Republican Solutions:

Education

Republicans believe that education should best be handled by parents and local school teachers and administrators. Thus, the federal role in education should be limited if not eliminated. All money for schools, whether returned by the federal government or taken directly by local school districts, comes from the taxpayer's pocket. Insisting that it be collected by the federal government and then handed back with attached mandates and restrictions is contrary to American tradition and is counterprodutive in the quest for better education.

Republicans believe that parents have a right to educate their own children, and thus, support homeschooling, private schools and voucher plans that increase the educational choices for America's families.

There are many challenges that must be overcome in order to educate our children. One is that public education is facing the same limitation of funds that plague other government services. Teachers' unions and the effort to seek "federal money" actually make things worse.

This is the kind of courage needed if there's to be better education in our country:

Family Values

The Republican Party affirms the family as the natural and indispensable institution for human development. A strong and healthy family unit is the heart of the home - a safe surrounding where family decisions are made, children are raised, and morality is taught. The family is a foundation upon which American society has grown and prospered for over 200 years. We support the traditional family structure of one man and one woman married to each other as the best environment for raising children, a recognized and protected entity within the American legal system. We believe public policy and education should not be used to undermine the traditional family or promote other lifestyles. We are opposed to expanding those areas of legal recognition and rights heretofore reserved to traditional family relationships. Homosexuality, polygamy and other non-traditional forms of fundamental relationships should not receive the same recognition, benefits and protections as traditional marriage. We are not intolerant to alternative lifestyles we just reject the notion that those relationships should be legally on par with the traditional family.