1. North Carolina Republicans Who We Are and What We Believe

2. Republican History The Republican Party was born out of the anti- slavery movement of the 1850’s The Kansas/Nebraska Act allowed these two new states to decide whether they would allow slavery within their borders The Act was written by Democrat Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois

3. Republican History First Republican meeting held in 1854 in Ripon, WI First Republican convention held June 17, 1856 in Philadelphia, PA Nominated military hero John C. Fremont for President

4. Republican History The Republican Party Platform of the 1856 convention called for a return to the roots of the Constitution The name “Republican” was chosen partly because it was the original name for Thomas Jefferson’s Party

5. Republican History GOP stands for “Grand Old Party” Party symbol of the elephant made popular by cartoonist Thomas Nast Nast also popularized the images of Democrat Donkey, Uncle Sam and Santa Claus G O P

6. Republican History GOP founded on a platform of freedom and individual rights Republican platforms differ from state to state North Carolina Republican Party is considered to be among the most conservative in the nation

7. Republican History NCGOP believes in personal responsibility, limited government, individual liberty, free markets, traditional values and a strong national defense Government should not hinder citizen’s freedom to pursue their personal goals

8. Republican History We look to the example of our Founding Fathers and their principles of limited government Our rights are not derived from a government or king, but directly from the hand of God

9. Where Republicans Stand We believe the free market system, competitive capitalism and private enterprise afford the widest opportunity and the highest standard of living for all Free markets produce more economic growth, more jobs and higher standards of living than those systems burdened by excessive government regulation The Economy

10. Where Republicans Stand Support common-sense health care reforms that would lower costs, preserve quality, end lawsuit abuse and maintain the health care system that has been the envy of the world We oppose government-run health care, which won’t protect the physician-patient relationship, won’t promote competition and won’t promote health care quality & choice Health Care

11. Where Republicans Stand Liberal Democrats support universal government-supervised health care, believing that millions of Americans who have no health insurance are being deprived of health care Often fail to differentiate the terms “health care” and “health insurance”, ignoring the fact that millions receive quality health care with no consideration given to ability to pay Health Care

12. Where Republicans Stand Republicans support lower taxes and a smaller government Lower taxes allow workers to keep more of what they earn thus creating more incentive for people to work, save, invest and pursue entrepreneurial endeavors Republicans believe that money is best spent by those who earn it Taxes

13. Where Republicans Stand Liberal Democrats support higher taxes and a larger scope of government They believe high taxes are necessary to fund a large government cares for its citizens Favor redistribution of wealth by placing a greater share of the tax burden on higher income individuals and businesses Taxes

14. Where Republicans Stand Republicans support Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” approach to national defense that brought about the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism in Europe Committed to ensuring the Armed Forces are modern, agile and adaptable to the unpredictable range of challenges that come with protecting our freedoms National Defense

15. Where Republicans Stand Republicans believe that maintaining a world-class system of primary and secondary education with high standards in which all students can reach their potential, is critically important to America’s future We believe in the power of school choice, giving parents the ability to send their children to better schools and enable children to get the quality education they deserve Education

16. Where Republicans Stand Republicans desire clean water and unpolluted air, but do not believe humans have had a drastic and permanent change to the Earth’s climate GOP opposes “cap and trade” legislation that would hinder economic growth and unnecessarily raise utility prices Environment & Energy

17. Where Republicans Stand Republicans believe in a citizens’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms Gun control laws have not proven to be an effective deterrent to crime, as criminals by nature do not follow laws Second Amendment

18. Where Republicans Stand The First Amendment of the Constitution prevents the government from establishing a national church, but does not prevent God from being acknowledged in schools and government buildings The phrase “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution Religion

19. “If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before.” Ronald Reagan First Inaugural Address January 20, 1981

20. “We encourage you to take the Republican message out with you and spread the word about the importance of the upcoming election, as we work together to return common sense, conservative government to North Carolina”