Great news from the Hawkeye State!

The Iowa Republican Party has officially included a call for a Convention of States in their party’s platform.

Point one of the State and Local Government section reads:

We support the convening of a Convention of the States according to Article V of the United States Constitution for the purpose of limiting Federal Government.

See their entire platform below.

Iowans, be looking for more exciting developments from your state in the next few months.

  http://www.iowagop.org/platform-2014/

Platform

Preamble

As Republicans we uphold the principles of individual responsibility and liberty, adherence to traditional moral standards, a strong national defense, a free enterprise system, respect for the sanctity of human life, and freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. We believe in retaining the original intent of our Constitution. We believe high moral character is a necessity for public servants. The highest standard of character should be embodied in both private and public life. We encourage the proliferation of these principles and their passage to future generations.

Platform Principles

The following are the fundamental principles that make up the platform of the Republican Party of Iowa:

I. Our nation is a Constitutional Republic whose Foundation is the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

We acknowledge our rights derive from God and are therefore unalienable and include Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (i.e. private property). Further, the Right to Life shall be understood to include all people from conception to natural death. We are a nation governed by people elected to public office that are sent to represent us, the citizens. Our Constitution provides limits to governmental power, explicitly details our fundamental rights and insures that only the enumerated powers contained within the Constitution are executed by the federal government. All other functions of government are left to the state and local governments.

II. We are a Sovereign Nation.

We are a Sovereign Nation with defined borders, governed by a set of laws determined by our representatives, guided by our Constitution and protected by a military strong enough to defend our nation and its interests.

III. The Oath of Office of all civil servants, elected and employed, should guide their actions.

As citizens, we demand that our elected officials take their office and its duties and responsibilities to us, our country and our Constitution seriously and act in accordance with their individual Oaths of Office.

IV. Fiscal Responsibility is a fundamental function of any local, state or federal entity.

It is a fundamental expectation that government entities act in a financially responsible manner; it follows that limiting the size and scope of government is a necessary component of achieving this end.

V. Personal Responsibility is the primary duty of all citizens.

We are a nation of individuals held together by a common vision. We are not servants of the government; we are not dependent on the benevolence of society for our survival. Our possibilities are limitless where a free market is allowed to operate without government distortion; they should not be limited by our local, state and federal government. We are citizens of our country. We as individuals are responsible for our successes and failures.

Planks

This section enumerates what we Republicans of Iowa identify as the legislative priorities and stances for our elected representatives.

Life

1. Human life is a sacred gift from our Creator and is a fundamental right as outlined in the Declaration of Independence. This right is innately valuable in every stage and development from conception to non-intervened natural death. No human life should ever be diminished, and innocent human life must never be arbitrarily taken. We commend the efforts of those individuals and religious and private organizations that are providing positive alternatives to abortion by meeting the physical, emotional, and financial needs of pregnant women and offering services where needed.
2. We oppose the use of public funding for abortion services, contraception, and abortifacients.
3. We support an amendment to both the U.S. and the Iowa Constitutions defining and supporting the honored institution of marriage as the legal union between one natural man and one natural woman.
4. We support non-embryonic stem cell research, while opposing human cloning and research using fetal tissue from abortions.

Liberty

1. We support the complete repeal of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) in total, and replacing it with a customer-based free market solution. We support allowing patients and health care providers to make healthcare decisions and plans without interference from the government.
2. We believe that parents are responsible for their children, and we support the rights of parents to be the ultimate authority for the discipline, protection, and education of their children. We oppose the recognition of the United Nations Convention on “The Rights of the Child”.
3. We believe money should follow the child in education – whether that child attends public, private, or parochial schools – to assist parents financially in educating their children using the option best suited to their family’s educational needs. We call on the General Assembly to provide for tuition vouchers, tax deductions, or tax credits to permit parents’ choice in educating their children — without government intervention in the school curriculum. Competition is needed to improve the quality of education.
4. We support the abolishment of any federal or state law or regulations – such as Common Core or Iowa Core – that establishes, funds, mandates or controls core standards, curriculum, assessments or tests intended for children from birth to age of majority.
5. We strongly believe in the natural right of individuals to keep and bear arms, as recognized and protected by the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and we support the repeal of existing laws that infringe upon those rights.
6. We support “Conscience Clause” legislation so that no person, business, or organization can be penalized for its exercise of religious freedom by not providing services that violates their religious beliefs.
7. We believe Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to Senators, Representatives, and government officials; and Congress shall make no law that applies to Senators, Representatives, and government officials that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.
8. We support retaining the Electoral College. We oppose the National Popular Vote Compact.
9. We support the addition of “stand your ground” and “castle doctrine” provisions to Iowa law, which would strengthen the legal protection of Iowans who find it necessary to use reasonable force to repel a violent attack. We also demand the elimination of “gun free zones”.
10. We support legislation that would prohibit any organization, including Planned Parenthood, from teaching sex education in our public schools. These agencies should be prohibited from entering public school properties for the purpose of promoting promiscuous behavior and abortion products, videos, or printed material.
11. We support parent and guardian rights to read and study curriculum and to observe their child in the classroom. Parents and guardians have the right to be informed and to “opt out” their child from health and wellness screenings or assessments, tests or surveys not specific to core academic areas.
12. We would support legislation designed to enact Tort Reform.
13. The Patriot Act and the actions of national intelligence agencies shall not infringe American citizens’ 4th Amendment rights.

Property

1. We oppose federal or state government taking private property away from the owner for the use of another private party. Eminent domain should be used only for public use, and we call for Congress to overturn the Kelo (Eminent Domain) ruling.
2. We support legislation requiring all new proposed regulations by government agencies (EPA, Dept. of Ag, Dept. of Interior, etc.) relating to public goods receive congressional authorization prior to their implementation.
3. We support the elimination of all state and federal ‘death taxes’.
4. We support the repeal of the 16th amendment replacing it with a consumption tax.
5. We support the right of property owners to vote on bond issues in any district where they pay property tax whether a resident of the district or not.
6. We support laws that prohibit ownership of Iowa farm land by foreign governments or entities controlled by such governments.
7. We believe anyone moving into areas zoned as agricultural should be prohibited from filing “nuisance” lawsuits. However, any previously established residents should retain the right to file against any expansion or development that infringes on their property rights.
8. We support retaining the step-up in basis on assets transferred from a decedent.

Nation Sovereignty & Defense

1. We believe the United States should never sacrifice its sovereignty or relinquish control of its soil to the United Nations or any other international body.
2. We support legal immigration, strict enforcement of our current immigration laws, securing of our borders and punishing employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
3. We support Israel’s sovereignty in maintaining an undivided Jerusalem and as a critical military ally.
4. We oppose the United Nations’ Agenda 21 plan, which restricts or destroys the property rights of Americans under the guise of environmentalist initiatives such as Sustainable Development, Smart Growth, Wildlands Project, The Tomorrow Plan, and others with similarly “Green” sounding names.
5. We assert that bequeathing citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants in the United States is a misinterpretation of the 14th amendment.
6. We believe our servicemen should serve only the United States, our Constitution, and the American Flag. We are adamantly opposed to United Nations oversight of our military units, ceding national sovereignty to any foreign body, or to the establishment of a one-world government.
7. We believe that only citizens bearing proper photo ID should be allowed to vote, and that proof of citizenship should be required for absentee voting.
8. We call for the government to support “veteran’s issues”. We believe military veterans should be treated with dignity and respect, and that “veterans services” should be consistent and delivered with equality and expedience.

Commerce

1. We support and affirm that our economy is based upon free enterprise, individual initiative, and capitalistic principles; and that business and individuals create jobs. It is not the responsibility of the government. We oppose government distortion of the free market through subsidies and bailouts.
2. We oppose the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) which covers seabed mining, navigation, ocean pollution, marine research and economic zones. LOST violates our sovereignty and endangers our national security and economic interests.
3. As an immigrant nation and to strengthen and unite us, we support the adoption of English as the official language of the United States of America.
4. We support the construction of the Keystone Pipeline now, giving jobs to thousands of loyal Americans.
5. We call for repeal of the unconstitutional Davis-Bacon Act, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank).
6. We believe energy independence must be the goal of our public policy at both the National and State level.
7. We call for legislation that would eliminate all public sector unions.
8. We oppose all mandates associated with global warming, or climate control. We reject “Cap and Trade” legislation.
9. We demand that all laws restricting the growing of industrial hemp be immediately eliminated.
10. We support legalizing cannabis oil for medical use.
11. We support a full and exhaustive annual audit of the Federal Reserve’s books until such time as the agency is abolished and a sound commodity-backed currency is adopted.
12. We support the definition of manure as a natural fertilizer.

State & local government

1. We support the convening of a Convention of the States according to Article V of the United State Constitution of the purpose of limiting Federal Government.
2. We call for the repeal of the 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
3. We support amending the Iowa Constitution to require a 2/3 vote of both Houses of the Iowa General Assembly to pass any bill that has the effect of raising individual or corporate income taxes or sales tax.
4. We support term limits for federal and state elected officials.
5. We object to any special elections being held to raise taxes. Raising taxes should be voted on only at general elections. We support a five-year moratorium on defeated bond and tax issues before they can be brought up for reconsideration.
6. We call for the abolition of the Iowa Department of Education and reinstitution of the Iowa Commission on Schools. We believe that control of education should be left to the parents, teachers and local school boards.