David West - Chair
We are justly proud of our
Democratic party, its heritage, and its accomplishments. No part of that
heritage is more valuable than our belief in the right and worth of each
individual. We believe, fundamentally, that every citizen of the United States
must have a fair opportunity to attain this society's benefits and receive
equal protection under the law, Only by acting resolutely on these beliefs, can
we as Democrats remain true to our traditions and worthy of our heritage,
We, the people of the Democratic
Party, are a diverse group, joining together around the principles we all hold
dear. We are the party that includes persons from all walks of life. We freely
welcome those who join in our concern for human dignity, social justice, and
quality of life for all people. We are the party seeking to practice wise
stewardship of all our resources - human, economic, and environmental. We are
the party working toward a brighter, healthier, and inclusive future.
We believe government at all levels
must be progressive, fair, open, honest and accountable to all people.
We believe all persons, without
exception, have fundamental human rights. These include life, liberty, shelter,
nutrition, health care, education, reproductive choice, fair public trial, and
freedom from arbitrary arrest, torture and exile.
We believe each person should be
empowered to live a full and independent life and should be viewed as an equal
and contributing citizen.
We believe in equal civil rights for
all. We reject discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, national
origin, ethnic or cultural background, sexual orientation, marital or economic
status, and mental or physical disability.
We believe Americans benefit when
family farmers produce food and fiber. They must receive a fair price for their
product. The economic and social health of
We believe that urban communities,
with their diverse populations of working men and women, retirees, homemakers,
small business owners, and corporate shareholders, exist in an interdependent
relationship with farmers and rural communities.
We further believe that the well being
of each segment of the population contributes to the well being of all;
therefore, we must work together for our mutual benefit.
A. EDUCATION
Funding of Schools
1. We support providing adequate
funding for our public education system which will allow us to maintain our
rich tradition of high quality education in
2. We believe congress should
appropriate full funding levels for special
3. education authorized under
existing federal legislation.
4. We
strongly urge the President and Congress to repeal the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), most often called
the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). In the alternative, to fully fund the
ESEA to authorized levels so that all children can achieve to their fullest
potential. The "one size fits all" approach in the ESEA actually
leaves too many children behind.
4. We
strongly urge the President and Congress to suspend sanctions against schools
until the act is fully funded.
5. We
strongly urge the President and Congress to grant states flexibility in
measuring schools and their progress.
6. We
strongly urge the President and Congress to grant states flexibility on ways to
improve schools.
7. We
support increasing state revenues by $400 million to provide adequate funding
for schools to meet educational needs of
8. We support more funding for all areas of education - to provide
for smaller class sizes and to guarantee better pay for teachers.
Student Assistance & Professional Development
Programs:
1. We
believe that the government should pay for the first two years of college
tuition/higher education for qualified persons.
2. We
believe that those students seeking a career in teaching should have their
college loans forgiven if they stay and teach in
3. We support a strong Iowa
Tuition Grant Program for post secondary education.
4. We
support adequate funding for top quality professional development for teachers
as an essential means for improving
achievement levels of all students.
Alternative Schooling
1. We oppose diverting public
monies away from public schools to fund vouchers, tuition tax credits, or
private for-profit education businesses.
B. GOVERNMENT AND LAW
1. The
Democratic Party supports working collaboratively across party lines on
developing legislation in order to benefit from the insights of legislators
across the political spectrum.
2. We
believe that the Democratic Party, its legislative leaders, and members should
refrain from participating in legislative "working groups" to develop
laws for the State of
3. We
support allowing adequate time before a vote is taken in committee for public
awareness and comment on
proposed legislation, especially on issues having major impact on the citizens
of
4. We
support openness in the legislative process, allowing the public and the press
to attend committee meetings and other
meetings that deal with legislation.
5. We
support allowing the public to testify on all bills legislative committees are
voting on and publicly posting the time,
place, and agenda for all legislative committee and subcommittee meetings at
least 24 hours in advance.
C. THE REUNIFICATION OF
INDIAN FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
1. We
consider the welfare of children and the strengthening of families to be among
the Party's highest priorities.
2. We
sup-port the efforts of the Native American community to unify Native families
through strict adherence to the Iowa Indian Child Welfare Act by the Iowa
Department of Human Services (IDES).
3. We call upon
C. LAW & PUBLIC ORDER
1. We
support raising the beer excise tax from .19 to .38, increasing it from 1.78 to
3.56 cents on a serving.
2. We
support passage of a statewide keg registration bill that would require that
all purchasers of kegs of beer give their name, address, phone number, ID, and
date of return to the seller of beer.
3. We
support repeal of the Patriot Act to assure the freedoms in the Bill of Rights
remain in effect and maintain the right of American citizens to dissent.
4. We
support
5. We
call for the people of
6. We
call for the people of
7. We
call for the people of
8. We
encourage legislators to vote for a bill on its own merits. A bill should fail
if it does not stand on its own without federal coercion or
"blackmail."
9. We
believe the federal government should not coerce states into passing laws by
withholding federal funds.
E. TAXES
1. The
federal government should work toward reducing the deficit by rescinding some
or all of the tax cuts made during the Bush administration. .
2. We
support rescinding the Bush-Cheney tax cut gifts to the wealthy and businesses,
making appropriate reductions in war costs and the military budget, increasing
federal funding for basic social and educational programs and for states whose
budgets have been burdened by Bush-Cheney
policies, and simultaneously striving to reduce the federal deficit and
eventually balance the federal budget again
3. We
support increasing revenue to eliminate the revenue shortfall in the Iowa
budget that has resulted in the state’s inability to fund the basic functions
of government (education, health care for the elderly, public safety, etc.)
that support our values.
4. We
support increasing taxes in a progressive manner to eliminate the revenue
shortfall in the
5. We support giving a tax
deduction or other fiscal incentive for those men and women who provide child
support payments without fail.
F. ENVIRONMENT
We believe the future of our
quality of life in
1. Provide full funding of the REAP
program at $20 million in FY-05.
2. Hold
corporate agri-businesses accountable for environmental problems they create.
3. Fully
implement and enforce the clean water and clear air acts prior to 2001 to
control corporate animal factories.
4. Support
energy independence through renewable and efficient energy technologies.
5. Oppose drilling and exploring for any natural resources in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to keep our last natural wild areas for future
generations to admire.
G. AGRICULTURE
1. We support major reform of
2. Reverse
farm consolidation, restore production diversity and regain the functioning of
food systems.
3. Provide vigorous anti-trust expansion
regulation to strictly prohibit vertical integration and concentration in food
production, processing and retailing.
H. FAIR TRADE
We believe that NAFTA has led to the loss of thousands of
1. We
oppose NAFTA and any other trade agreement that grants corporations new rights
and protections.
2. Ensure
trade agreements that allow the
I. ECONOMY AND LABOR
1. We
support the Employee Free Choice Act to protect the rights of workers organize
for their good.
2. Resolved:
We oppose all efforts by the President, Congress or Department of Labor to end
overtime pay.
3. Resolved:
We support fair trade opposed to "free trade." We oppose the
exploitation of workers and he environment that is often a component of
so-called "free trade." We call for a renegotiation of NAFTA and we
oppose the Free Trade Area of Americans (FTAA) agreement, which would extend
NAFTA to 31 additional countries in the
4. We believe in raising the
minimum wage for the State of
5. Retirement
(IPERS): We support funding the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)
at a level that supports the actuarial based assumptions. Therefore, we support
increasing the contribution rate by 1% per year for the next four years and
maintaining the current ratio of 60% funding by the employer and 40% by the
employee.
6. Fair
Share: We support state legislation to allow private and public sector workers
in
7. We oppose privatization of
public services.
8. We oppose the deregulation of
utilities, airlines, communication and e.t.c..
9. We
believe that government programs be put in place to help people become first
time homeowners.
10.
Whereas, our country is suffering grievously from the unemployment resulting
from the export of jobs to countries, which have slave, level wages and
benefits, unsafe conditions of work and deficient or entirely lacking
environmental standards. Therefore, be
it resolved that our country make no further bilateral, regional or global
trade agreements without insisting on an enforceable level playing field
between the parties in these important regards.
J. HEALTH CARE
1.We believe that Medicare prescription drug benefits should be
strengthened through government negotiations with drug companies.
2. We believe restrictions on
importation of drugs be lifted.
3.. We believe people with disabilities should be provided with home
care services.
4. We believe that all persons involved in childhood development
are adequately trained and resources be provided and equitably distributed
between rural and urban communities.
5. We believe that school districts, long term care facilities and
other like organizations be allowed to group purchase medical insurances.
6. We believe that persons with substance abuse and mental
illnesses be given the right to health care
and rehabilitation not incarceration for non violent crimes.
7. We believe that legislation be passed requiring insurance
companies cover mental illness in exactly the same fashon as physical illness,
and providing parity to for all insurance plans regardless of employer size of
self employment.
8. We urge the enactment of a Universal Health
Care Coverage for all Citizens of the
K. HUMAN RESOURCES
1. We believe that the Notch Baby issue should be reexamined under
the Social Security program.
2. We
believe the Social Security program must be preserved as a social insurance
program.
3. We
encourage the federal government to explore all avenues, including the
allocation of budget surpluses, to ensure long-term solvency of the Social
Security program for future generations.
4. We
support legislation to raise existing income limits for the retired drawing
Social Security so they can maintain a quality standard of living.
L. VETERANS AFFAIRS
Because the Democratic Party believes in a government that
consistently and fairly serves and protects ALL people,
1. We believe mandatory funding
for veterans’ health care.
2. We
believe full concurrent receipt – receiving retirement pay without a tax on
disability compensation.
3. We
believe enhanced specialized treatment and research for service-related
illnesses, such as mental illness, spinal cord injuries, and Agent Orange.
4. We
believe full accounting of POW/MIA’s and a quick declassification of documents
5. We
believe acknowledgement of the third Friday in September as POW/MIA Recognition
day.
6. We believe in increasing
support to homeless veterans.
7. We believe in veteran’s
preference in training programs and employment.
8. We believe in a state-funded
M. IMMIGRATION
1. We believe in a unified
2. We believe in the reduction of illegal immigration through the
institution of legal channels of entry and earned legalization for law-abiding
immigrants who share our values and will come to achieve, belong and contribute
to the
3. We believe that we will continue to work together in coalition
with immigrant, labor, community, business, and religious groups to promote a
welcoming
N. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
1. We believe that we should develop international good will as a
means of combating terrorism.
2. We believe that the
3. We believe in strengthening
international disarmament treaties.
4. We believe in eliminating
wasteful military spending.
5. We believe that our country must investigate and appropriately
punished any who were responsible for the false intelligence that led us into
the
6.
Be it further resolved that we reject utterly the dangerous and unjust foreign
policy of preemption and that we do everything in our power to regain the
support of the world, especially of the Muslim countries, for the true war on
terrorism against Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.