Who'd believe stuff like this?
No political party, no President, no government can by itself restore a lost sense of faith. No Administration can provide solutions to all our problems. What we can do is to recognize the doubts of Americans, to speak to those doubts, and to act to begin turning those doubts into hopes.
As Democrats, we know that we share responsibility for that loss of confidence. But we also know, as Democrats that at decisive moments of choice in our past, our party has offered leadership that has tapped the best within our country. (snip)
We know that our nation cannot tolerate any longer a government that shows no regard for the people's basic needs and no respect for our right to the truth from those who lead us. What do the people want? They want three things:
They want a personal life that makes us all feel that life is worth living;
They want a social environment whose institutions promote the good of all; and
They want a physical environment whose resources are used for the good of all. (all emphasis still mine. All mine! You can't have any.)
Yeah, these are the words of Democrats. Sound odd to you? Well, they were the Democrats of 1972. This was the 1972 Democratic Party Platform! And yes, before any wizenheimers jump in, we lost in 1972. We lost, okay. Yes, we really, really lost. But still, isn't it good to lose fighting the good fight? Fighting for something?
We believe in hard work as a fair measure of our own willingness to achieve. We are determined that millions should not stand idle while work demands to be done. We are determined that the dole should not become a permanent way of life for any. And we are determined that government no longer tax the product of hard work more rigorously than it taxes inherited wealth, or money that is gained simply by having money in the first place.
We believe that the law must apply equally to all, and that it must be an instrument of justice. We are determined that the citizen must be protected in his home and on his streets. We are determined also that the ordinary citizen should not be imprisoned for a crime before we know whether he is guilty or not while those with the right friends and the right connections can break the law without ever facing the consequences of their actions.
Can you believe it? This is what we once were. And we had a Congress that believed in the Constitution enough to impeach. A Congress that thought the Constitution was important. What a country! And we were willing to fight for stuff like this...
Full employment—a guaranteed job for all—is the primary economic objective of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is committed to a job for every American who seeks work. Only through full employment can we reduce the burden on working people. We are determined to make economic security a matter of right. This means a job with decent pay and good working conditions for everyone willing and able to work and an adequate income for those unable to work. It means abolition of the present welfare system.
To assure jobs and economic security for all, the next Democratic Administration should support:
A full employment economy, making full use of fiscal and monetary policy to stimulate employment;
Tax reform directed toward equitable distribution of income and wealth and fair sharing of the cost of government;
A full employment economy. A FULL EMPLOYMENT ECONOMY. Damn! Inner-city kids would have jobs instead of gangs. Rural kids would have jobs instead of bus tickets out of town. The "all volunteer" military would have to start keeping it's promises about education and training, and healthe care. Oh, and health care is in the '72 platform, too;
Establish a system of universal National Health Insurance which covers all Americans with a comprehensive set of benefits including preventive medicine, mental and emotional disorders, and complete protection against catastrophic costs, and in which the rule of free choice for both provider and consumer is protected. The program should be federally-financed and federally-administered. Every American must know he can afford the cost of health care whether given in a hospital or a doctor's office;
Incorporate in the National Health Insurance System incentives and controls to curb inflation in health care costs and to assure efficient delivery of all services;
(I'm 50 years old. With a full employment economy and national health insurance, I could actually look for a better job without risking my, well, my life. Wow.)
Really, you've got to go read the whole thing. I mean, "Move to a minimum wage of $2.50 per hour, which allows a wage earner to earn more than a poverty level income for 40 hours a week, with no subminimums for special groups or age differentials;" Know what $2.50 was worth in 1972? These loons (us) were proposing a minimum wage of $12.34/hour in 2007 dollars!!! A wage earner, earning more than poverty level income for 40 hours a week. (Ben Bernanke just fainted. Phil Knight just threw up.)
Preservation of family farms:
These policies and actions will not be enough on their own to strengthen the family farm. The Democratic Party also recognizes that farmers and ranchers must be able to gain economic strength in the marketplace by organizing and bargaining collectively for the sale of their products. And they need to be free of unfair competition from monopoly and other restrictive corporate practices.
Tax reform:
The last ten years have seen a massive shift in the tax burden from the rich to the working people of America. This is due to cuts in federal income taxes simultaneous with big increases in taxes which bear heavily on lower incomes—state and local sales and property taxes and the payroll tax. The federal tax system is still grossly unfair and over-complicated. The wealthy and corporations get special tax favors; major reform of the nation's tax structure is required to achieve a more equitable distribution of income and to raise the funds needed by government. The American people neither should nor will accept anything less from the next Administration.
Does anyone know who said, "The more things change the more they stay the same?" (Plus ca change....)
The Democratic Party deplores the increasing concentration of economic power in fewer and fewer hands. Five per cent of the American people control 90 per cent of our productive national wealth. Less than one per cent of all manufacturers have 88 per cent of the profits. Less than two per cent of the population now owns approximately 80 per cent of the nation's personally-held corporate stock, 90 per cent of the personally-held corporate bonds and nearly 100 per cent of the personally-held municipal bonds. The rest of the population—including all working men and women—pay too much for essential products and services because of national policy and market distortions.
Hellooo....it's much worse now...hello? Bueller?
The Democratic Party of 1972 had specific goals, down to repealing section 14(b) of the National Labor Relations Act, and updates on the Railway Labor Act. They knew the devil was in the details, and they were willing to stand for a few specific changes. Compare the 1972 platform to the mealy-mouthed platitudes in "our" 2004 party platform.
Yes, we lost, and yes, I'm old enough to pine for the good old days, but these people were talking about peoples rights.. Women's rights. Rights for young people. Rights for farm workers. Rights for poor people. I repeat; rights for poor people. The right to be a wierdo. (Okay they didn't call it that. But that's where I live, and this is my diary....
The Right to Be Different
The new Democratic Administration can help lead America to celebrate the magnificence of the diversity within its population, the racial, national, linguistic and religious groups which have contributed so much to the vitality and richness of our national life. As things are, official policy too often forces people into a mold of artificial homogeneity.
Recognition and support of the cultural identity and pride of black people are generations overdue. The American Indians, the Spanish-speaking, the Asian Americans—the cultural and linguistic heritage of these groups is too often ignored in schools and communities. So, too, are the backgrounds, traditions and contributions of white national, ethnic, religious and regional communities ignored. All official discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, language, political belief, religion, region or national origin must end. No American should be subject to discrimination in employment or restriction in business because of ethnic background or religious practice. Americans should be free to make their own choice of life-styles and private habits without being subject to discrimination or prosecution. We believe official policy can encourage diversity while continuing to place full emphasis on equal opportunity and integration.
We've seen a lot of candidate-promoting and candidate-bashing diaries here. That's to be expected, it's primary season. And what gets people excited is a pie fight. So I've included a poll, just to add to the volume.
P.S. This diary came from a comment I wrote to Spoon's recommended, "The Answer". Meteor Blades said this should be a diary, and s/he ought to know.
In my comment, I said, in part, "Know where that came from? Us! Once, long ago, before we had weasels, "CONSULTANTS" and triangulating pants-pissers, these words came from US! And I will vote for any bisexual, polygamous, Communist, left-handed, cross dressing, veal-eating, fur-wearing, Atheist, necrophiliac, cat-killing, flag-burning, redneck semi-literate who will stand by OUR 1972 PLATFORM!!" I didn't really mean it. Substitute "kitten" for "cat" and "Satan-worshiping" for "Atheist" and I'd still vote for you. Hell, you can substitute "kitten" for "veal", too. I'm a little iffy on the "semi-literate" part though. The last six years haven't gone that well. My point is; May G-d give us Democrats who stand for something, but before that, may G-d give us Democrats who STAND!
