last Fall pointed out organizational deficiencies in Maine party structure, and
WHEREAS, various suggestions have been made to the Republican State Committee for changes in the organization of the Party at various levels, and
WHEREAS, the Republican State Committee after consideration of these subjects recommends that the Republican State Convention itself authorize a comprehensive review of the structure and organization of the Republican Party in Maine,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Maine Republican Party in Convention assembled hereby authorizes the Chairman of the Maine Republican State Committee after the election in the Fall of 1978 to appoint a fifteen member broadly representative committee of party members to make a comprehensive review of the structure and organization of the Republican Party in Memo at all levels, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the study committee submit a draft report and recommendations to the State, County and Municipal committees in the Fall of 1979 for review and comment, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the study committee submit a final report and recommendations; including any specific changes in the rules of the Convention, to the Maine Republican Party in Convention assembled in the Spring of 1980 for debate and action by that Convention.
18. BE IT MOVED, that “unlike other political parties in the beautiful rock-bound coast, pine-forested state of Maine, all delegates vote to remain at our state convention until the gavel has signaled that our great convention, and the business of that convention is completed”.
“Let it be further noted that ‘We are willing to do this because of our commitment to all the people of our great state’.”
Source: Copy of the printed platform at the Maine State Law Library.