Robert Lewis: Platform Statement No. 3

August 8th, 1992

Proposals for the American Independent Party State Convention to be held at the Canterbury Inn & Conference Center
1900 Canterbury Road, Sacramento California
August 29 to 30, 1992

from Robert Lewis,
AIP State Central Committee member for Los Angeles County
and nominee for the 60th State Assembly District

To Whom it may concern,

Proposal I-Term Limit Plank for the State Platform

During the founding of our American Constitutional Republic
one of the most valued principles was rotation in office. Citizen
government was a service to ones' community, city, county, state
and nation. Citizens were to rotate in and out of public life as servants
of the people, this limit was to prevent the re-establishment of a
permanent governing class which our American Revolution had just
overturned. To paraphrase George Washington the 1st President of the
Republic whose voluntary two term limit was a custom unbroken until this
century:

"Fire like government is a servant to be feared,
for a government out of control will burn our house down."

In the last century our American Republic has seen the re-establishment
of a permanent class of mini-lords, the career incumbent. First came the city
& county bosses with their vote buying ward healers, next the state politic
machines able to auction public works to the highest bidder and finally the
federal government itself, with a hand in every pocket. All because
seniority in office leads to the creation of personal empires to
maintain that office. Empires that are self centered only concerned
with what it takes to continue to exist and grow.

Today we the people are fighting the fire of out of control empire
building incumbents, fighting back with our constitutional weapon of
choice "TERM LIMITS" whereas by law we the people restore the founders'
principle of rotation in office. So that one, no person is to remain in
office long enough to be seduced by the power and empire building. Two,
no person holding office at any level of our American Republic community,
city, county, state or federal can deny the right of the people to rotate
that office to another person. Three, no person or political party can deny
and limit the right of ballot access, to nominate candidates, to keep the
election process open to all not just the favored person or party in power.

Therefore the American Independent Party endorses our founders'
concept of rotation of office, the effort of the free citizens to place
TERM LIMITS in law and the constitution for all elective, appointed,
civil service positions of our government.

proposed by Robert Lewis, August 8th, 1992

Proposal II-Resolution of Recommendation
to the New Orleans Convention
for the adoption of a National Term Limit Plank

Whereas, the American Independent Party of California has in it's
platform addressed TERM LIMITS,

Be it resolved, that the American Independent Party of California
recommends that the New Orleans Convention entheir adopt as it's own
plank the TERM LIMIT plank of the American Independent Party of
California, or address this issue in the new national party platform.

proposed by Robert Lewis submitted consideration at the AIP State
Convention August 29-30, 1992

Proposal III-Major Reform for the California Election Process

Today the evident failure of California and other states' closed Party
Primary Election Process can be seen in the continuous State Budget
Crisis, the out of control spending, the infighting at all levels of
government, the decay of public services etc. etc. etc. The incumbent
rascals with the support of a minority of the total available electorate
have with the raw power of government, the corrupting influence of money,
has used these tools to;

1) dominate the communications media to limit public access to
candidates and issues,
2) maintain control of the election process so any independent
challenge can be easily discredited and crushed.

In this way the existing incumbent rascals come at the people,
not from them as our founders intended.

The American Independent Party stands for open government,
open to full public inspection, open to full public involvement, open to
total accountability to this goal the American Independent Party proposes
an end to the closed party primary nomination election system in California.

The American Independent Party in California endorses the adoption of
entheir of two reforms to establish a Open Primary and Election process;

The first being to simply adopt the existing California Special
Election Election Codes for all non-presidential elections.

To review the two step California Special Election Code,

Step 1 is a open primary in which ALL candidates appear on the same
ballot, if one candidate receives a majority (50% plus 1) of the vote
cast that candidate is elected to that office. This establishes a
majority mandate to represent and govern.

Step 2 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote cast
a run-off election is held between the top vote receiving candidate from
each of the ballot qualified parties. The winner of this run-off election
being the candidate who receives the most votes cast at that election.
This winning candidate clearly is now the consensus if not a mandate
majority winner in the run-off.

Adoption of this Open Primary & Election Process would create many strong
parties, involve the public to a greater extent, but most of all restore a
mandate to govern.

Unfortunately the existing incumbent rascal party will never adopt such
a proposal unless forced into it. Which is why the American Independent
Party by using the leverage in the second reform can and will force
reform to Open the Candidate Selection Process.

This second reform American Independent Party has within it's
own right under law & custom as a private association recognized
by the courts and the Constitution is to simply amend the rules, bylaws,
and election code governing our Closed Party Primary.

The American Independent Party hereby commits itself to amend it's
Bylaws, its' own Party Primary Election Code, to use all legal
and constitutional tools available to have the State of California,
it's Legislature, the Governor, the State Courts and the Chief Elections
Officer the Secretary of State honor the express wishes of the American
Independent Party of California to Open it's own Candidate Nomination
Primary to allow any voter who is registered as a decline to state,
registered as a non-partisan, or registered with a non-ballot qualified
party be allowed to vote and declare their registration as American
Independents. The American Independent Party urges all other parties to
join in this reform to put trust in the electorate, open the government
from the very beginning which is the nomination of candidates election process.

proposed by Robert Lewis, submitted to the American Independent
Party State Convention August 29-30, 1992.

Proposal IV--Resolution to Recommend adoption and/or
to address the Open Party Primary Nomination Election

Whereas, the American Independent Party has addressed the issue of the
Reform of the Nomination Primary Election in the American Independent
Party Platform,

Be it resolved, that the American Independent Party recommends that the
September 1992 New Orleans Convention entheir modifies and adopts the existing
platform plank of the American Independent Party of California or addresses
the issue in the new national party platform.

Proposal V-Resolution of Recommendation to be made for the
Accreditation of Delegates to the September 1992
New Orleans Convention

Whereas, there has been no firm agreement of how to accredit,
seat delegates at the September 1992 New Orleans national party
Convention organized by the United State Taxpayers Alliance under the
leadership of Howard Phillips,

Whereas, that the only common point of agreement is to accredit, seat
delegations based on the number of electors cast by that state if the
delegation represents a fully qualified ballot state party affiliated with
the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance,

Whereas, the September 1992 New Orleans national party Convention
and the new national party in the interests of justice, representation,
open outreach to establish the new national party for all Americans pledged
to the founding principles of the Republic and the renewal of Constitution,

Be It Resolved, that the American Independent Party instructs it's
delegates to suggest and recommend that the September 1992 New Orleans
national party convention accredit, seat delegations of delegates following
these guidelines,

One, that all delegates entheir be a registered member of a pledged fully
ballot qualified U.S. Taxpayers Alliance affiliated state party and if not the
following written pledge to be executed before that
non-affiliated delegate is to be accredited, seated with voting rights at
the September 1992 New Orleans Convention.

I,____________________________(print) on my honor hereby pledge to
bear full faith and witness in the formation of the _________________ Party,
that I will support the Platform of the _______________Party adopted on
September 3-4, 1992 with my voluntary participation in the Convention
Platform deliberation, abide my constitutional responsibilities to support
the nominees Presidential and Vice Presidential selected at this Convention,
assist those affiliated candidates from my state, and if I am from a
qualified affiliated state, I will register as a member of that affiliated
state party and if my state has no qualified affiliated state party
I will support the efforts to qualify a affiliated state party.

I take this pledge freely, my word of honor being the sole enforcement,

signature ___________________ of (street address)________________
city___________State___________
zip_________________
tel__________fax___________

at New Orleans, this day of September____, 1992

Two, all delegations present in New Orleans those members have complied
with guideline Number One will be accredited, seated with a base of
three (3) delegate votes

Three, in addition to the base of three (3) delegate votes the fully party
ballot qualified affiliated state party delegations will be accredited, seated
with the number of delegate votes equal to the number of electors cast in that
states Electoral College

Four, in addition to the base of three (3) delegate votes,the fully party
ballot qualified affiliated state electoral number of delegate votes, those
delegations from both qualified party states affiliated and non-party states
that have a Presidential ballot line with a slate of electors will be
accredited, seated with delegate votes equal to one-half the number of
electors cast in that state's Electoral College.

Proposal VI-Resolution of Instruction on the Unit Rule

Whereas,the unity, the focus, the leadership the American Independent
Party National Delegation represents,

Whereas,the needs of individual personal conscience have always been
addressed as a strength of the American Independent Party,

Be It Resolved,that the American Independent Party National Delegation
is instructed to enforce the Unit Vote Rule in which the entire American
Independent Party Nation Delegation votes all it's delegates the same way
only when two-thirds of the delegation is in agreement to apply the Unit
Vote Rule.

submitted by Robert Lewis

Proposal VII-Plank in the American Independent Party Platform
affirming support of the Constitutional prohibition
on religious tests or qualifications

In accord with Article VI of the United States Constitution which
reads in part, "but no religious Test shall ever be required as a
Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States" the
American Party as part of the public Trust seeking to elect, put it's members
into our constitutional government. We pledge our allegiance to the flag,
to the Republic for which it stands, but most of all to the Constitution "
all of it," to defend it from all enemies foreign and domestic. As a part of
the public Trust the American Independent Party shall never require a
religious Test and or Qualification of any member, officer of the party, or
any resident of the United States.

submitted by Robert Lewis

___________

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