Sheridan County Democrats very deeply appreciate the dedicated first responders, healthcare and service workers, and the many essential public servants on the front lines during the Corona Virus Pandemic. The selfless sacrifice of so many is giving hope for the future in the state of Wyoming and across our nation during these challenging times.
This platform developed around three principles that Sheridan Democrats believe capture the most important guidance for public policy and legislation:
Opportunity, Quality of Life, and Integrity
OPPORTUNITY
1. Sheridan County Democrats are committed to equal opportunity across our society. We believe public policy should foster an economic, social, and institutional environment in which all individuals have the opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and happiness to the full extent of their abilities.
EDUCATION
2. The Democratic Party believes that graduation from a quality public school and the opportunity to succeed in college or other post-secondary education, such as trade school must be the birthright of every child – not the privilege of the few. This right to education is embodied in the Wyoming Constitution with the requirement that it be free or as nearly free as possible. To that end, the Sheridan County Democrats support grants, loans, and reduced tuition for the University of Wyoming and the state’s community colleges or other post-secondary education, such as trade schools. Recognizing that quality education starts early, we support government funding for Head Start and other pre-school programs, and investment in our state’s teachers, schools, and K-12 students.
We believe the University of Wyoming, Trustees, and President, should adhere to the Wyoming Constitution, follow open meeting laws, and ensure that the University remains independent of political meddling. We support academic freedom. The free expression and exchange of ideas, and expanded ideas, is key to a healthy democracy.
HEALTH CARE
3. The Sheridan County Democrats support available and affordable comprehensive health care for every American. We believe that health care should include access to the full range of reproductive health care options and, therefore, should include comprehensive sex education and pregnancy prevention services. We support a woman’s fundamental right to choose. We support global efforts in expanding access to health care and family planning and oppose attempts to place gag rules, which would censor information.
4.We support Wyoming’s expansion of Medicaid as authorized in The Affordable Care Act.
5. We support the use of medical marijuana under the supervision of a licensed medical professional with prescriptive authority. We support legalizing, regulating, and taxing it.
SOCIAL SERVICES
6. Sheridan County Democrats believe that a strong and vibrant community depends on support for high-quality social services to Wyoming citizens. Such services should promote human dignity and fully incorporate people-in-need into their community. Therefore, we oppose efforts such as drug testing, time limits, and any other measures designed to shame and restrict services.
7. We support permanent affordable housing for Wyoming families and urge support for federal and state programs designed to protect homeowners from eviction and foreclosure, especially during periods of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. We support access to affordable, licensed childcare services that provide early childhood education for Wyoming families.
9. We support better and open lines of communication with those working with children at risk to ensure that their needs are met and to help identify valuable opportunities that might offer these children a more successful future.
10. We support programs to ameliorate the serious problems facing children and families including poverty, mental health needs, violence, health care, and alcohol and substance abuse.
11. We support substance abuse prevention programs, substance abuse treatment programs, drug courts, and restorative justice. We support separation of the juvenile and adult justice systems to better serve the needs of children and families, and the establishment of children’s law statutes.
EMPLOYMENT
12. Sheridan County Democrats believe that equal opportunities that satisfy and justly reward employment are a basic right for all Wyoming citizens. We believe our trade agreements should reflect and protect American labor values rather than create a race to the bottom. Quality job creation should be promoted by public development and maintenance of supporting infrastructure (transportation, communication, and utilities), public services, and the recreational and cultural amenities that make our communities attractive places to live and do business.
13. We recognize the vital partnership between private and public sector employment in sustaining our increasingly complex economy. Just as public sector employment cannot exist without the revenue generated from the business community, the private sector cannot thrive without public infrastructure, education, research, legal systems, and community development.
14. We respect and recognize the right of workers to organize and collectively bargain to improve wages and working conditions and support the enactment of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019 and the repeal of WY.’s Right to Work law. √
15. We support safe workplaces for all workers and a non-adversarial workers’ compensation program that fairly compensates injured workers.
16. The diversification of the Wyoming economy from a resource-extraction emphasis to a broader and more stable base of employment must be pursued to stabilize the economy of the state and make Wyoming an attractive and rewarding option for our young people.
17. Elimination of the wage gap between men and women is an essential ingredient for economic fairness and equity, and to attract, retain and sustain families, women and girls in the state.
18. We support just distributions of the fruits of our labor and the burdens of our taxes through maintenance of a living, minimum wage, and strongly progressive tax policies encompassing all forms of income, to promote the prosperity of workers across the full spectrum of our economy. Therefore, we recommend increasing Wyoming’s minimum wage, with an annual cost of living adjustment.
QUALITY OF LIFE
19. Sheridan County Democrats encourage a long-term vision for Wyoming, for America, and the world. Our goal is the development of social, cultural, economic, and physical environments in which we and our descendants can enjoy the peace, freedom, and community that will nurture and sustain our quality of life. We recognize that human well-being is dependent upon the well-being of the earth.
QUALITY OF LIFE
19. Sheridan County Democrats encourage a long-term vision for Wyoming, for America, and the world. Our goal is the development of social, cultural, economic, and physical environments in which we and our descendants can enjoy the peace, freedom, and community that will nurture and sustain our quality of life. We recognize that human well-being is dependent upon the well-being of the earth.
20. We support funding for public media, the visual, performing, and literary arts, and public libraries, and we encourage the Wyoming Arts Council to develop additional public/private initiatives to fund and develop local artists.
IMMIGRATION
21. Wyoming has a rich history of immigration, and Sheridan County Democrats believe immigrants continue to enrich our state through broadening our population base and adding cultural and economic diversity to our communities. We therefore support welcoming immigrants, keeping families together, and creating orderly legal avenues for immigration and settlement in Wyoming through developing a formal state immigration policy. We also support the enforcement of employment laws and federal authorities’ efforts to humanely enforce federal immigration laws.
22. We support long-term solutions to the conflicts and economic problems that have led to the global movement of economic refugees.
ECONOMY & TAXES
23. Recognizing that we share the responsibility to provide for the common good and the maintenance of necessary public services, we support a system of taxation that is progressive, equitable and that promotes sustainable communities.
24. In Wyoming, the “boom and bust” cycle of energy development places severe stress upon the infrastructure, environment, public services, housing, workforce and social cohesion of our cities, towns and counties. Our long-term interests, both social and financial, would be best served by diversifying our economy. This would allow Wyoming to modulate the pace of development, stabilize the workforce, encourage community development and attenuate environmental and social impacts.
25. Sheridan County Democrats support the reduction of the national debt and effective regulation of financial institutions.
26. The Sheridan County Democratic Party supports restoration of the laws to reregulate, to re-separate the speculation of Wall Street from commercial banking to restore the economy and to secure the economy for the future. For that restoration we support “H.R. 2176 — Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2019” that restores the separation of commercial banking and the securities business, a restoration of the essentials of Glass/Steagall.
27. We support a vigorous role for the Consumer Protection Agency.
AGRICULTURE
28. Sheridan County Democrats support family-owned ranches and farms and commend policies which recognize surface property rights in energy-development decisions. We recognize that family-owned ranches and farms are of historic, cultural and economic significance. Therefore, we call for trade and regulatory policies that support local producers.
29. We believe local food production and marketing is a real opportunity for economic development in our communities and we support increasing the availability of home-grown products in our communities through encouraging young farmer start-up programs and other educational and training opportunities for expanding cottage food industries and small-scale agricultural production. Activities generated by robust farmer’s markets and local food production lead to a closer knit community interested in preserving the building blocks of successful food generation including clean water, preservation of pollinators, bio-diversity and general ecological health.
30. Sheridan County Democrats support the concept and practice of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL).
31. We oppose GMOs that transfer ownership of living organisms from the public domain to corporations. We support the labeling of food containing genetic modifications to preserve the public’s ability to make informed choices.
ENERGY POLICY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
32. US energy policy has been focused on securing additional foreign and domestic supplies and on the protection of nonrenewable energy industries. This is not sustainable and has led to increased pressure to develop domestic supplies in unsuitable environments, has corrupted the use of our military as an instrument of foreign policy and left us behind most developed nations in responses to climate change.
33. It is critical that we develop a coherent, far-sighted national energy policy that emphasizes reductions in demand through energy conservation and efficiency, innovation in energy resource development, implementing solutions to the building crisis in global climate impacts, and constructive engagement of our trading partners in developing nations to make serious efforts toward environmental protections and energy efficiencies. We support alternate energy sources that do not cause an adverse impact on the nation and world’s food supply and prices, while maintaining long-term environmental standards. We urge the end to subsidies and tax breaks for ethanol manufactured from the world’s food supply. We support alternative and renewable energy sources, advanced in an environmentally sensitive manner that will help combat climate change.
34. We urge subsidies for efficient-alternative home energy, and we support requiring that all buildings being built or upgraded at taxpayer expense be built with energy efficiency and passive solar design features where feasible.
NATURAL RESOURCES
35. At the state and local level, we celebrate the importance of clean air, land, and water, open spaces, and Wyoming’s abundant wildlife and world-class wilderness to our quality of life, now and into the future. We recognize that certain wildlife habitats and special places are too important to sacrifice to industrial use. Citizens and public officials at all levels should work to minimize industrial impacts to our environmental resources, using advanced technologies and methods, working with industry to ensure development occurs responsibly in the right place and at the right pace. In addition, such sustainable development requires planning efforts to discourage sprawl and preserve natural environments.
36. Sheridan County Democrats support strong and even-handed enforcement of land, air and water quality regulations and adequate funding of our Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). We also support protecting the role of the Environmental Quality Council (EQC) as a balanced oversight body for the DEQ. the We reject the idea of “self-audit” or self-reporting by companies as they tend to lead to increased environmental violations.
37. We support the protection of Wyoming’s wildlife, biological diversity and natural resources and maintenance of public access to public lands in ways that preserve the integrity of those lands.
38. We support the creation of a statewide program that provides for the recycling of all reusable materials, industrial use of biodegradable materials, mandatory deposits for all beverage containers and the funding of recycling plants in Wyoming.
39. We support H.R. 5737 – Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act – 116th Congress (2019 2020) to expand the authorization of voluntary Federal grazing permit retirement, provide increased flexibility for Federal grazing permitees, promote equitable resolution or avoidance of conflicts on Federal lands managed by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Interior.
INTEGRITY
40. Sheridan County Democrats recognize the basic integrity of our constitutional form of government and public policy at all levels as the foundation upon which our society is built. All participants in our democracy should be confident that the fundamental processes of elections, appointments, legislation, administration, and enforcement are sound, and that the underlying principles of good government are faithfully observed by our elected and appointed officials, our agency personnel and other responsible entities.
41. Sheridan Democrats support the move to a Presidential Primary election for the State of Wyoming. Ours is only one of six states not using the Presidential Primary. Elevating Wyoming’s importance in Presidential campaigns can bring appropriate attention from candidates during the campaign season and in the following Presidential term. Candidates for the highest office in the land need to connect with Wyoming voters to understand our unique heritage, economy and the assets of our beautiful state.
42. Sheridan Democrats support accountability in the collection of income from state or federal lands and public notice for sales, swaps or leasing of public lands.
43. It is a disgrace that Wyoming received an F rating in a 2015 national integrity investigation. We support legislative efforts that hold our state legislature and government more accountable and the law making process more transparent.
TRANSPARENCY AND MONEY IN POLITICS
44. Sheridan County Democrats recognize all levels of government as the agents of “we the people,” and hold them to the same high standards of morality, equality, and honesty that we aspire to individually.
45. Corporations are not people and money is not speech. Though our Constitution is silent on the subject, court decisions and years of tradition have given corporations the rights and privileges ordinarily reserved for individuals. Laws must be enacted that protect Wyoming citizens and hold corporations, lawmakers and the Wyoming government accountable for their actions.
46. Our political process, our legislation, our administration of government and our courts have all been corrupted by the influence of corporate money to the extent corporate wants have been placed ahead of the general welfare and the needs of our nation. The Citizens United Decision has exacerbated this problem. Therefore, the Sheridan County Democratic Party supports the Move to Amend campaign calling for an amendment to the Constitution to abolish corporate personhood.
47. We urge Congress to require full reporting of campaign contributions, to be made public prior to elections, reasonable limits on campaign contributions, strict limits on gifts to office holders and staff, and full disclosure of formal connections with persons or entities with financial interests in legislation under consideration or in government decisions or actions, and full reporting by lobbyists of expenditures on behalf of their clients.
48. Sheridan Democrats oppose the privatization of public services, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, prisons and the military, including the outsourcing of scheduling for veteran’s healthcare to private companies.
RULE OF LAW
49. We promote an unflinching dedication to the rule of law; the same law for everyone. We support the founding principles of checks and balances and the separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution. We demand the faithful execution of the laws.
CIVIL RIGHTS
50. Sheridan Democrats endorse the freedoms embodied in The Bill of Rights, recognizing that our desires for personal, financial, and national security do not trump our commitment to respect and protect the individual rights and privacy of our fellow citizens. We oppose discrimination based on gender, language, national origin or ethnicity, religion or non-religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, or political beliefs, and we support hate crime legislation. We oppose government interference in our private lives. We support marriage for all, a woman’s right to choose, death with dignity, a person’s ownership of their genetic profile and the right to privacy.
51. Sheridan Democrats support the right of citizens to own firearms and also support the right of citizens, through their elected government, to prohibit firearms in schools, courthouses, public parks, and bars. We support funding for the CDC to collect data on gun violence and to propose solutions to the problem.
52. We support freedom of conscience and the separation of Church and State.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
53. Sheridan County Democrats support a foreign policy that reflects and promotes the principles of freedom, human rights and compassion without the use of force. We demand the same commitment to democracy, self-determination, open government, civil and human rights, and the rule of law in our conduct of foreign affairs as we espouse at home.
54. We must continue working to recognize and understand the legitimate interests of other nations, their histories and cultures, in the spirit of searching for what we might do collectively to resolve problems.
55. We support the withdrawal of U.S. troops and all private military forces presently hired by the U.S. government from any foreign countries where they are not welcomed by their citizens. We also support cutting our military budget and dissolving the budgetary line item known as the OCO—the Overseas Contingency Operations line item—and redirecting those resources to human needs and job creation and training for all citizens, including our veterans.
56. Sheridan Democrats support the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Ft. Benning, GA, formerly known as “School of the Americas”.
57. We support H.R. 1111, Department of Peacebuilding Act which would establish a cabinet level position to direct efforts to support peace and nonviolence as national policy.
COMMENDATIONS
58. Sheridan County Democrats commend our public employees for the work and service they provide and support the public workers’ unions that have stood up against legislative attacks on collective bargaining rights, benefits, and pensions.
59. Sheridan Democrats recognize the sacrifices our military personnel and their families make to secure the integrity, opportunity and sustainability of these United States. We are grateful for their dedication and pledge ourselves to vigilance that their lives are not jeopardized needlessly.
VOTING RIGHTS
60. Sheridan County Democrats believe the fair representation of U.S. and Wyoming citizens is a core principle underlying the integrity, health, and vitality of our democratic republic.
We uphold the 14th, 15th, and 24th amendments to the United States Constitution granting voting rights to all citizens aged eighteen and older, born in this country or naturalized.
We believe in equitable access to the ballot to be provided without restriction.
Wyoming citizens may be unable to participate in their constitutional right to vote on specific dates due to hazardous weather, physical distance, health conditions, and infirmity, working requirements, or any other unforeseen circumstances. To accommodate the voting rights and responsibilities of our citizens, Sheridan County Democrats support registering and voting by ail as a just means of providing ballots and voice to our state’s representative form of government.