North Carolina

North Carolina Democrats
by Quincy Grigsby

            In the 1990 census, North Carolina’s population was counted as 6,632,448, which made them the tenth most populous state in the United States. The state’s population is currently projected by the North Carolina Office of State Planning to be 7,733,097 when the 2000 census is taken.
            North Carolina consists of 48,843 square miles of land and 3,826 square miles of inland water. The total area of 52,669 square miles ranks North Carolina twenty-ninth in area among the states. The Old North State lies on the Eastern Seaboard with half of the population of the United States living within a 500-mile radius of the state. The state’s temperate climate has four distinct seasons and is highly acclaimed for its year-round living comforts. Rainfall is adequate and dispersed over the entire year.
            The Young North Carolina Democratic Party has created a platform that shows where they stand. To start with, I will focus on their beliefs about equal rights and opportunity. The YDNC and the Democratic Party support efforts to revitalize active and aggressive civil rights enforcement, guarantee equal pay for equal work, aggressively prosecute hate crimes, strengthen the legal services of the poor, provide civil rights protection for gay men and lesbians and end Defense Department discrimination, and fully enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable people with disabilities to achieve independence and function at their highest possible level.
            They support the passage of legislation requiring businesses to prove that any employment practice that have a discriminatory impact on women or minorities must bear substantial and manifest relationship to the requirements for effective job performance. The YDNC supports a raise in the minimum wage. This guaranteed working wage enables all full time year round workers to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. They also support the current earned income tax credit, which combines earned wages and income supplements to raise the total incomes of workers above the poverty level. In addition, the state must continue to enforce the laws requiring adequate work as compensation insurance for businesses with greater than three employees.
            The YDNC believe all of their citizens are equal under the law and in respect to the separation of church and state, and whereas, the gay and lesbian communities have no less citizenship than the heterosexual community. They believe all citizens no matter what their sexual preference should be able to legally marry whom they choose.
T            he YDNC favor greater efforts to ensure the accessibility and affordability of health insurance to all of the state’s citizens. They strongly believe that the federal government should take a stronger position in establishing market rules, which favor fairness in the purchasing and maintenance of health insurance. The YDNC support the expansion of family planning programs that offer birth control alternatives, abortion choice education, and counseling services to families of all income levels.
            The YDNC believe that the right to choose an abortion is a part of a woman’s personal freedom and should be under her personal control, subject to her own moral and religious values, with the advice of those persons she wishes to consult; she should not be forced to consult anyone, including her family. Furthermore, they cannot condone a ban on late-term abortion, as it severely endangers both a woman’s right to choose and the health of women who may need this operation. They believe that this fundamental right should not be made an exclusive privilege of those who can afford an abortion. Therefore, the YDNC call for the government on all levels to provide funds to enable individuals to have this option and information on this option without parental consent, regardless of age and ability to pay.
            The YDNC applaud the passage of the Brady law, and, specifically, its requirement of a seven-day waiting period for persons wanting to purchase a handgun and the implementation of a nationwide, on-line computer database of all individuals who, by court order or judgment, are prohibited from owning a firearm (such as convicted felons). They also support the expansion of this law in that perpetrators of domestic violence should be prevented from purchasing a firearm. Firearm dealers who know, or should know, that a potential purchaser cannot legally own a firearm should be subject to revocation of their license and/or criminal prosecution. The YDNC support the ban on the import of semi-automatic assault rifles. Furthermore, they believe that no one should be allowed to purchase such weapons without a court order signed by a judge, for good cause shown. Finally, They believe that the ownership of any assault rifles must be registered with appropriate state and local law enforcement.
            The YDNC feel that welfare recipients must be provided with educational and/or job training, decent housing, and adequate public transportation in order to make the transition to productive citizen. In exchange for these services, the taxpayer has a right to expect that welfare recipients will participate in job and educational training and that they will become productive again. If the recipient refuses to do so, he or she will be denied welfare benefits. The YDNC also support the use of sliding-scale welfare payments for welfare recipients. The use of sliding scale payments will allow welfare recipients to go to work without fear of being totally cut off from help.
            Believing that violence only begets violence, the YDNC oppose the use of the death penalty as a legitimate criminal sentence. They believe that such punishment is cruel and excessive and fails to provide any general deterrence to others who might commit crimes.
            The North Carolina Democratic Party’s highest priority is to ensure that all Americans have the best education in the world. The YDNC favor a statewide curriculum that emphasizes the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and communication skills. The YDNC support joint efforts between local businesses and community colleges to combat illiteracy by encouraging workers to become literate and by teaching new workers reading skills. The YDNC believe that teachers’ salaries should reflect the great value our society places upon the education of our youth and the significant contribution that they make to our society. North Carolina teachers should be paid salaries equal to or above the national average for the profession. They object to the idea that teachers unions are to blame for the problems in the educational system.
            The YDNC believe in the basic proposition that the government can and must play a positive role in creating economic opportunities that will provide growth for the entire state including urban areas, small towns and farms. The YDNC oppose regressive tax policies that impact working North Carolinians the hardest. They oppose any increase in the general sales tax and call for the repeal of the sales tax on food. The YDNC support the efforts of the Clinton administration to reduce the federal deficit and restore tax fairness. The YDNC support tax relief to families with children.
            The YDNC believe that recycling, composting, and product substitution programs should be implemented throughout North Carolina to protect the integrity of our ground and surface water supplies and minimize the scourge of landfills on the landscape. The YDNC therefore call for mandated use of recycled goods, where possible, by all government agencies and bodies. They further call for tax credits or other benefits to be given to industries that use recycled materials in their products. The YDNC strongly support a national energy strategy that encourages a reduction in the dependence of the United States upon imported oil and promotes the development of alternative efficient vehicles. The YDNC opposes any oil and gas exploration or drilling off North Carolina’s coast under any of the current proposals, which place North Carolina’s coast at risk. The YDNC support legislation which requires that companies causing damage to the environment and to public health be held financially responsible for all costs incurred by the subsequent clean-up.
            The YDNC support recent efforts to limit Political Action Committees in their actions and to limit the role of big business in campaigns. The YDNC call upon the federal and state governments to initiate a program that involves public financing of congressional campaigns similar to the current financing of presidential campaigns. They call for a limit to be placed on the total amount of money a candidate can receive from political action committees in order to receive these funds.
            The YDNC believe that a free trade system between the United States, our neighbors, and other foreign countries can promote an efficient use of natural resources and can reduce conflict between nations. The YDNC support temporary relief to those countries exhibiting markedly high unemployment due to industrial layoffs, business closures, and other economic distress.