Platform

Preamble

This platform is a declaration of human rights, justice, and opportunity for all. We reaffirm the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and expect government at all levels to champion these rights for everyone. We Democrats believe that: Adherence to democratic principles and practices strengthens our nation and the world; Every individual deserves the opportunity to succeed and the right to live free from discrimination; Innovative solutions and responsible planning are necessary to ensure our future; We are all responsible for the ethical, economic, and environmental legacy we leave our children; We adopt this platform so the public and candidates for office can espouse and support our ideals and aspirations. Finally, we affirm the charter and bylaws of the Young Democrats of Washington.

Human Rights & Civil Rights

* Human Rights are inherent rights not dependent upon the civil laws of any country; they are self-evident truths.

* We affirm that food, shelter, medical care, education, and equal employment opportunities are among basic human rights, and we support the development of social programs to protect these basic human rights;

* We oppose all discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, military service, insurance, licensing, or education based on race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, size, political affiliation, and/or national origin;

* We support strong affirmative action laws designed to ensure that prejudice does not prevent qualified persons from obtaining employment, promotion, housing, insurance, or any other social good;

* We affirm the human right to have sovereignty over our bodies. We oppose any law, regulation, or government action restricting legal rights and private matters regarding one's reproductive functions. We support a woman's constitutional right to choose abortion, as protected by Roe v. Wade, regardless of age or ability to pay;

* We support free and equal access to family planning clinics, which includes freedom from activities that endanger a person's rights or livelihood;

* We affirm that the government should legally recognize same-sex couples who choose to marry and further believe that such couples should share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities and commitments of civil marriage.

* We support the separation of church and state and oppose organized prayer in public schools and granting of public money to religious charities. Also, in order to respect each person's religious beliefs, we prefer a moment of silence rather than prayer at Democratic Party and government functions.

* We require our government to honor the treaty rights of all Native Americans.

* Each person has the right to a life free from fear of personal injury. We support strong legislation, treatment programs, and education designed to reduce domestic violence and child abuse;

* We affirm that each individual has a right to privacy and that right should not be violated by government or business. Proactive legislative steps should be taken to address this issue.

* We affirm our belief in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and affirm that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundations of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.


Health Care

* Consistent with the Democratic Party's tradition as the party of inclusion, compassion and long-term commitment to the health and well being of every citizen, we support a public system of health care that establishes universal comprehensive coverage for intervention and preventative health care, and which integrates consumer input into the financing and delivery of health care services. Specifically, we support:

* Implementation of and ready access to nationwide universal health care, to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status and citizenship;

* The addition of prescription drug benefits to the Medicare program;

* Holding all health service providers accountable to the level of service they provide;

* Expanded coverage for veterans suffering from service-related disorders;

* Prohibition of discrimination in health care services and research;

* The legalization of physician assisted suicide for those that are terminally ill and of sound mind;

* The federal legalization of medical marijuana;

* Universal access to family planning procedures, and affirm that insurance companies should provide coverage for family planning procedures;

* We affirm that every person has inherent ownership of their own genetic profile, and this information should not be shared without explicit and prior permission.

* We support government funding of stem-cell research.

* We affirm that mental health is just as important as physical and we support parity in health care coverage.

Criminal Justice

* Prevention of crime is as important as reaction to crime. We believe that government has a responsibility to help alleviate the social conditions that contribute to crime

* We support safety locks on handguns, prohibition of importation and ownership of fully-automatic weapons and strengthening of laws holding adults responsible for safeguarding guns in the home;

* We affirm the constitutional right to bear arms;

* We support universal gun registration and licensing, mandatory safety training for gun owners, background checks on all gun sales, with a minimum waiting period, and closing of the gun show loophole.

* We oppose racial profiling by law enforcement;

* We believe that the government must help alleviate the social conditions which contribute to crime; violence should not become accepted fact in our communities; authorities and communities must work together, assume responsibility for safety and prevention of crime, and make neighborhoods livable;

* We support the abolition of capital punishment;

* We believe the war on drugs has been a dismal failure - we support a new approach based on rehabilitation, treatment, and education for offenders, including those who are currently incarcerated. We support a general amnesty for all prisoners convicted of marijuana use or personal possession upon legalization of marijuana.

* We affirm that the criminal justice system should focus on education and rehabilitation ra ther than punishment.


Education

* Public schools are the foundation and first lesson of democracy, bringing together children of diverse experience, ability, and background for the common purpose of learning.

* We support the reduction of class size to sizes appropriate to the ages and competence of students;

* Technological excellence requires adequate and on-going funding;

* We support ample funding for state and federal financial aid, including an increase in Washington State Need Grants;

* We oppose school vouchers, as they take much needed money away from public schools;

* We support a fair wage for teachers and annual cost of living increases;

* We support the implementation of educational programs that encourage non-violent conflict resolution;

* We support pro-active state and federal government funding in economically depressed school districts;

* We support the adoption of programs that actively seek to correctly assess and accommodate for learning disabilities.

* We support age-appropriate & comprehensive sexuality education in public schools in Washington State.

* We support a non-discrimination policy in public schools that protects against discrimination based on race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, size, political affiliation, and/or national origin.

* We support affordability, accessibility, and accountability in higher education.


Environment and Energy

* We believe that protecting the environment is not at odds with promoting employment

* We support widespread research and use of energy efficient solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and other renewable natural sources of power;

* We support incentives for the use of energy conservation and emerging clean energy systems; rather then short term energy solutions.

* We support strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and strong treaties with other nations to reduce emissions worldwide;

* We believe that every individual, now and in the future, has a fundamental right to clean air, clean water, and the intellectual and spiritual renewal provided by unspoiled natural ecosystems.

* We oppose further expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. and globally until socially and environmentally acceptable long-term solutions have been developed to deal with the waste created by existing facilities;

* We support the cleanup and restoration of all damaged and degraded government and private project lands, such as the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Fort Lewis, Fairchild AFB, and Bangor Naval Base. Future projects that perpetuate such damage, for example the naming of Hanford as a National Waste Facility, should be opposed;

* We support the creation of an independent watchdog group to oversee energy companies and ensure that there is no price-fixing or other ethical problems occurring.

* We oppose further expansions of short term answer to energy shortages such as proposals to NWAR.

Labor and Economic Justice

* Economic justice for working families is essential for the realization of a democratic society. We affirm the rights of workers to a safe and healthy work environment.

* We support all public and private workers' rights to organize and use mediation, arbitration, or strikes when necessary to resolve disputes;

* We expect all employers to provide a living wage to their employees and support annual increases in the minimum wage;

* We expect all employers to provide workers with ergonomic protections in the workplace;

* We support workers' rights to unemployment insurance benefits when locked out by their employers.

* We oppose the use of permanent replacement workers during strikes.

* We support the protection of American workers from corporate greed and mismanagement.

* We support government funding and job training of workers that are adversely affected from the loss of jobs.


Housing

* We support a major increase of funding for assistance and construction of affordable and low-income housing in Washington state, with emphasis on home ownership;

* As Young Democrats, we are particularly concerned with renters' issues and believe all renters have the right to organize;

* We believe the decision of whether or not to implement rent control should be left up to each individual city;

* We urge the state to create and maintain more habitable housing structures for migrant farm workers. Foreign Policy

* We urge nations to forgive undue and burdensome debts owed to them by monetarily impoverished nations;

* We recognize that globalization is a world wide economic factor and therefore support fair trade in responsible terms that encourage environmental and labor friendly practices and do not infringe upon the autonomy of self-governing nations to set their own environmental and labor protection policies;

* We urge our government and all states possessing nuclear weapons to take steps toward the abolition of nuclear weapons at the earliest possible date.

* We support a normalization of relation with Cuba.

Taxation

* We support a progressive income tax for Washington State.

* We support incentives, including targeted tax credits, to businesses that provide family wage jobs with adequate health care and pension benefits;

* We support tax breaks for small businesses, including the elimination of the Washington State business and occupation tax;

* We support a progressive tax system at the federal and state levels.

* We support research in policies concerning Green tax system to insure Environmental stability.

Transportation

* We support the funding, implementation, construction, and maintenance of adequate roads, bridges, rails and airports serving remote areas; therefore connecting these communities to better economic opportunities for a realistic One Washington.

* We support the funding of mass transportation in highly populated urban areas by the means of elevated transportation, light rail, ferries, buses, and carpooling.

* We support the funding of a nation-wide study and development of a high speed (Meg-lev) rail system to provide an efficient and expedient form of transportation between major metropolitan areas.

* We support improved facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists, and people in wheelchairs.

* We support public involvement at all levels in developing transportation plans and systems.

World Population

* We believe that world population policy is one of the most important issues facing our planet with critical impacts on the environment, social and governmental stability, and disease. Specifically, we support:

* Universal access to humane family planning services supported by the necessary funding;

* Education on family planning and the link between population growth and the detrimental effects on quality of life;

* A woman's right to abortion;

* Equal rights for women and minorities;

* An increased link between foreign aid and pro-active family planning practices.

* We support the United States being actively involved in fighting the AIDS epidemic on a global scale.

* We do not support the gag rule when it comes to providing US Aid to health providers abroad.