The following resolutions were approved at the County Convention held on February 23, 2008.  They have been submtted to the State Democratic Party for possible inclusion in the State’s and/or National’s Platforms. where applicable

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RESOLUTION HC01:  HEALTH CARE 
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WHEREAS, Health care in the United States is suffering from a crisis of cost, accessibility and quality, and

WHEREAS, affordable Health Insurance premiums are out of reach and in many cases restrict access and care, and

WHEREAS, the employment-based system of health care coverage puts people’s benefits as risk when they face layoffs or change jobs, and

WHEREAS, all other industrialized countries provide comprehensive coverage to all citizens regardless of employment status, putting U.S. employers and workers at a global competitive disadvantage, and

WHEREAS, Americans pay more for healthcare than any other country in the world and yet our freedom of choice and access to services is controlled by the profit driven dictates of HMO’s and “managed care”;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party supports processes which make not just health care more affordable to the masses, but prescriptions and services as well, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no one should be required to give up their assets (e.g., home) to be eligible for health care assistance under any health care program (e.g., Medicaid).

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RESOLUTION HC02:  NEVADA PARTY RESOLUTION FOR ACTION ON HEALTH CARE
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WHEREAS, Nevada, like the rest of the U.S., faces a health care crises caused by increasing numbers of uninsured people, sky-rocketing costs and limited access, even for those who are insured, and unfair health disparities that hurt the well-being of our communities;

WHEREAS, overall health care spending in Nevada has risen dramatically in recent years without corresponding improvements in access and quality;

WHEREAS, from 199 to 2004, the cost of health care expenditures in Nevada have increased 10%;

WHEREAS, 496,000 of Nevada’s residents have no insurance, including 101,000 children, an increase of 51% since 2000;

WHEREAS, since 2000, average health insurance premiums for working Nevadans have risen 58%, a rate at least three times faster than average earnings;

WHEREAS, health care disparities result in unequal access and care for minorities, particularly Hispanics in Nevada who are three times as likely to be uninsured and women who are one of the fastest growing groups of uninsured Nevadans;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Nevada Democratic Party calls on our federal government to enact legislation that guarantees access to quality, affordable health care for everyone in the United States.  In addition, we believe that health care must insure:

• Quality health care for everyone with a choice of doctors and plans, without gaps in access or coverage,
• Preventive care as part of any basic benefit plan that promotes health and eliminates economic and racial disparities
• Controlled costs by providing care that is cost-efficient and medically effective, and
• Financing that is fair with responsibility shared by employers, individuals and government.

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RESOLUTION HC03:  ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
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WHEREAS, the cost of everything we eat, use or otherwise consume is determined, in part, by the cost of energy used to produce it, and

WHEREAS, the cost of energy in U.S. Dollars is at the highest ever,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that investment be made in developing alternative energy, including but not limited to Solar, Wind and Geothermal energy.

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RESOLUTION HC04:  FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
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WHEREAS, government spending is out of control with no oversight,

WHEREAS, the national debt is now in the trillions of dollars which our grandchildren’s children will still be attempting to pay off years in the future,

WHEREAS, government-sponsored bribery in the form of earmarks to get legislators to vote a certain way has become the norm,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we must restore a fair tax policy, balance the budget, utilize budgetary offsets to balance out new funding mandates, eliminate earmark funding outside of the balanced budget, investigate the restoration of tariffs, support domestic business, cut spending on items such as unneeded and unworkable weapons systems, cut unwarranted subsidies, and support policies that move money up through our economy rather than only supporting the richest members of society, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that some form of government oversight be enforced to ensure public funds are not fraudulently used and that when fraud is found, perpetrators are prosecuted fully under the law.

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RESOLUTION HC05:  EDUCATION
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WHEREAS, the youth of this nation are our strongest asset for the future,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that

• We support a quality education for every child by providing the funding needed for all students to achieve educational excellence.  Such an education requires adequate and equitable funding from public tax sources for schools to provide the resources (e.g., personnel, programs, materials, buildings, and technology) to meet the needs of all students,
• We support the concept that public monies should not be used for students to attend sectarian schools or other institutions in order to obtain educational services available to them in public schools to which they have reasonable access.  In addition, we believe any private school or agency that receives public funding through voucher plans, tax credits, or other funding/financial arrangements, must be subject to all accountability measures and regulations required of public schools, including issues relating to separation of church and state.
• We urge Congress and the President to amend the No Child Left Behind Act to allow the use of multiple sources of evidence to assess student learning and school effectiveness, to restore a class size reduction program to give students more individualized attention, to increase the number of highly qualified teachers in our nation’s public schools, and to fully fund its obligations to America’s public school students.

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RESOLUTION HC06:  SOCIAL SECURITY
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WHEREAS, those citizens who pay into the social security system throughout our working lives are entitled to benefits thereof

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
• We support the elimination of the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision for individuals who have qualified for both Social Security and another government pension system.
• We support the elimination of the Social Security government Pension Offset to restore to eligible individuals and survivors the full Social Security earned by their spouse.

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RESOLUTION HC07:  Natural Resources
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WHEREAS, the use of natural resources in rural areas to support urban growth has profound impact on the natural world and economies of the rural areas and on the quality of life in urban centers,

WHEREAS, the implications should be fully understood before local, state, and federal officials approve such uses,

WHEREAS, the rapid growth in Nevada’s urban counties and cities has shown that an effective link is lacking between land use plans and the sustainable water supplies needed to implement the land use plans,

WHEREAS, citizens and governments in rural Nevada have a right to an economic future,

WHEREAS, in rural Nevada, water is essential to the sustenance of present and future economic vitality and environmental amenities,

WHEREAS,  Nevada’s surface water and ground water resources are limited and must be wisely and conservatively managed, especially during periods of long-term drought and climate change,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Nevada Democratic Party calls on federal, state and local governments to fully, independently and honestly assess the entire and complete impact of proposed large-scale rural-to-urban water transfers in Nevada, to include analysis of the economic impacts on rural and urban communities, the impacts on natural resources throughout the Great Basin, and the potential for development of alternative water supplies.

 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,  that the community that is being asked to give up water resources will have the opportunity to submit evidence from their own independent authority before any resource transfers are granted.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that where possible, the independent authority used must have demonstrated knowledg of Nevada’s unique natural resources and habitats (encompassing, water,  wild life habitat and migration, etc.).

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RESOLUTION HC08: Election Reform
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WHEREAS, becoming an elected official is one of the greatest forms of public service and that there are many barriers to entry, most of them being financial, and

WHEREAS, a great majority of voters across this nation feel disenfranchised by the processes we use to elect our officials, and

WHEREAS, technology has finally caught up,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we pursue enacting legislation that would cause the following changes:

• consider using one national primary to select party candidates no earlier than the 2nd Tuesday in May of an election year,
• continue to use a national general election held on the second Tuesday in November in election years to elect officials,
• elimination of the electoral college as the means by which officials are elected, and
• use the popular vote in determining who has been elected.

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RESOLUTION HC09:  War, Taxes and Trade
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WHEREAS:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED to
1. Get us out of Iraq!      Rewritten as HC09A
2. Have the unholy rich pay their fair share of taxes.  Struck, as it was adequately covered by HC04.
3. Revoke the Clinton NAFTA and GATT      Rewritten as HC09B

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RESOLUTION HC09A:  The Iraqi War
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WHEREAS, the United States has already expended too may lives and too much funding on the occupation of Iraq,

WHEREAS, the United States has squandered international good will and respect during the occupation of Iraq,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States shall withdraw its military forces and assets from it’s occupation of Iraq as soon as practically possible with consideration for trhe safety and well-being of the American forces, the Iraqi population and our allies.

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RESOLUTION HC09B:  Reconsideration of NAFTA and GATT
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WHEREAS, U.S. jobs are leaving the country in record numbers, and

WHEREAS, unemployment numbers are rising,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED to convene congressional hearings on NAFTA and GATT to investigate inequities created by the outsourcing of US jobs to overseas locations and taking corrective measures, as appropriate.

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RESOLUTION HC10:  2nd Amendment
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WHEREAS, the government is trying to take away rights covered by the Bill of Rights for which they have no right, and

WHEREAS, Gay marriage is not the government’s business

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED to endorse the second amendment and all rights under the Constitution and that the government has no business telling individuals how to live.

A new Resolution HC1o was added on the day of the convention:

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RESOLUTION HC10:  Global Warming
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WHEREAS, Global warming is a valid and scientifically proven fact, and

WHEREAS, the U.S. has not ratified or supported the Kyoto Treaty or any other effort to reduce greenhouse gases in the U.S., it is imperative that the next administration recognize that major efforts will be required by the U.S. to reduce greenhouse gases and other methods of slowing down global warming and its direct impact on may natural resources,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the next administration takes progressive actions to reduce global warming in the U.S. and worldwide.