As Passed by Whitman County Democratic Convention Pullman, Washington April
24,2004.

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;
• Strong communities are the foundation
  for a safe, stable, and prosperous future for our families;
• 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; and,
• 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.

HUMAN
RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS

We affirm our opposition to all
discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, military
service, insurance, licensing, education, or spousal relationships based
on race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
disability, size, political affiliation, and/or national origin.

We support the Constitutional separation of
church and state that guarantees religious freedom and enriches cultural
diversity in our country. We believe that public policies,
laws, or regulations cannot dictate the individual's beliefs or
practices nor force individuals to participate in religious expression and
activities against their beliefs.

We support the rights of senior citizens
and individuals with disabilities to direct their own lives in housing,
education and all other life choices.

We support policies that ensure equal
opportunity for qualified women and minorities in employment, insurance,
education, and contracting.

We support the constitutional rights of the
people of the United States to privacy, liberty, and justice and oppose
government attempts to harass or intimidate the people.

We oppose confiscation of personal property
without due process and conviction.

We support the right to know regarding
government operations and actions and oppose the establishment of a
secret, shadow government. We oppose executive action to prevent release
of past records of presidents, vice presidents, and other executive
officials.

We affirm the constitutional right to bear
arms. The right to bear arms includes a personal responsibility.
Therefore, we support training on the safe use and storage of firearms and
ammunition to protect children and others from potential firearm misuse
and accidents

We affirm the human right to have
sovereignty over our bodies. We support a woman's individual choice in
all aspects of personal health. We oppose any law, regulation, or
government action restricting legal rights and private matters regarding
one's reproductive care.

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

Each person has a right to live free from
fear of personal injury. We abhor harassment, intimidation, and domestic
or sexual violence in all settings. We support strong legislation,
treatment programs, and education designed to reduce domestic violence and
child abuse.

We recognize and endorse the 1948 UN
Resolution regarding universal human rights.

CRIMINAL
JUSTICE

We support liberty and justice for all
according to the constitution and believe that criminal justice and human
rights are linked.

Prevention of crime is as important as
reaction to crime. We believe that government has the responsibility to
help alleviate the social conditions that contribute to
crime. We believe people have an obligation to resolve conflicts in a
non-violent manner, and we will not permit violent acts to become an
accepted fact in our communities. Authorities and communities must work
together, assume responsibility for safety and prevention of crime, and
make neighborhoods livable.

We believe that the Patriot Act was created
because of an irrational reaction to the terrorist attack of September 11,
2001 and was passed without even reading its details, and the act should
be reevaluated and revised to remove components that are unconstitutional
and affect liberty.

We oppose policies and legislation that
threaten the due process rights of Americans and others who are accused of
crimes. We oppose any intervention that would erode the nation's
judicial and constitutional rights of life, liberty, and justice.

We oppose racial profiling by law
enforcement.

We support the abolition of capital
punishment.

We support decriminalization of marijuana
for medical purposes. We believe medical marijuana use should be a concern
for the medical community, not a criminal issue.

HEALTH
CARE

The Democratic Party has had a long history
of supporting programs that maintain a healthy population, and we believe
that adequate, affordable health care is a right for all Americans.
It is essential to maintain a strong, healthy national
population.

We support comprehensive, affordable
healthcare aimed at securing the health and safety of the public.
Educating the public about preventive measures and hazardous threats, and
providing accessible health education, prevention, research, and treatment
is the key to building healthy communities.

We support an effective Medicare program,
and we oppose any effort to eliminate or weaken the current program, such
as privatization or modifications that bankrupt the system.

We support a strong Patient's Bill of
Rights, as advocated by the National Democratic Party.

We support the creation of a single,
universal, national and state funded, accountable health care system, such
as pre-natal and preventive care, hospital and ambulatory care,
prescription drugs, vision and hearing care, mental health care, dental
care, substance abuse counseling and treatment, and funding for
confidential family planning and reproductive choice.

We believe that our military personnel and
veterans deserve comprehensive, long-term health care, and it is the
responsibility of the U.S. government to provide that care.

We believe the policies and regulations
should be developed that will make drugs available and affordable,
including provisions for competitive pricing, negotiation with
pharmaceutical companies, and purchasing from Canada and other
international sources. The bill passed in the summer of 2004 does not do
this.

We recognize that the soaring prices for
prescription drugs is a health crisis sweeping our nation, threatening the
lives of millions of Americans and the solvency of state health programs.
We support governmental intervention that would assure affordable
prescription drugs for all Americas. We support policies that encourage
international competitive pricing and negotiation with pharmaceutical
companies beyond our national borders.

EDUCATION

We believe that 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 believe that a successful education
system requires stable funding, equitable compensation for teachers, safe
school environment, and state-of-the-art academic programs.

We believe that all citizens regardless of
their economic ability, racial background, or geographical location must
have equal access to quality education.

We support federal and state funding that
strengthens and improves education in public schools. We believe that
public funds should be used exclusively for public schools and not for
private or religious schools.

We support state efforts to provide quality
early learning, childcare, and after school programs to ensure our
children's success.

We disapprove of use of the phrase "No
Child Left Behind" by the Bush Administration to divert public
attention from providing adequate support of our public schools and
teachers.

We believe education and learning is a life
long endeavor, and that Washington State and the United States governments
have a responsibility to provide access to affordable, quality higher
education, and they should provide support for reeducation of those that
may loose their jobs through company or government actions.

We believe that district bonds and levies
should be approved by the majority vote of the voting electorate.

ENVIRONMENT
and ENERGY

We support research and development of
socially and environmentally acceptable long-term solutions to deal with
the waste created by nuclear power facilities.

We support research, funding, 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.

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 believe that a healthy economy depends
on a healthy environment and that protecting the environment is
economically beneficial and not at odds with promoting employment.

We believe in the preservation and
restoration of our environment through prudent use and re-use of limited
natural resources, including land, water, plants, and animals.

We support policies and practices that
promote accountability and responsibility for the environmental, health,
and safety impacts of decisions being made within government agencies and
corporations, such as full disclosure of health and environmental effects
of all chemicals to which the public is exposed. We believe that both
indoor and outdoor environmental qualities are important.

We believe that good citizenship includes
making informed, responsible decisions about the resources we consume and
the environmental impacts of our lifestyles. We support educational
programs that promote awareness of environmental issues.

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 restart
of the Fast Flux Test Facility, or the naming of Hanford as a National
Waste Facility, should be opposed.

We support assigning high priority to the
preservation and restoration of wild salmon and other endangered species.
We believe that sound science should support rational long-term policy.

We believe in intelligent population and
growth management, limiting urban sprawl and preserving farmland, wildlife
habitat and our remaining natural wetlands.

We support restoration of pre- 2000 Federal
Land Use Standards.

LABOR,
ECONOMIC JUSTICE, AND SOCIAL SECURITY

We believe that government has the role and
responsibility to support sound economic development. Such development is
necessary to provide for adequate wages, health care and pension benefits
to every working person and family.

We support reducing the economic gap
between rural and urban areas of the state by providing sound and
efficient infrastructure that would sustain economic prosperity in all the
areas of our state and support agricultural communities.

We believe in the continued support and
full funding of Social Security to provide for the current and future
needs of our retired citizens. We oppose privatizing Social Security and
government public services.

We believe that Social Security funds
should not be used to pay for tax cuts of the rich or to pay for reducing
the national budget deficit.

We believe that a strong American economy
depends on a balanced budget. The tax cuts should be repealed and invested
in job creation, healthcare, and education.

We believe that companies and employers
should not be allowed to steal retirement funds from their employees or
evade taxes or employer obligations by moving to foreign countries.

There is a need for more affordable housing
in Washington State. We advocate policies that would facilitate the
construction of additional housing with an emphasis on home ownership.

We support programs to retrain workers
displaced by changes in economic realities.

We support the right for workers to
organize and bargain collectively.

We believe that U.S. trade agreements must
consider fair labor practices and the effects of exporting jobs.

We support progressive taxation and the
fair and equitable enforcement of tax laws for all Americans.

RURAL
INFRASTRUCTURE AND AGRICULTURAL VIABILITY

A sound infrastructure and a viable
agriculture are essential for our economic stability and our civil defense.
We support sound government investments that meet the emerging
transportation and infrastructure needs. We support public transportation
that meets the needs of the elderly, the disabled, and the general
population at large. We need transportation systems that sustain local
community development such as the continued use of inland waterways for
agricultural purposes, and we support continuation of our railway
infrastructure.

The Columbia and Snake Rivers, including
the dams that were primarily constructed during Democratic leadership, are
essential to the environmental and economic health of the Pacific
Northwest. We believe that any decisions about breaching, removing,
compromising, or encroaching on waterways should be based on sound,
credible economic, and scientific information.

We support programs that provide an
economic stimulus for survival, protection, and improvement of rural
communities, including development of affordable high-speed Internet
access, especially in rural areas. We recognize the need for new and
sustainable development in rural areas and encourage various approaches
aimed at obtaining resources for such development.

We support governmental programs that help
assure the survival of family farms.

We support funding for agricultural
commodity programs to assure long-term, economic viability of agriculture,
availability of high quality food, and economic security of the nation.

We recognize the role of farmers as the
"stewards of the land". And support conservation and
environmental programs and economical incentives that help conserve
agricultural land and natural resources such as soil, water, forests, and
wild life habitat.

We support international programs that
reduce global warming, which could reduce available water and make the
environment unfavorable for crop production in the Pacific Northwest.

We support development of domestic and
international marketing opportunities for crop and animal products and
international trade agreements that assure fair marketing and employment
practices.

We strongly advocate adequate governmental
support for agricultural research and extension programs to develop,
improve, and protect crops and livestock and research programs to improve
quality, marketability, and safety of agricultural products.

We advocate adequate governmental testing
and labeling of imported and domestic agricultural products to assure
marketability of high quality, safe food.

FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL
DEFENSE

We support fair trade among nations and
removal of artificial barriers.

We oppose unfair trade practices such as
dumping of products and importing products made by exploiting the
environment, local communities, and people.

We believe in human and civil rights
throughout the world and oppose the support or creation of regimes that
restrict those rights.

We oppose the use of terror by individuals,
agents, groups, or countries and believe that use of violence is not a
justified means of retaliation for or correcting past wrongs.

We believe in improving and maintaining
safe and healthy world environment and support cooperating with the world
community to prevent global warming.

We believe that effective diplomacy and
negotiation cultivates better communication and understanding among
nations. We support a strong National defense and oppose military
aggression for the advancement of political and economical goals.

We favor cooperation with other countries
and working with international organizations such as the United Nations
and NATO and oppose a unilateralist, interventionist foreign policy.

We continue to support the 1972
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, as amended in 1974, and oppose investing
resources in the Strategic Defense Initiative and development of new types
of nuclear weapons.

We advocate immediate signature of and
compliance with the International Land Mines Treaty and oppose the use of
cluster bombs, which act like land mines.

The declaration of war is the
constitutional responsibility of the U.S. Senate, and we oppose wars
except as a last resort or in response to military aggression of other
nations. Wars should not be based on false or misleading statements and
should be initiated only after fully considering their long-term impact on
world relationships and stability.

We believe there is irrefutable evidence
that the war against Iraq was an unjustified effort based on false and
misleading statements and faulty thinking, and that it has led to the
death and injury of thousands of innocent people, including service men
and women, and has made the United States and other nations less safe from
terrorism.

We believe that an international effort is
needed to support the establishment of a sovereign Iraqi government. We
oppose U.S. occupation in Iraq and we support the safe return of our
troops. We advocate for an effective national security measure that is
based on sound international relations and peaceful resolutions among
nations.

We demand that all military contracts be
awarded based on fair, competitive bidding and not on the basis of past
associations, political contributions, or other types of cronyism.

GOVERNMENT
AND POLITICAL REFORM

We believe in equal voting rights and that
voting systems should accurately register the votes of all citizens, and
provide a viable paper record for voter confirmation and post-election
audit or recount when necessary.

We believe that our government is of the
people, by the people, and for the people and not just for the rich, large
corporations, or large political contributors.

We support campaign reform that regulates
the use of paid signature gatherers in the state initiative process.

We support enforceable legal protection of
the privacy of an individual's personal information.

We believe that a strong American economy
depends on a balanced budget, and deficit spending should not be used to
provide tax cuts to the rich.