Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 88, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 2, 1986 Page: 28 of 55
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PAGE SC-THE POLK COUNTY ENTERPRISE, SUNDAY NOVEMBER t, M
Texas Democrats focus on human services, environment
from page 1C
They advocate continuation of the Rural Health Care
Program, which delivers less costly and more ap-
propriate care to our rural regions.
Welfare
Tbe Democratic Party regrets the effect of the
Gramm-Rudmann bill on mentally impaired citizens of
Texas who now aimlessly wander the streets, often
without food, clothing, shelter. They support a system
which will provide public shelter for those of our state
who are mentally impaired.
P Texas has traditionally provided care and assistance
Tor many mentally ill and retarded citizens. In keeping
with this tradition, they encourage the further develop-
ment of community based Mental Health - Mental Retar-
dation facilities so that patients can remain near their
families while using the state sponsored facilities for im-
proving their lives.
They support continued state assistance for handicap-
ped citizens, for the elderly persons and indigent persons
in need of health care.
The state has both the moral and legal responsibility
to ensure the availability and accessibility of quality
health care before, during and after childbirth. The
Democratic Party supports and will continue to work
towards implementation and enhancement of health
care programs for mothers and children; including ex-
pansion of cost-effective programs, providing prenatal
care, basic indigent health care and the women, infants
and children (WIC) nutrition program. These programs
benefit the neediest of the needy and are small in-
vestments in the human potential of the state of Texas.
The party also commends the application of the
prenatal and basic health care services to two-parent
households.
Community Development and Housing
The Republican administration's responseTo the fun-
damental human need for shelter is: to ignore the affor-
dable housing needs of the average citizen in Texas, and
to drastically cut federal funding for public housing for
the poor.
The Democratic Party supports leadership for
creating the Texas Housing Agency, which assists low
and middle income groups in securing lower interest
rates for affordable housing. They encourage the
‘shared housing” concept of the elderly, single parents
and the disabled and strongly encourage sufficient
federal funding for public housing to meet at least the
minimum housing needs of our low-income community.
Alzheimer Discrimination
To further assist our elderly population, the
Democratic Party of Texas also advocates the expan-
sion of private and public insuance programs to cover
hospice, maintenance and day care services for older
adults and victims of Alzheimer’s and related diseases.
They advocate the prohibition of insurance company ex-
clusion of Alzheimer’s and related diseases from its
coverage.
Child Abuse
The Texas Democratic Party supports continued state
assistance for the needy, the elderly, the blind, the deaf
and hearing impaired, the disabled, troubled youth ami
families with dependent children
Because many Texas families with dependent
children find themselves in severe need, and because
maximum state levels of support for the AFDC program r
cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment,
they commend the passage of the constitutions I wnend-
ment in 1982 which raised the ceiling to Aid to Families
with Dependent Children. They recognize those levels
are inadequate and must be raised to meet basic needs
of families with dependent children
They support government participation with the
private sector to expand the quality of day-care centers
for the children of employed parents. They appaud the
efforts of our state government to encourage private in-
dustry, through grants, to provide day-care for their
employees when public funds are utilized.
Because the proper care of children leads children to
have a healthy and productive adulthood, they call for
the frequent and detailed inspection of such child care
facilities.
Thev commend Texas’ Deomocratic leadership’s con-
tinued long-range planning to further enhance the
State’s human service delivery systemand further sup-
ports the State of Texas’ increased commitment to
human services in the following areas: Protective ser-
vices for children and adults; Shelters for children,
youth and families at risk; Family planning and parent
education; and Community mental health and counsel-
ing services.
ERA
The Democratic party reaffirms support for the Equal
Rights Amendment without amendments, and urge Con-
gress to resubmit the ERA to the states so that it may be
ratified and added to the U. S. Constitution
Equal Rights and Home and Family
The Texas Demociatic Party sup|>orLs full and equal
rights for all Texans.
The Texas Democratic Party opposes all forms of
discrimination both governmental and non-
-gineriiiiiwital, endbelieves-intbe-righl of privacy of all
Americans in the conduct of their personal lives.
Therefore, the party opposes any legislation or govern-
mental policy which would restrict an individual’s right
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, provided
that pursuit does not involve the violation of another per-
son’s rights.
They commend the establishment of thcHuman Rela-
tions Commission which promotes and pursues equal
justice and tratment for all citizens.
The party notes with satisfaction that the Texas Con-
stitution has had an Equaltegal Rights Amendment for
more than fourteen years. Since its ratification in Texas,
many have scrutinized the effects of the ERA on home
and family life. Depsite the unfounded fears of a small
minority, the evidence clearly indicates that the legal
Rights Amendment has not in the past, nor will in the
future, injure, harm, or infringe upon the home and
family.
Education
The Democratic Party of Texas has always believed
that equal access to a quality education is a basic right
for all Texans.
In the past two and one-half years, the present Gover-
nor, the Lt. Governor, the Speaker of the House and
Democratic legislators initiated positive changes in
education by passing House Bill 72 - the Education
Reform Act.
Since 97.8% of our teachers passed the TECAT, they
believe no more tests for currently certified classroom
teachers are necessary.
They recognize the role of “no pass - no play” in im-
proving academic performance.
Commending the legislature and Governor for pass-
ing legislation for a state-funded group health insurance
plan for retired teachers, they believe continued funding
is necessary te assure equal educational access for all
Texans. For that reason, well-funded, effective pro-
grams must be maintained in the following areas: com-
pensatory education and special education for the
physically oi mentally handicapped, the educationally
deprived and the gifted.
They support a procedure mandating public school
teacher input into the decision-making process of the
local educational system and believe increased teacher
authority in the classroom is essential to the discipline
needed for learning.
The educational progress must be continued in the
following programs: fully-funded career ladder, con-
tinued implementation of smaller class size limitations,
full-day kindergarten, and pre-kindergarten programs
for the educationally disadvantaged.
They urge the leadership in our state to work with
educators to combat the problem of dropouts before it
accelerates beyond control and encourage continued ef-
forts for effective bilingual education programs which
have substantially reduced Hispanic dropout rates in
Texas.
The party recognizes the need for continued support of
Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern University, our
traditionally black state institutions, and the essential
role they play in educating Texans.
They also continue to support tuition equalization
grant programs and recognize the contributions of the
private education sector and support continued state
assistance to our community colleges.
Homestead Exemption
The Texas Democratic Party supports and will active-
ly work for preservation of the Texas homestead exemp-
tion.
Energy
The Democratic Party opposes any attempt by Con-
gress to impose mandatory allocation of oil and gas pro-
duced and sold within the state. They further oppose un-
fair federal price controls on natural gas produced in
Texas.
They also support strict control by all appropriate
governmental agencies of the transportation and
storage of toxic waste products and demand absolute
protections in the processing, transportation, or disposal
of nuclear materials.
The Democratic Party encourages the production and
use of solar energy and supports development of new en-
vironmental methods to conserve energy within the
private and public sectors of the economy.
Elections
The Texas Democratic Party endorses the concept of
a Southern Regional Presidential Primary in early
March in order to maximize the impact of the state of
Texas in the presidential election process and to
enhance the ability to effect national policy-making.
They oppose any legislation which would allow cross-
over voting and prefer a presidential primary separate
from our state and local primaries.
They endorse the concept of selecting a substantial
majority of delegates in proportion to the popular vote in
the primary.
The party also recommends that the legislature reex-
amine the laws dealing with campaign finance and con-
sider limitations on campaign spending by candidates,
and contributions by individuals and political action
committees.
Judicial
They support the continuation of the election of all
state judges in partisan elections. The people of Texas
should have a right to elect their judges, just as they
)ii eltgt other public officials.
Immigration
At present, the United States does not have an effec-
tive immigration policy. Unscrupulous employers have
used this situation to exploit workers. The Democratic
Party suppports a fair and even-handed reform of im-
migration laws.
The Texas Democratic Paty supports a comprehen-
sive resolution of immigration reform, supporting pro-
posals such as the Bentsen-Goldwater proposals to
create a modified Marshall Plan for Mexico, creating
jobs for her citizens in order that they willnot be forced
to illegally cross the border to feed their famdies They
oppose the “guest worker” provision contained in
legislation currently under consideration by the U. S.
House of Representatives.
Agriculture
The Texas Department of Agriculture has organized
state programs to protect farmland and conserve
precious soil and water resources.
Farm and Ranch Security I>oan Programs help quali-
fying individuals enter into or expand agricultural pro-
duction
The party supports the efforts of Texas farmers and
ranchers to promote federal legislation to: guarantee
agricultural prices at levels equal to 100% parity;
establish fair trade agreements; establish producer
representation, and monitor and determine the extent of
the foreign ownership of agricultural land.
The Democratic Party also supports improvement
and upkeep of our farm to market road system to assure
farmers’ essential access to markets, they oppose the
sale and liquidation of our natural resources, and feel
they must continue to support the Rural Electrification
Program.
- Drug And Alcohol Abuse And Prevention
The Democratic Party commends and supports con-
tinuation of the following programs: Greater use of
military resources in fighting the drug trafficking pro-
blem; Implementation of a special reserve along the
southern border of the United States, which was approv-
ed by Congress and the Defense Department. The
Republican administration has not implemented the
plan.
The Party supports the White administration’s in-
crease in funds granted to local governments for pro-
jects including control of organized crime and drugs.
The laud the creation, in 1984, of the Governor’s In-
halant Abuse to work toward effectively addressing the
treatment needs of those who already have an inhalant
abuse program, to study methods to prevent the use, and
to develop recommendations as to any legislation that
might be needed.
They recommend education programs to educate
our youth about the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Utilities
The Texas Democratic Party will continue to address
fair utility rates. They support: Prohibiting any electric
utility from charging ratepayers more than 50% CWIP;
Prohibiting utilities’ requiring payment for a utility
company’s contribution or donations to local, state or
federal organizations; Prohibiting the imposition or ex-
tension of local measured rate service (I.MS) by any
telephone company; Increasing the funding of the Office
of Public Utility Counsel; Requiring electric utilities to
deliver the energy produced by small power producers.
Consumer Protection
The Party commends Governor White for his work in
lowering interest rate ceilings on credit cards to 18% and
In prohibiting the imposition of additional credit card
fees.
They commend Attorney General Jim Mattox for his
work in protecting consumers in the arfeli of Insurance
regulation, and for providing $78.5 million in consumer
protection restitution for the victims of unscrupulous
business practices.
Insurance
The Democratic Party will support and will work for:
requiring full and complete disclosure of the financial
records of all insurance companies and or re-insurers
who do business in Texas; Creating a Public Insurance
Counsel to represent all Texas consumers and small
businesses before the State Board of Insurance; In-
surance rate structures that reflect the experience of the
policyholders, so that those with fewer claims enjoy
lower rates; Prohibiting the cancellation of insurance
policies without the carriers showing of good cause,
made in writing to the policyholder, and providing for
the right to appeal the cancellation; Congressional
legislation to remove the insurance industry’s anti-trust
exemption w hich allows price fixing, as it now exists in
the MacCarin-Ferguson Act; Retaining all Texans'
rights to seek full recovery for damages caused by
others in an unimpaired and impartial jury trial - a
right included by our Founding Fathers in the Texas
Declaration of Independence.
Right to Work
The party supports continuation of the Job Training
Partnership Act and oppose the Republican efforts to
gut this program.
The State Board of Insurance should aggressively pur-
sue enforcement of the existing requirement that
workers’ compensation insurers provide safety pro-
grams to their insured employers.
Safety violatioas which result in injury or death to
workers should expose negligent employers to stiff civil
and, in some cases, criminal penalties.
The Democratic Party recognizes the rights of all
employees -- public and private - to have the right to
organize, collect dues, and negotiate freely with their
employers through agents of the employees’ choosing
for better hours, wages, and terms and conditions of
employment.
They also support raising the Texas minimum wage of
$1.40 to the federal minimum wage and believes
needless stoop labor shoud be banned.
The party also supports the right of professionals in
Texas to responsibily advertise their availability to per-
form routine professional services.
Defense
The Democratic Party is committed to a mutual and
verifiable reduction in arms and the establishment of
peace with the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, we must choose
only those weapons systems truly necessary and vital to
our national interests.
The Democratic Party supports the national move-
ment to control nuclear weapons and prevent their use
as a clear expression of the strong desire of the
American people to halt and reverse the nuclear arms
race.
The Texas Democratic party, in order to enhance our
security as citizens of this state, calls upon the President
of the United States to propose to the Soviet Union a
bilateral and verifiable freeze on the nuclear arms race.
The Texas Dcmocatic Party supports the right to self-
determination and the peaceful settlement of conflicts in
Central America. The Texas Democratic Party asks
that federal funds now being used to promote military
intervention in Central America be redirected to the pro-
motion of such services as housing health care, educa-
tion, transportation, public safety and the creation of
jobs for the people of, the UnitedStates as well as for,th^
neonle of Central America , ^ ' ,
( rimin'.il Invtirr
The Democratic Party commends and supports con-
tinuation of the following programs: bills establishing a
Crime Victims Bill of Rights and providing for the Crime
Victim Clearinghouse; establishing local restitution
centers so certain non-violent criminals could be
sentenced to work in order that they repay the victims of
their crimes; the Crime Stoppers Program, which
solves nearly three felonies every hour
They strongly support the successful Crime Victim’s
Compensation Fund and believe it is in the interest of all
Texans to offer some form of compensation to victims of
violent crimes.
Prison
The Democratic Party urges in the penalty phase of
all felony trials wherein the defendant elects to have
punishment assessed by a jury rather than the Court, the
Court shall charge the jury on the possible actions of the
Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The Democratic Party of Texas strongly supports the
assigiunent of high priority to prison reform and related
problems
Fair Trade
They support government policies which will result in
fair trade. They applaud the entire Texas Democratic
Congressional Delegation for their unanimous support of
the recent trade bill passed by the U.S. House of
Repescntatives.
They support legislation which would provide bid
prefci cnee for U.S. products and services in government
contracts
Balanced Budget
The last balanced federal budget was achieved in the
last fiscal year of the administration of Texas
Democrat, President Lyndon Johnson. Since then,
have seen deficits mount under the Republican ad-
ministrations which "led" the nation for 14 of the last 18
years.
The Republican answer has been the constitutionally
discredited Gramm-Rudman act, which automatically
triggers systematic cuts in funding for vital Texas pro-
grams. r
The Democratic party is determined to see that
balance between our national income and expenses is
restored.
Economy
The Democratic Party is dedicated to: Reducing the
deficit, reforming the tax laws, restoring fair market
competition, providing fair representation in govern-
ment, and encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation
through a re-dedication of our national committment to
small business at every level of our existing educational,
commercial, trade and job training programs.
Environment
The Democratic Party considers it to be a major
responsibility of our elected and appointed officials at all
levels of government to preserve and protect our en-
vironment through the implementation of policies which
include: joining Democratic elected officials in fer-
vent opposition to the administration’s selection of Deaf
Smith County as a high-level nuclear dump site finalist;
commending Senator Bentsen, Governor White and At-
torney General Mattox for protecting coastal waters
by successfully opposing ocean incineration of toxic
waste as a waste disposal method, a method that could
endanger vital maritime industry; protecting air
and water quality by regular monitoring to detect pollu-
tion by appropriate agencies of government; increasing
EPA enforcement capabilities; protecting citizens'
rights to public hearings and developing mechanisms to
ensure environmental actions; ensuring states’ rights to
enforce standards stricter than the'national standards;
protecting prime agricultural land from development;
protecting national forests and public lands from
degradation and excessive commercialization. They
commend passage of the Texas Wilderness Act, which
will preserve 35,000 acres of East Texas forest lands;
eliminating lead in gasoline with sufficient safeguards;
protecting waterways by requiring financial accoun-
tability and responsibility for industries, producers, pro-
v cessors, carriers and storers of hazardous and or con-
taminating substances.
The Democratic Party urges the protection of the
Ogallala Aquifer, the water supply for our nation’s
breadbasket, from the unknown and incomprehensible
potential of contamination from a nuclear waste
repository.
They also urge tin* Texas Water Commission to exer-
cise its full legal rights, to deny any drilling permit that
would pass through an aquifer to potentially endanger
groundwater supplies.
Further, they recognize the transportation risks of
shipping nuclear wastes across Texas to a dump site,
and oppose such transportation without absolute
safeguards for the people of Texas and urge the passage
of regulations on the transportation of flammable and
hazardous substances overland to re-route shipment of
such materials away from populated areas.
Water
Thanks to a major reorganization of the state’s water
agencies, authorized in the 1985 legislature by Senator
John Sharp, and thanks to three appointments to the
Texas Water Commission by Governor White, Texas has
j'll.gotten surious about ('loaning$f) winter jq pie state.
The Water Commission hiji-sjgqnt^d an aggressive
program to identify and fine polluters, butmfre impor-
tantly has used its new enforcement powers to bring
cities and industries to the negotiating table to forge
plans for lasting clean-up programs.
In its first year, the Water Commission has concen-
trated on identifying water polluters and writing clean-
up plans
The Water Commission has also identified hazardous
waste sites and the goal for the next biennium is to begin
the removal of hazardous materials from these sites.
The Water Commission efforts to end pollution from
municipal wastewater plants received a tremendous
boost from overwhelming voter approval of a billion
dollar statewide bond program, a substantial portion of
which is dedicated to pollution control efforts.
The party reiterates opposition to the proposed
drilling of a nuclear waste disposal shaft through the
Ogallala Aquifer in the Panhandle.
Transportation
During the last quarter century, Texas has enjoyed
the finest highway and road system in the nation. From
1978-1982, the emphasis on highway and farm road
maintenance suffered.
To stem further deterioration of roadways, the
Democratic Party calls for stricter enforcement of
weight and measurement laws for all vehicles traveling
Texas roads for commercial purposes
The Democratic party supports the development and
use of mass transit facilities, and urge|s the federal
government to reinstitute funding priorities and pro-
grams for the development and use of mass transit.
They also support the expansion of current Mass Tran-
sit Authorities in order that an adequate and economical
means of intrastate rail and metropolitan transportation
may lie created and urge the Railroad Commission to
halt declining service to small and middle-sized Texas
towns and cities in rural areas by maintaining adequate
routes, schedules and other services for transportation
needs of our rural citizens.
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB MEMBERS
- At a recent meeting these Democrats were
seen at the court house. From 1-r are: County
Attorney Philip Cline, Demo Club Treasurer
C. P. “Chip” Elliot, District Clerk Nell Lowe,
Demo Party Secretary Betty Prichard,
County Clerk (elect) Martha Johnson, Chair*
man of the Polk County Democrats J. A.
McMahon Jr., County Treasurer (elect)
Cheryl Henry, County Judge Wayne Baker,
J. P. Precient 1 Mary Placker, and Onita
McMahon.
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 104, No. 88, Ed. 1 Sunday, November 2, 1986, newspaper, November 2, 1986; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth781921/m1/28/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.