The Delegates elected at the precinct caucuses on February 9th attending the Whitman County Convention on April 14th will be considering Resolutions and the 2008 Whitman County Democrats Platform. Below are the drafts of the resolutions that will be presented for consideration by the Resolutions Committee. The draft of the 2008 Platform is not yet available, but the Resolutions Committee chair has said that it will be similar to our 2006 platform. You can view the 2006 Whitman County Democrats Platform on our Platform Page.

Click read more below to view the draft resolutions.

Here are the draft resolutions to be presented by the Resolutions Committee to the Whitman County Convention on April 19th.

Whitman County Resolutions for 2008
Revisions as of April 19, 2008.

Whitman-Res-02-03- Media Consolidation

Whereas Citizens of the United States should have freedom of information;
Whereas Consolidation of media limits free access to information;
Therefore be it Resolved that the US Congress implement laws to prevent consolidation of media by large conglomerates.

Whitman-Res-02-13-Plain English on Credit Cards

Whereas terms and legal agreements on credit cards are written in small print and language that is not clear;
Therefore be it Resolved that the US Congress implement laws that would require credit card agreements to be written so that they are easily understood.

Whitman-Res-03-08-Family Planning Health Care

Whereas family Planning improves family health and well being;
Whereas ability to plan and space pregnancies reduces maternal and infant mortality and strain on families, communities, and the environment;
Whereas access to barrier contraceptives such as condoms are critical to prevent spread of STIs, including HIV/AIDS;
Whereas the best way to prevent unintended pregnancies and make abortion rare is to make sure medically accurate information and access to birth control are available to women, couples, and teens;
Whereas every public dollar spent on family planning services saves $3.80 in medical costs for pregnancy-related health care and medical care of newborns;
Therefore be it resolved that the Washington State Democratic Party contact the Washington State legislature to inform them that Family Planning is basic healthcare and crucial as a healthcare safety net and to urge them to support and fund family services as a priority.

Whitman-Res-04-07-Financing State Elections

WHEARAS, public financing of Washington State elections would be desirable to improve the democratic process of electing state officials;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Washington State Democratic Party support an effort to establish a system of public financing of elections following the terms outlined by www.washclean.org,

Whitman-Res-04-07-Impeachment of Bush and Cheney

WHEREAS President George Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney have repeatedly violated the U.S. constitution and federal statues, and lied to the citizens and Congress of the United States regarding the war in Iraq;
WHEREAS members of the U.S. Congress have proposed the impeachment of George Bush and Richard Cheney, but the Congress has abdicated its constitutional duty to initiate impeachment proceedings;
WHEREAS the Washington State congressional manual allows for state legislation as an alternate source for a bill of impeachment;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington State legislature pass and forward to the U.S. House of Representatives a bill of impeachment crafted to require action by the U.S. House of Representatives under its own rules to consider articles of impeachment of George Bush and Richard Cheney.

Whitman-Res-04-07- US Department of Peace and Nonviolence

WHEREAS US House Bill 808 was introduced in the United State House of Representatives on Feb 5, 2007 to create a United States Department of Peace and Nonviolence (USDPN);
WHEREAS a USDPN will support domestic and international peace-based initiatives and sponsor conflict prevention and dispute resolution initiatives;
WHEREAS a USDPN will support existing Washington State programs and development of new programs related to peace and violence;
WHEREAS many governmental agencies have passed resolutions in support a of a USDPN;
WHEREAS many national and international organizations have endorsed the legislation to establish a USDPN;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Whitman County Democrats urge their U.S. Congressional Representatives and Senators and the Washington State Legislature to support the establishment of a United States Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Whitman-Res-05-011-Partition of Immigration Laws

Whereas the word amnesty is a buzzword with various meanings;
Whereas passing a comprehensive immigration bill is unlikely this year;
Whereas many less controversial aspects of the problem of illegal immigration need immediate attention;
Therefore be it resolved that the Democratic Party approach the problem by proposing bills that would 1) increase the staff for handling visas to eliminate the current long-term backlog of visa applications and new applications, 2) increase and improve the training of border guards and customs officials at all land and sea borders to prevent smuggling of arms, drugs and people, 3) issue tamper-proof ID cards to non-citizens, 4) create and keep an up to date list of legal immigrants so employers can check their status, and 5) improve efficiency of the guest worker system so that the workers are available to farmers when needed.