The Monroe County Democratic Committee platform on local issues
Democrats know what they stand for and why. Our positions on local, regional and national issues stem from our core values, and this is where Monroe County Democrats stand on the local issues of our day:
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Monroe County Democratic Party supports the goal of affordable housing for all citizens. As close to home
as home itself is the Democratic ideal that housing is a basic right for all Americans; the home is the most important asset that we possess and is a haven for families and a place to cradle and raise our children. The Monroe County Democratic Committee supports a housing policy which creates appropriate zoning to protect the environment while permitting cluster housing with open space; increases Section 8 and other housing subsidies for eligible families; addresses the forgotten homeless population; develops housing for senior citizens and ensures housing quality standards for existing housing and new construction. THE ECONOMY
The Monroe County Democratic Party supports a budget that is fiscally sound and reflects the real needs of the American people. The Monroe County Democratic Committee supports an economic stimulus package that generates growth and jobs, is fiscally responsible, takes effect quickly, is fair for all Americans, targets unmet needs and extends unemployment insurance when the jobless rate is greater than 5%. We must invest in an economic infrastructure, address the rising medical cost of an aging population, reduce the sizable trade deficits, as well as the national budget deficit, and end the stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. We support an equitable living wage, an increased minimum wage to livable standards, and retirement security. We believe in the preservation of Social Security, unemployment insurance and federal assistance to the states to lessen their serious budget deficits. We must vigorously pursue and prosecute corporate fraud by strengthening enforcement, protecting consumers, improving public investment practices and encouraging corporate responsibility. THE ENVIRONMENT
The Monroe County Democratic Party understands that the protection of our environment and the stewardship of our land are vital to the strength of our communities. The health of our families, the strength of our economy, the well-being of our surroundings depend upon a clean environment. We must work for cleaner air and water, a safe food supply, the cleanup of toxic waste dumps, safe and reliable electricity, and a strong international treaty to combat global warming in a way that is market-based and realistic and does not damage the economy. One way to accomplish this goal is to develop alternate fuels, which also reduces our dependence on foreign oil and promotes new technologies, industries, and jobs. We have to do what is right for our county as well as our nation, because it is the moral thing to do. Preservation of the environment on a local level must include zoning ordinances to preserve wetlands and streams, and to regulate growth of residential and commercial properties both in size and in type of business. The effects of major transportation corridors must be carefully examined and water quality must be monitored. The infrastructure needed to support residences and businesses must be planned in a manner that does not pollute our environment. ETHNIC DIVERSITY, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that inherent dignity and recognition of equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that all citizens are entitled to religious freedom, civil rights must be protected, ethnic diversity must be respected, and all forms of discrimination must end. We believe that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, and are all members of the human family. All are entitled to all the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Access to employment, education, and the choice of religion must be protected by the rule of law. Our diversity is one of our greatest assets; Democrats have led the way in reforming Affirmative Action to make it work. We will continue to forge common ground for all citizens of Monroe County. TRANSPORTATION
The Monroe County Democratic Party supports the improvement of all area roads to facilitate travel and ensure safety. Adequate and safe transportation is not only a critical part of the infrastructure, it is vital to the environmental and economic stability of an area. Ensuring access to jobs is a major issue for most Americans; providing the surface transportation and adequate roads are essential to grow the economy. As the Monroe County population grows, the demands on Interstate 80 and major local routes are severely strained, and the environment is threatened from the resulting emissions. The Monroe County Democratic Party supports development and implementation of a safe, reliable, and adequate public transportation system in Monroe County. Development of a commuter rail link, expansion of local surface routes to provide alternatives to driving and easier access to major hubs, and the building of more Park-and-Ride lots are essential to accommodating the Monroe County Area’s growth. WOMEN’S ISSUES
The Monroe County Democratic Party realizes and supports the need for women to be represented in all walks of life. The Monroe County Democratic Party advocates the role of women in the political process and realizes that women today face modern issues such as inequities in pay and inequities in opportunities. Women are also faced with problems including, but not limited to domestic violence, sexual harassment, and invisibility. The Monroe County Democratic Party supports medical and pharmaceutical research that recognizes the specific needs of women. The Monroe County Democratic Party supports voter education in the selection of judges and their records on women’s issues. We respect all women’s personal and religious views and decisions toward their reproductive rights. CHILDREN and FAMILIES
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that strengthening our families strengthens America. Government does not raise children, families do. But government can and should help make the job of being a parent easier. In most families, parents work hard to adequately provide for their families and to prepare for future needs of their children, but they also have to balance that work time with the time they spend with their children so that they will have time to pass on the right values to their children. For this reason, government should help low and middle-income parents gain increased family time with their children, and expand the medical leave law. We believe in the importance of early childhood education so that all children can start school ready to read. We believe Head Start should be fully funded and support higher standards for child care workers to ensure the safety and quality of childcare centers. Childcare should be made affordable for single parents. We are committed to promoting responsible parenthood as an important step to reducing child poverty and providing children with more financial and emotional support. We believe that child-support laws should be enforced, and programs that strengthen responsible fatherhood should be supported. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
The Monroe County Democratic Party supports equal opportunity, equal employment opportunities, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. Equal opportunity, equal employment opportunities, and economic self-sufficiency are the core rights that will enable people with disabilities to continue their integration into American Society. We are committed to the vigorous implementation and enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Monroe County Democratic Party supports full participation and inclusion in all aspects of American society for disabled people. JOBS & EMPLOYMENT
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that access and availability to better-paying jobs that allow for quality education, healthcare and retirement are necessary to enhance a high and consistent quality of life. In order for Monroe County to become a place where people would want to grow up, go to school, find gainful employment that rises to a national median, and raise children who would want to grow up here, too, the Monroe County Democratic Party believes that we must make this a better place to live with a higher standard of living. Access to, and availability of, better paying jobs will allow workers to obtain quality education, healthcare, and a secure retirement which enhances our quality of life. We believe the resort and service industries are an integral part of Monroe County life, but we need to do everything we can to grow new and different businesses to provide a broader range of opportunities and develop a workforce to meet these opportunities. If we achieve this, we will stop the exodus by young people that currently plagues us. Organized labor and the Democratic Party have been partners in a prosperous American economy. We support that continued relationship. The bipartisan-approved 2020 Plan for Monroe County, the blueprint of the future for county and municipal development and growth, has been widely supported by the citizenry, but is yet to be effected by elected officials. We support and urge timely implementation of this plan; delays are no longer affordable or acceptable. In order to keep up with a higher cost of living, we support an increase in the minimum wage. EDUCATION
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that a strong public school system is essential for a better society. We cannot be first economically unless we are first educationally. A large majority of the children in this county attend public schools. Public school education allows us to have one of the highest standards of living in the world. Education leads to the future success and security of our county and citizens. Fully qualified, well-trained teachers should be in every classroom in the county. We should provide equality of opportunity for all. Children should learn in safe, modern classrooms with the most up to date technology, and every student should be computer-literate by the eighth grade. High quality, affordable pre-school should be fully available for every child in our county. We believe in strict accountability for results and strong incentives for success. We must reduce dropout rates, reduce class size, increase graduation rates, raise student achievement, and reduce school violence. In order to achieve all this, we believe that private school vouchers and other unfunded mandates should not drain public school resources. SOCIAL SECURITY
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that Social Security is a guaranteed retirement account that people have worked hard for, paid into, and have earned. The Monroe County Democratic Party is committed to protecting and preserving Social Security. We consider it a compact across the generations to provide a progressive, guaranteed benefit for seniors and people with disabilities. We oppose privatizing Social Security, making it subject to the risks and expenses of the market. We oppose reducing benefits for middle-income Americans, based on concepts like progressive indexing. And we oppose the raising of the retirement age. We favor raising the social security cap on contributions to a higher salary level, thus extending the pay-as-you-go ability of the trust fund. Due to the massive Federal budget deficit, billions of dollars have been raided from Social Security. The most vital step we can take to strengthen Social Security is to restore fiscal responsibility. Social Security is imperative to our way of life; it has helped tens of millions of Americans live in retirement with dignity. Protecting and preserving Social security should be a common goal of all Americans. CRIME
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that citizens must be safe, justice must be fair and timely, and young offenders should be able to earn an opportunity to change their lives. Crime, and its resulting effects on families of victims, the enormous public resources required to maintain correctional facilities and the lack of full access to society by many young individuals has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Monroe County, with its rapid population growth, has stretched the limits of local police departments and the County Court system. The County needs adequate, trained local police to protect its citizens, an adequate number of judges to hear the cases, and an overhaul of its correctional facilities focusing on more treatment and rehabilitation programs for young and eligible offenders. Funds allocated for programs. such as domestic violence, in which the arrest rate has soared, should be used for this purpose only. Programs to assist victims of serious crime must be expanded and funded. Programs to provide rehabilitative services, treatment and education must be better managed by the correctional institutions, and administrators must be made accountable. HEALTHCARE
The Monroe County Democratic Party believes that all Americans should have access to affordable quality healthcare. We support universal healthcare and seek to create a “Patients Bill Of Rights” that will reduce the escalated cost of prescriptions and expand access to medical services. It has been the vision of the Monroe County Democratic Party to protect and strengthen Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. We support adequate mental health services and treatment for all those who require it. We support biomedical research that promotes and extends the quality of life.
