I. INTRODUCTION
The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the United States and in the State of Wyoming, but we do not look to the past. We do not fear change. Rather, we proudly seek progress. We work for the good of our fellow citizens and proudly proclaim that "We are the party of the people, by the people, and for the people". In carrying out this mandate, we dedicate this Platform and our Part to the following principles:
1. Economic advancement for all of Wyoming citizens;
2. A quality education for all of Wyoming's citizens;
3. Civil and constitutional rights for all of Wyoming Citizens;
4. Environmental protection and improvement for all Wyoming citizens; and
5. Necessary social services for all Wyoming's citizens. We cannot achieve these goals unless we elect more Democrats to the legislature, to county, statewide, and national offices. Therefore, as Laramie County and Wyoming Democrats, we pledge our effort, our time, our labor, and our support to all Democratic candidates. We know that with their election our goals will be met, our principles advanced, and Laramie County and Wyoming made a better place for all.
As we go forward in this important election year, the Laramie County Democratic Party will do everything necessary, will fight every battle, and will take whatever steps necessary to achieve our goals. Each of us must do our part. AU of us must work together. If we do, the Laramie County Democratic Party and the Wyoming Democratic Party will lead Wyoming into a strong, vibrant, growing, and progressive state. We cannot fail we can do no less. Commendations:
The Laramie County Democratic Party commends the efforts of its active members, especially those holding public office.
Elections:
The Laramie County Democratic Party continues to encourage its members to seek elective office at the local, state, and national levels.
Local:
The Laramie County Democratic Party appreciates the impact and importance of holding local and county offices. To that end, we encourage and will support in the 2008 general election all Democratic candidates for such offices.
Legislative:
The Laramie County Democratic Party recognizes that the welfare and development of the State of Wyoming are dependent upon the viability and strength of a two-party system. We, therefore, encourage and will support Democratic candidates for statewide offices and legislative seats in Senate and House.
National:
The Laramie County Democratic Party will support Democratic candidates for the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate. We commit ourselves to develop the resources necessary to accomplish this goal. II. WYOMING'S ECONOMY AND THE WORKPLACE.
We, the members of the Democratic Party of Laramie County, Wyoming, believe that a strong, growing economy provides citizens with the great American promise of a better life for all who work for it. We believe this opportunity starts with a good job. We will offer the citizens of Laramie County an economic plan that will put the creation and retention of high paying, career-oriented jobs at the forefront of the agenda. We recognize that a healthy Wyoming economy cannot be developed without a coordinated partnership between the public and private sectors. We recognize that a healthy economy is dependent on our ability to broaden and diversify our economic opportunities, by emphasizing well paying jobs with full-benefits, rather than job creation that exploits our citizens through low wages with poor or no benefits. With these principles in mind, we support the following positions and take the following stands: 1. We strongly support the creation of good paying jobs. Two of the best ways to accomplish this critical task are to offer economic incentives and to expand opportunities for small businesses ,and entrepreneurs. Economic incentives should include new enterprise tax credits that provide significant tax exclusions for those who take risks by making long-term investments in small businesses, and targeted investment tax credits to encourage investment in new technologies and production equipment in Wyoming.
2. We must foster economic development and job growth to improve our business climate. We believe the private sector, not government is the engine of economic growth and job creation. Government's responsibility is to create an environment that will promote private sector investment, foster vigorous competition, and strengthen the foundations of an innovative economy. We also support policies that will promote socially and environmentally responsible job creation.
3. We strongly support the concepts of majority rule and a relationship between workers and employers that is open and free. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of collective bargaining for the public sector and support passage of legislation that creates the right for all public employees in Wyoming to elect to collectively bargain over pay, benefits, and working conditions.
4. We deplore the hypocrisy of promoting democracy and democratic institutions abroad, while forbidding the exercise of democracy in our state's workplace through the "Right to Work" law. In support of building Wyoming's economy and the values of our democratic society, we support the repeal of Wyoming's "Right to Work" law.
5. To maintain local economic and community opportunities for gainful employment, we urge the state legislature to strengthen and improve Wyoming's prevailing wage laws to include all city, county, school districts, colleges and any publicly funded projects. We further encourage the retention of the National Davis-Bacon .Act and the effective enforcement of both Wyoming's prevailing wage laws and Davis-Bacon Act.
6. We recognize that more Wyoming workers are struggling with poverty and finding that their wages are below the self sufficiency standard. Many families are unable to afford food, housing, child care, health insurance and transportation without working multiple jobs and/or seeking public assistance. In order for Wyoming workers to receive adequate wages, we urge passage of legislation to establish a Wyoming Living Wage and we Urge efforts to increase the Federal Minimum Wage.
7. We support elimination of tip credit reduction of minimum wage eared by certain employees in Wyoming.
8. The expectation off air treatment of workers and due process is critical to building a competent and stable workforce. We therefore condemn Wyoming's "employment at will' doctrine and urge passage of laws requiring just cause for job termination or discipline of Wyoming workers.
9. We reject discrimination in any form in the workplace. We urge the legislature to enact laws providing for gender equity in pay and call upon both public and private sector employers to commit to equal pay for equal work.
10. We recognize that privatization of public services will lead to degraded services, lower wages and benefits, and the loss of control of public services by the people. Therefore, we oppose privatization of public services.
11. We support legislation that will provide sufficient increases in revenue to allow the state, cities, counties and school districts to provide the services required by Wyoming citizens. Adequate funding levels in Wyoming can be maintained by the assessment of a fair tax structure for citizens, businesses, and extraction industries, along with stringent enforcement of tax collection.
12. Many corporations and businesses maximize their profits without passing along benefits and wage increases to their employees. Additionally, recent highly publicized corporate ethics problems have highlighted the need for a "Code of Corporate Responsibility." We favor legislation that would discourage corporations and businesses operating in Wyoming from pursuing gains at the expense of employees, the community, and the environment.
III. EDUCATION
The Laramie County Democratic Party insists that a democratic form of government requires an educated citizenry. All Wyoming citizens share the responsibility of providing a practical and meaningful education system, not only to enhance individual lives, but also to promote an informed and able workforce as well as literate, informed voters. We believe that the "No Child Left Behind" . . ("NCLB") law is unconstitutional because the authority to determine education standards.
We, the members of the Democratic Party of Laramie County, Wyoming, believe education is the key to acquiring economic security, developing individual freedom, and restoring community hope. Laramie County Democrats believe all people are entitled to a free and affordable public education
which enables them to achieve their highest potential. We support the strengthening of the public education system, from pre-school through post-secondary levels, in order to prepare future generations to meet the challenges ahead. Education is a key investment in the future; hence~ we affirm the following: 1. A permanent, stable, and equitable source of funding must be put in place to provide for student needs, an educational environment that promotes the best possible academic results, staff development, and employee compensation and benefits.
2. A school capital construction system that is fully funded and constitutional for all public schools must also allow construction of schools reflecting the unique needs of each community.
3. The educational environment must be free from fear and bias for both students and employees.
4. Affordable and accessible early childhood education must be provided.
5. Small class sizes, low student/teacher ratios, and low computer/student ratios are necessary for quality education.
6. . Appropriate provisions must be made for all Wyoming students including at-risk, challenged, and high achieving students.
7. Post-secondary and lifelong education must be readily available to all. Need based loans and financial loans for such education must be made available
the right for all public employees in Wyoming to elect to collectively bargain over pay, benefits, and working conditions.
8. Salaries must be nationally competitive in order to attract and retain quality educators.
9. Maintenance of certification standards for teachers, administrators, and specialists will promote quality instruction for all students.
10. An external cost adjustment, based on accurate and current inflation factors, must be made each budget year.
11. Public money must not be diverted to private schools through vouchers or tuition tax credit plan. We recognize the progress our community and educators made in recent years coping with an underfunded, federally mandated program. We want to restore the right to govern our education policies locally. Additionally, we want to recognize the great strides our educators make and want to increase their ability to continue this improvement by providing them with the finances and resources they need to continue this improvement. With this in mind, the Laramie County Democrats view the following areas as significant policy issues related to education for the coming term:
A. ACCOUNTABILITY:
The Laramie County Democratic Party supports the repeal of the "No Child Left Behind" law in favor of local and state control for determining the accountability and assessment of our schools, to include: i. Diverse instructions and measurements of achievement;
ii. Abolishing the use of "high stakes" testing as the sole determinant of individual, group, or institution success;
iii. Elimination of sanctions and penalties based on student standardized assessment achievement
IV. Opposition to testing that encourages and rewards curriculums which "teach the test." As an alternative, we favor diagnostic tools which determine where the
administration needs additional support and resources to develop a quality educational program.
B. ACCESSIBILITY:
We believe in the potential of every child. Because education in the earliest years of a child's life is critical, we will expand and improve preschool and Head Start initiatives with the goal of offering these opportunities to all children. We will promote educational opportunities tailored to the individual talents of our children in order to achieve the highest potential for all students, while improving the graduation rates of our students without sacrificing high expectations. Access to an equal education is a fundamental right of every individual. Because the strength of our nation demands highly educated individuals, every child who wants to go to college should be given this opportunity. We strongly support the Hathaway Scholarship and Education Merit Scholarship. C. FUNDING:
We support adequate, long-term funding to accommodate our accelerating student enrollment. We must establish a long-term system of funding for desperately needed remodeling and replacing of current structures in Laramie County and streamline the process for making these improvements. We support providing for provisions to enable collective bargaining for all public education and higher education employees. We oppose attempts to arbitrarily include educators in the state's health insurance program. We encourage the use of collective bargaining to allow them to have the choice to retain their current health insurance program.
D. RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND COMPENSATION:
As the cornerstone of the educational process, faculty wages must reflect their true value to society. Therefore, we support compensation which at least equals the national average for educators and includes inflationary figures. Educators should be empowered to maintain a safe and disciplined teaching environment without fear of retaliation. E. LOCAL CONTROL:
Educators must be treated as professionals and must be given the autonomy necessary to develop and revise curriculums that enhance the learning of their
students. Curriculum determinations should be local and not be dictated by the State Department of Education or the Legislature. Laramie County Democrats favor the use of locally determined graduation assessments. These assessments should have clear and explicit rationale, should be developed in partnership with parent advisory committees, and must be based on the knowledge presented in our school system.
F. CIVIL & CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS:
Laramie County Democrats support the elimination of graduation "endorsements." We view these labels as an unnecessary and irrelevant branding. In order to promote tolerance and a better understanding of freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, we support courses in our schools which cover cultural differences. We support the separation of church and state within the school system and oppose requiring student participation in any religious activity or placing the burden of refusal on the student. We also supp0t!.the policy that no student shall be denied the right to participate in any activity at a public school based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, handicap, or national origin.
IV. HEALTH AND SOCIAL ISSUES
The Laramie County Democratic party believes we must strengthen and expand programs to protect the medical and social well-being of all Wyoming's citizens, Therefore, we support the following: 1. Public funding for a single, universal health care system;
2. The freedom of reproductive rights, regardless of socioeconomic status, as well as free and equal access to confidential family planning as a vital component of health care, which includes fact based, age-appropriate sexual education;
3. Making affordable child care a priority by securing an equitable health care system that ensures ,economic stability for families and provides for senior citizens, the economically disadvantaged, and our most "at-risk" citizens;
4. Public funding for research, education and prevention of all diseases, including the imperative role that stem cell research plays in finding cures; 5. Prohibiting discrimination in health care services,vmedical insurance coverage, and research.
6. Including contraceptive methods in medical coverage;
7. Catastrophic medical insurance coverage for the uninsured;
8. Private, public and corporate cooperation in providing coverage to those currently without health.insurance;
9. Portability of coverage;
10. Safety within the health care system and 'avoidance of errors;
11. Public understanding and education of the health care system, including access to care, how physicians are reimbursed, services available in Wyoming, and expectations from the health care system;
13. Continuing education and proper licensure and oversight of our valued healthcare workers
14. Educating and encouraging new health care workers including providing scholarships and incentives and properly funding such programs;
15. Comprehensive programs for education, treatment and rehabilitation for prevention of the adverse impacts of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse.
16. Proper funding of programs for research, prevention and rehabilitation on clinical, social and issues of domestic violence relating to Wyoming families and other interpersonal relationships, including shelters for victims, treatment programs and appropriate law enforcement training.
17. Strong legislation to fully support public radio and television and provide funding of the visual, performing, and literary arts;
18. Recognizing both the quality of life and economic impact the arts have on Wyoming's citizens and encouraging the Arts Council to develop additional public/private initiatives to fund and develop Wyoming artists.
19. The individual's right to equality comes before the state's right to discriminate;
20. Equal protection under the law for "nontraditional" components of extant, long-term domestic partnerships so as to share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of civil unions;
21. Every person having undeniable ownership of their own genetic profile and that such can not be shared without prior explicit permission;
22. Making affordable licensed childcare a priority;
23. The Governor's initiative on children and families which will:
a. consider development of mechanisms to employ the use of public and private resources in an efficient manner to meet the needs of children and families;
b. include life span recommendations, including, in particular, prenatal and early childhood intervention and development practices that promote meaningful lifetime changes and minimize delays in life skills development;
c. review the current judicial system and make recommendations for reforms that may enable courts to better meet the needs of children and families;
d. examine how schools, community organizations, state agencies, and the judicial system can work more closely together to enhance a sharing of resources and information to meet the needs of parents, preschool children, and elementary and secondary school students;
e. examine causes of the most serious problems facing children and families, including poverty, mental health needs, violence, the lack of adequate health care, the use of tobacco, illegal drugs and alcohol abuse;
f. examine issues of parental accountability;
g. encourage and support family stability;
h. review the state's existing efforts to determine where present funding and human resources could be employed in a more client-centered and efficient manner; 24. We continue to support the First Lady's Initiative on underage drinking;
V. AGRICULTURE
The Laramie County Democratic Party recognizes that the United States' and Wyoming's agricultural sector is vital to our country's and state's balance of trade and economic strength. We therefore support the following:
1. Increased investment in scientific agricultural research to maintain the United States and Wyoming's preeminence in agricultural productivity and development, including research agriculturally based fuels;
2. Prohibiting the feeding of animal bi-products to livestock;
3. Agreements between the United States Department of Agriculture and farmers' organizations to:
a. allow farmers to reduce their dependence on federal price support programs;
b. promote better access to foreign markets for American agricultural products;
c. improve current international agricultural trading systems to strengthen American agriculture.
4. Multiple use of our public lands for both productive agricultural purposes and for other uses;
5. United States' and Wyoming's agricultural programs and policies that aid, benefit, and support small family farm and ranch operations;
6. Full implementation of the Federal Packers and Stockyards Act and the strengthening of anti-trust enforcement in the agricultural industry;
7. Vocational education in the public schools that provide for generations of educated agriculturalists and workers in Wyoming;
8. Prohibiting governmental promotion of bioengineering plants and animal
9. Laws preventing agricultural companies from suing farmers for accidentally planting bioengineered products; 10. Full funding and support for the federal Country of Origin Labeling Act;
11. Protecting private property rights;
12. Laws that protect landowners from the trespass by coal bed methane and oil and gas drilling companies;
13. Labeling of genetically engineered agricultural products;
VI. INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL RELATIONS
In order to promote a more just, equitable, and orderly world, both within and without of the United States, we support the following:
1. The United States rejoining the community of nations and reestablishing our position as a positive role model for free and democratic societies;
2. Making multilateral diplomacy the cornerstone of our foreign policy - including, but is not limited to, the United States' continued membership and active participation in the United Nations, including payment of all dues;
3. Pursing all foreign policy objectives within the bounds of international law;
4. Using United States military force only when all other options have been exhausted while securing the broadest international cooperation possible;
5. Basing our relationships with other nations on a shared commitment to justice and human rights rather than short-term economic or strategic objectives;
6. Prohibiting the development of tactical nuclear weapons such as the "bunker buster," currently under development - these low-yield weapons greatly increase the likelihood that the nuclear threshold will be crossed in even minor conflicts;
7. A comprehensive international agreement limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Free and open trade with all countries who share our commitment to justice. human rights, fair labor practices, and environmental standards;
9. Including environmental and labor standards and ensuring reciprocity in all future trade agreements;
10. Laws protecting citizens from identity theft;
11. Making sales tax relief on food items permanent;
12. Attacking the root causes of terrorism by working to resolve the historic disputes that foster hatred between peoples of various faiths, ethnic groups and social classes;
13. Recognizing that military force has an important, but limited role in the complex struggle against terrorism;
14. Encouraging the active cooperation of international law enforcement and intelligence agencies;
Civil liberties and due process as defining elements of our system of government which must not be sacrificed, even for the sake of security;
16. .Adequately funding state and local first-responders;
VII ENVIRONMENT
In order to promote a healthy and sustainable environment for ourselves and our posterity, we support the following:
1. Wyoming Constitutional requirement that the state maximize revenues on state trust lands for the benefit of all our citizens;
2. Prohibiting the sale or swap of state lands without adequate public notice of the details of such arrangements;
3. Effective enforcement of state and federal environmental laws and efforts to protect and enhance Wyoming's valuable natural resources of clean air, water and unspoiled landscape through improved compliance with Wyoming's environmental laws and prevention of pollution.
4. Development of coal bed methane resources, with protection for our surface property rights and the environment, especially the quantity and quality of Wyoming' s water and mitigation of impacts to local communities.
5. Stewardship of our national parks, monuments and wildlife refuges and full access to public lands, minimizing additional roads in our national parks and forests and maintaining roadless areas on public lands.
6. Establishing an adequate state fund to aggressively clean up abandoned and contaminated sites.
7. The voluntary remediation of contaminated sites provided that any cleanup fully protects the public health and welfare;
8. Repealing Wyoming's self-audit law because state agencies have reported no use of this law that has furthered the goal of environmental remediation;
9. Establishing incentives for recycling and the use of recycled materials;
10. The development of a comprehensive energy policy, with protection of diverse ecological resources, higher fuel economy standards, and other efforts to enhance conservation and promotion of alternative energy production, including dean coal technology, and renewable energy such as wind, solar and bio-fuels;
11. Stricter regulations and enforcement for factory hog facilities and large cattle feedlots to eliminate odor and adverse effects on water quality;
12. The use of quiet and clean snowmobiles in our public parks and on our public lands;
13. Full access to all public lands and waters of the State of Wyoming;
14. Reasonable local water conservation measures to combat the continuing drought;
15. Cooperation between the State of Wyoming and the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the wolf population within the state;
16. Water aquifer protection plans
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