Cape Girardeau County GOP proposes amendments to state party platform

At their March 2 caucus, Cape Girardeau County Republicans voted on a number of items they want to see added to the state party's official platform.

The proposed amendments covered nearly two dozen topics and range from health care issues to education and taxation. The approved measures were:

Copyrighted/proprietary materials (education) -- "No teaching materials, tests, apps or books used in any school funded by the state shall be considered exempt from the fair use doctrine or proprietary and outside of the full view of parents when requested to be seen. Sharing of said materials is recognized as an appropriate exercise of parental rights." Submitted by: Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Faith -- "Never again allowing government at any level to ban religious gatherings up to and including worship service or funerals." Submitted by Fred Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Family -- "We believe that a fertilized human egg becomes a human child." Submitted by: Sharon Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Family -- Defining "woman" as an adult human being with their 23rd pair of chromosomes being XX, "girl" as pre-adult human being with their 23rd pair of chromosomes being XX, "man" as an adult human being with their 23rd pair of chromosomes being XY and "boy" as pre-adult human being with their 23rd pair of chromosomes being XY. Submitted by: Sharon Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Health care freedom -- "Every Missouri citizen should have the right to choose and the right to refuse unwanted medical treatment. The doctor-patient relationship is sacrosanct and should be free from interference from the federal or state government." The amendment supports the right to "refuse interventions upon his or her person"; prohibits any government body from implementing laws or rules that mandate, coerce or infringe upon the right to refuse treatment, testing, facial coverings or other procedures including injections and vaccines; protects the right to be informed about exposure to mRNA and/or gene-altering therapies, technologies or treatments; and calls for investigation into "consumer fraud of pharmaceutical companies who deceived Missouri citizens about the efficacy and the safety of COVID-19 and mRNA vaccinations." Submitted by: Kim Swartz. Vote: 257-1.

Health care freedom -- "The Republican Party supports health freedom which includes informed consent, no vaccine or medical procedures mandates, mask mandates, lockdown of people in their homes and gene therapy without the consent or knowledge of the person being exposed to it." Submitted by Fred Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Human research -- "It shall not be allowed for any minor child or human being in human research and experimentation without a parent's and/or guardian's full knowledge and informed consent as it is illegal in the United States to use humans in research without their knowledge ..." Submitted by: Sharon Burgard. Vote: for, 258-against, 0.

Law enforcement and the administration of justice -- "Prohibiting the further expansion of gambling within Missouri beyond that already authorized." Submitted by: Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Law enforcement and the administration of justice -- "Holding parents of minors who consistently break the law accountable for the actions of minors under their care." Submitted by: Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Protecting the integrity of elections -- Supporting no mass mail-in ballots, no electronic voting machines and a return to hand-counted paper ballots. Submitted by: Julie Anderson. Vote: 163-95.

Protection of the First Amendment (education) -- "Ensuring our First Amendment is never considered bullying inside of our schools and universities, and that the truth is never allowed to be branded as 'hate speech'." Submitted by Fred Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Rights of parents (education) -- "The fundamental right of parents or guardians to serve as the primary authority to determine and direct the nurturing, health care, education, guidance, discipline, religious and moral upbringing of their children, including the ability to homeschool or send children to faith-based schools free of burdensome government regulation. ..." Submitted by: Kim Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

School boards (education) -- "Encourage the role of local school boards to make decisions based on the needs of the children in the school district by reducing the role of (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) to an advisory role only, rejecting DESE's overreach in advancing an accreditation model that undermines the elected school boards to make decisions based on the needs of the children in their district reflecting the will of the people of the community that elected them." Submitted by: Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Security -- "We believe that a well-armed and equipped citizenry is essential for the preservation of life, liberty and property, as well as a strong deterrent against foreign invasion." Opposes any attempts by any level of government "to restrict any citizen's right to keep and bear arms (open or concealed), to restrict access to ammunition, to restrict accessories typical to the normal function of such arms or to record the purchase thereof". Submitted by: Fred Burgard. Vote: 258-0.

Security -- "We believe that it is the duty of the federal government of the United States to provide for safe and secure border, stop the invasion of the illegal immigrants and eliminate the flow of harmful illicit substances like fentanyl into this country." Submitted by: Leonard Sander Jr. Vote: 258-0.

Spending and debt -- "The Republican Party supports sound currency and Missouri recognizing gold and silver as legal tender and opposes central bank digital currency and social credit scores." Submitted by: Kim Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Spending and debt -- "The reduction or elimination of the state income tax." Submitted by Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Standardized tests -- "Eliminate the use of standardized tests that schools, parents and students cannot see once those tests are administered ..." Submitted by: Richard Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Teacher performance (education) -- "Teacher performance cannot be evaluated only by an end of the year test that reduces that teacher to one score. ..." Submitted by: Kim Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

Technology (education) -- "Enforcing strict penalties for using a child's Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as retrieved or captures by third parties by way of district issued technology that put children and their PII at risk. ..." Submitted by: Kim Schwarz. Vote 258-0.

Tests and surveys (education) -- "The use of tests and surveys administered online in our schools that measure the mental health of a child shall abide by strict qualification. ..." Submitted by: Kim Swartz. Vote: 258-0.

The state party's Platform Committee will consider amendments and submit its recommendations for a vote of the delegates present at the Saturday, May 4, Missouri Republican State Convention.