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Thurston County Democrat Platform 2004
Preamble
We hold forth that Democratic principles are the very foundation of a safe, stable, and prosperous future and that these principles must be woven into the fabric of our social, cultural, and economic lives. We declare our commitment to human rights, justice and opportunity for all. We believe political power should be wielded lightly, responsibly and with full recognition that all power ultimately rests with the people. We are dedicated to encouraging public participation at all levels of our democracy and to realizing its fruits. We believe certain conditions must be addressed before we can fully achieve this goal.
We believe:
- Democratic principles and diversity strengthen our nation and our party;
- Democracy can function properly only with a free and diverse media and an informed citizenry;
- Strong communities and families are the foundation for a safe, stable and prosperous future for all;
- Every individual deserves the opportunity to succeed and the right to live free from fear of injury and discrimination;
- Innovation and responsible planning are necessary to ensure our future;
- We are all responsible for the ethical, economic, environmental and educational legacy we leave our children; and
- Democratic candidates must endorse the principles and spirit of our platform to obtain Thurston County Democrat’s campaign services.
Healthcare and Social Security
We believe that medicine in America is treated as a commodity and that it is unacceptable for 43 million mostly-working Americans to go without health care benefits, and for millions more to go underinsured. We believe the present system results in disparities in health outcomes, and severe personal and financial hardship for many people. We believe that health care is a right central to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
We support:
- Enacting a single payer, universal coverage healthcare system, financed within current resources, that delivers high quality care in an accountable, cost-effective and efficient manner; and
- Systematic engagement of all citizens in productive dialogue regarding the fundamental issues underlying America’s health care crisis.
We oppose:
- The policies in the 2003 Medicare Reform Act, including privatization of Medicare and insufficient prescription drug coverage; and
- Privatizing Social Security.
Foreign Policy and National Security
We believe our foreign policy must empower the people of all nations to gain control of their own destinies. We believe that American foreign policy should promote peace, justice, and democracy around the world. Our foreign policy is credible only to the degree we promote these principles within our own borders. We believe that peace and security in the U.S. depends on respect for the economic, social, and cultural well being of all the world’s people and on the protection of the environments in all nations We believe that our foreign policy must, therefore, deal fairly and honestly with other nations and respect other cultures, religions, customs, and world views.
We support:
- A thorough bipartisan congressional investigation of the apparent manipulation of intelligence and efforts to facilitate war profiteering by the White House with an eye toward reparations to Iraq from those profiteering from war, and bringing criminal charges against those who may have mislead the public;
- A new security policy based on preventing acts of terrorism, strengthening international cooperation and the rule of law, universally reducing weapons proliferation and promoting disarmament, and addressing the root causes of terrorism and other deadly conflicts;
- Full participation in the International Criminal Court of Justice;
- The Middle East peace process, recognizing that Israel’s need for secure borders is no more important than the Palestinians call for self-determination;
- Immediate replacement of American troops in Iraq with a multi-national UN-lead effort to afford the Iraqi people with the opportunity for self-determination and to facilitate stability, peace, and human rights for all Iraqi people;
- Modifying NAFTA and similar “free trade” agreements, in favor of “fair trade” conditioned on worker and human rights and environmental justice;
- Establishing a Dept of Peace at the cabinet level to promote non-violence as an organizing principle in domestic and international affairs;
- Federally funding the Global AIDS fund;
- Repealing family planning gag laws;
- Retiring the preemptive war doctrine and complying with international agreements such as the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, international Campaign to Ban Land mines (ICBL), Depleted Uranium, the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions, and the Small Arms Treaty; and
- Ratifying the Convention to End the Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), thereby supporting the end of discrimination against women around the world.
We oppose:
- Imperialism;
- Preemptive war;
- War profiteering; and
- International agreements like NAFTA, WTO, and the World Bank, that facilitate global corporatization and value corporate rights over human rights.
Corporate Power
We believe corporations are vital to our economy and standard of living, and that business friendly laws can be beneficial. We believe corporations should not play a role in our body politic or use our constitution in the courts to thwart our democratically enacted laws, made possible because the U.S. Supreme Court granted corporations status as people under the Constitution. This has enabled corporations to use their power to exert undue influence over our political process and dramatically diminishing our ability to enact rules to protect our health, safety, and welfare. Our government was created by, of, and for the people, not corporations. Restricting corporate power over democracy is an essential first step to reining in Benedict Arnold corporations.
We support:
- Revoking corporations rights as persons under our constitution and their associated constitutional rights, including the First Amendment right to make political contributions in the corporate capacity;
- Returning governance to “we the people,” enhancing our ability to enact laws to protect our health, safety, and welfare; and
- Reducing corporate corruption by reviewing charters of corporations that violate our laws.
We oppose:
- Tax breaks to corporations and other corporate welfare, unless a verifiable public interest is served.
Labor and Economic Justice
We assert that economic justice and fair labor practices are fundamental to any democratic society. We believe in and support a safe and healthy workplace free from harassment. We believe in workers’ rights to organize, arbitrate and strike when necessary. We believe in rights of association nd free speech, due process, freedom from discrimination, protection from retaliation, and democracy of organization and action.
We support:
- Giving on-strike workers unemployment and retraining benefits;
- 15% set-asides for using union apprentices on public works projects;
- Using fair wage, health insurance, retirement and training provisions in all public works contracts;
- Holding general contractors responsible for all lost state taxes and revenues resulting from misclassifying employees as subcontractors;
- A minimum wage that is a living wage and equal pay for equal work;
- Incentives for businesses to provide family wage jobs, adequate healthcare, pension benefits, and on-site daycare;
- Reducing the rural-urban wage gap, including ensuring that farm workers have adequate housing, wages, and health care;
- Welfare reform sufficient enough to actually reduce poverty;
- Revising trade agreements to protect labor interests on par with corporate interests, including enforceable obligations to respect the International Labor Organization’s core labor standards; and
- Full retirement benefits to age 65.
We oppose
- Charging excess profits for scarce products, misuse of private data and predatory lending by financial institutions;
- Tax law evasion by corporations going offshore;
- Right-to-work laws;
- Using permanent replacement workers during strikes;
- Replacing public employees with low-wage, low benefit contract employees or prison labor;
- Including tips as wages;
- Contracting state services to overseas locations; and
- Using prison labor for corporate gain.
Human and Civil Rights
We are proud of the leading role played by the Democratic Party in the fight for equality of all citizens under the law. We reaffirm our opposition to all discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, education and all government policies and programs, including military service, based on race, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability – whether in this country or another. We believe that food, shelter, medical care, education and jobs are basic human rights. We believe that human rights must not be subordinate to corporate rights in all nations of the world.
We support:
- Aggressive hate crimes prosecution and a national program to encourage respect for tolerance and diversity;
- Women’s rights to reproductive choice, and oppose all efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade;
- Easy, affordable access to family planning and birth control worldwide;
- Marriage as a basic human right and an individual choice with which no government should interfere;
- Tribal governments’ right to self-determination, and the full recognition, enforcement and an accurate interpretation of existing treaty rights;
- Public assistance to safeguard the vulnerable; and
- Increased affordable and low-income housing, with emphasis on home ownership.
We oppose:
- “Defense of Marriage” laws;
- Censorship in any form; and
- The Patriot Act’s infringement on civil rights, or other governmental action subordinating civil rights to national security.
Media Reform
We assert that democracy cannot properly function without an informed citizenry exposed to a wide range of opinion, analysis and debate on important issues, which requires a free and diverse media. We believe that consolidation of media ownership and corporate domination of media seriously threaten citizens’ unfettered access to a diverse marketplace of ideas. The public owns the broadcast airwaves and the internet, and they should be managed to serve the public interest. We assert that when the FCC allows monopolistic and corporate domination of our airwaves and our marketplace of ideas, the FCC acts against the public interest in favor of corporate interests. We demand that the FCC regulate our airwaves to benefit the public and democracy. We believe that content diversity and press freedom must be protected by limiting monopolistic ownership practices and creating incentives to encourage local and minority ownership and public use of media outlets.
We support:
- Ensuring that media license holders provide diverse programming;
- Repealing the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and enacting law to remedy inequities in media control and use.
- Forbidding single market cross-media ownership (between radio and television, or between broadcast and print media);
- Reducing or eliminating TV advertising directed at children;
- Requiring license holders to provide one hour daily of prime time commercial-free local news programming; and
- Establishing a system for community-level, non-profit, and non-commercial radio and TV nationwide.
We oppose:
- Using Broadband over power lines because it interferes with emergency services and other broadcast frequencies, and has tremendous potential for abuse.
Education
We recognize that public schools are the foundation and first lesson of democracy, bringing together children of diverse experience, ability, and background for the common purpose of learning. We believe all students should be given the opportunity to gain computer and technical literacy and that there must be technological equity for students in poorly funded schools. We believe that cultural and arts programs, music, and foreign language classes are vital parts of a balanced education. We believe that the health of students strongly influences their ability to learn. We believe that basic education is a right of all citizens, is mandated by the state constitution, and is thus the fiduciary responsibility of our government.
We support:
- Full and consistent state funding for basic education, including appropriately compensated staff and state-of-the-art facilities;
- Passing school excess levies and bond issues with a simple majority;
- Full state and national funding for all basic, gifted and special education programs;
- Programs to encourage volunteers to work in public schools;
- Reducing class sizes;
- Generous funding for community colleges to foster a culture of life-long learning.
- Learning environments free from violence and intimidation;
- Free breakfast and lunch programs for the needy;
- Improving the nutritional value of school food and ridding schools of vending machines containing unhealthy foods and beverages; and
- Federal or state funded student loan repayment programs to assist those in any profession in repaying their student loans while working in public interest sector jobs.
We oppose:
- Using schools to instill consumerism and commercial values in our youth with for-profit advertising in our schools and buses;
- Exposing students and teachers to toxic chemicals including pesticides and neurotoxic insecticides by using them on school grounds;
- The unfunded “No Child Left Behind” Act, which is unworkable and damaging to public education; and
- Charter schools because they reduce funding to our public schools.
Government and Political Reform
We assert that our government is the embodiment of the people and that politics are grounded in service, and as such both must be reflective of our values as citizens. We believe our government must operate ethically and fairly, remain fiscally sound, has no place in the establishment or support of religion, and must remain open and transparent. We believe our political leaders must be held accountable to the will of the people. We believe it is imperative that our faith in our government and in our political system be restored through a process of constructive reform.
We support:
- Strong enforcement of tough ethics laws;
- Citizen sponsored and financed initiatives in which signatures are freely given by registered voters and gathered by unpaid volunteers;
- A balanced budget that does not endanger our social and economic safety net, including Medicare and Medicaid.
- Implementing the Washington State Tax Structure Committee’s findings to create a progressive state tax structure;
- Immediate roll back of the Bush Tax cuts;
- Separation of church and state and the roll-back of government programs that support religion, including so-called “faith-based initiatives,” which allow religious groups without non-profit status to collect federal dollars to provide social services; and
- The Pledge of Allegiance without “under God.”
We oppose:
- Mandated or officially sanctioned led prayer in public schools.
Environment and Energy
We recognize our quality of life and the environment are inextricably linked. We believe the limited resources of our environment have suffered and ecosystems and habitats are severely stressed under the pressures of human activity and recognize our responsibility for this condition. We believe we must promote sustainable approaches to preserve and restore our natural resources. Our goal is a sustainable society in which, for generations to come, individuals can be assured of adequate pure water, clean air, fertile soil, and sufficient sources of renewable energy to provide for their basic needs. We believe that, rather than treating natural resources as fungible assets suitable for short-term economic exploitation, it is the primary and perpetual responsibility of our government to exercise good stewardship of natural resources.
We support:
- Strengthening and vigorously enforcing environmental laws;
- Adequately funding monitoring, enforcement, and emergency response programs;
- Preserving road-less areas, free-flowing rivers and other wilderness;
- Sustainable managing forests, tidelands and grazing lands;
- Revising the 1872 Mining Act to end extraction in environmentally sensitive public lands and appropriately compensate the public;
- Aggressive efforts to preserve and restore wild salmon stocks;
- Aggressive regulation and inspection of oil tankers and pipelines;
- Banning offshore drilling leases;
- Phasing out toxins in our environment;
- Conservation, reuse and recycling of natural resource materials, including all industrial wastes;
- Public “right to know” laws for pesticides and toxic chemicals, including heavy metals, and laws protecting us from unwilling chemical exposure;
- Strong organic food labeling laws;
- Investing in clean, efficient, renewable and sustainable power sources;
- Incentives for power plants to retrofit with pollution prevention technologies; and
- Requiring voter approval of large energy projects before bonds are issued.
We oppose:
- Using Hanford Nuclear Reservation as a national radioactive waste dump;
- Oil development and exploration in any national wildlife refuge or wilderness area;
- Trading of energy and pollution credits;
- Tying funding of school construction to logging; and
- Use of cyanide leaching in mining operations.
Election Reform
We assert that elections are the most fundamental way citizens participate in government; participating in the democratic process is a right and duty of citizenship. We believe elections must be fair and open to all citizens. We believe accurate and verifiable election results are more important than quickly announcing a winner. We believe the systems and processes of running elections at all levels must be substantively reformed to ensure good stewardship and restore faith in results of elections.
We support:
- Encouraging voter participation, including making election holidays and requiring that employers provide citizens with sufficient time off to vote;
- Returning voting rights to persons convicted of crimes but released from prison;
- Abolishing political candidate filing fees and replacing them with broad signature requirements;
- Public financing of all election campaigns;
- Laws requiring all broadcast license holders to provide adequate free airtime to political candidates as a condition of getting their FCC license;
- State and federal funding to study Instant Runoff Voting, including pilot projects to explore its viability in future elections;
- Electing the president and vice-president popularly without the electoral college;
- Using voter-verified paper ballots for all elections, whether votes are counted electronically or otherwise;
- Regular and random voting system audits and using only voting systems that are completely open to public scrutiny, including software;
- For national elections, a federal requirement prohibiting the opening of election boxes until all polls have closed; and
- A closed primary in which only declared Democrats choose the Democratic candidate.
Sustainable Growth
We recognize that growth and development are essential ingredients of a strong economy that in turn helps to ensure livelihoods and an acceptable quality of life for all people. We believe that unregulated growth, urban sprawl, and encroachment on agricultural and environmentally critical areas are detrimental and unsustainable. We believe that growth should pay for itself, and communities should not be expected to underwrite the staggering costs of new schools, roads, police and fire protection, and other essential public services associated with development. We believe the Growth Management Act must mandate careful land use planning that concentrates growth in existing urban areas, preserves open space; urban lakes, waterways, and wellheads; farm and forest land; and promotes healthy, livable communities.
We support:
- Regional and inter-jurisdictional cooperation in growth management and managing growth within urban growth boundaries;
- Incentives for infill development and disincentives to sprawl, including impact and other mitigation fees;
- Encouraging “smart growth” principles, including mixed use neighborhoods, high density housing with ample green space;, basing community design on resource conservation and waste reduction; and creating pedestrian oriented neighborhoods
- Financially supporting the establishment, growth and patronage of locally owned and operated businesses; and
- Encouraging and empowering governments to assist businesses with regulatory compliance and efficiency.
Transportation
We assert that quality, affordable transportation must be available to everyone, especially senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people with little or no income. We believe there must be public involvement at all levels in developing and maintaining our transportation systems. We believe we can not build our way out of traffic congestion and that thoughtful land-use planning and growth management practices are critical to realizing the goals of an efficient, environmentally sound, and affordable system of transportation. We believe we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil and polluting fossil fuels. Our government must aggressively develop an integrated, multi-modal transportation system that minimizes further environmental impact through current technologies, non-polluting and efficient vehicles, supports use of our existing infrastructure, and broadens choices.
We support:
- High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and their expansion on I-5 between Olympia and Tacoma;
- Applying higher fuel economy standards for all vehicles, including water and air craft, including higher CAFÉ standards on all vehicles, to limit health and environmental impacts of emissions and to limit foreign oil reliance, even if this must be done through state law;
- Improving and expanding the national rail system, including passenger and freight service and track bed and infrastructure improvements;
- Research and development on vehicles and transportation systems, like clean buses to make public transit more clean, convenient, and competitive;
- Tax incentives to employers supporting trip reduction and using energy efficient and alternatively fueled fleets, and call on government to lead by example;
- Changing the Washington Constitution to allow gas tax revenues to support more than just highways and roads;
- Taxing selected petroleum product sales to support mass transit, vanpools, commuter and light rail, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities; and
- Financially supporting new drivers’ education on alternative transportation options.
Criminal Justice
We recognize that crime and violence erode the quality of life for children and adults alike. We believe that it is the responsibility of government to work cooperatively with communities and the private sector to identify and nurture means of providing hope, opportunity and the quality of life essential to alleviating the conditions that are closely linked to crime and violence. We believe that investment in education, health care, social services, including programs to reduce domestic violence, and job training is a prerequisite to improving these conditions. We believe that, in turn, every citizen has the obligation to support legitimate authority in carrying out its duties under the law. We believe that, to be effective, any approach to reduction of crime and violence must focus first on prevention and that prevention and intervention must begin at an early age.
We support:
- Separate housing of non-violent and mentally impaired offenders from inmates who require medium and high security incarceration;
- Placing juvenile offenders only with other juvenile offenders and rehabilitating them;
- Rehabilitation, not retribution, should be the criminal justice system’s primary goal;
- Law enforcement must strive toward mutual respect with the public;
- Meeting the funding requirement of our social service needs before considering the construction of jails such as the Thurston County Justice Center;
- Three strikes you’re out, only when two of the felonies are violent crimes; and
- gun ownership with safety requirements including:
- Trigger locks or gun safes;
- Licensing, background checks, and gun safety training for all gun ownership;
- Holding gun owners legally responsible for weapons misuse and banning automatic hand guns and cheaply made guns like “Saturday night specials;” and
- Limiting issuance of concealed weapons permits.
We oppose:
- All forms of racial profiling;
- Execution of mentally challenged people and those under sixteen when they committed their crime; and
- Mandatory minimum sentences, in favor of judicial discretion.
