Overview:

The following perspectives overview the beliefs espoused by right-of-center voters. Uniform consent with these beliefs is not necessary nor anticipated, it should be noted however, that each of the following beliefs contradict the positions undertaken by the current Republican platform and its leadership.

Social issues:

Reproductive Rights

Moderate Republicans generally support current US law as found in the Supreme Court decisions of Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992). Here the Supreme Court declared that a woman's right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extends to her decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. The Supreme Court also said, however, that the woman's right could be balanced against the legitimate state interests of protecting womens' health and the potentiality of human life at the point of fetal viability. Fetal viability was defined as the point at which the fetus is able to live outside the womb with artificial aid.

Moderate Republicans believe that banning abortion is a regressive step and outside the proper role of government. They understand that the absence of availability to safe abortion can be a dangerous and destructive force in the lives of many women. Moderate Republicans believe this issue has hindered more important reforms and served to exclude many people from the party, particularly women, for whom the preservation of reproductive rights is a privacy issue of great importance.
 

Capital Punishment

Moderate Republicans do not generally believe that the state should engage in execution as a form of punishment. They recognize that our legal system is not infallible and can lead to false conviction. Programs such as the Innocence Project have exposed the potential for wrongful conviction by using new advancements in DNA technology to exonerate many prisoners previously sentenced to death. Moderate Republicans believe that the risk of executing an innocent person in the United States is inconsistent with our Constitutional values and commitment to human rights.  
 

Gay Rights

Moderate Republicans generally believe that extending rights enjoyed by all Americans to gay-Americans does not threaten our society. This includes the right to marriage, military service, and adoption. They believe that extending these rights to gay-Americans is the right thing to do and enhances liberty in the United States. 
 

Environment & Climate Change

Moderate Republicans recognize scientific evidence demonstrating that human activity is affecting the world's climate. They welcome a healthy debate on this issue, including impacts, strategy, and responsible resource allocation.  

Moderate Republicans believe that environmental protection is one of our greatest responsibilities. They recognize, however, that as just 5% of the global population, the United States must work with other nations to lead global initiatives and advance its policy through treaties and trade agreements. A global approach will likewise benefit our own companies who deserve a level playing field regarding environmental regulation.
 

Evolution

Moderate Republicans support the overwhelming body of scientific evidence indicating that life on earth changes over time. They do not believe that the theory of divine creation, or any other such religious doctrine, has an appropriate place in public school curriculums.

Initiatives:

The following important issues now face our country, yet are rarely the subject of meaningful debate or legislative solutions, even in election years. The purpose of this organization is to develop initiatives in order to bring due attention and pragmatic proposals to the table.
 

Budget Process Reform

In the last eight years, federal debt has doubled from approximately $10 trillion to approximately $20 trillion. In 2016, the federal government spent $551 billion in excess of revenue despite federal revenues reaching an all-time high ($2.99 trillion). These massive additional debts were also accrued during a period of historically low interest rates. The Federal Reserve has recently begun raising the interest rate in order to control inflation. Should interest rates return to historical norms (ex. 5%), interest expense on the federal debt could exceed one-third of all federal revenue. Despite expert consensus that the US debt spiral will result in financial crisis if unaddressed, neither party has brought this issue to public light, nor developed a meaningful budget process reform proposal. 

The current federal budget process has not produced a budget on time since 1996, and has done so only four times in the past 40 years. In most years, the government either passes a short-term, stop-gap measure known as a continuing resolution, or simply pushes all spending though Congress in a single-vote piece of legislation known as an omnibus bill. Budget process reform is needed to ensure that the federal government is operating within a budget framework designed to addresses long-term debt reduction.
 

Social Welfare Reform

One of the greatest challenges to fiscal responsibility in the United States is addressing the continued expansion of mandatory spending programs. Mandatory spending is spending that the Federal Treasury must pay out as a matter of existing law. Because these payments are automatic, they are not subject to the annual federal appropriations process. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the debt, and other income security benefits make up the majority of mandatory spending. In 2016, mandatory spending was $2.45 trillion, in the same year federal revenues were $2.99 trillion. Thus, mandatory expenditure accounted for over 82% of federal revenue in 2016. This number continues to expand as more and more citizens continue to qualify for these benefits each year. These programs must be tied to a budget framework that brings their expenditure within our financial means.
 

Taxes

The United States has produced the most industrious economy in the history of the world. This is because we created a business environment conducive to growth. To keep our economy competitive, tax rates must be minimized on individuals and businesses. Responsible tax reduction generally requires corresponding offsets in spending to prevent further contribution to unsustainable levels of federal debt.

Moderate Republicans believe that a limited focus on corporations as the source of our problems is misguided. Corporate income taxes make up only 10 percent of federal revenues primarily because corporate profits are dwarfed by the size of salaries paid to generate those profits; political rhetoric often distorts this fact. Corporations use their profits to innovate and grow, and most American retirements are vested in corporate securities. The political system is currently so polarized that from the right we are told that we have the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and from the left that our corporations pay no taxes. The American public needs an informed and fair opinion on tax reform.
 

Trade and Currency

Trade issues are among the most important issues facing the United States today. They are also among the most complex. Trade agreements can promote diplomacy, boost demand for US products overseas, and create a level playing field for US businesses by encouraging reform to environmental policy, labor standards, intellectual property, and foreign investment practices abroad. Moderate Republicans generally believe in free, but fair trade. They believe that Americans need to better understand the benefits of active trade policy and its role in supporting US economic interests.
 

Criminal Justice Reform

The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. These practices come at tremendous cost. The time has come to revisit mandatory sentencing, non-violent criminal act sentencing, drug rehabilitation, police practices, criminal record keeping, and more effective means of reducing recidivism.
 

Privacy

Moderate Republicans believe that privacy is an essential element of being a free person and a condition of human happiness. They value the private realm as the space where people think, create, experiment, and dissent apart from the judgment of others. They are skeptical of the abuses that occur when government is permitted to operate in secrecy and remember transgressions of the past. They believe that a higher degree of oversight is needed by both the legislature and the judiciary to ensure that our clandestine intelligence programs reflect the public will.
 

Efficiency in Government Operations

Moderate Republicans seek to improve the efficiency of all government operations. They recognize the economic benefits of certain regulations, but aspire to limit the government to the confines of its essential nature. They believe that controlling the growth of government requires new techniques and efficiencies.
 

Education

Moderate Republicans believe education is a long-term investment in our country, and that more can be done to target the increasing costs of education. They are not afraid to disrupt the traditional public school model by promoting policy that supports school choice. 
 

Media

24-hour commercial media run by openly partisan networks is a historical first in American culture. This type of media profits by polarizing public sentiment, through exaggeration, and one-sided portrayal of facts. Moderate Republicans believe that it is necessary to raise an awareness of this phenomena and encourage a return to objective journalism.
 

Foreign Policy & Defense Spending

The United States has the strongest military force in the history of the world. With that power comes leadership and responsibility. We need that tradition to continue and recognize the link between economic health and military capability. Moderate Republicans believe that military spending, however, should not be shielded from rigorous investigation for efficiency. They believe that the modern battle grounds are increasingly cyber and that the country must be defended accordingly.

Join Us:

If these beliefs resemble your own and you would like to see these changes reflected in Congress, want to better understand these issues, or play a greater role in resolving them, please Join Us.