Statement of Basic Principles
Washington, D.C. (June 16, 2010) -- Through an extensive and comprehensive process undertaken by a committee of the RJC Board of Directors, the RJC has streamlined our policy platform into a broad and basic statement of the principles that define who we are and where we stand.
The committee was chaired by Marc Goldman and included Wayne Berman, Josh Bolten, Norm Coleman, Ari Fleischer, David Frum, Shelly Kamins, and Mark Lezell.
We hope you will take a moment to read the RJC Statement of Basic Principles. We think it defines what we stand for in a very clear way. We will continue to add to and modify this document as circumstances warrant.
RJC Basic Principles
National Security - the first responsibility of government
Without national security, every other debate is meaningless. Once freedom and democracy are gone, you have lost your vote - for/against abortion, for/against taxes, for/against healthcare, or any other topic.
America is the only democracy powerful enough to overcome the evil, enslavement and human rights abuses fostered by dictators, autocrats and other repressive regimes. Only America can and must lead the world in standing for the cause of freedom and democracy. The likely outcome of an America not intervening would be darkness overcoming light. Keeping the world free and safe for democracy is critical to our ability to be free citizens of our own country.
Imagine a world without American strength - what would it be? All of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa could be under Nazi or Communist rule. America would be alone and the rest of the world would be in darkness.
It's not enough to have a strong military to protect our own borders; our national security also relies on us actively combating the forces of evil in the world.
Small Government
The tendency of every organization is to grow. Government is no exception. Our founding fathers brilliantly balanced federal, state and individual powers, rights and responsibilities.
This balance has become distorted as unrestrained government growth increasingly defines for us what life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness means. This distortion threatens our freedom and upsets the delicate balance of our founding fathers' principles.
Economic Policy
We strongly support a low tax, free enterprise, competitive economic system that has proven over time to make America the most powerful, richest and freest nation ever in the history of the world. Individuals are both entitled and better qualified to decide what to do with their money than the government.
In order for an economy to stay vigorous, thrive and provide the greatest opportunities for the greatest number of people, taxes, government debt levels and regulation must be minimized.
High taxes discourage the risk taking behavior that creates the new enterprises and the new technology that keep America at the competitive and economic forefront. Excessive government debt ultimately impoverishes the nation: it distorts monetary values, diminishes foreign policy freedom and crowds out private borrowing. Overly stringent regulation is a barrier for start up businesses and an impediment to expansion for existing businesses.
Policies We Vigorously Support
1) Israel
We fully embrace a pro-Israel foreign policy. The RJC is a Jewish organization; we recognize and support the importance of Israel as a Jewish state to Jews and non- Jews worldwide.
As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel shares our values and is a bulwark against the forces of repression and anti-human rights regimes. It is our obligation to ally with other nations who share our fundamental values - there are few enough of them - especially those who are willing to stand up and fight for those values. Israel is our only ally that has never asked for American blood to be shed in her defense.
2) Freedom from Oil Dependence
The RJC supports immediate implementation of government policies to eliminate oil dependence.
At the present time, oil is the lifeblood of transportation; therefore, the entire economy, military movements, shipments of food and all other goods are dependent on oil. Unfortunately, the majority of oil is under the control of dictatorships, monarchies and other repressive regimes, seemingly intent on destroying Western civilization. We must not allow this circumstance to continue. We strongly encourage the US government to immediately enact policies in order to eliminate oil dependency.
3) RJC Position on Social Issues
- a nation divided
Social issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun control, global warming and others are topics that generate strong emotions on all sides. The RJC membership and Board of Directors are as divided as the rest of America on these issues. The RJC recognizes that many good people hold opposing views on these matters and we respect the differences of opinion among our membership. Despite those differences, we are united on the issues of national security, small government and economic policy because they provide the foundation of freedom that allows those debates to continue.
You can also read this statement on the RJC web site.