Expanding the Democratic Party Agenda

Tapestry

Aug 13

In her recent article, “Elect Democrats to Keep Democracy Alive and Well,” Erin Minette listed the usual party agenda. I would like to see Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, and the Democratic Party’s core agenda expanded to include the following additional policies. These policies must also be integrated into the agenda.

Initiate Significant Reforms within the Democratic Party

It's hard to have a Democracy when you eliminate the competition

No more sidelining Democratic Presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Hilary lost to Trump because of inter-party shenanigans which undermined the most popular candidate, Bernie Sanders).
Every Democrat must have an equal opportunity to run for President.
Allow ‘all’ candidates on the primary ballots. Include ‘all’ in the debates. (during the last election cycle there were many Democrats on the debate stage).
Stop pressuring Social Media platforms to censor voices that need to be heard.
Protect First Amendment rights above all else.
Without Free Speech there is no Democratic Party, thus no democracy.

Revise U.S. Foreign Policy

Stop policing the world and forcing Democracy on other countries.
Negotiate peace in Ukraine, with Russia. (This was in the works early on in the war and the current administration nixed it). Now, a half million dead.
Keep NATO away from the Russian border.
Stop funding Israel with U.S. tax dollars. Netanyahu has gone rogue and will incite a war with Iran. In this case the U.S does not want to align with Israel.
Stop AIPAC funding to U.S. political campaigns. Campaign bribes!
Negotiate a fair and equal life for Palestinians ‘within’ Israel, which used to be their country, by-the-way. No one wants a two-party state.
Initiate reparations for stolen Palestinian land. RIGHT OF RETURN!
Kamala Harris, a declared feminist, must support Palestinian women’s rights.
The dictionary definition of Semite includes ‘all’ peoples and languages of the region. This includes the Palestinians. So, to say someone is antisemite, referring only to Jewish people, would be a misnomer.

Stop Printing Money to Pay for Wars, thus Reducing Inflation

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Reduce the national debt by cutting the military budget in half. The U.S will still have a military budget larger than Russia or China.
Use the money to pay for repairing U.S. infrastructure, create jobs, increase educational opportunities, and so much more.

Protect the Environment & Clean Up our Toxic Food System

Support sustainable, organic agriculture

Eliminate toxic pesticides & RoundUp (glyphosate) from our food system.
Curtail the use of GMO (RoundUp Ready) crops.
Do not let pesticide companies limit their liability.*
Clean up our rivers & lakes from polluters.
Eliminate fracking off coastal areas.
Stop transporting oil (pipelines) across Indigenous lands, (eliminating oil spills)
Make sure all city drinking water is safe.
Initiate organic school lunch programs. (eliminate ultra-processed & high-sugar foods in school lunches).

Make Regulatory Agencies (FDA & CDC) Actually Protect the Public

Eliminate the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex

Create a firewall bwtween the FDA & CDC and Big Pharma. (no more Big-Pharma executives sitting on the boards of the FDA, CDC & NIH)
Promote freedom of choice when using pharmaceutical products, just like protecting a woman’s right to choose. (no mandatory vaccinations).
Revise the infant vaccine schedule. Initiate randomized controlled trials for vaccine safety.
None of the vaccine doses the CDC recommends for routine injection into children were licensed by the FDA based on a long-term placebo-controlled trial.* See Sources
There have been ‘zero’ studies that show that childhood vaccines do not cause autism. We have no data!
Make the Vaccine Injury Compensation work for those people injured by vaccines.
Pass new legislation allowing vaccine-injured people to sue pharmaceutical companies.
“We need to have Medicare for all”- Kamala Harris - Jan. 2019

Solve National Security Threat at the Border

Stop all illegal entries. More resources at the border to do this.
Immediately deport people who sneak in.
Create a streamlined policy for integrating qualified applicants into the U.S.
Make it a felony to transport undocumented immigrants across state lines.

Grant Pardons

Pardon prisoners convicted of minor drug offenses (possession)
Pardon whistleblowers/journalists who inform the American public of wrongdoings of the government and military. (Snowdon, Manning, Assange & others).
Protect whistleblowers.

Forgive Student Loans

No interest on new student loans.

Affordable Housing

Increase opportunities for people to own their home

Enact legislation preventing corporations from buying all the housing and turning them into rentals.
Initiate government-based low-interest housing loans.

I would ask our Nevada County Democrats to make their voices heard at the upcoming convention. There is much more that needs to get done.

Democrat Party

Pauli Halstead

Pauli is a retired professional chef, caterer, and event planner. She owned the Best of Everything catering company, producing weddings and many other events in the Napa and Sonoma wine region for twenty two years. Moving to Nevada City in 2011, she was VP of Sierra Roots and then purchased a home on Gold Flat Road which served as the first adult day center in the city, serving many homeless and food insecure clients. Pauli is the author of Primal Cuisine, Cooking for the Paleo Diet. She also has a monthly column in the health section of The Union and writes articles which encourage people to maintain a healthy diet and immune system.