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Rewriting the state party's platform

by: David

Sun Feb 15, 2009 at 22:03:42 PM EST

(Bumped, in case you missed this on President's Day! - promoted by David)

Every four years the state Democratic Party revises its platform, and this is a revision year. And, as AmberPaw has already noted, I've been asked to serve as one of the co-chairs of the state party's Platform Committee. It's our job to revise the current platform, after getting as much input from folks around the state as we can.

This year, the process for taking suggestions on how to improve the platform will be more open than ever before. First, and maybe most important, this year any registered Democrat may hold a platform hearing. Basically, all you have to do is let the party know that you're doing it. You can hold it in a local restaurant, or in your living room, or wherever you can find some space; you collect what people have to say; and you send it in to the party. There's more information about this new do-it-yourself hearing process at this link. (Note, also, that although only registered Democrats can host these meetings, anyone can attend. The party does ask that attendees leave their names and party affiliations.)

Second, I have set up a blog that contains the complete text of the current platform, laid out plank by plank. (The goofy new icon in the upper left corner of the screen will take you there.) You can leave comments on each plank, and there's also a place for comments that don't pertain to specific planks. I strongly encourage you to check it out. Read it over, see what you think, and leave some comments. If dealing with the whole thing at once is overwhelming (it is quite long), the platform contains several different subject areas, and the blog is subcategorized accordingly (e.g., education, civil rights), so you can take it piece by piece.

Third, Senator Jamie Eldridge is planning a series of posts here on BMG as yet another way of taking testimony on the platform. He's already posted the thread on health care. I encourage you to check in on that and on future posts.

The platform revision process is only as good as the participation we get. So I hope you will take a few minutes to use one or more of these methods to have your say on the party's platform.

David :: Rewriting the state party's platform

Tags: Democrats, MA, Platform, BMG, (All Tags)

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Rewriting the state party's platform | 9 comments

Well done, David - and it works - I tried it out (0.00 / 0)

And I requested the addition of "access to justice" as one of the areas of the Democratic Platform. Without access to the courts to enforce rights, or be protected against state action, no citizen has any rights at all.

I note that John Adams must have been aware of this, in drafting the ringing "Open Courts Clause" included as "Article XI of the Declaration of Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts".

The vision for the government of our state involved three co-equal branches of government, which as a system of checks and balances would prevent tyranny.

Thus, the Judicial Branch cannot be treated as a mere agency - nor castrated by the appropriation power or the appointing power without harming democracy at its very core.

Therefore, "Access to Justice" must be a core value, and a topic in its own right.

The topics within "Access to Justice" include an independent judiciary, funding for the Judicial Branch sufficient to guarantee access to justice which is, as article XI in the Declaration of Rights requires:

"Every subject of the commonwealth ought to find a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries or wrongs which he may receive in his person, property, or character. He ought to obtain right and justice freely, and without being obliged to purchase it; completely, and without any denial; promptly, and without delay; comformably to the laws."

NOTE: Without sufficient funding to hold an adequate number of trials and motions, the requirement of "without delay" cannot be met by the judicial branch. Without adequate support for the provision of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel, Article XI is a mockery. It should be the Land Court that ensures justice for the tenant and property owner. It should be the Juvenile Court that ensures that juveniles - and families - are treated fairly by schools and the Department of Children and Families. And access to justice requires both access to courts, and to legal counsel for those of modest means, not only the wealthy if the "ought to obtain right and justice freely, without being obliged to purchase it" is not a mockery, and an empty promise.

Deborah Sirotkin Butler
AmberPaw dot @aol.com

"Failure to plan is planning to fail."
Proverb

by: AmberPaw @ Sun Feb 15, 2009 at 22:18:47 PM CST

by: you @ soon

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The platform hasn't changed much since the last time I read it... (0.00 / 0)

...a mish-mash of special interest drivel that offers not idealogical soul, but a bowl of mush.

by: FrankSkeffington @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 11:06:02 AM CST

by: you @ soon

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Then tell us how to fix it! (6.00 / 1)

That's the point of this process. Do it now.

by: David @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 11:08:56 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Please Note that a New Format has been Proposed (0.00 / 0)

If you follow David's link above, you'll see that a different format has been proposed.

3. The Democratic Platform draft will be divided in to three key components:
a. A one page statement of our values and principles;
b. A summary of where we stand on priority issues;
c. An online, comprehensive list of all of the testimony and feedback provided during the hearings.

The platform needs to be approved by the delegates to the convention. It looks like the goal is to move away from what you characterize as a "mish-mash."

Kate Donaghue, volunteer.

by: Kate @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 11:51:06 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Labor Suggestion (0.00 / 0)

I tried posting this on the blog you set up, I'm not sure if it was successful, I will try again. Here is my suggestion.
We believe that employers should provide schedule flexibility to those employees who have children and elderly parents who rely on them for support for physical and emotional needs. An employee should be able to be available not only to address family health issues but also to meet the emotional needs of children, in times of success or difficulty in their daily lives, (ex. be able to have work schedule flexibility so a parent can be available to address discipline issues or emotionally stressful periods in a child's life. Also to be able to attend award ceremonies,concerts, field trips etc. This is so important because these children are our future, and so often when parents are faced with the choice of going to work or supporting a child, they choose work because there really is no choice.

by: liveandletlive @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 17:12:04 PM CST

by: you @ soon

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I'll post this on the March 3rd topic. (0.00 / 0)

by: liveandletlive @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 18:43:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Tried unsuccessfully (6.00 / 3)

to post on the Have Your Say blog, so I'm just going to put what I wanted to say here. The platform stuff proved insurmountable to me. Oy.

Here's the language I was responding to:

We support comprehensive, authentic, and multiple means of assessment for students, schools, and districts, as stated in the Education Reform Act of 1993.

Here's my comment:

Perhaps it is time to shift the focus away from assessment and focus instead on the student's entire experience. Progressive states are shifting towards a more authentic experience in all areas-- curriculum, instruction, as well as assessment. What good is a focus on assessment if what you are teaching is ineffective and/or irrelevant? We, too, should be examining what and how we teach so that we can shift towards depth over breadth, power standards over broad content standards, and differentiated assessment over pencil-and-paper testing.
Current Mass. curriculum frameworks preclude any depth over breadth, forcing teachers and administrators into the wholly untenable position of having to choose between quality instruction that is deep and meaningful and suboptimal instructional that covers too much material in a cursory fashion. Massachusetts must refine-in a real and meaningful way-what students should know and be able to do. The current curriculum frameworks must be reorganized with the following goals in mind:
• will the knowledge and skills in this standard endure, i.e., be relevant for future learning?
• will the knowledge and skills leverage understanding in other subjects, i.e., be helpful in other areas of study?
• will the knowledge and skills provide a foundation of readiness for future study, i.e., be of use in subsequent class/grades in facilitating new learning?
Leaving the assessment language as is really does not do justice to the complexities of educating the Commonwealth's children in the 21st century, so I would urge you to broaden the scope and open it up to include both curriculum and instruction specifically.

by: lightiris @ Tue Feb 17, 2009 at 11:17:32 AM CST

by: you @ soon

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Uh oh. (0.00 / 0)

Can you tell me what happened when you tried to post? Do you know what the problem was?

Feel free to email offline if you'd prefer.

by: David @ Tue Feb 17, 2009 at 14:41:46 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Lightiris this is so right..... (0.00 / 0)

the education system is failing so many students. It needs to be reviewed and reorganized. The drop out rate is so high simply because some students are not capable at various points in their youth to learn the vast amount of information that is required of them. Once they stumble and struggle, they feel like failures and give up.
Thank you for speaking out on this, hopefully someone is listening.

by: liveandletlive @ Tue May 26, 2009 at 20:21:33 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Rewriting the state party's platform | 9 comments