Below is the Tea Party's Proposed Platform through the 2012 elections. The platform allows potential Independent, Republican or Democratic candidates who pledge their support to uphold the Party's Platform to receive the endorsement of the Tea Party and support from our members. The Party's Platform will continue to evolve and be further defined by the party's members depending on the outcome of Congressional events, pending or passed legislation and the current State Of Our Union leading up to the national elections.
Political & Economic Objectives
■ Restore trust and integrity in government and its elected officials
■ Reduce government spending, size and control over its citizens
■ Increase the disposable income for families through lower taxation & tax reform
■ Institute sound long-term fiscal policies to insure intergenerational equity
■ Prevent Federal Government from operating, partnering or investing taxpayer money in any social, economic, business venture or future entitlement programs
■ Fight to Restore, Preserve and Protect against further erosion and fundamental rights under the 1st and 2nd Amendments of the Constitution
■ Insure independence from foreign energy sources by establishing a balanced, long term common sense approach to our energy crisis using our own natural resources.
Fiscal Priorities
■ Pay down our more than $14.1 trillion dollar national debt and address the $106 Trillion dollars in unfunded debit.
■ Establish and enforce a balanced budget discipline, or pass a Balanced Budget Amendment
■ Eliminate federal deficits without using excess trust funds from Social Security, Medicare, Highway, and other trusts to balance the budget.
■ Eliminate further government borrowing from Federal Trust Funds i.e.; Social Security or Medicare. Reimburse the existing loans from these trusts
■ Reduce the size, costs and numbers of federal agencies by consolidating purchasing, expenditures, accounting and other similar functions.
■ Institute policy and procedures to reduce or eliminate the over $100 billion dollars of fraud in Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs.
■ Bring congressional and federal pensions, insurance and expense spending in line with those in the private sector
■ Audit The Federal Reserve Annually with full disclosure
Establish Tax Reform
■ Simplify the U.S. tax code, either shift to a national sales tax or a graduated flat tax, on individuals while reducing the size, cost and negative impact of the IRS
■ Restructure taxes on small & big business in a similar fashion, but at a rate sufficiently competitive in the global market in order to attract and stimulate both foreign and domestic investments in all industry segments. Additional limited tax incentives should also be created allowing the business venture to grow and prosper providing for more secure long term employment opportunities.
National Health Care
■ Prevent or repeal the enactment of a government run universal, single-payer or mandated health care insurance program across the states and the nation.
■ Revise and create stronger and more realistic national guidelines and regulations for the Health Care and Health Insurance industry to promote greater competition and lower prices affordable by all Americans
■ Allow Health Insurance companies to compete in all states to promote lower rates through competition.
■ Move Medicare/Medicaid into the private sector and out of government control with strict government regulations that will encourage lower cost and reduce fraud
■ Mandate insurance TORT reform placing restrictions on law suits in any Health care bill.
Protect & Insure Existing Entitlements
■ Develop long-term programs and revisions to protect and preserve Social Security, but do not put the nation in greater debt or pass the burden on to the next generation. The government should strongly consider turning the management of the Social Security Trust Funds over to the private sector under government supervisions and strict investment standards.
■ Improve cost, efficiency and delivery of Medicare and Medicaid programs and expand benefits to possibly include under or un-insured US citizens.
Campaign Finance Reform
■ Reduce the influence of money and special interests groups in campaigns.
■ Establish public funding options for clean elections and shorten election cycles.
■ Eliminate soft money from corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals.
■ Prompt Internet disclosure of campaign contributions and voting records.
■ Lobbyists provide information, not money
■ Establish election spending caps on candidates with annual adjustments tied to relevant national inflation/cost index
Elections/Electoral Reforms
■ Amend Constitution to provide Term Limits on Senate and Congress of no more than 2 consecutive terms in Senate and 6 consecutive terms in Congress. In doing so term limits will minimize corruption, put and end to career power wheeling politicians, allow for quicker response to change in policy and direction of the country and reduce the possibility of a political class within the government.
■ All States must grant fair ballot access to third party candidates and independents.
■ All TV, Radio or other media debates and forums must include ballot-qualified third-party and independent candidates.
■ Publish uniform statewide voter guides in national elections.
■ Eliminate Gerrymandering in the States or require courts, not State political parties, to construct equal legislative voting districts preventing the disenfranchisement of the voter
■ Open State primaries: a single unified ballot so voters can choose candidates of any party.
■ Cumulative voting options, instant runoff.
■ NOTA (None of the Above) on the ballot line as a voter's choice.
■ Electorate Recall vote to remove legislators in their respective state.
■ Citizen initiative and referendum laws in all states.
Legal Reform
■ Revise the existing legal system with tougher regulations and penalties against frivolous self serving law suits by prosecutors. Introduce a Fairness Doctrine of No Harm No Foul.
■ Legal action, fee and expense reform: All legal actions shall provide for the plaintiff or prosecutorial office to pay all legal fees, court costs and expenses incurred by the defendant plus 10% of the amount sought for damages should they lose the action.
■ Justice departments are to take immediate action to overturn convictions of any person convicted of a crime where DNA evidence can and does clearly prove innocence.
■ Repeal the "Patriot Act" it has outlived its purpose and original intent. Further doing so will eliminate the obvious abuse of power by overzealous prosecutors.
■ Repeal the Hate Crime Act and enforce existing laws that address such crimes. The Hate Crime bill grants to many broad and arbitrary powers to the justice department that violate the peoples 1st & 2nd amendment rights among others.
■ Establish TORT REFORM Limits on law suits.
Legislative Reform of Senate and House
■ No elected officials may vote on any bill or legislation until they have certified to an officer of the House or Senate in which they reside that they have personally read and understood any bill or legislation in its entirety.
■ All legislators shall establish an easily accessible and user friendly electronic system by which his or her constituents may cast a single vote of opinion as to their position on any piece of proposed legislation pertaining to national or state issues.
■ All Legislators must cast their vote in accordance with the majority of his/her constituents
■ Legislation proposed by either house which constitutes or creates an entitlement program for all people must be submitted to National referendum by all voters and require a 75% voter approval.
■ Neither the Senate or Congress may pass any Omnibus Bills or Legislation. Every Bill, Appropriation or legislation must stand on its own merits.
■ All proposed legislation must be posted to the Internet and published for public review in its final form 15 business days prior to a House or Senate vote.
■ All legislators shall establish an easily accessible and user friendly electronic system by which his or her constituents may cast a single vote of opinion as to their position on any piece of proposed legislation. Should the votes received by their constituents exceed a majority the Legislators must cast his or her vote in accordance with the majority opinion.
Foreign Affairs
■ Keep our United Nations dues current, meet international obligations and humanitarian needs, and stay engaged in world affairs as the political and economic leader of the free world.
■ Restore normal diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba.
Trade Policies and Jobs
■ Eliminate the trade deficit, pursue fair-trade policies, and reestablish the nation's good creditor status.
■ End fast-track passage of trade agreements and require congressional approval and accountability.
■ Require trading partners to meet standards in human rights, workers rights, labor laws, and environmental laws.
■ Retain and Increase U.S. manufacturing capacity and keep high-paying technical jobs at home.
■ Promote the return of American industry and business through aggressive tax reform that promotes solid long term growth and jobs.
Immigration Policies
■ Establish a firm cap of 250,000 immigrants per year. Limit family reunification to spouses and minor children of legal immigrants
■ Ban future amnesties for illegal immigrants and review political asylum claims.
■ Enforce job eligibility verification as well as all existing immigration laws and regulations
■ Reinforce and increase our nation's boarder guards and security with expanded legal authority
Environment/Conservation
■ It is the responsibility of all people to be good stewards of the earth. We therefore support sensible, realistic and common sense policies for clean air, clean water, endangered species, land and water conservation.
■ Conserve open spaces for human enjoyment and natural habitats for wildlife. Safeguard state and national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, rivers, lakes, seashores, wetlands, wilderness areas, and fisheries.
■ Eliminate subsidies and impose fines on companies that pollute natural resources and threaten public health. Prevent dumping of toxic wastes and harmful chemicals into oceans and inland waterways.
■ Negotiate agreements with other nations to protect the global environment without imposing further taxation on business or individuals to administer the agreements.
■ Prevent or repeal the establishment of national Cap & Trade or similar type government run programs
Farming and Agriculture
■ Support fair crop-dairy-livestock prices and a living wage for family farmers.
■ Make the transfer of family farms equitable from one generation to the next.
■ Conserve arable farmland and curtail urban sprawl.
To prevent government abuse of the constitution, Limit its power over the people, renew and preserve democracy, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, our mission is to stimulate citizen awareness and participation in the political process, break the two-party monopoly, and guarantee free and open elections. To become of the Tea Party Patriots Now Click Here
