Preamble
It’s time to Make Wisconsin Great Again.
For six long years the state that led the nation in meaningful reforms and innovation has floundered under a Democrat administration. Sadly, our state motto, Forward, has become a symbol of the past instead of the beacon that reflected our people’s traditional passion and potential for the future.
As Republicans, we know Wisconsin deserves better. And we will strive to ensure the Wisconsin Spirit is no longer held in check, but flourishes to lift the hearts and minds of every Wisconsin family. The soul of that spirit embodies certain principles and values that unite us.
We believe that keeping the reference to “One Nation Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is very important.
We will hold true to our values and traditions that strengthen families, builds moral character and protects the innocent.
We believe that English should be the official language of government.
We believe we have an obligation to be good stewards of God's creation for future generations, and we will do so while safeguarding our property rights.
We believe taxpayers should be given the option of a single rate system that will give them the convenience of filing their taxes with just a single sheet of paper.
We believe that The United States should only grant citizenship to those who want to embrace and defend American values and culture.
We believe that every worker should continue to have the right to a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether to organize a union.
We will defend our right to protect family and home while defending America and her allies and defeating America's enemies.
We will demand accountability in all public institutions and at all levels of government.
We will lead our state into a new era of prosperity, innovation and opportunity for all.
The changes we propose in government have to occur in all 513,000 elected offices throughout the country and will start here in Wisconsin.
As Republicans, we can and will make Wisconsin and our country better for future generations.
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American Values and American Solutions
We want to strengthen and revitalize America’s core values which unite a large majority of Americans.
Our goal should be to provide long-term solutions instead of short-term fixes.
Government clearly has to change the way it operates by bringing in ideas and systems currently employed in the private sector to increase productivity and effectiveness.
The changes we need in government have to occur in all elected offices throughout the country and cannot be achieved by focusing only on Washington.
English and the American Civilization
ENGLISH
English should be the official language of government, and all election ballots and other government documents should be printed in English.
Immigrants should be required to learn English.
Government should make available English language instruction to all who need it.
Businesses should be able to require employees to speak the English language while on the job.
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
Individuals have basic Constitutional rights to defend themselves, their families and property.
We believe that our basic Constitutional rights begin at conception and continue until death.
It is important to have references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance. As it states in the Declaration of Independence, “we are endowed by our Creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” which makes clear that certain rights can’t be taken away by government.
Statements regarding religion and morality made by the Founding Fathers are just as important today as they were 200 years ago.
The language in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Declaration of Independence are very important and must be protected. We reject the idea that because the times change so must the meaning of the language in the Pledge and the Declaration.
Public schools should teach more American history and civics.
Immigration, The Border, and Assimilation
The United States should grant citizenship only to those who want to embrace and defend American values and culture.
The American people believe border control is a security issue and current laws must be vigorously enforced.
Illegal immigrants who commit felonies should be deported. Allowing illegal immigrants to remain in this country undermines respect for the law.
There should be a worker visa program making it easier for people to work legally in the United States.
When applying for a temporary worker visa each worker should take an oath to obey American law and be deported if they commit a felony while in the United States.
In a worker visa program each worker will receive a secure identification card that will allow the government to locate him or her.
Each worker must go to immigration centers in their home country that will help them find jobs in the United States so they apply for a visa with a job in hand.
There should be heavy monetary fines against employers and businesses who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
The Internal Revenue Service should conduct audits of companies who hire illegal immigrants to determine if those companies have paid the taxes they owe.
Science and Technology
There will be incredible possibilities to meet our country’s challenges in a variety of fields because in the next 25 years there will be 4 to 7 times the amount of new science and technology in the world as in the last 25 years.
Therefore we should dramatically increase our investment in math and science education.
We must rely on innovation and new technology if we are going to compete globally.
Energy and the Environment
We have an obligation to be good stewards of God’s creation for future generations.
We can have a healthy economy and a healthy environment.
We can solve our environmental problems faster and cheaper with innovation and new technology than with more litigation and more government regulation.
Entrepreneurs are more likely to solve America’s energy and environmental problems than bureaucrats.
If we use technology and innovation we do not need to raise taxes to clean up our environment.
We want to encourage businesses to voluntarily cut pollution.
We should give tax credits to homeowners and builders who incorporate alternative energy systems in their homes including solar, wind, and geothermal energy.
We should hold city governments to the same standards for cleaning waste water as are applied to private industry.
We are prepared to develop public and private partnerships to preserve green space and parks and to protect natural areas from development.
OIL AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Our current dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security and economic prosperity by making us vulnerable.
We should encourage the building of more oil refineries in America to lower the cost of gas and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
With appropriate safeguards to protect the environment we should drill for oil off America’s coasts to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Taxes
The federal income tax system is unfair and the death tax should be abolished.
Taxpayers should be given the option of a single income tax rate. Taxpayers would still have the option of filing their taxes in the current system if they choose to do so.
The option of a single rate system should give taxpayers the convenience of filing their taxes with just a single sheet of paper.
We favor the option of a single corporate tax rate of 17% that would lower taxes for some businesses that pay up to 38% while also closing loopholes that some corporations use to pay less in taxes.
The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world making it difficult for U.S. corporations to compete internationally which gives incentives for companies to move overseas. This plan will make America a more attractive place for businesses that provide good paying jobs.
Social Security and Retirement
It is important for the President and Congress to address the issue of Social Security in the next few years.
The current Social Security systems is broken and if it isn’t reformed future generations will no longer have it as a safety net for retirement.
We favor a Social Security proposal in which Personal Social Security Savings Accounts would be optional, with workers given the choice of continuing to depend on the current system with current benefits.
We favor a Social Security proposal in which when a worker retires he or she would use the money in the account to buy an annuity, which is a type of financial benefit. The annuity will pay at least the same amount as traditional Social Security would.
We favor this Social Security proposal because in the current system, workers cannot pass onto their family members the money they paid into Social Security. This would not be the case in this new plan.
We favor a Social Security proposal in which any money in the account left after the purchase of an annuity would be the property of the worker and the extra money can be left to family members at death.
Freedom of Religion
Statements regarding religion and morality made by the Founding Fathers are just as important today as they were 200 years ago.
References to the Creator in the Declaration of Independence are very important.
We reject the Ninth Federal Circuit Court declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
The phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is perfectly in line with the United States Constitution.
Separation between Church and State does not mean there can be no references to God in government sanctioned activities or public buildings.
The best way to ensure religious freedom is to protect ALL religious references and symbols; including those on public buildings, lands, or documents.
Children should be allowed a moment of silence to pray for themselves in public school if they desire.
We reject banning all prayer in public schools.
We support the right of high schools students saying thanks to God in a graduation speech.
We approve of nativity scenes, Menorahs or other religious symbols being placed on public property during their appropriate holiday season.
We favor a law to protect city, county, and state lands that have crosses or other religious symbols from being removed.
Many of the problems our country faces are because America is no longer as religious and moral as it once was.
The Founding Fathers understood that religion and morality were important to creating and building this country and talked about it regularly. This was understood throughout American history and is central to America’s success today.
We reject that this violates the U.S. Constitution and discriminates against those who are of other faiths or are not religious.
Defending America
We must help defend America and her allies and defeat our enemies.
America should take the threat of terror by fanatical religious groups seriously.
We have to be prepared to survive an attack by a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon.
Terrorist organizations pose very serious threats for the United States and it will not be possible to negotiate with these groups.
Iran poses a serious threat to the United States.
There should be a death penalty for someone caught and convicted of carrying out a terrorist attack in the United States.
Congress should make it a crime to advocate acts of terrorism or violent conduct or the killing of innocent people in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies should develop programs to teach Americans what they can do as individuals to help in the fight against terror.
Terrorist websites at home and abroad should be closed down using technology.