Plymouth County Democratic Party Platform
We believe that a healthy representative government serves as the ultimate consumer protection agency and serves all the people; indeed we believe that's what government is: the people, organized to provide for the common good and to promote the common values of civil society. We oppose the idea that government does not work. Rather, we believe it is our duty as citizens to make it work.
We stand for policies and programs that benefit all Iowans. We believe a community is no stronger than its weakest members. Thus, we seek to work together with people of all faiths, persuasions and circumstances to empower individuals, families, our towns and cities, our state, and our nation.
We support measures that strengthen Iowa families both morally and temporally. We advocate the preservation of communities and neighborhoods that work together to promote the welfare of their citizens. We uphold traditional Iowa ideals of faith, family, hard work and community that are the foundation of our communities.
What follows are the principles we stand for and the actions we call for to provide good government, a vigorous economy, and a healthy society for ourselves and for our children.
The ideas expressed in this platform are collective and do not likely reflect the positions of any single individual. The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion and diversity, encouraging the participation of people of differing opinions and backgrounds. We embrace diversity as a source of strength in our community rather than a reason for division. As such, we respect the individual conscience of each Iowan on the issues presented in this platform and welcome the participation of all Iowans within the Democratic Party.
Community – We believe in the “big tent” idea that our party is all-inclusive. We respect differences of opinions and encourage them to compete in the marketplace of ideas. We do not question the patriotism of those who disagree with us, but encourage a dialogue so that we come to a conclusion of what is best for our communities.
Solidarity – We do not support division among voters or a team mentality in regards to politics. We believe that ideas are conservative or liberal, not people. Likewise, we believe that any entity or news organization who encourages you to not trust your friends or neighbors because due to political affiliation are seeking to keep Americans divided and not working towards the betterment of our nation.
Honest Leadership - We
expect our candidates and elected public servants to be morally
responsible, honest, and to work for the interests of the general public
and not in the interest of special interests groups who fund their
campaigns. Community and political leaders must work together to restore
public confidence in their elected and public officials.
Free Market Commerce –
Individuals should be allowed to participate fairly in the free market.
Small businesses are the backbone of our local economies and individuals
should be allowed to compete on a fair standing with corporations in the
industries of agriculture, energy creation and others.
Fair Taxation - The
Plymouth County Democratic Party supports a fair taxation that is
progressive. We believe that those who have benefitted from the American
Dream should contribute to society to enable others to achieve that same
dream. Property tax relief for eligible, low-income residents should be
made available. We support new brackets for taxes on business income tax
to favor small businesses that reinvest profits. We understand that no
government service is free of charge and we taxpayers should be informed
of the cost of providing government services.
Empowered Labor – We
understand that industries and businesses with organized labor have
higher wages and higher worker safety ratings than non-union industries
and businesses. Likewise, we understand that so-called “right-to-work”
states suffer from lower wages and increased dependency on social
welfare programs. We believe that empowering workers to organize and
collectively address their employers is a form of democracy that
contributes to the health and economic growth of a community. We believe
that employees are the cornerstones of any prosperous business. The
Plymouth County Democratic Party believes that fair compensation should
be a reward for a job well done and that employees should have an active
role in determining the compensation. We also support a safe and healthy
working environment for all employees.
Democracy –
Voters should be encouraged to participate in a peaceful revolution at
the ballot box in order to limit terms on ineffective representatives.
We denounce divisive and violent rhetoric and encourage the presentation
of solutions, rather than blame.
Education – Education is
the key to success for individuals and communities. We support and
respect the accomplishments of our best and brightest and encourage our
children to pursue academic achievement. Likewise we believe it is the
community’s duty to invest in education for a better future. We also
encourage parental participation in all aspects of a child’s educational
development.
Environmental Stewardship
– We believe that our natural resources are a precious commodity and
efforts to reduce the environmental impact of development should be
explored and enacted to replace outdated and harmful practices. These
alternatives include, but are not limited to; locally generated wind,
geothermal and solar power to replace outsourced coal energy as well as
the introduction of more efficient and clean liquid thorium nuclear
energy to replace traditional nuclear power generation.
Faith - The Plymouth
County Democratic Party affirms the protection afforded by the
Constitution to religious freedom and expression. We firmly defend the
Federal and State Constitution’s declaration of separation of church and
state.
Support for Active Duty and
Retired Military Personnel – The protection of our country is the
highest form of patriotism and those who have enlisted to do so deserve
our greatest support and respect. We believe that support for our
military personnel should begin at the moment of enlistment and not end
once a service member returns home from deployment. We support increased
attention to the effects of military deployment such as Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder and reintegration into the civilian work force.
Compassion – We believe
that the solutions to solving our society’s problems should be one of
compassion and reason. It is the duty of “we, the people” to find
solutions to our suffering that do not create more suffering or push the
suffering onto another group. We believe compassion should be a major
factor in the following issues:
Abortion – Every
abortion is a tragedy that must be handled in a way that best
reduces the instances of occurrence without adding to the hardship
of the people involved. As such, we support solutions that have
proven to most effectively reduce the instances of abortion and
provide support to the mother - such as extending Medicaid benefits
to women who would otherwise be ineligible.
Immigration – We
understand the struggle of undocumented workers and support efforts
to integrate them to society in effort to reduce the hardships that
would be placed upon them, their families, and the industries and
communities they support with their labor. We understand the
beneficial economic impact citizenship for undocumented workers
would create in our communities.
Welfare Reform – A
social safety net for citizens is a hallmark of a civilized society
and integral to supporting our citizens in times of need. We believe
that efforts to remove citizens from entitlement programs should be
complimented by incentives and assistance.
Government Transparency
- Government should be conducted in an open environment. All policy
discussions and decisions by political officials should occur out in the
open with opportunities for the public to observe and participate.
Government Balance - We
believe in the independence of the three branches of government. We
believe that each branch should support the other equally and without
prejudice. Likewise, we reject efforts on the part of one branch to
limit or influence the activities of another.
Public Safety – One of
the most fundamental roles of government is to help ensure a safe
environment for all citizens. People who choose to violate laws must be
swiftly and vigorously prosecuted and punished. Convicted criminals
should be treated and rehabilitated prior to being released into
society.
• Juvenile Crime –
Plymouth County Democrats urge all government officials to implement
the most promising programs to curb juvenile crime. Juvenile court
policies should emphasize early intervention, drug treatment
programs for juvenile offenders, and family participation.
• Domestic Violence
- We promote family preservation, child protection and victim
restitution programs that support individuals and families affected
by crime and abuse.
• Fair and Equal
Treatment - We support fair and equal treatment under the law
for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, mental or physical
challenge, national origin, age or sexual orientation.
• Gun Laws – We
support individual rights to access firearms for self-defense and
sporting purposes, and we encourage enforcement of existing gun
laws. We also support gun safety education on responsible use,
storage, and ownership of firearms to prevent accidents and access
by children.
Strong Families – The
Plymouth County Democratic party believes that the family is the basic
building block of society. We encourage both traditional and
nontraditional parents to devote themselves to providing a loving and
caring atmosphere for their children, and we condemn all acts of
domestic abuse.
Cultural Opportunities –
We encourage public and private support that enhances art and cultural
opportunities that benefit all residents of Plymouth County.
Human Services – The
Plymouth County Democratic Party believes that no person should be
denied access to basic and adequate human services.
• Housing – The
Plymouth County Democratic Party believes that basic housing should
be available to everyone regardless of race, religion, age, gender,
sexual orientation, disability, or socio-economic status. To this
end, we support tax incentives for affordable and low income housing
builders and increasing the investment into housing trust funds.
• Health Care - We
believe that no person should be denied access to basic and adequate
health care and support a robust public option to compete with
for-profit insurance providers.
• Mental Health Parity
- We believes that citizens with mental health disabilities deserve
the same insurance coverage as all other citizens.
• Reproductive Rights
- We believe in a comprehensive approach to reproductive issues that
protects the right to choose, yet promotes education and personal
responsibility for decisions about sex, childbearing, adoption, and
parenting.
Human Rights - The Plymouth County Democratic views diversity as a cultural strength. We reject all discrimination including, but not limited to; race, religion, socio-economic status, gender, mental or physical handicap, national origin, age or sexual orientation, as protected by the Laws and Constitution of the United States of America and the State of Iowa.