Network of Spiritual Progressives

Photo: Northern Lights. Photographer unknown.

I wanted to share some suggested planks for the Democratic Party Platform. These were sent on to the meeting of the Democratic Party Platform committee, which met recently.

Suggested Democratic Party Platform Planks - Network of Spiritual Progressives,
Black Mountain, N.C. Chapter

1. Health Care

We deplore the fact that tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance, especially the working poor and children. We strongly support a single payer universal health care plan as a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT of the citizens of the United States as public education is a right.

A health system which emphasizes prevention and wellness would streamline care and cut costs. The current health insurance ?non-system? rakes in an annual profit of $100 billion dollars with an overhead of 20%. In stark contrast, overhead for Medicare is only 3%.

2. Foreign Policy, Poverty and Economic Development.

We support House Resolution 1078 which calls for establishment of a New Global Marshall Plan. This plan, which would commit the United States and other industrialized nations to an annual contribution of one to two per cent GDP for a period of twenty years, would help stimulate the economies of developing nations. It would also provide universal education and health care. This bold initiative would change significantly the world?s perception of US foreign policy from one of military domination to one of constructive cooperation.

3. The Environment

We are profoundly concerned that, though we represent only 4% of the world?s population, we are consuming 25% of the earth?s resources. We believe that we need to promote actively a shift in values from self-interest, free market materialism, and consumerism to an emphasis on interdependence, sustainability and global well being.

Because of the overwhelming scientific evidence of global climate change, it is imperative that the US support the creation of alternative sources of energy and aggressively promote wide spread conservation measures.

SUGGESTED DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM PLANKS

Social Security
Social Security is our most important safety net for seniors and the disabled. In order to protect the solvency of Social Security in the future we recommend the following actions:
1). Gradually increase the tax base from 85% to 90% of total wages,
2). Allow the Social Security Administration to invest no more than 20% of the total assets of the Trust Fund in equities,
3). Allocate a portion of the Estate Tax to Social Security, and
4). Protect the Social Security Trust Fund from being used to cover other government expenses.

Foreign Policy
We are profoundly disturbed by the militarization of the U. S. foreign policy. We support the establishment of a U. S. Department of Peace that would help to peacefully resolve all international conflicts between the U. S. and other countries. We are also deeply troubled by our current unilateral nationalism (opposition to the Kyoto Treaty and the World Court). We must continue to promote the values of world citizenship among our people, especially among our young people.

The Environment and the Economy
Let the challenges of the energy crisis, climate change and the current economic downturn become opportunities to come together as a country. We must make a national commitment to achieve energy independence within 10 years through a shift away from the use of petroleum products to completely clean, alternative energy sources. To accomplish this shift we recommend the following:
1). Provide tax incentives to individuals and businesses to create conservation and energy efficiency projects,
2). Invest in the infrastructure that supports the development of new, clean energy technologies, and
3). Inspire and educate the American people on how to reduce their use of petroleum products and shift to alternative, clean energy.
We believe that these actions will fuel the creation of many new jobs in a growing green economy.


Planks from the Values Dialogue Group, Buncombe County (N.C.) Democrats

1. Sustainability for Our Children?s Future

We Democrats want our children and all our descendents to have a sustainable future. We are conservative in supporting a shift from narrow self-interest, "me-first-ism", hyper-materialism, uncontrolled growth, and obsessive consumerism toward community, interdependence, sustainability, neighborly care, and global well-being. That shift is long-term, but starts from the fact that, though we Americans are only 4% of the world's population, we consume 25% of Earth's resources.

2. Universal Health Care

We are ashamed that Americans die from poor access to health care. We deplore the fact that tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance. To include all citizens, streamline, simplify and control costs, a single-payer universal health care system that emphasizes prevention and wellness is needed. The current health insurance "non-system" takes in over $100 billion in profit each year and has an overhead of some 20%, while Medicare has an overhead of only about 3%. We cannot control costs while paying the oppressive overhead costs and profit margins of the private health insurance industry.

3. Foreign Policy and Homeland Security

We support a new Global Marshal Plan that will pull our foreign policy strategies away from dominance, and toward generosity and non-violence. Some 2% of the GDP of the U. S. and other advanced industrial countries annually for 20 years would finance the elimination of U.S. and global poverty, improve health care, establish universal education, and heal environmental damage. Our own security will be advanced as we seek the well-being of everyone else on the planet.

4. Repowering America

We endorse and commit to Al Gore's Challenge to produce 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and other clean sources within ten years. It is do-able. It will help lead toward a stable climate. Complementing this, we support renewed railroads and mass transit, user-friendly bike trails, and imaginative full-cycle systems utilizing animal waste, plant debris, and other biological refuse sources for energy.

5. A Healthy Democracy

Fundamental to true democracy are an engaged, informed citizenry and leaders not dependent on corporate interests to fund their campaigns. We commit to deep reform of the political process to break the grip of "big money" interests that twists problem-solving from the common good to selfish interest. We will promote democratic media and require that TV and radio licensees serve the public need for factual information as a priority. In lieu of paying for licenses, in exchange for using the public airwaves and rights-of-way, those media shall provide free airtime for candidates. This will remove a key cost that traps office-seekers in an endless, distracting money chase to fund campaigns, often leading to corruption.

6. Improved Education

We support enlightened public education, and will move to minimize differences in quality due to differences in wealth among communities. We support flexibility to attune educational approaches to the learning differences of individual students, including structured alternatives to conventional schools. Grants and loan programs paid off by public service will help realize this democratic dream of education for all, until our goal of free education through the college level is realized.

7. Full Employment

We will support full employment and economic justice for workers. Given the cyclical nature of the national economy, public works programs should be planned and "on the shelf" to promptly implement during times of economic downturn and high unemployment.

8. The Empire

Increasingly, war and domination strategies, with consequent "blow-back", human tragedy, economic and moral corrosion that accompany them, have become obsolete. We will seek alternatives to war and empire, and will once again restore America to being a law-abiding nation among nations, a friend to the oppressed, a beacon of hope and inspiration, a reliable world citizen.

9. Banking, Finance, and Speculation

We will restore proper regulation of financial markets, and will reform those schemes that have lead to excesses like the mortgage crisis, oversized institutions out of touch with the world of ordinary citizens, and speculation-driven increases in the cost of oil (that have made gasoline cost about a dollar per gallon more).