Logo on the 1980 Platform Publication
CHAPTER ONE
EDUCATION AND CULTURE
Sec. 10. PREAMBLE
It is essential that communities be unified in support of a sound educational system. To this end, parents and teachers should be deeply involved in the decision-making process.
Sec. 11. ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
1. We urge the continued development of alternatives for students who cannot, or do not, participate in traditional classroom activities.
2. We urge more opportunities for adults to pursue academic studies, including non-degree college programs.
3. We urge enactment of realistic and clearly enforceable requirements of school attendance.
Sec. 12. FUNDING
1. We urge that public education funding be based on a more equitable tax structure, one that reduces dependence on local revenue.
2. We urge that the State’s share of Federal aid to education be directed toward service to students in the classroom to the greatest extent permissible under Federal regulations.
Sec. 13. CERTIFICATION
1. We believe that teacher preparation should require early practice teaching experiences and a strong academic foundation.
Sec. 14. TEACHING AS A PROFESSION
1. We believe that the reward system in education should extend the greatest prestige and recognition to classroom teachers.
2. We believe that excellence in teaching should be acknowledged with financial recognition and professional advancement within the teaching role.
Sec. 15. CURRICULUM
1. Recognizing the vital importance of a child’s early years, we urge support for quality day-care centers and for individualized kindergarten and early grades.
2. Low teacher/pupil ratios are essential to quality education and are especially critical in the lower grades. We support a maximum class size of twenty students in the early grades.
3. We support the creation of public school educational programs, kindergarten through adult, regarding the importance and relevance of food and agriculture to the security of Maine people.
Sec. 16. VOCATIONAL AND POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
1. We believe vocational education should be offered to all students, male and female, as a first-class course of study. We also believe that coordination between secondary and post-secondary vocational educational programs needs to be strengthened.
2. We urge the Legislature to fund the University of system at a level that will, at a minimum, compensate for the effects of inflation.
3. We urge that veterans be granted a partial tuition waiver for post- secondary and vocational education beyond the present Federal entitlements
Sec. 17. EDUCATIONAL POLICY
We endorse the proposition that every child completing grades K-8 shall have a fundamental knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic. We urge the recognition that these basic skills are only the tools for further learning and informed citizenship, and not ends in themselves.
Sec. 18. INFORMATION AVAILABILITY
Access to information is basic to an informed citizenry; we urge adequate support at all levels (federal, state, local) for traditionally free library services.
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CHAPTER TWO
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION, PUBLIC FINANCE, AND NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Sec. 21. GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION
1. Complex government is a fact of modern society. We support the principle that government should be open to scrutiny through the press, and to review through the ballot.
2. We support the existing “Sunset Law” and its strict enforcement
3. We urge the establishment of a permanent, non-partisan independent agency using existing auditing offices to oversee all government operations in order to promote cost-effectiveness in operations and to eliminate waste.
Sec. 22. PUBLIC FINANCE
1. We support a tax system based on the ability to pay.
2. We believe that tax exemptions should be subject to periodic legislative re-approval.
3. We oppose setting rigid financial limits on State government that interfere with the ability of our elected representatives to respond to the needs of the people of Maine.
4. We support reasonable reimbursement to municipalities for taxes lost due to the Tree Growth Tax Law.
Sec. 23. NATIONAL AFFAIRS; DOMESTIC POLICY
1. We support comprehensive national health insurance that includes control of hospital and medical costs and that is available to all.
2. We support a policy of full employment that guarantees a job to every American willing and able to work. In this policy the government should be the employer of last resort.
3. We urge the passage of a national returnable container bill.
4. We believe that the Veterans Administration should continue to be separate from the Department of Health and Human Services.
5. We call for legislation to give military personnel and veterans a right of action under the Federal Tort Claims Act for damages arising from nuclear testing and from service-related exposure to radioactive materials, chemical warfare agents, and similar noxious substances.
6. We believe that a strong position in favor of human rights is essential in both our domestic and foreign policies.
7. Senior Citizens should not have to limit earnings to avoid loss of social security benefits. It is unfair that there is no limit on unearned income such as dividends, interest, rent, etc., but that the elderly who have to work lose part of their social security benefits when they earn more than $5,000 a year.
Sec. 24. NATIONAL AFFAIRS; FOREIGN POLICY
1. We recognize that the United States has a moral commitment to the continued existence of the State of Israel, and must work for the success of the Camp David Agreements as a step toward peace in the Middle East .
Logo on the 1980 Platform Publication
2. We endorse the goal of universal nuclear disarmament, and support such efforts to that end. We oppose development of the MX missile.
3. We oppose a peacetime registration and draft.
4. We urge continued support of the United Nations.
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CHAPTER THREE
JUSTICE AND EQUAL RIGHTS
Sec. 31. EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW
1. We reaffirm our support for the Equal Rights Amendment. We believe that national and regional meetings identified with the Democratic party should be held in States that have ratified the Amendment, and therefore, urge Maine Democrats to use their influence to that end.
2. We support a fair and speedy resolution of the Indian land claims dispute. We hope that the Federal Government will recognize its obligations in the settlement of this case.
3. We support legislation to limit housing discrimination against families with children.
4. We support the right of all women, regardless of income status, to have medically safe abortions.
Sec. 32. CIVIL LIBERTIES
1. We view with alarm the trend of appellate court decisions tending to curtail the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, We commend the 109th Legislature for recognizing the public’s right of access to judicial proceedings, consistent with the accused’s right to a fair trial.
2. We are concerned about government violations such as unjustified strip searches of the personal privacy guaranteed by the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.
3. We support the principle that people should not be denied their civil rights on account of their sexual preference.
4. We recognize the rights of patients in both private and public health-care institutions including the right of access to records and knowledge of treatment alternatives. We are also dedicated to the legal recognition and practical enforcement of the rights of the mentally ill.
Sec. 33. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
1. We urge that additional resources be made available for establishing and expanding services to victims of domestic Violence.
2. We call for vigorous enforcement of ’s laws for the reporting, prevention, deterrence, and treatment of domestic violence, including sexual abuse. We call for continued legislative attention to domestic violence, including adequate staffing for child protective services.
Sec. 34. CRIMINAL LAW
1. We believe that as long as prostitution is a criminal offense, laws against it should be enforced against customers as well as solicitors.
2. We remain committed to the rehabilitation of those convicted of crime. We call for special emphasis on the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, and continued support for the Maine Juvenile Code.
Sec. 35. LEGAL PROCESSES AND INSTITUTIONS
1. We support adequate salaries for judges, prosecutors, police, and others working in Maine judicial and law enforcement systems. We also support appropriations to provide secure and humane confinement facilities.
2. We support the establishment of a pilot public defender project in the State of Maine.
3. We support legislation authorizing judges to allow reasonable attorney’s fees as a remedy to prevailing plaintiffs in actions under the Maine Human Rights Act.
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CHAPTER FOUR
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Sec. 41. NATIONAL ISSUES
1. We firmly oppose so-called “right to work” laws. We support repeal of Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act.
2. We support the efforts of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union in the boycott against J.P. Stevens products. We support the Governor’s decision to boycott these products.
3. We support a minimum wage of at least $4.00 per hour.
4. In light of the damage to ’s agricultural, fishing, shoe leather, and wood turning industries caused by foreign imports, we urge that national policies controlling imports give more adequate consideration to Maine industries and workers.
5. We urge Maine people to purchase American-made products in an effort to keep Americans working.
6. We urge Maine people to seek out and purchase products marked with a union label whenever possible.
7. We support improved enforcement and continuing refinement of Federal health and safety laws in order to ensure every worker a safe and healthy workplace.
8. In order to achieve full employment, there must be an effective comprehensive employment and training program. The cooperation and assistance of business and labor is essential to identifying and securing training opportunities.
9. We oppose restraints on wages and prices as long as those restraints do not fairly control wages, prices, profits, dividends and interest rates.
10. We support the equalization of women’s wages with men’s wages.
Sec. 42. STATE ISSUES
1. We support a labor relations law for agricultural workers.
2. We urge that all Maine-made products carry a “made in Maine ” label and we urge that Maine people purchase products made in Maine whenever possible.
3. We urge legislation guaranteeing the rights of all public employees, including county and judicial employees, to organize and bargain collectively.
4. We support legislation guaranteeing the right to binding arbitration on all negotiable subjects of bargaining, or, in the alternative, the right to strike.
5. We support legislation revising the so-called “Mini-Hatch Act” to give State workers full political rights as citizens of Maine.
6. We support legislation granting adequate cost-of-living increases for retired public employees.
7. We urge that the State of Maine meet its obligations to ensure the continued solvency of the Maine State Retirement System and support the full continuation of present benefits.
8. We support the use of affirmative action programs, other than quotas, in the private and public sectors.
9. We support the adoption of programs such as alternative working hours, flexi-time, job sharing, comparable worth studies, and child care, in order to ensure that all workers are able to reach their full employment potential.
10. We support increased funding for the training of displaced homemakers.
11. We support educational programs designed to reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in employment.
12. We support legislation and programs to train and employ handicapped persons in Maine jobs. We condemn programs and practices that exploit the labor of handicapped workers.
13. We support the creation of a comprehensive labor law for agricultural workers that ensures their basic democratic and human rights.
CHAPTER FIVE
MAINE’S RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, AND ENERGY
Sec. 50. PREAMBLE
Maine is basically an agricultural State, well-endowed with abundant material resources, and must maintain those resources as viable entities in an energy-deficient situation. We maintain that this can be done if all segments of our society are willing to share both the fruits and the hardships of the necessary actions that face us.
Sec. 51. LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT
1. We support increased funding of the State’s laboratories to ensure the proper quality of the State’s resources.
2. We support continued executive action to protect the State’s resources from acid rain.
3. We support further development of a strong state hazardous wastes management program.
Sec. 52. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1. We support the present efforts of the Commissioner of Agriculture in developing a new marketing program for our State’s products.
2. We support State encouragement of new industry.
Sec. 53. AGRICULTURE
1. We support the establishment of a State bank for agriculture to stimulate new agricultural production and to support the existing family farm structure.
2. We believe that the State should encourage the development of organic farming and outlaw non-biodegradable pesticides and herbicides.
3. We support the decontrol of milk retail prices.
Sec. 54. FISHING
1. We support the necessary funding to promote the harvesting, processing, and marketing of all species of edible fish.
2. We ask that Congress oppose ratification of the fisheries boundary treaty with Canada in its original form.
3. We urge State support of fish processing and marketing facilities which provide economic development opportunities to the entire coastline. We support the establishment of a Coast Guard air search and rescue unit in Maine.
4. We oppose all off-shore oil drilling in the of because it endangers all sea life, and would devastate ’s valuable fishing industry.
Sec. 55. FOREST PRODUCTS
1. We support the funding of programs that increase long-term productivity through a fully integrated approach to forest management.
2. We support policies of insect and disease management which decrease reliance on chemical pesticides.
3. We urge that the State take an active role in promoting the use of wood and related products as fuels.
4. We support legislation or executive action to ban the use of broad spectrum toxic sprays by means of aerial application for forestry uses throughout the State of Maine.
Sec. 56. ENERGY SOURCES
1. We support a moratorium on new construction or expansion of nuclear power plants and nuclear waste disposal sites in the State of Maine.
2. We ask for Congressional action giving Maine the legal right to limit the generation of nuclear power within the State.
3. We call for the immediate development and subsequent construction of hydro-electric, solar, and other safe energy facilities to replace nuclear plants.
4. We support Federal spending to build the Dickey-Lincoln hydro-electric complex, and other hydro projects.
5. We support construction of the Passamaquoddy tidal power project.
6. We support State seed money to encourage the use of solid waste as an energy source.
7. We urge the development of multiple, locally controlled, decentralized, hydro-electric projects, including the retrofitting of existing structures.
8. We support the upcoming referendum attempt to prohibit the generation of electricity through the use of nuclear fission.
9. We oppose the current petition to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to increase the spent fuel capacity at Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant.
Sec. 57. ENERGY REGULATION
1. We recommend a review and reorganization of the present State Energy Office so that programs to achieve real energy savings can be developed.
2. We support the elimination of the $5.70 minimum electrical charge, and we advocate rate reform so as to reward less rather than more use of electricity.
3. We support legislation to expand the role of public power in electrical generation as a means of providing cheaper electricity.
4. We support State or Federal gasoline rationing.
5. We urge the enactment of tax penalties for new automobiles with a rating of fewer than twenty-five miles per gallon.
6. We urge the amendment of zoning and housing codes to permit alternative lifestyles and the amendment of building codes to encourage alternative technologies unless there is clear and convincing evidence of a danger to public health.
Sec. 58. TRANSPORTATION
1. We ask for the formation of a single rail system in the State of Mai
2. We support State seed money for the extension of public transportation, including van pooling.
3. We support development of the Maine port system beyond its presently planned expansion.
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CHAPTER SIX
SOCIAL SERVICES
Sec. 60. PREAMBLE
We believe that government has an obligation to provide social services whose goals are to promote independence, dignity, and self-respect.
See. 61. RESPONSIBLE FUNDING OF COMMUNITY AGENCIES
1. We believe that community social service agencies are the backbone of a responsive, locally orientated social service system and must be adequately funded, therefore, we oppose any cuts in Title XX funded programs, and further recommend cost of living increases with state monies if Title XX monies are not available.
2. We support decentralizing mental health and penal facilities. This policy must include development and funding of new community based facilities and services for those citizens that have traditionally been housed in the State’s mental health and penal institutions.
Sec. 62. FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES
We recommend programs that help parents to fulfill their parental responsibilities.
Sec. 63. OUTREACH PROGRAMS
We believe that current outreach programs, especially for the elderly, are inadequate and must be expanded.
Sec. 64. WORK INCENTIVES
1. We wish to recognize that the self-sacrificing contributions of full-time mothers and homemakers is more than culturally significant; attempts to measure the monetary value of this great unsalaried labor force have ranged from 1/5 to 1/3 of our nation’s GNP. We wish to note that the contributions of these women laborers are in no way diminished in value when circumstances force homemakers to seek state assistance for themselves and their children. We urge that programs such as A.F.D.C., food stamps, and public health care, be funded consistent with our rhetoric on the value of homemaking and care of children.
2. We encourage state programs that provide public welfare recipients with job training, support systems, and both the incentives and the opportunities to enter or re-enter the paid employment market.
Sec. 65. MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE
1. The increasing cost of medical care continues to be a major concern of Maine people. We therefore urge the development of additional health maintenance organizations and other prepaid medical care plans.
2. We recognize that the most cost-effective medical system is one that reduces medical problems. We support increased consumer education and we believe that health promotion, disease prevention and consumer education are a necessary part of health care planning. We urge that this be integrated into the planning and management of all major fields of health service delivery, including dental care and environmental health.
3. Proper health planning is important to assure that adequate long term care facilities, health care facilities, and alternatives to institutional care will be available to meet the future needs of the growing population. We, therefore, urge that any new growth not be duplicative and wasteful, and that it be done within the context of a statewide plan which establishes priorities and resources.
Sec. 66. PUBLIC HOUSING
1. We believe that the State and local governments should be involved in housing planning, but reject the continued construction of public housing that segregates low-income or elderly citizens from their fellow citizens.
2. We believe that the State Housing Authority should place its emphasis on rehabilitation of existing structures, and on simplifying the procedure for making existing quality rental units eligible for rent subsidy for low-income and elderly citizens.
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Source: publication supplied by the Maine Democratic Party.