WE ARE UTAH COUNTY DEMOCRATS

Our mission is to elect candidates that represent the people of Utah County, and these, our values:

We believe in limited, responsible government that represents and serves all the people; indeed we believe that's what government is: the people, organized to provide for the common good and to promote the values of civil society.

We stand for policies and programs that benefit all Utahns. We believe a community is no stronger than its weakest members. Thus, we seek to work together with people of all faiths, persuasions and circumstances to strengthen our families, our towns and cities, our state, and our nation.

We support measures that strengthen Utah families both morally and temporally.  We advocate the preservation of communities and neighborhoods that work together to promote the welfare of their citizens.  We uphold traditional Utah ideals of faith, family, hard work and community that have long shaped our society.

What follows are the principles we stand for and the actions we call for to provide good government, a vigorous economy, and a healthy society for ourselves and for our children.

The ideas expressed in this platform are collective and do not likely reflect the positions of any single individual. The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion and diversity, encouraging the participation of people of differing opinions and backgrounds. We embrace diversity as a source of strength in our community rather than a reason for division. As such, we respect the individual conscience of each Utahn on the issues presented in this platform and welcome the participation of all Utahns within the Democratic Party.

FAITH

As Utah County Democrats we believe in the importance of religious faith and the protection of religious liberty for all as guaranteed by the Constitution. We seek to work together with people of all faiths and affiliations to make our state a better place to live.

EDUCATION

As Utah County Democrats we believe that education is our greatest investment in the future, and that strengthening our long standing commitment to public education as the foundation of a democratic republic is a fundamental value. We deplore Utah's ranking as the lowest in per pupil spending and the highest in students per teacher in the nation. We stand for strengthening our public schools through adequate funding to allow for smaller class sizes, higher salaries to better attract and retain qualified teachers, and better equipped facilities to provide a world-class education for every student. We also call for sufficient resources for higher education, that our colleges and universities may fulfill their roles in preparing our young people to take their place in society and to contribute to our state's economic development. We believe that the educational system should receive priority consideration in the allocation of any state tax surplus.

We believe in local control of our public schools. We oppose the unfunded, top-down model of No Child Left Behind and call for the development of local working partnerships between educators and parents to help every student develop the academic, reasoning, and social skills required by our global economy and society. We believe that bold and innovative solutions to the problems of education in our state are within reach through seeking broad community involvement in developing our most precious resource, our children.

FAMILIES

As Utah County Democrats we believe the family is the basic unit of society. It is through the family that we support and care for each other, and share values from one generation to the next. We believe we cannot expect our county, our state, or our nation to rise above the level of our families, and that as we support the family we build the community and safeguard society. Yet many families struggle today. Often two or more incomes are required to meet daily economic needs. Too many families are without basic healthcare. Many of our elderly face difficulties caused by poor health, poverty, or restricted services.

We call for supporting families with high standards of morality, a clean environment, reasonable taxes, recreational opportunities, affordable housing and health care, safe and reliable transportation, and excellence in education.  Occasionally families may also need support from the community in order to fulfill caretaking roles.  We believe families should assume the primary responsibility for teaching children about procreation, abstinence, and birth control. We believe government should rarely make laws with regard to family responsibilities, and then only to protect the weakest among us when life or liberty are threatened.

We recognize that many of today's families include single parents, stepparents, blended families, multi-generational families, and many other variations.  For many, families are a group of individuals related by blood, marriage, or choice who are committed to supporting and caring for each other.  Like most Utahns, we define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. However, we also acknowledge that some have deeply held and sometimes differing views on this issue. We seek to understand those differences in a spirit of civility, hope, and mutual respect.

ABORTION

As Utah County Democrats we believe in the sanctity of human life and that there should be a balance between the rights of the woman and her unborn child.  We believe that every abortion is a tragedy. We oppose elective abortion for personal or social convenience, and believe that abortion should be limited to instances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or in cases of fatal fetal deformities, or when competent medical authority determines that there is a serious threat to the life or health of the mother.  We again recognize those who hold differing views on this issue and seek to resolve our differences in a spirit of respectful cooperation.

HEALTH CARE

As Utah County Democrats we believe everyone should have access to affordable, quality health care. In the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth we believe no one should have to choose between seeing a doctor or paying the rent. We call for efficient and effective public health programs for children, seniors, and the working poor leading to universal health care for all citizens.

SENIORS AND SOCIAL SECURITY

As Utah County Democrats we honor our seniors for their contributions to our community and our quality of life. We believe in assisting them to live with dignity and self-reliance.

We support the Social Security system and call for its protection and preservation. We oppose privatization that would convert this essential benefit for millions of Americans into a program of investment schemes for the profit of a small segment of the private sector. We are open to any and all ideas that ensure that the current and future generations of retirees receive the benefits they were promised without adding trillions to our national debt.

We also recognize that Americans rely on more than just Social Security for their retirement. We therefore call for genuine reform that protects working families from future Enron-style abuse, and for the development of new ways to help hard-working Americans save for retirement.

OPEN AND LIMITED GOVERNMENT

As Utah County Democrats we believe that government is the way we organize our community to do what we cannot do individually. As such it should be held to the same standards we expect of individuals: honesty, fairness, and respect for the rights of others. We call for open and limited government that serves all the people. We oppose decisions about our future being made behind closed doors. We call for checks and balances, professional ethics, and the protection of our rights by those we elect to represent us.

We stand for the common good and reject the promotion of personal agendas at the expense of the rest of us by those who would manipulate laws or regulations for their own profit. We call for vigilance on the part of our elected and appointed officials to eliminate corruption in our government wherever, whenever and by whomever it occurs.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

As Utah County Democrats we believe government should live within its means. We deplore the current ballooning federal deficit and the irresponsibility of those who have caused it through mismanagement and failed policies. We seek to elect federal representatives who will work to reduce our out-of-control federal debt.

At the state level, we support maintaining a healthy rainy day fund to prepare for emergencies. We also urge better governmental accounting procedures for estimating revenues and expenditures. We call for comprehensive tax reform and responsible tax policies.

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

As Utah County Democrats we call for public policies that create good jobs for all Utahns. We support a business climate characterized by fair tax policies, a skilled and well-educated workforce, and well-planned infrastructure. We support workers and their right to a living wage and therefore call for an increase in the minimum wage. We stand for equal pay for equal work, a safe workplace, and the right to organize. We call for cooperation between business and government to support working families with access to affordable health care and retirement benefits, as well as comprehensive training and apprentice programs in the skills and trades in order to maintain a highly qualified labor force.

TRANSPORTATION

As Utah County Democrats, we have watched as traffic has increased on our highways leading to conditions of near-gridlock. We believe we need leadership at the county and state levels that will work harder to alleviate this problem. We pledge to work to bring more state and federal money to Utah County for expansion and better maintenance of our roads. We also call for the extension of mass transit systems, including commuter rail and bus rapid transit in Utah County, to connect with systems in other counties along the Wasatch Front.

AGRICULTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND NATURAL RESOURCES

As Utah County Democrats we believe we must balance the food and environmental needs of the people of our county. We call for improving farmers' income, monitoring agribusiness, and promoting conservation, as well as supporting enterprises and cooperatives that will help our farmers gain a greater share of the food dollar in our markets.

We recognize the value of green space and the importance of agriculture in a healthy living environment. We believe we should maintain a healthy and sustainable ecosystem supporting a balanced wildlife population with adequate winter and summer range.

We call for the protection of wilderness along with the right of access to use it responsibly for hunting, fishing, other recreational activities, and multiple uses that do not endanger our natural resources. We also call for the protection of Utah Lake and our canyons.

ENERGY AND NUCLEAR WASTE

As Utah County Democrats we believe in wisely using the abundant energy resources of our state while carefully preserving our environment. We support initiatives to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, such as mass transit, conservation, and alternative energy sources.

We decry attempts to import radioactive waste from nuclear facilities outside of Utah for storage, particularly at sites within minutes of population centers. We call for measures to ensure that our county and our state never become a dumping ground nor a transit point for the nuclear waste of the nation.

FIREARMS

As Utah County Democrats we stand for the Constitutional right of citizens to possess firearms for sporting purposes and for lawfully defending their families and property. We also support the enforcement of existing gun laws, educating citizens on the responsible use and storage of firearms, and common sense measures to reduce gun violence and enhance public safety.

IMMIGRATION

As Utah County Democrats we strongly believe that those who come to the United States should do so legally. We call for Congress to adopt policies that control our borders while providing for a viable immigration policy that respects the contributions of immigrant workers to our economy and to their families and children, many of whom are United States citizens. This policy must also discourage exploitation by employers deliberately recruiting undocumented workers.

WE ARE UTAH COUNTY DEMOCRATS

We believe government is constituted of and by the people to provide an orderly and safe society that promotes the common good.

We reaffirm the simple and timeless values that have made Utah and our nation great: protecting freedom, promoting responsibility, supporting families, preparing for the future, and developing common sense solutions to community problems.

We embrace moderation, reason, openness, and inclusion as we uphold Utah's traditional values and build on our noble heritage.