RESOLUTIONS FOR MARCH 11th PRECINCT MEETINGS

THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS WERE PASSED BY THE BOARD AND AT THE JANUARY MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF THE PDNC. PLEASE TAKE THEM TO YOUR PRECINCT MEETING AND MOVE FOR PASSAGE, AND LET US KNOW IF THEY PASSED. THANKS!

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Democratic Party’s platform affirms our commitment to “…full and equal protection of the lives, liberties, rights, and properties of all citizens and residents of North Carolina and to striving for educational excellence for all persons - regardless of their race, age, gender, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, developmental disability, primary language, location, or station in life; “ and
WHEREAS, the failure of Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform has left tens of thousands of undocumented North Carolinian school children in legal limbo without the possibility to further their education beyond high school and, therefore, significantly reducing their opportunities to contribute to the fullness of their potential to the communities they call home; and
WHEREAS, immigrant students who came here as young children were educated in our school system; were steeped in our culture and values and consider themselves Americans; will most likely never return to their countries of origin, either voluntarily or involuntarily; and will be an important part of North Carolina’s communities and workforce for decades to come; and
WHEREAS, for North Carolina to remain competitive in a globalized economy it must nurture a knowledge-based workforce that has access to the education and training necessary to adapt to a constantly changing world economy;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ____ precinct of the ______County Democratic Party hereby fully supports the NC Community College System’s Admission Policy for undocumented immigrants that gives deserving young immigrant students the same opportunities to go to college as their American classmates; and
IN ADDITION, the ____ precinct of the ______County Democratic Party urges the NC Community College System and the University of NC System as well as North Carolina legislators to make in-state tuition available to immigrant students who have graduated from our high schools and fulfill North Carolina residence requirements since they are clearly an asset to our communities.

RESOLUTION AGAINST MAKING LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAW

WHEREAS, the North Carolina Democratic Party recognizes the inherent dignity and humanity of North Carolina’s immigrant residents, regardless of immigration status, and recognizes the importance of their many contributions to our State’s rich and varied economic, cultural, social, political and religious life; and

WHEREAS, Congress has utterly failed in its responsibility to overhaul the broken and out-dated immigration system which is forcing state and local governments to address the myriad problems this failure engendered; and

WHEREAS, an enforcement-only approach falls far short of addressing the complex economic and social realities of immigration and therefore leaves state and local authorities ill-equipped to deal with the challenges of a many-layered issue; and

WHEREAS, programs that transfer federal immigration responsibilities to state and local officials, with or without incentives, blur the line between civil and criminal law and may infringe on NC state laws and local ordinances as well as violate civil and human rights of immigrants and citizens alike; and

WHEREAS, these types of programs erode the relationship between immigrant communities and local authorities with the result that fewer people would report being victims of or witnesses to crimes in our communities, seek medical care for contagious diseases, alert authorities to dangerous conditions, or obtain the required training or licensure to meet basic safety standards, consequentially undermining the efforts of local law enforcement and posing a threat to public health and public safety; and

WHEREAS, these types of programs also result in increased racial profiling and civil rights violations by state and local authorities, causing distrust and resentment to thrive in our communities instead of cooperation and goodwill; and

WHEREAS, these types of programs take much-needed resources away from state and local governments, leaving North Carolina’s communities less safe and less able to address critical issues effectively; and

WHEREAS, enforcement policies that differ greatly from county to county, from community to community, from agency to agency, from institution to institution, will result in unequal protection under our laws, promote divisiveness and discord, and may encourage overzealousness and even vigilante violence, all of which will weaken North Carolina’s unity and stability;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ____ precinct of the ______County Democratic Party opposes any efforts to make state and local authorities responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration laws and asks Congress to make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority again.

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Whereas the Platform of the North Carolina Democratic Party states: “We reassert our fundamental belief in the collective bargaining process as a means of serving the interests of both public and private employees and employers. Those interests include better productivity, fair and adequate employee compensation and benefits, and safe, harmonious, and healthy working conditions;” and
Whereas public employees in our state have for too long been denied this fundamental right to collectively bargain for improvement of their wages and working conditions;
Therefore be it resolved that the ____ precinct of the ______County Democratic Party supports H1583, which restores that right, as a major priority in this coming legislative session and strongly urges our Democratic legislators to pass said legislation and for Governor Easley to sign it.

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CANCELLING DUKE ENERGY’S PROPOSED NEW COAL PLANT AT CLIFFSIDE

Whereas global warming is almost universally recognized by the world’s climate scientists as posing unprecedented threats to our environment and society in terms to increasingly severe droughts, floods, storms, and sea level rise; and

Whereas coal plants generate 40% of US greenhouse gases – largely in the form of CO2; and

Whereas Duke Energy is proposing to add a huge new coal plant to its complex at Cliffside 60 miles west of Charlotte that will emit 6 millions tons of additional CO2, as well up to 10 times the mercury and 13 to 50 times as much toxic metals like arsenic and cadmium compared to the old units it would replace; and

Whereas the new Cliffside plant would double the amount of water presently evaporated from the Broad River to 21 million gallons a day – more than that used by the City of Durham; and

Whereas every statewide environmental organization in North Carolina that works on energy or climate change issues opposes the plant; and

Whereas Dr. James Hansen, the head of NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies and the nation’s foremost climate change expert, has stated that “stopping this new coal plant is the best thing North Carolina can do to slow global warming;” and

Whereas energy experts have repeatedly brought before the NC Utilities Commission and legislative bodies data that demonstrate that the new generation capacity from this plant is not necessary and that proven, economical energy efficiency, cogeneration, and wind and solar power can meet projected energy demand for the plant;

Therefore, be it resolved that the ____ precinct of the ______County Democratic Party strongly supports cancellation of the Cliffside coal plant; and urges the county and state Democratic Parties, upon passage of this resolution at those levels, to notify Duke Energy’s CEO Jim Rogers of its views; and strongly urge Governor Easley, legislative leaders, and North Carolina Democratic candidates for office to take a public stand in support of this resolution.