General Platform

By Bob McCloskey

We must end the war on Iraq and the policy of pre-emptive war. We must establish clean government and end the influence of lobbyists. We must protect our civil liberties.

Healthcare, Education and more - I support universal healthcare and current efforts in Congress to expand Medicare. I support increasing the Federal government's share of education funding from 8% to 25% and revising the No Child Left Behind Act.

Out of Iraq - The official case for war has long been discredited. The human and financial costs of the war are unacceptable. The Bush Administration's policy may keep us there forever. It is the occupation that gave rise to the insurgency and it will never be quelled as long as American troops are in Iraq. A dramatic shift in Iraq policy is long overdue. I support the sixty-one members of Congress that have offered a way to peace:

• withdraw US forces from Iraq
• work to establish, through the UN and NATO, a multinational force to keep the peace
• recast the US role in Iraq by stepping up efforts to rebuild and by renouncing plans to create permanent military bases in Iraq and plans to control Iraq's oil
• help establish an international peace commission overseeing peace talks or partition.

Clean Government and Electoral Reform - We must stop the influence of military contractors, corporations, insurance companies, and other lobbyists on our government. Federal "Clean Election" legislation is needed for public financing for all candidates who agree not to accept money from corporations or other favor seeking interests. Electoral reforms such as instant runoff voting, reforming the voting process and measures to protect our vote from electronic voting fraud are necessary for true democracy and increasing voter participation.

Protecting our Civil Liberties - The passage of the USA PATRIOT Acts I and II should concern every American. Warrant less search and seizures, the collection of information on what people read, the seizure of business and financial records, the monitoring of emails all violate our right to privacy. The Act has been used against innocent Americans, has not made us safer, and its passage has led to the President's illegal secret spying program, a criminal violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I will hold all elected officials accountable to the law.

Healthcare, Education and more - I support universal healthcare and current efforts in Congress to expand Medicare. I support increasing the Federal government's share of education funding from 8% to 25% and revising the No Child Left Behind Act. I support a national living wage and the right to unionize. I am strongly Pro-Choice and will defend access to abortion for all women. I am against mandatory sentencing and the so called war on drugs that leads to the criminalization of our youth. Our criminal justice system must be reformed. I oppose the death penalty and support all efforts for a moratorium. I am for amnesty for undocumented workers, adequate immigration quotas and reforming NAFTA, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to improve living standards in countries where extreme poverty is forcing mass emigration to the U.S. I support affirmative action and other methods to rectify the legacy of racism in our economy and society. Every American deserves an opportunity to improve their life.