2004 CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

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2008 CLINTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM

As amended and adopted by the Clinton County Democratic Convention, March 15, 2008

= STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

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

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

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-inco= me families.

Cor= porations continue to offer part-time and temporary jobs with no benefits and low wag= es. 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.&nb= sp; 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 pre 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 overco= me them.

We recognize the responsibility of governments to facilitate economic developm= ent by means of supporting education, scientific research, and infrastructure.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We oppose corporate welfare, the s= ystem of government subsidies to businesses.&nbs= p; These include cash grants, tax breaks, subsidized loans, and free pu= blic services from the federal government and the State of Iowa.

A t= op 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 securi= ty through health, education, family planning, UNICEF, and other programs as w= ell as by providing peaceful measures for resolving international conflicts. We strive to become instruments of peace.

We = support the national fight against terrorists.&nbs= p; 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 adva= nces a partisan agenda. This includes privatizing social security, weakening environmental laws, renounc= ing international treaties, and other partisan matters. We denounce such behavior.

Fur= thermore, the President and Vice-President have been using the very real terrorist problem as an excuse for egregious violations of the US Constitution includ= ing the use of false intelligence as an excuse for going to war and massive surveillance without legal warrants. We believe in defending America to the limits of the existing very permissive law, subject to reasonable adjustments to the Patriot Act. But we do not support the contention of the President and Vice-President that t= hey can conduct thousands of surveillances with no attempt to obtain warrants, = and we remind them that the need to obtain a warrant is the difference between a democracy that protects its citizens and an authoritarian regime that persecutes its citizens.

(AE) AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

AE-= 1 The Iowa legislature should pass legislation giving all Iowans the ability to exercise local control over the siting of factory farms. =

AE-= 2 To keep climate disruption from becoming dangerous to human life or health, th= e US should promote and participate proportionally in a mandatory program to red= uce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

AE-= 3 The United States should pursue vigorously only renewable power sources includi= ng, but not limited to solar, tidal, hydrogen, biomass, and wind energy.

AE-= 4 We support immediate action in controlling the odious odor pollution and solids pollution of our environment, and we oppose using studies to delay such act= ion.

AE-= 5 The Iowa legislature should encourage development and redevelopment inside our cities and towns and protect prime farmland from undue private development pressure.

AE-= 6 We support a bike and walking trail along Eden Valley Road.=

AE-= 7 We oppose placing trees and other plants used by wildlife for food and shelter= in areas that limit driver visibility next to our highways.<= /p>

AE-= 8 We should implement a zero tax base loss policy for all public lands acquisiti= ons by federal, state, and county governments.= When federal and state governments take land out of the tax base, th= ey should reimburse county and city governments for the loss of revenue.<= /o:p>

AE-= 9 We oppose road building in the national forests for the purpose of private logging. We support preservat= ion of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and all national parks and refuges, an= d we urge restrictions of commercial development including harvesting of lumber = and mineral resources.

AE-= 10 We support the family farm and support startup economic assistance to young fa= mily farmers. We should prohibit packer ownership of livestock. We propose a cap on subsidy paymen= ts to large corporate farms and agriculture subsidies to other large corporations.

AE-= 11 Current environmental laws and regulations must be strictly enforced, and applied to offshore manufacturing.

AE-= 12 We support increased funding for federal inspections for all food processing.<= o:p>

AE-= 13 Wetlands should be protected.

AE-= 14 We urge that recycling programs be expanded and that items such as paper plate= s be included.

= (EL) ECONOMY, COMMERCE, AND LABOR

EL-= 1 We support strict controls regarding predatory lending including home mortgages and limits on adjustable rate interest increases.

EL-= 2 We support sufficient funding in the state Health Department for funding plumb= ing licenses.

EL-= 3 We believe that all cities should adopt the Uniform Plumbing Code to be consis= tent with the law in the State of = Iowa.

EL-= 4 We support project labor agreements and using Vision Iowa monies for financing these agreem= ents where applicable.

EL-= 5 We support enforcement of contractor licensing.

EL-6 Government entities should lead the way by paying their own employees a liv= ing wage.

EL-= 7 We support establishing a COLA for the minimum wage.

EL-= 8 We support a tax or tariff on all = goods imported into this country by American corporations that have manufactured those goods outside of the USA.

EL-= 9 We should repeal all tax benefits for companies that move off-shore.

EL-= 10 NAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO should be renegotiated to include tougher fair wo= rker rights and environmental standards. &= nbsp; We support greater congressional oversight of trade negotiations rat= her than being limited to yea or nay.

EL-= 11 Goods should not be imported into the United States produced by repressive child labo= r, or from factories that have unsafe or unhealthful working conditions, or fr= om factories that do not pay workers a living wage, or when the goods are unsa= fe or unhealthy.

EL-= 12 Public entities should be required to pay prevailing wage on construction projects.

EL-= 13 We support legislation that allows Iowa workers who are injured on the job to choose their own medical care provide= rs.

EL-= 14 We support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would require union recognition= if a majority of employees sign an authorization. We support the rights of workers to organize by supporting card check recognition for public sector workers in = Iowa, by advocat= ing 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 We support the repeal of Iowa's so-called "Right-to-work" law thus allowing employers and unions = to bargain freely over union security clauses.

= &nb= sp; = <= o:p>

EL-= 16 We support funding of all public employment retirement systems at a level to achieve full actuarial funding within an actuarially reasonable period of time. With respect to the Iowa Public Employment Retirement System (IPERS), we support funding to make the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for pre-1990 retirees and the Favorable Experience Dividend for post-1990 retirees permanently sustainable. We oppose any effort by public emp= loyer entities, whether the State of Iowa or any political subdivision thereof, to divert or borrow funds from, or fu= nds that are required by law to be contributed to, any public employee retireme= nt system. We further oppose any effort by the State of Iowa, or any political subdivision thereof, to require any public employee to pay= any additional contribution to a public employment retirement system to allow t= hat system to attain full actuarial funding until the public entity employer has paid all funds required by law to that fund which previously were not paid.=

EL-= 17 We oppose diversion of any pension fund by private entities.=

EL-= 18 The tax laws should apply equally to all who live or work in the United States.

EL-= 19 The Federal Railroad Administration should enact comprehensive rules and regulations enforcing the utmost safe operations of remote control locomotives. All remote contr= ol locomotive operations should cease and desist until such time as the FRA is= sues comprehensive rules and regulations.

EL-= 20 We call for continued government support and subsidies for long distance passe= nger train service, full funding for Amtrak, and we call for the extension of passenger train service to Clinton County.<= /span>

EL-= 21 In order to keep top firefighters and law enforcement employees in the state o= f 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-= 22 If a temporary employee works in a company over 90 days, he/she should become a regular employee with benefits.

EL-= 23 We support equal pay for equal work.

EL-= 24 The hiring of replacement workers during a labor dispute should be illegal.

EL-= 25 The laws prohibiting redefining workers as independent contractors not eligible for benefits or protection should be enforced.

EL-= 26. Prison labor should not be used to replace bargaining unit workers.

EL-= 27. Wages, hours, and terms and condit= ions of employment should be mandatory subjects of bargaining for public employe= es.

EL-= 28 Employers with four or more workers, including the state, must provide fami= ly and medical leave.

EL-= 29 The "employment at will doctrine" should be eliminated. Discharged workers should be given access to the courts.

= (ED) EDUCATION

ED-1 We support extending the school infrastructure local option sales tax to a statewide tax distributed on a per pupil basis, recalculated annually to adjust the statewide revenues per student.

ED-= 2 We call for funding meaningful professional development for teachers and suppo= rt collective bargaining about pay for professional development time.

ED-= 3 Local sales and property taxes should be de-emphasized for educational funding provided sufficient funding is made available.

ED-4 We support statewide educational standards.

ED-5 We support an allowable growth of at least 6.0%.

ED-6 We support adequate funding for pre-kindergarten pr= ograms, K-12, AEA’s, community colleges, and other educational programs inclu= ding after school programs and including support for increased enrollment and protection in the case of declining enrollment.

ED-= 7 The No Child Left Behind Act should be corrected and fully funded. Sanctions again= st 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, flexib= ility in measuring schools’ progress and in improving schools, avoiding sanctions on entire schools because of problems among subgroups, avoiding evaluations based on a single high-stakes test, giving consideration to circumstances inside and outside classrooms that affect the ability to lear= n, and other necessary corrections. Federal and state mandates should always be fully funded.=

ED-8 We support full federal funding for special educati= on. We support funding for early identification and treatment of special-needs = and hostile/violent behavior.

ED-9 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.<= /span>

ED-= 10 We support raising the pay of K-12 and community college teachers to at least = 25^th in the nation. We support a three-year phase-in of $60 million per year for K-12 and $2 million per year for community colleges.

ED-11 We support a plan to red= uce college tuition rates and make college affordable for those who wish to att= end without students sacrificing their futures for their degrees. We support increased aid to students including federal Pell Grants, college work-study, veterans’ educational benefits, college tax credits and grants, and o= ther scholarships, grants, low-interest loans, and forgivable loans. We support a program to forgive the student loans for graduates who remain in Iowa to work including retroactive cov= erage.

ED-= 12 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 schoo= ls, and for School Resource Officers.

ED-13 Funding should be increased for public libraries, = the arts, fine arts in schools, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nation= al Endowment for the Humanities, and for individual artists.=

ED-14 Programs and grants should be developed to assist holders of baccalaureate, masters, and PhD degrees to complete the courses necessary for gaining secondary teaching credits in areas of need.

ED-15. We oppose lowering teacher-licensing requirements in pre K-12.

ED-= 16. Federal school-to-work opportuniti= es should be renewed and re-funded.

(GO) GOVERNMENT

GO-= 1 We oppose exemptions for cross-border trucking.

GO-= 2 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-= 3 We should stop cheating armed service members, including National Guard members who served their country, out of their benefits.

GO-= 4 In Iowa, individuals should have the right to bring consumer fraud lawsuits.

GO-= 5 We support, without exception, the constitutional principle of separation of church and state.

GO-= 6 Iowa should extend to same-sex couples the right to civil marriage.

GO-= 7 We oppose any constitutional amendment that attempts to define marriage.<= /o:p>

GO-= 8 We support eliminating the statute of limitations on childhood sex abuse cases= .

GO-= 9 We support a publicly financed system for campaigns for federal, legislative, = and statewide offices.

GO-= 10 We support comprehensive immigration reform.

GO-= 11 The legislature should refuse to consider reestablishing a death penalty in our state. We call for the abolit= ion of capital punishment in the United States.

GO-= 12 In child custody cases, the courts should consider the welfare of the children= and the merit of the individual parent without regard to gender. Children should be ensured of home= s that are safe and free of crime regardless of mandates to keep families intact.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The welfare of all children should= be foremost in decisions regarding placement.

GO-= 13 We promise to appoint people to office on the basis of proven competence and n= ot on the basis of campaign contributions.

GO-= 14 We oppose the creation of a national ID card and the requirement that voters c= arry such a card in order to vote.

GO-= 15 Software used in voting machines should be transparent enough to allow the auditing of its operation and verification of its honesty. A verifiable paper trail should be mandatory in all voting systems.

GO-= 16 The Electoral College should be eliminated in favor of a popular vote system.

GO-= 17 We support election-day voter registration.

GO-= 18 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.

The= refore be it resolved that we support necessary adjustments to the Patriot Act to protect human and civil rights of US citizens.

GO-= 19 We support the making of Highway 30 into a four-lane, primary, full-access hig= hway across the state of Iowa.

GO-= 20 We oppose the use of government rules or actions to intimidate dissenters.

GO-= 21 We support a revision of the Iowa Criminal Code to abolish unnecessary, unjust, and unduly costly mandatory prison requirements and to allow local judicial discretion.

GO-= 22 Government workers, pilots, airline security workers, and other workers sho= uld maintain their rights to union membership regardless of the Patriot Act/Homeland Security Act.

GO-= 23 Anti-trust laws should be strengthened and enforced.

GO-= 24 Existing gun control laws should be strengthened and enforced.

GO-= 25 It should be illegal to "tag-tail" bills onto other bills. Each bill voted on in Congress sho= uld stand alone on its own merits.

GO-= 26 We oppose utility deregulation.

GO-= 27 Bicycle organizations and county a= nd local governments should work together to resolve their safety and liability issues.

= (HR) HUMAN RESOURCES AND HEALTH CARE

HR-= 1 We support the creation of a national comprehensive health care plan to include all citizens.

HR-= 2 The government should stop neglecting the health care of veterans and ensure th= at veterans’ health care is properly provided for.

HR-= 3 The law should allow the government to use its bulk purchasing power to negotia= te lower prices for prescription drugs and to save money by importing FDA-appr= oved drugs from Canada. Medicare D should eliminate the “doughnut hole” gap in coverage with the help of savings from t= he negotiated lower prices and the importation from Canada.

HR-= 4 We oppose direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

HR-5 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-= 6 We support comprehensive mental health parity including substance abuse and treatment for all organic and inorganic mental illness. Further we support requirements th= at insurance companies and managed care companies provide mental health benefi= ts for all adults, adolescents, and children. We support ending arbitrary assignment of benefits which limit the number of outpatient visits, in-pati= ent care, and medications for mental health patients.

HR-= 7 When Medicaid is paying for long term care, we support protecting the finances of the spouses of nursing home residents.

HR-= 8 Any managed care consumer should be provided with basic patient protections.

HR-= 9 We respect human life but recognize that constituents have differing opinions = on how to address the difficult abortion/human rights issue. We respect everyone’s differences. We favor social and comprehensive sexuality education programs that will actually reduce the number of abortions without criminalizing it.

HR-= 10 We support increased funding for chronic disease research. Any health care plan should include coverage for chronic disease.

HR-= 11 We support increasing funding for stem cell research.

HR-= 12 We encourage the legislature to support funding for low and moderate income housing. = ;

HR-= 13 The Social Security program should be preserved as a social insurance program a= nd not privatized.

HR-= 14 We propose the creation of a new WPA type program to rebuild America's infrastructure thus creating millions of new jobs.

HR-= 15 State and federal funding to eliminate domestic abuse and neglect should be increased. =

HR-= 16 We support separating workers compensation into two parts; one based on medical costs and the other based on wage replacement. We support giving the employ= ee a choice of doctor and eliminating the 1998 changes to the Occupational Heari= ng 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. The secondary injury clause should be eliminated from the workers compensation law.

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 w= ho may be homeless or leaving abusive relationships).

= (IA) INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IA-= 1 We support efforts to instill a lasting peace among Israel, Palestine, and the region.

IA-2 Congress should revoke the President’s unlimited authority to commit = our forces to Iraq and put in place a plan to bring them home to their families and loved ones= .

IA-= 3 As we protect ourselves against attacks by terrorist organizations, we should foc= us military action on areas with clear connections to threatening organizations. Any expansion = of military action should be undertaken only with clear, attainable antiterror= ist goals, only with the concurrence of traditional American allies, and only w= ith 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 potentia= lly threatening situations.

IA-= 4 We support efforts to reduce and prevent the international development, proliferation,= and use of nuclear, chemical, biological, and other weapons of mass destruction= but caution against using military means for this purpose.

IA-= 5 We support the elimination of extreme poverty worldwide.

IA-= 6 We support the continuing participation of the United States in the United Nat= ions as a useful and efficient means for reconciling international issues and dealing with mutual concerns facing the global community. We support a full budget for the U= N so that it can achieve organizational reform.= We should pay our legitimate UN debts.

IA-= 7 We support international environmental, human rights, and arms control agreeme= nts.

IA-= 8 We strongly oppose all forms of torture specifically including waterboarding perpetrated on individuals by citizens of any country.

IA-= 9 We support the international banning of land mines.

IA-= 10 We believe that there are wasteful practices in military procurement including= overcharges and pursuit of systems that won't work.&nb= sp; Such practices should be eliminated

IA-= 11 We support closing the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of= Americas) at Ft. Benning, GA.

IA-= 12 We support humanitarian aid to needy populations. Food and US made goods shoul= d be sent rather than money.

IA-= 13 Americans should become more educated about the problems caused by global overpopulation.

IA-= 14 We oppose military aid to repressive regimes.