The first permanent European settlement in Alabama was founded by the French at Fort Louis de la Mobile in 1702 The British gained control of the area in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris, but had to cede almost all the Alabama region to the U.S. and Spain after the American revolution. The Confederacy was founded at Montgomery in February 1861 and, for a time, the city was Confederate capitol. Today Montgomery is the capitol and 3^rd largest city of Alabama. Alabama population is a little over 4 million with about 73% White and 25%Black. The Alabama motto is "We dare defend our right", and the state is nicknamed Yellowhammer state.

Alabama’s constitution, adopted in 1901, provides for elected governor and a bicameral legislature that is made up of a 35-member senate and a 105-member House of Representatives. The state elects 2 Senators and 7 Representatives to the U.S. Congress and has 9 electoral vote. The Democratic Party from Reconstruction dominated Alabama politics until recently. In 1986 Harold guy Hunt became the first Republican to be elected governor in over a century. He was reelected in 1990, but resigned because of accounts of corruption. Today the Governor is Democrat Don Siegelman (to Jan. 2003).

The Alabama Democrats believe that America must maintain its world leadership as a defender democracy. In addition, Alabama Democrats are proud of the Party’s historic tradition of standing for the basic freedoms and human rights of all the people of the world. Since America is the world’s strongest military power, it must remain so. However, while maintaining the worlds only super power, the United States cannot bear the sole burden of the cost of defending democracy across the globe. America must look to other nations to pay their fair share.

Alabama Democrats support policies to maintain strong social Security System and to keep our commitment to our older citizens by maintaining a strong system of Medicare and adequate, affordable nursing home in-home care. Also, Alabama Democrats support tax policies that will promote individual saving plans for younger Americans to allow them to provide for retirement with increased independence and flexibility. In addition, health care reform to give health care access to children and adults who too many suffer unnecessarily by being deprived of its benefits, or suffer financial ruin because of its cost. Reforms should focus on extending the benefits, of the health care system ensuring that health care is affordable, portable, and accessible to all citizens, while preserving the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship.

Alabama Democrats believe abortion is a tragic event that deeply affects individuals and families. Alabama Democrats are pro-family and respect the fact that decisions concerning abortion involve matters of faith, conviction, health and personal choice including a woman’s relationship with her family physician. Also, respecting the right of all people to differ on this most difficult question. Furthermore, Alabama Democrats are committed to promoting policies and programs, which will reduce the number of, unwanted pregnancies. These include education, economic opportunity, personal mentoring, welfare reform, and law enforcement.

Alabama Democrats believe that welfare should not be a way of life. Meaningful welfare reform must include a recommitment to improving education, job training, quality child care, where necessary, and access to adequate and affordable health care as welfare recipients move from public assistance into work. Moreover, people, families, and state will benefit through a renewed emphasis on work ethic, a reduction in teen pregnancies and the strengthening of families.

Alabama Democrats believe that every child has a constitutional right to quality education regardless of where the child lives, whether in a rural area, small town or city. In addition, every child has the right to study and learn in a disciplined, safe and secure school environment. Furthermore, early educational intervention to provide a level playing field for every child, and committed to adequate support for educational programs for children with special needs or gifts, including programs for "at risk" children. Alabama Democrats also, believe an education should not only provide the core subjects, without decent employment are limited, but also, access to music and the arts in order to enrich spirit. Moreover, children should have access to modern technology and that teachers be trained thoroughly in its use. Also, state taxpayers have a right to expect strict accountability in the expenditure of tax monies for education and all other government expenditures.

Alabama Democrats support Second Amendment that guarantees the right to own and use firearms. They reject efforts to restrict weapons for legitimate hunting and sporting purposes. They advocate swift and certain punishment and longer sentences for all people who commit crimes with guns. Democrats have legitimate disagreements among themselves about private ownership of weapons capable of mass destruction. Law enforcement officials warn about the proliferation of automatic weapons.

Alabama Democrats believe that there are some crimes so heinous that the only appropriate punishment for the perpetrator is the death penalty. However, Alabama Democrats insists upon a judicial system that is fair and equitable to all classes and races of its citizens. They also, believe that those condemned to capitol punishment must be assured of a fair trial and review of their conviction and sentence prior to execution of their punishment. Where capital punishment is the sentence for a crime, it should not take years and years for the sentence to carry out.

Alabama Democrats believe that the effect and impact of illegal drugs on the society may be our greatest threat to public safety. Drug induced violence, robbery, burglaries, thefts and homicides are relentless danger to our citizens and communities. In addition, oppose legalizing or decriminalizing drugs of any kind; and support stiff and mandatory sentencing for drug related crimes, especially those committed by those in the society by trafficking or selling these deadly substances. Alabama democrats believe that there are two fundamental ways of reducing crime: 1. Preventing crime by, encouraging, preserving and protecting the family unit and the values that have historically been instilled in our young people by their families; providing quality education to all of our citizens; providing jobs through promoting economic growth and opportunity for all citizens. 2. Punishment providing effective law enforcement, as well as swift, sure and appropriate punishment for those in the society whom commits crimes. In addition, Alabama democrats believe that prisons should serve as a deterrent and as punishment for convicted criminals. Committed to increased efforts toward prevention of crime. Prisons should also require prisoners who are serving less than life sentences to work toward their GED and also require training for employment skills. Prison should also providing drug, alcohol and sexual abuse counseling when appropriate. Prisoners should be made to work to assist in earning their keep.

Alabama Democrats believe that government must be representative of all the state’s citizens. Alabama citizens must be given reason to renew confidence in government at all levels. At present the political system process shuts out many ordinary citizens who cannot raise vast sums of money. Therefore, Alabama Democrats favor reasonable limits on campaign contributions from all sources and strict laws and full disclosure of campaign contributions. All campaign contributions must be recorded and traceable to the original donor. In addition, eliminating all PAC to PAC transfers that are designed to hide the true source of funding. Also, An initiative and referendum process to allow greater citizens participation in government. Moreover, term limits as imposed by the voter at the ballot box or in statewide referendum and reducing the influence lobbyist and special interest groups have on the government.

Alabama Democrats are committed to ensure that tax policies of the state and country are fair to married couples and single individuals alike. At the same time, these policies must encourage long-term gainful employment so that no citizen will be discourage from seeking and keeping gainful employment as a result of tax policies. Alabama Democrats support earned income tax credit and oppose republican efforts to repeal a program that affirms the importance of work and increases the living standard of the middle class. In addition, Alabama is the expansion of businesses that are already located there. Tax breaks may be necessary to attract new businesses in some cases, but they should not harm existing businesses, and new corporations should be encouraged to utilize Alabama products and workers. Furthermore, Alabama Democrats believe that government must be responsible and accountable and careful with taxpayer money. They recognize that while there must be limits on government’s involvement in the lives of citizens, responsible government demands that they can only expect the protection and services they are willing to pay. In addition, government at any level should no longer borrow money, increasing debt on children and grandchildren.

Alabama Democrats believe in economic fairness for all, and oppose all forms of prejudice and bigotry. They are determined to work towards a society in which equal opportunity is a reality. Also, while quotas are unacceptable, they cannot ignore the lingering effects of past discrimination and will work to form new tools and opportunities that can help all Alabama’s reach their potential. In addition, Alabama Democrats support an increase in the minimum wage that restores purchasing power at least levels of 40 years ago. An adequate minimum wage is necessary not only to combat poverty but also to help break the cycle of welfare dependency.
 
 

PreambleWe, Alaskans and Democrats all, by representing Alaska’s diverse cultural, religious, economic and social groups, and by working together for the common good pledge to protect our diversity, care for our families, improve our communities, and achieve the goals of the 1998 Platform of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Equality

Alaska cannot tolerate discrimination. Continued efforts are needed to stop discrimination based on religion, belief, race, tribe, origin, sexual orientation, lifestyle, gender, and age. Affirmative action programs must be promoted.

Privacy

Alaskans’ right to privacy must be defended. Alaskans must be guaranteed the ability to make personal decisions regarding religion, reproduction, medical decisions, marriage and life partners.

Education

Educational opportunities are a right of all Alaskans. A comprehensive, high quality public education system includes programs to prepare young children for school; an equitable public school system; an affordable, life-long post-secondary vocational training and university system; and adequately supported libraries, museums, the arts, and public broadcasting.
 
 
 
 

Jobs

Every Alaskan is entitled to dignity in the workplace. Equitable wages, Alaska hire, safe and healthy work conditions, the right to collectively organize and bargain, the right to resolve employment disputes, and an affordable retirement system empower Alaskans to support themselves and their families.

Health

A healthy Alaska benefits us all. Self-sufficiency can eliminate poverty and homelessness. Health care must be accessible, adequate, and affordable. Child abuse and neglect and domestic violence will not be tolerated.

Business

Economic development is essential for Alaska. The development of Alaska industries and Alaska-owned small businesses is the backbone of our economy. Alaska should promote new businesses, commerce, and industries.

Resources

Alaska’s wealth is in our resources. The success and diversification of Alaska’s economy is dependent on the investment and development of Alaska’s natural, living, and human resources. The wealth generated through Alaska’s resources should be reinvested in Alaska.

Environment

Alaska’s environment is our treasure. Our quality of life and economy is dependent on a clean and protected environment. Alaskans are entitled to clean air, access to recreation, safe water, and healthy sanitation systems.

Subsistence

Subsistence must be resolved. Alaska’s constitution must include an amendment to guarantee subsistence activities to rural Alaskans. Alaska must retain control of our management system to maintain public involvement, ensure sound decision making, and allow access by multiple-user groups.

Rural Life

Respect rural Alaska. Support for traditional cultures and lifestyles ensures adequate educational programs, sewer systems, and health services for all Alaskans. We support state recognition of Alaska Native tribes as historic, essential elements of our state’s culture.

Safety

Alaskans should be secure from acts of crime. Law enforcement personnel require adequate funding and training. The right to a fair trial and counsel must be guaranteed. Victims shall receive restitution. Offenders shall be given an opportunity for rehabilitation. Punishment must be fair and just and not include the death penalty.

State

Sound state fiscal policy. Development of a responsible, Fiscal long-term fiscal plan considers all tools available to provide Policy for essential government services and protects the Permanent Fund.

Unity

Government is Alaskans working together for the common good. Public participation and access to government proceedings is essential. All debates and decisions must occur in an open and public forum. Public officials—elected and appointed—must adhere to the highest ethical standards and must work together to meet the needs of the people.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in the protection of full civil and equal rights for all people, including: The right to privacy for all people, opposing any attempts to restrict that right. An individual's right to die with dignity. The national Equal Rights Amendment. Opposition to capital punishment. Access to information on all aspects of human reproduction. A woman's right to control her reproductive life. Opposition to English only laws and regulations.

Education

The Alaska Democratic Party believes that a comprehensive, high quality public education system includes programs to prepare young children for school; an equitable public school system; an affordable, life-long post-secondary vocational training and university system; and adequately supported libraries, museums, the arts, and public broadcasting.

We support:

• Adequate public funding of early childhood programs such as Head Start.
• Adequate and full funding of public education for public schools.
• A vote of the people to develop an education endowment, securing the future of our public education system.
• Stable, long-term funding for school construction and major maintenance.
• Quality education for all Alaska students, including academic standards, fair assessments, and school accountability.
• Adequate funding for innovative programs for at-risk youth, such as the Alaska National Guard Challenge Program.
• Tenure for public school teachers which provides protection for academic freedom and protection against capricious and arbitrary non-retention.
• Adequately funding our statewide university system, including rural campuses.
• Maintenance of the student loan program.
• Programs that promote Alaskans to receive post-secondary education and training in Alaska, as well as programs that encourage Alaskans to return to Alaska after university or vocational training.
• Public access to electronic and other information resources through public libraries, schools, and other publicly supported institutions.
• State funding of the arts and public broadcasting.

Jobs and Labor

We believe every Alaskan is entitled to dignity in the workplace; equitable wages; Alaska hire; safe and healthy work conditions; the right to collectively organize and bargain; the right to resolve employment disputes; and an affordable retirement system, which empowers Alaskans to support themselves and their families.

We support:

• Hiring Alaskans, making Alaska hire a requirement of doing business in Alaska to the extent possible, and ensuring sufficient funds to enforce Alaska hire.
• Implementation and enforcement of vigorous affirmative action programs in state hiring and contracting. Project Labor Agreements by all governmental bodies, ensuring economic benefits to and the promotion of Alaskan hire.

• The right of Alaskan workers to strike or withhold services of their labor without fear or threat of lockout from their workplace or replacement by workers hired to circumvent good faith bargaining.
• Contracts which have been negotiated in good faith between governmental bodies and public employee unions; those contracts are legitimate and binding, and should be honored and fully funded.
• Guaranteed finality to the bargaining process, which may include, but is not limited to, binding arbitration.
• Present Davis-Bacon laws.
• A livable minimum wage which supports a decent standard of living.
• Maintenance and full funding of a defined benefit—as opposed to a defined contribution—for all public employees.
• A retirement system's investment authority being vested in a board, with a majority of those board members belonging to the system.
• Legislation allowing local, state, and federal public employees the right to full, voluntary participation in the political process while continuing normal safeguards against coercion by management.
• Immediate union recognition when a majority of workers have requested union representation in writing
• A reasonable time to a first contract after an election
• More stringent remedies against illegal unfair labor practices inhibiting the workers' right to organize and bargain collectively

Any employment changes with the objective of circumventing payment of overtime wages.

All forms of "right-to-work" legislation.

Allowing companies to have non-union and union subsidiaries simultaneously for purposes of manipulating public contracts.

Health and Social Services

The Alaska Democratic Party believes self-sufficiency can eliminate poverty and homelessness. Health care must be accessible, adequate and affordable. Domestic violence, child abuse and neglect will not be tolerated.

We support:

• All Alaskans, including Alaskan children, having the right to comprehensive, equitable, affordable, portable, and quality health care coverage and benefits.
• Increased funding for research, education, and treatment programs to prevent the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, as well as funding for rehabilitation and enforcement of alcohol and drug laws and prosecution of violators.
• Full funding of social service and training programs which work effectively towards the elimination of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness.
• Full implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act; increased funding and efforts to meet the needs of people who experience disabilities.
• Programs and policies addressing the special needs for income, housing, and health of older Alaskans.
• Efforts to fight and prevent sexual harassment in the work place.
• Prevention of child abuse and neglect, including sensible family policies to strengthen families; tougher child protection laws; and adequate training for social workers.
• Increased funding of quality child care and full funding of the day care assistance program.
• Education and direct services aimed at preventing unplanned pregnancy, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, chemically addicted babies, and other birth defects.
• The Indian Health Service to assure local and tribal controls of health care for Alaskan Natives.

Business DevelopmentThe Alaska Democratic Party believes that the development of Alaska industries and Alaska-owned small businesses is the backbone of our economy. Alaska should promote new businesses, commerce, and industries.We support:The Science and Technology Foundation, which promotes new industry and the development of technologies for solving our unique northern problems.

• Promotion of domestic and international tourism.
• Full utilization of programs such as AIDEA to assist in bringing new capital to small business for expansion and development.
• Tax incentives for businesses to hire and train welfare recipients.
• Streamlining the state’s administrative process, which includes creating an on-line application system, for starting a new business.

We support:

• The development, transportation, and exportation of natural gas.
• A gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez along the existing corridor with the participation of the affected communities in the decision-making process.
• Value-added, in-state processing of Alaska's natural resources.
• Federal legislation allowing the state to set guidelines for value-added processing of natural resources before export.
• An Alaska-based fishing industry in state and federal waters in the North Pacific and Bering Sea.
• Protection and sustainable harvest of Alaska's abundant wild stock fisheries and the development of new value-added seafood products.
• Opening both the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to environmentally and culturally responsible oil and gas exploration.
• Protection of the habitat necessary for maintaining healthy populations of renewable resources.
• Multiple use of state forests.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes our quality of life and economy is dependent on a clean and protected environment. Alaskans are entitled to clean air, access to recreation, safe water and healthy sanitation systems.

We support:

• All Alaskans, urban and rural, having clean air and water and environmentally sound sewage and waste disposal.
• Environmentally responsible development of Alaska's resources, ensuring the minimization of impact to the environment.
• Protection of the critical portion of our old growth forests.
• Open space, trails, and recreational opportunities for all Alaskans.
• Prevention of pollution through waste reduction and recycling, and through the proper management and clean-up of our hazardous and solid waste.
• State and local policies which encourage the growth and development of recycling in Alaska.
• Maintenance and strengthening of our existing public notice and placarding laws for buildings and installations for using, storing, transporting, and procuring hazardous and poisonous materials both liquid and solid.
• Research and development of low cost, efficient energy sources including weatherization programs and appropriate, affordable design and technology of buildings to ensure energy conservation.
• Access to reasonably priced energy for all Alaskans.
• Development of a long-term, comprehensive state energy policy which promotes conservation, the development of sound renewable energy technology, alternative sources of energy, alternative fuels, and public transit.

Improper disposal or transport of any hazardous waste in Alaska, or the importation of hazardous or radioactive wastes into Alaska.

Use of Alaska as a testing ground for nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare activities.

Criminal Justice

The Alaska Democratic Party believes it is the right of all Alaskans to live in safe and healthy communities, free from all acts of violence against persons and their property.

We support:

• Fair and just prosecution of criminal perpetrators.
• Counsel for those juveniles and adults with financial needs.
• A safe and secure regional correctional system that protects the public and provides for the constitutionally mandated rehabilitation of offenders.
• Policies and procedures to implement and support community policing and youth court programs.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in every Alaskan’s right and responsibility to fair and equitable participation in the electoral process.

We support:

• An adequately funded Alaska Public Offices Commission.
• Strong ethics laws for state and federal government.
• A strong, clear, understandable and enforceable open meetings law, which guarantees Alaskans access to the decision-making process of their government.
• A voter education program to increase registration and participation in local, state and national elections.
• Counting people at their permanent residences for the purposes of
• reapportionment.

The Alaska Democratic Party believes in an adequately funded and aggressive consumer protection office.

National Policy

The Alaska Democratic party believes in and supports:

• Alaska’s nuclear weapons freeze policy as enacted by the voters on August 23, 1986.
• Making U.S. aid and trade benefits to other nations conditional on their respect for democratic rights, including the rights of workers to organize and equal rights for women.
• A long-term national strategy to aid communities severely impacted by cuts in defense expenditures.
• A national child care policy, including individual and corporate tax incentives.
• The aspirations of the residents of the District of Columbia and U.S. territories in determining self governance.
• A strong national policy that encourages corporate investment to remain in the United States.
• A strong national defense policy, which recognizes Alaska’s geo-strategic position as the air crossroads of the world.
• With the obligation for responsible gun ownership, the right to bear arms.

Arizona is a state in the southwestern United States. It is one of the youngest states, admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912. Arizona, known as the Grand Canyon State, is the sixth largest state with a rapidly growing population. It is one of the most beautiful and naturally diverse states in the nation. There are valleys, plateaus, mountains, narrow canyons and deserts. Arizona has a clear and sunny climate that is ideal not only for residents, but also for tourists. Tourism is a major enterprise creating larger social and consumer services. Arizona’s economy gradually expanded from "the five C’s" -cattle, copper, cotton, citrus, and climate- to manufacturing. Especially after the Second World War, military production was changed into electronics and electric power and Arizona became a major producer of televisions, radios, aircraft, printers, etc. However, the greatest economic expansion occurred during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Arizona developed production in electronics and aviation. Industrial expansion and climate caused a great migration and quick population growth. The number of Arizona population raised from 750,000 in 1950 to 3,665,220 in 1990. Arizona is now the 24^th most populous state in nation. The largest group is white, about eighty percent. Native Americans are the second largest group, comprising nearly six percent. Three percent of population is black, and one and a half percent are Asians and Pacific Islanders. Hispanics, considered of any race, comprise nearly nineteen percent.

Until the 1950’s, Arizona was mainly a Democratic state. The first state governor, W. P. Hunt, was a Democrat. Hunt strongly supported the farming industry, particularly construction of dams and irrigation projects. Hunt also fought for a new system of highways against the railroad leaders. The Republican trend began in the 1950’s. One of the first and the most significant Republicans was Barry M. Goldwater. Goldwater was elected to the U.S. Senate and in 1964 unsuccessfully ran for President. During the 1960’s and 1970’s it was the Hispanic population that demanded greater political role. Its efforts were reflected in the election of a Hispanic governor Democrat Raul Castro in 1974. Castro was succeed by Wesley Bolin, also a Democrat. A Democratic trend continued and after Bolin’s death, in March 1978, Bruce Babbitt became governor. Babbitt was nominated by Clinton in 1993 to be secretary of the Interior. Republicans took over the governorship in 1986 when Evan Mecham was elected. Mecham was a remarkable personality. Mecham did not only make racist comments, ridicule and mock at homosexuals and women, but he also illegally transferred public money to his own purposes. Found guilty of obstructing justice and misappropriating state funds, Mecham was the first U.S. governor impeached and removed from office since 1929. He was succeeded by a Democrat, Rose Mofford. After Mofford Republican J. Fife Symington took the governor seat. Symington had also political problems. The government charged Symington with actions violating conflict-of interest law. However, the lawsuit ended up with Symington’s acquittal.

At 1999 Caucus, Democrats addressed six important issues. Their strongest focus is on children and families and on education. Democrats seek a safe, stable and happy home for Arizona children. They push for a larger Healthy Families Program and for reinstallation of Health Start funding. Attention is paid to children who are under state protection to find a permanent and loving home. They call for immunization of young children. In order to strengthen childcare, Democrats also focus on job training. They help families that are trying to be self-sufficient to successfully transfer from welfare to financial independence.

Better education for all Arizona children is an imperative for Arizona Democrats. In the mid-1990’s, Arizona spent about $4180 on each student’s education. A national average was about $5310. Also, average class size was larger than the national average. Children need a conducive environment and effective tools to become successful in their learning. Democrats, therefore, push for better learning conditions. It is necessary to reduce the teacher-student ratio, to get more computers and technology into classrooms, make quality and appropriate tests to fairly measure student’s knowledge. Democrats introduced a significant plan to make schools’ standards better – the B.E.S.T. plan, or Build Excellent Schools Today." The plan seeks to create a new system of capital funding without raising taxes and to equally divide it among school districts. An emphasis is also made on early learning, and Democrats propose full-day kindergarten. Considering the Hispanic population in Arizona, almost 19 percent, and the globalization trend, Democrats also highly enhance bilingual education. They support a preservation of high quality academic education and easy student’s access to the community college and university systems. Arizona Democrats are against vouchers for private or parochial schools.

Democrats underline another important issue in their platform: Arizona’s economy. They support economy policies that will all parts of the state prosperous, seeking a balance between urban and rural areas. Therefore, they promote Arizona’s infrastructure, better transportation and additional roads in urban and rural areas to attract business and to expand industry, creating high paying jobs. Democrats desire to preserve not only a fair, progressive income tax, but also support child and dependent care tax support. Democrats also fight for an increase in unemployment insurance and for worker’s compensation benefits. Service improvement to increase tourism, the major Arizona industry, is not left out of Democratic platform.

Democrats are concerned about Arizonians’ safety. They are strong supporters of county sheriffs and city police. Moreover, their support is also given to the Attorney General to find effective tools to fight child abuse and violence. They also focus on strengthening of community relationships, particularly in schools and neighborhoods. Attention is also paid to urban blight.

Another important issue that Democrats address with great attention is health care. Arizonians need affordable and quality health care. Democrats have been fighting to pass legislation that increase HMO’s accountability. On Thursday, October 12, 1999, congressional Democrats finally worked out a way with moderate Republicans, and the U.S. House passed a strong Patients’ Bill of Rights. Patients have the right now to sue their HMO for refusal of needed treatments. Democrats try to improve the Health Care Group. They propose more efficient solutions to provide inexpensive health options for small businesses. Another Democratic aim is to have tobacco tax serve as a fund for health care coverage for Arizona’s children and families.

Democrats want to see Arizona’s magnificent natural resources protected. They concentrate on efficient environmental strategies, especially to continue to improve air quality in the urban areas and the Water Quality Assurance program. Democrats strongly oppose any polluter protection bill.

Arizona Democrats stand for an effective state government, where citizens are part of decision-making process. As eager democracy supporters, Democrats care for and pursue greater voter participation. Efforts are made to enlarge the number of voting sites, especially given the high number of senior citizens. Also to facilitate and make the voting more accessible, Democrats will hold internet voting in addition to traditional walk-up balloting. On March 11, 2000, for the first time in the world, internet voting will be used in an election. At the same time, the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary will get great attention; overall, it should be the greatest experience in Arizona’s history. Using new technology, Democrats also focus on protecting state data from the Y2K computer virus. Democrats support the creation of a bipartisan redistricting commission as an important step to a government balance. There is also an impetus to strengthen relationships with Native American tribes. Democrats stand for balanced and effective spending, especially on education, safety and health care. In order to measure Arizona's outcome, state audits are also proposed. Also to make government efficient and to secure good public service, Democrats desire and seek qualified people to serve in public offices. Therefore, they push for state employees’ compensations that reflect temporary economic situation.
 
 

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 25^th state of the United States of America with a new border on the West and stands as the 26^th 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 have 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 21^st 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.
 
 

California is a large and diverse state with an interesting political history. Starting with the gold rush of 1849, people from all over the United States and the globe have moved to California in search of better prospects. The Gold Rush of 1849 brought a diverse group of Americans to California. What the Gold Rush of 1849 started, the Southern Pacific Railroad finished. In the process of building the transcontinental railroad, many ethnic groups settled in California. Large numbers of Chinese and other immigrants built the railroad. People who lacked opportunity in the East moved to California in hopes of bettering themselves.

With the start of World War II, defense contracting expanded economic prosperity for California and produced a highly skilled work force. Aside from government contracting, small business and self-employment are a big part of the economy.

The 1849 Gold Rush exploited natural resources. It is this tradition of exploiting natural resources which has lead to environmental problems. Democrats in the state aim to clean the environment, regulate industrial environmental practices, and create job all at the same time. Democrats want to end coastal under water mining and the dumping of toxic materials in the ocean. Money should be set aside for beach and ocean clean-up programs. The state’s forests also needs protecting and democrats would like to see an end to cutting down ancient redwood and other species of trees. It is important to state democrats to closely monitor government and industrial industry in California. Reforms are needed to regulate mining and drilling practices, along with strict anti-air pollution laws. There is also a strong anti-nuclear desert waste storage and disposal movement among Californian democrats.

Among the hot spots in California’s political arena is Affirmative Action. Affirmative Action is defined in The Merriam-Webster Dictionary as, "an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women." In a 1994 vote Californians voted in favor of Proposition 209 which makes it illegal for the state to employ racial preferences and quotas. By supporting Affirmative Action the Party hopes to encourage hiring which does not discriminate by culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The Democratic Party hopes to overturn Proposition 209.

Labor issues important to the State Democratic Party. It supports the spread of unions, and opposes the replacing of full time jobs with temporary ones. These workers often do not have medical and pension benefits. The State Democratic Party supports portable health care, which would move with the worker from job to job. An increase in workmen’s compensation and unemployment insurance is also supported.

Crime is at a high level in urban areas of the state. Democrats do not just want to punish criminal offenders, they also want to organize a comprehensive plan to decrease crime through law enforcement and social programs. Part of the social aspect would be an increase in funding for drug addiction treatment and state support of poverty ending measures such as a livable wage. Democrats also support stiffer sentences foe those convicted of domestic violence crimes and rape. All efforts undermine existing gun control laws, such as the ban on assault weapons and the fifteen day back ground check on gun purchasers, are also fought by California’s democrats.

In an effort to curtail crime, democrats in California support programs, which aid children and young people in need. Lightening social workers’ case loads and extending the same rights given to adults to abused and neglected children are both supported by the party. Funding for programs like after school, conflict resolution and problem solving education, anti-hate crime education, school lunches, outreach programs, immunization programs, and sex education in high schools. The Democratic Party also supports the reinstatement of Social Security benefits for children of documented immigrants.

Promoting business growth is also important to Democrats in California. To achieve a greater educated work force, Democrats want to give tax credits to businesses that financially encourage their employees to seek higher education and training. Another tax credit to reward and encourage long term investments in small businesses is also supported by democrats. To keep aerospace and high technology jobs in California, democrats support investments in transportation programs, federal contracts, and any other measure that keeps California competitive with other states in the cost of running a business.

Political reform is another goal of the state party. To improve lower voter turn out in recent elections, the Democratic Party supports extended voting hours and a vote by mail program. To improve the integrity of the election process, democrats in California support free media for candidates in political races, and publicly financing of major political campaigns and limited funding for established political parties.

General health care and health care reform is a major concern to the Party. The Democratic Party is opposed to recent attempts at eliminating Medicare, Medicaid and other health services for the poor. Protecting a woman’s right to access all reproductive and health services is important to the Democratic Party. Included in this category are abortions, contraceptives, counseling, and non-surgical abortion alternatives.

Comprehensive medical coverage for all people, including options for alternative medicine, is supported by Democrats. HMOs need to be regulated to ensure policyholders are not denied need care. California’s democrats support needle exchange programs.

In short, the California Democrats favor a broad range of government social programs, as the best way to reduce poverty, injustice, and the ills of society in general.

Almanac of the 50 States

Carol Berkin et al., Making America A History of the United States, vol. 2.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.

The California Democratic Party, 1998 Democratic Platform, www.ca-dem.org/

The Merriam Webster Dictionary. 5 ed. 1997.
 
 

The Colorado State Democratic Party holds the same beliefs and standards as the National Democratic Party. They believe in economic opportunity for small business and the working class citizens, national standards of education, etc. Although there similarities in their belief systems, it is important to note certain characteristics of the state of Colorado. These characteristics not only describe their state but also help understand the motives behind the actions of elected officials while in office.

The state of Colorado is located in the mid-west nestled in between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain Range. The state as a whole is geographically distant from other populous regions of the United States. For this reason Colorado is often compared to an island. Their most populated region is the state capital of Colorado, which is the city of Denver. Of the four million residents in Colorado, more than half of the population lives in the city of Denver. Many of the people in Colorado live in the urban setting which is the home to more than 82% of the citizens of Colorado. The five major urban regions in Colorado are Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Lakewood, and Pueblo. The rural areas of Colorado, such as the Great Plains, are home to only 18% of their population. The population under the age of 18 consists of 18%, 64% of the population are between the ages of 18-64, and 10% of the population are above the age of 65.

Although the Colorado Democratic Party believes that, " diverse people, ideas, backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles add to the excitement of living in Colorado," their population does not reflect diversity. The Caucasian population encompasses 79%, the African-American population encompasses 4%, and the Asian or Pacific Islander’s population encompasses only 2% of the total population.

Voting Statistics have shown that the state as a whole is moving towards voting for Republican candidates. Colorado Democrats are in a great minority. Registered Republics account for 36% of the registered voters in Colorado whereas, registered Democrats impose compose only 30% of registered voters. The Democratic Party has the burden to try and win the votes of the 34% of registered voters. The Democratic Party has the burden to try and win the votes of the 34% of the registered voters who are unaffiliated. The past three presidential elections have shown that there is a shift towards voting for Republican candidates.

The last Party Platform that the Colorado Democratic Party has written was in 1996. Although the party has not written a platform for the upcoming election, they expressed that the 1996 platform accurately expresses their beliefs for the presidential election in the year 2000. The platform states their beliefs in strong economic structure, protected workforce, and strong education.

The Colorado Democratic Party believes in providing a strong economic structure, which will facilitate as a public/private partnership for its citizens. Their platform expressed their desire to work towards, " leading cooperative efforts between business and government to enhance the stability of small businesses." Their belief is that, "strong competitive businesses can produce high-paying jobs and end wage stagnation. The Colorado Democrats believe that if the government starts by supporting business, the result will be the financial stability of its citizens." They plan on investing in education, eliminating many regulations for small businesses, and changing tax policies in order to reach this end. Their ultimate goal is to help Americans save their assets, buy homes, and increase their spending power.

Not only do Colorado Democrats want to protect businesses, but they also want to protect the workforce. They suggest that the government accomplish this by increasing the minimum wage and guaranteeing a safe and healthy workplace. They believe that workers should be able to join unions and protest and picket their place of employment, as the situation deems necessary.

A major concern of most Colorado citizens is the impact of industrial growth on the state of Colorado. The Colorado Democratic Party recognizes this and proposes that government, "balance the needs for open space and recreation and at the same time preserve agriculture as a traditional base of Colorado’s economy." Since rapid growth is connected with their transportation system, land use patterns and the balance of rural and urban economic development. The Colorado Democratic Party, "urges policy makers at all levels of government to look at transportation in evaluating the environmental impacts of development and to promote alternative modes of transportation which will enhance air quality and ease congestion." The Colorado Democratic Party not only believes in protecting Colorado’s Natural and Historical Heritage but also preserving its environment and preventing future environmental damage.

The Colorado Democratic Party has stated that, "Education is the single most important investment we can make for the future of our democracy and the preservation of our planet." They believe that America’s stable economy, safe environment, good health, and sound values all depend on the quality of education. They are committed to the future of this country, which are the children of today. Although they do not believe in providing school vouchers, they are willing to go as far as implementing national standards of education.
 
 

Connecticut is the nation’s highest-income state and quite possibly the wealthiest. It was one of the last to renounce an established church (in 1818) and one of the last to impose an income tax (in the 1990s). Most of Connecticut’s residents today trace their ancestry to the Catholic groups that came over in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. However, life here still bears the imprint of its original 17^th century settlers. Connecticut was founded by the Puritans who found Massachusetts too lenient and backsliding, and Connecticut Yankees for years have been flintier and more exacting than their Boston brethren - a type readily recognized by readers of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

For more than a century, Connecticut has had a close relationship with the military. This rapport was strongest during the Reagan defense buildup of the 1980s. The state boomed as General Dynamics and United Technologies created jobs that furnished armaments to the army, navy and air force.

The arms industry, like Connecticut’s civilian manufacturer, depends heavily on precision work. For years, the state was the center of the brass industry and machine tools, and the nation’s main producer of precision instruments. Connecticut workers have always maintained their thriftiness; the state ranks among the highest in new patents per capita. In addition, Connecticut is home to many of America’s greatest insurance companies, Aetna, Connecticut Mutual and ITT Hartford.

The 1990s has been a tough decade for Connecticut. The insurance industry has consolidated as a result of large casualty losses. The end of the Cold War and decline in defense spending has cost Connecticut nearly 150,000 manufacturing jobs, down from a peak of 420,000 in the early 1980s. Consequently, four of the countries ten fastest shrinking cities are in Connecticut - New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport and Waterbury. In recent years, Connecticut has welcomed new small high-tech businesses and computer companies; however, its biggest growth industry recently has been Foxwoods Casino, the nation’s most profitable in 1992.

For most of the 20^th century, Connecticut politics has been an ethnic struggle between Yankee Republicans and Catholic Democrats, with the latter very slowly but steadily gaining ground. The key figure was John Bailey, state Democratic Party chairman from 1946-75. Bailey’s power was augmented by Connecticut’s strong party and straight ticket voting traditions. Connecticut also had a vital Republican Party that generated national party chairmen and swept occasional elections from 1959-70. Since then, the straight ticket lever has been abolished and Connecticut has been all over the lot politically.

Connecticut has twice voted for Bill Clinton in the 1990s, elected two Republican governors, including the incumbent John Rowland, and sent two Democratic senators to Washington, Christopher Dodd and Joseph Lieberman.

Connecticut voted Democratic for president in the 1960s and the 1990s, Republican in the 1970s and 1980s. The shifts from party to party have resulted from fractures of old coalitions: the Democrats split in the culture wars of the old Nixon years, the Republicans spilt amid the economic turmoil of the 1990s.

Connecticut’s presidential primary is held fairly early in the process and in recent years it has not made much difference. In March 1992, a low-turnout primary, Jerry Brown eked out a narrow victory over Bill Clinton. In 1996, Connecticut gave Bob Dole a solid victory over Steve Forbes; but that was three days after the primary in South Carolina, where the race already was decided.

The Connecticut State Democrat Party is committed to renew America’s most basic bargain: Opportunity to every American, and responsibility from every American. The values of opportunity, responsibility and community are what made America strong and they are what must guide us in the future.

Economic growth and opportunity for all is the mission of the Democratic Party. In the last eight years the American people have created more than 14 million new jobs; in addition the United States in once again the world’s leading manufacturer of automobiles. The combined rates of inflation, unemployment and mortgage interest rates are the lowest in three decades. Today more than 6 million Americans own their own home. The Democratic Party supports a comprehensive strategy for continued economic growth and private sector opportunity. America must continue to cut the deficit, expand trade and invest in its people. We are for the Balanced Budget Amendment and utilization of budget surpluses to preserve Medicare and Medicaid, and protecting Social Security for future generations.

The Connecticut State Democratic Party and the National Democratic Party believe that working people should not be taxed into poverty. They are committed to an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit and targeted tax cuts that help working Americans invest in their future. Democrats want to strengthen middle-class families by increasing the $500 tax cut for children and continuing to help families pay for education after high school. They have allowed for people to use their IRA to buy a first home, deal with medical emergencies and provide for education.

The Democratic Party knows investments in technology drive economic growth, generate new knowledge, create new high-wage jobs, build new industries and improve our quality of life. The party supports government policies that encourage private sector investment and innovation to create a pro-growth economic climate. When we invest in our research institutions we are investing in our future by helping to train the next generation of American scientists and engineers. As we enter the 21^st century we must continue to invest in world-class research and development, advanced technologies in transportation, information and other industries, and agricultural and environmental research in partnership with American business.

The state and national believe that if the American economy is to continue strong growth, we must continue to expand trade, and not retreat from the world. American markets are open to the world, so America has a right to demand that the world’s markets are open to our products. When American workers and American companies have the chance to compete around the world, we do not take second place. Therefore, we must continue to lower foreign trade barriers; insist that foreign companies play by fair rules at hoe and abroad; strengthen rules that protect the global economy from fraud and dangerous instability; advance American commercial interests abroad; and ensure the new global economy is directly beneficial to American working families.

Education is the key to opportunity. Democrats across the board recognize that in the new global economy, higher education is more important than ever before. Education is the fault line that separates those who will prosper from those who cannot. It is imperative that we improve the quality of American education and expand the opportunity for all Americans to get the education they need to succeed. We must strengthen our public school system by requiring them to meet high standards for professional performance; in addition we must ensure they not only teach children but teach them values; provide a safe and healthy environment in which to learn; bring 21^st century technology into every classroom; and prepare students for jobs. Government must also do its part by providing tax cuts for college, expanding the work-study program, allowing people to use money from their IRA to help pay for college, furnishing honor scholarships for the top 5 percent of graduates in every high school, and make 14 years the standard education for every American.

The Democratic Party is committed to protecting the environment and wants all Americans to enjoy our country’s natural heritage. We want people to know that the air they breathe is pure, the water they drink is clean, and the land they live on is safe from hazard. Government has a responsibility to enforce the laws that help keep toxic chemicals from our water, pesticides from our food and smog from our air. Democrats believe we can protect the environment and expand the economy. We can create more jobs over the long run by cleaning the environment. We want to challenge businesses and communities to take more initiative in protecting the environment and we want to make it easier for them to do so. Environmental protection should include education on compliance for small and medium sized business, more strategies to increase compliance for all businesses, and tough enforcement, including criminal prosecution, for those who put human health and the environment at risk.

Foreign policy and maintaining America’s global role are vital to our nation’s security and prosperity in the 21^st century. To meet the challenges of this new era of promise and peril, America needs leadership that sees the contours of the new world and is willing to act with steadiness, strength and flexibility in the face of change. The only way to ensure America’s global future is to continue exerting American leadership across a range of military, diplomatic, and humanitarian challenges around the world. The Democratic Party has a far-reaching agenda to strengthen our security, and promote peace and freedom.

We are committed to strengthening our military and adapting it to new challenges; reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction; and meeting new challenges to our security such as terrorism, international crime and drug trafficking.

Over the last eight years, government has undertaken the most successful restructuring of our military forces in history. Even as the size of our forces decreased, their capabilities, readiness and qualitative edge have increased. Democrats have insured that America is prepared to fight alongside others when we can, and alone when we must. The present defense plan reverses the downward trend in procurement with a 40% real increase for weapons modernization by 2001. America must have the best trained, best equipped, best prepared fighting forces in the world. We are committed to undertaking standard review of our defense structure, finding new ways for our service branches to work jointly to increase our war fighting capabilities; and ensuring that troops can dominate the battlefield of the future.

We are waging a three front war on terrorism - abroad, through greater cooperation with our allies; at home, by giving law enforcement the most powerful tools available to fight terrorism; and in our airports and on our airplanes, through tough air travel security measures. We are determined to keep the war on global terrorism, narcotics, and crime at the center of our security agenda.

The party knows that peace and democracy are products of decisive strength and active diplomacy; a key to strengthening peace is stable and peaceful relations among the world’s major powers. We are committed to promoting democracy in regions and countries that are important to America’s security, and to standing with all those willing to take risks for peace.

The security of Europe remains a vital American interest. It is our vision to see a community of free, democratic and peaceful nations, bound by political, security, cultural, and economic ties, spanning across North America and Europe. Efforts to foster a peaceful and undivided Europe include expanding support for reform in former communist states, the Partnership for Peace program of military cooperation with Europe’s new democracies, and continued efforts in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and Russia for the evolution of prosperity and peace.

America’s most pressing security challenges and most promising commercial lie in the Asia Pacific region. We support the effort of close cooperation with the Republic of Korea toward the goal of a unified non-nuclear peninsula, and the deployment of an American naval task force to the Taiwan Straits to ensure that China’s military exercises do not imperil the region. We support the policy of steady engagement to encourage a stable, secure, open and prosperous China; also, a China that respects human rights, joins international efforts against weapons proliferation and plays by the rules of free and fair trade.

In the Middle East, the Democratic Party is committed to continuing the efforts made toward establishing peace in this vital region. Peace and security are indivisible; therefore, we support the accords for a comprehensive and lasting peace among Israel and all its neighbors, including Lebanon and Syria. The Democratic Party remains committed to its long-standing special relationship with Israel and we are committed to working with our Arab neighbors to build a brighter, more secure and prosperous future for all the people in the Middle East.

The Democratic Party believes we must reawaken the strong sense of community that has helped America prosper for 220 years. We must never let our differences divide us; instead, we must come together on a new common ground, considering the enduring vales we share. When Americans work together they can meet any challenge and realize any dream. Together we must put families first, stand up for parents’ rights, ensure responsible entertainment, and educate our children on the perils of cigarette smoking and alcohol.

Communities must continue to be given the tools they need to create opportunity. Citizens, local government, the private sector, and civic groups must come together and take the responsibility to rebuild their communities. Together we must encourage private sector investment and community-based solutions, help people afford safe and secure housing, and shift the focus of homeless shelters from temporary domiciles to permanent solutions designed to move people back into the mainstream, into jobs and a home of their own.

Social policy must also include accessible, affordable and high-quality health care for all Americans; a Social Security and Medicare system strengthened to meet the demands of future generations; a Welfare System that exists to provide people with a hand up and not a handout; and stronger gun control laws and a strengthening of those laws already on the books. The Democratic Party is committed to the efforts of parents, community, business and religious leaders to preventing teen pregnancy. We support the expansion of community-based prevention programs that teach abstinence and demand responsibility.

The Democratic Party stands behind the right of every woman to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of ability to pay. The right to make such decisions is protected for all Americans. We believe it is a fundamental constitutional liberty that individual Americans can best take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal decisions regarding reproduction.

Democrats are strongly in favor of campaign finance reform. We support limiting the influence of special interests and expanding the influence of the American people. We embrace the efforts to limit campaign spending, curb the influence of PACs and lobbyists, and an end to the soft money system. It is time to take the reigns of democracy away from big money and put them back in the hands of the American people where they belong. Accordingly, we support the efforts of broadcasters and citizens alike to increase candidates’ direct access to voters through free TV.

The Democratic Party believes every American has a duty and a responsibility to give something back to their country. We challenge Americans in all walks of life to make a new commitment to taking responsibility for themselves, their families, communities and country. If we do our job, together, we will make the next American century as great as the one that has come before it.

The District of Columbia is a federal district, which is coextensive to the city of Washington, D.C. It was established by congressional acts of 1790 and 1791. In June 1800 President John Adams moved the government to Washington, D.C. The first congressional meeting was held there in November. The District of Columbia has a population of 606,900 people on its 70 square mile land. Until 1961 residents of the District of Columbia were excluded from voting. However, the twenty-third amendment to the Constitution allowed them to vote in presidential elections. In addition to that, in 1970 the District was given the right to send nonvoting delegate to Congress. Now the delegate is Eleanor Holmes Norton. In 1978 Congress passed a constitutional amendment which gave the District of Columbia full representation in Congress. However, not enough states ratified it and a District reminded a district. Since then politicians and District officials are working on making the District of Columbia a state but so far without any success. District of Columbia government operates under mayor and city council but the legislation is still under the provision of Congress (Encyclopedia).

The "State Committee" governs the District of Columbia Democratic Party. The "State Committee" consists of forty-eight members who are elected at the Democratic Party primary held in each presidential election year and twenty-two additional members.

The District of Columbia Democratic State Committee has a very similar platform to the National Democratic Party: "… we believe all Americans have a right to fair political representation—including the citizens of the District of Columbia who deserve full self-governance, political representation and Statehood" (D.C. Bulletin). Their main goal is to obtain full representation in Congress and Statehood. They demand to manage their affairs by themselves and not to be "pushed around" by the Congress. As American Last Colony they want to finally gain their independence once and for all.

When it comes to taxation and fiscal responsibility Democratic Party in D.C. agrees with fiscal reform but without increase in taxes. They hope for the surplus this year under Clinton/Gore administration. Even though the District is not a state, it provides public services as every other state (health and welfare, Medicaid, traffic control, police and fire protection). Because of congressionally imposed taxing restrictions, the District loses in tax revenue millions every year. Legislation says that "two out of three dollars earned in the city" goes to those who are not citizens of the district. That is why the District of Columbia demands more money from the federal government in order to function properly (D.C. Bulletin).

The Democratic Party of D.C. supports governmental reforms. They want to restore the strong Mayor-Council form of government and expanding the responsibilities of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.

The Democratic Party is also agreeing with continuation of the primary system in the District of Columbia and in different states as well.

Education is especially important issue to the Democratic Party in D.C. They do not agree with the status quo in public education and that is why they demand changes. The Democrats see the Board of Education, teachers, student representatives, parents and volunteer citizens as the way to solve the problems with public education in our country. They want Congress to stop "its instruction in school management". In addition to that Democrats want to provide more funding to libraries and schools. They also oppose the national standards in education, which are dictated by testing (D.C. Bulletin).

The Democratic Party in D.C. is especially concern with the crime in our country. They believe that one of the main tasks of the government should be to provide the general public safety. They expect the federal government to be tougher on those who commit crimes. In addition to that, they support the reestablishment of Civilian Complain Review Board. They believe that by taking care of substance abuse, joblessness, violence and social inequality, the government would solve many of its problems (D.C. Bulletin).

When it comes to health care, the Democratic Party agrees that everyone should be able to have access to affordable health care, either public or private. They support increase of Medicare and health programs in public schools that would prevent AIDS, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse (D.C. Bulletin).

The Democratic Party from the District of Columbia also supports rent control laws and reestablishment of the Rent Administrator (D.C. Bulletin).

The D.C. Democratic Party opposes the death penalty under any circumstances. On the issue of abortion, they agree with pro-choice for women. They also want more funding for the HIV research (D.C. Bulletin).

The Democratic Party also supports public transportation. They want federal government to spend more money on maintaining roads, streets and bridges.

The Democratic Party in District of Columbia wants tougher environmental laws that would involve strict zoning regulations, which would prevent businesses from trash dumping, air pollution and garbage storage within their neighborhoods. They also want politicians to pay more attention to the quality and maintenance of waterways and clean air.

The Democratic Party in the District of Columbia takes the stand of the National Democratic Party on the foreign policy and defense issues in the United States. They want U.S. to continue to be a world leader when in comes to military, diplomatic and humanitarian agenda. They want to focus military’s attention on the war against global terrorism, narcotics and crime. To make that possible Democrats want to straighten the military and stop cuts to US intelligence programs (D.C. Bulletin).

Democrats support legal immigration to the United States and want to easier the system to make obtaining a citizenship a faster process. However, they oppose illegal immigration and want to stop it by making the legislation tougher on the illegal immigrants who come here to work (D.C. Bulletin).

For the next millennium, the Democratic Party in District of Columbia wishes to finally obtain its statehood and full representation in Congress. They also hope that the next president would also be Democrat. But nobody knows yet if his or her wishes will come true.
 
 

Delaware, what a state so small in area and population, but so prolific in history and affluence. Delaware is literally called ''The First State.'' It was the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787. Delaware has a population of 724,842, which makes it the fifth smallest state in the United States Of America. The state's area is the second smallest. Delaware is also known to be the nation's Presidential bellwether because it has voted for every winner starting in 1952. In Delaware's General Assembly the upper chamber the Senate has twenty-one members in which the party's majority is Democratic. In the Lower chamber the House Of Representatives there are forty-one members and the majority is Republican. There is also one Representative for Delaware in Congress that is a Republican. Delaware has always been recognized as affluent. Two-thirds of the people live in upscale cobblestone suburban areas. Delaware's 'well to do' economic status was started by the wealthy family the Du Pont's. The state has been noticed due to the Du Pont's success in Delaware.

In Delaware the Democratic Governor Tom Carper has made many accomplishments for the Democratic party, and for his state. One issue of great importance is education. Education receives most of the state government expenditures. $1,326.45 (per capita). Carper helped push for school choice and charter schools to give parents greater flexibility in educating their children. He increased state funding for textbooks and classroom materials by twenty five percent and dedicated thirty million for improving school technology.

Governor Carper also helped to strengthen families and to reform welfare. He set strict time limits on welfare payments and required recipients to work and keep their children in school. He also reduced the welfare rolls by helping nearly 5,000 welfare recipients go to work. Carper won national acclaim for child support enforcement, with record collections of more than $130 million since 1993. He also discouraged teen pregnancy through a ''family cap'' and prevention efforts.

The issue of healthcare for all people of the state was very important to Governor Carper. Carper eliminated the waiting list for subsidized childcare, which saw 1,750 waiting for reliable childcare. Families no longer had to choose between going to work or keeping health care. He also helped to extend coverage for the poor, which has assisted 20,000 working poor since 1993. Governor Carper also helped kids from families without coverage earning between one hundred and two hundred percent of poverty become eligible to participate in a good, comprehensive plan of health care (known as the Delaware Healthy children program) for as little as ten to twenty five dollars per month per family.

Governor Carper did not stop there. He also has made significant changes in taxes for Delaware. He cut personal taxes twice to put money back in the pockets for every Delaware taxpayer. He slashed utility and gross receipt taxes for a variety of businesses. Most working families living in poverty pay no state income taxes until their income exceeds one hundred percent of poverty level. Delaware's property tax is among the lowest in America, and there is no sales tax. Carpers tax accomplishments are so renowned that a survey of the ''Fortune 100'' ranks Delaware as the best state in which to locate or expand business based on tax policy.

Last but not least is the issue of protecting Delaware's environment. He helped Delaware's industries to cut toxic air emissions by more than half since 1987. Delaware has met the strict requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act. He has cut manufacturing emissions of toxic chemicals into the water by nearly eighty percent. He also permanently preserved more than 18,700 acres of open space and prime farmland preserved for at least ten years. Delaware has been named the # 1 state in America for agland preservation. He also created the 21st Century fund to increase investments in water and wastewater facilities and in open space and farmland preservation. Carper has also been committed to transforming long abandoned industrial wasteland into recreation areas for visitors and the people of Delaware to enjoy. They also are implementing a ten-year action plan to help reduce pollution, emptying their bays, and other waterways.
 
 

Florida, known as the ‘Sunshine" state, achieved statehood in the year 1845. Florida’s capital city is Tallahassee. Encompassing an area of 65,758 square miles (of which 53,997 is land and 11,761 is water), Florida’s southern location attracts tourists and retired citizens nationwide. Florida’s businesses benefit from the sunny year- round temperature. The warm climate contributes to their popular tourist destinations, such as Miami Beach, the commercial capital of Latin America and the enchanting Walt Disney World Theme Parks in Orlando. In addition to tourism, Florida’s booming economy highly depends on their leading agriculture commodities: oranges, sugar and tomatoes. Their well-known attractions made Florida one of America’s most frequent visited states. The growing population includes millions of retirees every year (Florida is the fourth most populous state). This factor may be a disadvantage to the residents of Florida. As a result, many citizens turn to the Democratic Party to resolve common concerns and interests.

Florida’s Democratic Party has a proud history protecting communities making it safer for the children and the elders. It continues to improve education and fight for Florida’s families and all the people of the state. Florida’s Democratic Party is dedicated and committed to serve Floridians in establishing effective policies regarding main issues like health care, education, criminal justice, environment, human and civil rights and their economic development.

According to Florida’s 1995 Democratic Party Platform, the party sought to implement the following health improvements: The Florida Democratic Party supports reform in insurance contract language that discriminates against anyone in need of medical care because of a preexisting condition; it supports insurance reform to revise healthcare financing structures to reduce administrative and marketing costs while maintaining high quality and affordable rates; it urges Congress and the Administration to join with the states in partnership to provide Medicaid funds to the states based upon a fair distribution to each state consistent with a state’s changing demographics; it supports the protection and enhancement of medical coverage for the poor, elderly, disabled and chronically ill citizens; it supports programs to improve the quality of life for the elderly citizens by promoting improved provisions of services with an emphasis on independence and self sufficiency; and the Florida Democratic Party encourages increased state and federal support in research in areas such as Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS and mental health. The Florida Democratic Party is for affordable health care and the encouragement of healthy lifestyles.

The Democratic Party Platform include the following in Florida’s education reform: The Florida Democratic Party recognizes the importance of quality teachers with special emphasis on the recruitment of minority teachers from the underrepresented segments of the community; it implements diverse programs to meet the needs of all Florida students; it supports the education of all students in the importance of individual and civic responsibility and the Florida Democratic Party maintains that schools must be made more available for adult education for all community members. Florida’s Democratic Party promotes diversity and equal opportunity in their classrooms. It believes in further education accommodated by quality faculties.

The Florida Democratic Party Platform regulate the following resolutions in the criminal justice system: The Florida Democratic Party strongly supports increased efforts by state and local law enforcement agencies in the confiscation of illegal substances and increased law enforcement in drug infested areas due regard for the rights of law-abiding citizens and the Florida Democratic Party advocates the enforcement of laws against violence in the home to ensure reliability of batters and provide services to victims of domestic violence throughout Florida. Florida’s Democratic Party exercise freedom of violence and fear in firmly supporting the law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system. It is important to secure and protect the rights of all citizens of Florida.

The Florida Democratic Party strives for the protection of the state’s environment. The Democratic Party Platform supports the following environmental resolutions: The Florida Democratic Party advocates scientific plans and funding for safe handling, transport, and disposal of hazardous and toxic waste, and opposes industrial pollution which leads to the destruction of natural resources; it supports efforts to solve the problems associated with solid waste collection and disposal, and community recycling; and they also support the preservation of habitats necessary to protect their endangered species. Florida’s Democratic Party is committed to protect the environment from toxic substances, waste and destruction of their natural surroundings.

The Florida Democratic Party continues to secure human and civil rights declared by Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt. The Democratic Party Platform enforces the following rights: The Florida Democratic Party believe all persons are entitled to equal opportunity in all aspects of their race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, handicap or disability; the right of all women to a safe, legal abortion without physical or verbal threats or harassment; the right of all people including children to effective protection from domestic violence; the right of their elderly to the maintenance and vigorous enforcement of laws regulating conditions in retirement homes; the right of their elderly to maintain existing healthcare systems without increasing costs or decreasing the quality of care and the right of all persons to equal employment opportunities. Florida’s Democratic Party protects all persons from fear, violence and discrimination.

The Florida Democratic Party believes the growth of their economy is one of the highest state priorities. They encourage economic diversification, expanding industries, and repatriation of American jobs. The Democratic Party Platform enhances the following economic regulations: the critical role of the private sector in Florida’s economy and encourages the expansion of Florida’s small business community, including minority and women-owned businesses through partnership among business, labor and government to promote entrepreneurship among all the residents of Florida; it promotes the marketing of the state’s producers and services in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico which will contribute to the national goal of balancing trade; it supports programs that reduce adult illiteracy and resulting unemployment and they urge pension managers, businesses and industries that do business within the State of Florida to fully fund, protect and pay pensions without breaking the bond of trust between employer and employee. Florida’s Democratic Party ensures a healthy and prosperous economic environment for all the working women and men of Florida.

Florida’s Democratic Party serves to protect the people’s rights. As Floridian Democrats, their goal is to develop effective policies that will enhance and maintain the quality of life for all the people of Florida.

State Overview

Georgia has grown in leaps and bounds in the past 20 years. Its population increased by 1 million people between 1990 and 1996, making it the 10^th largest state and the 4^th fastest growing State in the nation. This increase has been mainly due to the booming population of its capital, Atlanta. Although once primarily an agricultural state, Georgia has experienced tremendous growth in manufacturing and service related industries, particularly in the last decade.

Politically, Georgia has always been a Democratic stronghold, with an uninterrupted succession of Democratic governors since 1872, including current Governor Roy Barnes, and with a Democratic majority in both houses Georgia’s State Legislature. On a national level, however, it has evolved into what is called a marginal state – that is, support is now evenly split between the Democrats and Republicans, making for very close and contentious elections. In 1992, Clinton won Georgia by just 13,000; Dole’s victory in 1996 was an equally slim 27,000 votes. Elections for state offices are similarly close. They have one Democratic Senator in office, and the only area in which they do not hold a majority is in the House of Representatives; of the State’s 11 Representatives to the House, only 3 are Democrats. Georgia has thirteen electoral college votes.

Political Philosophy & Institution of Policy

The Democratic Party of Georgia follows the moderate philosophy of the DNC – opposed to excess spending, tough on crime, dedicated to welfare reform and the provision of job opportunities, and determined to improve healthcare. On a local level, educational improvements, infrastructure development and business expansion are a priority for Georgia’s Democratic Party.

Among the most popular and successful educational initiatives of Georgia Democrats, instituted under ex-Governor Zell Miller, is the HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship Program. Under this program, lottery funds dedicated to education provide scholarships to all high-school graduates with a "B" average who choose to attend an in-state University or Regional College. In 1996, 97% of all incoming freshmen to the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech were HOPE Scholars.

In addition to third-level education opportunities, Georgia Democrats have used state lottery funds to provide computers and related technology to each of Georgia’s 1,800 schools, as well as designating $24 million to go towards school safety equipment, like metal detectors and cameras. In order to ensure the continued use of lottery funds for these programs, a referendum was placed on the November, 1998 election ballot, which easily achieved majority support. Even without the lottery funds, funding for education is one of the State’s primary expenditures. Each year since 1993 has seen the State Legislature pass salary raises of 6% for teachers, in a continuing effort to bring their teachers salaries up to the national average. A voluntary pre-Kindergarten program for all four-year olds began in 1993, and is one of the most successful in the country. Reading programs, after-school programs, and programs geared at combating adult illiteracy have all been instituted, and special schools for consistently disruptive students have been established which allow teachers to better focus their attention on the rest of their students, instead of just the disciplinary problems.

Democrats in Georgia have instituted tough anti-crime measures, in keeping with the "two strikes and you’re out" sentencing policy nationwide. Prison construction has been a priority for the past decade, with the number of prison beds increasing by 60% since 1991. In 1996 legislature passed a bill allowing the state to contract with private companies to take over the running of these prisons, resulting in substantial savings to the taxpayers. Prison inmates are required to work, and prison benefits such as cable television, weight-lifting equipment and telephone privileges have been removed or curtailed. Victim’s Rights are a major consideration in the Democrat’s policies on crime. For example, any person convicted of criminal property damage in Georgia is now responsible for restitution directly to the victim. Similarly, the parent, spouse, employer, or insurer of a substance abuser is now able to sue the dealer/supplier of the illegal drugs.

In the area of family law, the definition of criminal battery has been expanded to include violence between current or past family members, and makes a second or subsequent charge a felony. Georgia Democrats are also tracking down on "dead-beat" parents, passing legislation that requires businesses to report all new hires in an effort to track down delinquent parents; in addition, child support payments are now deducted from unemployment checks, and dead-beat parents risk losing their professional licenses if they do not provide support.

As required by the national Welfare Reform Bill, the welfare system in Georgia has been overhauled in the past few years. Emphasizing personal responsibility and the importance of work, welfare recipients are permitted to remain on the welfare rolls for only four years. Programs such as PEACH (Positive Employment and Community Help) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Stressing Personal Responsibility provide cash assistance while providing education and training leading to employment.

Georgia has the sixth lowest state taxes in the country. In 1998, Democrats passed the second largest tax cut in the state’s history, cutting income tax by 15%, and the 2-year phasing out of the sales tax on food was completed, resulting in a tax cut of $500 million. Total tax cuts for the State over the last 10 years total over $900 million.

Concern for the environment has led the Democrats to pass legislation aimed at preserving 100,000 acres of Georgia woodland, protecting and maintaining Georgia’s rivers, the privatization of faulty city sewer systems that violate environmental standards, and committing to the use of recycled printing and writing paper by state agencies.

The fiscally conservative, socially moderate policies that the Democrats have put into place in Georgia epitomize the direction in which the Democratic National Committee during the Clinton presidency has taken. This will undoubtedly make the State an important one for Democrats in the 2000 Presidential Election.
 
 

The state of Hawaii is a chain of rugged islands, coral reefs, and rocky shoals located in the North Pacific Ocean. It occupies all except for the 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of the Midway Islands. The Hawaiian Archipelago is crossed near its northwestern end by the Tropic of Cancer. It is some 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) away from the West coast of the United States mainland.

The mild, uniform climate of Hawaii is famous all over the world. Wide temperature changes are unknown in the state. Despite Hawaii's location in a tropical zone, cooling ocean currents keep the climate moderate. Although Hurricane Iwa caused extensive damage in 1982 and there were devastating tsunamis, or tidal waves, in 1946 and 1960, violent weather conditions are comparatively rare. The average annual temperature is about 75°F (24°C) throughout the lowlands.

One of Hawaii's most valuable resources is its soil. Only 8 percent of the land is used for crops, yet agriculture is one of Hawaii's major sources of wealth. Hawaii's fertile soil is composed of lava ash and soft, sandy stone. In places it has yielded 11 tons of sugar per acre, the largest yield on Earth. Because of the mild climate and fertile soil, the crop year never ends. Pineapple and sugar plantations operate in both summer and winter.

Of the present population about one out of every three citizens is a member of the Caucasian race, with fully a third of mixed ancestry. They include Japanese, Hawaiian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Korean, Puerto Rican, Filipino, Portuguese, Indian, Samoan, Vietnamese, and Anglo-Saxon.

The population of Hawaii in the 1990 census was 1,115,274. This was an increase of 150,583, or 13.5 percent, since 1980. The two largest racial groups are the Caucasians and the Japanese, followed by Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Chinese.

Hawaii's constitution is patterned after the Constitution of the United States. It provides for an elected governor and a two-chamber legislature. A governor is limited to two consecutive terms. Hawaii sends two senators and two representatives to the United States Congress. It is the only state that has but two levels of government--state and county. There are no municipalities or other smaller government jurisdictions in the state.

Until the mid-1950s Republicans dominated the legislative elections. Hawaii was among the few states that supported the losing Democratic candidates in the presidential elections of 1968, 1980, and 1988. In 1974 Hawaii's George R. Ariyoshi became the first state governor of Oriental ancestry. He was succeeded by John Waihee, the first elected governor of Hawaiian ancestry. The first Democratic representative from Hawaii (1959-63) was Daniel K. Inouye, who was the first Japanese American Congressman; he was elected to the Senate in 1962.

Hawaii DEMOCRATS passed the first ever Violence Against Women Act which is combating domestic violence with more support for law enforcement, additional prosecutors, a national hotline, more shelters and counseling. As a result, Hawaii receives $976,000 in federal funds to bolster victim's services, law enforcement and women's shelters. Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. DEMOCRATS passed the Family and Medical Leave Act which gives 12 weeks unpaid leave to Americans for the birth of a child, illness of a child, spouse or parent, and for a worker's illness. 15 million families have already benefited from this legislation. Republicans repeatedly opposed passage and expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act. DEMOCRATS gave women a pay raise. When they passed an increase in the minimum wage, over 6 million women benefited from this pay raise. Republicans steadfastly opposed an increase in the minimum wage. DEMOCRATS increased small business loans to women entrepreneurs. In 1997, the Small Business Administration granted more than 10,000 loans to women, triple the number of loans granted to women in 1992.

Republicans complain that Hawaii's economy is flat. Democrats enacted the Small Business Regulatory Relief Act to ensure that small businesses aren't overly burdened by unnecessary government regulations. Democrats are attracting large high technology companies to Hawaii, such as Uniden and Square USA, that contribute financially to the local economy. These companies also hire local talent and assist in developing educational training programs at the University of Hawaii.

Democrats created a $1 billion Capital Improvements Program aimed at school facilities that generated jobs for Hawaii's construction industry. Democrats provided an income tax exemption to motion picture and television products made in Hawaii.

Democrats set deadlines for government permitting approvals, and consolidated application review of development projects. Democrats are Improving Hawaii's Economy!

Education! DEMOCRATS DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Republicans complain that Hawaii's public school system needs to be fixed. Democrats made education a top priority during a time when all other state operations faced severe budget cuts. Democrats implemented school/community based management principles (SCBM), allowing each school to respond to the specific needs of the community and children it serves. Democrats provided Hawaii teachers with a 17% pay raise, added 7 days to the school year, and added more than 900 classrooms to Hawaii's schools. Democrats have enacted reforms that give the University of Hawaii the autonomy needed to develop its full potential, while still assuring the responsible use of taxpayer money. Democrats negotiated an agreement for the University of Hawaii's West Oahu campus at Kapolei. Democrats Do GREAT THINGS For Hawaii's Future! ON CRIME Republicans Talk! Talk! Talk! DEMOCRATS DELIVER! DELIVER! DELIVER!

Hawaii Republicans say that nothing's being done to stem criminal activities.

Hawaii Democrats reduced violent crimes dramatically. Hawaii ranks 42nd in the nation for incidence of violent criminal acts. Hawaii Democrats are alleviating prison overcrowding by transferring prisoners to the mainland. Hawaii Democrats enacted legislation that allows the Governor to enter into contracts with private companies to develop correctional facilities, with lease or purchase by the State. This measure will expedite prison construction, and further resolve Hawaii prison overcrowding.

Hawaii Democrats are cleaning up prostitution in Waikiki, passing legislation with stiffer fines and penalties. DEMOCRATS Walk the Talk!

Democrats acquired Queens Beach to preserve the Ka`Iwi coastline. Democrats established the national whale marine sanctuary in Hawaiian waters. Democrats passed the Endangered Species Recovery Act to protect the recovery of endangered and threatened species in their habitats and nearly doubled the funding for aquatic programs to effectively manage Hawaii’s streams, coral reefs and fish stocks. Democrats enacted Part II of the Environmental Response Law, which provides the development community with a mechanism to voluntarily clean up properties contaminated with hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. DEMOCRATS know GREEN means Beautiful and Clean Environment!

Democrats expanded the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program and protected it from extreme Republican cuts. 40 million students benefit from this program in 97% of America's school districts. Republicans voted to CUT drug-free schools. After all of their tough talk about drugs, they voted to cut $64 billion from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program. The President vetoed this. But the Republicans are continuing to push for cuts.

Democrats support legislation that would require child safety locks to be on every handgun sold in the country, and punish adults who improperly store a gun that is used by a child in a crime. Republicans in the Senate killed an amendment to require all handguns sold in the U.S. to be equipped with trigger locks to prevent accidents. They also rejected efforts to punish adults who improperly store a gun that is used by a child in a crime.

IN FACT, Republicans fulfilled their promise to the National Rifle Association and voted to repeal the ban on 19 types of deadly assault weapons!

IN FACT, Republicans have taken $12 million from the National Rifle Association since 1977.

Democrats Keep Our Children and Youth Alive!

REPUBLICANS are DEADLY FORCE!

Republicans killed anti-teen smoking legislation that would have stopped big tobacco from marketing to children and teens. WHY? Because big tobacco companies reportedly gave the Republicans $12 million in campaign contributions in the last 3-1/2 years. Democrats stood up to big tobacco companies to protect our youth by working to stop them from marketing to children and teens. By 2003, Hawaii is projected to see a combined 35% cut in youth smoking and resulting premature deaths. Republicans voted to slash children's health care by cutting Medicaid by $170 billion. More than 18 million children would have been denied health care.

Democrats passed the single largest investment in children's health care since 1965, under Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, giving health care coverage to over 5 million uninsured children. The balanced budget provides $9 million for Hawaii's uninsured children. The House Republicans' budget denies safe childcare to 400,000 children. Democrats are fighting for safe and quality childcare and after-school programs. Democrats Keep Our Children and Youth Alive! Republicans Show No Respect to Our Senior Citizens!

Democrats' economic programs gave us the first budget surplus in a generation. Democrats want to use that surplus to protect Social Security for seniors and when baby boomers retire. Republicans opposed using the budget surplus and instead wanted to squander the surplus on hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts targeted to the wealthy.

Democrats are working to expand Medicare by letting people aged 62 and 65, and displaced workers aged 55 to 65 buy into Medicare. Republicans tried to slash Medicare by $270 billion, calling any expanded Medicare a "mistake". The Republican Medicare cuts were three times greater than what was necessary to keep Medicare solvent.

Democrats continue to protect the elderly patients by fighting for a Patient's Bill of Rights that will stop HMOs from putting corporate profits before patients' health. Republicans voted to cut nursing home standards that would have removed the current guarantee that long term nursing care for the elderly is safe.
 
 

The people of the Idaho Democratic Party support Idaho working people, families, communities, and children and to show these principles to guide the people of Idaho states in improving the lives of all those people whom live in Idaho. The Idaho state Democratic party goals are to secure equality of opportunity in for jobs for those who can work, and security for the needy, and the ending of special privilege for the few and the preservation of civil liberties for all.

Freedom: The Idaho state Democratic party support all human freedoms including freedom of expression, freedom to worship, freedom to want, and freedom to fear. They also support the freedom of an individuals and families to involve both individually and collectively in an open democratic process. And the right to privacy must not be sacrificed or abridged.

Government: The Idaho State Democratic supports the policies that encourage all voters to participation and a strong two party system throughout Idaho. They also support the equal and fair taxing system that provides stable and predictable revenues without cutting or shifting the burden of taxes to working families and for those who are on fixed income.

Education: Since well educated citizens are essential for a free democratic society, the Idaho Democratic support full funding for a system of free, equal public education and technical training spanning early childhood and throughout life in a safe and modern facilities. The Idaho State Democratic believes that their education system should provide diversified programs in an integrated environment to serve individuals needs to live a meaningful, responsible and prosperous life. They also support a full recognition of educators, who deserve adequate pay, support and respect.

Energy: The Idaho State Democratic support the creation of a coherent, broad base energy policy that will preserve low-cost power for Idaho's consumers, protects Idaho’s current jurisdiction over its environment, provides funding for energy conservation and consumers protect, and promote the safety and reliability of the entire electrical production an delivery system for their State. They also support the continued state and a local control over Idaho's electric power industry.

Environment and natural resources: The Idaho State Democratic supports the sustainability of Idaho’s natural resources for the use and benefit for the public. They also support polices that provide a sensible balance between stable development and protection of their natural resources. They also support the efforts to conserve and improve the quality of their air, water, and soil for present and future generations of Idaho’s. They support and encourage a climate of open dialogue to achieve shared goals rather than confrontation and condemnation.

Families, Children and Individuals: The Idaho State Democratic support the economic and social strategies to eliminate poverty in Idaho comprehensive services in food, foster care, Childcare, youth and senior programs and programs to end child abuse and domestic violence. They support a high quality of physical and mental health care system that is accessible and affordable to all the people that live in Idaho. They support creation and preservation of affordable and cheap housing for all the Idaho people.

Labor and Economy: The Idaho Democratic innovates policies to create a strong economy that provides people with rewarding jobs at livable wage, safe working conditions, secure benefit, workers' rights, adequate training, respect and dignity. They support the rights of all workers to get, from and join unions and bargain collectively. They support the repeal of laws that are hindering the ability for unions to effectively represent their membership. They also support the expanding of their traditional economic base with new markets and a value added industries that will provide employment and security for Idaho's future generations.

Law Enforcement: The Idaho State Democratic support the fair and just enforcement of their civil and criminal laws. They support programs that will emphasize restitution, rehabilitation, victims and defiance rights. They support the innovation programs that emphasize early intervention and prevention to solve the problems of their justices systems.

Growth: The Idaho Democrat support the long term planning and other proactive measures to manage the growth of their communities while continuing to provide opportunities for solitude and a open space for the public.

Human Rights: The Idaho State Democrat support full and equal rights for everybody. The Idaho State Democrat opposes discrimination that inhibits the ability of individuals to secure employment, housing, or any rights recognized by their society. They also respect and celebrate the diversity among people. They support the elimination of the political rhetoric that fosters a climate of hate, intolerance and violence within their state and their nation.
 
 

Illinois mirrors the diverse terrain of our US nation. Gorgeous cities, rich countryside, and beautiful national forest make up the twenty-first state of our North America. Illinois, a moderately sized state, consists of 57, 918 square miles with the latest recorded population of an estimated 11, 846,544. Springfield is the capital of Illinois, although Chicago is its largest and most-well known city with the population standing at an outstanding 2,784,000. However, this estimate was taken in 1990, and is likely to have increased since.

The educational achievement of all persons 25 years and older is as follows: 750,932 have less than a ninth grade education, 2,187,372 have high school diplomas, 989,808 have B.A.'s and 545,188 have a master's or a Doctorate's degree. In respects to income, the personal income per capita is $26,598. The major races in Illinois in 1990 consists of whites, which make up 75% of the state's population, blacks make up, 14% Hispanics consist of 8.3%, and Asians make up 1.7%. In Illinois the female gender makes up more of the Illinois population standing at 51%, while the male population stands at 49%.

The present governor is Jim Edgar, a Republican whose term expires this year. In regard to the voting percentage in November of 1994, 42% of all registered voters voted, but only 63% of all those qualified to vote are registered. In the last presidential campaign of 1996, 58% voted for Clinton, 40% voted for Dole, and 2% voted for Perot. In 1992 the majority also voted for Clinton. The total number of representatives is 20; half are Democratic and the other half is Republican. The number of electoral votes stands at 22. As for the economy, the leading industries are service industries, manufacturing, finance, real estate, and insurance. Illinois' leading agricultural commodities are corn, soybean, hogs, and cattle.

The Democratic Party of Illinois and where it stands on certain issues are recorded in the following paragraphs. Starting with social policy, secondly, equal rights, and lastly, economic issues.

Education-- To the Democratic state party the education of today's children is first priority. The Democrats feel the future generation, our children, ought to be endowed with the abilities essential to compete in the global world market. Why is this so important? Because only with educated persons, with capabilities able to run in the world market, will our country be secured in terms of our social durability and our economic future. How will our children become as sufficient? Education is the key term. But, presently our beloved Republican General Assembly has reduced education funding twelve percent! It dropped from a steady 48% of overall state spending to a drastically low 35% of overall state spending. As a result of this drastic cut, Illinois schools are falling below average school standards! The Democratic State party of Illinois is in full support of fair school funding, equal educational opportunity, and bilingual education. While money will clearly help our children's education, it must be recognized that parents also play an imperative role in their children's learning. When and only when a Democratic governor is installed then we shall see the rapid improvement of our nation's education system. Senator Moseley-Braun hustled to bestow $5 billion to the reconstructing of our nation's educational facilities; however, the Republicans did pass it. Nevertheless, President Clinton did succeed in creating tax laws that basically ensure every American at least 2 years of college and he also passed a tax deduction for tuition cost, which has made it easier and more affordable for thousand of kids to enter higher education institutions. To ensure that every American get a college education, the Democratic Party of Illinois will succeed in making higher education affordable by looking for ways to assist the working class with the high cost of tuition.

Social security and Senior citizens-- Cutting health care for seniors so that the rich may get a tax break is a pretty sad concept, but apparently the Republicans do not think so. The Democratic Party is in full support of assisting our senior citizens in every way possible. The need to regulate the rising costs for health care, to protect the benefits of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are all issues that the Democratic Party fully promote and support. Such programs are the reason that our senior citizens are able to live comfortably and independently. Social security has the full vote of the Democratic party.

Welfare. The welfare system has benefited many Americans, but at the same time caused an unintended consequence, that is, that for many it has become a way of life instead of just a benefit. Therefore, the Democratic party of Illinois favors the terms of the 1996 Federal Welfare Reform law that calls for every able-bodied person to work. They fully support the Earned Income Tax Credit, which enables the working class to sustain independence, which by the way is currently under attack by the Republicans. The Democratic Party is for sustaining and increasing job training and programs that will help remove families from welfare and onto jobs!

Abortion -- The Democratic Party of Illinois favors the right of choice for every female. Every individual is at liberty to make decisions for herself especially in important matters such as these. Only the individual woman is best at taking responsibilities for her actions, and not the state. Nevertheless, the Democratic Party strongly believes that all Americans should unite in the goal to decrease the abortion rate and to make it more rare. They are in full support of contraceptive research.

Health Care--Because health care is such an important issue to families all throughout America, the Democratic party of Illinois supports the new Kennedy-Rassebaum law and Illinois legislation. This law gives all individuals with pre-existing conditions, the guarantee of health insurance and health care. The health of all persons is crucial; therefore, the Democrats strongly support Medicare and Medicaid. They believe legislative action must be carried out in order to promote and guarantee the endurance of programs as such. The Democratic state party of Illinois, through their health care proposals, ensure the longevity of programs such as Medicaid and Medicare and do so without any extra cost. On the contrary, they actually save money.

Gun Control/ Crime The Democratic party of Illinois places a lot of emphasis on punishment, but at the same time notes the importance of prevention in respect to crime, which has become a daily problem and obstacle in the way of order and peace. They are in total support of the assault weapons ban and Brady Law, which no doubt is making Illinois communities safer. Of course, it is no surprise that the Republicans are making a effort to legalize the carrying of weapons this will only lead to future trouble and danger on the streets of Illinois. One of the most successful ways to fight and avoid crime is by community policing. President Clinton's crime bill put 100,000 cops on the streets of America. As a result of the bill, there will be an estimated 2,300 more cops in Illinois, which then means the officers will get to know the people they are protecting and inhabitants will get acquainted with their police. Hence, more community policing will lead to an increase in the amount of communication and information between residents and cops. Which then leads to stopping the crime before it actually starts.

Drugs Because drug use plays a big role is causing crime, the Democratic Party is stressing public education and tough enforcement of drug-related crimes to prevent the war on drugs. They fully support DARE, which has given many youngsters windows of opportunity to become independent and steered them towards the better life.

Workers This Democratic Party of Illinois favors procedures that bestow full coverage of health insurance on employees. They support job training, education, pension opportunities, and safety for the workingman. The Democratic in Congress help passed last year's increase for minimum wage to $5.15 an hour. And the Democrats continue in their efforts to maintain an appropriate minimum wage for the working class of America.

Race/Civil and Equal rights Economic opportunity must be available to all in order for the potential of our country to fulfill its highest point. Therefore, Americans must be not be judged on basis of sex, age race, and gender. No American is to be discriminated against by law and the Democratic Party of Illinois has confirmed its pledge to this rule, by supporting the Civil Rights Acts and the Americans with disabilities Act. They are firm believers of affirmative action, employment, housing, business, education, and government service.

Environment The Democratic party of Illinois fully supports and firmly believes in the freedom that Americans should live in a clean and refreshing environment, with clean air and sanitary water. They support the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Community Right-to-know laws that protect the wellness of the American people.

Economic Growth The Democratic Party of Illinois is extremely proud of Clinton's achievement in revitalizing job growth. Nine million jobs all around the country have been created since 1993. Clinton has done away with our national deficit, which has given many Americans the chance to refinance their home mortgages. The Democrats are always in favor of raising capital in small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities. All in all though, the Democrats want to continue efforts to construct a climate where both businesses, big and small, can succeed and thrive.

As you can obviously see the Democratic Party of Illinois will continue their efforts to keep our jobs secure, maintain the safety of our families, and give us new opportunities for an improved life. They will lead us towards the path with a better future and hand to us a better tomorrow.
 
 

Indiana was admitted as a state in the year 1816. Population wise, Indiana ranks 14th in the nation. In 1996 the estimated population of Indiana was 5,841,000. Of that population, 89.6% was white, and of the white population 86% was Protestant. 7.7% of the total population was black, 1% Asian and 1.8% Hispanic. Indiana has few immigrants and does not have a very culturally diverse population. In the presidential elections of the last generation, the state typically voted republican. The main industries are agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation and service industries. The most prominent agricultural commodities are corn, soybeans, hogs and dairy products. In 1996 Indiana was the #1 steel producer. In the past decade Indiana has had Democratic Governors. The Governor now is Democrat Frank O'Bannon.

The Indiana Democratic Party strives to help all people from Indiana achieve their goals. It supports and fights on behalf of working families, small business owners, children, the elderly and minorities. It aims to create jobs to help get people off of welfare. It also has been successful in not raising taxes significantly.

The Democratic Party of Indiana holds education as a top priority. They hold the belief that a good education is the best weapon to fight against poverty. Indiana Democratic Governor Frank O'Bannon has pushed for funding for many educational programs. He had funding approved for the Safe Haven Schools program, which provides organized after school programs for students, to keep them from seeking trouble on the streets. Funding was also approved for the Tech Prep program, which familiarizes students with real world employment activities; and Bright Beginnings packets, which encourage early intellectual stimulation for children. The Indiana Democratic Party also supports smaller class sizes, more training for teachers and expanded alternative programs. They also believe that higher education should be accessible to all students regardless of financial need.

The Welfare system in place, and supported by the Democratic Party is the Welfare-To-Work program. Work Opportunity Tax Credits and Welfare-To-Work Tax Credits are given to businesses to entice them to hire TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients. The businesses may use these tax credits to help train these new employees. Last year, the O'Bannon administration contributed large sums to help cover child care expenses for the working poor, to the Healthy Families Program, and to the Children's Health Insurance Program These reforms helped to reduce the number of families receiving AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) payments.

The Indiana Democratic Party also believes that all people should be entitled to quality health care whether they are youth, senior citizens, poor or uninsured. They support protection of senior citizens' rights through different programs and strict enforcement of standards in nursing homes and other regulations by the Indiana State Department of Health.

The youth is another group that the Indiana Democrats work for, to protect their rights and fairly represent them. They support programs that encourage positive youth development. The O'Bannon administration helped develop the Indiana Youth Commission on Leadership and Service, and increased funding for the Youth Services Bureaus.

Health Care for infants and pregnant women is critical in the view of the Indiana Democratic Party. They support expanding Medicaid coverage as well as offering a variety of programs to pregnant women who are below the poverty level. Some of these programs would be prenatal substance abuse prevention programs and immunization programs.

The party also acknowledges domestic violence as a serious health issue that must be addressed. Victims need to be protected by local enforcement officials, and these officials must be properly trained to deal with situations of this nature. They also think that programs such as the Victims Notification Program should be expanded as well as carefully monitored. The Indiana Democrats see the HIV/AIDS virus as a serious health threat to the people of Indiana. They encourage battling the epidemic through prevention programs and widespread education about the disease.

The Indiana Democratic Party supports Campaign Finance reform. They believe that information on all contributions to candidates should be made available throughout the election. The provisions of the League of Women Voters Code of Fair Campaign Practices should be followed as well.

The Indiana Democrats also struggle for equal opportunity for all people regardless of race, sex, religion, age, physical disability, sexual orientation or economic background. They do not however believe that companies should have to fill quotas hiring women, minorities or disabled. Instead, they support commending companies that hire a diverse work force. The Democrats believe that a major role is played in protecting the rights of these groups by the state Civil Right Commission and the Indiana Commission for Women.

Economically, Indiana has the largest budget surplus of any state. It s also one of only two states in the nation that has not had a major tax increase in the past ten years. The creation of new jobs is key to much of Indiana's economic success. The Democrats support expanding Indiana's export industries, such as agriculture, in order to create these jobs.

The Indiana Democratic Party encourages solid waste management and recycling programs. They also assisted in slowing the disposal of out of state waste into Indiana landfills. They encourage improving air quality and support the Indiana Heritage Trust Program which helps preserve Indiana's wetlands, forests, wildlife preserves and recreational areas.
 
 

Iowa, the Hawkeye State, was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Its capital, which is also its largest city, is Des Moines. It is a highly agricultural state, having some of the most fertile land in the world and selling $10 billion of crops and livestock annually. Iowa produces a tenth of the U.S. supply of food. Its population of 2,862,447 residents consists of 96.6% White, 1.7% Black, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% Asian, 1.2%Hispanic and 0.5% of other races. The female population exceeds the male one a little more than 77,000. The state has one of lowest divorce, crime and unemployment rates in the nation.

Iowa’s current constitution was adopted in 1897. The state’s governor is elected for a four-year term and can be reelected. The present governor in Iowa is the Democratic Party candidate Tom Vislack, who was elected on January 1999 and is expected to hold office until 2003. Its legislature is made up of a Senate with 50 members who are also elected for a four-year term, and a House of Representatives with 100 members elected for a two-year term. The state of Iowa has 2 Senators and 5 representatives in U.S. Congress, equaling 7 electoral votes. Its motto is "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain".

The Democratic Party is the oldest party in United States. Thomas Jefferson and his followers who opposed a strong central government first created it. The Democratic Party has 20 members in the Iowa Senate, and 44 members in the House of Representatives. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General and Treasurer are all Democrats, elected on January 1999.

The New Democratic Party of Iowa supports equality in gender, race, religion, ethnicity and those with disabilities, by making local, state and federal laws which would prohibit any discrimination and provide equal opportunity for all Americans. It is supportive of the Affirmative Action programs that Clinton-Gore Administration has created.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which in order to provide equal employment opportunities to all Americans by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the Equal Rights Amendment are some of the laws that the Iowa Democratic Party supports. In addition, it is supportive of the federal minimum wage, which it believes prevents people from being poverty stricken. According to the democrats people with disabilities deserve to be treated equal, and have an equal amount of opportunity in all areas of life. Because of this belief, they are supportive of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities, and the Individuals’ Disability Act of 1975, made to increase education opportunities for children with disabilities. They believe in helping the women in gaining child support, by tracking the fathers and making them pay, and in punishing the men who cause violence to women through tough laws.

When it comes to social policies, the Democratic Party of Iowa is very supportive of health care, protecting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, increasing federal funding on breast cancer and HIV/AIDS cure and prevention research. Both are leading causes of deaths in U.S. and something should be done to keep that from happening. As for welfare, they are strong supporters of getting people off welfare and to the work force. The Democrats consider education in United States a high priority. They want to create a safe school environment, support bilingual education and oppose English-Only proposals. They are also great supporters of Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, which does not allow discrimination based on sex in schools. They are concerned with the increasing amount of children in United States smoking tobacco, which is the leading cause of death in U.S. using illegal drugs and committing crimes. They believe that strong laws should be made not just to punish those that commit the crimes, but to help prevent it from happening in the first place.

The Democratic Party believes that the economic growth depends on private enterprises, rather than the government, and that the government should provide help for the "private sector". It is supportive of President Clinton’s 1997 Balanced Budget Agreement and the earned income tax credit. Environment is also a high priority for the Democrats who support the Clinton-Gore Administration’s Updated Public Health Standard.

Iowa Democrats believe in a democratic political process, supporting the McCain Feingold Campaign Finance Reform proposal and the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. The McCain Feingold Campaign Finance reform tried to reduce money’s influence in politics, by reducing the amount of Political Action Committee’s contributions to campaigns from $5,000 to $2,500. With the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, people can register to vote at any Department of Motor Vehicles, making it easier for people to register to vote, increasing the amount of voters.

Although they don’t dwell much on Foreign Policy and America’s global role, the Iowa Democrats believe in an enlarged North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They support the acceptance of Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic into the NATO alliance.

Iowa Democrats agenda is: "World-Class Schools, High-Quality Healthcare, Good-Paying Jobs W/ Retirement Security," and a "Cleaner Environment".
 
 

It is believed that the first visitor to Kansas was a Spanish explorer named Coronado in 1541, although, the land, then, was already inhabited by Native Americans. When the stories of the new opportunities in the West became known, the people of the East made their way toward the West to settle their families in wide open land along with the hopes of fulfilling their dreams and to escape the societal and religious persecutions. Consequently, number of these families settled in the land that we now know as Kansas. Kansas obtained its official statehood on January 29, 1861 as the 34^th state of the United States, and during Civil War, Kansas provided over 20,000 men which was about 2/3 of the soldiers that fought in the Civil War for the North. Kansas has total area of 82,264 sq. mi. which ranks Kansas 15^th in geographic size and has a population of 2,477,574 (1990). In 1990, 90% of the population was white and 6% was African American. The state capital is Topeka. Kansas is nicknamed "Sunflower State" but is also known unofficially as the Wheat State. Kansas is the country’s leading producer of wheat and helium. Cultivating cattle constitutes the most profitable agricultural commodity of the state, and meatpacking and producing dairy products constitute major economic activities. Kansas’s government provides for a governor elected for a four-year term. The legislature consists of a senate with 40 members serving four-year terms and a house with 125 members serving two-year terms. Kansas is represented in the US Congress by two senators and four representatives and has six electoral votes. Kansas is bordered by Missouri to the East, Oklahoma to the South, Colorado to the West and Nebraska to the North. The state’s abbreviation is KS.

The Kansas Democrats’ Statement of Principles states that they seek to protect the freedom and integrity of the individuals along with seeking to create a government that’s based upon the simple principles of fairness, opportunity, responsibility and community rather than seeking for a government of special interests or narrow individualism. The following are the positions of Kansas Democrats on different issues.

In the area of education, Kansas Democrats’ objective is to have every Kansas children leaving the third grade to be able to read, write, and do basic mathematics. In reaching this goal, they are trying to reduce the class sizes in early grades, maintain equality in school finance, and ensure appropriate pay to the teachers for their roles while trying to provide the necessary aid and attention to children with special needs. Also, the Kansas Democrats support the STARS (Student Tuition Assistance Recognition Scholarship) program that provides qualifying Kansas high school students with tuition to any Kansas university, college or vocational school. This is to ensure, as they believe, the creation of capable workforce within Kansas.

For health care, the Kansas Democrats wants all Kansans to have universal access to health promotion, disease prevention, and illness related services. They believe that the above are the social right of the citizens; therefore, they are committed to making comprehensive health insurance available to all Kansans to ensure that doctors and patients make health care decisions, not the insurance companies. Also, Kansas Democrats wants to establish laws that will protect the privacy of medical records to prevent someone from being discriminated based on existing medical conditions.

Social Welfare, family and children are another matter of concern for the Kansas Democrats. Fair and adequate system of income security strengthened by social services is what they are hoping to achieve in order to provide all working families with adequate child care and health benefits. Also, they are for pre- and post natal care, affordable day care, and after school and community-based programs, child immunizations, enforcing the requirement for child support payments and a stronger, effective criminal penalties for domestic abuse.

The Kansas Democrats are in favor of dealing harshly with crimes, creating strategies for crime prevention, and providing alternatives to prison when appropriate. Thus, they are trying to enhance law enforcement by putting more police on the streets, providing more assistance to prosecutors, and strengthening post-release supervision. Also, they favor in punishing violent crimes by juveniles and domestic violence with the same principles.

On the issue of government spending and taxation, the Kansas Democrats are in support of eliminating the sales tax on food and the reduction of tax for car purchases. Also, they believe in paying off state’s bonded debts while there is a strong economic growth.

Furthermore, the Kansas Democrats are concerned with protecting their environment and agriculture. They want to stop the neglect of and the compromise of these resources for the economic gains of few citizens and out-of-state corporations that are "here today and gone tomorrow." Thus, they are committed to the new, vigorous environmental protection policies that offer a combination of penalties to offenders and incentives to farmers, industries, and municipalities that abide within these regulations. Also, the Kansas Democrats are in support of a fair return for labor and investment that will sustain the agriculture of Kansas for the long-term future. In addition, they are trying to reduce their dependence on foreign oil and produce less solid and toxic waste by supporting the development of economically and environmentally sustainable energy resources.

The Kansas Democrats believe that everyone should be involved and should be encouraged to actively become involved in political process such as elections regardless of their race, age, physical abilities, religion, sex or national origin. And that these people should be served by the government equally as well. They are in support of the National Voter Registration Act, and the Kansas Secretary of State becoming an advocate for helping Kansas citizens registering and voting. Also, the Kansas Democrats believe that ethics in campaigning and ethics in government, which defines acceptable and unacceptable conduct, are absolute principles that should be adhered by the government officials and candidates. They are also in favor of full disclosure of all independent expenditures done on the campaigns, and the prohibition on candidates for Insurance Commissioner soliciting and accepting contributions from regulated insurance agencies.

On behalf of the veterans, senior citizens, and equal rights, the Kansas Democrats support the following. They are in support of the independent Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs, which gives special attention to the needs of veterans. To further assist, they are opposed to any reduction in veterans’ benefits at the state and national level while trying to ensure that all retired veterans’ health care benefits are restored. For senior citizens, the Kansas Democrats support vigorous enforcement of licensing standards for adult care homes and oppose any form of age discrimination; furthermore, they support more uniform application of Medicare regulations and enhanced state and local support of public health home services and hospice services in conjunction with home health and homemaker services, adult daycare programs, home delivered meals and senior citizens’ centers. As for equal rights, the Kansas Democrats support continued monitoring and strengthening of the Kansas Civil Rights Act, the Kansas Human Rights Commission, and local Civil Rights Commissions. They also support in finding ways to prevent job discrimination at all levels and moving toward pay equity, in which employees are always paid based on the type of job performed.

The above paragraphs state what and where the Kansas Democratic Party stands as a political group. All the information were provided by the Kansas Democratic Party.
 
 

Located in the eastern-central region of the United States, Kentucky borders the historical U.S. regions of the North and South. It is one of the four States that carries the name commonwealth and is titled the commonwealth of Kentucky. As the fifteenth State, the commonwealth of Kentucky joined the Union on June 1, 1792 and is now the thirty-seventh largest State with total square mileage of 40,411; in which 39,732 square miles are land, and 679 square miles are water. The State Capital is Frankfort; and the State population as of 1996 is 3,883,723 with a projected State population of 4,314,000 in the year 2025. Until the twentieth-century, Kentucky's main source of income was restricted to farming; manufacturing was limited to producing agricultural commodities. Today Kentucky has a Gross State Product of $86,4851 and the State's primary source of income is the manufacturing of metals and metal-related products, followed by service industries and retail trade; its leading agricultural commodity is tobacco, followed by horses/mules, cattle and corn. Kentucky's tobacco crop production ranks second among the nation and accounts for one-quarter of the nation's tobacco crop. It's economy remains dependent on the production of tobacco as well as the production of whisky and coal.

Previously labeled as a Democratic State, Kentucky has a long history of voting Democratic with an ancestry that can be traced back to Jefferson. However, this was threatened by President Clinton's attack on the tobacco industry, which almost cost the Democratic vote in south central and western Kentucky.

Today, Democrats hold a solid lead in the State House. The Office of the Governor is held by Paul E. Patton, with Steven Henry as Lieutenant Governor and Senator Wendell H. Ford. Kentucky is divided into six districts in which there are five Republican representatives and one Democratic representative. Kentucky has a State legislature that is divided into an upper and lower chamber. The upper chamber consists of thirty-eight members and the lower chamber consists of one hundred members both, of which holds a Democratic majority2.

Working towards a positive Democratic future, the remainder of Kentucky's key Democrats are Attorney General Ben Chandler, Agriculture Commissioner Billy Ray Smith, State Auditor Ed Hatchett, and Secretary of State John Y. Brown III.

Running on a national platform, the majority of Kentucky's issues are addressed in the Democratic Party platform with minute localized issues.

Foreign Policy and America's Global Role

Defense Needs at Home and Abroad: on the national level, Democrats are committed to cut the production of American and Russian nuclear weapons. Democrats are committed to increasing American defense spending plans. This approach allows America to gain resources for diplomacy and strengthen security. Having a strong commitment to the American people's security as well as U.S. key interests abroad, Democrats believe in strengthening the military and exerting diplomatic power to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction. This can be achieved by increasing defense funding.

Military Intervention Abroad: dedicated to promoting peace and freedom by continuing to exert American leadership by means of humanitarian, diplomatic and military challenges across the globe and not surrendering to American adversaries, America earned the respect of their allies and partners.

Equal Rights and Opportunity

Affirmative Action: on the national level, Democrats are in support of the reform of affirmative action so that it promotes opportunity for minorities without accidentally shortchanging other groups, unlike the Republicans who are working towards ending affirmative action.

Sexuality: On the national level, Democrats are in support of nondiscrimination against gays and lesbians, also, they support their full inclusion in the way of life of the nation; however, on the State level, Kentucky Democrats are in opposition to same-sex marriages.

Gender and Disability Issues:

As for gender equality, on the national and State level, Democrats are committed to ensuring full equality for men and women, and strongly enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Social Policy

Healthcare: the Democratic Party is committed to giving American families access to quality and affordable healthcare. Democrats are working to further assist in the maintenance of premiums while individuals are out of work and looking for a job in order for them not to loose quality healthcare.

Social Security: On this issue, Democrats support the preservation of Social Security so that present and future generations can benefit from it, as it has been benefited by past generations.

Abortion: on the national and State level, Democrats respect the right of every woman to choose to have an abortion. They believe that it is an individual choice and not the government's choice to take the responsibility in personal decision making regarding reproduction. The goal of the Democrats is to make abortion less of a necessity and more rare, not to make it dangerous and difficult. Family planning, contraceptive research, and efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies through education are supported by the Democrat. As a result, these efforts will promote the decrease of abortion rates and unwanted pregnancies.

Welfare: Democrats are generating a new welfare plan that will break the old cycle of dependency and give welfare recipients a chance for an independent and progressive future. This will be achieved on the state level and under the Patton/Henry Democratic administration of the State of Kentucky. The progression from welfare to workfare has increased. There is a 38% decrease in welfare rolls in the State of Kentucky while childcare funding for low-income families has increased. The current administration will continue to dedicate to the increase and progression of workfare, thus increasing the quality of life for past welfare recipients. On the national level, Democrats are committed to overseeing that this welfare plan succeeds and that states participate in moving people from being welfare recipients to being employed.

Medicare and Medicaid: Committed to securing Medicare and Medicaid, on the national and State level, Democrats support the effort to improve upon the quality and benefits that Medicare and Medicaid has to offer, as opposed to the Republican plan to overhaul these benefits while neglecting the fact that the quality of the benefits will be decreased.

Education: The goals of the Democrats are to set high standards for teachers and students. Teachers should meet high standards for professional performance; students should undergo a series of competency and promotional testing prior to graduation. They believe that schools should be accounted for results. Schools that fail should be overhauled. The Democratic Party is working towards expanding school choice and strongly opposes taking American tax dollars from public schools and investing it into private schools. On the national level, Democrats believe that higher education should be accessible to all and their goal is to make the thirteenth and fourteenth years of education as universal as the first twelve years. Democrats, under the Patton/Henry Administration are successful in implementing a system that directs lottery revenues to fund college scholarships for Kentucky's students, thus providing additional funding for students to have a chance to attend college. Also, Kentucky's State Treasurer, John Miller is currently working towards establishing a pre-paid tuition program to make education costs easier on families.

Economic Issues

The Budget: On the national level, the Democratic Party has set an agenda to balance the budget by the year 2002 while simultaneously maintaining their commitment to increasing the spending of elderly and child care and working towards economic growth. On the State level, Kentucky's State Treasurer, Jonathan Miller, implemented a new strategy for better returns on State investments and under the Patton/Henry Administration secured over $1.4 billion in economic farm aid from tobacco companies.

Taxes: Democrats believe that the working class should not be taxed into poverty unlike the Republican policy that raises taxes on working families. Democrats are committed to targeting tax cuts that will help the working class invest in their future and are working hard to strengthen the middle class family by providing a $500 tax cut for children. In the State of Kentucky, under the Patton/Henry administration, they are implementing seven different tax cuts, totaling $350 million including an automobile tax cut.

The Environment: Democrats are committed to protect the environment and making decisions that are mutually beneficial to corporations and environmentalists. They also believe that the government has the responsibility to enforce laws that help to keep toxic chemicals from our water, pesticides from our food and smog from our air; also, Democrats believe that toxic waste clean up should be funded by those who are responsible for it and not to be burdened by the taxpayers.

Campaign Finance Reform

Committed to campaign finance reform, Democrats are working hard to limit campaign spending, and to curtail the influences of Political Action Committees (PACs) and lobbyists, and put an end to the soft money system. This will prevent big money influences in politics and allow the power of democracy to be restored to the hands of the American citizens.

Louisiana is a state with a poor economy. Its delta lands are mostly below sea level and swampy. The economy has been based on raw materials and exporting sugar, rice and cotton. By the time the Civil War arrived oil helped to generate New Orleans’ wealth. It has become increasingly dependent on this industry as a source of income. Louisiana has income disparities much closer to those of a Caribbean sugar colony than an American state. There is a class of tight-knit people who are determined to hold on to their wealth, and resist interaction with the unlearned masses. Hey Long, a former Louisiana governor in the early 1920’s led a crusade to successfully tax the rich to help the poor. It is said that his actions may have moved our former president FDR to embrace social security and steeply graduated taxes.

Race, politics, and income among other things divide Louisiana. White Protestants for years wanted nothing to do with national Democrats, while Cajuns considered doing the opposite. Also, blacks are overwhelmingly Democratic and whites are split in state elections. Louisiana’s high and low-income whites vote very differently and are much less influenced than voters in most other states by the candidate’s cultural values, marital status, or lifestyle. Because they are a "tough audience," campaigns have been lavishly financed.

Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the USA, and as we will soon see they have a unique set of issues to address. The Louisiana Democratic Party totally supports the platform of the National Democratic Party although the state may only have local concerns.

Louisiana addresses foreign oil as part of their foreign policy. The Louisiana Democratic Party’s goal is to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life. It affects taxes, education and the environment. As it is one of their major ways of generating wealth within the state, it is crucial that this industry remains viable. The Louisiana Democratic Party proposes a $1 per barrel tax on foreign oil, which will generate $1.5 billion per year. Of this amount, $1 billion will be deposited into an educational trust fund each year and $500 million per year will be used to repair and upgrade schools. The tax on foreign oil processing will protect Louisiana producers from potential losses resulting from lower prices set by foreign oil companies in addition to lowering the tax paid by the producers. Large oil companies will not relocate from Louisiana because of phenomenal moving expenses. The cost of cleaning up the existing sites in the state would exceed the amount of the foreign oil-processing fee. This is an example of a targeted tax cut that would help a working American invest in their future.

Social policy, especially affordable high quality health care reform is of major concern to both the local and national Democratic parties. The Louisiana Democratic Party believes that people should be put ahead of profits. They want a patient’s treatments to be determined by doctors and not accountants. The current system is heavily weighed towards the insurance industry. They are in full support of the "Patient Protection Act," which requires health insurance organizations to make decisions based upon patients’ needs and not upon the profitability of the decision to the health care organization. The local party also insists that health plans be held accountable when they make negligent medical decisions. Quality and affordable health care for the elderly, young, disabled and women is the primary goal. Based on the national Democratic party’s position, the Louisiana Democratic Party supports securing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security for future generations.

Education and youth issues are two important aspects that require the Louisiana Democratic Party’s attention. The position of the state party supports the creation of separate vocational training schools in each high school to train students for higher paying jobs. The poverty level has reached crisis proportions, with 1/3 of Louisiana’s children living in poverty. Last year, its economic growth was the slowest in the entire Deep South. It is extremely important for the Louisiana Democratic Party to pull children above the poverty line by giving their parents the tools necessary to break that economic cycle. The vocational programs should be joint partnerships between educators and industry, requiring students to pass exit exams before completing high school. With a trained labor force, Louisiana will be able to attract new, non-polluting industries. It would be a long-term solution to Louisiana’s poverty, fiscal and environmental problems.

Louisiana’s Democratic Party does not address the following as issues of local concern, but it supports the national Democratic party’s opinion on race, sexuality, gender and class. They want to give small, minority and women-owned businesses the opportunity to prosper by increasing the number of loans available, and ensuring that these businesses can compete for their fair share of procurement funds. The national minimum wage was increased to $5.15 in order to close the income gap and class distinctions. A woman’s right to choose is respected and the desire is to make abortions less necessary and more rare.

Campaign finance reform is supported through the McCain-Feingold Bill which limits campaign spending, curbs the influence of PAC’s and lobbyists, and provides free television time for candidates. This increases the candidate’s direct access to voters. Politically, Louisiana has a unique primary system: candidates of all parties run in a single primary; any candidate who gets 50% is elected; otherwise, the top two finishers, regardless of party, have a runoff. However, in 1998 legislature was ordered to come up with a new system for electing senators and congressmen. By far, its election laws are quite peculiar.
 
 

Located in the extreme northeast section of the United States, Maine is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Quebec on the northwest, New Brunswick on the northeast and New Hampshire on the west. The State’s name is believed to be a contraction of the word mainland. Maine became the official name of the State when it joined the union in 1820.

The population of Maine was 1,240,000 in 1984. The population distribution was 44.6% urban and 55.4% rural. The capital of the State is Augusta. The executive power is vested in a Governor. The legislative branch is bicameral having 35 Senators and 151 Representatives. The Congressional delegation consists of 2 Senators and 2 Representatives. The Constitution of Maine was adopted in 1819; since then 1,500 amendments have been added. The judiciary is made up of probate and district courts, the Superior Court and the State Supreme Court. City and town governments have more authority than the 16 county governments. Many local decisions are made directly by citizens in town meetings.

Maine’s population is made up of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, chiefly English, French Canadian, Irish, Scottish, Italian & German. The largest single religious group in Maine is the Roman Catholics, even though more Protestants live in the State.

The Democratic Party of the State of Maine headquartered at 12 Spruce Street in Augusta is committed to getting Democratic candidates whom they feel have a vision of effectively leading and providing justice for every single citizen of the State of Maine and of the Nation. The Chairperson of the Party is Gwethalyn Philips. The Vice Chair is Paul Tessier. The National Committee chairwoman is Elizabeth Mitchell and the National Committee chairman is William Bryan. The mailing address for the party is PO Box 5258, Augusta Maine, 04332. The e-mail address is Dems@powerlink.net.

The platform of the Democratic Party of the State of Maine is quite clear in regard to issues of importance not only to the people of Maine but to all Americans throughout the Nation. In terms of foreign policy the Maine Democrats believe that the United States foreign policy must promote the security and interests of the United States through the establishment of dependable alliances and cooperating with other nations to advance the ideals of freedom, peace, justice, and democracy in the world. International trade agreements should adhere to the highest standards of environmental responsibility and human rights. Humanitarian aid should be provided by the U.S. for the purposes of guaranteeing human rights for people all over the globe.

In regard to Social Policy Maine Democrats believe that quality healthcare should be available to all Americans. Over 35,000,000 Americans are uninsured and/or underinsured. This is a disgrace in the richest nation in the world. In terms of Social Security they believe in its reform given that the trust fund will go broke in a couple of years if the system is not fixed. The Democrats want to ensure that future generations of Americans will benefit from Social Security when they become eligible for it.

In regard to abortion, Maine Democrats support a woman’s right to choose consistent with Roe -vs.- Wade.

In regard to Campaign Finance, Maine Democrats believe that there is too much corruption in terms of the financing of campaigns in State and National levels. Reform is urgently needed in areas such as soft money and candidates with money being able to influence voters more than ordinary candidates with limited funds.

In terms of Education the Maine Democrats support increases in State and Federal funding for education and job training. They also support corporate efforts to train and educate workers.

There should also be an increase in student loans so that more Americans could have a chance at getting a sound education.

The Maine Democrats feel that there should be more youth participation in politics and in the franchise. Young people are tomorrow’s leaders and they need political leaders whom are responsive to their needs. The Maine Democrats are on a campaign to recruit more young people to the Party and to ensure that their voices are heard in all meetings and reunions of the Party.

Economic matters are of importance to Maine Democrats. They believe that in the State and Federal budgets priority should be given to social programs that make a difference in people’s lives. There should be an increase in education and job training spending, in the environment, public safety, medical, and in nutritional programs, among others. The Party believes that economic development should be achieved by a private/public partnership with the objective of creating a strong economy resulting in an increase in full time quality jobs that includes benefits. In regard to the tax code Maine Democrats believe that it should be simplified and maintain its present progressive nature.

Equal rights and opportunity under the law is a very important issue to Maine Democrats. They believe in affirmative action and oppose any discrimination against anyone on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religious preference, or national origin. Maine Democrats support full access to employment, education, and health care for people with disabilities. They recognize the discrimination that they face based on incorrect assumptions in regard to their abilities and want to ensure the longevity of laws protecting their rights.

In regard to same sex marriage, Maine Democrats believe that it’s part of their vision of being committed to equal rights without restriction, exclusion or limitation for all bisexual and gay Americans.

In terms of minimum wage laws, the Maine Democrats believe that there should be an increase in the minimum wage. Too many Americans are not able to earn a decent, living wage due to the high cost of living in the U.S. An increase in the minimum wage will provide some justice for hard working people whom deserve just compensation for their hard labor.
 
 

History and Economy

Chartered in 1632 by George Calvert, Maryland was a safe haven for persecuted Catholic settlers in the New World. As the southern border of the Mason-Dixon Line, Maryland was one of the thirteen original colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence. After the Civil War, industry in the state exploded and became the driving force in the state. In 1952, Maryland opened up the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which made way for development in the Eastern Shore. Although service industries are the largest state employers, industry is the principal source of income, with processed foods, electronic equipment, chemicals and primary metals the leading manufactures. Baltimore is also one of the country’s leading ports. Almost 50% of the population lives in the greater Baltimore area, which forms a continuous urbanized zone with nearby Washington D.C.; over 80% of the population lives in urban areas. Other important cities are Frederick and Salisbury. In 1990 the state’s population was 71% white and 25% African American. The capitol is Annapolis and as of July 1998 the population count is 5,134,808.

Government

Much like our federal system, Maryland’s state government is broken up into three branches- Legislative, Executive and Judicial. The legislative branch consists of the General Assembly, which itself is broken up into two houses to form a bicameral legislature. The lower house is the House of Delegates and the upper house is the Senate. Both houses are elected to four-year terms during each gubernatorial election year. The House of Delegates consists of 141 members while the Senate consists of 47 members. Both houses convene on the second Wednesday in January for a ninety-day session. During this time all laws, amendments to the state constitution, and allocation bills are introduced to both houses and passed, with the signature of the governor.

The Executive Branch consists of the Governor, who is elected by the voters to a four-year term. There is also the Lieutenant Governor who is elected along with the governor on the same ticket; the Comptroller of the Treasury, the State Treasurer, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and many departments and agencies created to serve the varying needs of the state.

The Judicial Branch consists of a four-tiered court system designed to alleviate the burden of having large numbers of cases presented in Maryland courts each year. The courts are the District Court of Maryland, the Circuit Court, the Court of Special Appeals, and the Court of Appeals.

Today, Maryland Democrats hold most of the highest positions in their state government. Current Democratic leaders are Governor Parris Glendening, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Speaker Casper Taylor, and Senate President Mike Miller.

Maryland Democratic Party Agenda

The Maryland Democratic Party, but especially the Glendening Administration, is intent on advancing the ideals and overall agenda of the larger National Democratic Party. The Maryland Democratic Party lists the goals of the National Democratic Party as the pattern of objectives in which to follow with special emphasis on four major points of the platform: the economy, public safety, education, and public health and environment.

ECONOMY

Maryland Democrats claim that their state is experiencing their strongest economy in a decade. Democrats cite the Regional Economic Studies Institute in reporting that Maryland’s economy is the 5^th most prosperous in the nation. Maryland Democrats credit themselves for the first personal income tax cut in thirty years. They also cite new businesses created are up 24.3% from May 1997 to May 1998. Maryland currently ranks 5^th in the nation in business starts or new business formation. Currently, Maryland is experiencing the highest job growth in a decade. There have been 103,000 new jobs since 1995. Maryland is also experiencing the lowest unemployment in nine years. Maryland has moved from 49^th in job creation to 23^rd over the last three years. The Glendening 1999 legislative agenda is:

• Streamlining Business Development Funds – Based on the recommendations of Maryland’s Economic Development Commission, they will restructure old, outdated funds and create a new Revolving Loan Fund of up to $50 million as a self-sustaining fund. This will target specific growth industries as well as selected regions of the State, providing businesses with access to low cost capital.
• Maryland Competitive Advantage Loan Program- Targeted loans for small, minority and disadvantaged businesses. It will provide direct loans from $10,000 and $100,000 to companies with sales of less than $1 million.
• Preventing Hostile Takeovers
• Workforce Training- Increase funding for workforce training programs, specifically the Partnership for Workforce Quality and the Maryland Industrial Training Program.
• Enhancing the Marketing Budget

The Glendening Administration implemented the 1998 Maryland Gun Enforcement Initiative, which tracks firearms used in crimes as a way of halting illegal firearms trafficking. Glendening’s Executive Order on July 8,1998, established the new Office of Crime Gun Enforcement. Between 1995 and 1997 violent crime dropped 13%. As policy, Democrats look to increase gun control.

The Glendening 1999 legislative agenda is:

• HotSpot Communities Initiative
• DNA Fingerprinting- expansion of DNA testing to all violent and sexual offenders.
• Break the Cycle- the legislature has included $1.9 million to target drug addicted offenders on probation and parole in 8 additional jurisdictions with a combination of frequent drug testing, escalating penalties for each failed test, and treatment. An additional $1.5 million will extend the initiative to juvenile offenders.
• Circuit Court funding
• Increased State Police Pensions
• Increased Penalties for stalking police officers

Maryland Democrats report $500 million in new money for teachers, textbooks and classroom supplies. With the goal of reducing class overcrowding 6,000 classrooms have either been built, repaired, or renovated. Scholarships and financial aid for post-secondary education have increased by 15% over four years. Democrats promised increased state support for community colleges by $80 million in the next four years. Democrats also promise a school construction and renovation increase of $500 million dollars for the four year term of Governor Glendening.

The Glendening 1999 legislative agenda is:

• School Construction - $250 million
• Investing in current and future teachers- providing funds to local school systems to add new reading and math teachers, support current funds to retain current qualified teachers.
• Increasing the number of certified teachers
• Provide an additional $3 million dollars towards the University System of Maryland.
• Provide $8 million towards historically black institutions.
• HOPE Scholarship for Future Teachers- $6 million

Democrats claim immunizations within the state are up. They report that pregnant women and 60,000 uncovered children now have health care coverage. Democrats have implemented new laws that force HMOs to allow women and newborns to spend at least 48 hours (rather than 24 hours) in the hospital after delivery. Democrats claim the Smart Growth plan will contain suburban sprawl. Democrats also claim success in the state’s response to Pfiesteria, which has since become the national model. The Glendening-Townsend Administration implemented programs to reduce the flow of nutrients and animal waste into the Chesapeake Bay. Democrats also claim aggressive steps have been taken to reduce air pollution.

The Glendening 1999 legislative agenda is:

• Requiring HMO’s to provide out-of-network referrals when their networks do not include a health care provider needed by a patient.
• Requiring HMO’s to allow specialists to serve as primary care providers
• Requiring HMO’s to allow standing referrals to specialists so patients do not need to go through their primary care physician for repeat visits to a specialist for the same ailment.
• Requiring the cost of prescriptions to be covered, even if the prescription is not normally covered by HMO’s, when the physician says the prescription is necessary.
• Requiring HMO’s to cover a 48-hour hospital stay following a mastectomy or testicular cancer surgery.
• Designate one office to serve as a consumer information center for HMO issues.

Massachusetts has made a great contribution to the nation even though it is a small state located in the northeastern United States. The state, with its rectangular shape, is the sixth smallest in area. Massachusetts was explored in the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries and was first permanently settled in Plymouth in 1620. One of the thirteen original states, it was the sixth to ratify the Constitution and is legally known as the commonwealth. Boston, the capital of Massachusetts has made many contributions to the nation in its cultural, political, and social growth.

The constitution of Massachusetts was adopted in 1780. As amended, it provides for a governor and a lieutenant governor who serve 4-year terms. The governor appoints a cabinet of secretaries. Each secretary supervises a number of related departments. The legislature is known as the General Court and consists of the 40 member Senate and the 160 member House of Representatives. Legislatures are also elected to 2-year terms. The highest court in Massachusetts is the Supreme Judicial Court. There is a hierarchy of trial courts, which operates within the county structure. The 14 county administrative bodies in Massachusetts are somewhat weak, with powers limited to managing the court system, operating various correctional institutions, and overseeing highway construction and health services. A stronghold of the Democratic party, the state has 11 legislatures in the U.S. House of Representatives-an overwhelming majority who are Democrats. The state legislature is also largely composed of members of that party. Since 1900, however, Republicans have served as governor more often than Democrats.

Social Policy

Education

Skills Development. The Massachusetts Democratic Party believe that they must ensure that the public education system is one that will allow students to acquire valuable job skills. In order to achieve this goal, the party wants to develop effective vocational education, school-to-work opportunities and training for at-risk individuals. In addition to creating opportunities for their residents, the party recognizes that they must help out workers who lose their job through no fault of their own because of economic changes. To aid in these transitions, they support focused job training.

Education Reform. The party believes that public education is essential to their economy, democracy, and society. The party strongly supports the Commonwealth’s ongoing effort to improve public education at all levels and calls for expansion of programs for early childhood education. Furthermore, the party believes that the current reforms should be evaluated in order to strengthen those that are working well and eliminate or revise those that are less effective. They support the expeditious development of curriculum standards and fair student evaluation mechanisms to assist with advanced decisions as students’ progress. They support efforts to stimulate innovations in public education that complement the existing improvements of the Education Reform Act of 1993. Charter schools offer one method of public sector innovation that must be evaluated carefully before program expansion occurs.

Strong Standards. They support the Goals 2000: Education America Act, which calls upon all schools to adopt challenging academic standards in core subjects for all students and recognize the responsibility of state and local communities to provide support and assistance for students to achieve them. They believe that school systems, teachers, and administrators must be held to strong standards of accountability.

Health Care

The Massachusetts Democratic Party strongly believes that health care is a right, not a privilege; a necessity, not a luxury. Therefore, they support the creation of a single payer health care system both in Massachusetts and in the federal level. The Party believes that Massachusetts should continue its leadership in health care policy by being the first in the nation to institute a single payer health care system that will cover all of the residents of Massachusetts. It is their belief that as well as increasing the well being of our residents, the control of ever escalating health care costs will prove an attractive magnet to businesses. They support aggressive measures to bring health insurance to large numbers of adults and children who remain uninsured. They commend the Kennedy-Kassebaum law for its worker protection, insurance portability, and the preexisting condition reform as well as the efforts of Senators Kennedy and Kerry to expand health coverage for the millions of uninsured American children.

Access. They support the 1996 Act to Improve Health Care Access which will provide coverage to the Commonwealth’s uninsured children, expand Medicaid program to poor and working families, and provide needy seniors with prescription drugs. The Party applauds the efforts of the Legislature to insure full implementation of this new law, funded by new tobacco taxes. They call upon our Congressional Delegation and Legislature to continue to advocate for a single payer health care program both on the state and federal level. They recognize that comprehensive health care reform is the only way we can assure that health care will become "a right, not a privilege."

Abortion

Choice. The Democratic Party reaffirms their belief that a woman has a right to choose whether and when to have a child. They support the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v Wade decision as the law of the land and oppose any constitutional amendment, law or regulation to restrict or overturn that decision. They condemn acts of violence and intimidation, which inhibit the rights of women seeking services. They pledge to work for comprehensive reproductive health care programs to improve the health and safety or pregnancy and childbirth, including adequate prenatal and pediatric care, affordable adoption programs and family planning counseling, with special focus on the needs of the poor, rural, and the young.

Welfare

They are committed to the challenge of helping welfare recipients successfully find and keep jobs and believe that they must innovate in job training and education to ensure that support systems in child care, transportation, and health insurance are in place to afford people the opportunity to work. They are committed to providing a safety net to members of their families in times of need. They recognize that for some, that transition will take a lifetime. They support measures that reduce, not increase, the number of children living in poverty.

Gun Control

They support a comprehensive ban on the sale, transfer, use or possession of assault weapons, strict enforcement of the Bartley-Fox gun law, and strong laws to require safety devices on guns. They support efforts to track illegal gun distributors and target them for swift prosecution.

Youth Issues

Prevention. They believe the best public safety strategy is early intervention and prevention. They support increased endeavors to work with troubled young people and support the development of secure substance abuse treatment facilities for adolescents and women. They call for increased efforts to provide parental training to young parents, especially those of at-risk families. They support increased efforts to provide teens with summer jobs, expanded employment opportunities, and safe community centers. They strongly endorse continued state support for the community policing efforts as referenced in the 1994 Law Enforcement Act.

Juvenile Justice. They must continue to deal swiftly and firmly with violent juvenile offenders, holding violent juveniles accountable while providing immediate intervention for lesser offenders. They support the efforts of federal and state authorities to work together to target gang violence by dealing swiftly and firmly with gang members who commit violent crimes and by offering positive alternatives to young people willing to turn away from violence.

Equal Rights and Opportunity

Race/Gender.

Discrimination. They believe in equal employment opportunities for all citizens and a fair chance to obtain a meaningful job. They endorse equal access to all trades and occupations without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability. They endorse equal pay and benefits for work of comparable worth. They endorse the requirement of adequate workplace notice and uniform grievance procedures. They call for the enforcement of civil protections for victims of discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Class/Worker’s Rights.

They reaffirm our commitment to protect the well-being of workers, to defend their rights and to value their efforts.

Wages. They support the state prevailing wage law and its enforcement. They endorse the Responsible Employer Ordinance and its requirements: pay the prevailing wage, provide health insurance for all employees, be affiliated with a state-certified apprenticeship program, classify workers as employees—not "independent contractors," provide appropriate workers compensation insurance for all employees and comply with local residency requirements when insisted upon by the community.

Disability Issues

People with Disabilities. They reaffirm their strong support for the provisions of the American with Disabilities Act, which provides access to education, transportation, housing, work apprenticeship, professional training, public facilities and accommodations.
 
 

Michigan State is located in the East North Central United States. It is unique among the states because it consists of two peninsulas completely separated by water and bordering on four of the five Great Lakes. Michigan was admitted to the Union on January 26 1837 as the 26th state. The way of life in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, with its vast industrial development, has become to symbolize the 20th – century United States. The Upper Peninsula is a less populated region of great natural beauty that is known as a recreation and wilderness area.

The Michigan Democratic Party is committed to economic growth, opportunity, and the equal distribution of financial rewards. To develop technological capabilities the party is going to work with the business community. They want people to achieve their full potential by providing job-training programs. The party’s goals are to develop good jobs with high wages, long term job security and high productivity. Due to the Engler administration’s indifference to economic development efforts, it now lags behind in large measures.

The Party supports Job-training programs that will help prepare workers for future jobs in their communities. Michigan’s skilled worked force helped make us an industrial giant, with Willow Run in Ypsilanti, Ameritech in Lansing and General Motors in Flint. Other states have pushed to take away the jobs and industries while the Engler administration has been content to sit on the sidelines. The party states that in order to get existing workers and young employed workers ready, we must update and increase technological skills needed and the training they will need the for the workplace in the future. The party says that job-training funds should not be used to depress wage scales or substitute for existing workers, nor should they be used as a substitute for adult education programs.

Since the success or failure of Michigan’s economic future hinges on the condition of its infrastructure, the party demands adequate maintenance of essential services along with planning for future development of public works by designing expandable systems. The Party is committed to investigate its infrastructure in order to provide building blocks necessary for advancement in the economy to our citizens. To redevelop its urban core, thus preserving more of its undeveloped, environmental treasures, the party will use the state Renaissance Zone and Brownfield Development laws. It will encourage the state’s colleges and universities to increase the training and technical assistance services for entrepreneurs in distressed areas. The party must first take an active role in assisting in community based improvement initiatives, including private, non profit corporations, by providing funds and leadership to encourage self-help projects, before it can expand housing opportunities for all Michigan citizens.

The Party says that Privatization is little more than an effort to strip public employees of their wages and benefits while diminishing their rights on the job. The state should implement an audit and halt further privatization efforts until proper controls can be established on existing contracts. The state should require all prospective bidders to report all political contributions to fight further corruption in the awarding of contracts.

Although the state law can and should protect workers on the job, collective bargaining offers greater economic security, job safety and dignity for Michigan workers. The party supports equal pay legislation so those workers in female-dominated occupations no longer earn less than those in comparable male-dominated occupations.

When workers are injured on the job, they need the safety net of worker compensation benefits to tie them over until they can return to work. Workers should not risk the death, illness, or injury on the Job. MOISHA, Michigan’s job safety program can save lives and prevent injuries if given a chance. Unemployment benefits used to provide the average worker with only 80% of the poverty level for a family of four doesn’t even do that anymore.

Michigan Democrats firmly reject the philosophy of the so-called "Paycheck Protection" movement as an attack on the working families financed and backed by corporate interests and foreign lobbyists. They will vow to fight it wherever it rears its ugly head.

The Party supports tax relief for those who bear the greatest tax burden, which are the poor people of society, by raising the floor on the Michigan income tax so that those living below the poverty level would be exempt. They also support a state earned income tax credit, which would provide tax relief for the working poor, while at the same time boosting local economies. The party states that the tax system should be stable, not due to the ups and downs of the business cycle. It should be simple and raise adequate revenues to pay for necessary public services.

In health care issues the party platform is that of the national party. They will continue to support steps, which will move the country toward our goals of universal coverage with access for all to quality, affordable care based on social insurance principles. They will continue to oppose of health benefits, which is an attack on the real wages and living standards of working American.

To find out more about Michigan Democratic Party you can visit them at

Www.mi-democrats.com and for information regarding their platform you can visit their

Platform homepage at Www.mi-democrats.com\platform.htm
 
 

Minnesota state is located in the north central United States. It is bordered on the north by the Canadian providence of the south by Iowa, and on the west by North Dakota and South Dakota. Minnesota entered the Union on March 11, 1885 as the 32nd state. According to 1990 census, Minnesota’s population is 4,375,099, which makes it 20th largest state in United States. In diversity 94.4 percent of the population is white, 2.2 percent is black, 1.8 percent is Asian, 1.2 percent is Hispanic and .5 percent is mixed.

Minnesota Democratic party stands on the same platform as national platform of "1996 Democratic National Platform". The Democratic party state its position on different social issues like our nation’s budget, taxes and spending. Their position on social policies like education, welfare, health care, social security, Medicare and military spending is to name few among many. Democrats of Minnesota want what the American public wants from their government: that is, to provide secure future for all Americans. The Democratic party appeals to three basic principles through which they will be able to provide services for America: Opportunity, Responsibility, and Community. These three pillars would make America a strong force, socially, economically and internationally.

The Democratic party wants to make sure that the education for all American children remain priority, so they would be mentally prepared to build America in the future. Education is the key for any powerful country and Democrats want to make sure that the children would get best education, so they would compete against the future. Democrats want to increase funds to reduce class size and improve teacher’s standards- increase Head Start funding to expand early education for more children who need it by providing best books, brightest teachers and most up-to-date technology. The Democratic party’s goal is that every child in American education system by third grade should be able to read. Our system should reward those who achieve high excellence and provide help to others to achieve that level of excellence. A high quality public education is the source of opportunity for all children. Democrats know that even with the greatest teachers and best books and technology, our public schools can fail if the environment in which our children get education is not safe. Drug free/Crime free Schools are the must and Democrats will fight to keep the school of America safe and healthy place to grow. One thousand-dollar honor scholarship for top 5% of graduates in every high school would bring more children to higher education. Governmental standard should increase to 14 years of school instead of 12- so we can increase the percentage of educated in America. The Democratic party wants to provide $10,000 tax deduction for families so they can pay for education after high school.

Tax relief for working families and small business must be provided. The Democratic party believes that working class families deserve a break from taxes. President Clinton and the Democrats in Congress expanded the "Earned Income Tax Credit" which would help over 40 million Americans and 15 million working families. Unlike the Republicans, who increased tax on working class, small businesses and middle class, Democrats want to strength the public of America. They want to strengthen middle class families by providing $500 tax cut for children- IRA would help people to buy homes and reduce taxes for small businesses because these are the life lines of America.

Heath Care, Medicare, Social Security and Welfare are moral duties of our government. Democrats passed the Kennedy-Kassebam health reform bill to stop insurance companies from turning down coverage when an individual move from one job to another. Women, children and infants must all be covered under healthcare. Each and every child deserves to be immunized against diseases. Fighting against AIDS, breast cancer and other less known diseases is our duty, and Democrats believe that government should fully participate in research to stop and prevent those diseases.

Medicare beneficiaries should have more health plans to choose from. Democrats will crack down on Medicare waste, abuse and frauds-that would save money to be speeded on the rightful Medicare takers. The Democratic party has given many states the flexibility to run their own Medicaid programs, since states decide more efficiently who should get the benefits.

Our country’s welfare should once again gain respect. Democrats belief that they must help those who want to help themselves. The welfare system should also be localized (at state level) so they can make their own policies and regulations. It should be a safety net and give sense of security to every American.

Social Security must be saved. Democrats believe that for the next century, our future generations, government needs to provide a system that would secure Social Security. This increase in life expectancy has put burden on our Social Security system. The Democratic party wants to make sure that each and every individual will be taken care of in old age.

The Democratic party stands behind women’s right to choose. To protect that right, Democrats will continue to support of Roe v. Wade. Safety at family planning centers and women’s health clinics is important to Democrats. It is a basic constitutional right that citizens of America choose their own path in making a decision concerning reproduction and expansion of their families.

At the International level, Democrats want to maintain United States hegemony. Our nation’s security is most important to us. The readiness, effectiveness and quality of our military has increased. Improvement in life style of our men and women in uniform should also increase. They should get high wages and benefits because they are the ones who protect us. The Democrats want to make sure that they get what they deserve. Restrictions within the forces must also increase: military offenses should be punished: sexual harassment must be subjected to punishment. The Democrats want to make sure that duties of government will be carried out. Because of the Democrats, by year 2001 there will be 40 percent increase for modern weapons with the minimum cost. Mass destructive weapons is the threat to the whole world; therefore, reduction in mass destructive weapons and elimination of their production is a goal which will be achieved with the help of other nations in the world. Arm control policies, throughout the world, should be informed so there will not be a threat to any nation of being destructed by stronger ones.

Mississippi, one of the East South Central states of the United States, entered the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state. A state with a population in 2,716,115, Mississippi, in presidential contests cast its electoral votes for the Democratic nominee in all elections from 1876 to 1944. Third-party candidates were successful in 1948, 1960, and 1968 in elections in which racial issues were predominant; since then, the state has usually voted for the Republican presidential nominee. The Democratic party virtually dominated state and local politics in Mississippi for more than a century; in 1978, however, Thad Cochran (1937) became the first Mississippi Republican since the Reconstruction period to win election to the U.S. Senate.

Mississippi elects five representatives and two senators to the U.S. Congress. The state has seven electoral votes in presidential elections. The chief executive of Mississippi is the governor; the Mississippi legislature consists of a 52-member senate and a 122-member house of representatives.

Its economy was mainly agricultural until the middle third of the 20th century, when manufacturing became the dominant economic sector; service industries have become increasingly important in recent decades.

The Mississippi Democratic Party championed the cause of education, advocating equitable funding for all schools and increases in teacher pay. Dedicated to reducing crime in Mississippi, it continues to be a strong voice for tougher drug laws, education and rehabilitation, and the creation of the uniform Youth Court System. Also recognizes the importance of creating a strong business climate in the state. Its contributions to the states healthy business climate include the reduction of the tax burden for married residents and the lowering of inheritance taxes.

Promoting good health and the development of health policies for a diverse population is a constant effort. For example, the percentage of Mississippians over 65 years of age is 12% and growing. Democrats believe that they should ensure Mississippi’s elderly residents receive the best health care possible, also they should review and revise the state’s policies for the elderly every five years.

The Democratic Party also believes that in many ways, our safety is linked to our health. No industry, no matter how rich and powerful, should be able to come between a patient and her doctor. "We do not need a government-run health care system, but there is nothing wrong with using the law to protect the right of Mississippi patients to see their own doctors". They have made progress toward holding insurance companies accountable starting with the passage of the Patient Protection Act of 1995 and including the passage of legislation requiring Health Maintenance Organizations to consult Mississippi physicians when a determination that is adverse to the patient has been made.

As always, education and work force training remain high on the priority list. They made a commitment to providing quality educational opportunities regardless of where a child lives, and they remain committed to funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Ninety-two percent of Mississippi’s children are educated in public schools. A multi-year investment in schools and a sincere commitment to improving teacher salaries are guaranteed to pay off in the long run for the state.

It continues to trouble them to read that while crime rates are receding across our country, crime rates, especially for violent crime, continue to rise in Mississippi. They recognize that the deterioration of values in our society is a factor in the rise of crime. Therefore they believe that the teaching of values in our homes, churches, and schools may discourage the commission of crime. They encourage the active participation of all citizens in educating and forming neighborhood watch groups in their communities. They support swift punishment for those who commit crime against Mississippi’s citizenry. They encourage the legislature to pass the abuse of the elderly bill.

During the 1998 session and with the support of Democrats and Republicans alike, the legislature sent the Governor a bold measure designed to shed light on how money is raised and spent for campaigns in Mississippi. This legislation promoted greater disclosure of both ‘hard’ money, or direct contributions to political campaigns, and ‘soft’ money, money that is spent by parties to influence the election to the benefit of one candidate or the other.

The campaign finance reform package approved by the legislature and vetoed by the governor lowers required reporting levels for contributions and expenditures. Under these stronger disclosure laws, people would have more information available about how the campaigns are managing their money and how allied forces might be spending additional, often unreported, money as well.

They recognize that racism is a symptom of ignorance, exploited by the greed of unscrupulous manipulators to keep the common people of all races divided against each other so that they may be more easily fleeced of their earnings. Such is wrong and should be opposed on all legal and moral grounds. They seek vigorous enforcement of federal Civil Rights laws, and applaud the Mississippi legislature for strengthening our hate crime law.

They strongly support the democratization of foreign governments that violate human rights. They are prepared to act by appropriate means when U.S. interests are at stake.

Americans have many values. We are proud for our work ethics and we attribute our accomplishments as a nation and our standard of living to the American desire to be productive. The goal of the American worker is to better himself and to provide a better living standard for his family. The only way this can be ensured to the majority of the working people is the establishment of labor standards and health standards of the working environment. Paramount among these standards is the establishment of a minimum wage that will provide the American people with a decent living standard. They support the raise of the minimum wage to provide for these standards.

They understand that for far too many young Mississippians, welfare has become a way of life. They vigorously endorse the concept of welfare to work, emphasizing preparation for opportunity rather than reliance on the government. The dignity of a living wage must be promoted over the indignity of the dole in not only our economy, but also in our values. Our goal is temporary relief, not permanent dependence.

Finally the Mississippi Democratic Party is pro life in contrast with the National Party. Ronnie Musgrove, who runs for governor, states: "life is a gift that we must protect for me, this is not a political issue, it is a matter of saving lives. We must stand up for those that are not able to stand up for themselves. That is why I have always tried to speak up for those that do not yet have a voice". Over the past four years the Mississippi abortion laws are among the most stringent in the nation. Partial birth abortions are banned in Mississippi. Parents of minors seeking an abortion must be notified and they require a waiting period before an abortion can be performed.
 
 

Before the state of Missouri entered the Union on August 10, 1821, it was a leading territory in agriculture and now leads as a farming state. Manufacturing has been acclaimed as a more vital economic standpoint on Missouri than farming. Missouri is also an important agricultural state. The state usually ranks in top ten when it comes to producing such crops as cotton, corn and soybeans. Manufacturing also makes up about 25% of the total goods and services produced in Missouri annually.

Missouri is also a Southern state in which its economic interests at first could not coincide with the Northern states economy that was drifting away from slavery in the first half of the 19^th century and the situation was no different from other Southern states at that time. The anti-slavery sentiments in the North and the US Supreme Court decision of Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857 made slavery a taboo issue in the state. Missouri like other states in the South were falling economically to a slave industry that was becoming less economical. This would eventually lead to the Civil War.

Missouri has had four constitutions. One was in 1820 before statehood, 1865, 1875 and 1945. Constitutional amendments may be proposed by the majority of the legislature of 8% of the voters signing a petition in two-thirds of the state’s congressional districts. A constitutional convention must be held every 20 years to oversee for changes.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have electoral Power in the state, but since World War II the Democratic party in Missouri which is the focus of this paper has had more control in the legislature and the state’s representation in the congress. There are many issues and concerns with the Missouri Democratic Party that are more important than ever as we get closer to the new millennium.

Of all the issues that the Missouri Democratic party deals with the issues most vital to Missourians has to do with social policy on such issues as health care. Health care has been a major topic for about the past two years since a field of Democrats went to Washington. The only outcome to this meeting is that there has been no easy answer to the problem. The habit of blaming the health insurance companies or providers of health care has not accomplished anything. All it has accomplished is a further delay of action from both sides making a possible compromise difficult. Those who have and still continue to suffer the most under such current conditions are the elderly, the working poor, and middle-income citizens who don’t have the ability to afford their medical bills and health insurance premiums or have pre-existing medical conditions that could prevent coverage. MEDICAID has become overburdened with more and more claims and patients that the program that can both pay for and provide services. MEDICARE has many coverage shortfalls that leave the elderly in certain positions of financial despondency. The Democratic Party has and continues to urge legislators to work on plans for affordable long-term health care programs, portability of health insurance coverage, fair charges for medical services and procedures in order to keep a spirit of compromise. The Missouri Democratic party finds it absolutely unacceptable for a situation in which acceptable professional health care is not available from the prenatal stage of infancy to the twilight years of our lives.

On the issue of Social Security, Democrats have passed meaningful property tax relief for seniors and the disabled, helping them to live independently for as long as possible. Democrats have also passed tax credits to help alleviate the financial burden on seniors. The Democratic party is also committed to a complete solution and not just the reduction in welfare. They believe that reduction of the rolls of people on welfare can be consummated by making available measures that will foster individual responsibility, increase self-esteem, and do afar with the idea of punishment and/or guilt associated with persons in need of assistance. The integration of measures such as jobs, living wages, affordable housing, child care, affordable transportation, basic health care, subsidized income levels and education would go far in arriving at a meaningful denouement.

One of these measures, education has been a key issue in the second and last term of Democratic Governor Mel Carnahan. In 1993 his Outstanding Schools Act was passed, with a $310 million tax increase and began the process of establishing first class schools. The Act placed a much needed emphasis on the role of technology in public schools, increased funding for PARENTS AS TEACHERS and EARLY CHILDHOOD education, created unprecedented programs designed to keep at-risk students in school and decreased class sizes in kindergarten mostly through third grade. The benefits are said to be already affecting the lives of many Missouri school children, although it may take a while for the programs to be fully set in motion. Missouri’s system of higher education has increased enrollment dramatically and the Democratic party has promised to strive to assist the educational centers to address their specific issues to continue to cater in the highest quality of educational standards to the young people. In keeping with the pledge to Missouri families, the Democratic party has promised to continue to make higher education affordable and available.

Another issue vital to Missourians is the standard of living. Most voters in 1996 rejected a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $6.25. The Democrats have been viewed as liberal moderates as opposed to Republicans attempting to identify with a Christian right image. For over 50 years, Missouri the Missouri Democratic Party and the organized labor movement have worked together to improve hours, wages, and job-site conditions for average workers, whether union or non-union working persons. Many of the programs that are said to be taken for granted because of such an alliance. Such things as social security, workers compensation, unemployment compensation, paid vacations, sick leave, employer paid health insurance, minimum wage, and many other benefits seem to have been the results. Among the things that the Democratic party vows to do, they plan to cultivate a well trained and well paid work force, obtain more resources for a start up business, and cut the red tape on all government levels that circumscribe business expansion.

According to the Almanac of the 50 States, in 1994 Missouri had four cities with a population of over 100,000. Kansas City, St. Louis, Independence and the state capital, Jefferson City are the major metropolitan areas of the state. Between 1970 and 1990 the state population has increased from 4.6 million to just over 5 million people and by 1990 nearly 70% of the state population were born residents. The is due to a growing business venture in the state correlative with the agriculture. In a cultural sense, Missouri remains a more conservative area than most of the more populated states. In 1989 the state’s restrictions on abortion were upheld by the Supreme Court. In mid-September of this year the state’s legal attempt to ban late-term abortion went into effect after state legislators voted to override Gov. Carnahan’s veto of the bill banning late-term abortion. Planned Parenthood, an abortion provider, has filed a lawsuit charging infanticide, which is a felony that is equivalent to murder. Supporters have promised that the ban on certain late term abortions will not generate violence.

Democratic legislators passed waste management laws in 1990. They have reported that the problem with trash disposal is rather astonishing both in rural and urban areas. They also promote incentives to prevent out-of -state dumping in the state’s landfills and research for measures to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The Missouri Democratic Party advocates theses and other issues and promises to continue to earn the trust of citizens with ideas and programs that benefit all of the state of Missouri.

Barone, Michael and Grant Ljifusa. The Almanac of American Politics 1998: The Senators, the Representatives and the Governors: Their Records and Election Results, Their States and Districts. Washington, D.C.: National Journal, 1997.

Harnor, Edith R., ed. Almanac of the 50 States: Basic Data Profiles with Corporative Tables. Palo Alto: Information Publications, 1998.

"Missouri" Collier’s Encyclopedia. 1996 ed.

"Missouri" Academic American Encyclopedia. 1990 ed.

Potter, Mark. "Judge delays enforcement on Missouri abortion ban." CNN, 17 September 1999.

Potter, Mark. "Missouri’s ban on late-term abortion could face legal challenge." CNN, 17 September 1999.
 
 

Montana is the fourth largest state in area and the forty-fourth in population with a total of 803,655 people. Montana gained statehood in 1889 and since then has remained the most Democratic of the small Rocky Mountain States; which means mostly Republican by national standards. In the 1992 presidential election Bill Clinton gained 38% to George Bush’s 35% to Ross Perot’s 26%. However in 1996 Montana swung to the right and voted 44% for Bob Dole and 41% for President Clinton. Republicans dominate Montana’s government at the federal, state, and local levels. The current Governor is Republican Marc Racicot and Republican majorities exist in both state houses. Montana has only one member of the United States House of Representatives, Republican Rick Hill. The state expects to regain its second House seat following the federal reapportionment in 2002. In the United States Senate Montana has both a Democrat, Max Baucus, now in his fourth term, and Republican Conrad Burns, in his second term. In 1994 Burns became the first Republican Senator to be reelected in Montana history. Despite its current Republican dominance Montana has a long history of progressive, Democratic political ideals and a pro-union socialist philosophy. At the turn of the century, as the mining economy boomed, Montana had radical class warfare politics. Socialist union organizers opposed the large capitalist mining owners in a classic example of the influence of liberal democracy's quest for social justice. Montana’s Democratic political heritage still has remnants to this day. Montana has no right to work law and is the most pro-union state in the Rockies.

In order to understand the concerns of the Montana Democratic Party an analysis of the state’s economic and social statistics is necessary. Montana’s population is 53% urban and 47% rural, with no city larger than 100,000 people. Montana has a Native American population of 47,000 people living mostly on seven Federal Reservations. Montana has only 5,000 people of color, excluding Native Americans, and makes it unlike most other states. Agriculture is the major industry of Montana, with 24,700 farms and ranches with an average size of 2,500 acres. The leading agricultural commodities are wheat, cattle, barley and hay. Montana has vast stretches of fertile soil suitable for growing wheat and wide areas of grasslands for grazing cattle and sheep. Mining, once Montana's chief industry has been surpassed by agriculture, but still remains a regional employment force in the northern part of the state. Montana’s fastest growing industry is tourism. The natural beauty of the state has attracted tourist and created service sector jobs at an outstanding rate in the last 20 years. The median household income in Montana is $27,889 and 16% of Montana’s live in poverty. These economic and social statistics reflect the concerns of the Montana Democratic Party and are addressed in their platform and in public pronouncements by the states leading Democrats. I will now address a few of these key issues important to the Montana Democratic Party.

AGRICULTURE

Montana’s leading industry with over 100,000 people employed in agriculture and ranching related jobs, which represents 20% of the states total employment. Agriculture generates 65% of the states total economy, roughly $2.4 billion. Montana Democrats advocate policies that make it financially possible to sustain family oriented agriculture through improved trade policies, value added enterprises, market promotion, fair availability of credit, and reasonable transportation costs. Recently exports have dropped by $570 million and the Montana Democratic Party has focused on prying open foreign markets to Montana products. The party also advocates the creation of a permanent safety net to help farmers weather times of crisis. Clearly, agricultural issues are the priority of the states Democrats and citizens.

EDUCATION

Montana Democrats believe that public education is the foundation of democracy and that children are the States most precious resource. Public education is the basis for life long learning and is essential in the worlds growing global, and technology driven economy. Public education depends on a strong partnership among parents, children, communities and schools. Montana Democrats believe that public funds should be used only for public schools and are against any voucher programs which would subsidize parents for sending children to private schools. Schools should be controlled by and be fiscally and academically responsible to their communities. The post secondary educational system should not be limited to ability to pay. Montana Democrats believe that education needs to be a higher priority at all government levels. The party advocates smaller class sizes and improved teacher training. Education will help attract the growing high technology industry and spur economic expansion and help diversify the states agricultural based economy. Democrats believe that better schools build better citizens and better communities.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

The Montana Democratic Party advocates the development of opportunities that assist existing business and attract new ones. The party believes investment in people, schools and infrastructure will result in economic development. The party is using the slogan a "new era of economic populism" to promote its policies for economic growth. Montana Democrats advocate the cooperation of business, labor and education as equal partners in building a future that fosters business success, good wages and a promising economic future.

TAXATION

The Montana Democratic Party opposes the shift to property taxes that has occurred in the past decade. Low income citizens, seniors on a fixed income and small businesses need property tax relief. The party supports fair, progressive, individual and corporate income taxes and supports closing loopholes that favor only the wealthy. Local governments should have greater control over their own taxation and should target tax cuts to businesses that help create good paying jobs. Montana Democrats believe an adjustment in tax policy would create the economic incentive for new business to move to Montana and create economic growth. Montana Democrats advocate a balanced federal budget, which protects the values of average Montana’s and protects education, social security, and Medicare.

SOCIAL POLICY

The party advocates stable jobs with livable wages as the cornerstone of family values. The majority of Montana’s make their living as wage earners, relying on fair compensation for their labor in order to sustain and build their communities, raise their families and educate their children. All workers deserve a safe and health workplace; just compensation for job related injury and unemployment benefits when they suffer the loss of a job. The Montana Democratic Party supports the right of workers to organize, bargain collectively and strike when necessary with out the threat of permanent replacement. The party opposes right to work and any legislation and initiatives that would skew the political power or restrict the use of union dues for political or legislative activities.

HEALTH CARE

The Montana Democratic Party supports a comprehensive health care system based on the principles of quality, privacy, consumer choice, access and affordability. All Montanans, especially children, should have equitable access to health care services regardless of their condition, age, ability to pay or geographic location.

FOREIGN POLICY

The party supports Democratic policies and actions that will insure global stability and nuclear, chemical and biological disarmament and provide human and civil rights for all people of the world. Montana Democrats support cooperation among all nations, including the use of foreign aid to meet basic human needs and support free trade practices and promotion of Montana products and services in the global marketplace.

ENVIRONMENT

The Montana Democratic Party supports the constitutional right of Montanans to a clean and healthful environment. A healthy environment and a healthy economy are connected. Responsible and sustainable utilization of natural resources should be the guiding principle of environmental policy. Montana’s wildlife and wild lands promote hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation opportunities that are an important part of the states heritage, and should be sustained for future generations.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Montana Democrats favor a fair system of limiting the dollars spent by campaigns.

The positions of the Montana Democratic Party reflect the concerns and priorities of the state. Montana Democrats respond to the needs of their constituents and their platform speaks to the unique political circumstances that exist in Montana. The old adage that ‘all politics is local’ is certainly true in the case of the Montana Democratic Party which is less concerned with the views of the national party and seeks to serve Democrats in Montana.
 
 

Lying in the center of the United States, in the region of the Great Plains, the Cornhusker State, with a population estimated by the Almanac of 50 States in1996, to be only 1,652,093, Nebraska is spread over a majestic 77,358 square miles. It is practically the same size as the country of the United Kingdom. Racially broken down, the state is 92.5% White, 3.6% Black, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian and 2.3% Hispanic origin. Nebraska with two principle cities, Lincoln the capital, and Omaha, has an unpredictable climate which is marked by extremes in temperature both during the winter and summer months.

Two main regions define this state. The Loess that makes up just one fifth of the state, and the area of the Great Plains that accounts for the rest of the state geography. The area of rich yellowish soil, known as the Loess Plain, is extremely fertile farmland, whereas the streams and grasses of The Great Plains region make excellent cattle pastures.

In the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, France sold the Mississippi valley, which included Nebraska, to the United States. The slavery debate lead to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which established the territory known as Kansas and Nebraska. Nebraska became the 37^th state of the union in March of 1867.

Today Nebraska is working hard to preserve family farms and attract new industry, most of the rural counties are losing population, while towns and cities are rapidly expanding. The 1990's has seen the state become home to the fast-growing ConAgra food combine, and a popular area of the country in which to invest. Only 282,000 of Nebraska's estimated 1,652,093 population receive social security benefits, this includes 206,000 who are retired or who are eligible for dependency allowance. Over 87% of Nebraskans have attained high school certificates, 24% hold a bachelor's degree or above.

HEALTH CARE: Through the support of health care legislation the Nebraska Democratic Party wants to see affordable, quality health care made accessible to all. A strong, statewide community system of public health, federal/state funded immunizations for children, disease prevention through both education and comprehensive research is proposed. The Party also strongly supports the need to increase education and research to the problem of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse in the community. A comprehensive rehabilitation program is advocated. While opposing mandatory HIV testing, the Party encourages medical research and the provision of social services to people with HIV/AIDS.

FOREIGN POLICY: The economic and military interests of the United States should be paramount when the adoption of a policy for foreign affairs comes into question. The Nebraska Democratic Party believes in the importance of promoting and the protection of peace. A foreign relation's policy must be based on a commitment to basic human rights, and must be applied in a consistent manner toward all nations, regardless of their economy or political philosophy.

As the only remaining superpower, belief in a strong America who is capable of protecting not only her own national interests, but preserving the peace worldwide is of primary concern to the Democrats of Nebraska. Although, the build up of military force over and above that which is necessary for national interest is not sanctioned. The U.S. should be imbued with a sense of responsibility to promote peace and justice throughout the world whenever possible.

The party supports the role of the United Nations and other international organizations in developing and ratifying international laws and treaties, and believes that this country along with other member nations should abide by these laws. Opposition to giving military assistance to any country whose government practices or tolerates violations of civil liberties of its own citizens is expressed.

The Nebraska Democratic Party Platform goes on to state that countries in the developing world today should be assisted by the United States through long-term economic and humanitarian aid. These programs should focus on teaching self- sustaining growth and development. On the cusp the 21^st century, justice and basic human rights in every nation should be available to all persons regardless of where they may live.

GOVERNMENT: Endorsing the closed primary system used in its own state, the Nebraska Democratic Party encourages elected officials from both political parties to implement reforms which would limit the length and cost of presidential campaigns. They support a reasonable limit on campaign spending and contributions, along with a proposed state income tax check-off for political parties, and political campaigns in the state of Nebraska. Voting is the most important civil right, the election process, say the Democrats of Nebraska should be encouraged by eliminating unnecessary obstacles that hinder the process.

EDUCATION: In recognizing that Nebraska provides some of the best comprehensive, public education in the United States, Nebraska Democrats see the investment in and promotion of, this service as crucial to the future economic power, and development of the state.

The promise of a good basic education for every child and adult, with the option to advanced that education to the highest level possible, is a fundamental right of all citizens of Nebraska. It is only through the education of the work force of today, and the investment in the work force of tomorrow, that Nebraska can maintain her level of competition with other states of the union. This system should be supported by a broad-based tax system.

The Nebraska Democratic Party does not encourage the idea of vouchers or tuition tax credits. The withdrawal of resources from public education, for whatever reason, will only serve to undermine the institution it purports to serve.

Fully supporting welfare, the Party believes only through education can the cycle of dependency be broken.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Recognizing that it is beholden upon the state to provide a strong economic cornerstone on which to build society, the Nebraska Democratic Party, sees long-term social stability through a strong, competitive well educated and secure work-force. Providing a nurturing business climate encourages the growth of a strong economy, the rewards of which can be felt by all. This in turn enables the state to be confident in attracting stronger investments, and new business ventures.

Through a system of well-balanced, broad-based, just taxes, the business community generates more revenue, while not diminishing the state's attractiveness for company relocation or business development.

The Nebraska Democratic Party promotes programs that are concerned with both revitalization of rural and inner-city areas of economic depression.

TRADE POLICY: State and national trade must continue to be expanded throughout the world. Only through competition on a worldwide scale can American products remain at a premium. This healthy competition increases the productivity of foreign markets, which increases the standard of living, allowing other countries to buy the superior American products. In turn healthy well-balanced international trade, means better jobs and a higher standard of living for Americans.

CIVIL RIGHTS: It is the belief of the Nebraska Democrats that a society should be judged on the way in which the poorest, weakest and most vulnerable citizens are treated. A true and just society speaks on behalf of those who have no voice. The Party supports Affirmative Action, "hate crime" legislation, and deplores extremist philosophies. Only through the mutual respect of one another can we fully embrace our diversity says the Nebraska Democratic Party.

Works Cited

Almanac of American Politics.

Almanac of the 50 States.

President Abraham Lincoln admitted Nevada, Spanish for "snow-capped", into the Union as the 36th State, on October 31, 1864. During the next 75 years mining towns flourished in this state due to the mineral wealth of the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, Nevada. In the 1930’s Nevada’s economy was driven mainly by tourism, especially entertainment and legalized gaming where casinos and resorts still continue to flourish.

Nevada consists of 110,540 square miles, 485 miles long and 315 miles wide. Its state population was 1,852,650 as of November 1998. The population of it’s capital, Carson City was 51,860 as of November 1998. The most populated city in Nevada was Las Vegas at 441,230.

Three Democratic Federal Representatives, Senator Richard Bryan, Senator Harry Reid and Congresswoman Shelley Berkley represent the State of Nevada. The highest elected Democratic State official in the Executive Branch is Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. According to the roster at the 70^th (1999) Session of the State Legislature, there were a total of 42 Assemblymen in the Nevada State Assembly, 28 of which are Democrats (66%). As for the State Senate, there were 9 out of 21 State Senators whom were Democrat (43%) during the same session.

The Nevada State Democratic Party’s overall objectives are to promote the betterment of human condition, the elimination of poverty in America and to support the pursuit of the American Dream, no matter their race, gender creed or sexual orientation. The Democratic party insists that all children in America are entitled to be well fed and well educated in a free and public school system and that adequate health care provided to them. The party recognizes that the golden years of the elderly should be secure and that their access to proper health care should not be disrupted. It is the party’s intention to provide a clean and safe environment for all Americans. Lastly, the Democratic party guards the right of workers to collective bargain for a fair share of the product of their labor and prevent the silencing of their unions.

A few specific civil rights issues mentioned in the 1998-2000 Party Platform are the party’s support of women’s freedom over reproductive choices. They also demand equal and comparable pay for women. The party supports enforcement of the right to privacy and confidentiality for those who test positive for HIV. The party believes that protection of rights for legal immigrants are essential. The Nevada State Democrats support Medicare coverage for illegal aliens and access to education for their children. Lastly the state party opposes mandatory school prayer in public schools.

As far as consumer affairs, the party supports legislation that would protect consumers from telemarketing scams and end the state’s image as the illegal telemarketing capital of America. The state party also supports the protection of consumers from overzealous credit card, in particularly those targeting senior citizens and minors.

Among the many social issues that the party has taken a stand on, the safety and welfare of children is one that is important. The state party supports all laws that enforce the financial responsibility of "deadbeat" spouse to minors and recognizes the importance of preventing violence and abuse in the home. They also support the establishment; licensing and maintenance of child care and urge employers to consider on-site or subsidized day care for their employees, if possible.

As for education, the state opposes vouchers, tax credits or public funding for private schools. The party supports the federal funding of education that teaches diversity and multiculturalism, alternative ways to personal problem solving, understanding peer pressure in substance abuse. They also support programs that help educate parents in parenting skills and prevention programs to reduce high incidences of teen suicide, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The state Democratic Party opposes all government censorship of educational and school library materials.

The Nevada State Democratic Party opposes the privatization of Social Security and recommends that an account be set apart from federal funds in which funds are held in trust for the specific use and benefit of Social Security recipients. They also support the development of property tax rebates for Nevadans on Social Security disability. There is also support to give young people entering the work force the option to set aside a portion of their social security taxes to invest in alternative government approved investments.

Since the casino enterprise has flourished in Nevada, the Democratic state party opposes the any additional federal tax on or regulation of gaming business in this state. Nevada Democrats supports growth of small business enterprises, even home-based businesses.

Another issue specific to Nevada would be the issue environment safety in the Yucca Mountains. The state party opposes the establishing of high-level nuclear waste dumps in Nevada’s Yucca Mountain and opposes any attempt to negotiate for benefits in exchange for the state’s permission to allow the federal government to study and develop repository in the Yucca Mountains. Furthermore the party opposes the transportation of high level nuclear wastes to the mountain regions and turning it into the nations nuclear waste dump.

The Nevada Test Site is another environmental concern for the Nevada State Democratic Party. The party supports the continuing of capabilities and skills of the workforce at the Nevada Test Site. They also supports efforts to develop potential uses of the test site to maximize all the benefits which have been a result of all the technical and scientific expertise which developed the Test Site over the past few decades.

In the 1998-2000 Nevada State Democratic Party Platform, both President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore are mentioned. President Clinton was commended for reducing the deficit that resulted in lower interest rates and other economic benefits to our country. Al Gore was praised for the work on the Environment, Government Restructure, Internet and Technology while serving the United States of America.

For a copy of the Nevada State Democratic Platform 1998-2000, call the Nevada State Democratic Party at (702) 737-8683.
 
 

New Hampshire is located in the New England region of the United States, bordered by Maine to the east, Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west and Canada to the north. New Hampshire was the ninth state to join the United States of America on June 21, 1788. New Hampshire was the first state to adopt a state constitution in 1776. New Hampshire covers 9351 square miles of land area. As of the 1990 Census there are 1.1 million people living in the state of which 98% are white and .6% are black. The capitol of New Hampshire is Concord. The oldest institution of higher learning in the state is Dartmouth University, and Dartmouth is part of the Ivy League of Universities. New Hampshire has the earliest presidential primary and therefore it is considered extremely important as a measurement of how your candidate is going to do. Republicans out number Democrats. The highest elected democratic official in the state is Governor Jeanne Shaheen. Governor Shaheen is the first woman to be elected as Governor in the state of New Hampshire. She was elected in 1996.

Party Platform:

Education: This is considered the New Hampshire democrats most Important concern. New Hampshire democrats have a deep commitment to the importance of education at all levels of life. Governor Jeanne Shaheen’s has instituted the ABC Plan for insuring an equitable formula for funding all public schools. Tax-free Savings on college education is supported.

Health Care: New Hampshire is ranked fourth among all the States in the United States in terms of statewide health coverage. The following issues have been reformed. A comprehensive statewide curriculum for schools has been instituted to better inform students. Efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by increasing the amount of information that are given by the State and State agencies. Increased Access to Healthcare for low-income pregnant women & children. Continuing efforts are being made by the Governor for the following issues passed into New Hampshire State law: the Presidents "Consumer Bill of Rights", which includes the right to know all medical options. No Strings attached emergency Room Care that would allow people to receive medical treatment prior to the doctors and medical staff assessing whether or not they want to treat the patient. Confidentiality of all medical records. And the right to choose your own Medical Doctor. They are also supporting the Governors Initiative to expand health coverage to children who have no coverage and the funding and restructuring the department of Health and Human Services.

Abortion: The New Hampshire Democrats strongly support the right of reproductive choice and also support efforts to help prevent unwanted pregnancies through the following: Family Planning, birth control counseling and services and Community Support Mechanisms.

Budgeting & Taxes: Governor Shaheen is operating the state government on a balanced budget. The Governor is continuing efforts to reform the tax structure so people are paying their fair share. The Governor is proposing property tax relief for over burdened local taxpayers.

Environment: The New Hampshire Democratic Party is proposing the Establishment of A Blue Ribbon commission to study the issues and concerns relating to the spreading of sludge in our local communities. Also supported by the Governor and the Democratic party are the following: Enforcement of the Federal Clean Air Act and Clear Water Act; Enforcement of the Environmental Hazardous Waste Act law; Balanced access to and use of New Hampshire’s forests for recreational & industrial activities; & Passage of the "Bottle Bill" for Recycling.

Equal Rights & Opportunity

Race: New Hampshire Democrat’s Promote and are committed to Human Rights and Human Dignity. The Governor and the Democratic Party are committed to fight discrimination in all its forms. And although the State does not observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party support it fully and are demanding that the state legislature honor the spirit of Dr. King.
 
 

New Jersey, the nation's ninth most populous state, is very similar in political makeup to New York. Although the governor, Christine Todd Whitman, is a Republican, New Jersey's senators Frank Lautenburg and Bob Toricelli, are both Democrats. Nevertheless, the majority in the two houses of state legislature known as the senate and the general assembly is Republican. The leading industries of this state, admitted to the Union in 1787, are service industries, manufacturing, and wholesale trade. New Jersey pharmaceutical companies also lead the nation in sophisticated research. Much of what used to be known as oil tank farms, vegetable fields, and swampland are now tourist attractions such as Great Adventure, some of the largest gambling casinos in the world, and sports complexes like the Continental Airlines Arena, formerly known as the Meadowlands.

In the last twenty years, the population of New Jersey has changed. There is a rapidly growing Latino population, Puerto Rican being the largest. By the year 2025, it is projected that the Latino population in New Jersey will surpass that of the black population by about 100,000. Therefore, the minority vote in New Jersey is many times crucial to swaying the vote from one direction to the other.

There are however, party agendas, or party principles, which each political party adheres to. In order to arrive at these party principles, New Jersey Democrats referred to the founder of the Democratic Party, Thomas Jefferson, and realized that the party principles of the nineteenth century have resurfaced throughout its long history. Some issues of the Democratic Party in New Jersey deal with the economy, taxation, education, the environment, public safety, and a revival of family values.

In terms of economic growth, the Democratic Party stands for the encouragement of a healthy business climate in New Jersey. They stand to support programs that will support programs and legislation that will enhance the quality of life and oppose schemes that will deprive New Jerseyites a decent standard of living. The government should be responsible to create the most responsible work force by improving the school system and providing the adequate job training opportunities. The Democrats in New Jersey also feel that it is their responsibility to give the constituency on public assistance more of an incentive to work, than to remain on welfare. They also feel that it is the government's responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace, and to play an active role in job creation.

New Jersey Democrats also believe that it is their role to cast a critical eye over government expenditures. Under the Democratic Administration in New Jersey, the state work force has been cut down adequately to eliminate unnecessary spending. Democratic mayors in New Jersey have also adhered to this role by saving taxpayers more money by running a more efficient government. Administrative expenses should be cut by eliminating unnecessary jobs and costs. The Democrats criticize the previous Republican Administration for penalizing schools for the cost of buying library books.

As of 1996 statistics, New Jersey middle class residents pay a much higher share of their income in taxes than the upper class. A family earning $35,000 pays 11.3% of their income in state taxes while a family earning $250,000 pays only 8.3%. The Democrats are heeding the message from their constituency. They believe that the tax burden should be lower and that the first tax that should be cut is the unfair property taxes New Jersey residents have pay. Their goal is to freeze property taxes overall and reduce the reliance on property taxes to fund public education.

New Jersey Democrats, heeding the message of their founding father Thomas Jefferson, strongly believe that the generation has the right to financially burden the next. Therefore, today's youth should not have to be burdened with debt, or borrowing in excess. NJ Democrats are opposed to Republican borrow-and-spend techniques. They are in favor of a balanced budget, but to do this, they need the consent of the Republicans as well. Governor Whitman has piled up $4 billion of new taxes on the next generation of taxpayers by spending money that belonged to long term trust funds. They urge Governor Whitman's Administration to allow the nonpartisan Office of Legislative services recommend an appropriate schedule of contributions to the state pension fund and permissible withdrawals from other trust funds.

Thomas Jefferson has been credited to be the founder of the public school system in the United States. Today, however, Republicans have been more hostile towards public education. Washington Republicans want to cut school lunch programs and tuition grants, and Trenton Republicans have gone so far as to financially penalize top-performing schools. The Republicans must be proved wrong. Investments into the public schools is not a one-way system, it is reciprocal. For every tax dollar invested in education, there is a child in New Jersey receiving a quality education. Once that child grows up, he or she will be an active member of the workforce, one that has been adequately prepared and educated. Teachers should develop more stringent peer reviews to ensure that tenure serves the purpose of protecting teachers from political pressure. New Jersey teachers should be screened on a regular basis to rate their performance. The state cannot afford to have teachers who are burned-out or incompetent.

Today, the Democrats continue to support investments in infrastructure, which Republicans often want to repeal. Democrats support job training, efficient transportation, and public funding of the arts. Republicans, on the other hand, oppose all of these basic necessary investments. Republicans see job training as an additional unnecessary expense in the budget. They see funding for public transportation as a burden and have gone so far as to slash funding for Amtrak and other mass transit, therefore being unfair to the New Jerseyites who go to work everyday in New York City or Philadelphia. Republicans have also made it more difficult to own a car in New Jersey with such high insurance rates. Republicans have also gone so far as to slash funding for the arts and to censor the arts. If left up to the Republicans, New Jersey would be a dull, uneducated state with residents that do not have means to go anywhere.

New Jersey Democrats are strong believers in protecting the environment. They are the leaders in protecting the air the water, the land, and our open air spaces. They are proud of their efforts to stop ocean dumping and end beach closings. New Jersey beaches are among the best maintained in the northeast, and their boardwalks are tourist attractions for all ages.

Democrats in New Jersey have stood firm in the fight to get assault weapons of the streets and have passed a Crime Bill to put 100,000 new cops on the streets and adopt efficient crime prevention methods. Trenton Democrats have passed some of the toughest gun control laws in the nation, toughening penalties for car-jacking and auto theft, and building 10,000 new prison spaces.

Today, there is a need for moral renewal in the state and in the nation. There is a need to restore the bond of family, the spirit of the community, and the virtue of public service. New Jersey Democrats support Bill Bradley in his statement that parental responsibility is for both men and women, not just women. Unwed parents should not be allowed to go without supporting their children. By garnishing the father's check for 15% of his wages for 18 years, many young men may think twice before acting. Fatherhood is a lifelong commitment that takes time and money. The schools are also responsible for educating the youth on the difficulties of single parenthood. Democrats also promote community service. They call for more dialogue, more constituent participation, more neighborliness, and more civic-mindedness. They have also noticed a decline in participation in the last few elections. The Democrats call for a bipartisan conference to propose reform for the real reform of campaign finance and lobbying. Democrats feel money should matter less in campaigns than it does. They are in favor of free airtime for candidates to get their message across, and for the discouragement of negative advertisements and character assassination. The Democratic party believes in legislating morality in its own house, not in private conduct of individuals. Therefore, they support the freedom of choice with respect to reproductive decisions.

The Democrats in New Jersey feel strongly about being a government for the people. Therefore, they encourage everyone to devote some of their time to public service. They want to be able to serve the constituents in the ways they deem necessary. "We pledge to redouble our efforts to listen to New Jerseyans and to serve them well."
 
 

New Mexico is often called the "Land of Enchantment" with its varied landscape; climate and culture give the State a style of its own. The state is home to one of the earliest inhabited cities in the United States, Acoma, home to the Anasazi Indians, along with the newest in high technology weapons research at the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. It contains four distinctive geographic regions, each supporting different populations and industries. New Mexico is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S. with a projected growth of 20% in the next 25 years, many of which will be newcomers to the state. These differences have brought about various rivalries in the state. In many ways, the Democratic Party of New Mexico is like the State itself, serving a population from vastly different incomes, regions and cultures sometimes with various conflicting interests.

The largest part of the state's economy comes from farming, livestock and mining. Not as large but equally as important are energy, construction, high technology and tourism. Agriculture drives many of the issues of the state: over half of the farms are irrigated by rivers or underground aquifers. Making the availability of water the key environmental issues in the state. Livestock makes federal grazing rights a major interest in the state, since cattle and sheep make-up over two thirds of farm income. New Mexico is a major mining center. Extraction of copper, uranium, oil and gas are some of the many natural resources supporting the state's economy.

One of the New Mexico's biggest exports is electricity, much of which goes to its neighbor Arizona. Military bases such as Cannon, Holloman, and Kirkland and weapons research at Sandian and Los Alamos National Laboratories provide many jobs. The state's rising population has brought about a construction boom. The beautiful vistas and different cultures draw visitors from all over, thus supporting the tourist industry, another important part of New Mexico's economy.

The environment is a very important issue in New Mexico. Only about 250 square miles of the state is surface water. In a state heavy dependent on this water for farming and livestock, as well as personal consumption, water pollution is a big problem. The U.S. Department of Energy has located a radioactive waste storage facility, Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), near Carlsbad in the southeastern corner of the state. WIPP is the burial site for all the nuclear waste produced by the weapons research facilities throughout the state. The balance between protecting the environment without sacrificing economic growth is a difficult one.

Most other states cultures are based on what the early white settlers brought to the land. New Mexico's Pueblo Indians had established a stable agricultural society that predated Columbus. The Spanish established Santa Fe in 1609 and their influence can be see in the adobe/mission style architecture which is still popular today. A large minority of the population claims decent from the Pueblo Indians and/or Spanish settlers. Nearly a third of the population speaks Spanish everyday. Over one third of state elected offices are held by Hispanics which is very close to their percentage in the general population. Native Americans, the first inhabitants comprise 9% (or more) of the state's population. The Gathering of Nations pow-wow, held in Albuquerque, attracts 39,000 Indians annually. When combined, all minority groups in the state make up a majority of its total population. The culture of the New Mexico is a unique mix of vastly different cultures, each maintaining their identities but contributing to the state's identity as a whole.

Democrat's control the New Mexico State government, holding a solid majority of seats in the States House and Senate. With the exception of the Governor's office, they hold all of the statewide elected offices: Secretary of State, State Treasure, Commissioner of Public Lands, and State Auditor. The Republicans control the Governor's office as well as the congressional delegation. One of two Senators and two of three Representatives are Republicans, thus dominating Representation on the national level.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico's (DPNM) 1996 Platform and 1996 Plans of Action, the latest available, are focused mainly on local issues and deal in general terms or not at all with nation wide issues. According to Chris Mann of the DPNM, the Party Platform represents areas of consensus; when there is no plank there is no consensus. In New York State there is an upstate downstate division in the political make up of the state. The Republicans dominate the upstate and the Democrats the urban downstate region, each favoring the issues that interest their constituents.

Unfortunately, geography does not break down as easily [in NM] as in New York. Sometimes it means urban Albuquerque against the rest of the State. Sometimes it means the Rio Grand Corridor against the rest of the state [or] Eastern New Mexico (Little Texas), North Central (historically Hispanic), Northwest (oil & gas), Southwest (mining). It [can be] very regional [at times] (Mann 10/8/99).

In foreign policy and America's global role the only statement was "We support free and fair trade with Mexico." The DPNM does not expand in anyway on defense needs, military intervention or humanitarian aid abroad. This is surprising due in large part to the number of military installation in the state. According to Mann, in the case of the military bases and national laboratories they are popular because of the job they provide to their local area but are not favored in all areas of the state.

The DPNM has a Civil/Human Rights plank in their platform supporting the elimination all forms of discrimination based on race, gender religion, mental or physical handicap, national origin, age, or sexual orientation. They have a plank to raise the minimum wage to $5.15, which has since been enacted. In their Plan of Action the party states opposition to all English only laws.

The Democrats support a system that would make health care available through a system of private and public insurance. The DPNM is in favor of a woman's right to choose. Welfare reform with "child care and health care as essential components," according to the Families and Communities plank. Also part of the health care plank is "continuation of full funding for Medicare and Medicaid" by the state.

The education plank is extensive, supporting higher academic standards; higher salaries for teachers, and an urge to spend tax dollars in a fair and equitable way, while opposing school vouchers. Youth issues are partially tied to education, but also according to the platform New Mexico is facing a rise in juvenile crime. The party supports legislation adopted by the New Mexico Legislature in 1996, which is a combination of prevention and punishment.

The DPNM supports a balanced federal budget without burdening any one group. "The Democratic Party supports a fair taxation policy that is progressive and based on ability to pay, including property tax relief for eligible, low-income New Mexican." The environment is a big issue in NM and clean water is very important. The party advocates long term planning and opposes regulatory reform. However the party is contradictory in what it has not included in its platform. The DPNM supports clean safe environment but it does not have a plank opposing WIPP, the nuclear waste storage facility, perhaps the reason is that it would split the party. "WIPP divides Democrats geographically and philosophically, some see it as a tremendous job engine, others see it as an environmental danger - hence no platform plank", according to Mann of the DPNM.

The DPNM does not have a strong plank on Campaign Finance Reform because the rules vary with in the state. "There are certainly some who favor it," according to Mann, "but other who prefer the state's current free-wheeling system with no contribution limits. On the other hand some of our cities have spending caps as well as contribution limits." With no consensus on the state level it is likely that there would be no platform plank on Federal Campaign Finance Reform.

Chris Mann of the DPNM, "We are focused on the mechanics of getting Democrats elected," leaving much of the policy making to the elected officials.

Geographic division shift from issue to issue - which makes partisanship less relevant to policy making. Although it maddens the GOP chair in this State when people do not walk lockstep with the agenda he had defined, we welcome the diversity of opinions as representative of the diversity of the people of New Mexico (Mann 10/7/99).

By staying away from issues that would divide the party the New Mexico Democrats have succeeded in representing the largest cross section of people, and in that way, dominating the political scene on the state level.
 
 

With a population well over 17 million and 33 electoral votes, New York is one of the largest and most diverse states in the U.S. Early on in American history, New York emerged as a leading commercial, industrial and cultural center. Among its varied economic interests are agriculture, commercial fishing and manufacturing in the upstate regions and publishing, mass communications and entertainment in New York City. In addition, a large percentage of the state’s economy is based in the service sector. Demographically, New York is quite diverse. Over 25 percent of the state’s population is made up of racial minorities. A large portion of the 13 million Whites in the state belong to some non-mainstream ethnic group. In addition, the population of Blacks and Latinos in New York is increasing at a substantially greater rate than that of the Whites. While eighty percent of New Yorkers hold a high school diploma, only around 25 percent have acquired a bachelors degree or higher. As of 1994, over 26 percent of the state lived below the poverty line and ten percent received federal public aid. Because New York holds one of the most important ports in the country, the state, particularly New York City, has historically been home to a large immigrant population. These, along with many other factors, have contributed to New York’s outstanding progressivism.

There is a marked dichotomy between Upstate and Downstate, or New York City, interests. In addition to the aforementioned economic differences, the state is divided politically: The Upstate regions tend to be quite conservative while New York City has traditionally favored a far more liberal agenda of active government intervention. For this reason, neither the Republican nor the Democratic party has maintained control over state politics for an extended period of time. As such, the state has "seesawed" between the two parties since the turn of the twentieth century. This is potentially problematic for New York politicians who must strike a balance between the two extremes in order to maintain a statewide support base.

The US Democratic Party was conceived of on the Hudson River in New York by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1792. As such, the New York State Democratic Committee claims to be the oldest still-existent political party in the world. While, for the most part, the state party goes along with the national committee’s platform, it tends to support policies that are somewhat more to the left of mainstream Democratic politics since its main source of support is in New York City, where there is a strong demand for more liberal policies.

With regard to foreign policy, the New York Democrats stand with the national party in its belief in using military expansion as a means of supporting domestic economic needs and in employing active diplomacy and strong alliances to maintain peace and democracy.

Due to the demand for such policies from the state’s urban centers, it is with regard to social policy and equal rights and opportunity that the New York Democratic party’s commitment to liberalism stands out. It is their belief that the government is responsible for providing its citizens with all tools necessary for making the most of their lives. As such, they strongly favor policies such as affirmative action, minimum wage laws and "equal pay for equal work" initiatives. Ensuring access for everyone to quality and affordable education is a foremost goal of the party. Included in this is promoting special education reform and improvements in educational opportunities for the disabled. The party also maintains that it is the government’s job to guarantee each person’s right to steady and reliable health care. Thus, it supports legislation such as a Patient’s Bill of Rights, AIDS/HIV funding and a Clinic Access Bill. In addition, the party is vehemently pro-choice and is in favor of government funding for abortions. Since the Welfare Reform Laws were passed in the mid 1990s, the New York Democrats have favored a policy of tracking the progress of the reforms to insure that they are "successful" to the extent that people who are pushed off the welfare rolls find their way to economic independence rather than into a deeper state of poverty. According to their philosophy, now that welfare benefits have been limited and curtailed, the government should work to create well-paying jobs for its citizens. The state party also takes a fiercely liberal stance in the arena of the war on crime and drugs. First, it calls for much stronger gun control legislation in order to keep guns out of the schools and off the streets. In addition, the party believes in government support and funding for programs in drug education and gang prevention.

The belief of the party with regard to election law and campaign finance is, basically, that there should be legislation that would make it easier for more candidates to get on the ballots. As such, the New York Democrats are in favor of sweeping campaign finance reform on every level of government, disclosure of funding sources and party committee limitations.

Finally, the party takes a strong stance on environmental issues and holds that the government should be responsible for instituting and enforcing environmental and health protection laws. Among the various initiatives it supports in this respect are replenishing the Superfund to clean up toxic waste sites, Clean Water Acts, pesticide notification legislation and anti-tobacco laws.

In sum, the New York State Democratic Party is committed to ensuring the welfare and opportunities of its constituents by means of government intervention. Their beliefs are backed by a substantial portion of the state’s population, particularly in New York City. As such, the party is able to take a resolutely liberal stance on most issues and successfully promote legislation that supports its goals.
 
 

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.

The 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 that 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.

Midway along the border between the United States and Canada lies the plain state of North Dakota. It is situated in the middle of North America, the North Central region of the United States. Bismarck, the capital, is the second largest city. This land had been the buffalo hunting grounds of many tribes of Native Americans. As the Indian peoples were pushed further West and ranchers replaced fur hunters, agriculture became the main economic activity. It ranks 17th among the states in area but only 47th in population. It was one of the last regions of the Americas frontier to be settled. Dakota, the name of a Native American confederacy, is an Indian word that means "allies" or "friends." North Dakota has a dry, continental climate with four seasons. Its basic natural resource is its soil. The population is 641,364. Many of North Dakota’s early white settlers came from Northern Europe, Germany, and Canada. Today the state has about 15,000 residents of foreign birth. North Dakota has approximately 2,500 African Americans. It is the home to seven different Indian tribes that make up the state’s largest minority. The majority of the 20,000 Native Americans in North Dakota live on the reservation of Standing Rock that is located partly in South Dakota.

The only political party that is historically tied to North Dakota, is called the Democratic-Nonpartisan League (Democratic-NPL) the "People Party" because of the core beliefs about helping people. Angered by the practices in the grain trade, North Dakota farmers organized the Nonpartisan League in 1915. The league won control of the state government by the end of the following year. Led by governor Lynn J. Frazier, the legislative establish a state-owned mill and elevator, a state bank, and----unique to North Dakota----hail insurance. The legislature exempted from taxation any improvements on farmland and taxed unused lands heavily to force them into productive use. This program was one of the most far-reaching adopted by any state. Frazier was removed in 1921 under a new recall amendment. The NPL declined somewhat in importance during the 1920s and finally, in1952, part of the league joined the democratic party.

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party realizes that adversity can happen to anyone. Unfortunately, recipients of welfare are stigmatized and stereotyped by society and, consequently, by the government society create. The TEEM (Training, Employment, Education, and Management Project) and TANIF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) programs, slated to replace current welfare programs, have some promising elements.

The TANIF program appears to be a significant attempt to support family efforts to become self-sufficient. The element that allows for reduced services during transitions from independence to self-sufficiency is a big step forward. Employment is a key element of TANIF and the private sector needs to do their part. If communities are serious about welcoming welfare reform, then they need to help create meaningful jobs -- quality jobs that pay a living wage and provide benefits, particularly health care. If the private sector does not help with a solution to job availability, the state could face penalties for not meeting work requirements of the program. The resulting loss of funds must then be replaced from the general fund.

Research has shown that college graduates get the good jobs, and have a higher standard of living. Colleges and universities produce graduates that pay more taxes, spend more money in the community and contribute to the creation of wealth in the area. The party can elect leaders who value education and make it a priority to the state. They can provide for the future of the young people and the retraining of the work force. They can use the University System as a tool to stimulate economic development, and advance welfare reform through educational opportunities.

Farmers and ranchers represent just 7% of the population. They paid 31% of the property taxes collected in 1996 and the landowners paid 48% of the property taxes. For every $1 collected in income taxes, North Dakota collects $3 in property taxes. Sales taxes total just 54% of property tax amounts. The goal of the Democratic-NPL is to equalize the tax burden, by reducing education’s dependence on property taxes. The parties want to promote economic development for better jobs for North Dakota, provide tax incentives to companies that pay a living wage and penalize companies that take tax exemptions and then leave the state. The party also wants to provide security for citizens of all ages and income levels, provide affordable health care to all North Dakotans. The Democratic-NPL also wants to increase spendable income by increasing the minimum wage.

The state plan for agriculture was to provide Property Tax Relief. The most significant action the state legislature can take to help farmers and ranchers was to reduce the state dependence on property taxes. Premium wheat alliance was another plan; North Dakota premium wheat can vie for high value markets domestically, and command a premium return for farmers. Defend family farming laws was also an essential part of the agricultural plan. The future of North Dakota agriculture should be based on family farms, not corporation farm. New tools to build processing plants are essential and legislation will be reintroduced to provide state tax incentives to farmers who invest in new processing cooperatives.

Members of the Democratic-NPL believe that every person deserves the opportunity to acquire adequate food, shelter, health care and education, as well as job that provides a living wage. They are know as the Party that look out for the vulnerable in society and strive for equality and support diversity.
 
 

Ohio is called the first truly American state, because it established statehood first out of the northwest territory of 1787. Ohio developed a powerful heavy industry economy that benefited both Republicans and Democrats over its (Ohio) 200+ years of existent. Ohio is a strong state in the Union and presidential elections must rally the party for their electoral votes on a consistent basis. This essay focuses on the Ohio Democrats and their stands on the issues from social policy to campaign finance.

Ohio has a population of almost 11.2 million people in 1996, with a median age of about thirty-five years young. The median household income is higher than the national average at 34,589, but this requires two income earners to achieve this goal. The state is over eighty-five percent white, ten percent black, one percent Latino and one percent all other nationalities. The immigrant population is low at a little over ten thousand people. Most of the people are native to Ohio and seem to remain there most of their lives.

Ohio’s economy has impressively rebounded in the 1990s with manufacturing leading the way. Service industries and retail are the next large employers and government workers are fourth on the list. Agricultural comprises only 111,000 jobs in 1995 and rural dwellers are about 2 million people. Union membership is a little less than a million people, down from the heyday of the 1950s and US steel monopoly. People living at or below the poverty line is about 12.8% over the three years of 1994-1996.

Education in Ohio is higher in some areas and lower in others. The majority of residents have finished high school, but a sizable portion have less than high school. College graduates and beyond comprise about 22 percent of the population. Twenty five percent of high school graduates took the SAT with average scores of 1100. In 1995, half million students were enrolled in college and 49,588 people graduated college in that same year.

For the three years starting in 1994, marriages declined steadily from the high of 92,797 to 82,844 in 1996. Divorces, similarly, have declined since 1994 with a high of 49, 968 in that year to 44, 638 in 1996. This suggests a trend against the national average as marriages have been on the rise in the 1990s due to the changing social climate. The housing situation is more homeowners than ever before by party literature, but the statistics indicate mostly renters. In 1995, approximately 8 million people were employed with an employment rate of 4.8 % for all people, 10% for African-Americans and 16% for young people.

Ohio is the state of Presidents, because eight men have been elected from that state to our nation’s highest office. There are twenty one electoral votes forcing tough campaigning for Ohio’s votes in general elections. At present, the Republican party holds all the powerbroker positions in the state: senate, 11 of 19 representatives in the house, governor, majorities in both state houses. The Democrats were stronger during the Franklin Roosevelt years, but times have changed in this state and the country.

Ohio Democrats are middle of road in their stances on the issues from social policy to any other policymaking points. The Ohio Democrats do not claim the mantel to liberal government in the same manner as before Ronald Reagan. Instead, they (Ohio Democrats) prefer the Clintonian ideal of democratic politics, which is pragmatic in the political world around us today. The issues espoused reflect this situation and follow in more detail here, starting with social policy.

Social policy is the one major difference between the parties on the national level and this situation follows here. On the issue of health care for the poor, meaning anyone at poverty or below, Ohio Democrats want a system of health coverage and are advocating this position in their general assembly this term and next. Education is the biggest issue on the democrat plate. The Democrats advocated and got twice the amount of money on this issue. The Democrats fully support Headstart and are pushing hard for more money to the program over the next several years.

Ohio Democrats want more money for college education, a big issue in this country today, and are pushing hard for the resources to make college affordable for middle class families. Abortion in the state has been a subject of extremes, but the Democrats support a woman’s right to choose. Crime is a sore subject in the state, too. The Democrats report a 16% drop in crime over the last several years and seem to support tough gun control laws. They support more police on the streets and want criminals deal with in the strongest terms. On the welfare front, Ohio democrat support a program of school training for those who must work for benefits. They want the schooling program to increase to two years, instead of the one year presently in the books.

Ohio Democrats claim prominently to be very equality minded in their outlook. For instance, the delegate selection plan for the 2000 election requires set numbers of delegates from minority groups and women. The Ohio Democrats support equality in pay for equal work and support minority advancement, but not at the expense of other groups. In general, they support the democrat line on women, minorities and other disadvantaged groups. The Democrats program advancement of women in many ways and have a sizable portion of women representatives in government on the democrat side pushing the agenda forward.

Economic issues are most talked about by the Ohio Democrats, other than education, and most are considered positive steps. First, the Democrats claim to support fiscal responsibility with a balanced budget. The Democrats, clearly, want a balanced budget and no irresponsible additions to the process that republicans may advocate over time. The Democrats advocate tax breaks for families that primarily help the middle class. On the environment, the Democrats are concerned about old plants that have fallen into the category of disuse. The Democrats advocate stringent regulation on the "Brownfield" problem. This situation arose after the massive closing in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Ohio Democrats support the business boom of the 1990s with financial help, where necessary to make jobs available to a large working population. They support union activity, but know that reality of this state is declining membership with less than one million members. They support programs that allow people to buy their own home. Indeed, the Democrats boast of a high home ownership rate (about 71%). The inference is middle class achievement important to democratic success. On whole, though, economic issues are important to them, because economic advancement helps seal loyalty.

On foreign policy, Ohio Democrats support defense engagement on a limited basis only. They want a strong country, but want care of those "back home" to be highest on the list. In general, foreign policy needs analysis on a case by case basis and they are comfortable with Clifton policies and his defense/state department teams. Foreign assistance and humanitarian aid arrant top on the Ohio democratic agenda, but this situation can change with time. Foreign policy plays a small role in the make up of the negotiated policy arena, because it is national in scope and Ohio is most concerns with the issues that affect them the most.

Lastly, Ohio Democrats did not address campaign finance reform and at this juncture it is very hard to determine a stand on the issue.
 
 

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.

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.
 
 

One of the most Pacific states of the United States is Oregon, which is popularly known as the Beaver State because, during the 19th century, thousands of these small animals were trapped and their pelts made into beaver hats. Little is known about the origin of the name "Oregon", which was first applied to what is now the Columbia River and then to its valley, but some authorities believe the name may have come from the French word ouragan, "hurricane".

Oregon's boundaries are Washington to the north, Idaho to the east, Nevada and California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The two striking physical features of Oregon are the Cascade Mountains, which divide western from central and eastern Oregon, and the Columbia River, which unites these regions. The capital of Oregon is Salem but its largest city is Portland and within the state there are 36 counties. The state of Oregon has an estimated population of 3,204,000 (90.8% white, 1.6% African American, 2.4% Asian, 1.3% American Indian, and 4% Hispanic). It has 5 representatives and 7 electoral votes. Oregon gained statehood on February 14, 1859 and became the 33rd state.

Oregon is an experimental commonwealth and laboratory of reform and a maker of national trends. Oregon is an affluent high tech civilization where one can still see much the same land and water that Lewis and Clark saw in 1805 when they came down the Columbia River gorge, past what is now Portland. Today's Oregon is more confident it can live comfortably with growth. In the 1990's it has been the nation's ninth fastest growing state, adding nearly 400,000 new residents.

Founded by New England churchmen, Oregon today is America's most unchurched state, with the lowest rate of church membership, with large numbers of believers in astrology and New Age lore. Oregon a generation ago produced one of the first bottle deposit law, decriminalized marijuana, legalized most abortions before Roe v. Wade, and backed limits on development and use of property. Most recently, it has produced an Oregon Health Plan, which rations medical care, denying specialized low priority treatments to medical recipients, and in 1994 adopted a measure legalizing physician-assisted suicide. A gun control law was passed banning semi-automatic weapons, and weekly betting on professional sports games was legalized. More recently Oregon seems to be moving a bit in the other direction. Voters in 1996 rejected an expansion of the bottle bill and bonds for Portland's light rail, and while Democrats hold most high offices here, Republicans control both houses of the state legislature.

Back in the 1960's this state showed only the mildest of regional variations in partisan preference, disposed to support articulate moderate Republicans, like its two long term senators, Mark Hatfield and Bob Packwood, first elected in 1966 and 1968, both now no longer in Congress. But in the 1980's and the 1990's cultural splits have favored first Portland oriented Democrats and now rather conservative Republicans. Presidentially, Oregon has voted Democratic in the last three elections, but Bill Clinton's margin narrowed slightly.

Oregon was once the most Republican state in the West, voting for Thomas Dewey over Harry Truman in 1948, and recently it has been one of the most Democratic, voting for Michael Dukakis over George Bush in 1988. It has voted twice for Bill Clinton by solid margins, although his percentage went down from 1992's 43% - 33% to 1996's 47% - 39%. But it had large votes for Ross Perot and in 1996 they kept Clinton under the 50% mark. The closeness of Oregon's two Senate contests in 1996 suggests neither party can take Oregon for granted in 2000. Currently the Governor of Oregon is John Kitzhaber whose greatest achievement was by far the Oregon Health Plan. Its strategy is to ration treatments in order to cover more people, using the Medicaid system as a lever. Blocked by the Bush administration, it went into effect in February 1994.

As Democrats, Oregon believes and states, " that in a representative democracy 'We the people' are the government". Oregon therefore rejects the view that government is the enemy. As Democrats, Oregon views government as a partner in their attempts to better themselves and their communities.

On this basis, Oregon therefore declared the following planks to be the platform of the Democratic Party of Oregon. The education view of Oregon is that the right to a high quality public education, including higher education, is a fundamental principle of our society, and should be accessible and available to all who choose to attend. They support excellent public education that is adequately funded and available to all.

As for the rights of workers, Oregon supports the rights of workers to organize, to bargain collectively, to strike if necessary without the threat of permanent replacement, and to hold jobs that provide essential benefits and family wages. They oppose "Right to Work-for-Less" initiatives and legislation.

Their view on public safety is that personal safety is a fundament al right. They support a criminal justice system that protects the rights of victims and the accused. Oregon supports effective rehabilitation programs and victim restitution when appropriate. They also believe that economic opportunity, education and community involvement are key elements to preventing crime.

As for health care, Oregon believes all people should have access to affordable comprehensive and confidential health care that promotes wellness. They believe abortion should be legal, safe and accessible, and that there should be strong support programs reducing unwanted pregnancies. They stand by the belief that clinic personnel patients have an inalienable right to freedom from harassment, intimidation, and physical harm. They also support programs that protect public and personal health and the rights of injured workers.

In the case of environment and natural resources they support a natural resource management program that provides for a sustainable economy and a healthy environment. They support protecting, strengthening and enforcing Oregon's policies ensuring clean air and water, safe waste disposal policies, community recycling and land use planning.

In regards to human rights and justice, Oregon supports strong enforcement of current laws against discrimination and reject any attempts to limit protection from discrimination for any group. Because the are sensitive to the diverse beliefs of their society, they support the historic constitutional separation of church and state. Oregon also believes that they must work together to honor Indian treaty rights.

Their view on tax policy is that they support making Oregon's tax system more progressive by tax reforms that adjust the income tax rates, wider income tax brackets, and equalize the rates paid by corporations to those paid by individuals. They believe that their mix of taxes should provide adequate revenue to meet the State's commitment to quality education and to other essential services. They also oppose a general retail sales tax.

Oregon's view on election laws is that free and honest elections are essential to democracy. Their society must ensure that elective office is available to all worthy candidates regardless of their personal wealth or that of their associates. They support campaign finance reform that works towards this goal. They also believe that the double majority election requirement is contrary to participatory democracy.

As for economic opportunity a healthy and sustainable economy is essential to Oregon. They support diversity in Oregon's economy, policies that provide family wage jobs, access to childcare, affordable housing, incentives to small business, and programs that promote a skilled and educated work force.

Oregon's view on family and community is that government has an obligation to be supportive of families and to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. This assistance must be designed to maximize individual dignity and independence, while encouraging initiative. They support the continuation of social security in its present form and oppose privatizing this vital social insurance program. They support a broad and diverse definition of "family".

Last but not least, transportation, Oregon advocates a comprehensive, affordable and environmentally sound transportation plan that supports rail, light rail, air roads, and alternative transportation in Oregon and the United States.
 
 

Pennsylvania is one of the most populated states in the country. According to 1990 Census figures, it ranked 5^th in the nation population-wise at that time. In land space, the state ranks only 32^nd on a national level despite its deceivingly wide area. The state has two large and well-known cities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Both are led by Democratic mayors. There is the popular Edward Rendell in Philadelphia and Tom Murphy leads Pittsburgh. Due to term limits, Rendell must leave office at the end of 1999. Pre-election indications are that the race to succeed Rendell is too close to call. This is a race between Democrat John Street and Republican Sam Katz. The three biggest statewide offices are all held by Republicans. They are Gov. Tom Ridge and Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum. Major colleges include the "Big 5" of Philadelphia, namely Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s, Lasalle, and Ivy League school Pennsylvania U. There is also Penn State in the middle of the state and the University of Pittsburgh.

The Democratic party in Pennsylvania has the misfortune of not holding any of the highest state offices at this time. The party focuses on trying to make a difference on important issues like education, health care, family needs, crime, and environmental concerns. The issue of education is a huge concern among representatives of the party. Democrats are strong in their belief of much financial support for public education. The party feels there is a need for more support to help rebuild poor school districts in the state. Democrats have a strong desire to forge greater public educational commitment. They point to the state’s 47^th rank out of 50 in higher education appropriations per capita. Democrats do not look upon a school voucher system as an answer. They look to greater emphasis on public education as an answer.

Health care issues are very important to state Democrats. They place an emphasis on protection for care-dependent elderly people. The state Democrats seek to empower health care patients by pushing for legislation to give health care consumers more information and protection. State House Democrats were behind a plan to expand a prescription drug assistance program for senior citizens.

State Democrats are also strong in their backing and support of Social Security, as are most Democrats in the United States.

Party Democrats favor more help for working families. They see a need to create more affordable housing in the state. They feel there should be more legislation and more money spent to improve the quality of the state’s daycare. The Pennsylvania Democrats see a clear need for health insurance improvements toward working families. The Democrats also point out that the Republicans have given no relief to property owners but have cut business taxes for five straight years. They want to provide tax relief through legislation.

State Democrats want some money from $11.26 billion tobacco settlement to be spent on volunteer firefighters. They want cultural aid such as for the ballet, which has contributed to Pittsburgh’s renaissance. They want more aid for emergency workers and more money to be spent on environmental projects. A bill favored by state Democrats will provide funding to clean, protect, and deliver water, well into the next century. They favor grants for public parks, airports, and homes. The Democrats want wider DNA testing for violent criminals. They urge legislation to aid those affected by the summer drought. They feel a need is there to cut down on the trash dumping allowed into the state. All in all, the Democrats see a real need for much more government spending to help cash-shortened but important environmental programs.

State Democrats have proposed public financing for state gubernatorial races. They feel this will attract more quality candidates, therefore making the races more competitive.

State Democrats do not favor additional gun-control legislation. They feel the laws are good on the illegality of weapons possession. They see a need to combat illegal gun use in other ways as well as by the deterrent of the law.

Two strong issues among Democrats, both in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation are crime prevention and a determination to battle the curse of poverty. Democrats in Pennsylvania emphasize several ideas that can bring the battle against poverty closer to a solution in a positive manner. One of the party's stronger positions is the issue of the minimum wage. The Democrats in Pennsylvania are working hard to achieve the goal of an increase in the minimum wage. The feeling is that this will go a long way toward helping poor working families in the quest for financial survival and improvement. Another issue of strength among the state Democrats is to focus attention and resources on the need to provide an extensive boost in the affordable housing market. The Democrats feel this battle against poverty is an important battle in the battle against crime. The Democrats feel that the less poverty there is will lead to less desperation and despair among poor people. In, general there is a conservative approach toward crime among the state Democrats. They feel the laws are strong and if they are properly enforced, it will create deterrence. Democrats focus on a tough, solid, firm approach to the crime problem and the punishment of the criminals.
 
 

The tiny little city-state with a mouthful of an official name, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, has as turbulent a political history as any state in the Union. In 1787 while the other 12 original states were sending their delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Rhode Island was rebelling against because many leaders felt that it was wrong and refused to pay their share for the Revolutionary War. Instead, Rhode Island delayed joining the Union until it was brought to George Washington's attention, who pressured them to act promptly. In 1790, Rhode Island was finally admitted as a state in the Union and join forces with the others. Rhode Island has for capital city Providence and it is the largest and the most populated city in the area. In 1990 for example, the city of Providence had a population of 161,000 compare to the Rhode Island general population of 1,003,464 during that same year, which decline to 990,225 in 1996.

Rhode Island has an area of 1,545 square miles and divided into two Congressional District. The first Congressional District located in the eastern half of Rhode Island, east of Narragansett Bay, a line that cuts through Providence and then proceeds west and north to the Massachusetts - Connecticut - Rhode Island border. It includes much of Providence including elite College Hill around Brown University. Ethnically, this district is the more French Canadian and less Italian of the two Rhode Island districts; politically, it is strongly Democratic in most elections because since 1930's, thousands of immigrants from French Canada, Ireland and Italy had come to Rhode Island to work in the textile mills. By the early 1900's this colony of dissident Protestants had become the most heavily catholic state in the nation and was shifted in 1928 to the Democratic Party after Al Smith had made several appeals to them for support during his candidacy. Meanwhile, all French Canadians that were newcomers continued to locate in the eastern part of Rhode Island, while the Irish and Italian began to relocate and move further to the west.

The second Congressional District is the Western half of Rhode Island. While the first includes many mill towns, the second has most of its population in working and middle class towns like Granston and Warwick, which, despite their Anglo Saxon names, are inhabited mostly by people with Irish, Italian, French and Portuguese surnames. The second district also has the affluent suburbs to the South along Narragansett Bay and the area around Westerly, where many residents work at the Electric Boat Shipyards in Groton Connecticut.

Rhode Island Democratic Party has been fighting for long to set standards for every resident in Rhode Island to benefit from. Rhode Island Democrats successfully authored and sponsored legislation on education, health care, pension reform, and environmental issues include legislation requiring life time supervision for child molesters; graduated licenses for teenage drivers; the Home Care Client Bill of Rights; and the law that gives tax breaks to company that suffer disasters. The two major issues that Rhode Island Democratic party focuses the most are education and health care. The main reason is that in Rhode Island for example, the number of children between 5 and 17 years of age continue to increase dramatically, and the number of elderly from 65 and older also continue to increase, while the number of children under 5 years old stay steady and has not changed much.

Rhode Island is one of top per-capita spenders on education but ranks 45 in SAT scores according to Cohen (author of Almanacs of American Politics.) Meanwhile, Rhode Island Democrats feel threatened by their old promise and decided to add additional funds for education because they believe that education must become the number one priority. In July of this year, Rhode island Democrats established three important programs including a pilot program entitled Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) running until August 9 at the East Providence recreation sites. Second, volunteers need to assist East Providence schoolteachers during summer school and read with children for grades 1 to 3. Third, and Reach Out and read a pediatric intervention for children and parents especially children who speak other languages beside English. Fourth, Provide free transportation for those who decided to participate. The Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) program forces members of the community including students in junior high school and college to volunteer in this literacy enrichment program, which designed to boost up children reading skills.

The second approach towards education was on the computer accessibility. Rhode Island Democrats believe that every child should have access to computer as well as the Internet before they go to high school. Just last year, Rhode Island Democrats introduced a legislation that new school buildings would be wired for computer network services. Meanwhile, in Town Providence, YMCA a technology center, which affiliates to Democratic party and funded by GTECH, step forward, and offered its assistance to children to low-income families from Kindergarten through eight grades with basic computer and Internet skills. Now, this program has been expanded to adults as well.

Rhode Island Democrats believe that parents should have a say in their children education. In 1997, they helped pass a bill that they themselves introduced that guarantee tax credits for parents who want to invest on their children education. Under this pre-paid tuition program, an individual would invest a specific amount of money with the State Investment Commission, and be guaranteed that a year's tuition cost would be covered at the college or university when the child is ready to attend.

Rhode Island Democrats believe that everyone should have access to health care. In march of this year, they created the 21^st Century Health Care Fund's Legislation to provide treatment for thousands of Rhode Island residents who are extremely ill. Under this legislation, some of the money from the settlement with the tobacco companies would be restricted to health care needs, while a portion would be set aside for advertising especially to curb tobacco use among children as well as adults, and another portion would be set aside for future use. The second approach that Rhode Island Democrats take towards health care is that many elderly as well as people with disabilities were receive very little treatment. And in many instances, patient were forced to make the decision to go into a nursing home when other options would be more preferable to them and far less costly to tax payers. So Rhode Island Democrats took $14 million from the FY 2000 budget and paid for a plan that would establish a long term care system where the level of care fits the level of needs and Rhode islanders of all income would automatically have access to quality care through this Long Term Care Improvement plan. For example, to be eligible for Medical Assistance before this plan was put in place, seniors and disabled cannot have more than $555.333 a month less than $ 6,700 a year in assets. But Rhode island Democrats try to change that. This year alone, they passed another bill that raise the seniors income as well as the disabled to $804.00 a month instead of $555.333 that they were able to have. Under the Long-Term Care Improvement plan, Health officials would provide 170 to 200 more residential care and assisted living Medicaid waiver slots. Addressing the unmet mental health needs of older adults living in the community. Expanding the network of long term care information and case management. Providing resources to allow the Department of Health and the state Long-Term Care program to fully meet their responsibilities. Reducing waiting times for seniors, using the state paratransit program for medical trips to an average of two weeks and to address other critical paratransit needs. Providing a long overdue increase in the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents. Reducing the waiting list for meals on wheels. Expanding Respite services. And providing funds for needed home modifications for persons with disabilities.

Rhode Island democrats could not do more. Not too long ago, Rhode Island Democrats fought very hard to provide pharmaceutical assistance to the elderly. Finally they successfully pass a bill that can do exactly what they were hoping for. Prior to the new law, seniors could not participate in RIPAC if they had drug coverage through a Medicare supplemental or managed health care plan. After this new bill was pass, seniors have more freedom to do as they wish. Under this plan, depression drugs and medications approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease would be covered automatically

Perhaps the single most important environmental action taken by Rhode Island Democrats was due in response to the state's largest oil spill in 1996 involving the tug Scandia and the barge North Cape. The senate convened a special commission to investigate the causes of the spill and appropriate measures that the state could take to better safe guard its natural resources and coastline. The special commission concluded that the existing laws were inadequate. Meanwhile, Rhode Island Democrats quickly introduced a piece of legislation that established the Oil Spill Prevention And Response (OSPAR) to strengthen Rhode Island’s oils spill and pollution prevention laws. While this bill was created, Rhode Island Democrats were quick to establish a Restoration Program and Trust Fund under this legislation so that 25% of all fees collected and all criminal and civil penalties would be allocated specifically to that trust fund restricted solely to fund habitat restoration.

Another issue that Rhode Island Democrats started to challenge since last year was the Emissions for the Motor Vehicle Inspection program in their area because many of them believe that heavy smoke and fumes that come out of tailpipe are one of the greatest threats to their environment. So with the pressure of some environmentalist group, Rhode Island Democrats quickly introduced a bill that takes effect in June this year that every driver has to make sure that their tailpipe been tested and pass the test inspection before any car can get its inspection sticker.

Rhode Island Democrats took a strong approach towards welfare. They create a plan that would change the public assistance program to a program that provides temporary financial assistance to eligible families with children while facilitating the entry or re-entry of the adult family members into the work force with the necessary supports. So in 1996 they enacted the Family Independence Act, which first requires healthy able adult recipients to find work and includes a reduction in benefits to families who do not comply with the work requirements. Second, the Act requires a reduction in benefits for people who move into the state and seek assistance. Third, a lifetime time limit for adults in receiving AFDÇ benefits of 5 years. Fourth, Job training and education as a first requirement. Fifth, teens residency requirement, which requires minor parents to remain within the home of a parent or in a supervised setting in order to receive that benefits.

Members of Rhode Island Democratic Party have strive very hard to make life less painful for everyone because many of them believe that everyone should have equal rights and opportunity. Not too long ago, Rhode Island Democrats established a legislation that prohibit discrimination in credit, housing, employment and public accommodations towards women, blacks, gays including people from different ethnic background.

This year, the state budget has raised many issues about what should be done about the surplus and where the money should be spent on because after the republican governor proposes his budget for the fiscal year, many democrats were furious and override the governor’s veto. One of the reason was that in four different proposals, the governor failed to realize how much that his budget was going to affect the lives of many Rhode Island residents. For example, the governor’s budget includes of maintain the hospital tax at 4.4 percent, which the democrats argue that would have a massive negative impact on Rhode Island’s Health Care Industry. Second, the republican governor proposed an early retirement plan, which the democrats argue that would have added 1/4 of a billion dollars in liability to the pension fund. So Rhode Island Democrats asked the governor to reconsider his proposal.

Many Rhode Island residents including members of the Rhode Island Republican Party believe that Rhode Island businessmen should not get special tax cut from the state because many of them believe that giving out tax breaks and subsidies in order to lure a business or to keep businesses from going elsewhere means less money would go to education and infrastructure. However, Rhode Island Democrats saw the opposite. Just last year, Rhode Island Democrats introduced two legislation that would provide tax credits for one and tax reduction for the other. The first bill that was enacted was the business tax credits, which takes effect this year. Under this bill, qualified businesses located in an enterprise zone would automatically get a tax credit if they employ persons that live in the surrounding area. The second bill was the Job Development Act, which took effect in 1997, requiring that any company that opens their doors and creates jobs for Rhode Island residents between July 1, 1997 and July 1, 1998 would automatically qualify for reduction on the corporate tax rates.
 
 

South Carolina is one of the first thirteen states that were created right after the independence, and now stands proud as one of America's great success stories. Not long ago, this state was underdeveloped. It was one of the poorest states in the nation, with income levels less than half the national average and with high levels of illiteracy and disease. Located in Southeast of the United States between North Carolina and Georgia, it reaches an area of 32,007 square miles with a population 3,700,000. Its capital is Columbia with a population of 100.000 residents. The population is as diverse as any other part of the country. Approximately, two-thirds are white, little less than one-third are black and the rest is Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics etc. South Carolina has a chilling history of slavery and racial segregation against blacks, but ever since 1964 with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in 1965, legal segregation ended and allowed blacks to vote. Today, this state has reached some of the leading statistics in the nation. Income per capita are over $20,000 a year which is near national level, health standards are as good as the rest of the nation, and educational achievement in many ways exceeds the national average. The poverty level is somewhat below 15.5%. Economically and culturally, South Carolina is now part of a booming South Atlantic region from Maryland to Florida. Devastated from year to year by hurricanes hitting its shores, South Carolinians have found the courage and power to recover magnificently without much of federal government assistance. This report is dedicated to South Carolina's Democratic Party, which now more than ever is committed to serve not only to a few privileged ones but all South Carolinians.

As any other state party in the country, South Carolina's Democratic Party has its own platform where its members have framed their political goals. Even though some of their views over certain issues may not match with the National Democratic Party's platform, in the majority of issues they are pursuing the same path as the National Democratic Party. In regard to foreign policy they do not have anything specific written most likely, they agree with the National Democratic Party's views.

In their platform, they state that the family is the basic building block of society. Therefore, they believe that family issues and concerns should become a priority at all levels of government and consider it, as its own responsibility to seek solutions to the problems of teen pregnancy, infant mortality, child abuse, domestic abuse and the problems for the elderly. They firmly believe in the reproductive rights for all citizens and on supporting the laws that protect them.

In regard to social policy, they have firm views on certain issues. They want education to be available to all citizens. Their goal is to see all South Carolinians have a basic and undeniable right to a meaningful education. They believe that only education can ensure the full economic, cultural and intellectual development for all citizens. Therefore, public education must remain among state government's highest priorities. They also strongly support ideas such as that all citizens must be given an opportunity for vocational job skills and training, a voucher free system for public education, and the dropout rate from public schools must be reduced. Health care must be available and affordable to all citizens. They want the criminal justice system to adhere to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, firm action against drugs and crime so that all South Carolinians can have security in their homes and on the streets.

In regard to equal rights and opportunity, they believe in racial and gender equality that consequently will provide educational and employment opportunities, equal pay for equal work, safe homes and work environments for all South Carolinians. In regard to the economy, they claim that since South Carolina has been blessed with a beautiful environment, it must be preserved for future generations. When the recruitment of new industry takes place must take into account environmental cleanliness, fair labor practices and advance technology must be encouraged. They support economic investment for long-term quality growth, safe working environment combined with the support of existing industries and assistance to small and minority businesses. They firmly support efforts to prevent South Carolina from being a dumping ground or productive source for materials that raise legitimate safety, health and environmental problems.

They also believe that the state government should be open to all the people and to their concerns regardless of their socioeconomic status. They want a government that is accountable to the people, led by individuals committed not only to their own interests but to public service, and not to serve only to big businesses but also the entrepreneurs especially, minority ones.

At the present time the governor of South Carolina is Jim Hodges, a Democrat, who as a successful businessman seem to be the right choice for the South Carolinians to lead them into the 21^st century. Below is a description of his State to State Address speech on January 20, 1999. In this speech he addressed some of the most important issues in the state but the most important one was about the children education, health and opportunities. Some other issues he addressed were: improving education, reducing drugs and crime, lower taxes for senior citizens and improving the environment.

Regarding children's education he claims that the success can be achieved only when the parents are just as responsible as the government and the teachers on educating their children. So, to improve education he proposed a state lottery committed to it constitutionally. This lottery will not cover only children's needs, but also students of all ages and will improve the quality of school services with the latest technology to prepare them for the 21^st century. He also addressed the issue of children's health. He said that South Carolina has fallen behind with very disturbing statistics: forty-seventh in infant mortality, forty-fifth for children living in poverty and forty-eighth in child's health and welfare. He also called for crime-prevention programs and tough measures on controlling drug use such as establishing drug courts statewide. Regarding senior citizens, he called for lower taxes, wiping out income taxes on retirement income and raising the income tax exemption for them to $20,000. Finally, he emphasized that every region should handle its own waste, criticized the idea that South Carolina pulled out from the Southeast Compact for Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management and announced that efforts to join back were under way.

So, the members of South Carolina's Democratic Party are totally committed to improve the lives of all South Carolinians and turn this state into one of the leading states in the country as they move toward the 21^st Century. They want all South Carolinians to have a meaningful education and health care, strong economy, less crimes, clean environment, which will consequently improve their lives, especially the children. All in all they are committed excellence and success.
 
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Tom Daschle said budget negotiators have agreed to restore about $12 billion in Medicare cuts that threatened access to quality, affordable health care for Medicare beneficiaries in South Dakota and across the country.

Daschle, who authored and pressed legislation to deal with the problem, said the agreement softens the harsher-than-anticipated cuts to health care providers passed in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA). The cuts have been especially hard on rural health care providers in South Dakota, he said.

"This agreement will go a long way fixing toward the miscalculations made in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act that have harmed hospitals, clinics and nursing homes across South Dakota, especially in rural areas," Daschle said. "Those miscalculations are now causing real hardships for some of our most vulnerable citizens. We did not anticipate these consequences when we passed the Balanced Budget Act, but I'm glad we've reached an agreement that addresses them."

In October, Daschle introduced legislation, the "Medicare Beneficiary Access to Care Act," to address the problem. The agreement includes several provisions from Daschle's legislation.

"The Medicare changes we made in 1997 made it difficult for beneficiaries to get the health care they need, where they need it, at a price they can afford. The changes were especially hard on many rural hospitals and health clinics," Daschle said. "In South Dakota and across the country, a lot of rural hospitals and health care clinics are just barely hanging on. We simply had to correct this problem before it got any worse."

The agreement's major provisions include:

* repealing arbitrary caps on rehabilitation therapy and replacing them with limits based on individual patients' specific needs. (The current limits are: $1,500 a year per patient for physical and speech therapy combined, and another $1,500 for occupational therapy);

* changing the payment system for nursing homes to better reflect the increased costs of caring for very sick patients;

* postponing additional cuts in home health care payments for one year and addressing problems that have come to light under the current interim payment system;

* moderating the cuts to teaching hospitals and rural hospitals and improving programs targeted at the most fragile rural hospitals with special protections for small rural hospitals;

* creating a new payment system so that health clinics are adequately reimbursed when they care for Medicaid patients; and

* protecting hospital outpatient departments from large losses when they move to a new payment system next year.

Daschle said that despite the miscalculations on Medicare, the 1997 BBA was an example of a bipartisan achievement by Congress and overall was very beneficial for the country. Not only did it help end 30 years of deficit spending, but it also extended the life of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund by 13 years. And it added important new preventive benefits, including mammograms and pap smears, for Medicare beneficiaries.
 
 

Washington D.C. -- South Dakota gun shop owners told U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) that they are seeing improvements in the National Instant Check System (NICS), after Johnson requested that U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno add personnel due to an increasing number of background checks. NICS is the background check program for firearm purchases authorized under the 1993 Brady Law.

Johnson is concerned, however, that a significant number of buyers are waiting as much as five days before knowing whether they can purchase a gun. The Senator said that indicates further improvements are still needed.

At Johnson's request, several South Dakota gun store owners logged any delays or busy signals they encountered during attempts to call the toll-free NICS hotline. Earlier this week, Johnson collected information from the owners to determine if delays with the NICS had been corrected.

"I am pleased that South Dakota gun store owners experienced fewer problems with the instant check system hotline," Johnson said. "With hunting season on, it's important that the NICS work as efficiently as possible without making gun shop owners and sportsmen wait an unreasonable amount of time for an answer. Gun shop owners have told me they don't want to be responsible for selling guns to criminals, but these lengthy delays are causing many to lose gun sales to law abiding citizens."

Several South Dakota gun store owners told Senator Johnson that most of the inquiries made of the NICS result in immediate answers. Nearly 20 percent, however, are taking between an hour and five days before an answer is released. The problem is that information on individuals from federal, state and local offices is inconsistent and incomplete, which is causing significant delays.

"The speed and efficiency with which NICS works all depends on the quality of the information received. I commend the South Dakota gun shop owners I have worked with for the leadership they've shown on improving the NICS. It's worth noting that the NICS is only a year old and the Department of Justice is still improving the system, but I urge them to work closely with state and local officials to better share information and ensure the NICS is a success by all accounts."

According to the FBI, since the NICS program began on November 30, 1998, 100,000 felons and fugitives have been prevented from buying firearms.
 
 

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) this week fought to restore funding to Social Service Block Grants, which South Dakota uses primarily to fund Child Welfare Programs. Also Johnson succeeded in doubling funding that helps working South Dakota families afford child care services.

Social Services Block Grants, which are administered by the states, were slashed $1 billion this week even after Congress had made promises to guarantee funding at a $2.38 billion level until welfare reform is reauthorized in 2002.

"Despite promises made, many Senate lawmakers chose to renege on their word and cut welfare reform funding by nearly half. Cuts of this magnitude would have devastating effects in South Dakota."

The South Dakota Social Services Department states that most welfare block grants in South Dakota go toward funding Child Welfare Programs such as day care and foster care services. "South Dakota would have lost $3.6 million, which would have had severe ramifications on state social services programs. I am pleased I was able to help restore funding to near previous levels of $2.35 billion and protect these programs that help South Dakota's children," Johnson said.

Senator Johnson also cosponsored and succeeded in passing an amendment to double funding allocated for children's day care services. The amendment would increase the discretionary funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to $2 billion.

"This truly is a momentous occasion for South Dakota families. Day care services are becoming increasingly more important to South Dakota working families," Johnson said. "South Dakota has set an aggressive agenda to improve its day care options. This increase in funding will continue on that track by assisting working families with the cost of day care, increasing salaries for day care workers and improving the overall quality for South Dakota children."
 
 

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) said he is pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives passed a strong version of the Patients Bill of Rights legislation. He now is urging Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Dennis Hastert to bring House and Senate negotiators together in a conference committee to finalize a bill.

"The managed care reform bill passed in the House this week, despite objections from the Congressional Republican leadership, is a much stronger version than was passed in the Senate earlier this year. In fact, it is very similar to the Senate Democratic Patients Bill of Rights bill that I cosponsored and voted for," Johnson said.

"I am hopeful that a compromise can be worked out that is closer to the House version to provide better quality, access and consumer protection in the health care insurance industry, he said.

Johnson said that unfortunately it appears that the Republican leadership has no plans to organize a conference committee on Patients Bill of Rights, the next step in getting the legislation passed and signed into law.

"Americans want assurances that their insurance company will be there for them when they need them, and if the insurance company is not there for them, consumers want to have some recourse," Johnson said. "This legislation would allow patients to sue their HMO if the health plan denies them the medical care they request."

The House passed bill also makes it easier for patients to go to the doctor of their choice, to see a specialist and to get emergency room bills paid for. It also expands access to prescription drugs.

Johnson said the bill has widespread support among health care officials, seniors organizations and consumer groups. It has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, Families USA and the National Council of Senior Citizens, among others.

Washington D.C. -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today commended South Dakota retailers and public health officials for their success in curbing the illegal sale of tobacco to South Dakota youth. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a report which indicates South Dakota has made strides toward improving anti-smoking education and lowering teen tobacco use.

According to the SAMHSA, in 1997, 31 percent of attempts by South Dakota minors to purchase tobacco products were successful. In 1999, the number of successful underage purchases dropped to 18.2 percent.

"We still have a long way to go, but all signs indicate that we are making progress in our efforts to curb the number of underage youth who are buying tobacco," Johnson said. "I think we can attribute this reduction to the diligence of retailers, heightened sensitivity of law enforcement, and an increased public awareness thanks to public health groups and youth anti-smoking campaigns."

SAMHSA's report is based upon compliance with the Synar Regulation, a 1996 law aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco. The law requires states to have and enforce laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco product to anyone under age 18. The objective is to have a maximum successful sales-to-minor rate of 20 percent by Federal Fiscal Year 2003. While South Dakota has already attained that goal, Johnson said he is hopeful the rate will continue to drop.

Since the Synar Regulation went into effect, the South Dakota Division of Alcohol and Drug abuse has worked to educate retailers. The state continues to work with the State's Attorney General's Office and local State's Attorneys on ways to decrease the number of youth who smoke. In addition, the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse will continue to educate local law enforcement, tobacco retailers and the general public on the state statute governing the sale of tobacco products.

Johnson said in addition to preventing underage sales of tobacco, efforts must also continue to curb overall use among youth. "We know that kids often have access to tobacco products without having to buy them at the convenience store," Johnson said. "Unfortunately, studies indicate that 38 percent of South Dakota high school students use tobacco products. That's too high, but with the cooperation of parents, retailers and public health groups will succeed in our efforts to encourage kids to stay away from tobacco."
 
 

Tennessee, the 16^th constituent state of the United States of America lying east of the south-central part of the country, home to country and western music and sometimes called the "Athens of the South", is rich in its folk culture. In addition, it is also notorious for its political background. Not only did Andrew Jackson once reside in Tennessee, but it is also the site of American Civil War battlefields. The state's major manufacturing industries are chemicals, food processing, electrical machinery, apparel, and textiles. Tennessee’s population consists of approximately 5,300,000, comprised of 80% White residents, 15% Black residents, and about 1% of Hispanics and Asians. Most households consist of about 50% of married middle-aged couple families.

In Tennessee, 59 members of 99 in the assembly are Democrats. Tennessee House Democrats have been in the majority for virtually every legislative session going back to the days of the early 1800's. In essence, these Democratic party leaders are as follows: Fifth District Congressman Bob Clement, who voted for welfare reform (Coincidentally, welfare reform stands as one of the main issues of the party, since Governor Sundquist has created a way to reduce welfare spending by his Families First program which gets recipients off of welfare and into the job force within 18 months), has supported music and arts education, and won funding for the restoration of buildings in historically black colleges and universities. He also proposed to eliminate soft money contribution for campaigns. Sixth District Congressman Bart Gordon passed a bill to require phone companies to make available free blocking of 900 lines, so that parents could keep their children from pornography services. He also supported the Communications Decency Act to apply obscenity standards to the Internet and opposed construction of a temporary nuclear waste dump in middle Tennessee. Eighth District Congressman John Tanner is one of the founders of the Coalition, known as the Blue Dogs, a group of conservative Democrats who have advanced their own budget and welfare reform proposals. In addition, Tanner passed amendments allowing states to provide non-cash assistance like baby formula and diapers and providing that no one loses Medicaid because of federally-imposed time limits. Lastly, Ninth District Congressman Harold Ford formed a Congressional Children's Caucus to give every child access to a high-quality education. He spoke for reauthorization of the TRIO program and offered an amendment to the Republicans' flextime bill that aimed to protect employees who choose monetary compensation over comp time. He also called for a banning of construction or expansion of hazardous waste facilities within 5,000 feet of any residential community, school, day care center or church.

Tennessee's voting age population is estimated at about 4,000,000; 3,000,000 are registered. Most registered voters are affiliated with the Democratic Party. To aid in influencing and advising its constituents today, the Tennessee Democratic Party raises issues that are of concern to its members, as well as fellow residents. They state that their purpose is to promote ideals and principles of the Democratic Party and to assist in the election of Democratic nominees. These ideals are equal opportunity for all citizens, access to quality and affordable health care, access to affordable education, maintaining a strong economy while being fiscally responsible, protecting social security, being environmentalists, uniting Americans, expanding opportunities for minorities, and continuing and expanding services to individuals with special needs. The Party believes that bipartisan approaches should be taken on Tennessee's issues on state budget, the education system, the health care system, home health care programs, and public servant pay increases.

In order to improve education, the Party has proposed a tax reform plan that would include a new tax on adjusted gross income to fund education and repeal the sale tax on food. It would repeal 6 percent state sales tax on grocery food and the new "education privilege fee," which would apply a 2.5 percent levy on the adjusted gross income of all Tennesseans. In turn, this would generate about $2 billion, whereby $400 million would go toward covering the state's loss of revenue from the repeal of grocery food tax. Another $350 million would go toward providing free tuition and books to all Tennessee high school graduates attending a "public institution of higher learning" in the state. The remaining $1.2 billion would be reserved for funding kindergarten-through-12^th grade education and higher.

Due to the fact that Tennesseans end up paying more taxes to the federal government than taxpayers in states that have an income tax, another tax proposal concerned the Tax Deduction Fairness Act (1999). This package would allow taxpayers to deduct either their state income tax or state sales taxes in a given year. In previous years, the citizens of Tennessee paid an average of $927 in state and local sales taxes, but they could not deduct one dollar of it from their federal income tax returns. In essence, Tennesseans are being forced to pay taxes on their taxes. This tax act would treat all taxpayers equally, regardless of the system of taxation of their state.

In issues of health care, Congressman Bart Gordon has supported a $200,000 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant that will enable a Middle Tennessee organization to educate and reduce the number of women at risk for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Women on Maintaining Education and Nutrition, the grant's recipient, provides support, referrals, education and nutritional information for HIV at-risk women in Middle Tennessee. "Women, especially in the African-American community, are contracting this horrible disease at an alarming rate," Gordon said. "So it's gratifying to know this grant will be used to help stop the spread of HIV. Education and outreach, along with research, are the weapons needed to fight this deadly disease." Since African-American women have the greatest increase in HIV rates in Tennessee, the grant will serve as a positive impact on the Middle Tennessee community's fight against AIDS. These funds will be used to reach out to 500 females between the ages of 13 and 25, 200 at-risk youth and 12 area churches.

Recognizing the state as agrarian, the Democratic Party supports supplemental funding for farm ownership loans, farm operating loans and emergency loans to assist their farm communities. For example, Congressman Bob Clemente has voted for a bill to spend $69 billion in federal funds for agricultural programs. This bill includes $8.7 billion in emergency aid to farmers who suffered natural disasters, market losses, and for crop insurance premium subsidies and crop insurance associated costs, as well as funding for the Farm Service Agency, Agricultural Credit Programs, rural housing loan authorizations, rental assistance programs, rural electric and telephone loans, and the distance learning and telemedicine program. It also provides funding for important food and nutrition programs. He states his motivating factor as such: " Living on a farm or in the city, we cannot afford to see Tennessee’s farming community decline . . . farming has long been the backbone of Tennessee’s economy, and this year the farmers are truly suffering. For this reason, I voted to approve this crucial agriculture funding."

The Democratic Party also provides services to aid in the process of selection by establishing a web page to allow people to examine the legislative process in politics, to provide access and information to all of their constituencies and to promote involvement. Through the use of this technology, they are able to communicate with fellow democrats and legislators. The use of this new media allows the Party to enhance their communications among Democratic elected officials, party leaders, and activists.
 
 

Texas was the 28th State to enter the Union on Dec. 29, 1845. The population now reaches 18,378,185 (July 1996 U.S. Bureau of the Census estimate) and includes: 12,775,000 (65%) White, 4,340,000 (15%) Hispanic, 2,022,000 (9%) Blacks, 319,000 (1%) Asian, 66,000 (0.2%) American Indians and 1,804,780 (9.8%) others. The principal products produce in manufacture is chemicals and allied products, petroleum and coal products, and in agriculture they produce Cattle, grain sorghums, cotton lint and seed, wheat, rice and dairy products.

Texas Democratic Party mission is to "seek to inspire and motivate people who share our values to give their time, resources, and votes to build a better Texas for our families and children in the 21st century." They put a strong emphasize on strong family. First issue they deal with is education. They oppose any form of private school vouchers because vouchers would drain resources essential to guarantee a quality public education for all our children. They believe that raising teachers' pay to at least the national level will bring more well-educated and trained teachers. They want to assure equal opportunity by equalizing school funding from the bottom up, not by leveling it down. Another issue about family is the protection of children from domestic violence. They support programs, education and centers for battered woman and children. They want the centers of sexual assault crisis to be spread to unserved and underserved areas of the state. They have reduced class sizes in the crucial early grades, curbed campus violence and disruption, raised students performance, lowered dropout rates and provided parents and communities much more information and input the operation of the schools. The kindergartens and per-kindergartens programs were established. The Texas Democrats Party believe all Texans must have an opportunity to attend public universities and colleges, and they will support innovative approaches to ensure diversity in every Texas institution of higher education. Higher education provides the higher-level skill that crucial to competitiveness in global economy marked by rapid technological change, therefore they support additional funding of higher education to assure financial aid and access for all students.

Another aspect is a childcare. They believe that the private sector can do more to improve the availability of affordable childcare. Therefore they want to cut corporate tax credits, property tax entrepreneurial assistance, so they can help businesses invest in childcare. They also support the creation of a Texas Care Fund to pool local, nonprofit and private dollars to be used to get the maximum available federal childcare matching funds.

The Texas Democratic Party believes all Texans should share in tax cuts. The Democratic leadership voted against raising the sales tax to 11 percent on basics necessities, including food and medicine, and voted to abolish all corporate franchise and property taxes. That highlights the opposition to regressive tax increase that unfairly target fixed and middle income families. They go even farther and want to pass a constitutional amendment banning a sales tax on food and medicine. They believe that citizens should not be subjected to a state income tax and the sale tax on the purchase of cars and other necessities should be reduced or eliminated.

Texas Democrats believe that the best way to end poverty is to ensure jobs that pay a living wage. Government assistance should be a transition to help people take responsibility for they own lives and become productive members of society. These families should find a way to quickly move from welfare to jobs. A society that emphasizes personal responsibility must also strive to create jobs, reward work, and provide an infrastructure that encourages people to work and to rear children responsibility.

Texas Democrats believe that people will make sound, healthy decision for themselves and their families. They believe in every American right to privacy and the right to make personal choices for themselves. They believe that no government should interfere in an individual private and personal decision, such as when or whether to bear children. They want also decrease the rate of adolescent pregnancy and the alarming rise in teenage dropouts - both of which increase the number of Texas children living in poverty. They also want to increase the federal minimum wage aimed at giving full-time workers the ability to live dignified lives. They also guarantee that all farm workers are afforded that same dignity.

Regarding health care, Texas Democrats believe that doctors, not HMOs or insurance company, should make medical decisions, and HMOs and insurance companies should be banned form restricting a doctor ability to tell a patient about all medical options. Texas Democrats support a Patient Bill of Rights Amendment to Texas Constitution that will give every Texas family the right to choose their own doctor outside of their HMO plans. HMO and insurance companies should be barred from discriminating against pre-existing conditions such as HIV infection, Alzheimer, cancer and other chronic diseases.

Texas Democrats believe that linguistic and cultural diversity presents opportunity to develop a competitive edge in a growing global economy. They believe all Texans have a responsibility to be proficient in the English language but oppose the efforts of the extremist "English-Only" movements to curb the use of other language. They also believe that it is the responsibility and duty of the United State to secure its borders. At the same time, the Texas Democrats promotes immigration policies that create economic opportunities for all individuals and businesses, strengthen families, protect members of all communities against discrimination, and protect people from intrusive from of personal identification.

Since 50 percent of Texans live in areas that fail to meet clean air standards, they want to require the old industrial polluters to come into compliance with clean-air standards within five years. They support full implementation of the Clean Air Act and create incentives to reduce or prevent air problem. They want also the expansion of the state parks.

Texas is known for its agriculture, which is important to domestic and international trade. To maintain the world leadership role of Texas farms and ranches Texas Democrats are doing a few things. First is to ensure the safety of imported foods not covered by the regulations against dangerous chemical and pesticides that apply to food grown in the United States. Texas Democrats protect food producers from unfair competition with foreign producers who use chemicals banned in this country to increase their yields at the expense of the purity of the product. Texas Democrats recognize a large number of family farmers and ranches are as important to food and fiber production as large corporations and conglomerates. They want to promote a federal legislature that would establish appropriate minimum price support levels and restore the economic safety net for family farmers and ranches, which Congress effectively eliminated with the passage of the 1995 Farm Bill.

Vermont became the 14th state of the Union in 1791, thus resolving the fight between New York and New Hampshire for its possession. In 1777 it adopted its first constitution, abolishing slavery and giving universal suffrage to males without a need of property qualifications. The state of Vermont has a population of about 590,900, with a 98.6 % of white residents and the rest mostly Black, American Indian, Asian and Hispanic.

Vermont’s industry includes production of monument granite, marble, electrical equipment, fabricated metal products, paper etc. It is also famous for the making of maple syrup. Vermont’s ski areas attract many tourists who visit it every year, and who also go there to hunt and fish.

Howard Dean who is the governor of the state, and he is also a Democrat. The state government is made up of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Out of the thirty members which make up the state Senate, 17 are Democrats, and there are 78 members in the House of Representatives out of 150, making the Democratic Party the majority in both houses.

When it comes to the Democratic Party’s issues, Howard Dean, who is an elected candidate of the party, has addressed issues such as welfare reforms, budget at a national level, health care, agricultural industries’ enhanced improvement, Vermont’s children’s safety, education and drunk driving.

Budget

Vermont Democrats take a hard line on the budget. They want legislative leaders to limit budget increases through the rate of inflation during the year 2000. They proposed a state’s spending plan of 2.8 percent growth over the fiscal year of 1998. They also proposed a General Fund budget of $753.4 million and a Transportation Fund budget of $163.6 million. In addition, the Democratic Party states that since small business will account for most of the future job growth, it needs to support Vermont’s small businesses. Vermont Democrats asked for $50,000 increase in the budget of small business’ development center. They pointed out that if Vermont held down spending to the rate of inflation, there would be enough money left over for three things: property tax reform, back filling federal budget cuts, and a stabilization fund equal to 10 percent of Vermont’s annual budget.

Welfare Reform

Vermont Democrats focus on the reason of why there are so many people on welfare in Vermont. They say that in order to have Vermont welfare reforms they have to look at those people who traditionally have had the most difficulty in entering the work force. The Democratic Party’s budget includes $800,000 to match the new Federal dollars that will assist ANFC parents who find barriers in entering the work force.

Health Care

Vermont Democrats talk about health care reform in a very strong manner. Since about 18% of Vermont’s population lack health insurance, 1/3 of which are children. The Democrats proposed a health care program called "Dr. Dinosaur" which can assure that every child whose family income is below $48,00 per year (family of four) will receive health coverage. They also introduced a program called "Success by Six" which offers home nurse visits to 70% of all the children in Vermont within the first two weeks of their birth.

Agriculture and Forestry

Since they consider agriculture and forests as very important parts of the Vermont economy and culture, Vermont Democrats believe in taking measures in preserving them. They believe in informing people on the use of "bio-engineered products, including BST, in food products". They are very supportive of the protection of forest lands, using farming practices that are not harmful to the environment, and also making policies that allow farmers to get a fair price for their products, and that "preserve land for agricultural use".

Education

Act 60, which is know as the "Equal Educational opportunity of 1997" provides equal rights to public education and makes it affordable. The Democratic Party of Vermont states that Act 60 has many technical faults. Under the old system taxes paid for education were dependent on two things, the amount the community spent and the amount of property wealth of the town. Vermont Democrats argue that the quality of the education shouldn’t be determined by the wealth of the town. The Democrats say that they have to change Act 60 and improve the quality of education for every Vermont child. They argue that Federal Assistance, tax abatement provisions, transportation cost assistance and equal ability to raise revenues for education will bring equal educational opportunity in Vermont. They also argue that Vermont parents have more options within the public schools in the city.

Drunk Driving

Vermont Democrats think that drunk driving is a serious offense and should not be taken lightly. They say that cars of repeated offenders should be confiscated, even though the bill for this did pass in the legislature. Howard Dean strongly supports the idea of putting more troopers out on Vermont highways and he has asked for $150,000 for troopers’ safety vests. Vermont Democrats also proposed the idea of educating people about drunk driving. The $200,000 worth of programs will be put out for the Vermont public for their safety and health.
 
 

Introduction to the State of Virginia:

The State of Virginia is a South Atlantic coast state bordered north and northeast by Maryland, south by North Carolina with 40,767 square miles of total area and 95 counties. Its resident population is 6,187,358 (1990 census). The capital city is Richmond and the largest city of the state is Virginia Beach. Principal products are chemicals, tobacco manufactures and mineral products such as coal and stone. The state’s personal income is $97.5 in 1987, rank 11th among the nation. Over 250,000 people attend higher education. Blacks constitute 18% of the total population and whites, about 80%. Virginia’s electoral votes have been mostly cast for Republican candidate from 1952, including the last presidential election. It is the oldest English colony in North America - the name of the state is from the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I.

Democratic Party of Virginia:

The followings are platforms of Democratic Party of Virginia, which announced priority issues for the 1999 campaign and 2000 legislative session. The issues are Education, school safety (Gun Control), transportation, targeted tax relief, and Health Care to most likely to represent the interests of middle-class families. They also implemented an Affirmative Action Plan for 2000.

1) Education

On July 1999, Democratic Party of Virginia 1999 Campaign Headquarters announced the following public education platform as their 1999 agenda:

a) Hiring 2,000 new teachers to reduce class sizes.

b) Continuing the party’s school construction initiatives.

c) Placing resource officers in every middle school and high school in the state.

d) Tripling funding for alternative education centers so that disruptive students can be removed from the classroom.

e) Revoking the drivers licenses of children caught making bomb threats on schools.

2) Gun Control

General Assembly Democrats and democratic legislative candidates also announced policy of "zero tolerance" for guns in schools on September 13. "We know how important it is to make sure our children learn in a safe environment," said F. Drew, a candidate for the House of Delegates.

3) Transportation

Democrats proposed to reform the state’s critical transportation crisis including traffic congestion and gridlock by using the state’s 1999 budget surplus. The specific plans are:

a) Immediate relief by allocating $60 million from the state’s 1999 budget surplus to jump-start stalled transportation projects.

b) Short-term relief by leveraging a portion of the state's recordation tax to issue $710 million in bonds and using the cash from the first two years of the tobacco settlement.

c) Long-term relief by allocating one-half of future budget surpluses for transportation while leveraging income from the state's share of the tobacco settlement to issue over $1 billion in bonds.

d) Generation of $2 billion in new money over the next four years, without a tax increase.

4) Tax

The party argues to repeal the state's sales tax on food. The transportation trust fund should be reimbursed, just as the state did for the car tax cut. They also proposed a real estate tax freeze for homeowner senior citizens age 65 and over. The plan will also reform the state's tax system by distributing one percentage point of the state's income tax revenues to local governments.

5) Health Care

Virginia Democrats discussed the HMO reform and a Patient's Bill of Rights during the 1999 legislative session. The reform contains:

a) The establishment of independent and impartial panels to review treatment denials made by HMO's.

b) Access to a managed care consumer advocate to protect the interests of HMO patients.

c) More option when patients choose doctors and health care providers.

Democrats are advocating the rights of working people, their children and senior citizens to be accessible to health care.

6) Affirmative Action Plan For 2000

Democrats recently implemented an Affirmative Action program for the year of 2000 on September, as disseminate details of their Delegate Selection Plan leading to the election of their delegation to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. The discussion includes a request that each congressional district committee establishes an affirmative action program within each district.
 
 

Washington is a state that is populated by 5.5 million people; It was admitted as a state in 1889. Washington has an area of 71,303 square miles and personal income per capita equals 26,718 dollars. The state capital is Olympia and the governor is Gary Locke, who is a Democrat. The leading industries are service, manufacturing, and retail trade industries. Presidentially, Washington leans toward the Democrats and in 1988 switched from a caucus system to primaries. Washington gained a seat in each of the two last censuses, and both new districts went to fast growing suburban areas east & south of Seattle.

On the issue of Human and Civil Rights, the Washington Democrats believe in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in guaranteeing the equality of these rights is the "foundation" of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. They oppose discrimination in employment, housing, and education as well as public accommodations based on religion, race, gender, age, sexual orientation and disability. They believe that the essentials such as food, shelter, medical care, education and employment are basic human rights. The Washington Democrats also believe in ones sovereignty over their own body. They state that women’s rights and human rights are one in the same; women have right and responsibility in regards to their reproductive choice and private medical matters. According to the Washington Democrats, the state should not intervene or forbid same sex marriages. They support The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1990 as well as affirmative action policies; Those who have been wronged and discriminated against should be given legal help to fight the injustice in a civil manner. They oppose mandatory prayer in public schools. They want the government to respect and honor Native American rights & treaties.

The Washington Democrats on the issue of crime believe that it is the governments responsibility to stop or put an end to acts of crime by working together with communities to make their neighborhoods livable. They also think the people of any community should settle their differences in a non-violent fashion. They support public funding for successful substance abuse programs as opposed to prosecution.

Education to the Washington Democrats is the foundation and first lesson of democracy. They feel it is the state’s duty to provide first-class education for all; but they feel it is not the responsibility of the state alone, it is also up to the parents and adults of the community to educate the children. They support full state funding for education from early childhood to the twelfth grade, also funding for higher education and adult vocational training. Washington Democrats say that our future rests upon strong public school systems.

The Washington Democrats strongly support environmental protection laws. They support legislation, research and program funding to develop clean alternative energy sources and promote resource conservation. The Democrats want to encourage alternative means of transportation other than automobiles. They also support preservation of endangered species and the repeal of the 1872 Mining Law that banned cyanide leech mining on or in aquifers.

On the issue health care, the Washington Democrats support basic health care for all regardless of age, employment status, or prior condition. They want to adopt a comprehensive health care system that includes disease prevention, treatment, and care for catastrophic illness and long-term care as well as Medicare, from prenatal care to the last years of life.

On the issue foreign policy, Democrats support the United Nations plans for securing peaceful solutions to conflicts in other lands. They believe that the United States cannot and should not enforce world peace one-sidedly. They oppose foreign policies that allow loss of American jobs without creating better jobs in the United States.

Democrats feel economic justice for working families is essential for the realization of a democratic society. They state workers need and should have a safe and healthy work environment; they support the worker’s right to strike in order to end a dispute and a raise in minimum wage. The Washington Democrats support a progressive tax system at the federal and state levels; They also support tax reform that will shift the wealth back to the working class family and its community. They also feel that any reform of social security should ensure the same benefits, if not more, in a fair and universal manner.
 
 

West Virginia is among the smallest of the states. From east to west its greatest length is 266 miles (428 kilometers). Its greatest width, from north to south, is 237 miles (381 kilometers). The total area is 24,231 square miles (62,758 square kilometers), including 111 square miles (290 square kilometers) of inland water surface.

West Virginia has a somewhat humid continental climate, with hot summers (cooler in the mountains) and cold winters. The coldest area is the Cheat River basin in the north-central part of the state; the warmest part is along the Tug Fork River in the southwest. Winter temperatures vary from an average of slightly more than 34°F (1°C) in the central part of the state, to an average of nearly 40°F (4°C) in the southwest. Summer temperatures range from an average of about 66°F (19°C) in the state's central part to an average of 73°F (23°C) in the southwest. West Virginia is characterized by an unusual amount of local climatic variation.

Today slightly more than 1 percent of the people are foreign born. Of the total foreign population, the Italians, English, and Germans are the most numerous. African Americans make up 3.3 percent of the state's population.

Almost all of West Virginia's farm families are descended from the earliest settlers and have owned their own land for generations. In the coal-mining regions many of the workers lived in company-owned houses and towns. A number of these miners were immigrants or the children of immigrants.

The chief executive officer is the governor, who is elected for a four-year term. The governor may serve two consecutive terms. The state legislature consists of the Senate and the House of Delegates. The Supreme Court of Appeals heads the judiciary.

In state and local politics control has alternated between the two major political parties. Since the early 1930s the Democratic party has been dominant, but the governor who held office for the longest period was a Republican--Arch Moore, who served from 1969 to 1977 and again from 1985 to 1989. (His bid for a record fourth term was defeated in 1988.) The other governor who served for eight consecutive years was John D. Rockefeller IV, a Democrat (1977-85).

Before the election of 1932 West Virginia usually supported the Republican presidential candidate; then it voted for the Democratic nominee in six consecutive elections. In 1956, 1972, and 1984, however, it voted for Republican candidates. In the 1952, 1980, and 1988 elections it was one of the few states that supported the losing Democratic candidates. When John F. Kennedy won the West Virginia primary in 1960, the victory assured him the Democratic nomination and erased the political controversy about his religion as a handicap in the presidential race.

West Virginia Democrats want to address real problems affecting Americans by saving Social Security for all; by reducing class size for our children by hiring 100,000 new teachers; by making sure that doctors and patients together, not insurance companies, make health care decisions; by extending Medicare coverage; and by raising the minimum wage. These are the issues that define us as Democrats and most clearly outline our goals for strengthening American families. Together with the agenda we are presenting today, these issues serve as our legislative roadmap to maintaining the strong economy we currently enjoy and addressing the concerns families wrestle with everyday: preparing for retirement, educating children and raising them in safe neighborhoods, and having access to quality health care. To further these goals we are committed to a 1998 Democratic legislative agenda that includes:

Balancing the Budget and Saving Social Security First. By passing a balanced budget three years ahead of schedule, we will be able to eliminate the deficit and pay for every proposal in the agenda while reserving the surplus until we strengthen Social Security.

Reducing Average Class Size and Modernizing Schools. We will reduce average class size to 18 students per classroom for the first through third grades by helping local communities hire 100,000 new teachers with certified skills to teach basic reading and math.

Establishing a Patients' Bill of Rights. We will assure patients high quality health care by guaranteeing important protections such as access to the specialists they need, coverage for emergency services, an internal and external appeals process, confidentiality, and patient participation in medical decisions.

Extending Medicare. Enabling Americans ages 62 to 65 and displaced workers ages 55 to 65 to purchase Medicare health coverage and enabling retired workers ages 55 to 65 to buy coverage if their former employer drops their coverage. Ensuring that reimbursement policies do not overpay providers to reduce unnecessary Medicare costs.

Raising the Minimum Wage. We recognize the value of work and will give millions of hardworking Americans a pay raise by increasing the minimum wage.

Fair Pay. Helping guarantee equal pay for equal work by strengthening enforcement against wage discrimination, establishing voluntary fair pay standards, and improving access to wage information for workers.

Research and Technology. Expanding resources for development of medical cures, energy efficiencies, agricultural innovations and commercialization of new technology.

Small Business Pensions. Making pensions more affordable for small businesses by providing a $2,000 tax credit for pension start-up, and allowing contributions to IRAs to be made by payroll deduction, and making a simplified defined benefit plan available to small business employees.

Pension Protections. Making pensions more secure by providing meaningful audits, by expanding pension right-to-know standards, and by shortening vesting periods.

Access to Quality Affordable Health Care. Promoting insurance reform by guaranteeing access to needed health care providers, as well as access to emergency services, ensuring confidentiality of medical records and simplifying the grievance and appeals processes.

Reducing Class Size and Modernizing Schools. Reducing average class size to 18 students per classroom for grades 1-3 by helping local communities to hire 100,000 new teachers with certified skills to teach basic reading and math, and providing tax credits to local communities to build and renovate over 5,000 schools. Ensuring Internet access for schools and libraries by protecting their "E-Rate" discounts, and providing new resources to help states integrate technology into their curricula and train teachers to use computers.

Child Care. Making child care more affordable for working families, increasing access to and promoting early learning and healthy child development, improving the safety and quality of child care, and expanding access to safe after-school care.

Educational Opportunity Zones. Improving public education by ending social promotions, increasing expectations and accountability, and providing training for teachers and extra help for students who need it.

Ending Teen Smoking. Discouraging teen addiction to cigarettes by adding a health fee to each pack, by requiring an end to tobacco company marketing directed at children, and by requiring tobacco companies to pay for new smoking prevention efforts.

Juvenile Crime. Protecting kids from guns and drugs through special juvenile prosecutors and courts, extending the Brady Bill to juvenile offenses, and strengthening federal prosecution of gang crimes. Reducing juvenile delinquency while relieving childcare burdens by matching the investments of local communities for before- and after-school learning.

Tougher Drunk Driving Penalties. Set a national maximum standard of .08 blood alcohol level for drivers by tying federal highway funds to state compliance.

Environmental Protection. Restoring clean water to our communities, accelerating and making polluters pay for toxic waste cleanup, protecting our national parks and other great places, and modernizing our food safety laws.
 
 

Wisconsin has been well known for more than just cheese. While it is one of the top ten states in annual farm income, the service and manufacturing sector is the engine behind Wisconsin’s’ economy.

The industrial sector makes huge contributions to the Wisconsin economy, be it the large manufacture of cars or mining equipment. Some of the state’s largest employers include Kohler Co., General Motors Corp., General Electric Co., and Harnischfeger Industries, Inc., each employing from around 6,000 to 10,000 people.

The service sector of the economy is another large economic contributor to Wisconsin. Some of the state's largest employers are WalMart Stores, Inc., ShopKo Stores, Inc., and Ameritech.

The current per capita income in Wisconsin as of 1998 is about 25,079. It is lower than the national average of 26,412. In the current nationwide economic boom, the percentage change grew by 4.3 percent since 1997. Since the rate of inflation is measured at about 2.5 percent in Wisconsin, the economy is producing more income for state residents.

The population in Wisconsin in 1990 was measured by the Census Bureau to be 4,891,769. Which is about 1.96 percent of the total U.S. population, or half as big as New York City. Thus, citizens only receive nine House of Representative seats.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party takes a strong liberal stand on many issues that would make Democrats in more conservative states cringe. In the party platform, the section labeled human concerns spells out a commitment to not only the traditional Democratic concerns of discrimination based on sex, creed, and disability, it also lists a few emerging Democratic ideals such as: freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation, or living arrangements.

In the area of abortion, the Party strongly supports the right of women to choose the best course of her own pregnancy. This is also extended to minors as they specifically spell out their opposition to parental notification laws, or "any restrictions violating the spirit and intent of Roe v. Wade."

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin also supports the protections of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Possibly unique among other state parties, Wisconsin supports the concept of "death with dignity". Meaning patients should have the right to die as opposed to staying alive amidst suffering in late term terminal illness.

The Party believes that the main focus of the welfare system should be to get people employed. However, they argue that this country must not give up on the safety net ideal if a reform effort is to be made. It breaks with the Clinton Administration over recent welfare reform legislation, and is actively opposed to a block grant program, in which federal money would be awarded to states allowing them to create state level policy.

In the area of education, the Party calls on the Federal government to take a more active role in the improvement of public schools. They oppose all privatization ideas, specifically vouchers, charter schools, and block grants for institutions that are currently publicly founded.

Party members believe that there needs to be a fair management of taxes and spending based on a progressive income tax, meaning that those who have a higher income pay a higher percentage in taxes. Revenues, it is said, should among other things be used to help combat the debt, the trade deficit, and fund socially responsible programs. They also support a reduction in corporate subsides (corporate welfare).

When it comes to labor, the Wisconsin Democrats seem to favor the worker and his/her attempts to unionize. The Party supports the right to form and organize unions. It also supports the right of public employees to speedy arbitration in labor disputes. Members support the creation of a "livable minimum wage with benefits", and opposes Right to Work legislation and hiring strikebreakers.

The Party supports the creation of "disincentives" for domestic companies wanting to open factories in other countries. It has also suggested excising tariffs on countries where workers are employed so cheaply that their American counterparts cannot compete. The Party believes that the United States will be able to recover some of its lost jobs since the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Taxes and Tariffs (GATT), if such steps are taken.

In regards to drug policy and crime, the Party feels that the paradigm should be shifted to a public health problem as opposed to primarily viewing it as a criminal justice concern. It is bothered by the large amount of nonviolent persons incarcerated for minor drug offenses. It supports an abolition of the death penalty, and has strong feelings about the preservation of a real constitutional protection of privacy. The party feels that a ban on all rapid-fire assault weapons must be instituted and enforced by both the Federal and Wisconsin State government.

Finally, the Wisconsin State party is one of the most active in the attempt to reform campaign finance laws. The state party calls for the complete public financing of all elections. Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold is a co-sponsor with John McCain (R-Arizona) of a bill to ban unlimited soft money to political parties by both corporations and labor unions. Although the bill and others like were not voted on this legislative cycle, due to a Republic filibuster. Wisconsin Democrats will almost certainly be spearheading a very important political issue this coming election year.
 
 

INTRODUCTION

The Wyoming Democratic Party is the party of the people--the party of inclusion, not exclusion. In the words of Andrew Jackson our commitment has been, "to those who are the humble members of society--The Farmers, Mechanics and Laborers."

As the oldest political party in America, now celebrating our 150th anniversary, we are sustained by the efforts and contributions of Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy who nurtured our political past. We have a bright future. We are the party of freedom, progress and change. We ask only that change be for the good of all people and be within the framework of the Constitution of this State, the Constitution of the United States, change that includes our Bill of Rights and our American way of life.

With these abiding values, we proclaim it is time to redraw Wyoming’s political landscape. It is time to elect additional Democrats who will work to create a vision centered on our people. And, Democrats who have the courage to act on that vision.

We believe with Hubert Humphrey that the moral test of our government is how it treats:

-Those in the dawn of life, our children;

-Those in the twilight of life, our elderly; and

-Those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, the handicapped.

THEREFORE, in order to carry out these goals, we hereby adopt this platform.

Support For Our President:

We support the efforts of the current national administration to continue to improve the economy, to address children’s issues and to improve the quality of life for all Americans.

We support the President’s peace efforts throughout the world and in particular efforts in the Middle East, Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Economic Growth:

We call for the Wyoming Legislature to show fiscal responsibility by adopting policies that stimulate and promote balanced and sustainable economic growth. The Wyoming Democratic Party believes the development of coalitions among business, labor, education and the environmental community is essential to secure a strong economy. Our Party also believes this diversity is necessary to ensure the success of the Wyoming Business Council.

We hold the Council and Governor accountable to efforts to create quality jobs with quality employers, who will share their economic good fortune.

We hold the Republican Legislature and Governor Geringer responsible for the exclusion of labor, Democrats, educational and environmental interests from the Business Council. Such exclusions destroy the spirit, the intent and the effectiveness of the Council.

Education:

We strongly believe the failure of the Republican Legislature to fully embrace the Wyoming Supreme Court’s mandate to reform education in all of its key aspects, from curriculum to funding, is a failure of will by the leadership of the Legislature, by the Governor and by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Environmental Protection:

The Democrats of Wyoming request the Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality severely prosecute illegal disposal of hazardous, toxic wastes, including agricultural waste.

Nuclear Waste Facility:

The Wyoming Democratic Party believes the building of a nuclear waste storage facility directly infringes on the rights of citizens of Fremont county and the State of Wyoming to live in an environment free of toxic waste and free from the fear of nuclear leakage into the environment.

The citizens of Wyoming have historically and emphatically resisted threats to our culture and habitat. The building of a facility that is temporary and not permanent is dependent upon trust in the federal government, upon trust among the multiple state governments and private enterprises in order to ensure that the facility is temporary.

The Wyoming State Democratic Party STRONGLY believes it is the duty and the responsibility of the residents of Fremont county and the State of Wyoming:

• To protect our environment from hazards created by man;
• To preserve the one element that sets Wyoming aside from all others, its natural resources and clean environment;
• To provide a safe and secure environment for our children and our children’s children; and
• Be allowed to voice their opposition to the proposal of nuclear storage in the of a statewide vote.

We call for the repeal of the so called "Paycheck Protection" amendment, W.S. 22-25-102(h), to the Election Code which limits a person’s right to full participation in the political process, and we oppose all other attempts to interfere with an agreement between an employer and an employee concerning payroll deductions.

Separation of Church and State:

We reaffirm continuation of our commitment to the separation of church and state and the imposition of any religious belief on our citizens whether on the state or national levels.

We believe in creating balanced and sustainable economic growth that promotes and expands business and job opportunities, while maintaining and enhancing our citizens’ quality of life. We encourage and support an economic partnership among agriculture, businesses of all sizes, education, the environment, industry, labor and state and local governments. Therefore, we resolve to:

Economy

Actively recruit industries and businesses that will employ residents in jobs that pay salaries and provide benefits that will raise Wyoming’s per capital income to the national average or higher;

Promote businesses and industries to grow our economy by adding value to products that incorporate Wyoming resources, yet retain the rural nature of our state;

Encourage state officials to enforce Wyoming’s constitutional provisions prohibiting monopolies and to investigate price-fixing and market manipulation;

Infrastructure

Upgrade our telecommunication system to globally competitive;

Transportation

Develop a safe, affordable, adequately funded air and ground transportation system; adequate funding for training and equipping of all emergency response personnel along all transportation routes in Wyoming; and Bring Amtrak passenger service back to Southern Wyoming.

We join together as Democrats to support collectively what we cannot do individually. Together, our efforts will build a society that supports;

Revenue

• Efforts to develop an equitable taxation system for Wyoming that includes the extractive industries, non-extractive industries, businesses and private property owners;
• An end to severance tax breaks for mineral companies which do not result in sufficient demonstrated levels of increased production and employment to offset losses in the tax revenue;
• An open discussion of ALL revenue options;
• Less regressive tax options;
• Access of county officials to all pertinent natural resources production data for assessment, taxation and auditing purposes;
• An increase in the number of state auditors of the mineral extraction industries;
• State land rentals/purchases to produce maximum dollars as required by the Wyoming Constitution;
• An end to tax exemptions unless the exemptions serve the vital social and health needs of the state; and
• Federal tax relief, the closing of tax loopholes to ensure all Americans pay their fair share.

We believe in and support:

• Quality education as a fundamental right;
• Opportunities for lifelong learning;
• Permanent, stable and equitable sources of funding for all children from the earliest grades through higher education;
• An equal basket of educational opportunities that encourages all children to develop to their fullest potential;
• Ample, appropriate resources for at-risk, special problem and talented students as well as early intervention programs;
• Academic freedom at all levels;
• Maintenance of public funds solely for public schools and not the use of public funds for tuition or support of private or parochial schools;
• Small schools and small class sizes with every child in Wyoming guaranteed equality in educational opportunities no matter the size of the district, its location or its economic base;
• Increased funding for innovative and productive technology with low student/computer ratios in all public schools;
• Vocational education and school-to-work programs;
• All employees in public education to be compensated for their experience, knowledge and professionalism in recognition of their value as public school educators whose salaries to be competitive with participation in career and professional advancement including statewide opportunities for continuing education;
• The right of all educators to negotiate collectively and the right to due process;
• The certification process to ensure maintenance of high quality standards in teaching and for administrative personnel;
• Ongoing cooperation between the University of Wyoming, our Community Colleges and our secondary schools;
• An education funding bill that meets the fairness and equality criteria dictated by the Courts yet does not penalize any school district, regardless of size;
• Our participation in nationwide programs to promote safe schools to prevent teen pregnancy, AIDS, substance abuse and the rehabilitation of substance abusers;
• Congress to continue to fund the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the national Department of Education and Goals.

Wyoming citizens have the right to clean air and clean water, the right to live in the absence of exposure to toxic, hazardous or nuclear contaminants.

Environment

We support:

• Compliance with and enforcement of the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act, the Clean Water Act and the Federal Clean Air Acts;
• Repeal of Wyoming’s Environmental Self-Audit law;
• Recycling and using biodegradable materials and mandatory deposits for all beverage containers;
• Reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act with no substantial weakening of the Act;
• Protection and improvement of wetlands and wildlife habitat areas as part of our commitment to nature;
• Comprehensive land use planning and associated zoning designed to protect environmental quality;
• Establishment of International environmental standards with compliance by the United States;
• Continued designation of Yellowstone National Park as a World Heritage Site;
• The American Heritage River Initiative.

Further oil and gas leasing in the Bridger-Teton National Forest; and Republican Congressional attempts to weaken an already fragile environment through legislation to dismantle or cripple the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and our nation’s support of developing nation’s environmental protection efforts.

Hazardous Waste

We oppose:

The disposal and storage of out-of-state nuclear or other wastes in Wyoming; The targeting of minority and low-income communities as potential sites for polluting industries and we demand immediate attention to cleanup activities of such areas.

State Campaign and Political Reform

Recorded roll call votes in the Wyoming Legislature on any motion to any bill or amendment, whether in an interim or standing committee, or during consideration in Committee of the Whole, Second and Third Readings in the House and the Senate;

An ethics initiative to clearly define and to prohibit conflicts of interest, to require full financial disclosure, to establish effective investigative and enforcement procedures and to cover all elected and appointed officials as well as public employees;

Legislation:

• To include penalties for noncompliance with Wyoming’s Open Meeting Laws;
• To prohibit a legislator from switching party affiliation during his/her term;
• To require financial disclosure by all lobbyists of the interests they represent;
• To require reporting by lobbyists of all direct and indirect expenditures made by them on behalf of the interests they represent;
• To limit campaign contributions;
• To establish reasonable ceilings on campaign spending
• To provide for appropriate disposal of unspent campaign contributions; and
• Reform the electoral process to facilitate initiatives and referendums and to enact recall procedures.
• National Campaign and Political Reform
• Full financial disclosure by all lobbyists with identification of the interests they represent;
• A national ethics law that includes full disclosure for all elected officials;
• An anti-nepotism law;
• A law to require all moneys remaining in a campaign after an election be sent to the federal government to help with reduction of the national debt;
• A law to require the campaign money of one candidate shall not be spent on behalf of another candidate;

• Establish a national primary on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in September; and
• Repeal of the federal Hatch Act.
• Line-Item Veto
• Prior to Governor Geringer, the line-item veto was used only on Appropriations or Budget bills. Governor Geringer used this veto in the 1997 Education Reform Law, which was not a Budget or Appropriations Bill. We do not support this use of his veto power. We call for limitation of the Governor’s line-item veto power.

The Wyoming Democratic Party recognizes the invaluable contributions of organized labor to our economy. Organized labor makes a positive contribution to economic development. Repressive laws and attitudes that inhibit collective bargaining and the right of workers to fully participate in the economic structure of the state contributes to Wyoming’s poor economy. Therefore, we support:

• Industrial democracy for all workers by repealing Wyoming’s so-called "right to Work" law;
• The extension of collective bargaining for all employees in both the public and private sectors;
• Condemnation of Wyoming’s "Employment At Will Doctrine" and the passage of a law requiring ‘just cause’ for job termination of any worker;
• Increasing Wyoming’s embarrassing minimum wage of $1.60 per hour;
• Increasing the federal minimum wage to a level that assures working people a decent standard of living above the poverty line;
• The proposed constitutional amendment to prevent the use of the Worker’s Compensation Fund for any purpose other than protecting injured workers;
• Restoration of Worker’s Compensation benefits so the system ensures that injured
• workers have full and complete treatment, rehabilitation and financial
• support enabling them to maintain a decent standard of living for
• their families until they are able to return to work;
• Adequate unemployment benefits for Wyoming’s displaced or laid off workers;
• Efforts to reduce Wyoming’s dismal on-the-job death rate, currently at more than twice the national average, by insisting on adequate funding for agencies charged with the effective enforcement of health and safety laws, regulations and appropriate training;
• Requirements to license or certify workers whose jobs affect public health and safety; Fair trade agreements which include comparable wages, humane and healthy working conditions, human rights, collective bargaining rights and environmental protection;
• Keeping public services in the public sector and public control of public programs;
• Better laws to provide our state with the ability to enforce standards of equal employment opportunity, including equal pay for equal work.

Rights

The Wyoming Constitution states in Article 1, Section 2 "In their (the people’s) right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, all members of the human race are equal".

Therefore, we support:

• Full preservation and enhancement of the Constitutional rights of all citizens;
• Maintenance of the constitutional right to privacy;
• The constitutional rights for women to reproductive choice with no restrictions on her choice;
• The right of our citizens to keep and bear arms; and
• The protection of and honoring of full Tribal sovereignty.

Al Gore served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. He worked for seven years as a newspaper reporter and then was elected to Congress from Tennessee. After eight years in the House of Representatives and eight years as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee, he was elected Vice President of the United States.

For almost seven years, Al Gore has been a central member of President Clinton's economic team -- helping to design the program that has led to our strong economy, casting the tie-breaking Senate vote for the plan in 1993, helping to pass the first balanced budget in 30 years.

Al Gore has served as President of the Senate, as a Cabinet member, as a member of the National Security Council, and as the leader of a wide range of Administration initiatives, including Family and Medical Leave, the fight for the V-Chip and more high-quality children's programming on TV. He has worked to dramatically expand lifelong learning for the 21st Century, and increase investments in quality after-school care.

Vice President Gore heads the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. The initiative has been critical to balancing the federal budget.

Vice President Gore leads the Administration's efforts to protect the environment in a way that also strengthens the economy. He is working with the Big Three automakers to support the development of a new generation of fuel and energy-efficient vehicles. He is working to combat global warming in a way that also creates new jobs, by helping America lead the estimated $400 billion worldwide market for new technologies that clean up the environment.

As a House member he fought for federal funds for what later became the Internet. Also in the House, he held early hearings on biotechnology, and has been a national leader on issues such as genetic discrimination and on-line privacy and security. In the Senate, Al Gore was a leading expert on arms control, and a strong voice for national defense.

Vice President Gore helped to pass the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

AL GORE PROPOSES NEXT STEP IN WELFARE REFORM: HELP FOR RESPONSIBLE PARENTS, CRACKDOWN ON DEADBEATS

Gore outlined a series of steps to strengthen families and promote responsible fatherhood, including: requiring all fathers who owe child support to pay or go to work; strengthening child support enforcement, including increasing the amount of child support that gets paid directly to poor families; making it harder for parents who owe child support to get new credit cards; fixing the 'marriage penalty'; and increasing the amount of income a married couple can earn and still receive the full Earned Income Tax Credit.

Al Gore's plan to encourage and support responsible fatherhood would include:

• The Next Generation of Welfare Reform: Responsible Fathers
• Strengthening Child Support Enforcement
• Promoting Marriage and Strong Families
• Challenge America to Promote Responsible Fatherhood

• Require All Fathers Who Owe Child Support to Pay or Go to Work.
• Personal Responsibility Contracts.

• "Don’t leave home without it" - No New Credit Cards For Parents Who Owe Child Support
• Ensure More Child Support Goes To Children.
• Encourage More Fathers to Acknowledge Paternity
• Streamline Process for Establishing Child Support Orders

• Marriage Penalty Relief.
• Grants For Marriage Preparation, Mentoring, and Counseling.
• Funds To Increase Access And Visitation.

• Urge Employers across America to make Workplaces Parent Friendly.
• Fund a National Clearinghouse and Public Service Campaign.

FOR CLOSING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP

THE EDUCATION GAP:

The Gore Agenda:

• Making pre-school available to every child, so that every child gets the best possible start in life -- closing the opportunity gap before it has a chance to open up;
• Fundamentally changing the American high school to make it a center of excellence for all students -- and to break down overly large institutions through the use of "schools within schools";

• Improving teacher quality, elevating the teaching profession and recruiting and training a new generation of talented teachers for our highest need schools;
• Turning around failing schools;
• Using new technology to increase educational productivity;
• Adopting a new focus on discipline, character values, safety and parental involvement;
• Creating new 401(j) savings accounts to make college and job training more affordable;
• and Making tax-free savings accounts for college more accessible and transferable as families move from state to state.
• Keeping Kids In School. As President, Al Gore will challenge every state to raise their compulsory school age to 18 and would provide matching grants to help those states that meet this challenge and adopt aggressive, proven strategies to prevent students from dropping out of school
• Holding School Districts Accountable for Drop Out Rates.
• Strengthen Existing Efforts To Prepare Students For College
• Helping Disadvantaged High School Graduates Succeed in College
• Creating new "Opportunity Academies" under this program, students between high school and college will get intensive academic preparation in math, writing, reading, study skills and other tools needed to succeed in college
• Helping Disadvantaged Students Stay and Succeed in College

The Gore Plan: Closing the Income Gap -- As President, Al Gore's agenda for progress includes revolutionary educational reform program, enhanced training and skills incentives.

• Making the Minimum Wage a Working Wage
• Equal Pay for Equal Work
• Eliminating the Marriage Penalty
• Changing the standard deduction for married couples, so that a married couple would get the same standard deduction as if they remained single
• Special marriage penalty relief for the hardest-pressed working families, those that receive the Earned Income Tax Credit
• This program provides tax incentives and seed money to under served communities
• The proposal for a third round of zones, to be laid out later this year, will focus specially on medium-sized cities and smaller towns -- in addition to continuing the program's work on urban centers and rural areas
• This new focus in the program will ensure that no community is left behind as we work to bring jobs and economic growth to all regions of our country

Al Gore’s agenda for 21st century education includes:

• Grants to enable every state to develop and expand pre-school programs
• Smaller schools and "schools within schools"
• Smaller classes - 18 students per teacher in the early grades and 20 students per teacher in the upper grades
• Principals empowered, advised by teachers, to hire their staff (regardless of seniority) and to manage their budget
• 21st Century Teachers Corps to reward college students who choose to teach in schools that need their help
• Rigorous tests of knowledge and teaching skills for all new teachers before they enter the classroom
• Mentors and professional support for new teachers
• Tough standards for licensing or tenure, with evaluations by teams of accomplished teachers and administrators
• Rigorous but fair performance evaluations after the granting of a teaching license
• Fast but fair procedures for identifying, helping, and when necessary removing low-performing teachers
• Good teachers rewarded, with bonuses to master teachers, to teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and to teachers in schools that show improved student performance
• Required aggressive plans to turn around failing schools, with accountability for results and incentives for success
• Reformed curricula that work for low-achieving students
• More public school choice for parents
• Expanded summer school for failing students
• Intensified efforts to reduce Hispanic dropout rates
• Every classroom and library wired to the Information Superhighway
• Enhanced teacher training in technology
• New educational software for all schools
• Carefully screened volunteer army of on-line tutors and mentors
• Zero tolerance for guns
• Second chance schools where students with serious problems can get help Increased commitment to after-school care
• Codes of discipline and required meetings on the first day of school for parents, teachers and their students to sign this code
• Civic and character education in every school
• Family and Medical Leave Act extended to cover the first day of school and subsequent parent-teacher conferences
• National Tuition Savings program tying together state tuition programs in more that 30 states with a goal of all states participating in a program that would allow parents to save for college tax free and use those savings in participating states
• New 401-J accounts where employers help employees save tax free for lifelong learning for the employee and his or her spouse, or a child's college education

• Emphasize the importance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures that children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate education and has opened the doors of public schools to children with special needs. Gore announced that he will take the following steps as President to ensure that schools get the support they need to provide quality special education services while also investing in the needs of all children:
• Ensure that the federal government helps local school districts by paying its fair share of special education costs.
• Defray local school district expenses to educate students with very high-cost special needs.
• Fund early identification and intervention efforts.
• Support teacher training to help all teachers learn how to effectively meet the needs of children with disabilities.

As President, Al Gore will take the following five steps to keep America's high tech industries growing:

1. Build a Strong Economy

• Balance the budget, every year, except in times of national emergency;
• Increase our investments in efforts that create economic growth, such as education, technology, and research;
• Continue to streamline government, reducing its size and eliminating red tape; and
• Work to open new markets by expanding free and fair trade.

• A permanent Research and Experimentation Tax Credit, not subject to the annual battle over renewal on the current credit, so that companies can make investments for the future.
• Expanding this new R&D Credit so that small businesses (one of the key engines of high tech growth in New Hampshire) can take better advantage of it by making the credit partially refundable.

• Pursue an international agreement to make "cyberspace" a permanent "duty-free zone," so that U.S. companies can sell goods, around the world, via the Internet, without duties;
• Insist that other countries apply their trade obligations under WTO in a way that does not discriminate against electronic commerce; and
• Insist that other countries refrain from enacting trade-related measures that could impede e-commerce.
• In this way, U.S. companies can create countless new jobs in the 21st century - jobs in creating goods and services for sale all around the world.

• Double the investment in information technology research over the next five years, fully implementing the recommendations of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee.
• Increase investment in biomedical research and information technology so that their convergence can deliver the benefits from completing the human genome effort. The genome project - which has created an "instruction book for life" - can produce new treatments, diagnostics and personalized medicine. To take advantage of the promise of this research, Al Gore will propose the creation of 20 centers of excellence in biomedical computing on the campuses of our finest schools.

• Help create the best system of public education, so our children get the education they need to succeed in the 21st Century
• Finish the job of connecting our classrooms to the
• Create a new 401(j) training accounts with tax preferences to encourage workers to save for their own training, and provide tax cuts for those who do.
• Expand Life Long Learning programs, so that every adult who needs training to adapt to the new economy can get it - and can prosper from the technological change.

Five steps to improve the health care system.

1. assuring rights for patients by passing legislation to keep medical records private and a strong enforceable Patients’ Bill of Rights that gives patients critical protections, such as access to specialists, access to emergency room services and making health plans accountable for harming patients
2. modernizing health care by focusing on prevention, individual responsibility, and new technologies to improve and measure quality
3. building on the progress and possibilities of new research while protecting against the perils, such as genetic discrimination
4. addressing the nations’ unprecedented challenges due to the aging of the baby boomers by strengthening and modernizing Medicare, including providing a prescription drug benefit, and by proposing initiatives to support families with long-term care needs
5. Working towards the goal of assuring all Americans have access to quality health care coverage.

(1) Ensuring That All Children Have Access to Affordable Health Insurance by 2005. The Clinton-Gore Administration fought for and enacted the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to expand coverage to children in families with too much income for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.

Initiative for all children’s access to health insurance by 2005.

• Expanding CHIP to children up to 250 percent of poverty (about $41,000 for a family of four) to increase the number of uninsured children eligible for the program.
• Allowing children above 250 percent of poverty who do not have coverage to buy into CHIP or Medicaid. Ensuring that children eligible for CHIP or Medicaid are enrolled.

• provide financial bonuses to states that meet enrollment targets, which would be phased in by 2005;
• reduced states’ CHIP enhanced matching rate if they do not meet these targets; and
• develop a school-based strategy for enrollment. Together, these policies would guarantee universal access to affordable children’s health insurance by 2005.

(3) Providing Affordable Health Care Options for Americans Ages 55 to 65

(4) Assuring People With Disabilities Can Keep Their Health Care Coverage When They Return to Work.

5. Making Health Insurance More Affordable and More Accessible for Small Businesses.

 

 

(6) Assuring Tax Equity Through a New Tax Credit for Individual Health Insurance.

6. Maintaining and Strengthening Health Care Delivery Systems Serving the Uninsured.

1. PROVIDING NEW TOOLS TO HELP COMMUNITIES COMBAT CRIME

• Support a new federal law that would empower local communities to bring special legal actions in federal court against gang activity – to try to break the gangs up, once and for all;
• A crack down on open-air gun markets and other places where guns are known to be sold illegally to minors and criminals – including helping more cities adopt the successful Boston Gun Project that has dramatically reduced youth gun murders;
• Make available new crime mapping technology to local communities, so that they can target "hot spots" and help get crime under control;
• Continue the successful 100,000 police program, with support for the additional 50,000 community police officers that the administration has proposed.

• Speed the administration of justice by funding increased prosecutors, defenders, and court support staff – along with use of the latest in technology and modern management techniques -- to insure that criminal justice is swifter and more certain;
• Provide grants to states to implement a "Stay Clean to Stay Out" policy: an insistence that any person on pre-trial release, probation, or parole – any person under the management of the criminal justice system – be regularly tested for drug use, and sent immediately back to jail or prison if they test positive;
• End racial profiling, and other practices that make minorities feel "targeted" by the criminal justice system;
• Encourage more minority participation in police forces, prosecutors and defenders offices though the availability of scholarships to historically underrepresented communities.
• Provide grants for police forces that establish professional development courses designed to help police officers and prevent abuses.

• Seek a nationally mandated, state-run system of photo licensing for all potential hand gun purchasers. No more loopholes or exceptions – anyone who wants to buy a handgun would have to have a license that would prove they are eligible to own a handgun (having passed a background check to prevent felons and the mentally ill from buying guns and demonstrated knowledge of gun safety).
• Ban so-called "junk guns," the cheap handguns so often used in violent crimes;
• Increase penalties for knowingly selling a gun to someone ineligible to purchase one; for using a gun in a violent crime; and for illegal trafficking of guns;
• Advance a variety of other common-sense gun control measures previously advocated by the administration, including a three day waiting period, one-gun-a-month, closing the gun show loophole, and requiring child-safety locks on hand guns;
• Provide grants to states to develop systems that end plea bargaining for criminals who use a gun in a crime, and implement a model federal test program;
• Oppose efforts to provide special legal protection for gun manufacturers.
• Oppose efforts to loosen existing limits on concealed weapons;
• Require gun manufacturers and federally-licensed sellers to report gun sales to a state authority. This requirement would greatly assist law enforcement in tracing ownership of guns if they are used in a crime.

• Support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to give crime victims rights’ full protection, including their right to be heard in the sentencing process, their right to be notified of their perpetrator’s release; and their right to compensation from their attacker;
• Strengthen the requirements for mandatory restitution from criminals to their victims;
• Provide more assistance to battered women seeking enforcement of "stay-away" orders;
• Establish a new safety net for seniors who are victims of crime. Protect seniors from fraud and abuse by increasing penalties against those who perpetrate crimes against the elderly and give federal prosecutors new tools to fight fraud and abuse.
• Shut down fraudulent telemarketers by granting the Attorney General new authority to block and terminate telephone service to telemarketers who prey illegally on the elderly;
• Support the passage of Hate Crimes legislation to protect everyone in our diverse society.

• A four-fold increase in after-school programs, to give young people positive alternatives during the critical 3-8 PM time period;
• Creating second-chance schools, to put troubled youths back on the "straight-and-narrow" path before delinquency blossoms into something more serious;
• Funding federal grants to faith-based organizations fighting juvenile delinquency and youth drug abuse.

• Insure strong enforcement of the existing tough penalties for violent crime, including the federal death penalty in appropriate homicide cases – especially where the death of a law enforcement officer or public safety officer occurs;
• Increase the penalty for sex offenders, and create a new offense for those who stalk children via the Internet;
• Increase penalties for gun trafficking and gun-related crimes (as discussed above).

• Expand the national media campaign started by General Barry McCaffrey targeted at deterring illegal drug use and provide funds for comprehensive drug education programs in the schools;
• Provide greater availability of treatment options for youth;
• Get clean to get out and stay clean to stay out. Enforcing "zero tolerance" drug supervision by providing grants to help states and localities systematically test, treat, and sanction drug-involved probationers, prisoners, and parolees;
• Reform, strengthen, and double the funding for Safe and Drug Free Schools;
• Expand the number of drug courts;
• Double the number of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HDTIAs) to create a greater degree of coordination and focus on drug problems within a geographic area. HDTIAs can assist in curtailing the growing use of drugs like Methamphetamine;
• Sustain funding for the Drug-Free Communities Program. This measure is aimed at strengthening community based coalition efforts to reduce youth substance abuse. Since the program began (1997) some 474 communities applied for grants, but only 93 have been funded. We need to nurture more community based anti-drug efforts;
• Target penalty increases to those who use kids to sell drugs and selling drugs on or near school property.

1. Create 401(j) Account Life-Long Learning Accounts.

• Families and employers can contribute up to $2,500 a year into their 401(J) account.
• Invested earnings can be withdrawn and used tax-free if they are used for education or qualified life-long learning.
• Grandparents and employers can contribute to a 401(J) account.
• Current education IRAs must be designated for use by one specific child and must be used by the age of thirty. The 401(J) accounts can be used for education and training after the age of 30 when many people need to change jobs or acquire new skills.
• Even families with modest incomes can contribute to a 401(J) account because Al Gore's plan gives families an extra tax credit matching 50 percent of the individual's contribution. For example, A family that sets aside just $10/week for a child's education would have $28,000, tax free, for when that child enters college.

• The Vice President supports marriage penalty tax relief by increasing the standard deduction so that a married couple would get the same standard deduction as if they remained single. Raising the standard deduction for married couples filing joint returns to twice that of a single taxpayer would deliver substantial marriage tax relief to middle-class families. If would raise the standard deduction by $1,400 for married couples who claim it. Everyone who claims the standardized deduction would benefit from the tax relief, especially middle class families.

• Al Gore believes we should increase the amount of income a married couple can earn and still receive the full Earned Income Tax Credit. Under his proposal, families would be able to earn more before they begin to lose their EITC; married couples with incomes up to about $29,000 would see an EITC increase of approximately $500. By eliminating the marriage penalty on those who can least afford to pay it, this proposal would play a substantial part in extending the full benefits of the EITC to working families.

• Al Gore believes the R&D Tax Credit has been critical to our nation's stunning economic growth. It has provided incentives for private-sector investment in research and innovation that has helped increase America's economic competitiveness and enhance U.S. productivity. However, under current law, the credit expires for qualified research expenses paid or incurred after June 30,1999. This on-again, off-again nature creates uncertainty and makes it so that companies cannot rely on the full benefits that the credit provides.
• That is why the Vice President is calling to make the R& D Tax Credit permanent. Al Gore also believes the R & D Tax Credit needs to be reformed, especially with respect to small businesses. A partially refundable credit for a small business is a sound investment.

• The Vice President is committed to providing the opportunities for wealth creation and retirement savings among low-middle income families.
• Al Gore recognizes that the size of USA Accounts will need to be modified to make room for the other key tax cut proposals he is announcing today, as well as other ideas that help middle class families. But he believes that some form of USA Accounts should be included in any tax cut plan that emerges from the Congress.
• USA Accounts will provide access to savings for 70-80 million Americans who do not currently have access to either IRAs of 401(k)s. They are a strong way to reverse the low personal savings rate in our country.

• Fiscal discipline.
• Targeted investments in people
• Open markets.

1. Maintain fiscal discipline -- to keep interest rates low and investment rates high. Barring an economic reversal, a national emergency, or a foreign crisis, Gore has called for a balanced budget every year.

2. Use good economic times to tackle tough, long-term economic problems -- and that means meeting our promise to an aging society by saving Social Security first and protecting Medicare while we have the means and the will to do it. Al Gore has urged Congress to refrain from risky tax schemes, and instead pass a responsible Social Security and Medicare reform plan -- to ensure the dignity of seniors in retirement, while also raising the national savings rate.

3. Continue cutting regulations and reforming and reinventing government -- so that it costs less, works better, and keeps pace with today's fast-moving economy.

4. Invest more in education for the Information Age, as well as investing aggressively in research and development and ensuring the protection of our environment.

5. America must maintain its role as the world's leader. Al Gore has repeatedly called for the passage of Fast Track trading authority, to allow the President to open more markets for American products while protecting labor and environmental rights.

Expanding access to higher education

Al Gore has worked to expand student loans and lower their cost to students; to create HOPE Scholarship tax credits, to make the first two years of college virtually free for every American; to expand Pell Grants for needy students to attend college; and to defend these crucial priorities when some in Congress tried to block or cut them. Al Gore believes that in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st Century, everyone who is willing to work for it must have the chance to go to college.

Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Al Gore believes that if our children are going to learn, then first and foremost, our schools must be safe. He believes we must take back every last one of our schools from the gangs, guns, and dealers -- to make all our schools safe, disciplined, and 100% drug-free. Al Gore has called for more character education and discipline in our schools, and greater responsibility from every parent, teacher, and child -- to make sure all children know the difference between right and wrong. He has called for strong national measures to break up violent teen gangs and keep guns and drugs off the streets and away from schools. He has worked to put more drug counselors and violence prevention coordinators in public schools. And he has championed quality after-school care, to give children safe, supervised places to go during the afternoon hours when most juvenile crime takes place.

Lifelong learning

In the 21st Century, to keep up with a fast-moving, fast-changing economy, workers must have the ability to keep learning for a lifetime. That is why Al Gore has focussed on the next great frontier in American education: dramatically expanding opportunities for lifelong learning.

"Because of its importance to our air, our water, and the fabric of life itself, I believe that we have an obligation to protect the environment for future generations."

From his leadership in the House to protect air and water quality and pass the original Superfund legislation to clean up dangerous toxic waste sites; to his pioneering House and Senate efforts to fund research into global warming, long before it was widely recognized as a serious threat; to his best-selling book about the environment, "Earth in the Balance" -- Al Gore has been a leading champion of environmental protection for more than two decades. It is a commitment that began when he was a young boy, learning the importance of preventing soil erosion on his family farm in Carthage, Tennessee. And it is a commitment he has carried to the White House, working with President Clinton to produce the cleanest environment in decades -- with cleaner air, cleaner water, and a safer food supply; a record number of toxic waste dumps cleaned up; millions of acres of precious natural lands protected; and a strong international treaty to begin combating global warming -- in a way that is market-based and realistic, and does not lead to economic cooling.

Al Gore knows that choosing between the economy and the environment is a false choice; in the long run, we can never have one without the other. That is why he has worked to protect the environment in ways that are realistic and achievable -- while helping America to seize the lead in the estimated $400 billion worldwide market for new technologies that clean up the environment.

Protecting Children and Families

One of the greatest obligations of national government is to ensure clean air, clean drinking water, and safe food. That is why the Clinton-Gore administration has enacted strong new clean air standards for soot and smog that will prevent up to 15,000 premature deaths a year and improve the lives of millions with respiratory illnesses; new measures to protect drinking water; aggressive toxic waste clean-ups; and new steps to give communities more information about chemicals released into their air and water. In addition, Vice President Gore fought Congressional attempts to weaken more than 25 years of critical environmental and public health protections.

Protecting the Environment While Creating Jobs

Al Gore believes it is essential to protect the environment in ways that also create jobs and protect economic growth -- by working closely with industry in a spirit of collaboration, not conflict; by forging creative new public-private partnerships in areas such as fuel-efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and tourism and recreation; and by emphasizing voluntary measures and flexibility whenever possible to meet crucial public health and natural resource challenges.

For example, when conflict arose in the Pacific Northwest over the endangered spotted owl, Vice President Gore worked to craft a forest plan that protected the species while putting the timber economy on a sound footing. Al Gore joined with the Big Three auto makers to create the Public/Private Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles -- to help industry efforts to triple the fuel-efficiency of today's vehicles without increasing cost or reducing quality and safety. At the same time, through his Reinventing Government initiative, Al Gore has eliminated more than 25 million hours of paperwork a year for businesses and communities seeking to comply with environmental regulations. That is the equivalent of more than half a million workweeks.

Al Gore has also led several successful initiatives to create jobs directly through environmental protection. These include the cleanup of abandoned, contaminated urban property -- to clear the way for new development and jobs. It also includes the American Heritage Rivers initiative, to enhance the recreational, economic, and environmental value of cherished and historic rivers.

Protecting Natural Treasures

The Clinton-Gore Administration has worked hard to protect precious natural lands and resources, so they can be enjoyed by future generations of Americans. This includes the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, protecting 1.7 million acres of spectacular red rock canyon lands; an agreement to protect Yellowstone National Park from mining, toxic runoff, and other threats; a bold, $1.5 billion plan to help restore the Everglades and ensure safe, clean water for South Florida; an agreement to preserve California's Headwaters Forest, the largest privately-held grove of old-growth redwoods; and the creation and improvement of nearly 120 national parks, trails, rivers, and historical sites.

Protecting the Global Environment

In the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Al Gore became a recognized expert and leader on global environmental challenges. In particular, he focused on the need to combat global warming, which can lead to serious public health consequences, the loss of desperately-needed crops, and extreme weather -- similar to the kind that has been causing such large losses in the past few years. And 1998 was the hottest year in recorded history. Gore has worked to raise awareness of the problem while forging solutions that are achievable and bring more jobs and growth to America. In fact, many leading corporations are now pledging voluntarily to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this effort, Gore has:

• Spurred negotiations toward an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an environmentally strong and economically sound way;
• Helped win significant increases for research in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. These investments will create jobs, enhance trade, save consumers and businesses money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Forged new partnerships with industry to develop and promote energy-saving cars, homes, and appliances with the potential to save Americans hundreds of millions of dollars in electricity bills and significantly curb greenhouse gas pollution.

Starting with his own voluntary service in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, Al Gore has stood for a strong national defense, and an America that leads the world toward peace, freedom, and prosperity, for his entire career. From his early leadership in the House and Senate on arms control and nuclear deterrence; to his support for strong action against rogue states such as Saddam Hussein's Iraq; to his work to promote democracy, free markets and disarmament in the former Soviet Union, often serving as a critical direct channel to world leaders at times of conflict -- Al Gore has been a key player in American foreign policy for more than two decades. As a member of President Clinton's national security team, Al Gore has played a role in almost every critical foreign policy decision of the past six years.

At the same time, Al Gore has also been a leader in promoting the free trade, free markets, environmental protections, and fundamental human rights that are crucial to America's leadership in the world. "A strong economy, a clean environment, and peace and security do go hand in hand," says Gore. "As we move beyond the age of bipolar tensions and sharp ideological conflicts -- as we deepen and extend our economic and security ties -- nations are finding the wisdom that grows from our common values."

National Defense and Arms Control

As demonstrated by his Senate vote to authorize military force at the start of the Persian Gulf War, Vice President Gore believes in the use of military force when necessary to defend America's vital interests in the world.

While standing strong, Al Gore has also led efforts to reduce weapons of mass destruction. In a 1980 meeting in his home state of Tennessee, then-Congressman Gore asked a gathering of students how many expected to see nuclear war in their lifetimes. He was stunned to see nearly every hand in the room rise. Gore returned to Washington and began an intensive study of every aspect of arms control -- becoming a Congressional leader on the subject. Two years later, when he was only 34 years old, Congressman Gore advanced a new idea for bringing new stability to the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race: deterring a first strike by moving from multi-warhead missiles to single-warhead missiles on both sides in a phased "build-down."

As Vice President, Gore has led important arms reduction efforts around the world -- including the dismantling of Kazakhstan's nuclear arsenal, the third largest in the former Soviet Union; negotiating Ukraine's decision to give up all its nuclear weapons; and a deal with Russia and Kazakhstan to keep more than half a ton of bomb-grade uranium from falling into the hands of terrorists. In this and many other areas, Al Gore has led Clinton Administration efforts to prevent and combat terrorism, to protect American families and communities.

Promoting Democracy and Freedom Around the World

At every opportunity, Al Gore has fought for greater openness, freedom, and democracy around the world -- sharply criticizing Russian ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky in a speech in Moscow at the height of the anti-reformer's popularity; speaking out in defense of jailed reformers in Malaysia in a speech in Kuala Lumpur, while under bitter attacks from the repressive Malaysian government; and hosting landmark international summits on Reinventing Government and on Fighting Corruption -- to make all nations more open, honest, and responsive in an increasingly interdependent world.

Working with World Leaders to Advance Peace and Security

As Vice President, Gore has formed close working relationships with key foreign leaders through the special international commissions he chairs with Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, Egypt, and Kazakhstan. Through his leadership and direct intervention with foreign leaders and key ministers, Al Gore has helped to reduce deadly nuclear arsenals, sustain fragile political reforms, resolve trade disputes, protect the global environment, and pave the way for far greater U.S. investment abroad.

Expanding Employment Opportunities

Al Gore believes we must begin with an aggressive national policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment. That is why he is fighting for a bipartisan, $1.2 billion plan to expand access to health care, employment services, and other incentives for people with disabilities who return to work; a new $1,000 tax credit to help cover the costs associated with employment, such as special transportation and technology; and new efforts to help people with disabilities move from welfare to work. Al Gore recently accepted the report of the President's Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities - and is working to act on its recommendations, to break down barriers to fuller participation in the workplace. And he recently announced the creation of a new Disability Research Institute to develop innovative new return-to-work strategies.

Expanding Educational Opportunities

Because education is the heart of opportunity, Al Gore is committed to scrupulously protecting the rights of students with disabilities to be in the classroom and participate in all school activities. He believes classroom teachers should have the skills to teach children with disabilities. And opposes attempts to weaken these crucial rights in Congress and in the courts.

Enforcing America's Civil Rights Laws

Al Gore has been a leader in strong civil rights enforcement -- to stop discrimination against people with disabilities in housing, schools, workplaces and public areas across the nation. He has worked to enact major increases in enforcement of America's civil rights laws, and also to toughen fair housing enforcement.

Saving Social Security and expanding access to quality health care

Social Security is a crucial lifeline to the one-third of beneficiaries covered by the disability and survivors insurance programs. That is why Al Gore has urged Congress to refrain from risky tax schemes and instead pass a responsible plan to save Social Security first. He has strongly opposed efforts to cut cash assistance to families with children who have disabilities and who are on Supplemental Security Income.

Together with his wife Tipper, Al Gore has worked to meet the health needs of people with disabilities and mental illnesses. They have worked on administration efforts to expand home- and community-based care, and to protect the crucial Medicaid guarantee for people with disabilities. Al Gore is calling on Congress to pass a strong, enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights, so Americans with disabilities get the health care they need when they need it. Through Tipper's leadership, the administration took landmark steps to end discrimination based on mental illnesses. She recently announced new measures to help states target services to adults and children with severe mental illnesses, and to eliminate stricter federal hiring practices for adults with psychiatric disabilities.

Bill Bradley was born on July 28, 1943, in Crystal City, Missouri, the only child of Warren and Susan Bradley The Crystal City of Bill's youth was a blue-collar company town with a single stoplight and a population of 3,492. With the support of his family and the close-knit community around him, Bill developed the values that have guided him as a leader, athlete, writer, U.S. Senator, and presidential candidate.

During Bill's childhood, Crystal City was ethnically and racially diverse. Hungarians, Italians, African Americans, and Poles worked alongside one another at the Pittsburgh Plate Glass plant, the town's main employer. For the most part, race relations were peaceful in Crystal City. As his father always told him, "The color of your skin doesn't predict whether you'll save money or pay your bills." But Crystal City did not shield Bill from the realities of racial prejudice in the 1940s and 1950s. When his Little League team traveled to Joplin, Missouri, for a playoff game, they had to stay in a run-down hotel because the better hotels wouldn't take the African American players on the team. In high school, his American Legion baseball team was refused service at a New Madrid, Missouri, restaurant, because the catcher and left fielder were black.

Thoughts of a career in politics as well as a deep commitment to civil rights began to take root during his college years. Bill spent much of the summer before his senior year as an intern in Washington, D.C., working first in the congressional office of Richard Schweiker (R-Pa.) and then on the presidential campaign of former Pennsylvania Governor William W. Scranton. During that summer, on June 19, 1964, Bill sat in the gallery as the Senate passed the Civil Rights Act, an historic event that would have a momentous impact on his life.

As Bill's college career came to a close, he was drafted by the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association. But Bill opted for Oxford University and a Rhodes Scholarship. At Oxford, Bill enjoyed the opportunity to read books he had never read, visit countries he had only heard about, meet people from other cultures, question values he had always been taught, and otherwise grow and mature. His interest in world affairs intensified. Bill debated with classmates on the merits of the Vietnam War. He spent the summer in Germany and his semester breaks in Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of Europe. Bill eventually received a master's degree in politics, philosophy, and economics. He left Oxford and returned to the United States-as the newest member of the New York Knicks.

Before taking to the court once again and opting not to wait for a draft notice, Bill joined the Air Force Reserves. He applied for and was accepted into Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, followed by Personnel Officer Training at the base in Amarillo. Bill's reserve unit's home was McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown, New Jersey, and he served on active duty for nearly six months in 1967, joining the Knicks in midseason. For the next five years, while playing basketball full-time, Bill joined his reserve unit one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer, augmenting the Military Airlift Command's active-duty forces. He attained the rank of first lieutenant.

During the off-season, Bill would often travel abroad, meeting with journalists, government officials, academics, businesspeople, and social activists he had heard about. He accompanied Jackson to an Indian reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, to conduct basketball camps for the Oglala Sioux. He spent other breaks teaching reading at an Urban League street academy in Harlem, working as an assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington, and making contacts in Democratic circles. Bill even became an author in 1976, chronicling his experiences in the NBA and the people he met along the way in Life on the Run.

Bill's time with the Knicks also deepened his understanding of the fundamental issues of race. "Traveling with my teammates on the road in America was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life," Bill has said. He remembers when his teammate Earl "the Pearl" Monroe was badly beaten in a fight with four white men outside Madison Square Garden, shortly after the Knicks had played a game. As he got to know his teammates as individuals, Bill began to realize the challenges and prejudices they faced daily as African Americans. Most of all, he realized "how much I will never know about what it is to be black in America."

Bill made time for a personal life. He met Ernestine Schlant, a German-born professor of German and comparative literature, as she was making a documentary film on the American poet Marianne Moore. Moore lived in Brooklyn, loved the Dodgers, and was a celebrated sports fan, and so the producers thought it would be a good idea to get Bill Bradley, the "scholar-athlete," to interview her for the film. Although the film was never finished, the Bradley-Schlant acquaintance bloomed into romance. Bill and Ernestine were married in 1974 during a schedule break: his, a break for the NBA All-Star game, and hers, a break between semesters at Montclair State College, where she began teaching in 1971 and is still on the faculty today. Together they settled in New Jersey, and in 1976, they had a daughter, Theresa Anne, who is now a college student.

In the spring of 1977, Bill retired from professional basketball and prepared to enter another arena: politics. In late 1977, he began running in New Jersey for the U.S. Senate In the June 1978 Democratic primary; he beat two main opponents, and then in the general election defeated a vigorous Republican opponent.

At age 35, Bill was sworn in as the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. He was assigned to the powerful Finance Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, seats he held throughout his eighteen-year Senate tenure. He later did stints on the Special Committee on Aging and the Select Committee on Intelligence. In the early years, he spent hours presiding over the Senate, and in his first year won the Golden Gavel Award for the most hours spent as the presiding officer. Although most senators viewed presiding as a chore usually delegated to the most junior members of the chamber, Bill used the opportunity to master Senate procedure, an arcane language that is essential for any senator hoping to pass legislation. He wanted to succeed in the Senate on its own terms.

Bill was reelected in 1984 with the largest plurality ever achieved by a New Jersey Democrat and escaped a hard-fought challenge in 1990. For eighteen years, Bill represented New Jersey, a state that contrasts with the Missouri of his childhood. It is one of the most densely populated states, as well as one of the most diverse. New Jersey schoolchildren, who speak one hundred and twenty different languages at home, reflect the state's racial and ethnic diversity. Representing a state that pollsters call a microcosm of the country challenged Bill every day: New Jerseyite "tell you what they think, and if you are a politician, you had better explain yourself or be prepared to suffer the consequence."

In the Senate, Bill approached his role as a legislator who writes laws, a leader who shapes national opinion, and an advocate who fights bureaucracy on behalf of individual citizens. Helping American children and families was constantly at the forefront of his legislative agenda. He sought to make parents accountable by systematically reforming child support enforcement and successfully passed legislation addressing the serious children's health problems caused by lead. When he learned that insurance companies were evicting women and their newborn babies from the hospital before they were ready, Bill introduced one of the first proposals mandating that insurance companies provide a minimum forty-eight hours of hospitalization for a normal delivery. He was a chief proponent in the Senate of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which reduces taxes for working Americans of modest means. To deal with the struggles of middle-class families in financing their children's college education, Bill introduced legislation proposing a new way to pay for college called Self-Reliance Loans.

Beginning in the early 1980s, Bill also made reducing the federal budget deficit a priority. In 1981, he was one of three Senators who supported President Reagan's cuts in spending but opposed his tax cuts, a position that would have entirely prevented the debt explosion of the 1980s. Recognizing the distorting effect that money has in American politics, Bill consistently supported comprehensive campaign finance reform in order to clean up campaigns and restore the public's faith in the process.

Through it all, Bill stayed close to the people of New Jersey. He met with constituents who sought his support and spoke to student groups about the virtues of public service. He and his staff answered the 10,000 letters that flowed into his office every week. He sponsored annual Student Leadership Seminars, which brought together New Jersey high school students with him and his staff to discuss the problems facing the nation and to spark interest in the political process. He made inquiries to government agencies to help seniors locate lost Social Security checks. He walked along the Jersey Shore every summer, asking beachgoers what was on their mind. From this ongoing dialogue came a number of good things for New Jersey, including clean and restored beaches, residents provided with immigration assistance, the creation of the Coastal Heritage Trail along the Shore, thousands of additional police officers under the federal community policing program, and protection of the Sterling Forest from commercial development.

As a policymaker, Senator Bradley focused on "the big picture." In his view, structural solutions, as opposed to superficial Band-Aids, are the most effective way to address the nation's problems: "Working on the big-picture issues gives me a chance to have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people." For example, after hearing citizens' concerns that the federal tax system was unfair and overly complicated, Bill realized that the tax code needed fundamental reform. His proposal-which he outlined in his second book, The Fair Tax-was a simple income tax system with fewer tax rates that would cut taxes for millions of Americans and close billions of dollars worth of special interest loopholes. The fight for tax reform was not easy. The legislation faced an uphill battle in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and Bill methodically plotted his strategy. He confronted the powerful Senate Finance Committee chairman, Russell Long, and consulted with the members of the House tax-writing committee. Against all expectations, Bill successfully pushed his proposal into law as the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Today, that law continues to benefit millions of Americans.

Bill also took the long-term view with regard to U.S. foreign policy. For example, in the early 1990s, as Russia and the other former Soviet republics began the transition to democracy in the wake of the Cold War’s conclusion, Bill focused on improving the U.S.-Russia relationship in a way that would last for generations. He realized that one of the best ways to help the former republics help themselves was to invest in their young people--to give thousands of young Russians, Ukrainians, and others the opportunity to experience democracy and the free market first-hand. In 1992, Bill made that vision a reality with the enactment of the Freedom Exchange Act, which enables high school students from all over the former Soviet Union to come to the United States for an exchange of up to one year.

His close victory in 1990 and his wife's 1992 brush with breast cancer were turning points in Bill's Senate career. They were wake-up calls, liberating Bill and motivating him to share "what was in my gut as well as my mind." Starting with a series of speeches in the early 1990s, Bill increasingly used his Senate platform as a "bully pulpit" to speak passionately about the unresolved dilemma of race. He reminded the country of the need to promote racial healing and confront moral problems, such as violence in our cities and teenage pregnancy. He challenged President Bush on his civil rights record. He reflected on his own life experiences and the stories of racial conflict he had heard along the way. When the Rodney King verdict was handed down, Bill stormed to the Senate floor to denounce the acquittal's injustice. He grabbed several pencils and hit the podium fifty-six times in eighty-one seconds, reminiscent of the blows King experienced at the hands of the LAPD. He spoke from his heart.

Bill was a self-described "workhorse" in the Senate. But, without sacrificing his official duties, he has always made his family a top priority. When Bill and Ernestine realized that he didn't spend sufficient time with their young daughter, they decided that Theresa Anne would move to Washington, where Bill was her primary caretaker. Ernestine tended to her teaching and research obligations in New Jersey during the week and joined her husband and daughter in Washington for long weekends.

Bill kept that promise. After departing from the Senate, Bill stayed involved and engaged in the American dialogue. He continued to speak out on the economy, American democracy, our communal life, and our role in the world. He served as chair of the National Civic League, worked on international issues at J.P. Morgan & Co., and advised the Advertising Council. Millions of Americans saw his essays on American life for the weekend CBS Evening News and the four-part series he hosted on A&E called Uncommon Americans, which profiled citizens making a difference in their communities. He headed an institute focused on leadership at the University of Maryland, worked on issues of international affairs at Stanford University, and taught an undergraduate public policy seminar at the University of Notre Dame.

During his year at Stanford, while spending time with the Final Four-bound men's basketball team in 1998, Bill found himself in an athletic team atmosphere for the first time in twenty years. That experience inspired him to write a book expressing the meaningful lessons he had learned from the sport of basketball. Values of the Game, Bill's fourth book, hit the bookstore shelves in the fall of 1998 and has become a New York Times' best-seller.

Two years since he left the Senate and at the top of his game, Bill Bradley is now seeking the Democratic nomination for President in the year 2000. In an effort to "unleash the enormous potential of the American people," Bill is speaking with voters and taking his message across the country. "The reason I am running for President is because my vision and leadership will improve the quality of life for millions of Americans."

Bill Bradley believes it is the role of the president to offer ambitious ideas of the country's future, not small fixes around the edges. "We must remember, we've done the big things in the past. We can do the big things in the future."

"The role of the President," he added "is not to shrink from challenges but to confront challenges."

HELPING CHILDREN IN POVERTY: A PROPOSAL FROM BILL BRADLEY

The Bradley Proposal to Help Children in Poverty is based on two fundamental beliefs:

• As the most prosperous nation on earth, America can – and must – do better when it comes to protecting our children.
• If we fail to care for our most defenseless citizens, we fail to fulfill our responsibility not only as Americans, but, more importantly, as human beings.

INCREASE THE INCOME OF POOR FAMILIES

1. Increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 over two years and index it to the annual increase in the median wage.

2. Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to:

a. Provide a more adequate reward for work among families with three or more children and achieve a more substantial reduction in poverty among children in these families;

b. Reduce the marriage penalties that some low-income families face as a consequence of the EITC structure; and

c. Reduce the portion of each added dollar earned by working poor families that is taxed away by the phase-down of the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit).

3. Improve the child support system so that it serves children better. Ensure that child support paid by a parent goes to the child instead of to the state bureaucracy.

4. Make the Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable.

5. Increase funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant program.

6. Invest in childcare and early education for children age 0-5.

7. Guarantee health care for children.

8. Improving access to existing programs for eligible low-income families.
 
 

PROVIDE HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE

The Bradley proposal will:

1. Increase funding for Head Start and Early Head Start.

2. Create Teach to Reach Partnerships to train 60,000 new teachers every year for urban and rural schools

3. Create a National Beacon Centers Program to provide community centers for school-aged children and their parents.

4. Create a Senior Volunteers Program that matches senior citizen volunteers with school and community-based programs that need them.

5. Establish Second-Chance Homes for teen mothers.
 
 

Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit $4 billion

Making the Dependent Care Tax Credit refundable $740 million

Enrolling an additional 400,000 children in Head Start $1 billion

Increasing funding for Child Care Development Block Grants $1 billion

Child Support $700 million

Food Stamps $500 million

Teach to Reach $1.3 billion

Beacon Centers $300 million

Second-Chance Homes $300 million

Total Annual Cost $9.84 BILLION

Bradley has announced proposals to:

• Raise the minimum wage for 12 million workers (an additional $2,000 for someone working full-time year round at the current minimum wage).
• Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit for 10 million working families.
• Enroll an additional 400,000 children in Head Start (currently 835,000 enrolled).
• Provide an additional 420,000 childcare subsidies for low-income families (a 30% increase over the current 1.4 million).
• Give 1.9 million low-income families tax relief on their child care expenses (additional credit of $475).
• Provide Beacon community centers for 5 million people that are open 7 days a week, 12 months a year.
• Enlist 500,000 senior volunteers to provide mentoring for children in and out of schools.
• Put 60,000 qualified new teachers in urban and rural high-need schools every year.
• Mandate health care coverage for the 11 million American children who are currently uninsured.

The proposal is based on two core philosophies:

1. Parents play the primary role in raising their children.

2. The needs of working families differ.

Based on the above, the Bradley Proposal to Help Working Families will:

Create a federal Early Care and Education (ECE) Partnership Program.

Specifically, the ECE partnership program will:

• Provide $2 billion per year to states for early care and education activities.
• Each state will create a public-private partnership to determine broad early-care-and-education goals specific to that state.
• Individual counties within each state will create similar local public-private partnerships to determine early-care-and-education initiatives tailored to their specific counties and the communities within them.
• After confirming that the initiatives selected by the county promote state goals, the state partnership will distribute the funding to the county partnerships.
• 40% of funding must be used to enhance the quality of existing programs and/or improve infrastructure. The remaining 60% of funding must be used to provide direct services and programs.

Specifically, the Bradley proposal will:

• Make tax-free stipends of up to $200 per month available to seniors who volunteer at least 15 hours per week in an approved program for children in grades K-12.
• Provide "volunteer coordinators" to help communities better match senior citizen volunteers with programs for children.

The Bradley proposal will extend the Family and Medical Leave Act to include firms with 25 or more employees.
 
 

Health Care

The Health Care Proposal from Bill Bradley will:

• Guarantee health coverage for every child in America. (Parents who are unable to purchase insurance for their children will receive a full or partial subsidy from the government.)
• Preserve the Medicare guarantee and expand it with two optional programs: 1) a catastrophic and chronic drug benefit program; and, 2) a program that provides the elderly with the professional support they need to remain independent. (The latter will significantly relieve the burden on working family members who double-up as caregivers.)
• Guarantee access to and portability of insurance for all Americans by allowing them to participate in a federally approved program of private plans that will be available to them whether they lose or change their job. (Adults who cannot afford to the cost of premiums will receive a full or partial subsidy from the government.)
• Maintain all current health plans and systems, including employer-provided insurance, for those who are happy with their current coverage.

Specifically, the Bradley proposal will provide $2 billion over five years for community colleges. Funding will be disbursed in the form of competitive grants designed to:

• Build strong partnerships with the local private sector, local high schools and universities.
• This will provide a comprehensive approach that allows students to enter a community college from high school and exit to a four-year institution or a job in the private sector, which demands the skills, and training they have received.
• Improve the technology infrastructure of community colleges.
• This will allow community colleges to provide students with the technological and other skills they need to remain qualified for their current job and to advance to a better one
• Remove the barriers to access, including providing appropriate child care for students who need it and ensuring that class schedules are arranged in a manner that allows working adults with full- or part-time jobs to attend.

The nation should invest in America's health, not just in America's health care system:

• Build on the knowledge that access to health care is only part of what creates good health
• Increase investment in prevention, public and community health, and health education
• Work from a broader understanding of health which recognizes social, psychological, environmental and behavioral factors
• Emphasize the important roles of individuals, families, employers, local communities, and government in the promotion of good health and the provision of health care

• Support patient protections and the consumer's right to know about all aspects of their health needs
• Place the doctor-patient relationship at the center of health care