DRAFT

First District Platform - 2006=

Iow= a Democratic Party=

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GOVERNMENT & LAW

GL-1 Be it resolved that we provid= e our troops with all of the necessary equipment and promised benefits.

GL-2 National Guard units should n= ot be used to fight foreign wars unless directed by Congress. Family members of National Guard/reserve units currently called to extended tours of active service must receive adequate support from local, state, and federal agenci= es.

GL-3 We demand full funding of the= Dept of Veteran Affairs’ proposed annual budget and we demand study and ac= tion by the end of 2007 to address causes, effects and treatments regarding expo= sure of our troops to nuclear, biological, and/or chemical agents.

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GL-4 We support the inclusion of t= he Iowa Veterans Home as a standard line item in the state budget with full fu= nding to provide for residents’ care.

GL-5 We support full withdrawal of= our troops from Iraq by 2007.

GL-6 We support repealing the Patr= iot Act as it stands.

GL-7 We oppose the erosion of civil rights in the name of “homeland security.”

GL-8 We support equal rights for a= ll persons, without regard to their sexual orientation or gender identificatio= n. We support and seek the addition of "Sexual Orientation" and "Trans-gender" to State and Federal Anti-Hate Crime, Anti-Discrim= ination and Anti-Bullying Legislation. We support legislation protecting same sex couples' rights in adopting children and for those same sex couples who have already adopted children. We support the repeal of the Defense of Marriage = Act (DOMA).

GL-9 We propose that December 1st be a day of reflection, education, and celebration of the life and legacy of Ms. Rosa Parks.

GL-10 We support federal legislation that guarantees the right to privacy includi= ng reproductive choice; and we oppose spying on or wiretapping of US citizens without warrant or court order, and illegal access to citizens’ electronic records, library records, cell phone records, health care records and physician to physician records.

GL-11 We support Roe v Wade as settled law.

GL-12 We support government and private funding for all reproductive health servi= ces, and for age appropriate, medically accurate sex education.

GL-13 We support an amendment to federal and state law to require express written permission from individual account holders before a government or private institution shares any personal, non-public information with any other enti= ty. When an institution sells personal data, the subject must be notified and is entitled to fair compensation.

GL-14 We oppose Government-sanctioned surveillance (City, State or Federal) of gr= oups or individuals legally present in the US unless probable cause is p= roven, and due process of law is followed.

GL-15 We oppose the provision within N.C.L.B. (No Child Left Behind) stating that schools are required to supply the names of their students to military recruiters.

GL-16 We support immigration programs that create fair, accessible and legal chan= nels of entry and earned legalization for all immigrants. We will continue worki= ng to protect the civil and human rights of Iowa's immigrant families.

GL-17 We support the right to bear arms; the right of hunters and sportsmen to own and use shotguns and sporting rifles and support the individual ownership of hand guns with valid permit. We ask for fair, reasonable and responsible gun control.

GL-18 We support equalizing Iowa motor vehicle registration fees, eliminating the differentials between non-farm trucks and other vehicles.

GL-19 We demand free and fair ele= ctions in the US where all eligible citizens have a reasonable opportunity to vote, where a verifiable paper record is created for every vote cast, and all the votes a= re honestly and accurately counted and reported. Software used in voting machi= nes should be transparent enough to allow for the auditing of its operation and= the verification of its reproducibility. We support restoration of voting right= s to felons who have served their sentence. We support measures that provide for more hours of voting including more than one day voting and increased satel= lite voting.

GL-20 We support publi=
cly financed election campaigns for all levels of government.

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GL-21 We support the F=
irst Amendment of the US Constitution. Therefore, we restate religion is a =
personal matter that the government must neither hinder nor assist.

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GL-22 We support the d=
e-escalation of the costly and failed "War on Drugs" and ask that=
 a refocusing of efforts be made to "Harm Reduction" and realisti=
c prevention efforts be implemented.  =
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GL-23 We support and u=
rge the expansion and implementation of alternatives to incarceration for d=
rug offenders.  State and fede=
ral agencies should explore alternative sentencing that involves cost effec=
tive treatment and rehabilitation for offenders, particularly first time an=
d youthful offenders.  Further=
, federal assistance for education should remain available to those in reha=
bilitation from former drug-related convictions. We support and call for fe=
deral and state re-evaluation of sentencing for drug-related offenses to as=
sure an equitable imposition of sentences on drug-related offenders.

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GL-24 We support regul=
ating tobacco products by the FDA as a drug, banning tobacco product advert=
ising targeted at children, focusing of the Tobacco Settlement Fund on heal=
th and tobacco use prevention and elimination of tobacco subsidies.

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GL-25 We support the c=
oncept of "Eminent Domain" for the common good, when due process =
is followed. We support "Private Property" rights and do not agre=
e with using "Eminent Domain" for private interests.

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GL-26 We support "=
;Private Property Rights" as guaranteed by the Constitution. Further, =
we believe that criminal conviction of property owner should be a pre-requi=
site for property forfeiture; that forfeiture should be an exception, not u=
sual; that individuals should have the right to trial by jury with the assi=
stance of counsel in all forfeiture cases, and that the fiscal incentives t=
hat corrupt law enforcement priorities be eliminated. <=
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GL-27 We support a fai=
r and simplified tax system, taxing all sources of income equitably. We sup=
port a reliance on simplified, graduated income tax=
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GL-28 We support the i=
mposition of a tax penalty on corporations that send employment opportuniti=
es out of this country.
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GL-29 We support legis=
lation removing the cap on earnings that are subject to the Old Age, Surviv=
or and Disability Insurance Act (Social Security) Tax and the cap on income=
 subject to the Self-Employment Tax.
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GL-30 We support a res=
toration of funds to entitlement programs that are in place to aid the most=
 vulnerable of citizens.
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GL-31 We support grant=
ing national voting rights to citizens of the District of Columbia. The Electoral College should be eliminated in favor of a popular vote=
 system. We urge news outlets to cooperate with election officials during a=
 Presidential election and refrain from naming a winner until all polls hav=
e closed nationwide.
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GL-32 We oppose the cr=
eation of a national ID card and the requirement that voters carry such a c=
ard in order to vote.
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GL-33 We support limit=
ing Congressional bills to one issue and prohibiting unrelated riders.=
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GL-34 We support creat=
ing strict new rules governing the practices of lobbyists and their access =
to and influence with government officials and strict enforcement of lobbyi=
ng laws. 
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GL-35 We oppose the go=
vernment's intentional and deliberate misleading of the public.<=
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GL-36 We demand that C=
ongress fulfill its Constitutional responsibility to investigate, monitor, =
and if necessary prosecute the executive branch officials who violate US law, the Constitution, and international law or treaties.
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GL-37 We support the r=
eversal of corporate personhood by the US Supreme Court or by an amendment =
to the Constitution.
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GL-38 We support free =
and independent media and oppose corporate consolidation and monopolizing o=
f news organizations.
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GL-39 We support the a=
dequate funding from congress for the Public Broadcasting System (P.B.S.) a=
nd continued independence in the corporation's operations. 
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GL-40 We support Congr=
ess restoring the authority of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue =
regulations that would restrict advertising and marketing to children that =
it determines is harmful or deceptive.
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GL-41 We support a rev=
ision of the Sex Offender law so it applies only to serious and active pred=
ators, reinstating the sex offender ranking system from low risk to high ri=
sk, and that those low risk offenders who have served their sentence be com=
pletely removed from the Sex Offenders Registry, and ask that Iowa Legislat=
ure distinguish the difference between a sex offender and a pedophile.=
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GL-42 We support conti=
nued rehabilitation in conjunction with monitoring of "High Risk"=
 sex offenders after their release from detention.<=
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GL-43 We support revis=
ion of the 2000-foot Sex Offender Law so that it applies only to medium or =
high risk offenders.

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GL-44 We support the r=
etention of life in prison for murder in Iowa, oppose the reinstatement and imposition of th=
e death penalty, and support efforts to ban capital punishment in the United States.

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GL-45 We oppose effort=
s to impose corporate control over the Internet that will further reduce an=
d threaten individual privacy and allow corporations to impose surcharges f=
or email and other Internet use.

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GL-46 We support medic=
al malpractice suits being heard first in the local court where the filer r=
esides, instead of being heard in federal or state court.