Resolutions 2007
The resolutions which follow were developed by members of the Northern Solano Democratic Club, and were adopted by the club on March 12, 2007 and sent to the California Democratic Party for consideration.
A Resolution in Support of Maintaining A Single Primary in California
WHEREAS elections are expensive and multiple primaries for a given election cycle are unnecessary, and
WHEREAS multiple primaries in a given election cycle would likely suppress turnout thereby encouraging extremist elements openings to pass otherwise unpopular candidates and propositions as well as discourage participation in the political process, and
WHEREAS neither the electorate nor the California Democratic Party benefit from multiple primaries in a given election cycle due to their negative effect on the attitude of the public toward government, in part because they encourage political mischief,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club opposes the separation of the California presidential primary from the California state primary election, and urges the Governor to veto this legislation (SB 113/AB 157),
and
be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club expects public officials to spend time that would be devoted to running additional primary elections on carrying out duties of government
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Resolution #2
A Resolution in Favor of Ensuring Trade Agreements Enshrine Principles of Federalism and State Sovereignty
WHEREAS, democratic, accountable governance at state level is being undermined by international commercial and trade rules established by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and enforced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and democratic, accountable governance is further threatened by similar provisions in an array of pending trade agreements; and today's "trade" agreements have impact beyond the bounds of traditional trade matters, such as tariffs and quotas, and grant foreign investors and service providers certain rights and privileges regarding acquisition of land and facilities and operations within a state's territory, subject state laws to challenge as "non-tariff barriers to trade" in the binding dispute resolution bodies that accompany the pacts, and place limits on the future policy options of state legislatures; and recent trade agreements curtail state regulatory authority by placing constraints on future policy options; and NAFTA and other U.S. free trade agreements grant foreign firms new rights and privileges for operating within a state that exceed those rights and privileges granted to U.S. businesses under state and federal law; and NAFTA already has generated "regulatory takings" cases against state and local land-use decisions, state environmental and public health policies, adverse state court rulings, and state and local contracts that would not have been possible in U.S. courts;
and
WHEREAS, common economic development and environmental policies, such as buy-local laws, prevailing wage laws, and policies to prevent off-shoring of state jobs, as well as recycled content laws, are subject to challenge as being in violation of trade agreements when states must comply with provisions contained in those agreements; and the WTO general agreement on trade in services (GATS) could undermine state efforts to expand health care coverage and rein in health care costs and places constraints on state and local land-use planning and gambling policy; and new GATS negotiations could impose additional constraints on state regulation of energy, higher education, professional licensing, and other areas;
and
WHEREAS, despite the far-reaching impact on state and local laws of international trade agreements, federal negotiators have failed to respect states' rights to prior informed consent before binding states to conform state law and authority to trade agreement requirements and have refused even to inform state legislatures of key correspondence; and “Fast Track” eliminates checks and balances established in the U.S. Constitution by delegating the authority of Congress to set the terms of trade to the Executive Branch, such that the Executive Branch is empowered to negotiate broad-ranging trade agreements and to sign them prior to Congress voting on the agreements; and the ability of the Executive Branch to sign trade agreements prior to Congress's vote of approval means Executive Branch negotiators can ignore congressional negotiating objectives or states' demands, and neither Congress nor the states have any means to enforce any decision regarding what provisions must be contained in every U.S. trade agreement and what provisions may not be included in any U.S. trade agreement,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club:
supports creation, by the U.S. Congress, of a replacement for the outdated "Fast Tack" system so that U.S. trade agreements are developed and implemented using a more democratic, inclusive mechanism that enshrines the principles of federalism and state sovereignty,
and
supports inclusion of explicit mechanisms in this new process for developing and implementing trade agreements to ensure the prior informed consent of state legislatures before states are bound to the non-tariff terms of any trade agreement that affects state regulatory authority to ensure that the United States trade representative respects decisions made by states.
Note: Modeled on Montana State Senate Resolution 17 available at: http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2007/billhtml/SJ0017.htm
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Resolution #3:
A Resolution in Opposition to Funding of California Elections by Corporations
WHEREAS the interests of corporations are often at odds with the citizens of the State of California, and
WHEREAS corporations are not eligible to register to vote, and
WHEREAS political involvement by corporations is incompatible with democracy and representative government
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club supports the creation of state legislation prohibiting any corporation to fund any campaign or other political activity, to include lobbying, by corporations, whether or not the corporations are incorporated in California.
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Resolution #4
A Resolution in Support of Internet Neutrality
WHEREAS "Net Neutrality" is a principle that bars internet service providers from charging internet-based firms higher rates in return for priority treatment, and
WHEREAS without Net Neutrality, an internet user will find it time-consuming or even impossible, to access a favorite site that carrier have relegated to slower "lanes" for economic or philosophical reasons, and
WHEREAS the lack of internet neutrality will allow internet service providers to impede or curtail political activity to which service providers object, thus becoming private censors,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club supports
- the principle Internet Neutrality, and
- proposed legislation by Assembly Member Leno (D-San Francisco) to require internet neutrality within California, and
- creation of federal legislation to require internet neutrality nationwide.
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Resolution #5
A Resolution in Support of the Free Flow of Information
WHEREAS radio and television stations license holders are granted a public trust for a fixed period of time to broadcast over the public airways and stations are licensed for the public interest, convenience, and necessity,
and”” WHEREAS ownership of multiple stations in a single market as well as ownership of multiple information distribution systems and/or simultaneous providing of content constitute a restraint of trade that is harmful to the public interest, and
WHEREAS vertical integration of an industry is detrimental to free enterprise and the free market,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club supports creation of federal legislation and Federal Communications Commission regulations that limit:
- the number of broadcast stations that may be owned by one company to no more
than one AM radio station, one FM radio station, and one television station in a given market -- with no ownership of newspapers within that same market,
and
- to no more than 5 AM radio stations, 5 FM radio stations, and 5 television stations in the United States, that may be owned and/or operated by a single licensee, and
- the assignment of broadcast licenses to only United States citizens and/or companies
and
be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club supports creation of federal anti-trust legislation that limits a person, company, or organization to either only (1) own or operate broadcast stations, or (2) own or operate information distribution systems, or (3) provide content -- that is operate a web site and/or create and produce broadcast programs -- to broadcast stations or information distribution systems.
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Resolution #6
A Resolution in Support of Publicly-Owned, Operated, and Maintained Roads and Toll-Free Roads in California
WHEREAS the people of the State of California have paid and are continuing to pay taxes for publicly-owned, constructed and maintained streets, highways, and freeways in California, and
WHEREAS unimpeded travel and transportation within the State of California is essential to trade and commerce and to individual liberty and personal freedom, and
WHEREAS equal access to such travel and transportation within the State of
California should be available to all,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club opposes the imposition of any tolls on any streets, highways, and freeways in California
and
be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club
- opposes any effort, current or future, to transfer present and future publicly owned, constructed, and/or maintained streets, highways, and freeways to private enterprise;
- opposes current and future construction of any privately owned, constructed, maintained, and/or operated streets, highways, and freeways in California;
and
- supports conversion of any and all streets, highways, and freeways from private to public ownership, operation, and maintenance.
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Resolution #7
A Resolution in Support of U.S. House Resolutions 413 and 508, and California Assembly Joint Resolution 8
WHEREAS U.S. House Resolution 413 repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 1-07-243; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) and requires the President to withdraw armed forces from Iraq, and
WHEREAS U.S. House Resolution 508 requires the United States military to disengage from Iraq, provides for reconstruction and reconciliation in Iraq, provides for guaranteed health care for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and other conflicts, and establishes a joint select committee to review the origins and conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
WHEREAS California State Assembly Joint Resolution 8 (the Assembly companion to State Senate Joint Resolution 1 which passed the State Senate February 13, 2007, by 22 to 15) urges the President not to escalate United States involvement in Iraq or increase troop levels, obtain explicit approval from Congress to send additional American troops to Iraq, and states Congress should enact legislation prohibiting the President from spending taxpayer dollars on an escalation in Iraq unless first seeking approval from Congress,
Therefore, be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club supports U.S. House of Representatives Resolutions 413 and 508 and California Assembly Joint Resolution 8,
and
be it resolved that the Northern Solano Democratic Club calls upon our elected representatives to support U.S. House of Representatives Resolutions 413 and 508 and California Assembly Joint Resolution 8.
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Resolution #8
A Resolution to Control United States Borders
WHEREAS, sound immigration policy is essential to the safety, health and well being of our populace, and orderly commerce within the several states; and with drug resistant communicable diseases, drug smuggling and weapons of mass destruction possibly entering the United States via illegal immigration, and
WHEREAS, there are several categories of illegal aliens entering the United States; who clearly pose an immediate danger to our populace, namely criminal elements such as Mara Salvatrucha, known throughout the United States as MS-13, and terrorists such as Al-Qaeda and similar organizations, and
WHEREAS, during 2005, the Border Patrol apprehended approximately 1.2 million illegal aliens; of those 165,000 were from countries other than Mexico, and of the non-Mexican aliens, approximately 650 were from “special interest countries” which are designated by the intelligence community as countries that could send individuals who could bring terrorism to the United States,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that immediate action be taken to enhance security within the United States and along our borders and ports, and therefore the Democratic Party will seek to enact legislation and to enforce existing laws to prevent illegal entry into this country via any border or port, by establishing means to prevent such entry, and establishing a comprehensive system of cooperation and communication between an expanded border control authority and state and local law enforcement agencies.
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Resolution #9
A Resolution to Ban Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems
WHEREAS, Direct Recording Electronic Voting Systems (DREs) threaten the integrity of our public elections because they create no permanent, physical evidence to substantiate their electoral results, and the consequence of this fatal design flaw is that there is no proof at all to stand behind any electoral result obtained from a DRE, and,
WHEREAS, without permanent physical evidence, there can be no audit and no recount, and, even if Verified Voter Paper Trails are used in conjunction with DREs, there is no evidence produced anywhere in the electronic system to verify that the printed receipt actually represents the electronic tally that was registered for that voter.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State Democratic Party urges the Congress of the United States enact legislation to ban the use of Direct Recording Electronic voting machines in any aspect of any public election held within the United or any of its territories.
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Resolution #10
A Resolution for Open and Public Electoral Processes, Devices, and Software
WHEREAS, every aspect of the electoral process should be open and public, to allow for disinterested, unbiased and expert physical inspection of devices and software used in the electronic voting systems, and since there can be no verification as to the accuracy and reliability of those systems without such access, and
WHEREAS, nationwide, hundreds of thousands of electronic votes have been lost or switched by proprietary hardware and software, and, additionally, hundreds of thousands of legally registered voters have been wrongly removed from voter rolls by similar privately owned and secretly operated hardware and software systems, and, noting that this disenfranchisement has gone unanswered, leaving the victims with no meaningful recourse at all,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State Democratic Party urges the Congress of the United States enact legislation to require that any device or software system used in any part of the electoral process of any election held within the United States or within any of its territories, whether that use be part of vote recording, vote tabulating, building or maintaining voter rolls, or any other aspect of the election process, such device or software system shall have no software, no hardware, no data, nor any other component withheld from public view, public inspection, nor withheld from public testing and verification processes.
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Resolution #11
A Resolution for the Use of Physical Paper Ballots with Mandatory Auditing Procedures
WHEREAS, without physical evidence, there can be no verifiable electoral result, and
WHEREAS, election integrity is critical to all parties engaged in the democratic process, and voter confidence in that integrity is destroyed by the use of secret, privately owned and operated electronic voting systems, such as Direct Recording Electronic voting systems which offer no physical evidence for electoral results, no physical evidence for audit, and no physical evidence to be the basis of a recount,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State Democratic Party urges the Congress of the United States enact legislation to make the use of paper ballots mandatory in all elections, such that:
-said paper ballots shall be defined to be the vote of record in all elections, and
-as such, said paper ballots shall be required to be of a permanent nature, able to exist a number of years without physical deterioration, and
-that all electoral results, shall be subject to audit based upon a manual count of some portion of the paper ballots, and that, in the event of a recount, that recount must also be accomplished by a manual count of the paper ballots.
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Resolution #12
A Resolution to Impeach George W. Bush
WHEREAS, no man is above the law, and the President of the United States, George Bush has illegally funded at least one terrorist group in the mideast, and that such funding is illegal, and that there exists the possibility that some of that funding may have filtered down to Al Qaeda groups who are in armed conflict with our troops, and
WHEREAS, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, has unconstitutionally asserted it is the President's right to amend the laws enacted by Congress and he has followed that assertion with unconstitutional action, amending and interpreting several hundreds of laws with the so called "signing statements" And,
WHEREAS, this diminution of Congressional power begins the creeping destruction of the system of checks and balances established by the founding fathers. George W. Bush does not have constitutional authority to amend or interpret legislation. Unless Congress asserts itself and counters George W. Bush's illegal and unconstitutional acts in the manner provided by the Constitution of the United States, presidential power will continue to grow unchecked and unbalanced and our Constitution will not endure.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State Democratic Party urges the Congress of the United States to enact legislation to impeach George W. Bush.
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Resolution #13
A Resolution to Impeach Richard B. Cheney
WHEREAS, the Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, formally an oil executive, acted fraudulently to mislead the United States into a war in the oil rich mideast. Specifically, Richard B. Cheney steered fraudulent evidence around normal vetting procedures, through the Office of the Vice President, and straight into the Oval Office. And,
WHEREAS, when one takes into account the following facts: that, in Iraq, the oil fields have been "secured" by several permanent U.S. military bases; that the new Iraqi constitution is organized on the principal of foreign control of Iraqi oil; that Cheney's former energy company has been given numerous lucrative and wasteful contracts in Iraq; and that many of our National Guard troops, volunteers from all over America, are assigned to guard the highly paid workers of Cheney's former company, one realizes that this publicly funded, bloody fiasco, conducted in our name, and paid for dearly by thousands of innocent people here and abroad, has all been callously and cruelly orchestrated by Richard Bruce Cheney for the further enrichment of himself and his oil cronies. This appalling, cynical, criminal corruption must be confronted,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California State Democratic Party urges the Congress of the United States enact legislation to impeach Richard B. Cheney