Listening to America

Obama for America Huntsville, AL

July 27, 2008

We, the Democrats and Obama supporters of Madison County, AL, mindful that the
challenges of our times and profound in scope and complex in depth present the
following statements as a call to action to the Democratic National Convention. The
stakes are high; we hold no illusions as to the seriousness of these issues. However,
we face our future with a sense of optimism, for in no other country, and in no other
campaign would our voice be heard, or would our concerns be addressed. It is our
abiding faith in America, and the rights imbued to us, her citizens that allow us to
overcome any challenge, and it is in this sprit that we present the following
suggested topics for the 2008 Democratic National Platform for America.

Governance
We feel a government is best when it inspires each of us to achieve that which
would otherwise be beyond ourselves. Our faith in governance must be restored
and our objectives in this respect would include:

• To restore civility & respect to our political discourse.

• To restore civil liberties to all Americans, regardless of age, background, or

creed.

• Preserve and defend the integrity of the democratic voting system, both at
home and abroad.

• Restore effectiveness of the Federal Government

• Ensure that Judicial Appointments are qualified & confirmed fairly.

• Restore honor and integrity to the political process by reclaiming American

values.

• Fostering a sense of empowerment in all citizens both to be involved in the

electoral process, and as stakeholders in our shared government.

• Restore trust and integrity in government first by restoring truth in leadership

and also by maintain leadership that inspires all of us to accomplish inspiring
leadership

• Locate similarities among us all rather than focusing on what divides us.
 • Work to eliminate divides and polarization in the national media.

Economy
America is both the world’s largest & influential economy. However, recent trends
have increased negative pressure on us all; for the first time in decades, Americans
are being forced to sacrifice due to economic conditions that, if left unchecked, will
constitute nothing short of a national emergency. In this spirit, we seek to build an
economy that is just, equitable, and sound both today and down the road by:

• Investing in green commerce initiatives both in the private sector and as part
of a national energy initiative

• Using our military might wisely, with full appreciation of the economic
consequences of action.

• Ensuring economic justice abroad, and at home.

• Ensuring the financial well being of seniors so that all Americans may retire
with dignity.

• Working to make child care affordable and accessible.

• A balanced trade policy that will increase the value of the US dollar & ensure
our long term solvency.

• Common sense urban planning that is adapted to 21st century economic

realities.

• Create American jobs that won’t go overseas both in government and in the
private sector.

• Increase the economic and intrinsic value of public service to ensure that our
brightest & most promising talent has an initiative to serve.

• Rebuild our infrastructure using advanced, environmentally friendly

technologies.

• Declare war on poverty with specific, targeted initiatives in healthcare,

education, and job creation.

Education
Due to spiraling costs, alarming drop out rates, and byzantine regulation, access to
a quality education is fast becoming a privilege of only a select few. However, the
cornerstone of America’s future is the quality of education we provide. As a party
we must seek the following educational processes and objectives:
 • Set national education standards that are non-negotiable to ensure that all
students are provided the same level & quality of curriculum.

• Imbue students with a mutual sense of respect and fairness, the objective of
which is to move our national discourse in a positive direction.

• Ensure that the objectives of the war on drugs do not limit access to
education.

• Increase child care accessibility both to working parents and student parents.

• Ensure full inclusion to pre-school and early childhood education

• Reduce college costs to a level at which higher education is available to all

Americans.

• Begin initiatives to ensure that America’s youth empowered and never again
left behind.

Environment
The environment represents at transcendental challenge that is impacted by
numerous facets of our daily lives. We offer the following solutions to ensure that
the environmental challenge of this generation does not become an environmental
catastrophe to the next.

• Mandating green commerce that rewards good environmental practices while

fully eliminating destructive behavior.

• Increasing corporate accountability and compliance with existing and new

regulations.

• Urban planning that limits negative environmental externalities.

• As part of a 21st century “Energy Marshall Plan”, reform our methods of

transportation to include the use of alternative fuels and mass transit.

Energy
We propose a “21st Century Energy Marshall Plan” that will replace fossil and other
non-renewable energy sources with clean technologies that are usable indefinitely.
Doing so will not only solve short term economic malaise, by reducing energy costs,
but create “green collar” energy related jobs, and solve our long term
environmental challenges. Such a plan is possible, and would net:

• The rekindling of the American manufacturing base as demand for energy

efficient & alternatively powered goods rise.
 • Breaking America’s grip on expensive, imported oil, keeping funds in America
and out of the hands of unfriendly regimes.

• Rebuilding of American infrastructure for transportation powered by clean

fuels.

Foreign Policy
For decades America stood as a beacon of hope in a world wreaked by conflict. The
time has come for America to once again lead among nations. Our ideal foreign
policy would:

• Restore America’s reputation, and regain the world’s respect.

• Use our military forces wisely, in moderation, and with the full faith and
support of our allies.

• Create a cabinet-level “Department of Peace”, charged with enforcing

peaceful conflict resolution.

Health Care
The failure of America’s healthcare system has moved beyond a simple
inconvenience; it is now a moral calamity that we can no longer avoid. Only by
addressing the systemic causes of this failure may we truly accomplish meaningful
reform, the aim of which should be a universal, single-payer system, without
restrictions on condition or care that would:

• Enable full mobility of coverage for individuals with disabilities and chronic
conditions.

• Provide care for the uninsured, as well as the under-insured.

• Reform the war on drugs to treat addiction as physiological condition rather

than a criminal offense.

• Provide comfort and peace of mind to our seniors and retired persons.

• Youth

• Effectively declare war on poverty by ensuring that all Americans, regardless

of income are healthy and productive and that medical expenses will never
again lead hard-working people into despair
Social Justice
For the Democratic Party, full inclusion and equality should be more than just a goal;
it should be an abiding social contract that will never be breached. We present the
following core values that must form the tenets of our party and our society.

• Ensuring that rights to privacy and civil liberties are respected and upheld.

• Make healthcare, a living wage, shelter, and freedom from want all uniquely
intrinsic values by declaring and winning a war on poverty.

• Reform the war on drugs with an understanding that substance abuse is a

physiological, not a criminal problem.

• Make fair judicial appointments that will uphold and defend the rights of all
Americans.

• Strive for economic justice by protecting main street American before Wall
Street.

• Reconcile the issue of race in America in a just and equitable fashion.

• Pursue global environmental justice to ensure that third world nations never
again become the first world’s dumping ground.

• Preserve and expand LGBT rights so that all Americans are provided with the
same protections and abilities under the law.

• Reform US prisons into centers of restorative, rather than punitive, justice.

Technology & Innovation

In order for American people to truly lead, she must first innovate. For decades, the
American people, borne of necessity and economic freedom, could lead by invention
with impunity. Today, however, outsourcing and globalization threaten our
competitive advantages more than ever. We propose the following plans to stem
these threats:

• Invest in space exploration both with increased funding for NASA and by
sponsoring private ventures.

• The implementation of a “21st Century Energy Marshall Plan” finding clean,

renewable energy sources with American innovation.

• Rebuilding American infrastructure for transportation powered by clean fuels.

• Building cities adapted to 21st century technology.

Immigration
A just and equitable immigration reform policy should be pursued at all costs. Such
a plan need not be sweeping, but it must take into account the impact of legal and
illegal immigration on our economic, healthcare, and social justice initiatives.