2008
WASHOE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM
2006 PLATFORM COMMITTEE
Chair: Nancyann Leeder
Subcommittee chairs:
Anton Hoffman: Education & Healthcare Marge Sill: Environment & Civil rights L. George Smith: Economy & Foreign affairs
Members:
Joyce Bettridge Mary Cooper Onie Cooper Jessica Ennis Edward Goodrich Billy Howard Patricia Lancaster David Love Jan Mallory Gail Pratt Lisa Stiller Robert “Tuna” Townsend
We, the Washoe County Democratic Party, reaffirm that we are the party of the people and are committed to a free society open to all persons, who have the right to participate in the processes that affect their lives, the lives of their families, and their descendants.
CIVIL LIBERTIES
We believe the rights of individuals as enumerated in the Bill of Rights must be protected.
We believe the Patriot Act must be re-examined and made to conform with the Bill of Rights, and we condemn the use of torture, holding prisoners without charges, and secret tribunals. We rededicate ourselves to equal protection, free speech, the right of peaceable assembly, the right to petition our government, the right to privacy and to freedom from unwanted government intrusion, and the free exercise of religion so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of others,. ciVIL RIGHTS
We believe in equal rights for all people and in greater enforcement to protect those rights, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, and family status, disability, credit history, criminal record, age or political affiliation. We support the fundamental right to privacy and reproductive freedom of choice as established by Roe v. Wade.
ELECTIONS
We believe that all votes in all general elections in the state of Nevada should be cast using paper ballots, or dependable electronic machines with a verifiable paper trail, providing a numbered receipt to be retained by the voter.
We support public funding of political campaigns.
We support election procedures that enable maximum participation.
Every dollar spent on education, from K-12 through vocational and university education, is an investment in the future of the state and the nation and that state-funded education should produce responsible citizens who have the knowledge and skills necessary to be productive employees and effective employers. We believe that a citizen must know how to read, write, and do basic mathematics; understand the principles of science; appreciate the arts, and have the opportunity to participate in sports and civic activities. It is the purpose of our schools to teach these skills and values. We believe that to be a good citizen, one needs to know the historical background of the Constitution of the United States and the protections that it confers on all who live in this country, the Constitution of the State of Nevada, and the responsibilities of citizenship. We believe that citizens need the requisite social skills to resolve conflict. We believe that to be a good employee one needs to know the basic job skills and responsibilities required by potential employers, how to gather and analyze facts, and how to solve problems. Furthermore, we believe that to be a good employer one needs to recognize business as a social institution as well as business as a means to create wealth. We believe that every student in every public classroom must have equal access to educational resources regardless of the local tax base, or regardless of disability and that the State of Nevada must fund its schools at a level equal to or exceeding the national average in order to produce good citizens. Therefore, we urge the Governor and the State Legislature to restore funds cut from Nevada’s school budgets at all levels and commit themselves to keeping the Millennium Scholarship solvent. We believe that No Child Left Behind should be discontinued or eliminated.
We support educational initiatives that address the need to develop sound environmental policies and green technologies. GOVERNMENT
We oppose unfunded mandates and the privatization of core services including but not limited to, safety, security, social services, police, transportation, emergency services, prisons, education, medical, water, utilities, the military and veteran services, Social Security and Medicare. We support truth in lending and increased monitoring of banking. We support and urge immediate funding for the improvement, maintenance and repair of the Nation’s infrastructure.
ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY
We support water use and water policies that develop long-term solutions to sustainable growth. We support safe and affordable communities based upon sustainable energy, environmentally sound public policies, determined by science-based analysis, greenbelt functions for riverbanks, streams, wet meadows, lakes, and ponds. We support recycling, conservation, renewable energy, and green development.
We support alternative energy use and development, including solar, geothermal, hydro-power, wind, and biomass as a primary source of energy for Nevada. We support independent hydrological studies of underground water resources to determine the probable effects on the rural community environment, including effects on surface waters, before any inter-basin water transfers are approved to urban centers. We strongly oppose projects like Yucca Mountain that use Nevada as a dumping ground for nuclear waste, mercury, or other toxic substances. We support all efforts in Nevada to institute programs that address global warming and join with other western states to promote these programs. We support funding sustainable management of public lands.
We reaffirm support for the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act and support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
We support a reduction in greenhouse gas production.
International Relations
We recognize the devastation caused by global hunger and poverty, and we believe it is our moral obligation to help fight global poverty by providing assistance to individuals through education, clean water, food, medical care, epidemic and pandemic assistance. We also recognize an obligation to assist, with accountability, Iraq and Afghanistan to establish workable infrastructures and institutions basic to people living in a peaceful society.
We believe that being a model nation whose behavior is worthy of emulation may be the best single element of a sound foreign policy and that diplomacy and multilateralism are the best means of dealing with international conflict. Greater emphasis on diplomacy necessitates strengthening the State Department in relation to the Defense Department, and providing leadership in reorganizing the United Nations so that it is more representative of the world political structure of the 21st century. We want to re-establish good relations with as many countries in the world as possible and think of other major political units, such as the European Union and China, more as partners than as opponents. Finally, the world terrorism threat by non-state actors should be approached more as a long-range intelligence/policing action than as outright military engagement. Since the United States did not follow this principle in invading Iraq, we support bringing our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan at the earliest possible time that conditions permit and insist that diplomacy must take precedence over military action in dealing with Iran and North Korea.
We believe that we must continue our forebears’ dedication to the improvement and maintenance of public health and that we should do so in consideration of modern health issues. We believe that each person’s medical care should be based on her/his relationship with an appropriate health care provider(s) and guided by the patient’s religious, moral and ethical precepts. We believe that all citizens should have access to necessary health and medical care, including preventative care, general physical and mental health care, long-term care, and dental care, regardless of the ability to pay, or any pre-existing conditions. Therefore, we support HR 676, expanded and improved Medicare and Medicaid for all, and require Medicare and Medicaid to pay a reasonable payment for services in a timely manner and reduce denials for testing and prescriptions once prescribed by physicians. We support medical research aimed at curing disease and alleviating suffering. We also support the right to negotiate for cheaper, quality prescription drugs for our citizens.
JUSTICE We believe in a fair and just application of the civil and criminal justice systems which protects victims and defendants, promoting fair sentencing, appropriate safeguards for juvenile offenders, safe prisons, and a comprehensive rehabilitation system to enable prisoners to become productive members of society upon their release. We support a moratorium on the death penalty so that issues of cruel and inhumane treatment can be addressed.
labor
We support the fundamental rights of workers and their families, including the right to form and join a Union, to engage in mutual aid and protection, and to realize the benefits of collective bargaining. We support and urge the immediate adoption of the Employee Free Choice Act. Every worker in Nevada should be entitled to be able to earn a living wage, obtain appropriate job retraining and affordable healthcare and childcare, be protected from unfair business practices and work rules, and earn a pension in order to retire with dignity. We support the requirement to pay prevailing wages on all projects financed in whole or in part by any method with public money or which occur on public lands or which benefit from government oversight. We oppose and urge the repeal of all so called “right to work” laws in the United States. We support pension reform that encourages the establishment and maintenance of defined benefit pension plans for both public sector and private sector employees.
We support fiscal and monetary policies that aim toward long-range stable economic growth, with reasonably balanced annual budgets and with monetary policy being used to deal with short-term inflation and sluggish economic conditions and consider novel sources of new funding that shift the burden from those least able to afford it to those most able to afford it. We believe in a fair tax structure that provides all Americans with an equitable standard of living and provides government expenditures for current operations and an investment in infrastructure and human capital.
We also urge immediate careful planning to fund our existing entitlement programs. Additionally, international trade agreements, such as NAFTA and the WTO should be revised to include requirements that our trading partners meet international environmental standards in the production of products traded and also labor standards so that their employees are treated humanely with respect to working conditions and wages: Fair Trade, not Free Trade.
At the state and local level, we encourage further diversification in our economic development, since diversification provides for greater economic stability. Also the combination of all taxes paid by each Nevadan should be equitable in terms of each individual’s level of income. Finally, all citizens deserve access to affordable housing.
We believe that veterans have been shortchanged and promises have not been kept. We believe that all honorably discharged veterans are owed medically necessary services and care when needed, regardless of the location of the nearest Veterans’ Affairs hospital or the ability to pay. We further believe that all honorably discharged veterans must be provided with help reintegrating into their communities, including, but not limited to, education benefits, counseling services, and appropriate disability payments for those who return from their service to our country with physical injuries, mental health problems, or both.
We believe that adequate funding and support must be provided for spouses/domestic partners, and children of service persons who die in the service of this country
No veteran should be denied medical or mental health based on priority status.
Arts and Culture
We believe that the arts address the needs of Nevada by contributing to both quality of life and quality of place – two elements that stabilize communities enhance the education of our youth and attract new business.
Immigration
We urge Federal lawmakers to pass comprehensive immigration reform. |
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Party Information >
Washoe County 2008 Party Platform |