Arkansas

Arkansas Democrats
by Allison Bowen

          Arkansas was originally apart of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, but was organized into a territory in 1819 with the same northern, eastern and southern borders it shares today. On June 15, 1836 Arkansas became the 25th state of the United States of America with a new border on the West and stands as the 26th in six with an area of 53,225square miles. It has a population of 2.5 million and industries ranging from agriculture to technology to commerce. Many names of places in Arkansas came from the language of the explorers who discovered and lived in Arkansas. The Native Americans, Spanish, French and Americans all helped name places in this state. The word “Arkansas” came from the Quapaw Indians, by way of early French explorers. The explorers met a group of Native Americans, known as the Ugakhpah, which means “people who live downstream”. These Native Americans later were called the Quapaw, who were also called the Arkansaw. This name came to be used for the land where these Native Americans lived. Arkansas is officially known as “The Natural State”, throughout the country because of it’s natural beauty, clear lakes and streams and abundance of natural wildlife. A French explorer named La Harpe discovered the sites of Little Rock and North Little Rock in 1722. The capital of the Arkansas territory was at Arkansas Post until 1821 when it moved to the new town of Little Rock. James S. Conway was the first governor of the state of Arkansas.
          The Democratic Party is the oldest existing political party in the world, having celebrated its Bicentennial in 1992. Thomas Jefferson founded it. The reasons for this lengthy existence are mainly due to the fact that the Democratic Party has been and always will be open to all people. There is a place in the party for the young and the old, for the rich and the poor, and for all races. The head of the Democratic Party, Governor Mike Huckable and members of his party has pledged their continued commitment to good beginnings for every child, good and safe conditions for all workers, and a decent and dignified life for senior citizens. The guiding force that leads the party is their belief in the American values, which are personal responsibility and hard work; individual freedom and equality of opportunity; spiritual faith and religious tolerance. These principles are major factors that have influenced the Party’s position on the following state policies. It is the purpose of the Arkansas Democratic Party to promote policies that enhance business growth, benefit the workers throughout the state and their families and allow government to implement programs that improve the quality of life for all the people of Arkansas. The Democratic Party feels that gainful and productive employment is the cornerstone of the American economic system. They think that people with jobs that pay a fair and adequate wage strengthen their own self-worth, strengthen their families, and strengthen their local communities, states and nation. Arkansas Democrats support decisions that promote agriculture and value-added industry. It is the position of the Arkansas Democratic Party that every part of their state should receive attention for economic development, job creation and personal and family quality of life. The Democratic Party supports workers, large industry and small businesses. The Party honors work, expect responsibility, and pledge a government that pursues policies that create opportunity. They support the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively without fear of intimidation. They also have pledged to act against sexual harassment in the workplace.   The Democratic Party supports the development of opportunities for minority and women owned business to do more business with the state.
           The Arkansas Democratic Party has been working in the forefront to involve and empower all Arkansas. They pledge to continue their fight against discrimination or deprivation of rights on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability or any other characteristic irrelevant to ability. They reaffirm the constitutional established rights of privacy and choice. To ensure these policies are carried out the party has implemented a few Acts, which are still maintained today. Act 1125 Arkansas Workforce Reinvestment Act : Establishes the Arkansas Workforce Investment Board to develop a state workforce development plan to determine the most effective measures to train employees to complete and succeed in Arkansas job market. Act 448 requires the Arkansas Department of Economic Development to institute a two-year pilot loan/ Incentive program for small businesses through community lenders. The General Assembly developed the largest tax cut in Arkansas’s history, removing the lower-income families from state income tax rolls, making needed changes in the state capital gains tax and increasing the state child-care credit from 10% to 20% of the federal credit. Act 1492 provides a $300 Real Property Tax Credit that increases sales and use tax by ½ of 1%. Act 1185 was established to promote a uniform system of real property assessments within each county of the state. It mandates reappraisals on a three-year cycle; beginning in 2003, to ensure property taxes based on current and accurate property values.
           In matters of Social policies the Arkansas Democratic Party believes that every child deserves an equal chance to receive a world-class education and that nothing will mean more to the well-being of the citizens and the state’s future prosperity than continued investment in building the best possible education system for all. The Democratic Party also believes that public funds should be used only for public schools. The Party is committed to provide at-risk children with the opportunities to make the most of their abilities. They strongly support adequate funding for compensatory education, alternative education and k-5 Summer Initiative program The Democratic Party strongly supports the teaching if technology skills to prepare Arkansas children for the 21st century. Act 911 requires the department of Education to develop model learning standards for the basic core of education knowledge and skills. Act 858 expands eligibility for Academic Challenge Scholarships, which provides financial assistance to students who continue to do well in college and who agree to remain drug free. The proposal doubles the family income levels for students to qualify for the scholarship. The income level would be $70,000 for a family with one child and increases $5,000 for each additional child.
          Act 769 requires that parents should be notified about how their school is performing in comparison to other schools. Not only is education a vital issue for the Democratic Party but health care is also at the forefront. The Democratic Party is dedicated to guaranteeing health security for all Arkansas and to containing health care for families and business. They believe that all Arkansas should have the security of accessibility and affordability of health care, and a choice of health care provider. Drug abuse remains one of America’s major health problems. The Democratic Party recognizes that there are no quick solutions to this ominous problem. However, the party supports the establishment of additional drug treatment and rehabilitation centers and intensified efforts to educate our children to the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Also the Democratic Party supports furthering the coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials to halt the flow of illicit drugs. Social Security and Medicare are both Democratic creations. They continue their longtime strong support for both of these fine programs that have meant so much to the nation. They support efforts to make sure that Social Security and Medicare are restored to sound footing before any decrease in revenues is even considered. The democrats sponsored the ARKids first program, making medical care available to children without health insurance.
          The Arkansas Democratic Party pledges its continued commitment to a results-oriented government that improves services, expands choices, operates ethically, empowers citizen and communities, and puts people first.