Oklahoma Democrats
by Zachary Greenblatt
Oklahoma Democrats
by Zachary Greenblatt
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From east to west, Oklahoma is 470 miles (756 kilometers) long. This figure
includes the western Panhandle--165 miles (266 kilometers) long and 34
miles (55 kilometers) wide. From north to south the main body of the state
measures 205 miles (330 kilometers). The total area is 69,919 square miles
(181,089 square kilometers), including 1,137 square miles (2,945 square
kilometers) of inland water surface.
Most of Oklahoma has a warm, somewhat dry, continental climate. The Red River valley in the southeast, however, has a more humid, subtropical climate. The average annual temperature varies from about 57°F (14°C) in the Panhandle to about 63°F (17°C) in the southern part of the state. The chief executive officer is the governor. He is elected to a four-year term and may serve no more than two successive terms. The legislature consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary system is headed by the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. Oklahoma usually votes Democratic, but its electoral votes have gone to the Republican presidential nominees in 1920, 1928, 1952-60, and 1968-88. In 1914 the Socialist party received more than 50,000 votes, and in 1968 the American Independent candidate, George Wallace, received more than 20 percent of the total vote. THE 1999 OKLAHOMA DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, May 15, 1999 PREAMBLE: As delegates, we believe that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma is a party of inclusion that welcomes people with differing opinions on issues confronting our democracy as we work together to find solutions. We, the delegates at the 1999 Convention for the Democratic Party of Oklahoma, adopt these resolutions to further the mission of the Democratic Party of Oklahoma, which is to elect Democrats willing to seek workable solutions for the issues contained in these resolutions. 1. EDUCATION -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma believes that quality public education is vital to full realization of the promise of democracy. WHEREAS access to quality public education is the key to prosperity and the wisest investment we can make in the future of our children and our nation; WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma recognizes that an investment in our children's education is much more beneficial than money spent on incarceration; WHEREAS the performance and visual arts are an essential part of quality public education; WHEREAS vocational education provides life-long learning skills; and WHEREAS the lack of access to quality public education is a primary cause of poverty and crime and all their attendant ills; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports appropriate improved standards while opposing any and all policies and schemes which would withhold or redirect taxpayer support from public education, policies such as those advocating school vouchers, unregulated charter schools and 4 X 4 graduation requirements; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma is an advocate of the arts and art education and supports funding as a priority both nationally and in Oklahoma; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports life-long learning, including early childhood, K-12, special, vocational and higher education with increased and equitable funding, competitive salaries, smaller class sizes, necessary materials and supplies, improved facilities and alternative programs/schools; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports the full funding of the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma endorses the 1995 Oklahoma Education Deregulation Act and encourage efforts to educate and promote this act with all Oklahomans as a more viable alternative than vouchers, unregulated charter schools and other such schemes; and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma promotes job training and/or other education; high-quality day care; transportation; drug and alcohol education, prevention and treatment; housing; adequate health care and adequate nutrition, all with the goal of enabling those who can become employable and self-reliant. 2. WORKING PEOPLE/SMALL BUSINESSES -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma stands in full support of all working people, whether working for themselves or others. WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma defines and recognizes working people to be wage-earning men and women as well as small business owners, family farmers, the self-employed and all other citizens who labor to provide for themselves, their families and their communities; WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma believes that hard-working people should not have to struggle to make a living for themselves, their families and their communities but that they should receive a fair share of the fruits of their labor; and, WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma remains the one consistent defender of the legitimate rights and interests of working people in their struggle to compete with cheap labor, unfair market practices and trade agreements in the global marketplace for agriculture, retail, manufacturing, energy, the professions and any other industry or enterprise in which working people engage; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma stands in full support of all working people for economic freedom and justice to include: Secure jobs and businesses for working people in the global economy; Providing and protecting market access for the businesses and jobs of all working people; State and federal prevailing wage laws; Universal living wages at or above poverty level; Right to organize for all working people to include those employed by public entities; Nondiscriminatory, equitable employment practices; Meaningful workers' compensation reform; Preservation and protection of public and private pension funds; · Elimination of regressive taxation; Creation of market opportunities; Restoring and maintaining a fair and level marketplace within our communities by reducing or eliminating tax policies and other practices in the marketplace which encourage leveraged competition by market forces from outside our communities; Encouraging market diversification and opportunities for more local ownership of businesses and jobs; Promoting alternative practices and uses for our community-based businesses and encouraging more locally-owned retail, manufacturing, agricultural and energy-related enterprises; Improving our infrastructure and transportation system; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma stands in opposition to: The deceitful "right-to-work" initiative; Privatization of essential public services; Unfair trade agreements; Consolidation of ownership and markets through mergers, acquisitions and other forms of ownership that monopolize opportunities for the few while eliminating or depressing the earning power for the many; and, THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma shall continue to expose the fallacy of "right-to-work" by educating citizens about the truth behind the deceptive and falsely-titled "right-to-work" initiative, which is an initiative that will depress the earning potential for all working people whether working for themselves or others. 3. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma is committed to respect and protect the personal religious faith or belief of everyone. WHEREAS the Constitution of the United States of America acknowledges and upholds the right of every individual in our democratic society to express his or her religious beliefs, heritage and traditions, including prayer in public or private, while directing government to remain neutral as to such expression; WHEREAS the equal respect for diversity of faiths and beliefs is intrinsic to our democratic society; WHEREAS the separation of church and state is defined according to the Constitution, a definition which allows individuals to voluntarily exercise their religious beliefs without coercing or being coerced by the state or by others; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma opposes any amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America that would alter the precedence of the neutrality of government or diminish the historical right of the individual for the free expression and the choice of religious belief, heritage or tradition as presently guaranteed by the Constitution of these United States of America. 4. HUMAN RIGHTS -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma respects and upholds the civil, human and equal rights of every person. WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma celebrates diversity among people and recognizes the inherent dignity and value of each person; and WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma believes that no person should live in fear of violence or the threat of violence because of any characteristic or affiliation; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma affirms the role of government at all levels in providing education and protection of the basic civil and human rights of every person regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, sexual nature or orientation, religion, creed, disability, employment, civil service or political affiliation, any of which may be actual or perceived; and, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports the passage of hate crime laws, improved reporting and monitoring of hate crimes with appropriate legislation necessary to enforce the protection of the basic civil, human, and equal rights of every person without exception. 5. REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports the reproductive freedom of every woman, which means that every woman has the right to decide for herself when to bear children, and commits to the correction of economic and social factors that contribute to unintended pregnancies. WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma embraces each individual's right to autonomy and freedom of thought and belief for herself or himself; WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports the reproductive freedom of every woman, which means every woman has the right to decide for herself when to bear children; and, WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma recognizes that economic opportunities and education can improve the many factors and conditions for not just women, but also men, which contribute to unintended pregnancies that present difficult decisions to be made; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma affirms the right to make personal decisions regarding reproductive matters as guided by individual freedom of conscience and self-determination and opposes any legislation which threatens that freedom for any woman; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma commits to ensure the continuation of lawful access, unimpeded by the creation of any future government regulation or procedural requirement, to information about sexuality, reproductive health, birth control, reliable means of pregnancy prevention, the termination of an unintended pregnancy, alternatives to such termination, and access to services that remain safe, legal and affordable; and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports and encourages programs for both male and female of all ages designed to educate and instill reproductive responsibility while all Democrats work together to correct the economic and educational factors that underlie the majority of unintended pregnancies. 6. HEALTH CARE -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma demands that health care be affordable and accessible for every person. WHEREAS many individuals are without health care because they cannot afford it; WHEREAS the cost of health care is spiraling out of control for the government and individuals with inadequate or non-existent health insurance; WHEREAS managed care is designed to manage costs while struggling to maintain quality of health care as services are threatened by acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures and other forms of consolidation that allow providers to pool costs and risks for efficiencies; WHEREAS many consumers requiring health care do not have the same advantages of consolidation to spread risks and pool costs which providers enjoy; WHEREAS employers enjoy tax deductions for employee health insurance as a business expense that are denied individuals purchasing health insurance directly; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports reform of the health care system and the health insurance industry to provide universal access to basic medical services, a single-payer system or other means to provide large buying pools for consumers excluded from existing group plans, tax deductions for health insurance purchased directly by individuals, mental health insurance parity, access to competent mental health care, insurance coverage for preventive measures such as cancer screening and contraceptive prescriptions, control of escalating costs, adequate funding for prevention, research and rural hospitals. 7. SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND WELFARE -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports programs for children, families, veterans, people with disabilities and the elderly. WHEREAS there are clear indications that not all health and social needs are being served; WHEREAS there is much discussion at the federal and state levels of proposed changes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and social services; and WHEREAS the cost of prescription drugs is prohibitive for many of those covered by Medicare. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports adding prescription drug benefits to Medicare coverage; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports programs for children, families, veterans, people with disabilities, and the elderly and supports reform of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and/or social services that will maintain quality of life; and, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma will hold serious discussion with the people of the State and make these programs a prime issue in the 2000 election. 8. PRESERVING DEMOCRACY -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma believes that democracy is dependent upon local, grassroots economies for our communities where families live. WHEREAS corporate welfare is defined as any action by local, state or federal government that gives corporations or an entire industry a benefit not offered to others, be it a grant, subsidy, real estate, low interest rate loan or tax breaks in the form of a credit, exemption, deferral, deduction or a tax rate lower than others pay; WHEREAS mega-corporations are the major beneficiaries of corporate welfare to the disadvantage of smaller companies; WHEREAS the practice of corporate welfare violates the commerce clause of the U. S. Constitution; WHEREAS our democracy is threatened by the consolidation of economic power controlled by mega-enterprises; and, WHEREAS the sustainable alternative to the new global "free market" capitalism is a system of democratically-governed market economies of "fair market" capitalism that are healthy markets paramount to creating just, sustainable and compassionate societies; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma shall initiate and promote the following actions: End the legal fiction that corporations are entitled to rights as persons; Exclude corporations from political participation; Implement serious political campaign reform to reduce the influence of money in politics; Eliminate corporate welfare, direct or indirect; Recover other externalized costs through fees and taxes; Implement mechanisms to regulate international corporations and finance; Use fiscal and regulatory policies to restrain financial speculation that exceeds the capabilities of the value of production; Provide economic parity to human-scale, stakeholder-owned enterprises so they will flourish at the grassroots of our communities where our families are. 9. CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma calls for campaign finance reform that will encourage the focus of campaigns to be on issues and the talents of candidates. WHEREAS the integrity of our political system at the local, state and national levels has been gravely compromised by the growing cost of campaigns and the consequent infusion of massive amounts of money from special interests; WHEREAS the cost of political campaigns consumes inordinate amounts of money that could be put to more socially-productive uses instead of subverting the needs and interests of ordinary citizens; and WHEREAS representation in government best serves the diversity of its citizens when a wide range of candidates are able to bring issues and their talents for addressing those issues to campaigns for public office; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma support the immediate adoption of campaign spending limits to include "soft money" political contributions; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma support public funding for candidates in general elections and free, equitable access to television and radio advertising; and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma shall call upon our Democratic state legislative leaders to form a bipartisan commission on Oklahoma campaign finance and election reform and urge that a similar action be taken at the national level. 10. ENVIRONMENT -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma believes that every person has the right to a safe and healthy environment and a responsibility to ensure the same for future generations. WHEREAS every American has the right to a safe and healthy environment; WHEREAS unsustainable human activity has the potential for very serious impact on the quality of our environment and the ability of future generations to meet their needs from natural resources; WHEREAS the influx of large corporate animal factories in Oklahoma threatens our water, our air and the quality of life of rural residents and the natural resources which urban residents rely upon while depressing adjoining property values; WHEREAS polluters, many of them corporate in nature, have attempted to evade environmental standards established for the benefit of society and to impose the costs, especially the hidden costs of environmental degradation, upon the taxpayers; WHEREAS suburban sprawl results in degradation and pollution of our environment and creates inefficiencies in the use of resources, causes traffic congestion and creates demand for ineffective remedies such as outer loop and bypass highways in urban communities; WHEREAS unplanned and rapid growth causes higher taxes, dying city centers, a serious loss of prime farmland, open space and wetlands, increased flooding, and degradation of wildlife habitat; and WHEREAS the science of climate change has advanced sufficiently to achieve general consensus in the scientific community that actions to correct global warming should be undertaken now; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma commends and supports efforts to provide a safe and healthy environment for all Americans and supports the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Act and other programs that protect the health and safety of all Americans while demanding full accountability of those who pollute our environment; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports the Clean Water Action Plan, with legislation to strengthen that plan by setting enforceable standards for "non-point source" pollution and incentives for all citizens, be they rural or urban owners of property or businesses, to develop means to prevent polluted run-off at its source; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma opposes so called "takings" legislation regulations that would require government payments to anyone claiming that environmental regulations had reduced the value or restricted the use of property, and, opposes enactment of any law that allows regulated facilities to keep secret the results of internal environmental audits of incidents of pollution and/or workplace safety and that grants privileged immunity from criminal or civil penalties if a polluter discloses a violation to authorities; THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports restoration of the prohibitions on corporate farms existing prior to 1991 and charges the Oklahoma Legislature to set effective standards for the disposal of animal waste from large-scale animal operations with the authority regarding these standards placed in the Department of Environmental Quality; to create an indemnity fund, financed by those who participate in these operations, for the protection of the taxpayers; and to authorize the reassessment or discounting of property values for tax purposes in areas impacted by these operations; and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports initiatives designed to help local governments achieve equitable taxation, preserve open space, redevelop abandoned industrial sites, preserve wetlands, reduce urban sprawl, develop alternative modes of transportation and renewable sources of electricity production. 11. SECOND AMENDMENT -- The Democratic Party of Oklahoma promotes responsible ownership of arms and supports programs that deter violence. WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma upholds the Constitutional right of citizens to bear arms; and WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Oklahoma acknowledges the need of a democratic society of diverse citizenry to establish laws and policies for the protection of that civil society and its individual citizens; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports policies and legislation which promote responsible ownership of arms while upholding the Constitutional right of citizens including but not limited to hunters and other sports enthusiasts to bear arms; and THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Oklahoma supports policies and legislation for legitimate self-defense while restricting access to arms by criminals and support programs that deter violence on our streets and in our communities, especially among our teenage population. |