75 Priorities: Our strength as a nation should be measured not by the size of our military arsenal, but rather by the health, welfare, education, productivity, and character of our citizens.  We should curb wasteful and excessive military spending and support the social needs of our citizens.

76 End the Culture of Fear: We condemn the culture of fear fostered by the current administration to manipulate public opinion.

77 Protection of Social Security and Medicare: Social Security and Medicare are essential programs for millions of Americans.  The government should make modifications now to ensure continued long-term solvency of these programs. We support laws that would prohibit the use of Social Security contributions for any purpose other than funding Social Security. Since the risks inherent in privatization are not consistent with the purpose of the program, Social Security and Medicare should not be privatized. Any governmental program to support private retirement accounts must be funded outside of the Social Security Program.

78 Family Planning: We support the funding and encouragement of responsible family planning that is consistent with the sustaining capacity of the environment and a decent quality of life.

79 Expanding Child Care: We support making quality licensed daycare centers available to parents through funding by government and private industry.

80 Media Violence: We deplore the presentation of gratuitous violence by all media.  We discourage all media from portraying violence as the means of resolving conflicts.  We urge the media to present all actual consequences of violent acts.

81 Funding Public Broadcasting: We support funding of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service by the federal government.

82 Preventing Media Monopolies: A democracy must have open debate of issues and access to different points of view. We strongly support the adoption and enforcement of stringent restrictions against the single ownership of multiple media outlets in the same area and limitations on the total number of media outlets that a single entity can own or control in the nation.

83 Stop Using Tax Money for School Vouchers and Faith-Based Organizations: Tax money must not be used, directly or indirectly, to support any organization, whether a school or a charitable organization that promotes a religion, or practices discrimination in the composition of its administration, or in it's hiring practices or delivery of services.  Proposals to use "vouchers" for religious schools and diversion of tax money to "faith-based" organizations exempt from discrimination laws represent egregious examples. Such organizations must be supported by voluntary private donations never by taxes.

84 Tax Reform: We believe that taxes are the reasonable dues paid by members of a responsible and benevolent society to support institutions and programs that provide for its basic needs, promotes its economic development, and ensures a high quality of life. The present tax code reflects the corruption of the political process that rewards large campaign donors with tax breaks and subsidies that serve the interests of large businesses, corporations, financial institutions, and wealthy individuals at the expense of ordinary citizens and important social programs. We demand an end to the system of corporate welfare and subsidies. We believe the taxes that people and entities pay should reflect their ability to support the social needs of society.

85 Repeal the Tax Cut for the Wealthy and Corporations: The tax break for the rich and corporations was based on the assumption that there was a "surplus that should be returned to the people."  Since there is no surplus and the government is engaged in deficit spending and cutting important social programs, tax cuts for the rich and corporations should be rescinded and the money should be made available for necessary social programs, payment of debt, and building the nation's infrastructure.

86 Anti-Tax-Haven Laws: We support laws that would prevent American citizens and American and multinational corporations from using overseas tax havens to avoid paying taxes.  To ensure that corporations report all of their income and to prevent them from shifting their American profits on paper to tax haven countries, corporations should no longer be permitted to defer reporting their foreign profits on their U.S. tax returns.

87 Support for a State Income Tax: Our state tax laws are regressive.  We support the elimination of the sales and B&O taxes and urge the Legislature to institute a state personal and corporate income tax.   

88 Congressional and Legislative Ethics Boards: Congress and the Legislature should enact strong ethics rules and fully fund standing agencies with all necessary powers to investigate violations.

89 Terminate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Program: We oppose the research, development and deployment of a "missile defense shield" in the face of scientific data collected over many years indicating that such a system is not technically feasible and because of concern that it might stimulate a new arms race.  The United States should immediately stop spending money on the anti-ballistic missile system and should use those funds to pay for needed social programs and to improve the infrastructure of the country.

90 End Military Pork-Barrel Spending: We strongly support budgets that provide our military personnel with better pay and living conditions and that provide them with the finest equipment needed to protect this nation and its allies.  We are adamantly opposed to spending money on weapons and programs that are not wanted or needed by the military.  We abhor spending money on military projects solely because contractors are located in the districts of members of Congress.

91 Require Audits of the DOD: We support laws that would require the Dept. of Defense to undergo and publish the results of annual audits to account for our tax dollars.

92 Public Control of Essential Industries: To ensure that the public's interest is protected, we support public ownership of utilities (including power generation and distribution) and strict government regulation of essential industries, such as health care, oil and gas pipelines, transportation, banking, and telecommunications.  History has shown that deregulation of these industries has reduced competition, increased prices, and created "boom and bust" cycles damaging to the industries and their customers. Funding for public utilities and for public projects for renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, reduction of emissions, and new facilities, should be provided by tax-exempt bonds.

93 Preservation of Public Interest in Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States: We believe the waters and natural resources within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States is held by the government in trust for people of this nation. We oppose the creation of private property rights to the waters or other natural resources within the EEZ or the expansion of corporate or other private activities within that zone that deplete or threaten its resources or reduce the quality of the water within the zone.

94 Remove Incentives for Relocating Businesses: We oppose laws that encourage and support the relocation of U.S. businesses to foreign countries.

95 Keeping Guns from Children: We support legislation whose goal is to keep guns out of the hands of children.

96 Balancing the Right to Bear Arms against the Right to Regulate Firearms: We recognize that the constitutional right to bear arms is deemed as important to some citizens as is the right to free speech or freedom of religion to others.  We support reasonable firearms regulations, provided that they are thoroughly researched and carefully written to ensure a particular benefit to society.

97 Ban on Some Firearms: We support laws that ban the possession of armor-piercing bullets by persons other than law enforcement, and that ban the production and possession of assault weapons and of semiautomatic rifles with the capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition for civilian use.

98 Background Checks of Persons Purchasing Firearms: We believe that the sale of firearms should be subject to background checks of all buyers and support the immediate closure of the "gun show" loophole.  To ensure that firearms do not get into the hands of convicted felons, the government must develop a system to provide immediate background checks.

99 Medical Marijuana: We support the regulated sale, possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.