Stevens County Democrats 2008 Platform

Human Rights and Civil Rights

We affirm our opposition to all discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, adoption or foster care based on race, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or citizenship.

We affirm the right and responsibility of women to determine the number, timing and spacing of their own children and that all decisions regarding women’s reproductive medical care are private matters between women and their health care providers.

We affirm that because marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice, the state should not interfere with same gender couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities and commitment of civil marriage.

We affirm our support of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1990 and Affirmative Action policies enabling state and local governments to ensure equal opportunity for qualified women and minorities in employment, education and contracting.

We support the rights of senior citizens and individuals with disabilities to direct their own lives in housing, education and other life choices.

We support the separation of church and state and oppose mandatory prayer in publicly funded schools.

We demand our governments respect the treaty rights of all Native Americans.

We believe that basic human and civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights should not be suspended even in times of national crisis.

Crime

Government has the responsibility to help alleviate the social conditions that contribute to crime. We believe people have an obligation to resolve conflicts in a nonviolent manner, and we will not permit violent acts to become an accepted fact in our communities.

Parents, authorities and communities must work together in assuming responsibility for safety, preventing crime, and making neighborhoods livable.

We support public funding of effective and successful substance abuse programs as an alternative to incarceration. The war on drugs is a failure and needs a total review. We need to review and possibly repeal mandatory sentencing.

Education

Public schools are the foundation and first lesson of democracy, bringing together children of diverse experiences, abilities and backgrounds for the common purpose of learning. It is the paramount duty of the state to provide first class education for all.

We support full state funding for basic education pre- K-12 as mandated by the State Constitution and adequate funding for the special needs of particular school districts.

Testing of public school students and teachers should be connected to at least equal testing of charter, private and home-schooled students and teachers.

“No Child Left Behind” should be repealed.

We support increased funding for early childhood education, higher education and adult vocational training.

Environment

We support strong environmental protection laws incorporating wise land use planning. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the land and its inhabitants must be protected for future generations.

The United States should participate in the Kyoto Treaty dialogue and endorse it’s goals.

We believe that the human population has contributed to global warming and feel that our policies should decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

A healthy economy depends upon a healthy environment.

We recommend moving rapidly toward policies and practices of sustainable development, including sustainable production and consumption.

We support legislation, research, and program funding to develop clean alternative energy solutions and encourage resource conservation.

We support transportation programs that provide alternatives to the automobile and alternative energy sources to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

We believe in full disclosure of health and environmental impacts of corporate pollution.

We support assigning high priority to preservation and restoration of endangered species.
We suggest that policies be implemented to address the world overpopulation problem.

Health Care

We support universal single payer health care for all regardless of age, employment status, or prior condition. We support a comprehensive health care system from prenatal care to the last years of life, disease prevention, public health protection, treatment and care for catastrophic illness, long-term care, Medicare, alternative forms of health care and reproductive choice.

We support a national health care system that provides high quality medical and mental health care and affordable prescription drugs to all members of our society, with an emphasis on preventive medicine.

We do not support privatization of the Medicare system. We support funding of such a health care system to Washington state citizens until a national health care plan is funded.

Economic Justice and Labor

The Social Security program must be strengthened and that any privatization of Social Security must be opposed.

Economic justice for working families is essential for the realization of a democratic society.

We affirm the right of workers to a safe and healthy work environment.

We support workers rights to organize and to use arbitration and strikes when necessary to resolve disputes.

We expect employers to provide a living wage to their employees, and we support continued increases in the federal minimum wage.

We support a worker’s bill of rights that includes basic rights of association and free speech, due process, disclosure of toxic substances in the workplace, and democracy within unions.

We support incentives, including targeted tax credits, to businesses that provide family wage jobs with full health care and pension benefits.

We support a progressive tax system at the Federal and state levels, which seeks to eliminate the deficit and balance the budget. We call for the elimination of tax incentives to corporations who out-source American jobs and support tax incentives to corporations that come to America to create jobs.

We support a long-range comprehensive plan to address the nation's deteriorating infrastructure.

We support reducing the wage gap between urban and rural citizens.

We believe in equal pay for equal work without regard for sex, race, or geographical location.

We support a major increase in funding for assistance and construction of affordable and low income housing in Washington State with priority for home ownership.

We affirm the uniqueness of small family businesses and farms and recognize the need for open markets and protection from corporate aggression and unfair competition.

Foreign Policy

The United States of America must honor International treaties and accords including the Geneva Convention in its entirety.

Democrats support the global vision of the United Nations. We strongly support the UN forum for securing peaceful solutions to conflicts abroad. The United States should pay its financial debts to this organization and ratify the many pending human rights conventions.

The U.S. cannot and should not act unilaterally or preemptively use military force. We recognize the interdependent effects of the global economy on the welfare and living conditions of all people.

We oppose foreign policies that allow displacement of American jobs without creating better jobs in the United States.

We support a policy encouraging American companies which utilize overseas labor to ensure those workers a living wage. In addition to fair compensation we advocate enforcement of health and safety standards and the protection of local environments. Countries that fail to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights should be subjected to incremental increases in U.S. trade sanctions, based on the degree of violations.

We urge a review of foreign policy, both present and historical, to study its effect on common people in countries around the world, rather than just on the political and economic elite in those countries. We feel that corporate interests should not supersede the basic rights and well-being of humans and urge respect of cultural differences.

Government

We believe that ethical accountability of government officials, elected and non-elected is paramount.

Sunshine Laws must be enforced and we must ensure transparency in sessions that discuss and make policy.

Massive privatizing and contracting out of governmental services must be curtailed.

No mandates should be laid upon one governmental entity from another in the absence of funding.

We further believe that no government has the right, absent due process, to intercept or interfere with private communications of our citizens.

Political parties need to promote popular participation and encourage voters.

Publicly financed elections need to be implemented to decrease the influence of large money donors.

Communications

The free exchange of ideas is a foundation of our democratic society. Because no one should be allowed to corner the marketplace of ideas, we support freedom of dissemination of information including freedom of the press, and oppose undue media consolidation which must be curtailed by the Federal Communications Commission under anti-trust laws.