Summary of Approved Bernalillo County Resolutions

Terry Riley on the Saturday DPBC meeting and the resolutions that passed:

I tried to get as much information as I could as I attended the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County Central Committee Meeting on Saturday.  We voted on delegates to attend the state Central Committee meeting in Socorro and the results of that voting will not be ready for a day or so.  If you were there you would understand why that takes so long.  Sort of Instant Runoff Voting with no computers.

The following is a summary of all of the resolutions that passed the Central Committee.  These are now the county platform and can influence the state and national platforms.  I think that you will agree that they are refreshingly liberal.  Say it yourself, liberal, liberal, liberal.  Doesn’t that feel good?  I sure like it.

I hope to see you all at the next meetings of New Mexico Democratic Friends and Democracy for New Mexico.

(Click to continuation page to see resolution summary.)

1. Fully Fund New Mexico’s Medicaid program with no further cuts.
2. Support Universal Single Payer Healthcare, to be administered initially by Medicare and funded by an income-based tax levied on ALL citizens of the United States of America.
3. Support full funding of the VA Health Care System.  Provide VA benefits that provide health care at the same level that members of Congress receive.
4. Equal treatment of military forces, including activated reserve and national guard units, as to pay, benefits, medical care, travel, and service related benefits upon return from a combat zone.
5. Request an independent investigation of the Bush administration due to its failure to prevent sexual assault of military personnel and the subsequent retaliation against the victims when they report an assault.
6. Regulate profits from contracts for work and services associated with efforts of war such they do not exceed a reasonable fee;  insure that the awarding of the contracts be done on a fair bidding basis, and that timely audits by an independent body be conducted to insure the contractor is performing as stipulated in the contract.
7. Renounce the use of private contractors to perform military and intelligence functions on behalf of the country, and insist that all military and intelligence activities are performed by armed service personal and government employees.
8. Support our troops.  Oppose the continued military occupation of Iraq, and urges the government of the United States of America to plan immediately for the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq, specify a target date for the completion of the withdrawal which is no later than June 2006, initiate the withdrawal process as soon as possible to signal our good intentions, and announce that the US has no plans for a long-term presence in Iraq, except for that associated with normal diplomatic relations between countries.
9. Oppose any unilateral war against any nation which has not attacked or invaded our homeland unless the community of nations, through the United Nations, is in agreement, and the Democratic Party favors working with the family of nations through the United Nations and other treaties of which the United States is a party.
10. The Democratic Party upholds the obligation to provide to all its citizens a high quality and inexpensive vocational and professional education.
11. Support repeal of the portion of the No Child Left Behind Act that requires schools to allow military recruiters on school sites and provide them access to all students and their contact information.
12. Support mandatory proficiency in a second language as a requirement for graduation from any state-accredited high school in New Mexico.
13. Support of programs and funding for creating a permanent place for mental health professionals with the public school system in New Mexico.
14. Support the impeachment of Tom Delay and communicate this to New Mexico’s congressional delegation.
15. Support legislation, programs and initiatives geared at creating affordable housing, appropriate infrastructure and economic development opportunities for New Mexico Community Land Grants and their heirs.
16. Support the strengthening of the US rail passenger service as an essential part of the transportation system through restoration of the federal budgetary funding for Amtrak.
17. Commit to fill all Ward and Precinct positions by September 1, 2005, adopt a model and manual that instructs its officials and employees on how to supervise, manage and employ its volunteers and the resources which the volunteers bring to DPNM, and to have all county parties instructed in how to organize their volunteers.
18. Support the notion of protecting sustainable agriculture in the South Valley of Bernalillo County.
19. Affirm the true separation of church and state so religious entities are free from control by the state, the state is free from undue influence by religious entities, and the religious liberty of all may be preserved.
20. Oppose any definition of civil marriage that restricts eligibility based on sexual orientation.  Also the DPBC will work to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and support the right of all citizens to civil marriage.
21. Proudly raise its collective voice, take a stand to pursue legislation regarding, not only to preserve our valued rights, but to fight on to gain those rights that have not yet been attained in the struggle for a living wage for all work, health care for everyone, beginning with the children), for an atmosphere that prized diversity as a gift rather than a threat, and for a society confident enough in its own strength and respected position among all nations that we can finally make war a sad and evermore distant nightmare.
22. Support the rights of all citizens to be treated equally under the law by supporting legislation which guarantees every citizen equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference, and by supporting legislation which outlaws discrimination against persons on the basis of their sexual preference.
23. Call for an immediate and unconditional repeal of the Patriot Act.
24. Add to the platform a commitment that the DPNM will protect the citizens of New Mexico from interference by the President of the US and the US Congress with our right to privacy in our individual choice over our health decisions, i.e., the right-to-die issue and the women’s reproductive choices.
25. Call on all levels of government and our elected representatives at all levels to examine, in light of American ethos and tradition, the manner in which Americans (regardless of economic status of ethnic and religious heritage), foreign visitors, detainees of the War on Terror and prisoners of American jails are treated and to take steps to improve the environment for human rights.  Also that the United States should abide by the Geneva Convention on all issues of the conduct of war, whereas those of other nations (or as individuals) who do not will be treated as war criminals, nor will the US military or any of our nation’s intelligence agencies utilize torture of prisoners or detainees in any manner or at any time whatsoever.
26. Stand united to insure that Social Security will not be reduced, privatized or otherwise diminished, and will be maintained properly to insure a secure, guaranteed base upon which future generations can build a dignified retirement, and vigorously oppose any weakening of Social Security by allowing benefits to be liked to price indexing rather than wages and any diversion of Social Security contributions in to personal private accounts.  Further to support removal of the present income cap on FICA tax so that all citizens pay the same percentage without respect to their total income.
27. Work to enact National Voter Registration standard that ensures the uniformity of voter registration, establishes technology providing for voter-verifiable paper ballot trail as part of the voting equipment, eliminates barriers to voting by expanding the hours of polling, providing mail-in absentee voting and allowing election-day registration, and passes a federally-guaranteed right-to-vote act.
28. Request a special independent commission on election reform be empanelled by Congress that is charged with the examination of the 2000 and 2004 elections and the allegations of abuse, manipulation and voter suppression, and current electoral process-related deficiencies, and that they turn their investigative material over to a special prosecutor, and that such abuses be appropriately addressed with election reform legislation.  All government entities will take responsibility for informing voters of their responsibilities and their rights regarding voting procedures, locations, and any and all changes, not only in a timely manner, but also in a more direct process than the “legal-ads” of privately-owned and published newspapers.
29. Pursue legislation to eliminate the ownership of news media by corporations that sell anything other than news, prohibit the ownership of multiple media outlet by a single company, and require local ownership of newspapers, radio and television stations and to support funding and access for publicly owned multi-media in all areas of the country.
30. Increase the civil and criminal penalties against those in government who authorize the use of government resources to disseminate propaganda, and which categorically prohibits the use of government money and resources to support, in any manner, the creation and dissemination of propaganda.  Also that the FCC require that any government FYI video of film show the disclaimer as part of the film or video.  Further demand that the FCC pay more attention to the public interest and truth and the fairness than spending all of its power on indecency, and to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
31. Require the Congress to rejoin the Koyoto treaty.
32. Support and establishment and enforcement of a living wage for all New Mexico workers.
33. Require the PERA committee, in no uncertain terms, to administer the investments of PERA in a socially responsible manner.
34. Support the preservation of Otero Mesa.
35. Support the preservation of Petroglyphs.
36. Support the preservation of Valle Vidal.
37. Support the enforcement of the clean air act as it pertains to mercury emissions.
38. Support the reinstatement of CAFÉ standards of 40mpg on all vehicles 1 ton and below.
39. Support the continued enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and opposes the continued development of a new generation of nuclear weapons.
40. Make a concerted effort to conduct outreach and to advertise its annual Ward meetings in order to attract more and diverse citizen participation within the Democratic Party.