2017 Linn Democrats County Platform
(Adopted Sept. 7, 2017)
The Linn County Democratic Central Committee is the party of all who believe in working together for the common good. Our positions are as follows.
EQUAL RIGHTS
All people, regardless of race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation, national origin, political philosophy, or level of ability, have the right to participate in all aspects of public life. Our constitutional rights and freedoms, including the right to assemble peacefully, the right to free speech, and freedom from unlawful surveillance, search, and seizure, must be protected. Our religious freedom depends on the separation of church and state.
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Workers deserve living wages. All workers, public and private, have the right to organize for collective bargaining free of intimidation and coercion. Labor unions have a critical role in fighting for living wages, fair work rules and hiring practices, “just cause” protection of employment, and safe working conditions. Workers have a right to a secure retirement. Social Security and Medicare benefits must continue to provide economic security for all Americans. To keep Social Security strong, we should raise or remove the cap on taxable income. Government policies should promote the development of businesses that employ local workers, boost the local economy, and process locally produced materials. Trade agreements should promote better jobs, fair treatment of workers, and equitable environmental protections for all the participating countries. The growing gap between the very rich and the rest of us threatens peace and prosperity for all. Government policies, including progressive taxation, should reduce this inequity. The financial industry must be regulated and corporate law revised to promote economic fairness and stability.
EDUCATION
Every student has a right to free and excellent public schooling through community college. Our schools must have sufficient, equitable, and stable public funding to ensure a high-quality education and full curriculum for every student. All publicly funded schools and educational programs must be held accountable to the same academic and professional standards. Debt-free post-secondary education should be possible for all qualified students. Public monies must not be used to fund private schools.
HEALTH COMMUNITIES
All Americans should have the right to comprehensive mental and physical health-care services, regardless of ability to pay. We must protect our society’s social safety net. Children, the sick, the disabled, the elderly, and other vulnerable members of society must be protected from neglect and abuse. We must support active and veteran service members, including reservists and members of the Oregon National Guard, and military families, in their medical, housing, educational, and employment needs. We must address the shortages of affordable housing in our state and local communities. Public health and food-safety laws must be protected. Genetically engineered crops require extreme care in testing, regulation, and citizen review, and full disclosure in labeling.
IMMIGRATION
U.S. immigration policies should be free of religious, racial, cultural, or sexual bias, and should favor refugees from disaster and violence. Law-abiding long-term undocumented residents should have access to schools, courts, and medical care and a path to legal residency and citizenship. Deportation policies should be humane and fair, and the business of deportation should not be privatized or operated for profit. Local police agencies should not be used to enforce national immigration laws.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
People have a right to equal treatment before the law, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and physical ability. Police should treat people with respect, and use deadly force only as a last resort. Police officers should be held to the highest professional standards that emphasize nonviolent methods of conflict resolution. Mandatory minimum prison sentences should be eliminated. Judges should have discretion to apply sentences based on the unique circumstances of each offender, crime, and victim. Alternatives to incarceration should be available for nonviolent offenders. Reforms are needed to reduce cruel and unfair prison practices and the imprisonment of innocent people. Inmates should have opportunities for education and job training. Rehabilitation works best when offenders are reintegrated into the community with support and supervision. The death penalty and private prisons should be eliminated.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We must invest in efficient, safe, and clean transportation systems and a national infrastructure improvement program. Taxpayers should pay for public infrastructure improvements, so that the people, and not private corporations, own and control the infrastructure. We must maintain net neutrality and equitable access to the Internet.
ECOLOGY AND ENERGY
We must leave a healthy planet for future generations. Everyone has a right to clean air, water, and land. Government policies should promote energy conservation and the use of environmentally sustainable energy sources, with the goal of reversing global climate change. Our environmental protection laws must be strengthened and enforced. The United States must adhere to goals established at the international climate summits.
LAND USE
Laws must support the conservation of our farm and forest lands. Our public lands must not be sold; federal lands should be kept under federal control, and state lands under state control. State forests should be managed for wildlife and watershed protection and for public recreation as well as for timber income. Our public lands must not be privatized. Oregon coastal regions should not be developed for the export of fossil fuels. Policies should facilitate the building of affordable housing.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Our national security is based on a healthy, balanced economy, energy independence, disaster preparedness, and the integrity of the United States as a world-leading democracy. The United States is strongest when acting as a respected member of the international community. The United States should honor its treaties, including those with sovereign Native American tribes. The United States should abide by the Geneva Conventions (especially regarding torture, rendition, indefinite detention without charges, and extra-judicial executions).
FAIR ELECTIONS
Campaign finance laws should prevent undue influence of corporations and the wealthy in our elections. The concept of corporate personhood should be rejected and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision overturned. Votes should be recorded and counted with full transparency. The Oregon voting model, including vote-by-mail and motor-voter registration, should be adopted nationally. The U.S. president should be elected by popular vote rather than by the Electoral College. The manipulation of elections through gerrymandering must be ended.
OPEN GOVERNMENT
Effective public oversight of our government requires easy access to governmental documents and proceedings. All government meetings should be held in ADA-compliant buildings.
The Linn County Democratic Central Committee is the party of all who believe in working together for the common good. Our positions are as follows.
EQUAL RIGHTS
All people, regardless of race, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation, national origin, political philosophy, or level of ability, have the right to participate in all aspects of public life. Our constitutional rights and freedoms, including the right to assemble peacefully, the right to free speech, and freedom from unlawful surveillance, search, and seizure, must be protected. Our religious freedom depends on the separation of church and state.
JOBS AND THE ECONOMY
Workers deserve living wages. All workers, public and private, have the right to organize for collective bargaining free of intimidation and coercion. Labor unions have a critical role in fighting for living wages, fair work rules and hiring practices, “just cause” protection of employment, and safe working conditions. Workers have a right to a secure retirement. Social Security and Medicare benefits must continue to provide economic security for all Americans. To keep Social Security strong, we should raise or remove the cap on taxable income. Government policies should promote the development of businesses that employ local workers, boost the local economy, and process locally produced materials. Trade agreements should promote better jobs, fair treatment of workers, and equitable environmental protections for all the participating countries. The growing gap between the very rich and the rest of us threatens peace and prosperity for all. Government policies, including progressive taxation, should reduce this inequity. The financial industry must be regulated and corporate law revised to promote economic fairness and stability.
EDUCATION
Every student has a right to free and excellent public schooling through community college. Our schools must have sufficient, equitable, and stable public funding to ensure a high-quality education and full curriculum for every student. All publicly funded schools and educational programs must be held accountable to the same academic and professional standards. Debt-free post-secondary education should be possible for all qualified students. Public monies must not be used to fund private schools.
HEALTH COMMUNITIES
All Americans should have the right to comprehensive mental and physical health-care services, regardless of ability to pay. We must protect our society’s social safety net. Children, the sick, the disabled, the elderly, and other vulnerable members of society must be protected from neglect and abuse. We must support active and veteran service members, including reservists and members of the Oregon National Guard, and military families, in their medical, housing, educational, and employment needs. We must address the shortages of affordable housing in our state and local communities. Public health and food-safety laws must be protected. Genetically engineered crops require extreme care in testing, regulation, and citizen review, and full disclosure in labeling.
IMMIGRATION
U.S. immigration policies should be free of religious, racial, cultural, or sexual bias, and should favor refugees from disaster and violence. Law-abiding long-term undocumented residents should have access to schools, courts, and medical care and a path to legal residency and citizenship. Deportation policies should be humane and fair, and the business of deportation should not be privatized or operated for profit. Local police agencies should not be used to enforce national immigration laws.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
People have a right to equal treatment before the law, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and physical ability. Police should treat people with respect, and use deadly force only as a last resort. Police officers should be held to the highest professional standards that emphasize nonviolent methods of conflict resolution. Mandatory minimum prison sentences should be eliminated. Judges should have discretion to apply sentences based on the unique circumstances of each offender, crime, and victim. Alternatives to incarceration should be available for nonviolent offenders. Reforms are needed to reduce cruel and unfair prison practices and the imprisonment of innocent people. Inmates should have opportunities for education and job training. Rehabilitation works best when offenders are reintegrated into the community with support and supervision. The death penalty and private prisons should be eliminated.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We must invest in efficient, safe, and clean transportation systems and a national infrastructure improvement program. Taxpayers should pay for public infrastructure improvements, so that the people, and not private corporations, own and control the infrastructure. We must maintain net neutrality and equitable access to the Internet.
ECOLOGY AND ENERGY
We must leave a healthy planet for future generations. Everyone has a right to clean air, water, and land. Government policies should promote energy conservation and the use of environmentally sustainable energy sources, with the goal of reversing global climate change. Our environmental protection laws must be strengthened and enforced. The United States must adhere to goals established at the international climate summits.
LAND USE
Laws must support the conservation of our farm and forest lands. Our public lands must not be sold; federal lands should be kept under federal control, and state lands under state control. State forests should be managed for wildlife and watershed protection and for public recreation as well as for timber income. Our public lands must not be privatized. Oregon coastal regions should not be developed for the export of fossil fuels. Policies should facilitate the building of affordable housing.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Our national security is based on a healthy, balanced economy, energy independence, disaster preparedness, and the integrity of the United States as a world-leading democracy. The United States is strongest when acting as a respected member of the international community. The United States should honor its treaties, including those with sovereign Native American tribes. The United States should abide by the Geneva Conventions (especially regarding torture, rendition, indefinite detention without charges, and extra-judicial executions).
FAIR ELECTIONS
Campaign finance laws should prevent undue influence of corporations and the wealthy in our elections. The concept of corporate personhood should be rejected and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision overturned. Votes should be recorded and counted with full transparency. The Oregon voting model, including vote-by-mail and motor-voter registration, should be adopted nationally. The U.S. president should be elected by popular vote rather than by the Electoral College. The manipulation of elections through gerrymandering must be ended.
OPEN GOVERNMENT
Effective public oversight of our government requires easy access to governmental documents and proceedings. All government meetings should be held in ADA-compliant buildings.