Logo on Democratic Party Platform Stationery
Adopted by the May 1988 Convention
1988 Maine Democratic Platform
PREAMBLE
We, the Democratic Party of the State of Maine , affirm our basic faith in our elected officials and our form of government. We also affirm this Platform and encourage our elected officials to support these, the basic issues of our time:
* We must vigorously pursue worldwide nuclear disarmament.
* We must move Beyond War for our world to survive.
* We must follow a diplomatic course of action rather than trying to solve all the worlds problems with arms and military solutions.
* We must aggressively seek World Peace.
* We must respect the right to self-determination for all nations.
* We must provide adequate housing and health care for all.
* We must actively strive for a clean, healthy environment for all.
* We must make available good, safe jobs for all.
* We must curtail the illegal use of drugs.
* We must make available the best possible education system for all.
* We must support equal protection under the law for all.
STATE ISSUES
SECTION 1
EDUCATION, CULTURE, AND COMMUNICATIONS
We join in the call for immediate reform of our educational systems at state and national levels. Education must attain the high priority of a life-long learning experience for all. We believe public education to be the best means of guaranteeing a free, informed, and responsible citizenry. We recognize educators as the best avenue for the transmission of a literate American culture.
1. We urge the provision of a continuum of effective educational opportunities for persons of all ages and abilities.
2. We urge the development and implementation of innovative curricula and programs, including assessment and other forms of testing, which will assure that each student’s educational attainments will match his or her intellectual capabilities.
3. We urge full funding for all state and federally mandated programs of education.
4. We urge support for the University of Maine system, including increased funding for salaries and programs. We recognize the University system as a setting for both instruction and research and development which benefits the lives of citizens of Maine and of the Nation.
5. We urge increased financial support for an independent Vocational Technical Institute system with flexibility to perform a vital role in Maine ’s economy. Cooperation with Maine ’s Apprenticeship Training Council and the Maine Vocational Advisory Board is encouraged.
6. We urge increased financial support for public radio and television as vital educational, cultural, and informational tools. We support continuation of programs through the educational system, the University of Maine system, the Maine State Library system, Maine Arts Commissions, and other state agencies.
7. We urge remuneration of professional educators commensurate both with the primary responsibility they bear for the formal education of the young, and with Maine ’s economic ranking in the nation.
8. We urge the establishment and monitoring of academic and professional standards by teachers in their recruitment, preparation, and continuing education, in order to guarantee attainment of excellence’ in our schools.
9. We urge legislation guaranteeing the civil rights of all individuals, including minors in the education institutions.
10. We support increased state and federal aid for ocean and marine education at such public institutions as the University of Maine and the Maine Maritime Academy , and increased research activities at such institutions as the Association for Research in the Gulf of Maine (ARGO) and the State Department of Marine Resources.
11. We urge that the state reevaluate its requirement of the National Teachers Exam.
SECTION 2
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Democratic Party of Maine believes that state government can play a significant role in fostering appropriate economic activity to provide meaningful employment for Maine citizens, support for essential state services through enhanced state revenues, preserve the quality of life unique to Maine , and preserve and conserve our natural and human resources.
The active participation of state government with the private sector and labor in Maine economic life is essential. The state should prioritize and aggressively undertake depressed areas with special emphasis on central and northern Maine. State participation should encourage healthy competition, innovation, and initiative at the local level.
1. The state must protect the public interest in conserving the natural resources while promoting the industries which rely upon them. Industries should be held responsible for conservation and renewal of resources on which they depend.
2. Maine should have a comprehensive growth management law to strengthen the land use planning capabilities of communities, prevent the further loss of affordable housing, preserve the working waterfront, and reduce the loss of farm land and forests to development. Towns with limited resources must be assisted by the state in dealing with developers.
3. Promote Maine products in Maine , in the US , and overseas markets through a state sponsored “ Made in Maine USA “ marketing program.
4. Public transportation feeder lines into major employment centers are needed now because of the unavailability of affordable housing in these centers. The state should encourage private initiative to fill this need.
5. State loan programs should be available to encourage the formation or expansion of enterprises which employ highly skilled and highly paid workers, and which can contribute to community objectives.
6. Available and safe rail systems should be promoted and actively maintained in order to enhance economic development in each region of our state.
LABOR
The Maine Democratic Party is traditionally the party of working people. In order for the party to remain true to its roots, it is essential that the party support the rights of workers. In that spirit the Maine Democratic Party endorses the passage of legislation to protect the rights and improve the lot of working people.
1. To insure worker safety/worker compensation, we propose the following:
a) creation of a state run workers compensation insurance system after careful study of current, successful systems.
b) restoration of the right to sue in the case of employer negligence
c) retraining for jobs of equivalent levels of pay with the difference to be made up by the employer
d) right to reinstatement to previous job if able to do the work
e) restoration of all rights lost in the last ten years of legislation
f) financial assistance to employers to meet safety standards:
and
g) adequate legislation and funding for state work place health and safety programs for both public and private sector employees.
2. To assist all Maine workers in achieving a decent standard of living, we support the following:
a) increasing the state’s minimum wage to $5.00 per hour and indexing it to increases in the cost of living.
b) strengthening Maine ’s plant closure and severance pay law
c) providing a job retraining program for laid-off workers which gives them the skills for jobs in today’s market.
3. We support all efforts in the private and public sector to end pay discrimination based on sex or minority group membership including the strengthening and enforcing of Maine ’s comparable worth law.
4. We support strengthening rights of workers in the public sectors to engage in concerted activity, organize, and gain decent working conditions, pay, and benefits by the following: a) clarifying the right to agency shop/fair share; b) provide for the right to binding arbitration on all financial issues in contract negotiations; c) modifying current laws to provide workers with expanded bargaining and organizing rights; d) and prevent contracting out public employee jobs.
5. We support the peaceful resolution of current and future collective bargaining disputes by strengthening the laws outlawing professional strike breaking and strike breaking companies, providing unemployment insurance to locked out workers, and preventing employers from engaging in tactics intended to incite violence.
6. We support the right of part-time employees to receive the same benefits as are offered by employers to their full-time employees.
7. We oppose the unrestricted testing of workers for possible alcohol or substance abuse without just cause. We support workplace education and employee assistance programs which protect workers confidentiality; we support treatment and rehabilitation rather than discipline as the primary means for correcting problems of abuse.
8. We support the empowerment of towns, as well as the legislature, to shut down a facility if its operation at any time threatens the health, safety, or welfare of it employees or the public.
9. Contracting out of public services undermines the integrity of the civil service system, rejuvenates the spoils system, and reduces government’s quality control. We will oppose future administration efforts to contract out state programs, such as what recently occurred with the highly successful WEET program in the Department of Human Services. We oppose contracting out of public work to private companies or agencies to avoid paying union wages and benefits. We support a thorough study of state practices to determine which services currently contracted out can be better provided by public employees, that the contractor’s employees receive wages and benefits comparable to civil service employees, and that the contract will result in both short-run and long-run cost savings.
SECTION 4
NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The conservation of Maine ’s natural resources must be .a top priority of the Maine Democratic Party and a prime consideration in any legislative action. Protection of the public health and a durable economy demands:
– stringent enforcement of existing environmental regulations through an adequate governmental staff that is committed to carrying out legislative policy and intent, legislation requiring publicly visible disclosure of the presence of carcinogens and birth-defect toxins in consumer products, in the workplace, or in a waste discharge; such disclosure to be the responsibility of the business producing the product, workplace hazard or environmental contamination containing such toxins.
– increased research into the effects of hazardous pollutants known to be routinely released into the environment and prompt action based on the findings of this research,
– federal and state solid and hazardous waste policies that are action based and give first priority to eliminating the production of hazardous materials, second priority to recycling, and final consideration to waste disposal,
– comprehensive government action supporting energy conservation and efficiency.
1. We strongly support source reduction legislation that will reduce the production of hazardous wastes through education, technical assistance, and regulation, and economic pressure.
2. We support the immediate mandatory recycling of all glass, metal, and newsprint and phasing out the production of non-biodegradable materials with special emphasis on styrofoam packaging.
3. Trash-to-Energy plant applications must be denied until a many-year secure landfill site is verified. We support the 16 County Commissioners’ right to regulate landfills in unorganized territories.
4. The current reclassification of Maine ’s rivers must assure the continued improvement of water quality rather than acceptance of the status quo or degradation of water quality.
5. We support comprehensive growth management legislation that is designed to reduce the environmental impact of rapid development as well as assure stable economic development. Such legislation must include the following:
a) the establishment of state level goals & objectives for growth management.
b) local comprehensive plans that are reviewed for compliances with these goals and objectives.
c) a land speculation tax to assist municipalities formulating comprehensive plans.
d) special attention to the protection of our critical aquifers, watersheds, estuaries, and wetlands.
e) provisions for maintaining public access to Maine ’s rivers, fresh water ponds, coastline, and forest lands.
f) identification of important farm lands and wild life habitats
6. We strongly advocate controls on clear cutting in Maine ’s forests and on the cutting of trees for bio-mass boiler operation. Regulations should be developed that limit the volume of cutting and require proven reforestation practices.
7. We support an energy policy that places priority on energy efficiency, conservation, and demand management as well as cogeneration and small power production indigenous to Maine. This policy must include:
a) Extensive research into the health risks related to the Canadian Hydro project and the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant as part of a thorough review of Maine ’s energy needs and sources.
b) Electric utilities must be required to pay all costs for decommissioning Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant and isolating its radioactive waste out of its profits, and not by charging increased fees to rate payers and consumers or passing it on to taxpayers. Such costs shall not be diminished by the use of incineration.
c) We support the shutting down of Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant in Wiscasset at the earliest possible time, and in any case, no later than May 15, 1989.
d) We urge the adoption of mandatory energy building standards for all new residential, commercial and industrial buildings, energy conservation incentives, and educational programs.
8. State monitoring of marine pollutants must be increased. We support the development of more stations for testing for paralytic shell fish poison as well as programs for testing for hydrocarbons, pesticide residues, and man-made radioactive isotopes.
9. We support a larger, more qualified staff for the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Environmental Protection, Land Use Regulation Commission, and the Attorney General office. Board and Commission members should be civil service positions based on credentials – not political appointee.
10. We support a sustainable agricultural policy that includes the following:
a) using ecologically sound, non-polluting practices that develop healthy soil, clean air and water, and minimize the use of energy and toxics.
b) support for beginning farmers and the small family farms.
c) encouragement for Maine people and institutions to purchase more food grown in Maine.
11. We urge the support of a comprehensive environmental education program in grades K-12.
12. We urge enforcement of Maine ’s Endangered Species Act and the appropriation of general revenues to fund recovery projects and other programs of the Endangered and Non-game Wildlife Program of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
SECTION 5
HUMAN RIGHTS & THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
We are committed to the principle that all persons are equal and are opposed to discrimination of any sort against any person. We encourage the promotion of economic opportunities for all persons, and are particularly concerned by the degree of discrimination which continues to exist in both the public and private sectors.
Under the laws of a just society, the government must share responsibility for the care of the disadvantaged. We are concerned that the impact of discrimination continues to be felt in the areas of health and education. We actively support programs which provide equality of opportunity in employment, housing, educational services, adequate medical care, and sufficient nutritional resources.
1.
a) We support an Equal Rights Amendment to the Maine Constitution to be worded as follows: “Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of the gender or sexual orientation of an individual.”
b) We recognize that birth control is a matter of personal conscience and should be available regardless of income; it should not be further regulated by government.
c) We recognize that abortion is a matter of personal conscience and should be available regardless of income; it should not be further regulated by government. [letter sequence repeated in original]
2.
a) We support adequate funding of shelters for victims of domestic violence and rape, and call for vigorous enforcement of current laws pertaining to these crimes, and of counseling for victims of child abuse, elderly abuse, and domestic violence.
b) We support additional funding to provide rehabilitative services, psychological services, substance abuse treatment, basic educational services and vocational training in prisons, correctional centers and youth centers. We urge research and implementation of alternatives to incarceration for offenders along with follow-up services, rather than simple incarceration.
c) We remain opposed to Capital Punishment in the State of Maine.
d) We support Court reorganization which promotes speedy, fair trials responsive to the needs of jurors, witnesses and victims, and which establishes a Family Court System.
e) We support mandating the collection of statistics on crimes of violence motivated by hate or prejudice.
3. We strongly support the rights of individuals to sue for redress of damages caused by unsafe consumer products or by unsafe working conditions or by environmental discharge.
4. We support increased funding for continuation of legal services for limited income individuals as a means of promoting equal justice under law.
5. We oppose all AIDS-related discrimination in the areas of employment, education, housing, and health care.
6. We support adequate security in divorce courts.
SECTION 6
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND TAXES
The Maine Democratic Party supports open, effective, and efficient government.
The Maine Democratic Party supports forms of taxation that adequately fund needed state programs. Taxation must be fair and progressive.
1. We support state tax reform that reverses the tax load on incomes under $35,000 and on corporate income. We support the elimination of all investment tax credits, loopholes, abatements that do not directly contribute to increased employment or improved quality of life in the State of Maine.
2. State issues requiring funding should be part of the legislative process and should not routinely become referenda or bond issues. Likewise, mandated state programs should be fully funded by the state.
3. State tax laws should be adjusted to provide tax relief for small farmers, dairy farmers, and food producers.
4. We urge providing economic assistance on a sliding scale for people on fixed incomes who are unable to pay property taxes on their homes due to rapid community growth and development.
5. We support a strong social security system with cost-of-living adjustments and oppose any proposals that weaken the long-term commitment of the system.
6. We support efforts to make the private pension system more responsive to the needs of workers through expanded pension coverage, sufficient funding of pension plans, and restrictions on the use of pension assets for non-pension purposes.
7. We support an increase in state funding for education in order to ease the property tax burden.
SECTION 7
ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Alcohol and other drug abuse has created devastating consequences for youth and other age groups, and for the community as a whole. It is important for everyone to address the many factors and causes underlying substance abuse. It is particularly important for young people themselves to take an active part in solutions to these problems.
1. We support a mandatory 2 day jail sentence plus 90 day license suspension for people convicted of OUI for the first offense, a mandatory 5 day jail sentence for second time offenders plus a 1 year license suspension, and for third offense, 30 days in jail plus a permanent license suspension. All offenses require alcohol rehabilitation program attendance.
2. We urge increased funding for alcohol and other substance abuse rehabilitation centers, including the workplace.
3. We urge the support of mandatory rehabilitation for recovery of convicted 0Th and other substance abuse offenders.
4. We urge the standardization of sentencing ALL convicted OUI offenders and drug dealers throughout the state of Maine.
5. We urge the support of an on-going educational program on alcohol and other substance abuse in grades K-12.
6. We support public funding arid rule flexibility to enable individuals who otherwise could not afford it to voluntarily enter drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.
SECTION 8
HEALTH, HOUSING, AND HUMAN SERVICES
Investment in Maine ’s future begins with an investment in its people through progressive Health, Housing, and Human Services policies. Policy makers must acknowledge and understand the realities involved in today’s problems and then propose innovative solutions to meet the challenges of those realities.
Maine policies must provide new opportunities to promote greater self sufficiency for the elderly and disabled, provide for future generations by wise investments in health care, and create more independent family units by offering tangible options to poverty ~or the disadvantaged.
We support a social program for Maine that promotes equal opportunity, for choice, and the chance for success.
1. We support procedures to improve the Department of Human Services and all state departments by the following:
a) more respectful treatment of clients
b) simplified forms;
c) direct lines for information and help, instead of “the runaround.”
2. The State of Maine should institute, improve, and continue programs in these two areas:
a) Homeless shelters- State-administered direct aid should be provided and financial aid given to private agencies, to shelter the homeless;
b) Rental units and private ownership- In order to alleviate the growing shortage of housing for low and moderate income families, the state should encourage building by aids to developers:
1) long-term low-cost leases of state agency holdings
2) special incentives in areas of rapid growth
3) rehabilitation of buildings for rental units.
c) We support legislation to protect mobile home residents from unreasonable rental increases, arbitrary and unfair park rules and regulations and to prohibit discrimination against mobile home residents.
3. We support increased services for the elderly and the incapacitated of all ages by increasing funding for home-based care by providing:
a) State income tax credits/deductions to those who provide vital support in the household;
b) Increased incentives to attract and retain nurses and other professional and non-professional health care workers;
c) more opportunities for the aged and incapacitated in social services, helping others and decreasing their own dependency.
4. The state should provide for the proper care of children, and for support to their parents by the following:
a) day-care subsidies and incentives to social agencies, employers, dislocated workers, and parents
b) programs to address abuse and neglect, including regulation of day-care facilities
c) recruitment and training of foster parents.
d) pre-natal education and care throughout pregnancy to reduce infant mortality and defects
e) dental and health care for those in low-income families
f) and provide increased education and services to help emotionally disturbed youth whose antisocial behavior is not handled properly in current residential facilities.
5. The state should provide further care of the mentally ill and retarded by:
a) continued support and expansion of regional mental health centers
b) a self-sufficiency trust fund as a repository for funds
c) increased support in education of the public to heighten sensitivity and concern for the needs of the psychologically disabled.
6. We support the fight against AIDS by supporting:
a) State funding for prevention, detection, treatment, and education of the public.
b) We support free, voluntary and anonymous AIDS testing.
c) We support funding for hospice facilities for terminally ill AIDS victims.
7. We support health care cost containment.
8. Arbitrary testing of the general public is opposed. Testing in correctional, mental health and medical facilities is accepted. National, state, and other guidelines should be followed.
SECTION 9
FOREIGN POLICY
1. In regard to foreign policy, the State of Maine should:
a) Outlaw investment in South Africa , Namibia , Chile , Iran , Northern Ireland , El Salvador , Guatemala and other human rights violators by State institutions.
b) Allow sanctuary for political refugees seeking relief from political persecution, oppression and torture.
c) Stop the testing of Navy Tomahawk Cruise missiles over Maine.
2. In regard to military policy, the State of Maine should:
a) Regain state control of the National Guard/State Militia.
b) Repeal the state law forbidding student financial assistance to anyone failing to register for the federal draft.
Source: publication supplied by the Maine Democratic Party.
1988 Maine Platform Committee
Subcommittees
Foreign Policy
Roger Leisner, Chair
Chris Hartman
Craig Beaulieu
Kevin Simpson
Helen Paganucci
Allan Twombly
Jim Hewey
Ralph Coriant
Education & Culture
Paul McGuire, Chair
Robert Hotelling
Frances Hotelling
Natural Resources, Energy, Environment
Maria Holt
John Badger
Mary O’Connor
Human Rights & Justice System
Alice Kehoe, Chair
Ivan Suzman
Mary Mohler
Carolyn Rohr
Callie Harper
Economic Development
Jim Perry, Chair
Peter Yarborough
John McDonough
Barbara Rocheleau
Labor
Ross Ferrell, Chair
Blame Keniston
Homer Dansereau
Al Camire
Charlene Thompson
Govt. Organization & Taxes
Jo Karr, Chair
Keron Kerr
Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Margie Naiton-King, Chair
Arvilla Verceles
Health, Housing, & Human Services
Chester Johnson, Chair
Jane Komer
Donna Penney-Smith
______________________
Committee
Bill Lotz, Chair
Jo Karr, Vice-Chair
Donna Penney-Smith, Secretary