Home | Events | Issues | Join | News | Get Active | Donate | Links | Contact Us
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 adopt this platform so the public and candidates for office can espouse and support our ideals and aspirations. Finally, we affirm the charter and bylaws of the Young Democrats of Florida.
Human Rights are inherent rights not dependent upon the civil laws of any country; they are self-evident truths. Specifically:
* We affirm that food, shelter, medical care, education, and equal employment opportunities are among basic human rights, and we support the development of social programs to protect these basic human rights;
* We oppose all discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, military service, insurance, licensing, or education based on race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, size, political affiliation, and/or national origin;
* We affirm the human right to have sovereignty over our bodies. We oppose any law, regulation, or government action restricting legal rights and private matters regarding one's reproductive functions. We support a woman's constitutional right to choose abortion, as protected by Roe v. Wade, regardless of age or ability to pay;
* We support free and equal access to family planning clinics, which includes freedom from activities that endanger a person's rights or livelihood;
* We affirm that the government should legally recognize same-sex couples who choose to marry and further believe that such couples should share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities and commitments of civil marriage;
* We support the separation of church and state and oppose organized prayer in public schools and granting of public money to institutions for the purpose of promoting religion.
* We require our government to honor the treaty rights of all Tribal Governments;
* We support strong legislation, treatment programs, and education designed to reduce domestic violence and child abuse. And we believe each person has the right to a life free from fear of personal injury;
* We affirm that each individual has a right to privacy and that right should not be violated by government or business. Proactive legislative steps should be taken to address this issue;
* We affirm our belief in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and affirm that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundations of freedom, justice, and peace in the world;
* We support the right for due process for all people including military tribunals for enemy combatants.
Consistent with the Democratic Party’s tradition as the party of inclusion, compassion and long-term commitment to the health and well being of every citizen and in the spirit of the US Constitution’s promise promote the general welfare of its citizens; we support a public system of health care. Specifically:
* We support the implementation of and ready access to nationwide universal health care to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status and citizenship;
* We support expanded coverage for all veterans especially those suffering from service-related disorders;
* We support prohibition of discrimination in health care services and research;
* We support the legalization of physician assisted suicide for those that are terminally ill and of sound mind;
* We support the federal legalization and regulation of medical marijuana;
* We support universal access to family planning procedures, and affirm that insurance companies should provide coverage for family planning procedures and prescription contraceptives;
* We affirm that every person has the inherent ownership of their own genetic profile, and individual specific information should not be shared without explicit and prior permission;
* We support government funding of stem-cell research;
* We affirm that mental health is as equally important as physical health and we support parity in health care coverage. And we also support efforts to destigmatize mental illness and the issues surrounding appropriate treatment;
* We support lessening in the cost of prescription drugs by means including importation, Medicare, collective bargaining, universal health care, etc;
* We support all gender equality in health care coverage.
Prevention of crime is as important as reaction to crime. We believe that government has a responsibility to help alleviate the social conditions that contribute to crime. Specifically:
* We oppose racial profiling by law enforcement;
* We support the abolition of capital punishment;
* We support the end of the drug war and a focus on prevention and treatment;
* We affirm that the criminal justice system should focus on education and rehabilitation rather than punishment;
We reaffirm the constitutional right to bear arms and simultaneously recognize the necessity to implement basic common sense restriction procedures. Specifically:
* We support safety locks on handguns, prohibition of importation and ownership of fully-automatic weapons and strengthening of laws holding adults responsible for safeguarding guns in the home;
* We support universal gun registration and licensing, mandatory safety training for gun owners, background checks on all gun sales, with a minimum waiting period, and closing of the gun show loophole.
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. Specifically:
* We support the reduction of class size to sizes appropriate to the ages and competence of students;
* We believe technological excellence requires adequate and on-going funding;
* We support ample funding for state and federal financial aid;
* We support a fair wage for teachers and annual cost of living increases;
* We support the implementation of educational programs that encourage non-violent conflict resolution;
* We support pro-active state and federal government funding in economically depressed school districts;
* We support the adoption of programs that actively seek to correctly assess and accommodate for learning disabilities;
* We support age-appropriate & comprehensive sexuality education in public schools in Florida;
* We support a non-discrimination policy in public schools that protects against discrimination based on race, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, size, political affiliation, and/or national origin;
* We support affordability, accessibility, and accountability in higher education;
* We support an increase in funding for the fine arts;
Protecting the environment is not at odds with economic growth; preserving our environment is an important obligation of our government. We support a non-combative cooperative and pro-active approach to sustainable living practices that incorporate responsible ecological, economic, and environmental practices. Specifically:
* We support widespread research 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 oppose further expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. and globally until socially and environmentally acceptable long-term solutions have been developed to deal with the waste created by existing facilities;
* We support the cleanup and restoration of all damaged and degraded government and private project lands. Future projects that perpetuate such damage should be opposed;
* We support the creation of an independent watchdog group to oversee energy companies and ensure that there are no price-fixing or other ethical problems occurring;
* We support comprehensive land use regulations that constraint sprawl protect our unprotected environment and promote strong sustainable and healthy urban areas.
Economic justice is essential for the realization of a democratic society. Specifically:
* We affirm the rights of workers to a safe and healthy work environment;
* We support all public and private workers' rights to organize and use mediation, arbitration, or strikes when necessary to resolve disputes;
* We expect all employers to provide a living wage to their employees and support annual increases in the minimum wage;
* We expect all employers to provide workers with ergonomic protections in the workplace;
* We oppose the use of permanent replacement workers during strikes;
* We support the protection of American workers from corporate greed and mismanagement;
* We oppose the economic exploitation of developing nations by multinational corporations;
* We recognize there are economically disadvantaged members of our society and seek to strengthen an economic safety net to provide a common standard of opportunity for all members of America’s society.
The United States is a leader in the global community and as such should act to respectfully promote peace, security and general welfare throughout our world. Specifically:
* We recognize that globalization is a world wide economic factor and therefore support fair trade in responsible terms that encourage environmental and labor friendly practices;
* We support a secure peace in Israel and throughout the Middle East;
* We support the establishment of an international criminal judicial body specifically, US ratification of the International Criminal Court;
* We support cooperative international efforts to contain the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and reduce current nuclear armaments.
A fair tax system will ensure the prosperity of the American people and generate the funding necessary for a responsible government. Specifically:
* We support incentives, including targeted tax credits, to businesses that provide family wage jobs with adequate health care and pension benefits;
* We support tax breaks for small businesses.
* We support a more progressive tax system at all levels.
World population policy is one of the most important issues facing our planet with critical impacts on the environment, social and governmental stability, and disease. Specifically:
* We support universal access to humane family planning services supported by the necessary funding;
* We support education on family planning and the link between population growth and the detrimental effects on quality of life;
* We recognize and defend a woman's right to abortion;
* We support an increased link between foreign aid and pro-active family planning practices;
* We support the United States active involvement in fighting the AIDS epidemic on a global scale.
At the core of our nation is the value of the democratic process the right to vote is especially significant and we support all means to ensure that citizens can effectively make change in their government. Specifically:
* We believe the government should be in charge of standardizing voting procedures and devices in order to avoid discrepancies and to ensure that votes cast are tabulated scientifically and impartially;
* We support requirements of a paper trail for any electronic voting that protects individual privacy while preventing fraud. The voter-verifiable paper ballot shall be considered the official ballot in any recount;
* We support early voting and Election Day as a national holiday. Additionally we support same day voter registration and election;
* We believe that the federal government should serve all people and encourage their participation in the democratic process regardless of race, age, disabilities, sexual orientation, religion, creed, gender, or criminal history;
* We will not tolerate voting impediments or voter intimidation in any form.
* We oppose abusive attempts to purge voter registration rolls;
* We support state and federal agencies in providing ongoing absentee ballot application service, including among eligible college students, recently naturalized US citizens, and physically disabled citizens, and thereby to enable participation in ongoing absentee voting;
* We support uniform national standards for voter registration and absentee ballot application allowing all citizens, regardless of state residences to apply for and participate in ongoing absentee voter status;
* We support state efforts to restore voting rights to ex-felons;
* We support the use of Instant Run off Voting.
Home | Events | Issues | Join | News | Get Active | Donate | Links | Contact Us
Comments and suggestions regarding this website should be addressed to webmaster@ircyd.org or call 772.539.9126.
Site designed and hosted by Deep Sky Technologies, Inc..