Butte Co. GOP Adopts Resolution of Support for SD GOP Platform

Adapted from a photo by Colin Kinnear.

Republicans in Butte County, South Dakota decided it was time people who called themselves “Republicans” actually put their money where their mouth is, and show a little loyalty to the South Dakota GOP Platform.

After all, the GOP platform is a reasonable, common-sense list of policy positions that every Republican (who’s worth the name, anyway) ought to be able to back…unless they really belong in the Democrat Party, that is.

Think about it.

• Would you expect a member of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to drink and drive?
• Would you expect a member of the American Dental Association to promote the eating of lots of sweets and say that brushing your teeth isn’t important?
• Would you expect a police officer to blow off traffic laws and carry out the occasional burglary?
• Would you expect a pastor to steal from the collection plate or sleep with the wives of his elders/deacons?
• Would you expect a player for the Seattle Seahawks to make a few plays to help the New England Patriots, or block passes from his own teammates?

Then why would any Republican put up with a “Republican” who:

• Facilitates ObamaCare
• Interferes with the efforts of other Republicans to fight ObamaCare
• Promote federal education initiatives that dumb down students and erode local control
• Promote new or higher taxes
• Reward irresponsibility with taxpayer dollars
• Increase the size of government
• Reward lawlessness and lawbreaking

It should therefore be a no-brainer that every elected Republican (if not every Republican, period) should show some loyalty to the GOP platform.

Butte County Republicans adopted this pledge (below) and asked their legislators to sign it. Sadly, only two signed it.

Why are the rest even in the Republican Party???

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Legislators Pledge to Uphold The Republican Party Platform

The Republican Platform Committee convened during the State Republican Convention and consisted of former and current members of the state legislature and Republican Party Delegates from all over the state.

The Butte County Republican Party wants our District 28 and 29 state legislators to be accountable to the electorate and to the party platform, so we invited all five to sign the following pledge:

[Adopted unanimously by the Butte County Republican Party at their July 24, 2014 meeting, signed by Senator Betty Olson and Representative Sam Marty. Declining to sign was Representative Dean Wink. We received no response from Representative Tom Brunner and Senator Gary Cammack.]

PUBLIC OFFICIALS LOYALTY PLEDGE

[EACH OF THE ITEMS BELOW WAS TAKEN VERBATUM FROM THE 2014 SOUTH DAKOTA REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM – Adopted June 20, 2014]

From the Preamble:

The South Dakota Republican Party believes that the fundamental principles of the Republican Party are rooted in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of South Dakota. The Party supports the preservation of our Republic, its ideals and institutions for the good of all Americans and adamantly opposes the erosion of these cherished freedoms.

From the Preamble:

The South Dakota Republican Party believes the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, liberty and integrity must be honored. The Party supports our heritage of religious freedom and personal responsibility and further recognizes the need to be proactive in defending our freedom at every level against infringement of our sovereignty.

1.11 The South Dakota Republican Party supports efforts to prohibit the adoption or implementation of policy recommendations that deliberately or inadvertently infringe or restrict private property rights without due process, as may be required by policy recommendations originating in, or traceable to “Agenda 21,” adopted by the United Nations.

3.2 . . . The South Dakota Republican Party supports the private practice of medicine and opposes socialized medicine in the form of a government-run universal health care system. We will not put government between patients and their health care providers.

3.2, par. 2  The South Dakota Republican Party believes the key to real reform is to give control of the health care system to patients and their health care providers, not bureaucrats in government or business.

4.10 The South Dakota Republican Party supports the teaching of the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the SD Constitution, the Federalist Papers, The Bible, and other important original historical documents. The Party also supports emphasizing the principles and values upon which our nation was founded.

5.4 The South Dakota Republican Party supports states’ rights and opposes government mandates, especially those which do not provide the funding, or the means of funding, necessary to carry out such mandates, and the use of federal funds to coerce state action.

7.1 The South Dakota Republican Party recognizes the family as the central core of society and the foundation of our state and nation, and supports the family as it nurtures the spiritual growth that fosters generosity of spirit and responsible citizenship. Further, we recognize parents and parental rights as the foundation and proper authority for South Dakota families.

7.7 The South Dakota Republican Party affirms that human life begins at conception.

5.17 The South Dakota Republican Party encourages those who run for public office in South Dakota as a Republican to familiarize themselves with, and pledge to support, the platform of the South Dakota Republican Party.

I __________________________________, (town)________________________, SD _ _ _ _ _,

an elected member of a governing body in South Dakota, do hereby pledge to support the above and to enact to the best of my ability, the principles in the South Dakota Republican Party Platform.

James Pietila, Chairman, Butte County Republican Central Committee

[signed by James Pietila]

Final Note: The above was published in the Faith Independent, Meade County Times and the Butte County Post newspapers on January 7, 2015 so that citizens from Districts 28B and 29 could read the pledge for themselves.

Thank you – Senator Betty Olson and Representative Sam Marty for signing the Pledge. We encourage you to ask the District 29 delegation why they refused to sign!

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Bob Ellis has been the owner of media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year U.S. Air Force veteran, a political reporter and commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for over 20 years. He was a founding member and board member of the Tea Party groups Citizens for Liberty and the South Dakota Tea Party Alliance. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Bob Ellis

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