Washington

Washington Republicans
by Ramik Williams

            When researching the Washington State Republican Party platform I was given the information from 1998. Considering the geographic location of Washington as well as the populace I doubt that the change has been so great and dramatic that the accuracy of this report will be affected greatly or at all.
            As can be expected, the state party platform did not vary or differentiate from the national party platform in the key issues of debate and interest; foreign policy, equal rights, social policy , economics and campaign finance. Racially the state is overwhelmingly white. The census of 1996 estimated the population to be comprised of close to 5 million white people, followed by hispanics and blacks who make up roughly 215,000 and 150,000 respectively. The state is powered mostly by a manufacturing, service and retail trade industry.
            Beginning with equal rights the party promotes the standard; “equal rights, equal justice, equal opportunity for all regardless of race, creed, sex, age, or disability.” They support these equalities through the elimination of affirmative action. The rights to purchase and possess firearms should be unabridged, according to the Washington Republicans. The quest for autonomy from the government on these issues is also inclusive of voting against background checks.
In typical Republican belief the economic policy in Washington State calls for smaller government. This is to be done by the reduction in spending by the government, privatization of certain services(garbage/waste disposal, child/ pre-natal care) and inclusive of balancing the budget. On a national level they support the use of any and all surpluses being accredited to the deficit and reducing taxes. On a state level, the party recognizes the need to reduce the taxes of small local business, repealing constricting labor laws including “ labor rules and regulations which deny youth the opportunity to work and learn to be responsible, productive citizens.”
            The social policy consists of health care and welfare reform. The change from welfare to workfare is a theme and trend that the state Republicans support. The emphasis will be on reducing welfare costs through this program as well as audits to eliminate fraud and abuse.
            Health insurance should be transferable from and to jobs. Currently, if a person switches or loses his/her job they lose their insurance. Republicans want to insure that the new place of employment provides comparable insurance to people with families. Limits on malpractice awards by the court are favored. The court system is backlogged with all types of lawsuits, some legitimate while others are not. Republicans want to insure that any compensation is just and not used as a punishment against individuals and companies. A ban on all abortions is wanted, as is the elimination of free federal health care programs in schools.
            Foreign policy includes national defense , and the increase in the size and power of the military is advocated by Washington Republicans. Government aid to foreign countries must be insured by the receiver, sending “peace keeping” troops abroad must be with the permission of Congress, the sharing of military technological advances must cease with other countries, and using American power only when the interests of America are in danger. This would include limited involvement in NATO and the United Nations.
            Lastly, the campaign finance reform issue includes a few key, basic points: the ethical use of soft money by political parties, full disclosure of funding sources and amounts, and finally enforcement of laws already in existence. The Republicans believe that limits on contributions and spending will not be necessary once the existing laws are fully enforced. They further believe that the contributions that are made should come from domestic sources only, U.S. citizens, U.S. Political Parties and U.S. organizations.
            In all the Washington State Republican platform is identical to that of the National Republican platform. The key political issues that are of importance nationally seem to have trickled down to the local level.