2008 Marion County Democratic Platform

Statement of Principles

The Democrats of Marion County proudly identify themselves with the great Democratic ideals passed down to us:
Thomas Jefferson’s vision of the U.S. as the land of opportunity;
Andrew Jackson’s conviction of the worth of ordinary citizens; and that citizens are responsible for taking care of their freedoms;
Franklin Roosevelt’s leadership in ending the great republican recession;
Harry Truman’s courage and common sense, ushering in 25 years of prosperity unmatched in American history;
John F. Kennedy’s belief in the Peace Corps, his pioneering ideas in space exploration and the new technology that came with it;
Lyndon B. Johnson’s advancement of civil rights and the Great Society to work towards equality; and
Jimmy Carter’s foresight on matters of the environment.
Bill Clinton’s intelligence which supported the technological revolution and showed that peace can bring about prosperity

In their spirit, we identify the following guiding principles for the election of 2008 and the years to follow:

• commitment to freedom, responsibility, and equal rights to each citizen;

• an emphasis on candidates who will work for the good of all the people;

• commitment to fair campaign financing;

• commitment to balancing the budget in ways that share the impact fairly, rather than making any demographic carry an inequitable share;

• commitment to reducing the national debt;

• commitment to maintain and strengthen laws providing for clean air, clean water, and the conservation of natural resources;

• commitment to an economic structure that generates high quality jobs, while securing jobs for all working people;

• commitment to available and affordable quality child care;

• belief in and support of educational opportunities for all people;

• support for competent, caring, and enthusiastic teachers who are well-prepared and equitably compensated;

• support for adequate income and quality, accessible, affordable health care for every citizen including protection and improvement of Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid;

• support for public education and healthcare for all people

• support for clean air and water, conservation and recreation

• commitment to America’s historic role as a world leader, in cooperation with the world community, to search for a just peace in troubled parts of the world.

Issues Section

International Affairs

1. We support the international community in their efforts to improve the quality of life for all people
2. We favor efforts to solve international conflicts peacefully, and work with the world community, before committing the United States to military intervention.
3. We favor normalization of relations with all nations.
4. We support ratification of the treaty banning the use of land mines.
5. We support the reduction of nuclear weapons.
6. We support including workers’ core civil rights, and environmental protection in all trade agreements.
7. We urge world leaders to stop genocide in Darfur.
8. We support restoration of traditional rights of Habeas Corpus and the Geneva Convention

Agriculture

9. We favor funding only those economic development programs that bring in good paying, safe jobs without making rural areas dumping grounds for waste and pollution.
10. Because family farms and the small farmer struggle to compete economically, we support research for new uses for our crops, and research into value-added and inventive agriculture.
11. We recommend further research into the health effects of CAFOs
12. We continue support for efforts to open world markets to Iowa’s crops but urge support local, sustainable agriculture.
13. We support country of origin labeling.
14. We support promotion of organic agriculture.
15. Because citizens of Iowa may have respiratory conditions such as asthma we recommend mandatory notification of citizens when airborne applications of chemicals will take place.

Environment

16. We support full funding for the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program.
17. We support the protection of our natural environment; we believe we must protect our parks.
18. We urge that a common sense approach be used for any business or users of the national parks that will fairly reimburse the public with fee collection used to preserve and operate our national parks.
19. We support expanding the Container Redemption Law
20. We support prohibiting the sale of MTBE in Iowa.
21. We encourage the marketing of ethanol blended gasoline and soy bio-diesel and increased fuel economy standards for automobiles and trucks.
22. We support developing alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and other renewable resources including cellulose based ethanol and lihd crops.
23. We urge the government to support all climate treaties and to take steps to reduce greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
24. We support Clean Water initiatives including proper disposal of pharmaceuticals.
25. We support incentives to develop public transportation.
26. We support the repeal of tax breaks to oil companies enacted in August 2005.

Government

27. We support changing NAFTA from free trade to fair trade.
28. We demand that the federal government and its agencies stop politicizing and censoring scientific research.
29. We support the control of the United State’s borders. We support equitable funding to support securing our port, water supplies and infrastructure
30. We favor federal, state, county, and municipal limits on discriminatory tax breaks, including special bond issues, and other economic incentives offered by states or communities to lure new businesses or industries.
31. We support very limited use of Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) and other tax abatement schemes. In consideration of TIFs and other creative tax abatement schemes the businesses that are the recipient of those tax advantages must have a contract with the local government clearly stating what benefits will be provided to the local community. When those benefits are not achieved we strongly urge local government to take all necessary legal action to recover the lost tax revenue from the contracted business.
32. We oppose the privatization of government services.
33. We favor reforming campaign financing, including public campaign funds, spending limits, and the elimination of loopholes.
34. We favor requiring judges standing for election or re-election to present voters with a summary of their legal background and judicial record at least 90 days before the election date.
35. We favor rebuilding our infrastructure on a local, state and national level.
36. We ask that the Patriot Act be immediately repealed.
37. We support that all lobbyist activities with any government officials be made a part of the public record.
38. We support the elimination of the current rollback system that undermines valuation of property tax value for incorporated municipalities.
39. We support ending Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and support cuts for the lower and middle class. We support deficit reduction and balanced budgets.

Human Resources

40. We favor strengthening consumer protection including of all pension and retirement funds to insure their integrity and payment of benefits.
41. We favor maintaining or increasing funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
42. We support access to quality, affordable childcare.
43. We support the preservation, strengthening, but not the privatization, of Social Security to ensure the long-term financial stability of the program.
44. We support immigration laws that encourage and promote citizenship for law-abiding people, documentation of workers, a guest worker program and possible dual citizenship.

Health Care

45. We believe Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement should be equitable for all medical services regardless of the area of the country.
46. We support considering a limit on direct advertising to consumers of pharmaceuticals.
47. We believe the federal government should not limit states’ rights to negotiate for reasonable drug prices.
48. We believe quality health care should be affordable and accessible to all.
49. We support providing our Veterans with quality medical services.
50. We support parity for mental health services and insurance reimbursement.
51. We support funding to provide family planning services including education, information about sexual health, and contraceptives and reproductive health care for adult low-income women.
52. We support stem cell research.
53. We support universal heath care including mental health care.
54. We support investing in and training more nurses and technicians in the healthcare field including home healthcare and efforts to keep health professional in Iowa and rural Iowa.

Education

55. We opposed diverting public money from public schools to fund vouchers; tuition tax credits; or for profit education business.
56. We support universal pre-school and increased funding of Head Start and similar programs.
57. We favor the adoption of rules that allow school districts the ability to design and carry out innovative or alternative plans for educating all of their students. This could include change in curriculum, instruction, or school organization.
58. We support the continued funding of technology programs providing students the opportunity for distance learning and access to information.
59. We urge the immediate repeal of the No Child Left Behind initiative.
60. We support the continuation of the Direct Lending program and all other grant programs to assist qualified students with funding post secondary education.
61. We support changing the threshold for passage of bond issues to 50% + 1 if the repayment of the bonds is accomplished through a combination of income and property taxes.
62. We support increased state funding of educational school buildings and other school infrastructure.
63. We support fully funding any state or federal mandates for all educational programs.
64. We support establishment of quality programs with measurable standards in math, science, social sciences, fine arts and physical education classes including additional teachers to ensure smaller classes and wider opportunity for advanced classes in high school.

Civil Affairs

65. We favor reviewing and revising the penal system to accomplish two purposes: to rehabilitate as many offenders as possible through education and training and to securely incarcerate violent criminals safely, adequately and humanely.
66. We affirm the right of all individuals to determine if and when to become parents. We oppose all efforts of government that would restrict access to reproductive services or intrude upon our privacy including parental notification requirements.
67. We resist all government intervention into our private lives.
68. We support the enforcement and collection of financial support from non-custodial parents.
69. We believe that all existing gun laws should be strictly enforced.
70. We support full funding for VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act). We also support the restoration of a line item in the Iowa Budget and state permanent stable funding for services to crime victims in Iowa.
71. We believe the death penalty should not be part of the justice system.
72. We support the rights of workers to organize without interference from employers.
73. We encourage the appropriate use of the VA hospital in Knoxville, possibly as a senior center or geriatric hospital.
74. We believe that society has an interest in fostering stable, committed relationships, and that same-sex couples should have a right to the benefits and responsibilities of civil union

On February 28th about 60 people braved the elements and icy roads to attend the “Tough Issues-Let’s Talk” forum about MARION County Confinement Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Featured speakers were Aaron Putze, Executive Director of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, a group supported by the pork corn and cattle industries and Farm Bureau and Francis Thicke, a former USDA scientist with who holds a doctorate in Agronomy and Soil Fertility. He operates an organic dairy near Fairfield.

Mr. Putze was the first to speak. He waxed eloquent about Iowa being a state in which 90% of the land is farmed. He mentioned Sioux County as being the place in Iowa with the most livestock. A map of Iowa showed Sioux county full of CAFO sites. He said that CAFOs are opportunities for farmers to grow and prosper. His job is to help farmers set up CAFOs and pick sites that will minimize environmental damage and bad feelings among neighbors. He showed photos of happy farmers and their animals. In one photo, a cute piglet was sniffing a farmer’s sleeve. The person next to me wrote me a note “Are you a vegetarian?” I wrote back “No but suddenly I’m seriously considering it.”
Dr. Thicke talked about the problems that we get when many of one type of plant or animal are grown or raised exclusively in an area. This is called monoculture and “we have to work hard to make a monoculture because nature loves diversity.” He talked about growing various grasses and legumes on farms to go with nature instead of against her. He showed photos of his cows and their manure full of earthworms. He contrasted this with sewage lagoons on CAFOs that are anaerobic (without air) and a breeding ground for antibiotic resistant bacteria. And sometimes they leak. He said that CAFOs contribute to asthma. He pointed out that CAFOs are not ecologically sound and a poor way to develop the economy.
So far there was not much common ground. Then the crowd was allowed to ask questions. There was a surprising amount of anger directed at Mr. Putze. One former farmer recalled how she loved her animals and raised them tenderly. She contrasted this with animals in CAFOs. “Having pigs locked in gestation cages and not seeing the light of day. What does treating animals this way do to our humanity?” she asked. A man in the crowd invited her and others to come and visit his CAFO to see how well the animals are treated. Other people made comments about having a CAFO next door such as “I’m sick.” “My quality of life is ruined. I can’t sell my house”. “It reeks.” Many people asked, ”What can you do to help us, Mr. Putz?” I asked him a question about antibiotic resistance and how it has been linked to antibiotics in livestock. People need a prescription for antibiotics but farm animals do not. Nobody got a clear answer.
Finally Phyllis Weeks, chair of Marion County Democrats suggested common ground might be to increase CAFO distances. This could be done by supporting HF 873. I noticed that not one elected official was at the forum. Or if they were, I didn’t see them. Two candidates for office, Jerry Welden and Pat Van Zante were in attendance. Mr. Putz said that there are air filters that can be put on CAFO units and Dr. Thick said that these work quite well. Another person suggested mandatory tree breaks between CAFOs and other living lings. Local control was also suggested as something desirable.
I came away feeling that things could be done to reach common ground, but that our elected officials don’t care enough to do anything about it. These CAFOs can impact quality of life and our reliance on monoculture is not good for our future. In the mean time, people are getting angry and as one person pointed out, “When people don’t have voices, they resort to violence.” As I left the meeting, people stayed behind to argue about the issue in the hallways. A person who raises cattle told me that he uses much less antibiotics these days. That was comforting. But I’m still considering vegetarianism as an option.
A month later I traveled to North Carolina. Most highways are lined with trees. Returning to Iowa and the stripped bare agricultural land littered with deer bones and other thawing road kill was just plain depressing. Ninety percent agricultural land is not all that attractive. Maybe we can do better here in Iowa and get some economic diversity. Economic monoculture is very unattractive to citizens and investors.

I’m not trying to be funny with that title. Today I finally saw Joe Biden and he talked about taking action and it stuck in my head.
Joe Biden has a lot of spirit and sass. He supports National Health care and says that the cost of health care hurts our economy. Since gas reached $100 a barrel today he talked about why, explaining that it is due to unrest in Kenya and “people betting on catastrophe”. He says that ending the war will settle nerves and bring prices down. A former public defender he opposed Roberts and Alito on the Supreme Court and can’t wait to debate the GOP because he will “eat those guys alive.” Biden has been in the senate since he was 29 years old. One of his favorite pieces of legislation is the Violence Against Women Act. And the Biden Crime Bill is another thing he’s proud about. He was brave enough and smart enough to oppose Roberts and Alito. Biden has “the depth and breadth of knowledge to address the rise of radical fundamentalism.” He reminded the crowd that after 9/11 the Iranians put candles of support for the US outside of the American Embassy. Now we hear talk of bombing them. What a mad world we’ve created in these past few years.
Joe’s been in the Senate since he was 29 years old. He campaigns with his family. His son Hunter has been a presence at the Marion County Democrats meetings. I met his wife at Smokey Row this week and we discussed media consolidation and its dangers. State representative Eric Palmer is a Biden supporter.

I couldn’t get a good photo of Joe because the light was so poor in the room in Oskaloosa , Iowa.  My friend was able to capture me with Jill Biden .

Dodd reminded his audience that when we elect a president we don’t elect a dictator or king or queen, we elect a leader who can bring people together, something he has been doing for 25 years.

Chris Dodd really speaks from the heart. His passion comes from a deep belief in the United States and its people. He looked at us as we sat there after a full day’s work ands said that “Iowans are the new patriots. They still believe the system can work.” Indeed we do and how nice to have someone affirm this.

Nurse activist Karol Jenks asked Dodd if was going to vote for the mental health parity bill this Friday. Dodd promised her he would. He called his aids and rearranged his schedule so he could do this. That night I read about the mall shooting in Omaha and Dodd seemed to understand the important things more than ever.

Chris Dodd came to Pella yesterday and spoke to a crowd of about 75 people at Central College. Dodd, an experienced Senator with a long history of public service, made defending the constitution the focal point of his visit. He even handed out pocket sized copies of the constitution. In the photo below, Dodd speaks with passion and conviction about the constitution and the rule of law which made our country respected across the world. By allowing for the erosion of our rights, we have made ourselves “far more isolated and less safe.”

I finally saw her in Knoxville Iowa. And as you can see Hillary knows how to draw a crowd.  She even had some (ok well 2 old people) anti-abortion protesters.  This is very prejudiced since the male candidates didn’t have any protesters. It enforces the notion that the Pro-lifers hate women and don’t trust them to make their own health decisions.

Hillary is a very powerful and focused speaker.  She talked almost exclusively about the economy.  She has a somewhat teacherly style.  She started with the familiar such as poinitng out that gas prices have gone up more than any tax break the middle class has gotten from Bush.  The budget surplus has turned into a deficit and we are borrowing from China to pay for it.  Then she added something interesting that she had exclusive knowledge about.  In this case the new thing was called sovereign wealth funds.  It’s a way that non-citizens can buy our companies and shut them down.  She also talked about derivative buying.  I began to feel as if I was getting a lesson in economics.  This gave me the impression that she is smart and wants to and can take care of us.  Then she spoke of investing in our people.  She also talked about green collar jobs.  Indeed, she has gotten the nod from the treehugger site www.grist.org

Supporter Gary Boeyink of Pella said, “I decided to support Hillary because she is the most experienced and capable to pull this country together and to lead this country to better days.  I made the decision as I thought about the ‘demonizing’ she has experienced from her distracters and political enemies.  But most of all I got very tired of hearing folks say ’she is not electable’.  I believe she is and decided I needed to support her to make sure of that.”

Hillary is a powerful person with an aura about her.  Not to be shallow but she’s nice looking with a good speaking style.   She also addressed the reluctance that some have about another Clinton in office by saying “It takes a Clinton to Clean Up after a Bush.”

Hillary has several detailed plans to move our country forward. These plans include things such as:

1. economic fairness

2. job creation

3. reward hard work with fair wages

4. budget responsibility

5. clean renewable energy

6. affordable pharmaceuticals

7. health insurance that doesn’t discriminate against the sick

8. rock solid social security

9. enforceable trade protection & tax policies that discourage overseas jobs

10. family farms not corporate farms

11. make foreign investing in the US more transparent so other countries can’t manipulate our markets

When’s the last time we elected a president who had smarts and problem solving ability? When you look back at history, United States citizens gravitate towards the charming. Maybe we can get over that and give Hillary a chance. Not that she doesn’t have a certain charm, but she’s not one to waste a lot of words on useless chatter either. Hillary is an idea person and very professional. She grew up in Illinois and has a Midwestern work ethic and matter of fact style.

Her husband was very moderate and she looks to be the same.  This also draws protesters (see link below). You’ve got to admire her and her unflappable tenacity. She said that she couldn’t wait to debate the Republicans and I have no doubt that she will kick a** if given that chance.

grist.org , protesters and Hillary

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/11/19/02938/435?source=friend

a beautiful quilt by Ginger Heusinkveld White

this appeared at www.towncriernews as “Love, beauty and feminism”

The problem that has no name — which is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities — is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease.

- Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 1963. NY: Dell Publ., 1974.

Title IX recently celebrated its 35^th birthday. That means quite a few years have passed since I’ve been in high school. For those who have been young since then, there is little collective memory to what it was like in the bad old days without Title IX. I graduated from high school 35 years ago and never benefited from Title IX. I was in Girls’ Recreation Association and jumped on a trampoline now and then but never had the opportunity to participate in school sports. No doubt I would have been horrible in basketball even if I had the chance but you never know about soccer and track. It was a lost opportunity for me and even a greater loss for the young women who had physical ability. Many schools did not have women’s sports 35 and a half years ago. Pella High did not. Pella Christian had basketball. Now the law that brought more opportunities to our daughters enjoys support by over 80% of the population.

People who worked to change this have been called every name in the book with Rush Limbaugh’s “feminazi” being the most well known. Rush Limbaugh, as many know, is the prime hissy fit thrower of public opinion. His behavior is quite a bit like our ape relatives, who carry on for effect.

However, despite knuckle-draggers like Rush there is good news about feminism. A study at Rutgers University found that feminism doesn’t conflict with heterosexual relationships and feminists make good partners for romance. Maybe this explains why Rush has been so unlucky in love.

Believe it or not feminism supports homemakers. One of my daughters is a full time homemaker and is married to the son of a feminist. The National Organization was founded by a homemaker and has a homemakers bill of rights, first written in 1978. NOW noticed that often a working spouse will benefit from the homemaker while climbing the career ladder and will leave the homemaker in the lurch once the career is launched and the children are grown. (In fact, some well known conservatives and family values types have traded in their wives like cars.) The organization felt that this devalued the role of homemaker and that this was unacceptable.

The preamble to the bill states that family and society benefit from homemakers’ unpaid labor and that homemakers deserve the “benefits and recognition of paid, skilled workers.” These benefits include retirement packages, workplace safety and “dignity, security and recognition”. This includes protection from domestic abuse. This mainstream idea of not hitting your homemaker spouse was radical 35 years ago! Homemakers should also have the right to retire from homemaking or to change jobs.

Feminism brought women’s art such as quilt making into the mainstream. University of Iowa graduate and feminist Miriam Schapiro made her name in printmaking and oil painting. She noticed the beauty of handcrafted items such as quilts and doilies. It stuck her that these things were art and yet often the artists were unsung and anonymous women. She began to incorporate these items in her art work. At first galleries were resistant but Schapiro persisted. Her idea was to elevate “women artists who made quilts, who had done the ‘invisible women’s work of civilization’.” Handicrafts are now seen as legitimate artwork. And it’s a good thing too because now people can enjoy quilt art shows such as the one by Karen Spencer. It’s on display at the Community Center through December 2. Ginger Heusinkveld White is another Pella native (currently living in Georgia) who finds artistic expression through quilting. One of her quilts was even displayed at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.

There’s a new theory of evolution called the Gaia theory (named after the Greek Earth Goddess) that says the earth is one living organism and we all survive through cooperation. Certainly that’s true of men and women. It’s high time that the battle of the sexes ends.

quote

http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=10380

Title 9

http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=10380

apes

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015102856.htm

ape love life

http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/rushlimbaugh.htm

feminism and romance

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071015102856.htm

homemakers bill of rights

http://www.now.org/issues/mothers/bill_of_rights.html

Feminism and art.

http://weeklywire.com/ww/01-25-99/tw_review1.html

Gaia

http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/what_is_Gaia.html

Hillary rented a parking garage for her supporters and had a food drive for a local food pantry.  She had plenty of signs too.

Biden sign very creative.

The Biden supporters were very friendly and gave me a hotdog. Thanks. I was hungry!