As Democrats, we believe in and support the following:

• Equal opportunity, inclusiveness, tolerance, fairness, and justice should be extended to all people.
  • “All” means everyone, with no exclusions due to race, culture, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, or any other identities.  No exclusions.
  • When Americans are born into disadvantaged conditions, we work to give them a fair chance to achieve the American Dream.

• The most important roles of government are to maintain national security and to protect the rights of our citizens:  “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
  • A strong national security exists to protect life.
  • Liberty should not be denied or limited, so long as one person’s exercise of liberty does not infringe on or limit the liberty of others.
  • The freedom to pursue happiness should be available to all. 

• The most basic element of democracy is citizen participation.
  • Participation in government should be an expected duty for all citizens. 
  • Citizen participation may take many forms:  standing for election, voting in elections, attending community meetings, participating with civic or voluntary organizations, promoting the common good, and even protesting what one believes to be unfair or illegal. 
  • When courageous people speak out against injustice, we join our voices with theirs. 
  • Citizen participation builds a better democracy. 
  • Taxes can be considered the “price” we pay for living in society and enjoying its benefits.

• The right to vote is the key component of democracy, and the integrity of the voting process must be protected.
  • We strongly support changes to voting regulations which would make it more convenient for citizens to vote. 
  • Conversely, we are strongly opposed to any regulations or actions which make it more difficult to vote or which prevent some citizens from voting at all.  
  • The value of each person’s vote should not be diminished by strategies such as partisan gerrymandering. 
  • The control of the democratic process must be returned to the citizens.  The Citizens United decision should be overturned, and the extreme financial influence on elections by secretive “Super-PACs” should be sharply limited. 

• Elected and appointed officials are obligated to be accountable to the people and fully responsible for their actions.
  • Their decisions must reflect the will of the people and be intended for the good of the whole, not for their own benefit or for the benefit of their friends or donors. 

• Transparency is an essential characteristic of government.
  • Elected and appointed officials must exercise every reasonable means to keep the public informed about decisions and actions which affect the citizenry. 

• “Due process of law” means that no one is above the law.
  • Everyone must obey the law, and everyone bears responsibility for his/her own actions. 
  • The law should be equally, fairly, and consistently enforced.  

• National security is essential, and having a strong military can serve as a deterrent to any nation or group who may be hostile towards us.
  • Diplomacy with and basic respect towards other nations will help reduce tensions and prevent any tensions from becoming open conflicts.
  • Credible and verifiable diplomacy and treaties aimed towards reducing the possibility of nuclear war should be consistently explored.
  • We believe that military expenditures, while important, should be balanced with the needs in other areas of society.
  • Those in the military deserve our full support, both while serving and after their service is completed.  

• Helping our allies to be stronger increases our own security.
  • Our allies contribute to our security through their personnel, their military, and their intelligence gathering. 
  • As the strongest country in the world, the US should, when able, collaborate with other nations as a force for good in the world.
  • Our allies should feel confident that we will support them in times of crisis.
  • Our enemies should know that we will face them with strength, resilience, and a commitment to justice.  

• Healthcare should be available to all citizens and affordable for families.
  • A healthy citizenry contributes to making our country more vital and prosperous.
  • Healthcare should not be rationed according to one’s income or the job a person has. 
  • Women should have the right, in consultation with their doctors, to make their own decisions with regard to reproductive health. 
  • Being Pro-Choice is NOT the same as being “pro-abortion”.
  • A “Pro-Life” standard should include advocacy for universal childhood health care, support for disease-prevention research, and opposition to the death penalty.
  • Each individual bears responsibility for personal decisions that promote–or potentially degrade–their own health.   

• Education is a proven means for overcoming poverty, and it is an essential ingredient for most forms of personal improvement.
  • We support universal access to early childhood education, and we oppose inequities in educational opportunities based on where children reside.
  • Education helps to create a better informed citizenry, which strengthens communities and the nation as a whole. 
  • Education provides corrections to misconceptions, and it should serve as a bulwark against any false information which individuals or groups may try to put forth.
  • New knowledge and discoveries in science and in other areas of research should be used to guide public policy.  This will improve and protect the well-being of individuals, communities and countries–and the entire planet.

• Humans should act as caretakers of the environment for future generations.
  • We can make use of the earth’s resources, but we have no right to abuse them. 
  • Land, water, and air which have been poisoned or degraded by human actions should be purified by those who polluted them. 
  • Climate change is REAL, and it is imperative that we take actions NOW to counter its effects.

• The potential effects on the health and well-being of citizens should always be considered before new policies or actions are approved.
  • Corporations and banks are in business to make money for their executives and for their “shareholders”.  Advances and innovations which they create contribute to the overall good of society.  In their pursuit of profits, however, they sometimes engage in actions which result in financial hardship to private citizens or create unhealthy living environments.  To prevent those results, governments, through oversight and regulations, have the responsibility to step in to minimize or prevent those hardships and dangers.
  • Compassionate responses to people’s problems or crises is important, but those do not absolve people of personal responsibility for their own poor choices.

• All work contributes to the prosperity of the country, and all workers should be respected for what they do.
  • Equal work merits equal pay.
  • Workers deserve the chance to earn a living wage so that they can support their families. 
  • Workers should be able to organize together to change unsafe or unfair work environments. 
  • The extreme wage gap between management and “ordinary” workers is unacceptable.  

• The safety and security of our citizens is of far greater importance than the unreasonable demands of the NRA.
  • There are numerous common sense gun safety measures which the majority of Americans support and which have nothing to do with “the right to bear arms.” These should be enacted singly or as a block as soon as possible. 
  • Elected Democrats should be encouraged to accept NO financial donations from the NRA until it moderates its extremist and harmful rhetoric.

• There is a strong need for immigration reform in our country, but this is a complex and multi-faceted issue.
  • There are no quick or easy solutions, and changes to laws and policies related to immigration should be approached in a bipartisan spirit. 
  • Security concerns and compassion for those fleeing violence or oppression in their own countries should both be taken into account.  
  • America’s history of being a safe refuge for people fleeing danger or oppression in their native countries is a legacy which should be proudly continued.
  • Our country is stronger because of the contributions made by immigrants.
  • Border security and the comprehensive “vetting” of potential new immigrants are both important, and the pace of new admissions into our country should be coordinated with the ability of receiving communities–and the country as a whole–to absorb and integrate these refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants into society.
  • Undocumented immigrants who have entered the United States recently should be returned to their country of origin and required to seek lawful admission.
  • Undocumented immigrants who have resided here for years, have demonstrated a pattern of positive behavior, and have contributed to society should be afforded a path to citizenship. 
  • Enforcement of immigration laws should not result in children being separated from their parents, except in rare and extreme circumstances.