PLATFORM OF THE SKAGIT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY

As adopted by the Skagit County Democratic Convention

April 12, 2008 

Our Vision

The Skagit County Democratic Party sees a bright future with broad participation of diverse groups working together to create a healthy, equitable society incorporating government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Our Mission

The Skagit County Democratic Party is an inclusive political organization that seeks to elect Democrats committed to the core values of our constituents and the Platform of the Washington State Democratic Party.

Preamble

Excerpts from President Franklin D. Roosevelt's

State of the Union message to Congress, January 11, 1944

"This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights - among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however, - as our industrial economy expanded - these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness. We cannot be content, no matter how high the general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people - whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth - is ill fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

We have come to a clear realization that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.  People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day, these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all - regardless of station, race, or creed.  Among these are:

·        The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

·        The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

·        The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

·        The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition by monopolies at home or abroad;

·        The right of every family to a decent home;

·        The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

·        The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

·        The right to a good education.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our people." 

Our Platform

As Democrats we respect the rights guaranteed by our Constitution that support:

·        Economic Opportunity;

·        Social and Civil Justice;

·        Personal Freedom;

·        Security;

·        Privacy.

We are dedicated to achieving peace, prosperity, opportunity and a government based on responsible optimism.

Our platform rests on the principles that there should be:

·        Security for all citizens;

·        Education, jobs and economic opportunity for all;

·        Accessible and affordable healthcare for all Americans;

·        Rebuilding of our reputation in the world as a cooperative and just country;

·        Reversal of the erosion of civil liberties in our country;

·        Recognition that diversity strengthens our nation;

·        Recognition that we are responsible for our ethical, economic, environmental and   educational legacy.

Skagit County Democrats adopt this platform to ensure that voters and candidates for public office understand and support our goals.

Agriculture

We believe that agriculture is the number one industry in Washington State, and we support programs to insure the availability of high-quality food, and preserve family farms to maintain the viability of the land.

We support:

·        Policies that promote and encourage small, safe, and clean local food production;

·        The production of food in close proximity to consumers in Washington State;

·        The use of household gardens for food production;

·        Food production and small farm classes in Washington State schools;

·        Industrial hemp as a source of jobs in the growing, processing, manufacture and export of industrial hemp and hemp based products.

We oppose:

·        Food production and distribution that depends on large, energy inefficient machinery;

·        The production, processing and transportation of food by large anonymous corporations that rob the consumer of knowledge about food products and stifle the local economy;

·        The use of prime agricultural lands for non-agricultural uses such as wetland mitigation banks or residential, commercial, or industrial development. 

Economic Development, Corporate Power, & Media Reform

We believe that corporate influence on the political process should end.

We support laws making it unlawful:

• For a corporation to make any political contribution or expenditure for political activities;
• For directors and officers of corporations to consent to any political contribution or expenditure by a corporation;
• For any candidate, political party, committee or other person to knowingly accept or receive any political contribution or expenditure from a corporation.

We support legislation that:

• Protects people from malfeasance and evils committed by corporations by holding corporations liable for their actions;
• Holds subject to criminal prosecution corporate executives who make decisions that cause great suffering or death;
• Requires corporations to compensate victims of corporate malfeasance.

We oppose:

• Any war waged for the benefit of a corporation or corporations.

We believe that the free flow of information is fundamental to democracy.

We believe that equal time provisions must be restored by the media and that promotion of local, public control of the airwaves must be made a priority; presidential debates shall be open to all candidates meeting a defined threshold of support and run by a non-partisan commission comprised of representatives of publicly owned media outlets.

We call on all Members of Congress to provide adequate funding for Public Broadcasting and urge that steps be taken to assure transparency of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in order to guarantee the public that the Corporation is free of political pressure. 

We call on all Members of Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to:

• Hold hearings in order to truly understand how consolidation has adversely impacted communities across the country;
• Take steps to increase access to minority ownership of media outlets;
• Strengthen media ownership regulations to limit the number of newspapers and media outlets one corporation may own;
• Demand divestiture of media consolidation, private and corporate, to a pre-1995 status.

Education

We believe that all children have a right to a quality education.

We recommend multiple measures for high-stakes decisions in public education besides standardized testing in light of the following:

·        There is a local and national tendency to rush toward standardized testing for high-stakes decisions in public education, in spite of mounting evidence that standardized tests penalize students who are second-language speakers and from lower socio-economic groups.

·        The funds being spent to support these high-stakes standardized tests could more effectively go toward proven methods of effective learning, such as smaller class size.

We support:

·        Rescinding No Child Left Behind legislation;

·        Establishing facilities and programs that advance vocational and technical education.

Environment & Energy

We believe it is imperative that every citizen of the United States practices energy conservation measures as we pursue alternative sources of energy to relieve our dependence on foreign oil.

We further believe that protection of the environment is essential to maintaining a strong economy for the long term.

We support:

·        Continued research into the cost, efficiency and environmental impacts of proposed alternative fuels;

·        Alternative forms of energy and fuel demonstrated to be clean, safe, renewable, sustainable, and cost effective;

·        Programs that protect air and water quality;

·        Programs that support the preservation and restoration of wild salmon runs and habitat;

·        Water conservation measures and restoration of adequate instream flows for fish and wildlife;

·        Transfer of technologies to developing nations to promote their use of renewable energy.

We support legislation designed to:

·        Join with other states and with other nations to achieve immediate implementation of a Washington State Greenhouse Action Plan;

·        Reduce our nation’s reliance on fossil fuels;

·        Acknowledge the seriousness and urgency of global warming and to ratify the Kyoto Protocol;

·        Promote subsidies for energy conservation, efficiency measures and renewable energy including solar, wind, tidal, micro-hydro and non-GMO bio-mass fuels;

·        Reduce carbon emission in the United States by 5% per year by implementing conservation and efficiency measures and by building a renewable energy infrastructure;

·        Promote rapid and decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emission to 80% of 1990 levels by 2050;

·        Help fossil fuel dependant countries to implement renewable energy technologies;

·        Create economic incentives for companies that produce, install, and service renewable technologies;

·        Impose mandatory carbon caps and allow 100% auction of pollution permits;

·        Require most packaging to be recyclable and giving industry a time table for completion of research to produce recyclable packaging materials

·        Enact laws to be implemented by federal and state environmental agencies creating a pay-as-you-pollute taxation system and requiring polluters to pay for clean-up of their pollution. .

We believe that Washington State should join with other states and the District of Columbia to enact clean energy standards that ensure that electric utilities purchase 15% of their power from clean, appropriately sited renewable resources by 2020 and realize all available cost-saving energy efficacy.

We support legislation requiring all motor vehicle manufacturer and dealer advertising for all new motor vehicles manufactured after 2008 to include the following information developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy:

·        EPA miles per gallon of fuel estimates;

·        Estimated annual tons of carbon dioxide emitted (carbon footprint);

·        A global warming pollution score;

·        The number of barrels of oil required annually for average use;

·        A clearly visible link to the joint U.S. EPA and DOE websites on fuel efficiency.

We oppose:

·        Development of nuclear energy, new coal-fired power plants, liquid coal, and types of biofuels the production of which harms the environment;

·        Any other form of alternative energy or fuel that current scientific knowledge or further research demonstrates to be inefficient, expensive, or harmful to human health, welfare, or the environment.

We believe that we are stewards of our waters, forests, lands and other natural resources.

We call on all Members of Congress to overrule the Bush Administration’s plan to sell Federal timberlands for logging or other exploitive purposes.

We oppose:

·        Selling or trading of undeveloped or pristine public land for more commercially profitable land  which has already been developed as is currently being done by our State of Washington Lands Commissioner;

·        Any further funding of Black Rock Dam and other irrigation storage projects.

Foreign Policy

We believe the United States must work cooperatively with other nations to restore our good name in the community of nations and to promote a sustainable, nonviolent world.

We believe that the Unites States of America should:

·        Pay off the $1.5 billion it owes the United Nations for past dues and peace keeping expenses;

·        Suspend military aid to Israel while Israel is in violation of international law;

·        Create a Middle East Peace Conference to bring all parties to dialogue seeking conflict resolution and cessation of violence;

·        Normalize our relations with our neighbors in Cuba;

·        Work with other governments and the United Nations to secure fissile material to a high standard and abolish nuclear weapons worldwide.

Government & Political Reform

We call upon our Congressional delegation to support and co-sponsor a Cabinet level Department of Peace and Nonviolence and that it be established to study and advance peace and nonviolence as a priority in strengthening foreign policy, working with the world community and supporting international agreements.

We believe that fair and free elections are fundamental to democracy.

We support laws to protect the integrity of our votes that include the following provisions:

·        Voting processes should be owned and operated in the public domain;

·        Clean money laws to keep all corporate funds out of campaign financing should be proposed and passed;

·        There must be a voter verified paper ballot for every vote cast which will be the legal ballot of record;

·        Additional uniform nationwide standards should be determined by a  non-partisan, nationally recognized commission;

·        Election Day should be made a national holiday;

·        All votes must be counted publicly and locally in the presence of citizen witnesses and credentialed members of the media;

·        All computer voting systems must use open source software;

·        Spot check audits shall be conducted on 5% of all voting machines; these audits shall compare machine results with results obtained by human eyes.

·        Preference voting and proportional representation in Presidential elections should replace the winner-take-all system in the Electoral College;

·        Our support for a verifiable, voter-assisted alternative that helps people with disabilities;

·        Instant Runoff Voting in Washington State for all state and local elections;

We support the American Correctional Association in its call to end the practice of withholding voting rights from parolees and people who have completed their prison terms

We believe that the Washington State Primary should be moved from September to May to give more time for the general campaign.

We call on the Washington State Super Delegation to:

·        Apportion themselves between the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in numbers that accurately reflect the presidential preferences of delegates at the precinct caucuses;

·         Call on Super Delegates from other states to likewise apportion themselves based upon the percentages of presidential preferences of the 3,253 delegates selected by the caucus and primary system.

We believe that campaign contributions by special interests corrupt the electoral process.

We support Public Financing for all candidates running for state and national legislative and executive offices.  We are in a national crisis because of the influence of those who are financially able to influence our representatives acting in State and Federal Legislative Bodies. We need to remove the influence of those with deep pockets by making campaign expenses into public expenses.  We must halt continuing our present policy of making campaign expenses into an opportunity for lobbyists and large corporations to influence our Representative's Vote.

We believe that taxpayer funded scientific research should strive to produce the best available science to inform policy decisions affecting our health, safely, and environment.

We support:

·        Scientific openness within all federal agencies that will promote the free exchange of information consistent with the scientific process;

·        Open and transparent science-based decision-making within all federal agencies;

·         Public access to government studies and findings of scientific advisory boards;

·        Scientists appointed to scientific advisory committees who meet high professional standards; 

·        Ensuring that  appointees to scientific advisory committees do not have conflicts of interest;

·        Investigating and taking action to expose and enforce against abuses of science for partisan political ends;

·        Ensuring that federal agency scientists who speak out against the suppression or distortion of scientific findings will not face retribution.

We oppose:

·        Censorship of scientific studies and reports;

·        Explicit or covert questioning of nominees to scientific advisory committees to determine their political loyalty;

·        Altering underlying scientific facts and distorting and censoring scientific findings to serve political purposes and reach predetermined political decisions;

·        Appointment to scientific panels of unqualified individuals who have financial ties or regulated industry affiliation that could represent a conflict of interest;

·        The disbanding of important scientific advisory panels;

·        The suppression, manipulation, and distortion of scientific research and findings for political ends.

Healthcare

We believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and our government should recognize its responsibility to assure accessible, affordable healthcare for all.

 At present in the United States, we are faced with the following injustices:

·        47 million people are uninsured;

·        20,000 die each  year because they cannot afford the medical care needed to stay alive;

·        $2.2 trillion ($2,200,000,000,000) spent on healthcare in the U.S. in 2007;

·        $400 billion ($400,000,000,000) wasted on unnecessary administrative costs;

·        $100 billion ($100,000,000,000) lost to billing fraud annually;

·        50% of working-family bankruptcies are the result of medical debt.

We support the United States National Health Insurance Act (HR 676) and call on all Members of Congress to support and enact it.

We support:

·        Funding for general availability of Plan B, a medication which prevents implantation of the egg after unprotected sex;

·        Free distribution of contraceptives;

·        A woman’s right to control her own body, including the termination of an unplanned pregnancy;

·        Appropriate funding and curriculum for comprehensive, medically accurate sex education for the children in their states that shall cover, but not be limited to matters of sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, the cost of raising a child, and the responsibilities and obligations of being a parent;

·        Family planning services as a priority in Washington State;

·        A plan to address overpopulation in the United States and the world;

·        A streamlined process to approve medically-sound and effective birth control methods developed in other countries so that access to them will be available to U.S. residents.

Human & Civil Rights

We believe that all Washington Cities and County Governments should pass resolutions in support of our Bill of Rights to affirm Democratic support of the Constitution. 

We call on Senators Murray and Cantwell as well as other leaders to condemn domestic spying by agencies of the United States Government and to call for immediate Congressional action to hold President Bush and members of his administration responsible for this illegal, unconstitutional behavior.

We urge the Washington Congressional delegation to monitor federal anti-terrorism tactics and support sunset provisions in the Patriot Act.  They must thoroughly research and understand threats to the Constitutional rights in any new legislation that assaults privacy, due process, increased government secrecy or the checks and balances in government.

We oppose:

·        The recording, filing or sharing of intelligence information thru library lending records, library research records, book and video store rentals, rental records, medical records, financial records, student records and other personal data, even if authorized by the USA Patriot Act;

·        Eavesdropping on confidential communications between lawyers and their clients. 

We believe that marriage is a human right and should not be restricted by sexual orientation or gender identity.

We urge the general public to refuse to sign any initiative and/or to vote against any referendum intended to take away the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender individuals.

We support the end of discrimination in marriage by amending the Murray/Anderson Act to include marriage.

Immigration

We believe that immigration reform must be approached in a comprehensive and realistic way.

This would include, at a minimum, the following fundamental principles:

·        A path to legalization, documentation, and citizenship;

·        Programs offering immigrants instruction in English and preparation for citizenship;

·        Support for local communities working to welcome newcomers and welcome them into the community;

·        Basic civil liberties and human rights for all;

·        Due process rights for everyone;

·        Reforms allowing those who are admitted on work visas to keep their nuclear families intact;

·        Immigrants’ right to a drivers’ license providing the license issued would indicate citizenship and voter status;

·         Work permits, travel permission, and access to educational opportunities for undocumented immigrants who have undergone background and security checks;

·        Citizenship for students who entered the U.S. as children and have been educated at least five years in U.S. schools;

·        A system that targets and criminalizes employers who recruit undocumented workers from abroad for economic gain;

·        Mechanisms to meet legitimate needs for new workers without compromising the rights and opportunities of workers already here;

·        Wider channels so that needed workers can be legally admitted to fill available jobs;

·        A worker visa program that adequately protects wages and working conditions of U.S. and immigrant workers;

·        The right of immigrant workers to join or form a union;

·        The right of immigrant workers to change jobs;

·        Programs that protect law-abiding employers from unscrupulous competitors and the interests of small family farms.

Labor & Economic Justice

We believe that all citizens of the United States should be assured that public monies are administered in a fair and effective manner and that programs and activities deliver services fairly to all children and their families.

We call on all members of Congress to:

·        Take all necessary steps to help the victims of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita rebuild their lives and their homes;

·        Make an accounting of all disaster relief funds and expenditures;

·        Support the National Housing and Trust Fund Act and support low interest loans to first time home buyers;

·        Immediately raise the Federal minimum wage to a living wage;

·        Mandate a return to the tax laws to the 2000 level;

·        Pass legislation that increases the cap of Social Security Withholding Tax for those earning above the $96,000 level.

We oppose any legislation that would lead to a decline in benefits or lead to a lessening of procedural protections for injured workers and their families.

We support laws that prohibit the exploitation of foreign and domestic workers in accordance with the following policy:

·        Companies and nations doing business in or with the U.S. shall be required to adhere to the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights  at Work including, but not limited to, the right to organize into unions and the right to collectively bargain;

·        Abolition of child labor;

·        Elimination of forced or compulsory labor;

·        Protection of the environment; 

·        Elimination of discrimination;

·        Elimination of tax breaks for corporations that violate ILO Principles and Rights or that lay-off U.S. workers and move their jobs offshore;

·        Prohibition on our government from moving our jobs offshore.

In the event that laws governing NAFTA, WTO, or CAFTA preclude enactment or enforcement of any part of this policy, the U.S. shall immediately withdraw from such agreements.

Law & Justice

We believe that the Bush Administration has violated the Constitution of the United States of America.

Skagit County Democrats have a long tradition of patriotic duty and want to protect the values inherent in the Constitution of the United States. We request that the Washington State Legislature, along with the Congressional Delegation be directed to cause and institute in the United States Congress proper proceedings for the investigation of the governance of the Executive Branch by George W. Bush as President of The United States.  If impeachable offenses are found, George W. Bush, Richard B. Cheney, and any other member of the Executive Branch who has committed or ordered violations of the law shall be removed from office.

We oppose:

·        The indefinite incarceration of political prisoners;

·        The use of signing statements by the President of the United States to change the meaning of or to bypass laws passed by Congress. 

We believe that the War on Drugs has been an abysmal failure.

We call upon our leaders in government and elsewhere to stop imprisoning people for illicit drug use.  Addiction should be treated as a medical problem and the savings derived from the enforcement of the War on Drugs should be dedicated to the purposes of education, drug treatment, and rehabilitation for the benefit of those addicted.

Current illicit intoxicating addictive substances, including marijuana, should be treated in the same manner as legal intoxicating addictive substances such as alcohol and tobacco.

We believe in the Second Amendment right of private citizens to keep and bear arms.

We support;

·        Gun control legislation that requires unlicensed gun sellers to do the same background checks that are required of licensed gun sellers;

·        Making available a means for unlicensed gun sellers to do mental health and background checks, the cost of which to be borne by the buyer.

·         

We oppose:

·        The death penalty in Washington State.

Military & Iraq War

We believe that the Iraq War is illegal and is hurting the good name of the United States in the community of nations.

We support:

·        Withholding further funding of the war unless the funding request contains a timetable for the safe withdrawal of our troops and all private sector contractors such as Blackwater in the shortest reasonable timetable, not to exceed one year.

·        Legislation that would return all national security functions to our national armed forces, dropping all contracts with private sector armies;

·        An open and fair bidding process for all national security contracts awarded by the United States;

·        A policy assuring that all American military activities must be performed for fair wages by American service personnel;

·        Accountability for all national security contracts awarded by the United States;

·        Development of adequate measures and standards for all contract performance and outcomes;

·        The automatic increase of funding for the Veterans Administration to offset the increase pressure resulting from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan;

We oppose:

·        Pressuring the Iraq government to negotiate an unfair oil deal with multinational corporations.

We believe that members of the United States Armed Services including National Guard and those in the Reserve deserve our admiration, our gratitude, and most of all our support.

We support legislation that assures the following for veterans and service members:

·        Any troops returned to the United States be provided the most convenient transportation to their home at the expense of the military;

·        Educational benefits for use in technical training, college, and other training that supports career development;

·        Complete, highest quality, and life-long healthcare benefits including psychological care, psychiatric care, and treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome;

·        Realistic disability payment to veterans with disabilities;

·        Payment by the military for housing and transportation when veterans require medical treatment available only away from home;

·        Payment by the military for all costs for transporting the remains of the deceased individual soldier to the destination determined by the family of the deceased;

·        Complete access of the media to view and report on the return of caskets of deceased military at Dover, Delaware, and that this information then be made available to the public with the approval of the family;

·        Repealing the present military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”;

·        Legislation that would make all military benefits available to all U.S. citizens regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. 

We oppose:

·        Denying medical expenses to veterans due to claims of pre-existing conditions.

We urge the Washington Congressional delegation to research and support the proposed a plan similar to  “Jobs Plan to Rebuild America” that calls for a 15% reduction in the military budget while at the same time insuring livable incomes and adequate benefits for our men and women in uniform..

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Transportation

We believe that a healthy infrastructure, including our highways, bridges, and rail and ferry systems are essential to the economic wellbeing of our state.

We urge immediately identifying and prioritizing transportation problems in Washington State and establishing a viable funding plan to resolve them.