May 1, 2013 SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE Number 13-3

Florida First Ever Democratic Party Platform

MOVING FLORIDA FORWARD
PREFACE
Florida Democrats believe in Florida values. We, the people of the great State of Florida,
believe in standing for effective and efficient government that is aimed at providing the
quality public safety, education, and healthcare the people of this state deserve.
Ours is the party that champions the middle class and the basic principle of fairness to
ensure all Floridians are treated equally. And we believe in protecting the states precious
land, water, and air for our children and grandchildren.
lt is our purpose to place before the residents of Florida a document that states the position
of the Democratic Party for the future direction of our state. The following Platform makes
that statement, and offers a promise of a strong and fruitful future for Floridians
FLORIDAS JOBS TRIPLE PLAY
We, as Florida Democrats, believe jobs and the
economy are our first priority. Therefore we
pledge to:
Support the creation of jobs for hard-working
Floridians, with wage parity between women
and men.
Preserve and expand Floridas middle class
by creating good paying jobs, by investing in
Floridas crumbling infrastructure, and by
strengthening demand for Florida products
both here and abroad.
Empower small business owners to create
new jobs.
Lead the way by expanding small business job
creation through incentives for employers,
and by reducing unnecessary government
interference.
Increase training and apprenticeship oppor-
tunities by working with our Florida labor
unions and public school systems:
We will endeavor to achieve our goals by
expanding training and retraining initiatives for
every Florida worker and returning veteran, and
strengthening public education for our children.
Van Jones You cant get
everything you want just by voting
one time, but you can vote for the
wrong person one time, and you
can lose everything youve got.
Pick Slip Rick Scott in 2014
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EDUCATION THE FOUNDATION
OF FLORIDAS FUTURE
We, as Democrats, subscribe to Article IX, Section
1, of the Florida State Constitution, which requires
the state to ... provide a uniform, efficient, safe,
secure and high quality System of free public
schools which allows students to obtain a high
quality education. To fulfill that promise, we
support:
Ensuring full funding by the state for our public
schools, with no unfunded mandates placed
upon local school districts. Education funding
should not be subject to legislative bargaining.
Establishing evaluation measures which
embrace the total educational experience and
paying our teachers the wages they deserve.
Providing universal access to high quality early
childhood education.
Making public schools our top priority with
maintenance and construction funding being
thus designated.
Creating world-class vocational apprenticeship
programs.
Investing in high quality affordable and
available higher education, both vocational
and academic.
Creating a comprehensive curriculum for edu-
cating future teachers and quality professional
development for current teachers.
Investing in a high-quality education system is
critical to Floridas economic future.
HEALTHY AMERICANS,
STRONG AMERICA
We, as Democrats, support affordable healthcare,
expanding coverage to all Americans, holding
insurers accountable, and working diligently
to make our healthcare system a viable, quality
System which upholds our Democratic ideals and
protects all Americans.
We believe:
Access to affordable, high quality healthcare is
a right for all Americans.
Healthcare is about care and not insurance.
Health is not a commodity.
Focusing on preventive healthcare will save
lives and money.
Florida veterans have given of their physical,
and in many instances mental, well-being; we
Democrats will fight to ensure they receive the
care required to recover their health.
Women are capable of making decisions about
their own healthcare including, and especially,
in regard to reproductive health.
An investment in the health and well-being of
Americans is an investment in the economic
future and strength of our nation.
SOCIAL SECURITY
We, as Democrats, support the continuation
of strong and reasonable protection of Social
Security as a life wage and as an insurance policy
for the disabled of all ages. We believe:
The Social Security trust fund must be secured
and protected.
Social Security and Medicare reform should
be based on increased revenue, not decreased
payments.
Social Security benefits must keep pace with
inflation.
The application and approval process for
Disability insurance must be streamlined and
shortened.
The no bid clause in Medicare Part D must
be eliminated.
Social Security is not just for seniors, it is a safety
net for all ages in times of need.
Your One Vote Counts in
Local Elections!
In Pahokee, Commissioner Allie Biggs
won re-election to the Group 1 Seat over
her R challenger -- by TWELVE votes!
(407-395)
And in Boynton Beach, it was even closer:
Joe Casello won the open District 4 Seat
over his R opponent -- by THREE votes
(yes, THREE VOTES!!! 308-305)
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Authorized and Paid for by The Palm Beach County Democratic Party
www.PBCDemocraticParty.org
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Editor: Dan Isaacson
Assistant Editors: Robin Blanchard, Allen Robbins,
Nancy Morse, Debra Oberlander
Research: Roger Messenger
An educational newsletter to keep
you up-to-date on voter issues.
Share The Democratic Voter with
friends and have them subscribe
today!
Take action! Join the Democratic Party!
Call: 561-340-1486
Every Dollar Counts!
All donations appreciated, Thank you!
Send your Contributions to:
Palm Beach County Democratic Party
8401 Lake Worth Road #132
Lake Worth, FL 33467
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JUSTICE FOR ALL
Democrats believe that:
All people should be treated equally and fairly,
in all levels of government and society, by
fighting discrimination based on race, color,
religion, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual
orientation, gender identity, disability, and
family status.
Civil rights must be restored to those who have
paid their debt to society.
We must provide equal access and opportunities
to Floridians so they have the expectation of be-
ing able to participate fully in the political process.
Voter suppression laws must be repealed.
The State of Florida must finally ratify the
Equal Rights Amendment.
We are against any law or amendment that
seeks to violate equal protection under the law.
We must provide to all veterans the highest,
most comprehensive social services now, and
in the future. Florida will not forget those who
fought for and defended this country.
In a just society, all persons should have the
right to become citizens under a lawful process.
We must fulfill the promise of the Pledge of
Allegiance: ...and justice for all.
SUMMARY
The Florida Democratic Party has brought
together the major aspects of our beliefs and
values in this Platform. We believe that everyone
should have a fair and equal opportunity in a
future that, with hard work, will bring them closer
to the American dream. The Florida Democratic
Party continues to champion efforts to strengthen
our economy, improve our public schools, expand
affordable access to medical care, honor our eldest
citizens, and lead the way to guarantee all people
their civil rights. ##
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League of Conservation Voters
Scorecard for 2012
February 22, 2013
by Kartik Krishnaiyer
Being a member of the League of Conservation
Voters does give you certain privileges. My
favorite is getting access to the LCV Congressional
Scorecard before it goes public. Well the
organization did finally release the scorecard
publicly yesterday and below are the scores from
the Florida delegation. The higher the percentage
the better the member is on environmental issues.
(Dems in bold)
Senate
Bill Nelson 93%
Marco Rubio 14%
House
Jeff Miller 9%
Steve Southerland 9%
Corrine Brown 80%
Ander Crenshaw 6%
Rich Nugent 6%
Cliff Stearns 14%
John Mica 6%
Dan Webster 9%
Gus Bilirakis 9%
Bill Young 26%
Kathy Castor 91%
Dennis Ross 9%
Vern Buchanan 23%
Connie Mack 0%
Bill Posey 11%
Tom Rooney 10%
Fredrica Wilson 89%
Ileana Ros- Lehtinen 17%
Ted Deutch 97%
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz 94%
Mario Diaz-Balart 11%
Allen West 14%
Alcee Hastings 94%
Sandy Adams 9%
David Rivera 11%
Top 10 Reasons to Kick Scott Out
2014 is just around the corner.
As Democrats gear up to take on Tea Partier
Rick Scott we thought it was a good time to
remind you of the top ten reasons we need a new,
Democratic governor.
In the coming months we will list one of the
10 reasons each month; just to remind you
how important it is to Pink Slip Rick Scott in
November 2014!
Reason #10.
Rick Scott Refused High-Speed Rail
Have you ever sat in killer traffic in Orlando?
You can thank Governor Scott for that.
Scott turned down $2.4 billion to build a
high-speed rail system that would have not
only improved Floridas infrastructure, but
created thousands of jobs.
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