State

PLATFORM

Printer Friendly Version

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Constitution Party of Illinois, gratefully acknowledge the sovereignty of the Lord God, as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the universe and the sovereign state of Illinois.  That we may govern with wisdom and true justice, we do appeal to Him for aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Divine Providence.

I.      Sanctity of Life

We recognize life as a gift of God. The first duty of government is to prevent the shedding of innocent blood. We affirm the legal person-hood of the pre-born, from conception until natural death to include the infirm, and terminally ill without exception.

II.      Agriculture

We affirm the right of farmers to sell their products on their own property or in farmers’ markets, as long as they are in compliance with local health codes that are free from excessive and burdensome fees and regulations and equitably enforced.

III.      Alternative Energy

We support individual’s right to choose and use any form of energy free from governmental subsidies or excessive fees and legislation.

IV.      Education

We recognize that it is the right and duty of parents to direct the education of their children to include opting their child out of events and materials that the parent decides is inappropriate. Further, we affirm the parent’s right to choose the schooling appropriate for their children, to include home schooling, private/parochial schools, public schools or chartered schools.

We oppose members of teachers unions serving on school boards.

We call for the elimination of compulsory attendance laws and call for the chartering of reform schools.

We see that local school boards should only be answerable to taxpayers and parents, and not court lawyers, unions, or the legislature.

We affirm English to be taught as the primary language.

We are opposed to the principle of tenure, in that it gives a protected status that other occupations do not enjoy and precludes the ability to hold teachers accountable.  We further object to pay and benefits being based on longevity, but fully support performance based pay and incentives.

V.      Election Reform

Ballot Access - It is the right of every citizen to have free and equal access to the ballot.

Campaign Financing - We call for campaign finance reform where only those who are eligible to vote for a candidate can financially support that candidate.  In all cases, we demand transparency in all campaign finance issues.  No outside undue influence.

Gerrymandering - We reject the idea of gerrymandering.

VI.      Family Values

We believe that the basic unit of society is the family.  We affirm marriage as between one man and one woman.  As such, we oppose state recognition of any other union outside the marriage of one man and one woman.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 2, the federal government, including the judiciary, has no authority over the issue. Therefore, we oppose a federal marriage amendment.

VII.      Fiscal Responsibility

Taxation

We view taxation as necessary to provide a means for governments to function. We also believe taxation is being used to enslave the citizenry. We call for taxes to only be used to support legitimate constitutional government functions. We reject the idea that tax dollars be used to punish, reward, or influence certain segments of the population. By only funding legitimate and necessary government functions, taxes can begin to be reduced.

Spending

We reject the misleading use of the terms "surplus" and "balanced budget" as long as we have public debt. We oppose dishonest accounting practices such as "off-budget items" used to hide unconstitutional spending practices.

Accountability

We call for the Attorney General to take action against all unaccounted and unauthorized spending by the various departments and agencies of the state of Illinois.

VIII.      Gambling

Gambling promotes an increase in crime, destruction of family values, and a decline in the moral fiber of our country.  The negative societal cost of gambling far outweighs any revenue the state gains from gambling.    Gambling is promoted as a “get-rich-quick” scheme that makes the Illinois citizen only get poorer even quicker.

By encouraging people to gamble, it spreads the burden of supporting legitimate government disproportionately among the citizens.  We are opposed to government sponsorship, involvement in, or promotion of gambling, such as lotteries, or subsidies in the name of education or economic development.

Gambling revenue is not a legitimate or stable source of income. We are opposed to state sanctioned gambling and especially opposed to any expansion to the gambling industry.

IX.      Gun Rights

We affirm the right to defend our inalienable rights as enumerated in the Declaration of Independence and the “Bill of Rights.”  As such, we oppose any attempts that infringe upon the citizen’s right to “keep and bear arms.”

We call for the repeal of the first clause of Article I, Section 22 of the Illinois State Constitution which says, “Subject to the police powers.”  Further, we call for the repeal of the F.O.I.D. Card Act.

 X.      Judicial

State Judiciary - We call on the state judiciary to interpret the law as written and not based on precedent. We also call for all judges to be elected and not retained or appointed.  Therefore, judges should go through the re-election process to defend their records.

Capital Punishment - We affirm the right of the Illinois State Judicial System to execute capital punishment when a person is found guilty of committing a capital crime beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of his peers for the purpose of punishment; for the protection of society; as a means of deterrence in keeping the person from being able to commit another capital offence; and as a means of discouraging others from committing capital crimes.

Hate Crimes – All crimes committed against fellow human beings are hateful.  Because of the impossible task to prove that crimes have been committed purely from a motive of hate, our courts have failed to convict people who have committed crimes against another human being.  We are specifically opposed to certain groups being given higher levels of protection or special considerations over other groups.  We believe that doing so violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Hate Speech - We reject all “Hate Speech legislation,” as it is a complete violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which guarantees our right to the “Freedom of Speech.”  The Constitution does not guarantee that we will like what we hear.

Jury Duty – We consider jury duty not only to be a duty and responsibility, but also a privilege.

XI.      State Government

First and foremost the government of the state of Illinois must be honest, open, and transparent.  In an effort to clean up the corruption and ensure that our government once again represents “We, the People,” we call for the following changes to take effect:

An amendment to the State of Illinois Constitution to allow for the recall or removal of any elected official.

Legislative overtime reform to reflect that no extra pay or incentives will be incurred, costing tax payers more money due to the legislature’s inability to accomplish business in allotted time.

We affirm Springfield as the seat of government and in accordance with the Illinois State Constitution demand that the governor reside there during his term in office and incur no costs against the Illinois taxpayer in maintaining or commuting to other residences.  Further, we demand that all state offices be moved back to Springfield that has been unconstitutionally allowed to exist outside the “seat of power.”

XII.      Veterans

Honoring our veterans; we will never forget the debt we owe the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Further, we recognize that not only have these veterans made sacrifices, but also their loved ones and families.

We deplore the fact that Illinois has been rated dead last in taking care of our men and women who have voluntarily given of their lives in protection of our American way of life.

We believe that these veterans should receive, Competitive Disability Compensation for those with service connected injuries and we vigorously resist the attempt by any government agency to nullify or reduce earned benefits to veterans and their survivors, including but not limited to, compensation, pensions, education, and health care.

We also call on all veterans to remember their oath, “To support and defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.”  It is time to rise up once again, this time to take on the domestic enemy.