2004 CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM (as approved by the Clinton County Convention, March 13, 2004)

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

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We reaffirm that the Democratic Party should be the party of the common person and should stand strongly for jobs at a living wage, decent and affordable housing, adequate health care, and a fiscally sound social security system for all.

The increasing flow of our nation's wealth into the hands of fewer people continues.  Tax cuts should not disproportionably benefit the wealthy at the expense of low and middle-income families.

Corporations continue to offer part-time and temporary jobs with no benefits and low wages. We believe that Iowa's future growth is dependent on full employment and that our people need full-time work with benefits and higher pay.  We believe that part-time workers should have pro-rated benefits and decent pay.  We support efforts which give workers organizational opportunities to deal with multinational corporations.

Iowa must continue to maintain the highest standards for all levels of our schools, all students, and all teachers. All Iowa Students deserve competent, caring, and enthusiastic teachers who are well prepared and well compensated.  We must ensure that these schools can provide a top-quality education for their students through an adequate and stable source of K through 14 and university funding.

We support the family farm rather than the large corporate operations (such as, but not limited to, corporate hog factories) that are moving into Iowa.

We reject the position that economic development is not compatible with environmental preservation.  We support the concept of government programs and regulations to preserve the environment, and we support research into environmental hazards and into the means to overcome them.

We recognize the responsibility of governments to facilitate economic development by means of supporting education, scientific research, and infrastructure.  We oppose corporate welfare, the system of government subsidies to businesses.  These include cash grants, tax breaks, subsidized loans, and free public services from the federal government and the State of Iowa.

A top priority of all governments should be to provide our citizens a safe place to live, to make the streets of our cities safe, and to keep our people from having to live in fear of crime.

We recognize that the United Nations has contributed much to our global security through health, education, family planning, UNICEF, and other programs as well as by providing peaceful measures for resolving international conflicts.

We support the national fight against terrorists.  We also salute the men and women who have given life or limb because of terrorist action as well as those who are risking life and limb as part of this effort.

No one including the President of the United States should use this fight to advance personal or partisan goals.  However, we believe that the President has been using the popular support for countering terrorism to distract public attention while he advances a partisan agenda.   This includes privatizing social security, weakening environmental laws, renouncing international treaties, and other partisan matters.  We denounce such behavior.

We oppose discrimination based on gender, age, race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, disability, or ethnicity.

(AE) AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

AE-1.  Prime farmland should be protected from urban sprawl, encroachment by highways, and other types of development pressure.  Urban development should concentrate on the renewal and revitalization of urban property.

AE-2. The US should be the leader in encouraging renewable fuels and fuel efficiency. Government energy programs should include further fuel efficiency as an important component. At least 10% of our energy should come from renewable sources such as solar, wind, soy diesel, ethanol, and others by 2010.  There should be a ten-year $300 billion strategic investment in clean energy by the federal government.

AE-3.  We support preservation of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and all national parks and refuges, and we urge restrictions of commercial development including harvesting of lumber and mineral resources.

AE-4. Current environmental laws should be strengthened and enforced.

AE-5.   We support local and regional producers of agricultural products.  We encourage the move towards organic production of such products.

AE-6. We support the family farm and support startup economic assistance to young family farmers. We should prohibit packer ownership of livestock.  We propose a cap on subsidy payments to large corporate farms and agriculture subsidies to other large corporations.

AE-7. We support increased funding for federal inspections for all food processing.

AE-8.  Wetlands should be protected.

(EL) ECONOMY, COMMERCE, AND LABOR

EL-1.  We should have a goal for when we should have balanced trade.

EL-2.  NAFTA and the WTO should be repealed and bilateral trade agreements should be substituted including tougher, fair worker rights and environmental standards.

EL-3.  Goods should not be imported into the United States produced by repressive child labor, or from factories that have unsafe or unhealthful working conditions or that do not pay workers a living wage.

EL-4.  The tax laws should apply equally to all who live or work in the United States.

EL-5.  Tax loopholes and destructive offshore business incentives should be eliminated.

EL-6. We support funding the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (I.P.E.R.S.) at a level that supports the actuarial based assumptions. Therefore we support increasing the contribution rate by 1% per year for the next 4 years and maintaining the current ratio of 60% funding by the employer and 40% funding by the employee.

EL-7.  We oppose the state of Iowa diverting or borrowing money from the IPERS retirement fund.

EL-8.  The Federal Railroad Administration should enact comprehensive rules and regulations enforcing the utmost safe operations of remote control locomotives.  All remote control locomotive operations should cease and desist until such time as the FRA issues comprehensive rules and regulations.

EL-9.  We support project labor agreements and using Vision Iowa monies for financing these agreements.

EL-10.  We support raising the state minimum wage to a living wage based on the Illinois definition of living wage and indexed to the cost of living.

EL-11. We call for continued government support and subsidies for long distance passenger train service, full funding for Amtrak, and we call for the extension of passenger train service to Clinton County.

EL-12.  In order to keep top firefighters and law enforcement employees in the state of Iowa, the state needs to ensure that adequate protection is available to care for the families of any employee killed or injured in the line of duty.

EL-13.  We support the repeal of Iowa's so-called "Right-to-work"  law and thus allow employers and unions to bargain freely over union security clauses.

EL-14.  We support the rights of workers to organize by supporting card check recognition for public sector workers in Iowa, by advocating for reform of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to include card-check recognition for private sector workers, and add meaningful penalties to the NLRA to punish employers who violate the rights of workers.

EL-15.  If a temporary employee works in a company over 90 days, he/she should become a regular employee with benefits.

EL-16.  We support equal pay for equal work.

EL-17.  Federal school-to-work opportunities should be renewed and re-funded.

EL-18.  The hiring of replacement workers during a labor dispute should be illegal.

EL-19.  The laws prohibiting redefining workers as independent contractors not eligible for benefits or protection should be enforced.

EL-20.  Public entities should be required to pay prevailing wage on construction projects valued at over $2000.

EL-21.  Prison labor should not be used to replace bargaining unit workers.

EL-22.  Wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment should be mandatory subjects of bargaining for public employees.

EL-23.  We oppose the privatization of public services.

(ED) EDUCATION

ED-1.  We support adequate funding for pre-kindergarten programs, K-12, AEA's, community colleges, and other educational programs including after school programs, full federal funding for special education and an allowable growth of at least 6.0%. We support funding for early identification and treatment of special-needs and hostile/violent behavior.

ED-2.  We support raising the pay of K-12 and community college teachers to the national average and call for funding meaningful professional development for teachers.

ED-3.  We support increased aid to students including federal Pell Grants, college work-study, veterans' educational benefits, college tax credits and grants, and other scholarships, grants, low-interest loans, and forgivable loans.

ED-4.  Recent tuition increases at public universities and community colleges should be reversed.

ED-5.  Federal and state educational funds should be used for public education.  These funds should not be diverted to private K-12 schools in the form of vouchers or in other forms.

ED-6. We support funding for Headstart, for the Iowa Communication Network, for achieving and maintaining proper class sizes, for repair and maintenance of public school buildings and infrastructure, for school equipment and technology, for compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act in schools and for School Resource Officers.

ED-7.  Recent educational budget cuts should be reversed.  New funding sources should be provided.  We support increasing state revenues by $400 million to provide adequate funding for schools and to maintain critical existing programs.  We call for restraint in the area of tax cuts.  In case of a revenue shortfall, the state should remember the importance of all levels of education.

ED-8.  The No Child Left Behind Act should be corrected and fully funded. Sanctions against schools should be suspended until such funding is in place.  Corrections should be planned with the help of educators and should include realistic and attainable goals, flexibility in measuring schools' progress and in improving schools, avoiding sanctions on entire schools because of problems among small groups, avoiding evaluations based on a single high-stakes test, giving consideration to circumstances inside and outside classrooms that affect the ability to learn, and other necessary corrections.  Federal and state mandates should always be fully funded.

ED-9.  Local sales and property taxes should be de-emphasized for educational funding provided sufficient funding is made available.

ED-10.  Funding should be increased for public libraries, the arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and for individual artists.

ED-11.  Programs and grants should be developed to assist holders of baccalaureate, masters, and PhD degrees in gaining secondary teaching credits.

ED-12.   We oppose lowering teacher-licensing requirements in K-12.

GO (GOVERNMENT)

GO-1.  The Electoral College should be eliminated in favor of a popular vote system.

GO-2. There should be room in America for diverse viewpoints; therefore we condemn any use of a grand jury or subpoena power to stifle dissent or to intimidate dissenters.

GO-3.  We demand a revision of the Iowa Criminal Code to abolish unnecessary, unjust, and unduly costly mandatory prison requirements and to allow local judicial discretion.

GO-4.  We support efforts to protect the nation from terrorist attacks without suppressing basic human rights or allowing war to

1. preempt needed diplomacy, scarce resources, and peace and justice options

2. give license to the war efforts of others

3. militarize our nation.

Therefore be it resolved that we support repeal of the Patriot Act.

GO-5.  We support the government workers, pilots, airline security workers, and any other workers to maintain their rights to union membership regardless of the Patriot Act/Homeland Security Act.

GO-6.  Anti-trust laws should be strengthened and enforced.

GO-7.  Existing gun control laws should be strengthened and enforced.

GO-8.  It should be illegal to "tag-tail" bills onto other bills.  Each bill voted on in Congress should stand alone on its own merits.

GO-9.  Immigration laws should be reviewed.

GO-10.  We call for the abolition of capital punishment in the United States.

GO-11.  We oppose electric utility deregulation unless there is protection for utility workers; assurance of affordable, reliable, and safe electric service; and environmental protection.

GO-12.  The legislature should not adopt local property tax freeze measures.

GO-13. We support maintenance and enforcement of the Universal Building Code for Iowa.

GO-14.  Anyone who ever served in the US military and received an honorable discharge should be given all the rights that all wartime veterans enjoy.

GO-15. We support review of TIF regulations.

GO-16.  We support maintaining the reciprocity tax agreement between Iowa and Illinois.

GO-17.   We oppose raising the speed limit on Iowa interstate highways above 65 miles per hour.

(HR) HUMAN RESOURCES AND HEALTH CARE

HR-1.  As health care costs escalate, and the average American's health is deteriorating we support funding of preventative medicine, alternative medicines, and the funding of research into these fields.

HR-2.  Congress should mandate full and unlimited stem cell research.

HR-3.  Be it resolved that veterans'  health care be paid for the same way as Medicare so the secondary insurance can be used to insure that the needed care and medicines will be available for all Veterans in America.

HR-4.  Be it resolved that the Democratic Party recognize that life is important at all stages of human development and that constituents have differing opinions on how to address the difficult abortion/human rights issue. We respect everyone?s differences.

HR-5.  MINORITY PLANK.  Be it resolved that the Democratic Party recognize that the constituents have differing opinions on the difficult abortion/human rights issue and respect their differences.

HR-6. Be it resolved that the Iowa Democratic Party call upon the state of Iowa to use its bulk purchasing power to directly negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for the prices on prescription drugs, and to pass savings on to seniors, people with disabilities, and the underinsured.

HR-7.  The Medicare prescription drug coverage gap between $2,250 and $5,100 should be eliminated. The Medicare program should become a purchaser of value and reward high-quality, low cost health care providers for their services. Congress should change the Medicare geographical adjustment to reflect the true relative cost of living in each area and discontinue reimbursement based on historic norms.

HR-8.  Be it resolved that those who are uninsured or at risk of losing their health care benefits be granted access to adequate and affordable health care coverage. HR-9.  We support universal, single payer health care for all Americans of all ages, because health care should be provided as a basic human right.

HR-10.  We propose the creation of a new WPA type program to rebuild America's infrastructure thus creating millions of new jobs.

HR-11.  State and federal funding to eliminate domestic abuse and neglect should be increased.  The Iowa Legislature should reinstate the line item of Victims Services Funding, which is necessary to match federal funding, in order to avoid dramatic losses for the Clinton YWCA's Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Resource Center and other similar programs.

HR-12.  The Social Security program should be preserved as a social insurance program.

HR-13.  There should be a standardization of regulations from state to state which will facilitate the process of adequately serving the needs of the elderly and protecting the finances of the surviving spouse of nursing home residents.

HR-14.  We support separating workers compensation into two parts; one based on medical costs and the other based on wage replacement. We support giving the employee a choice of doctor and eliminating the 1998 changes to the Occupational Hearing Loss Statute.  Workers' records should not be released to firms that blacklist them; current law on first reports of injury and in-state claims reports should be enforced.  Time frames to decide cases should be enacted.

HR-15.  Employers with four or more workers, including the state, must provide family and medical leave.

HR-16.  The "employment at will doctrine" should be eliminated.  Discharged workers should be given access to the courts.

HR-17.  Unemployment compensation should be extended to more than the current percentage of eligible workers and should be extended to people who have to leave employment due to domestic violence.  We oppose diversions from the fund.

HR-18.  We support high-quality, affordable childcare for all children.

HR-19.  We support adequately funding legal services for low-income people.

HR-20.  We support funding for transitional housing programs (i.e. housing for those who may be homeless or leaving abusive relationships).

HR-21.  Congress should provide all managed care consumers with at least the same basic patient protections as those provided by the Medicare program.

HR-22.  A systematic plan should be developed to phase in development of a coordinated, comprehensive long-term care program for the United States that would cover all Americans regardless of age or income.

HR-23.  We support the passage of safe-needle legislation to protect health care workers and other workers.

HR-24.  We support comprehensive mental health parity including substance abuse and treatment for all organic and inorganic mental illness.  Further we support requirements that insurance companies and managed care companies provide mental health benefits for all adults, adolescents, and children. We support ending arbitrary assignment of benefits which limit the number of outpatient visits, in-patient care, and medications for mental health patients.

(IA) INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IA-1.  We believe that there are wasteful practices in military procurement including overcharges and pursuit of systems that won't work.  Such practices should be eliminated.

IA-2. The US government should take notice of the growing evidence of a global warming threat and other environmental concerns and undertake a comprehensive program, in cooperation with other countries, to mitigate these threats.

IA-3.  We support closing the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of Americas) at Ft. Benning, GA.

IA-4.  We support humanitarian aid to needy populations. Food and US made goods should be sent rather than money.

IA-5.  We support all efforts to reduce and prevent the international development, proliferation, and use of nuclear, chemical, biological, and other weapons of mass destruction.  We support the international banning of land mines.

IA-6.  Americans should become aware of the problems caused by global overpopulation.

IA-7.  We support the continuing participation of the United States in the United Nations as a useful and efficient means for reconciling international issues and dealing with mutual concerns facing the global community.  We should pay our legitimate UN debts.

IA-8. We oppose military aid to repressive regimes.

IA-9. We support international treaties such as the Global Warming Treaty, the Anti-Missile Treaty, and the Biological Weapons Convention, among others.

IA-10. As we protect ourselves against attacks by terrorist organizations, we should focus military action on areas with clear connections to threatening organizations.  Any expansion of military action should be undertaken only with clear, attainable antiterrorist goals, only with the concurrence of traditional American allies, and only with the fully informed assent of the US Congress.  Military action should not become the method of first choice in dealing with potential future problems, and international diplomacy should be used wherever possible to defuse potentially threatening situations.