Resolutions Passed by Republican District Conventions
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, May 10, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. In April, Republican District Conventions met and passed resolutions to be offered at their state convention in May. Seven of the 14 District Conventions adopted the “Regionalism Resolution” which repudiates regional government and reminds everyone that the form of government created by The Constitution of the United States is a representative republic, meaning government by the people and the officials they elect. In a republic, law is supreme and all men (including leaders) are subject to it. Also in a republic, the minority has rights which even the majority may not violate.
Another resolution asking the state to withdraw from Common Core State Educational Standards passed in at least ten of the 14 districts. It would minimize federal control over education and restore local control. Although federal control over education violates The Constitution of the United States, as well as the Constitution of the State of Georgia, federal encroachment in education has been and continues to be done through federal grants with strings attached, e.g. No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, most recently.
Republican District Conventions also passed the “Resolution to Secure the Vote,” urging the Secretary of State to stop using electronic voting machines and return to paper ballots OR add a voter-verifiable paper trail to the system. In addition, Wayne County passed a resolution asking Congress to pass a balanced budget amendment and send it to the states for ratification.The “Republican Form of Government” resolution references the Constitution “guarantee[ing] to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government,” meaning sovereignty rests with the people and their elected representatives. This resolution explains that Georgia is the only state to specifically provide Home Rule for Counties and Municipalities. So, in Georgia, just as states have authority to reject federal intervention in state affairs, Georgia’s local governments are authorized to reject state government intervention in local operations.
A resolution upholding the right to bear arms passed the First District Convention with this statement: “[A]ny act which infringes upon the ability of honest citizens to purchase, transfer, or possess firearms and ammunition … shall … be rejected by any and all local, state, and federal elected or appointed officials.”
These resolutions are extremely timely, as is the First District’s “Marriage and Children Resolution” that stands “in firm agreement with the Republican National Committee and … urge[s] our elected representatives to … support the Defense of Marriage Act and defend our Georgia Constitution,” which states, “[Georgia] shall recognize as marriage only the union of man and woman. Marriages between persons of the same sex are prohibited in this state. No union between persons of the same sex shall be recognized by this state as entitled to the benefits of marriage.” The Georgia Constitution, also, states that Georgia courts have no jurisdiction to grant a divorce or separate maintenance in same-sex relationships.
These and other resolutions may be considered by the Republican Party State Convention in Athens next weekend. May they all pass then and in like legislation in the 2014 session. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.