1992 Democratic Presidential Primary

PLATFORM IN PROGRESS

Of the People
By the People
For the People


Printed on Recycled Stock


Cover photo by Peter B. Kaplan, © 1984
All rights reserved



Table of Contents

Preamble	3
I. Political Reform	4
A. Electoral Fairness	4
B. Participation	4
C. Humility	5
II. Economics	6
A. Investing in the Commons	6
B. Trade	7
C. Working hours for full employment	8
D. Banking for People	9
E. Insurance Regulation	10
F. Pension Reform	11
G. Financial Regulation	12
H. Antitrust Regulation	12
I. Tax Policy	13
J. Rural Development	13
K. Corporate entitlements — subsidies and giveaways	14
L. Corporate Crime	15
III. Justice	16
A. Worker Rights	16
B. Civil Rights	17
C. Women's Rights	18
D. Consumer Rights	19
IV. Environment and Health	21
A. Civilian Conservation Corps	21
B. Global Conservation Corps	22
C. Ozone Protection	22
D. Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions	22
E. Energy Efficiency	22
F. Renewable Energy	22
G. Nuclear Power and Nuclear Waste	22
H. Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency	23
I. Fossil Fuel Policy	23
J. Transportation Policy	23
K. Waste Reduction	23
L. Moratorium on Hazardous Waste Incinerators	23
M. Ban dangerous exports	23
N. Endangered Species	23
O. Forect Preservation and Restoration	24
P. Oceans, Rivers and Wetlands	24
Q. Phase out the use of persistent hazardous chemicals	24
R. Government procurement	24
S. National Health Care	24
T. Prevention and Treatment	25
U. AIDS	25
V. Women's health issues	26
V. Restoring Commonwealth	27
A. Education	27
B. Social Policies	28
C. Housing	28
D. Street Crime and Drugs	29
E. Media	30
F. Art	31
VI. Foreign Relations	32
A. Cut the defense budget by 50 percent and convert to a peace economy	32
B. Nuclear weapons	32
C. Human Rights and the Rule of Law	33
D. Relieving the Third World: Debt, Poverty and Environomental Destruction	33
E. Hunger	34

We the People ...
 
Dear Delegate:

The Platform in Progress is your invitation to debate, to create and personally take part in restoring democracy. The planks of this draft platform are specific and concrete, but they are not chiseled in stone. They will evolve as this living platform engages men and women of diverse experiences and taps into their wisdom.

The ideas presented here are taken from factory workers, teachers, community organizers, theoreticians and our ancestors. The words you read may seem familiar -- they are from the pages of books, the mouths of advocates and from heartland America. Good ideas, however, can still be enriched as each of us from different backgrounds critically reflects on what is said here.

A good platform must inspire us to action. It is a tool that can bring our concerns into focus and articulate our collective dreams. It is a compass for exploring what is possible. Most importantly, it is an organic document that people must nourish with their hopes and their conviction.

The preparation of these proposals begins the process of creating a dynamic platform. The Platform in Progress will improve as it is discussed in town halls and in living rooms and on the nightly news.

The potential of this document does not rest on words alone. Translating hope into opportunity and restoring justice will take perseverance and commitment. It will also take understanding and imagination. Most of all, it will require political leaders and ordinary citizens to reestablish the principle of democratic accountability and the preeminence of the common good.

The Platform in Progress can be as grand and elegant as our aspirations will allow. Please do your part to make it come alive. Change it. Improve it. With it -- together -- we can reclaim the promise of democracy.

Respectfully,

Jerry Brown
Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

 
PREAMBLE

Democracy is about liberty and justice. Unfortunately, those with position and power have debased our democracy. The rights and privileges that we should share equally are increasingly the province of the few and not the many. Principle is traded for profit and the ideals that shaped our country are dismissed as quaint relics of a bygone era.

As resilient as is democracy, its promise can be dimmed by the constant barrage of special influence. The Platform in Progress is a statement of ideals that we can use to draw a bright line that will help citizens mark what is acceptable and what is not for our country. This is a document that we can all use to rally our communities and to breathe new life into the stale politics of inertia and gridlock that dominate our legislative bodies. The Platform in Progress contains specific goals and commitments. There is no hiding behind generalities.

The Platform in Progress is extensive and detailed. But it is not a laundry list of disparate ideas. The different pillars of the platform -- economic well-being, political reform, environment and health, restoring commonwealth, justice and foreign relations -- not only overlap, but are mutually supporting. Running through the entire Platform in Progress is the core idea of democratic community.

The Platform in Progress speaks about equality and the common good and promotes accountability through citizen participation. It demands government be put back into the hands of the people.

The powerful interests that have corrupted our government are well organized and skilled at promoting their agenda. Its time for citizens to match that organization and skill. The Platform in Progress, by sparking discussion and debate, will launch the campaign to take back America.