THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM.

In the soil, air, food and water we drink, there are  multiple thousands of toxic substances, from dioxine to benzene and heavy metals and arsenic in our outdoor wooded structures, all of which impacts our immune system and neuro-transmitters.   Moreover,  oil, nuclear,   coal mining, and biofuel (the wasteful corn ethanol) also produce nefarious effects on the environment while too often being subsidized by taxpayers, that which worsens public finances and pollution, including, but not limited to carbon emissions. Last year Big Oil made record profits. The price of oil has quadrupled since the Bush Administration took office and the distribution of wealth has become more polarized.

PROPOSED REMEDY.

In this realm, I would focus on an energy policy that is efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly, via a diversified and evidence-proven energy policy.
1.I would set up urgent task forces and propose to Congress an energy plan of action to reinforce renewable energies like solar, wind, hydrogen, natural gaz, biomass, hydro-electric, tidal-wave energy, geothermal, bicycle-battery system via the pedal generator (also good to burn fat and calories), all of which are far superior from many viewpoints to the triad  oil, coal and atomic power industries..
The benefits for the general public would be significant. A new clean energy policy means more jobs, more efficiency, greater security and energy independence, environmental protection and increased health for all people and fewer wars.
2.We also need carbon tax - set to annual benchmarks to bring, with the expansion of solar and other renewable sources of energy, US emissions to at least 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

An initial price of $50 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions would harness, for the Nation, $300 billion  annually - money that would be put back in the pockets of American taxpayers, and money that would finance a green industrial revolution, providing Nation-wide a boom of 10 million new green collar jobs (in efficiency retrofits, cogeneration, geothermal, solar energy generation, and green grid enhancements) in  a few years.

3.THIRD SET OF PROTECTION, FREEDOM FROM EXCESSIVE MORTGAGES, DEBTS AND HOMELESSNESS:
THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM.

With national debt of over six trillion dollars and Washington’s increasing public expenses, with the mortgage loans crisis, recession, unemployment and food and cost prices hikes, increasing homelessness (very visible via the King country Superior court park),  this country like  Washington State needs enlightened public policy. Pending a more complete program, hereinafter a few elements.

1. Appropriate legislation to help in the diffusion of affordable eco-construction technology (strawbale, wood, clay, cordwood, bamboo gutters, stone). A sound family house can be built for under 45,000 dollars.  Zoning rules would need to become more flexible.

2. Low interest government guaranteed loans to help each Washington resident have his or her own piece of land. A public program that would devote resources to non-profit community housing projects, private sector investments and appropriate public housing initiatives that encourage individual ownership over time would be also helpful.

3.Compassionate solidarity via a batering system would help to free people from financial enslavement and dogmatic chains.

4.FOURTH SET OF HUMAN RIGHTS, BEING FREE FOM IGNORANCE, ALIENATION,  RECESSION AND EXCESSIVE TAXATION:

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM.

In Washington State, high school children’s  educational results are poor, universities expensive while relevant knowledge is too often unavailable. Moreover, the economy could prosper better and people’s basic needs are not being well satisfied. 

PROPOSED REMEDIES.

To solve this problem, the following measures.

1. More financial appropriations for schools and more free public universities.

2.Curriculum change on  fundamental rights in law and high schools,  strong nutrition and alternative healthcare curriculum in medical schools and high schools etc.

3. A a dynamic modern economy based on the synergy of the internet revolution, science, small business, corporate intelligence, fair trade and  non destructive  productivity.

4. Tax reform making the fiscal structure more progressive and efficient. Via the decreasing of excise taxes for necessary consumption goods and increasing the civilization-incentive taxes on that which destroys life: ((tobacco, abuses of pharmaceutical industries and food industries, pollutants including but not limited to excessive chemical agriculture and other forms of environmental and health recklessness).

5. In this perspective, I would also favor a securities speculation tax  A financial transactions tax would simply be applying a comparable tax to gambling in financial markets. Nothing really new,  A similar tax on currency transactions was proposed by Tobin a while ago.

6. The promotion of sustainable communities and community centers in all areas of human activity, like in Holland, (the country known for its health high and happiness scores), wherein  the elderly,  youth and working force would  better fulfill their dreams and basic needs.

7. Home and community schooling would in this above framework generate great results, as have shown the schooling in different eco-villages and  the  Israeli “children’s house” and kibbutzim system.
Returning control of education to parents is a centerpiece in any serious education scheme. I would favor home school diplomas and advancing equal scholarship consideration for students entering college from a home school environment.

8. Legislation to encourage family farms and organic gardens for all, small farms  are the basis of community-based economics and essential to rural development and a healthy, diverse economy.

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM

In Washington State, an agricultural state first and foremost,  food banks can’t keep up with demand,  deserts and arid land are growing as are the conditions that lead to mis-development and economic upheaval.
 Moreover, factory farming (“industrial farming”) threatens to further erode the family farms and the general quality of life in rural areas.     The consequences of factory farming are devastating. Open pits of putrefying animal wastes are allowed to discharge into rivers and streams, degrading water and air quality, killing aquatic life and posing serious threats to human health and the environment.      Corporate industrial farming practices are inhumane and cause unnecessary suffering to animals. Industrial farming has changed the type of food we eat, and studies are now demonstrating that nutritional value has been decreased, with resultant immune system impacts and diseases generation.

PROPOSED REMEDIES:

1 Legislation to allow the production of  (non medicinal) hemp with which paper, ropes, textiles, house-building material (as is done in Europe) are made. This proposal could  save billions of dollars, create thousands of jobs and produce massive cash crops for exportation and national consumption. Right now, it is the Chinese and Europeans who have invested in this growing market.

2 More vineyards plantation, good for the health of those who base their foods on an animal regimen, notably for cardio vascular problems.

3. Tree planting,notably of  food and fruit trees in arid and less arid land, as the plant based education agenda will increase this demand and tree planting is good for the climate and rain production.

4. Promotion of organic agriculture and conversion facilities. Permaculture, bio-dynamic small farms would also be encouraged.

5. More water protection, ozone water filtration systems like in Germany (healthier than the chlorine system). Given the profound importance of clean water, I am tentatively supporting the establishment of federal, state, and local groundwater protection agencies with authority to establish standards for the use of water; to provide timely enforcement of laws enacted; and to protect our aquifers from overuse, depletion and contamination

6.More ethical trade. By helping poor nations, there would be fewer immigrations problems in the USA and more stability conducive to prosperity and  development, the effects of which diffuses the time bomb of terrorism and reduces the avoidable world children plight (over 40,000 die in the world from causes that could be avoided,  states the Unicef authorities) .

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM.

Our justice system is stressed out, too often inefficient and unconstitutional. Annually, seventy to eighty percent of the civil legal needs of the low income go unmet, leaving them to fend for themselves in a complicated legal system that is nearly impossible to navigate without a lawyer. Only one percent of the nation's lawyers serve our poorest citizens, translating to one lawyer for every 1,400 poor people.

Even the mid-income social category often renounces on legally protecting their fundamental rights because of the cost of legal representation necessary to exercise them. Even in family custody issues involving children’s welfare, a low to mid income party who can not afford an attorney or find a contingency fee attorney will have the only choice to represent him or herself vis a vis the other party’s attorney. Because Washington’s Supreme Court has ruled that both pro se and attorney parties are to be treated in the same way, the strongest party necessarily has an unfair and unconstitutional advantage. The recent Olympia Supreme Court King case is evidence of this problem. The pro se self representation  mother of young children lost custody to her former husband’s attorney.

Washington’s court structure also needs to better equipped. With less than three-tenths of one percent of the State’s budget going towards funding our judicial branch of government, it is without question that the lack of funding for Washington’s trial courts critically impacts the judicial branch’s ability to provide equal justice for all. A little more than 400 judges  adjudicate more than 2.3 million cases each year and many judges have over 400 active cases at once. Because the fate of millions of lives is decided by trial court  rulings, this under-financing can not be democratically healthy

and the promotion of boat sailing de-stressing centers and holistic health.

PROPOSED REMEDIES.

1.To contribute in solving the State’s justice problem, I would orient Congress to enact “civil legal aid” laws so that all low to mid-income parties could enjoy free attorneys and inexpensive access to justice (tho after a preliminary screening in order to preclude frivolous legal actions thus avoiding the clogging of the judiciary). The Europeans have over 40 years of experience in this field which we can benefit from. 

It took over 100 years for criminal indigents to get legal assistance from the State. How long will it take for civil indigents to be treated equally ?  A significant portion of which become criminal because of the civil injustices endured. Moreover, this situation remains a constitutional affront to  both  Washington’s Constitution (section 12 ) and Amendment 14th of the Federal bill of Rights on the general principle of equal application of the laws.

2. In addition, I would encourage the development of civic legal training of all citizens in their fundamental rights and duties, including attorneys and judges.

2. 2.Legislation to promote civic and human rights light-centers to be built in each city and enlivened with art, music and education. These centers could be built with green and bio-materials.
 
3.Legislation to better encourage University law school “legal clinics” and law student training in fundamental rights.

Virtually nothing in American law school training  focuses on access to justice as a fundamental right. The United States Supreme Court's jurisprudence focuses on Bill of Rights phrases, in their interpretations of "due process," "liberty" and "equal protection," which are all derivative from, or secondary to, the most fundamental right: meaningful access to justice itself. One cannot reach the other human rights if this primary requirement of the rule of law cannot be met.

4. I would  favor a generous appropriation to increase the number of judges and courtrooms.

5.  I would increase the pro bono and the unbundling attorney services.

6. I would encourage the legislation of public funding of all electoral positions.

7.  I would seek to find funds so that all Washingtonians could have a computer system hooked to the internet so as to get their regular feedback via an informal referendum system on the policies I would propose and on the laws Congress would enact and on the state of representative democracy in terms of  Montesquieu’s separation of powers model our  Constitutions  have enshrined.

CONCLUSION

The World health Organization’s Constitution defines health as a state characterized by much more than by the absence of a diseases, by a “state of physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing”.

We are all entitled to this birthright.  As we are entitled to our constitutional right of having access to meaningful justice for all.

And to our other basic rights. In this perspective, Spiritual and holistic civilizations are very conducive in fostering these freedoms and rights, while military and mercantile civilizations are less efficient. And remain less fatalities than un-informed choices.  And  the result of the People’s abdication from civic responsibility,  political commitment and knowledge.

For the People to give their “informed” or better, their “enlightened” consent on the political programs proposed in this campaign, those running for office have the sacred duty to inform with facts and to convince with energy,  lucidity and audacity.

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Story Title

THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT OF OUR RIGHTS: FREEDOM FROM CHRONIC DISEASES:

One third of Americans are obese, have diabetes and arthritis, one in two Americans will have a cancer and cardio-vasucular diagnosis in his or her lifetime.  Two thirds are over-weight and suffer from  stress while mental illness, drug-related disorders and auto-immune diseases are growing to an epidemic proportion. At this rate, we will all soon be toothless and in wheelchairs.

MY PROPOSED MEASURES:

1. My first executive order which will be  to better protect and promote the freedom to choose different health-care approaches.  2. New rules for medical ethics boards so that integrative medicine and innovative science are better integrated within the mainstream. 3. Comprehensive and universal health care for all thanks to a publicly financed prevention based system. 4.  Laws that will change the financial health incentive structure, where education and prevention will reward the physician as much as the actual treatment plan. 5.A bill to allow  the patient to better participate in the decision making and informed consent process. 6.  Strict laws regarding conflicts of interests between industry and physicians. 7. Innovative laws regarding the promotion of alternative birth techniques, Oregon-like dignity end of life process and better legislation on the hospice system. 8. Effective tobacco legislation based on a one year conversion and high tax plan and ending with the criminalization of industrial and processed tobacco for those companies who refuse to convert this necro-product to pro-life products. This measure will constitute my second proposed executive order which is necessary for the State’s needs in public health and public finance 9. Next, a  public education bill on the scientifically proven health superiority of  wholesome organic plant-based diets. 10. Better legislation to protect and promote the sport and wellness industries, including but not limited to health restaurants, juice bars, wholesome foods distribution, sun & meditation work breaks, and immunity building and detoxification holistic health retreat centers.
THE ACTION PLAN’S SECOND FREEDOM, FREEDOM FROM  POLLUTION. In the State’s soil, air, food and water, there are  multiple thousands of inter-acting toxic substances and heavy metals that impact our immune system,  neuro-transmitters and  public health. 

Hence, the corresponding bills are needed.: 1. Legislation to reinforce renewable energies like solar, wind, hydrogen, natural gas, kudzu biomass and hemp oil for fuel, hydro-electric turbines, air-compressor engines, tidal-wave and geothermal energies, bicycle pedal generator energies. 2. A clean-up  plan of action of Puget Sound and other soiled areas. 3. Ozone water purification systems. 4. An innovative transportation system based on clean energies, better infrastructures & fiscal incentives for the active population to work  at home. 5. A State carbon tax. 6.  Legislation to uphold the European “precautionary principle” whereby all dubious drugs and substances released in the environment and market will first need to be genuinely proven effective and non toxic
 
THE THIRD SET OF BASIC RIGHTS: FREEDOM FROM EXCESSIVE MORTGAGES, DEBTS AND HOMELESSNESS:  With Washington State’s increasing public expenses and property taxes, with the mortgage loans crisis, recession, unemployment, food and cost prices hikes, and the worsening of homelessness, Washington State needs enlightened public finance policies:

THE PROPOSED MEASURES: 1.Tax reform making the fiscal structure more progressive thanks to the decreasing of excise taxes for necessary consumption goods and the decreasing of property tax, and the concomitant  increasing of civilization-incentive taxes on that which destroys life. 2. Legislation to promote affordable housing (meaning under than 80,000 dollars), thanks to  eco-construction technology such as strawbale, wood, clay, cordwood, bamboo, stone, hemp-biomass bricks, to which must be added flexible zoning rules.  3. Low interest government guaranteed loans to help all Washingtonians have his or her own piece of land. Likewise for urban and rural community housing projects.4. Compassionate solidarity via  battering and eco-village structures would help to free socially excluded people from homelessness, that which will avoid the clogging up of  hospitals and prisons.
FOURTH SET OF FREEDOMS: FREEDOM FROM IGNORANCE, ALIENATION AND  RECESSION. High school results are poor, universities expensive while relevant knowledge and prosperity are deficient.
THE PROPOSED MEASURES: 1. Additional appropriation  funds for the modernization of  schools and universities.2. My third proposed execution order on a curriculum change on the obligation to teach all students internationally recognized human rights law, science-based nutrition,  holistic healthcare techniques, sustainability technology and eco-development sciences.3. Legislation on a  dynamic modern economy based on the synergy of the internet revolution, science, small business, corporate intelligence, equitable wages, fair trade and  non destructive  productivity.4. The promotion of sustainable communities and cultural centers.5.  Promotion of  Home and community schooling.
FIFTH SET OF FREEDOMS: FREEDOM FROM  HUNGER, DESERTS AND WORLD MISERY: In Washington State,  food banks can’t keep up with demand,  deserts and arid land are growing as are the conditions that lead to mis-development and  animal suffering.

The proposed legislative plan of action: 1  A promotion package on residential gardens, family farms and on organic agriculture, viticulture, fruit tree plantations and kudzu plant. 2  Legislation to allow the production of non medicinal hemp with which paper, ropes, textiles, fuel, house-building material can be made. 3. My fourth executive order as commander in chief of the Washington State military forces (Section 8, Article 3 of the State Constitution) and with Congress' cooperation, and the People's referendum-based (via internet) approval, I will direct the military forces and all volunteers to help build homes for the needy and to participate in the end world hunger program. will be based on a publically financed and volunteer structure to help citizens build affordable housing, human rights centers, clean up the environment, plant trees in   arid zones in the State, the Nation and the International community, that which will contribute in climate normalization and significantly reduce  crimes of violence  and terrorism here and abroad.
SIX SET OF FREEDOMS: FREEDOM  FROM  INJUSTICE, OPPRESSION AND TYRANNY.

Annually, seventy to eighty percent of the civil legal needs of the modest income go unmet. Moreover, in this State, a little more than 400 judges adjudicate more than 2 million cases each year and many judges have over 400 active cases at once. Because the fate of millions of lives is decided by trial court rulings, this under-financing can not be democratically healthy. Much suffering and billions of dollars are wasted as a result of this and other normative aberrations. In addition to a poorly financed and stressed Justice system, corporate campaign funds tend to corrupt the political process while the government’s constitutional balance and separation of powers structure is  eroding.  In the Nation for example, up to 80 percent of laws are made outside of Congress.

I would therefore work to orient Congress to enact the following laws. 1. A civil “legal aid”  law  for all the needy.2. Legislation to promote civic and human rights light-centers to be established in each town and enlivened with art, music and education on human rights and duties. This will be my fifth executive order 3. A generous appropriation to increase the number of judges, bailiffs, courtrooms, and pro se legal libraries. 4. Tort law reform to better assist the  People’s needs and health.5.  Legislation in favor of pro se leniency rules, more pro bono and  “unbundling attorney” services.6. The drafting of a bill relative to  “ public funding of all electoral positions” 7. A plan to reduce Congress’ delegation  of legislative responsibilities to independent commissions, agencies  and the reinvigorating of the governmental balance of power doctrine. 8. Lastly,  I will also seek to find funds so that all Washingtonians could have a free gift computer system for those who need one,  hooked to  internet so that the Government could get the People’s  feedback via an informal internet referendum system on the policies I would propose and on the laws Congress would enact. 8.

WHEREAS every resident of Washington State has an equal right to conditions that
protect and promote human health, including a healthy and safe environment,

WHEREAS Washington State recognizes that “health is a state of complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” and a
fundamental human right

WHEREAS many conditions, including asthma, cancer, Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, birth defects, behavioral disorders, Autism, and chemical
sensitivities, have been linked to environmental toxicants which incur enormous
individual and societal costs in Washington State,

WHEREAS this growing knowledge confers an ethical responsibility and duty to make
decisions that promote and maintain human and environmental health, thereby
preventing disease, illness or disability56; and
WHEREAS a principle for guiding activities to promote a healthy and safe environment
and encourage human health is known as the Precautionary Principle, which consists of
four basic elements:
1) Taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty,
2) Shifting the burden of responsibility of safety to the proponents of an activity;
3) Exploring and implementing safer alternatives to possibly harmful actions, and
4) Increasing public participation in decision making; and
WHEREAS while scientific studies have determined that even low-level exposures to
PBTs may cause serious and permanent health and neurodevelopmental harm, it is
difficult to directly attribute a particular exposure to a particular illness or injury,
emphasizing the need to take action to prevent harm7; and
WHEREAS the precautionary principle holds that when an activity threatens harm to
human health or to the environment, precautionary measures should be taken, even if
cause-and- effect relationships are not fully established scientifically8,9; and
WHEREAS taking precautionary action is the common sense idea behind many
adages, such as "be careful", "better safe than sorry" and "look before you leap" and is
inherent in the understanding of the Hippocratic oath of "first, do no harm", in essence,
the principle goes hand in hand with prevention, the cornerstone of public health; and
2
WHEREAS precautionary action is the basis of many activities designed to protect the
health and safety of United States citizens, such as requirements of the federal Food
and Drug Administration to ensure that new drugs are efficacious and safe before being
placed on the market, requirements of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1970 that require employers to provide safe workplaces and working conditions, and
the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 that acknowledges additional protection for
children; and
WHEREAS the precautionary principle has been incorporated in international
environmental treaties and in health, environment and educational policies of numerous
governmental entities in the United States, including the city of San Francisco, and that
Seattle includes a statement on the precautionary principle in the City’s Comprehensive
Plan10; xiii; and
WHEREAS the precautionary principle is a highly effective decision-making tool for
reducing negative and costly effects on human health resulting from exposure to
environmental toxicants11; and
WHEREAS the Washington State Department of Ecology has developed a
comprehensive strategy, based on preventing harm to human and environmental
health, to reduce and eventually eliminate persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals
(PBTs), further developing an accompanying PBT Rule which incorporates tenets of
prevention12, 13 and
WHEREAS the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health have developed
chemical action plans recommending phase out of mercury14 and polybrominated
diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)15 in order to protect human and environmental health; and
WHEREAS the precautionary principle’s preventive foundation promotes environmental
and economic justice to protect the environment and to safeguard the health of all
people of Washington State; and
WHEREAS the precautionary principle has been endorsed by the American Public
Health Association, with the APHA stating it “Reaffirms its explicit endorsement of the
precautionary principle as a cornerstone of preventive public health policy and practice”;
16,17,18 and by hundreds of other organizations nationally and internationally, including
the American Nurses Association 19
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Washington State Public Health
Association (WSPHA) endorses the Precautionary Principle as a policy-making,
educational and advocacy tool for preventing harm to health, behavior and
neurodevelopment from exposures to PBTs in Washington State; and be it further
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the WSPHA endorses the precautionary principle
as a cornerstone of our preventive approach to public health in Washington State,
3
advancing the goal that all people have an opportunity to reach and maintain their full
potential.
Signed by: Rick Porso, WSPHA President 2005-2006
4
Submitting Primary Author:
Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT – WSPHA Member - Yes
INND (Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders)
8232 14th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
Ph: 206.527.0926
Fx: 206.525.5102
E-mail: sgilbert@innd.org
Web: www.asmalldoseof.org
Co-Author:
Kate Davies, M.A., D.Phil. – WSPHA Member - Yes
Core Faculty, Environment & Community
Antioch University Seattle
2326 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
206 268 4811
kdavies@antiochsea.edu
5
Individuals and Organizations Endorsing the Resolution:
• Karen Bowman, RN
Washington State Association of Environmental and Occupational Health Nurses
• Patricia Butterfield, PhD, RN
Professor and Chair, Dept. of Psychosocial and Community Health Nursing
University of Washington
• Judy Huntington, MN, RN
Executive Director
Washington State Nurses Association
575 Andover Park West, Suite 101
Seattle, WA, 98188
P: (206) 575-7979
• Elise Miller, M,Ed.
• Molly Parker MD, MPH
• Janet Primomo, PhD, RN
Associate Professor University of Washington, Tacoma
Campus Box 358421; 1900 Commerce Street Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253 692-4475
• L.B. Sandy Rock, MD, MPH
• Margaret Shield
• Washington State Nurses Association
• Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
• Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders
• Institute for Children’s Environmental Health
Selected State Organizations Publicly Supporting Phase Out of PBTs
• Washington State Public Health Association
• Washington State Medical Association
• Washington Academy of Family Physicians
• Washington State Nurses Association
• Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
• Washington State Association of Occupational Health Nurses
Selected Organizations Supporting Precautionary Principle
• American Public Health Association
• American Nurses Association
• Washington State Nurses Association
• American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
• Physicians for Social Responsibility
6
• Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
• City of San Francisco
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• City of Seattle
• Berkeley City Council Resolution
• California EPA
• Portland, Oregon
• Earth Charter
7
References:
1 WHO Alma-Ata Declaration (1978).
2 Davies, K. Economic Costs of Diseases and Disabilities Attributable to Environmental Contaminants in
Washington State. http://washington.chenw.org/pdfs/EnvironmentalCosts.pdf;
3 Davies, K. “How Much Do Environmental Disabilities and Diseases Cost?”; Northwest Public Health;
Fall/Winter 2005; http://www.nwpublichealth.org/docs/nph/f2005/web_ex_davies_f2005.pdf
4 Landrigan, P. J., Schechter, C. B., Lipton, J. M., Fahs, M. C., and Schwartz, J. (2002). Environmental
pollutants and disease in American children: estimates of morbidity, mortality, and costs for lead
poisoning, asthma, cancer, and developmental disabilities. Environ Health Perspect 110, 721-8.
5 Gilbert, S. (2005). Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues: Our Children's Future. Neurotoxicology 27.
6 Rosenblatt, R. A. (2005). Ecological change and the future of the human species: can physicians make
a difference? Ann Fam Med 3, 173-6.
7. Szpir, Michael. Tracing the Origins of Autism: A Spectrum of New Studies; Environmental Health
Perspectives Volume 114, Number 7, July 2006. http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/114-
7/focus.html
8 Tickner, J. A. (2002). Precautionary principle encourages policies that protect human health and the
environment in the face of uncertain risks. Public Health Rep 117, 493-7.
9 Gilbert, S.G. (2005). Public Health and The Precautionary Principle. Northwest Public Health,
Spring/Summer 2005, 4.
10 Environment Element, City of Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, Department of Planning & Development
(2005). http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Seattle's_Comprehensive_Plan/DPD_001178.asp
11 Ashford, N. A. (2004). Implementing the Precautionary Principle: incorporating science, technology,
fairness, and accountability in environmental, health, and safety decisions. Int J Occup Med Environ
Health 17, 59-67.
12 Washington State Department of Ecology Proposed Strategy to Continually Reduce Persistent
Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs) in Washington State, Ecology publication #00-03-054;
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0003054.html;
13 Washington State Department of Ecology, PBT Rule Chapter 173-333 WAC;
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/pbt/rule/
14 Washington State Department of Ecology and Department of Health; Washington's Mercury Chemical
Action Plan; http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/pbt/mercuryplan.html
15 Washington State Department of Ecology and Department of Health; PBDE Chemical Action Plan.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/eap/pbt/pbde/
16Raffensperger, C., Tickner, J., ed. (1999). Protecting Public Health & the Environment: Implementing
the Precautionary Principle. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
17 APHA Policy Statement #9606: The Precautionary Principle and Chemical Exposure Standards for the
Workplace. APHA Policy Statements; 1948–present, cumulative. Washington, DC: American Public
Health Association.
http://www.apha.org/legislative/policy/policysearch/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&id=124
18 APHA Policy Statement #200011: The Precautionary Principle and Children’s health. APHA Policy
Statements; 1948–present, cumulative. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.
http://www.apha.org/legislative/policy/policysearch/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&id=216
8
19 List of endorsing organizations as well as additional information on the Precautionary Principle is in the
Seattle Precautionary Principle White Paper: A Policy Framework for Adopting the Precautionary
Principle. The white paper and more updated date information is available at
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On point 53:

Our Foundation is a strong advocate of open and accountable
government. Transparency in government spending and
decision-making serves as a powerful deterrent against
corruption and decreases the cynicism people have about their
government.
To hold our government more accountable, taxpayers need
increased clarity into the spending habits of government.
Washington spends millions of dollars every day, and most
taxpayers have no clue where that money is going.
Frivolous spending and emergency clause abuse have eroded the
For Open, Transparent, and Accountable Government
I,_______________________________ , candidate for__________________________, pledge my
commitment to the taxpayers of Washington State that, if elected I will be completely and vigorously
devoted to open, transparent, and accountable government principles.
Effective and effi cient management, transparency, accountability, and disclosure of taxpayer-expended
resources by state government are of the utmost importance to sustain the trust of Washington taxpayers.
The paramount goal is effective and effi cient delivery of core functions of government to the citizens
of Washington State. Results-oriented management of state agencies and taxpayer resources must be
aggressively pursued and must provide maximum value for the public good.
Please return oath by August 15th. Results will be available on September 1st.
________________________________ ________________________________
Signature Date
Comments:
Oath of Transparency
Oath of Transparency
For Open, Transparent, and Accountable Government
public trust. As a candidate for public offi ce, you are in a unique
position to rebuild that trust.
When taking the oath of offi ce, elected offi cials assume a solemn
duty to act as good stewards of public resources. Taxpayer
dollars should be spent in a way that is responsible, effi cient
and, above all, open to the light of day.
We are looking forward to working with you to make this a
reality and to restore the public’s faith in its government.
We call upon you to accept and sign the

Lo oil baron 4 times versus nade

r United States should completely wean itself off fossil fuels over the next decade

Pay Inequity Continues: For every $1.00 earned by a man, the average woman receives only 77 cents, while African American women only get 67 cents and Latinas receive only 57 cents.

Hate Crimes on the Rise: The number of hate crimes increased nearly 8 percent to 7,700 incidents in 2006.

Efforts Continue to Suppress the Vote: A recent study discovered numerous organized efforts to intimidate, mislead and suppress minority voters.

Disparities Continue to Plague Criminal Justice System: African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely as whites to be searched, arrested, or subdued with force when stopped by police. Disparities in drug sentencing laws, like the differential treatment of crack as opposed to powder cocaine, are unfair.

Barack Obama's Plan

Strengthen Civil Rights Enforcement

Obama will reverse the politicization that has occurred in the Bush Administration's Department of Justice. He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division.

Combat Employment Discrimination

Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes

Obama will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepherd Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

End Deceptive Voting Practices

Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

End Racial Profiling

Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support

Obama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

Eliminate Sentencing Disparities

Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

Expand Use of Drug Courts

Obama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

HEALTH CARE;

Accessible holistic health care for all.

Christian will make available a new State health plan to all Washingtonians via a three pronged structure which will leave no Washington without effective health-care.

1. Holistic health for all. Inexpensive, lifestyle. Only one danger. Bankrupting pharmaceutical companies and physicians losing jobs. Start with children.

All children will need to have not only health care coverage, but also access to holistic health. Young adults will also be required to get coverage, including allowing youth up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.

2. . First, as in Europe, a universal and comprehensive health care system for all low-income residents, with a prefered French option whereby vital card all medication without disbursement (including supplements) and free preventive and curative spa for those who have a prescription for this type of medicine.

How this plan would be financed. Via tobacco and pollution tax, in conjuction with .

2. Second, for mid to upper income residents, including the self-employed and small businesses, the option to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. In this plan, no American will be turned away from this insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions or even cigarette smoking..

2.1. The Comprehensive benefits that are included in this plan will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care. The premiums will be affordable. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.

2.2. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

How this twin plan would be financed. Via employer contribution and minimum financial participation from the beneficiaries (subject to derogatories for those families who have major difficulties). Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small businesses will be exempt from this requirement, and will receive a new Small Business Health Tax Credit that helps reduce health care costs for small businesses.

Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of medical expenses for private insurers. The Christian plan would reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers' premiums.

Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Need to use proven disease management programs. This will improve quality of care, give doctors better information and lower costs.

Foster team care, full l transparency about quality and costs. Hospitals hospitals and providers must collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care. Health plans will also be required to disclose the percentage of premiums that go to patient care as opposed to administrative costs.

Both public and private insurers tend to pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.

Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.

Measure tol strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance and strengthen the doctor-patient relationship.

Electronic Health Information Technology Systems: Most medical records are still stored on paper, which makes it hard to coordinate care, measure quality or reduce medical errors and which costs twice as much as electronic claims. The Government will need to invest more to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records.

Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets: The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. There have been over 400 health care mergers in the last 10 years, and just two companies dominate a full third of the national market. These changes were supposed to make the industry more efficient, but instead premiums have skyrocketed by over 87 percent. In this perspective, there is a need to prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases. This plan will force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration.

Lower prescription drug costs. The second-fastest growing type of health expenses is prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans more than double the price. Americans must have the option to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S. There is also a need to repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion. More work is needed to increase the use of generic drugs in Medicare, Medicaid, and FEHBP and prohibit big name drug companies from keeping generics out of markets.

Advance the Biomedical Research Field: As a result of biomedical research the prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease is better today than any other time in history. As governor, Christian will strengthen funding for biomedical research, and better improve the efficiency of that research by improving coordination both within government and across government/private/non-profit partnerships.

Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 33 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. Holistic health

Support Americans with Disabilities: As a former civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.

Disabled Americans must continue to receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. Recognizing that many individuals with disabilities rely on Medicare, Obama worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the department of health and human services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that the Medicare recipients were protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents.

Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.

Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As governor, Christianwill protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.

Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. There is an imperative need to reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish. Including, but not limited to teeth and vaccinations.

Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Christian

Support women with cancer. Cervical, breast ovaries and gastro intestinal. screenings, helpint improve prenatual and premature birth services.

economy

• Protecting our Homeland

ON THE SECURITY FRONT. Six years after 9/11, the country is still unprepared for a terrorist attack. From improving security for our transit systems and chemical plants, to increasing cargo screening in our airports and seaports, the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission have been underfunded and ignored. In particular,  chemical plant and drinking water security and to enhance disaster preparedness such as Earthquakes or tsunamis. Chemical plants are attractive terrorist targets because they are often located near cities, are relatively easy to attack, and contain multi-ton quantities of hazardous chemicals. While a number of plants have taken voluntary steps to improve security, there are still major gaps; and the federal government has never established meaningful, permanent security regulations. Senator Obama worked with Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) to introduce comprehensive chemical plant security legislation that would establish a clear set of federal regulations that all plants must follow. The bill requires chemical facilities to enhance security, including improving barriers, containment, mitigation, and safety training, and, where possible, using safer technology, such as less toxic chemicals. Incredibly, security remains voluntary at (chemical) plants, despite strong warnings from the 9/11 commission that a strike at just one of the nation's major plants could release chemicals capable of killing one million people or more,

Farm consolidation has made it harder for mid-size family farmers to get fair prices for their products and compete on the open market. Between 1992 and 2004, there were more than 450 manure spills from CAFOs in Iowa, killing millions of fish and jeopardizing public health. Rural communities often struggle to attract capital because of lack of infrastructure and remote distances. There is less access to quality doctors, and schools have trouble recruiting teachers.
help family farmers — not large corporate agribusiness. Obama will close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around the limits by subdividing their operations into multiple paper corporations.

Obama's Environmental Protection Agency will strictly regulate pollution from large CAFOs, with fines for those that violate tough standards. Obama also supports meaningful local control.
Establish Country of Origin Labeling: Obama supports immediate implementation of the Country of Origin Labeling law so that American producers can distinguish their products from imported ones.  NGO
Encourage Organic and Local Agriculture: Obama will help organic farmers afford to certify their crops and reform crop insurance to not penalize organic farmers. He also will promote regional food systems.
Encourage Young People to Become Farmers: Obama will establish a new program to identify and train the next generation of farmers. He will also provide tax incentives to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm.
Partner with Landowners to Conserve Private Lands: Obama will increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests.
Support Small Business Development: Obama will provide capital for famers to create value-added enterprises, like cooperative marketing initiatives and farmer-owned processing plants. He also will establish a small business and micro-enterprise initiative for rural America.
Connect Rural America: Barack Obama will ensure that rural Americans have access to a modern communications infrastructure. He will modernize an FCC program that supports rural phone service so that it promotes affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.
Promote Leadership in Renewable Energy: Obama will ensure that our rural areas continue their leadership in the renewable fuels movement. This will transform the economy, especially in rural America, which is poised to produce and refine more American biofuels and provide more wind power than ever before, and create millions of new jobs across the country.

• Improve Rural Education: Obama will provide incentives for talented individuals to enter the teaching profession, including increased pay for teachers who work in rural areas. Obama will create a Rural Revitalization Program to attract and retain young people to rural America. Obama will increase research and educational funding for Land Grant colleges.
• Upgrade Rural Infrastructure: Obama will invest in the core infrastructure, roads, bridges, locks, dams, water systems and essential air service that rural communities need.

discrimination against black farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Unleashing the Wireless Spectrum:  Christian  will confront the entrenched Washington interests that have kept our public airwaves from being maximized for the public’s interest.
•  Bringing Broadband to our Schools, Libraries, Households and Hospitals: Obama will recommit America to ensuring that our schools, libraries, households and hospitals have access to next generation broadband networks.
• Encourage Public/Private Partnerships: Obama will encourage innovation at the local level through federal support of public/private partnerships that deliver real broadband to communities that currently lack it.

Employ Technology and Innovation to Solve Our Nation’s Most Pressing Problems
The 21st century tools of technology and telecommunications have unleashed the forces of globalization on a previously unimagined scale. They have “flattened” communications and labor markets and have contributed to a period of unprecedented innovation, making us more productive, connected global citizens.  By maximizing the power of technology, we can strengthen the quality and affordability of our health care, advance climate-friendly energy development and deployment, improve education throughout the country, and ensure that America remains the world’s leader in technology.

• Lower Health Care Costs by Investing in Electronic Information Technology Systems: A key feature of Barack Obama’s health care plan is the use of technology to lower the cost of health care. Most medical records are still stored on paper, which makes them difficult to use to coordinate care, measure quality, or reduce medical errors. Processing paper claims also costs twice as much as processing electronic claims. Barack Obama will invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records. He will also phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT and commit the necessary federal resources to make it happen. Obama will ensure that these systems are developed in coordination with providers and frontline workers, including those in rural and underserved areas. Obama will ensure that patients’ privacy is protected. A study by the Rand Corporation found that if most hospitals and doctors offices adopted electronic health records, up to $77 billion of savings would be realized each year through improvements such as reduced hospital stays, avoidance of duplicative and unnecessary testing, more appropriate drug utilization, and other efficiencies. Obama will make the Veterans Health Administration, the nation’s largest integrated health system, a model in the use of technology to modernize and improve health care delivery. To ensure that veterans get the best care possible, he will improve electronic records interoperability between the Pentagon and VA, expand effectiveness research, promote wellness programs, and use technology to improve the accountability for performance and quality.
• Invest in Climate-Friendly Energy Development and Deployment: Barack Obama knows that we need to rely on technology to help solve the critical energy and environmental problems facing this country. As he announced in his energy policy, Barack Obama will invest $150 billion over the next ten years to enable American engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid. This investment will transform the economy and create millions of new jobs. Obama will:

• Double federal science and research funding for clean energy projects, relying on the resources and ability of our national laboratories, universities and land grant colleges.
• Invest in the development of the next generation of biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol.
• Increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies.
• Create a Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund, funded by an annual $10 billion investment for five years, to ensure that promising technologies move beyond the lab and are commercialized in the U.S.
• Use innovative measures to dramatically improve the energy efficiency and stability of our economy and improve our national energy intensity 50 percent by 2030.
• Invest in a digital smart energy grid.
• Upgrade Education to Meet the Needs of the 21st Century: Barack Obama will emphasize the importance of technology literacy, ensuring that all public school children are equipped with the necessary science, technology and math skills to succeed in the 21st century economy. Access to computers and broadband connections in public schools must be coupled with qualified teachers, engaging curricula, and a commitment to developing skills in the field of technology. This is central to the competitiveness of our nation’s technology sector and of our citizens. Obama also believes that we must strengthen math and science education to help develop a skilled workforce and promote innovation. He will work to increase our number of science and engineering graduates, encourage undergraduates studying math and science to pursue graduate studies, and work to increase the representation of minorities and women in the science and technology pipeline, tapping the diversity of America to meet the increasing demand for a skilled workforce. If we export our best software and engineering jobs to developing countries, it is less likely that America will benefit from the next generation innovations in nanotechnology, electronics, and biotechnology. We must have a skilled workforce so that we can retain and grow jobs requiring 21st century skills rather than forcing employers to find skilled workers abroad.
• Create New Jobs: An Obama administration will foster home-grown innovation and ensure that we can retain and grow high-paying jobs in fast-growing sectors in the sciences and technology rather than exporting those jobs to lower cost labor markets abroad. As offshoring becomes more of a long-term workforce management strategy and less of a perceived short-term cost savings, it presents a significant challenge to young people growing up in America’s historically low-income and working-class communities. An Obama administration will invest in human capital to ensure that our young people have the skills to fill the growing number of information technology jobs being created globally and will also support pilot programs that provide incentives for businesses to grow their information technology workforce in inner-cities and rural communities.
• Modernize Public Safety Networks: Barack Obama is committed to improving the information and communications technology used to support public safety from the antiquated 1970s and 1980s-based technology currently used by agencies around the country to a modern system that will enable us to respond to emergencies and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. In particular, Obama will:

• Catalyze national leadership to spur the development and deployment of new technologies to promote interoperability, broadband access, and more effective communications among first responders and emergency response systems.
• Use the authority over spectrum licenses to establish an effective public-private partnership that would facilitate the development of a next generation network for use by public safety agencies on a priority basi

• Improve America’s Competitiveness

  • Invest in the Sciences: Barack Obama supports doubling federal funding for basic research, changing the posture of our federal government from being one of the most anti-science administrations in American history to one that embraces science and technology. This will foster home-grown innovation, help ensure the competitiveness of US technology-based businesses, and ensure that 21st century jobs can and will grow in America. As a share of the Gross Domestic Product, American federal investment in the physical sciences and engineering research has dropped by half since 1970. Yet, it often has been federally-supported basic research that has generated the innovation to create markets and drive economic growth. For example, one recent report demonstrated how federally supported research in fiber optics and lasers helped spur the telecommunications revolution.
  • Make the R&D Tax Credit Permanent: Barack Obama wants investments in a skilled research and development workforce and technology infrastructure to be supported here in America so that American workers and communities will benefit. Obama wants to make the Research and Development tax credit permanent so that firms can rely on it when making decisions to invest in domestic R&D over multi-year timeframes.
  • Reform Immigration: While highly skilled immigrants have contributed in beneficial ways to our domestic technology industry, there are plenty of Americans who could be filling those positions given the proper training. Barack Obama is committed to investing in communities and people who have not had an opportunity to work and participate in the Internet economy as anything other than consumers. Most H-1B new arrivals, for example, have earned a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent abroad (42.5%). They are not all PhDs. We can and should produce more Americans with bachelor’s degrees that lead to jobs in technology. A report of the National Science Foundation (NSF) reveals that blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans as a whole comprise more that 25% of the population but earn, as a whole, 16% of the bachelor degrees, 11% of the master’s degrees, and 5% of the doctorate degrees in science and engineering. We can do better than that and go a long way toward meeting industry’s need for skilled workers with Americans. That being said, we do not want to shut our doors to innovators from overseas, who have traditionally helped make America strong. Barack Obama supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes improvement in our visa programs, including our legal permanent resident visa programs and temporary programs including the H-1B program, to attract some of the world’s most talented people to America. We should allow immigrants who earn their degrees in the U.S. to stay, work, and become Americans over time. And we should examine our ability to increase the number of permanent visas we issue to foreign skilled workers. Obama will work to ensure immigrant workers are less dependent on their employers for their right to stay in the country and would hold accountable employers who abuse the system and their workers.
  • Promote American Businesses Abroad: Trade can create wealth and drive innovation through competition. Barack Obama supports a trade policy that ensures our goods and services are treated fairly in foreign markets. At the same time, trade policy must stay consistent with our commitment to demand improved labor and environmental practices worldwide. In its first six years, the Bush Administration has filed only 16 cases to enforce its rights under WTO agreements. This compares to 68 cases filed during the first six years of the Clinton Administration. President Bush has failed to address the fact that China has engaged in ongoing currency manipulation that undercuts US exports; that China fails to enforce U.S. copyrights and trademarks and that some of our competitors create regulatory and tax barriers to the delivery and sale of technology goods and services abroad. Barack Obama will fight for fair treatment of our companies abroad.
  • Ensure Competitive Markets: Barack Obama believes we need a business and regulatory landscape in which entrepreneurs and small businesses can thrive, start-ups can launch, and all enterprises can compete effectively while investors and consumers are protected against bad actors that cross the line. As president, Obama will reinvigorate antitrust enforcement, which is how we ensure that capitalism works for consumers. Thus, he will step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare, while quickly clearing those that do not. An Obama administration will look carefully at key industries to ensure that the benefits of competition are fully realized by consumers. Obama will strengthen the antitrust authorities’ competition advocacy programs to ensure that special interests do not use regulation to insulate themselves from the competitive process. Obama will also strengthen competition advocacy in the international community as well as domestically. He will take steps to ensure that antitrust law is not used as a tool to interfere with robust competition or undermine efficiency to the detriment of U.S. consumers and businesses. He will do so by improving the administration of those laws in the U.S. and by working with foreign governments to change unsound competition laws and to avoid needless duplication and conflict in multinational enforcement of those laws. In short, an Obama administration will take seriously its responsibility to enforce the antitrust laws so that all Americans benefit from a growing and healthy competitive free-market economy.
  • Protect American Intellectual Property Abroad: The Motion Picture Association of America estimates that in 2005, more than nine of every 10 DVDs sold in China were illegal copies. The U.S. Trade Representative said 80 percent of all counterfeit products seized at U.S. borders still come from China. Barack Obama will work to ensure intellectual property is protected in foreign markets, and promote greater cooperation on international standards that allow our technologies to compete everywhere.
  • Protect Intellectual Property at Home: Intellectual property is to the digital age what physical goods were to the industrial age. Barack Obama believes we need to update and reform our copyright and patent systems to promote civic discourse, innovation and investment while ensuring that intellectual property owners are fairly treated.
  Reform the Patent System: A system that produces timely, high-quality patents is essential for global competitiveness in the 21st century. By improving predictability and clarity in our patent system, we will help foster an environment that encourages innovation. Giving the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) the resources to improve patent quality and opening up the patent process to citizen review will reduce the uncertainty and wasteful litigation that is currently a significant drag on innovation. With better informational resources, the Patent and Trademark Office could offer patent applicants who know they have significant inventions the option of a rigorous and public peer review that would produce a “gold-plated” patent much less vulnerable to court challenge. Where dubious patents are being asserted, the PTO could conduct low-cost, timely administrative proceedings to determine patent validity. As president, Barack Obama will ensure that our patent laws protect legitimate rights while not stifling innovation and collaboration.s.

FREEDOM FROM DSYFUNCTIONAL WOMEN FROM STERILITY

Fixing the Nation’s Health Care System:
More than 19 million women are uninsured in this country, and women are more likely than men to delay or not get medical care because of high costs. These improvements will reduce administrative costs and health care inefficiencies such as duplicative testing and medical errors, which in turn will reduce costly medical malpractice lawsuits. These common sense steps will cut overall health-care costs by up to 10 percent or more.
Empowering Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS:
In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last twenty years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Women of color are especially hard hit: In 2004, HIV infection was the leading cause of death for African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34. Around the world, 7,000 women are infected with HIV every day.
Supporting Research into Women’s Health:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, accounting for nearly 39 percent of all female deaths. Studies show that after a first heart attack, women are less likely than men to receive diagnostic, therapeutic, and cardiac rehabilitation procedures, and are more likely to die or have a second heart attack Women are also more likely than men to report having arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and depression. Health care disparities among minority and poor women are especially pervasive. Barack Obama has fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. He also supports legislation to encourage research that will examine gender and health disparities. The same legislation would establish community outreach programs in underserved areas to help women access health care and maintain healthy lifestyles.
Fighting Cancer:
Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States. Because of the lack of early symptoms or a proven screening test, ovarian cancer also has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system. Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of Johanna's Law. Signed into law in January 2007, the law will educate women and increase awareness of ovarian cancer. Obama has also supported efforts to combat breast cancer, another leading cause of death among women. He helped pass legislation in the Illinois State Senate to expand insurance coverage for mammograms.
Reducing Health Risks Due to Mercury Pollution:
More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood and more than 630,000 newborns are born every year at risk. The EPA estimates that every year, more than one child in six could be at risk for developmental disorders because of mercury exposure in the mother's womb. Since the primary sources of mercury in fish are power plant emissions that contaminate our water, regulation of utility emissions is essential to protecting the health of our children. Barack Obama introduced two pieces of legislation to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
Supporting Stem Cell Research:
Barack Obama believes that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which would allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.
REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE
Supports a Woman’s Right to Choose:
Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy:
Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.
PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Reducing Domestic Violence:
One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Family violence accounted for 11 percent of all violence between 1998 and 2002. Barack Obama introduced legislation to combat domestic violence by providing $25 million a year for partnerships between domestic violence prevention organizations and Fatherhood or Marriage programs to train staff in domestic violence services, provide services to families affected by domestic violence, and to develop best practices in domestic violence prevention.
Strengthening Domestic Violence Laws:
Approximately 1,400 women a year – four every day – die in the United States as a result of domestic violence. And 132,000 women report that they have been victims of a rape or attempted rape, and it is estimated that an even greater number have been raped, but do not report it. Senator Obama co-sponsored and helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Signed into law in January 2006, the bill funds and helps communities, nonprofit organizations, and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The legislation establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence.
Fighting Gender Violence Abroad:
The genocide in Darfur has had particularly devastating consequences for women. Tens of thousands of women have been killed, raped, and displaced since the conflict began in 2003. Barack Obama has been a leading voice in Washington urging the end of genocide in Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, a version of which was signed into law. Obama has traveled to the United Nations to meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. He also worked with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to secure $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission.
ECONOMIC ISSUES
Fighting for Pay Equity:
Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices. Barack Obama believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.

Expanding Paid Medical Leave: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick leave. It is fundamentally unfair that a single mom playing by the rules can get fired or lose wages because her child gets sick. Barack Obama supports efforts to guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a moderate proposal that should not impose too onerous a burden on employers.
Investing in Women-Owned Small Businesses:
Women are majority owners of more than 28 percent of U.S. businesses, but head less than 4 percent of venture-capital-backed firms. Women business owners are more likely than white male business owners to have their loan applications denied. Barack Obama encourages investing in women-owned businesses, providing more support to women business owners and reducing discrimination in lending.
Protecting Social Security:
Americans are increasingly at risk of working their entire lives only to face retirement in poverty. Barack Obama believes we need to preserve the character of Social Security by stopping any efforts to privatize social security. Obama also will work in a bipartisan way to maintain Social Security’s solvency for future generations.
Encouraging Retirement Saving:
The personal saving rate is at its lowest level since the Great Depression. Only 55 percent of Americans working full-time hold a job with a retirement savings plan; the percentage is even lower for women. As of March 2005, less than half of the 60 million wage and salaried women working in the United States participated in a retirement plan. Barack Obama wants to make retirement saving easier, cheaper, and more automatic for middle-class and working people who get only minor tax benefits to save and who are the ones that really need the money. Obama co-sponsored with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) the Save More for Retirement Act, which provides incentives for automatic enrollment in 401Ks. One study has found that, among employees with less than 15 months tenure, automatic enrollment increased participation from 12 percent to 79 percent for workers with annual earnings of less than $20,000.
Improving Child Support Collection:
Less than half of parents collecting child support receive the full payments they are due. More than $11 billion in child support goes unpaid every year. Barack Obama introduced legislation to increase child support enforcement by an additional $4.9 billion over 10 years, a measure that will collect nearly $20 billion in payments from men who don't fulfill their parental responsibilities. The bill also makes sure that states pass through 100 percent of collected child support payments to families.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Ending the War in Iraq:
There are 202,000 women serving on active duty and 64,000 serving in the Guard and Reserves. Scores of female troops have died in Iraq and hundreds more have been injured. Barack Obama opposed the war from the beginning and has introduced legislation that would begin a phased withdrawal starting May 2007, with a goal of removing all of our combat troops by March of 2008. Realizing there can be no military solution in Iraq, Obama’s plan focuses instead on reaching a political solution in Iraq, protecting our interests in the region, and bringing this war to a responsible end.
Caring for Women Veterans:
There are 1.7 million women veterans today, a number that is increasing every day. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that was built to care for World War II veterans is not ready to handle the influx of women veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Barack Obama has introduced legislation to force the Pentagon and VA to better track the newest generation of veterans – including the number of women veterans – so that the VA can better plan their care. Obama also introduced legislation to fight homelessness among veterans, with a special focus on treating women who may have been victims of sexual trauma. Along with Senator Claire McCaskill, Obama has also co-sponsored legislation to provide funding for additional caseworkers and mental health counselors, a women’s mental health treatment program, and a comprehensive mental health study of returning soldiers. As president, Barack Obama will fight to ensure that women can get the care they deserve at the VA.
POVERTY
Fighting Poverty:
Of the 37 million Americans living below the poverty line, approximately 14.6 million are women — a staggering number equal to the combined populations of Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin. And nearly 13 million children are living in poverty, a rise of 1.3 million since 2000. Barack Obama is committed to a renewed effort to tackle the underlying problems that cause poverty.
Raising the Minimum Wage:
Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty. The minimum wage hasn’t been changed in nine years and has less purchasing power in real dollars than it did in 1955. Women are the largest group of beneficiaries from a minimum wage increase: 60 percent of the workers who would benefit from an increase to $7.25 are women. As President, Barack Obama would raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure that full-time workers have a living wage.
Helping Low-Income Workers:
Transitional jobs are a promising way to help chronically unemployed people break into the workplace. This approach places participants into temporary, subsidized wage-paying jobs. It also offers mentoring and social services designed to address the work-blocking problems like personal and family conflicts. Once they find entry-level work, low-income workers often are unable to break into middle-class jobs. Bridge programs can help by partnering the federal government with employers and community-based organizations to identify job opportunities, develop customized training programs, and place low-income employees in better jobs. Barack Obama introduced legislation to devote $50 million for transitional and bridge employment programs for hard-to-employ groups like homeless veterans, children aging out of foster care, and people returning to communities after serving time in prison.
Supporting Low-Income Families:
Barack Obama has a long history of helping working families achieve economic self-sufficiency. As a State Senator, Obama sponsored and passed the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor, one of the most effective tools devised to move people out of poverty. As a U.S. Senator, Obama worked with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-WA) to introduce legislation lowering the Child Tax Credit’s income limit so that 600,000 more families can benefit. The Child Tax Credit allows parents to receive $1,000 per child and has been an important financial resource for working families. Unfortunately, the credit is skewed so that many families who need it the most cannot get it. Because of artificially high income limits that are indexed to inflation every year, parents that work full-time at minimum wage are not eligible for the credit. As a result, nearly 17 million low-income children get less than the full credit. Barack Obama has also introduced legislation that would provide immediate tax relief to low-income working families from the Hurricane Katrina disaster areas by enhancing the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit.
Improving Afterschool and Daycare Opportunities:
Millions of American families are struggling to juggle job and family responsibilities. Many low-income parents struggle to maintain employment and afford childcare. Barack Obama has sponsored legislation in the Illinois Senate to establish grants for after-school programs. He believes in increasing federal support for after-school programs with proven records of success at helping children avoid crime and drugs.
EDUCATION
Protecting Title IX:
Barack Obama supports eliminating gender discrimination in American schools. For 35 years, Title IX has been a bulwark against sex discrimination against students and employees at all levels of education. Obama will fight to make sure women have equal opportunities and access from pre-kindergarten through graduate school.
Expanding Early Childhood Education:
Research shows that half of low-income children start school up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills and that these early achievement gaps continue throughout elementary school. Barack Obama supports increasing funding for the Head Start program to provide preschool children with critically important learning skills, and supports the necessary role of parental involvement in the success of Head Start. He has also called on states to replicate the Illinois model of Preschool for All.
Promoting Women in Math and Science:
Women constitute 45 percent of the workforce in the U.S., but hold just 12 percent of science and engineering jobs in business and industry. Women also make up just 9 percent of the recipients of engineering-related bachelor’s degrees. Barack Obama believes that every student should have equal access to education in math, science, and technology in order to compete on a global scale.

Making College More Affordable:
Barack Obama will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. And by making the tax credit fully refundable, Obama’s credit will help low-income families that need it the most. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year’s tax data to deliver the credit at the time that tuition is due, rather than a year or more later when tax returns are filed. Recipients of this credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of public service a year, either during the school year or over the summer months.

FREEDIN INJUSTICE

Central to my effort is to establish justice and thus, insure domestic Tranquility. Without Justice, tranquility is lost; enslavement ensues. My ideals rest upon God=s gift of Life with Choice, being the basis of Freedom. For starters, may you join me to implement the three proposals, below, and solve the major one on the reverse. May I represent your proposals?

ESTABLISH JUSTICE:  As one of the >We the People= making choices, I expect freedom to judge laws, and bureaucratic  policies  imposed upon me. Under the  7th Amendment a jury has the right and the obligation to judge the law while considering the innocence or guilt of the defendant. This is known as Jury Nullification. But, rarely do judges fully inform jurors of their rights, especially their power to judge the law itself, along with the facts. In fact, judges assist the prosecution by dismissing any prospective juror who will admit to knowing about this right. As a juror you have the  power and right to dissolve injustice through Jury Nullification. It gives common people a choice to judge unjust laws and nullify them.  Let=s initiate a law requiring judges to fully inform jurors of this right. (See 1, on reverse.)

JUSTICE AND DEBTS AL SCHAEFER

Central to my effort is to establish justice and thus, insure domestic Tranquility. Without Justice, tranquility is lost; enslavement ensues. As a juror you have the  power and right to dissolve injustice through Jury Nullification. It gives common people a choice to judge unjust laws and nullify them.  Let=s initiate a law requiring judges to fully inform jurors of this right. (See 1, on reverse.)In 1803 Jefferson foretells: “If we run into such debts that we must be taxed . . .[on our food, amusements, and labor] we come to labor 16 hours of 24, and give the earnings of 15 of these to the government for its debts . . . and in its train wretchedness and oppression.”

The GNA Platform:

Press the politicians to support:

• A cost-efficient, publicly-funded, universal health care program with a preventive focus, a major emphasis on better nutrition, physical exercise, stress reduction, reduced exposure to toxins, and the use of complementary, natural medicine and practices.
• The recent "REACH" legislation in the European Union, whereby corporations are required to register and safety test all synthetic chemicals put into consumer products or released into the environment and demonstrate their safety, or else remove these chemicals from the market.

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