Democratic Alliance Party HQ - Snap July Convention [PARTY PLATFORM ADOPTED]

[tmthforu94]

X Tmth

[tmthforu94]

I'm generally in favor of these bylaws and assume passing them will be our first step. Perhaps there should be a section dedicated directly to the creation of a platform? There are a couple of references to it throughout the current proposal.

[tmthforu94]

I'm generally in favor of these bylaws and assume passing them will be our first step. Perhaps there should be a section dedicated directly to the creation of a platform? There are a couple of references to it throughout the current proposal.

Good idea, proposing this edit:

Article 5. Platform and Amendments

Section 1. Platform Adoption

Democratic Alliance shall adopt a platform at the beginning of each convention with input from party members, using the amendment process described in Section 3 of this Article.

Section 2. Amendment Proposals

Any party member may propose an amendment to the party bylaws or platform.

Section 3. Amendment Process

Amendments to the party bylaws or platform shall happen as follows: party members shall have 24 hours to object to a proposed amendment; if there are no objections, the amendment shall be adopted; otherwise, if there is an objection, a vote lasting 48 hours shall be held on whether to adopt or reject the amendment, requiring a simple majority to pass.

This looks good and accomplishes my concern.

I'm content with everything else and will vote in favor of adopting.

[tmthforu94]

Aye

[tmthforu94]

I nominate Jimmy for chair, Tmth for Vice Chair.

Thank you for nominating me, but I respectfully decline.

[tmthforu94]

Official Ballot

Chair:

[ X ] Jimmy7812

Vice Chair:

[ X ] Ninja0428

[tmthforu94]

Hopefully this can be an open, collaborative discussion where we can flesh out the platform and details, as the initial version was intended as just a starting point. Having a public platform discussion embodies the transparency we seek to accomplish. I ask folks not in the party to respect this process and refrain from weighing in within this thread unless they're considering joining, as this is a DA convention and should be a discussion of party members on how we want to move forward. There are other avenues that non-party members can give feedback.

Here is the initial Economic Policy version:

Economic Policy

Democratic Alliance is a firm believer in capitalism with regulations necessary to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices where needed. The welfare and other social programs that help citizens should be protected from harmful funding cuts.  Outsourcing of Atlasian jobs by businesses should be limited through fair trade agreements and tax repercussions for companies that do outsource. Incentives should be created to encourage businesses to move operations back to Atlasia and create jobs.

I'd start by recommending we use a bullet point format, as this will be easier for the reader and I think allows for better discussion on specific lines and will make this process easier. I also think it might be good to reduce the number of categories. Below is a bullet point draft with a couple edits I am recommending to start that are primarily just grammar preferences/redundant language:

Economic Policy

- Democratic Alliance is a firm believer in capitalism with regulations necessary to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices where needed.
- Welfare and other social programs that help citizens should be protected from harmful funding cuts.
- Outsourcing of Atlasian jobs by businesses should be limited through fair trade agreements and tax repercussions for companies that do outsource.
- Incentives should be created to encourage businesses to move operations back to Atlasia and create jobs.
(Tax policy placed under Economic)
- Democratic Alliance supports a progressive tax system that promotes financial equity with low taxes for the middle class and lower income citizens, and fair taxation rates for higher income levels. Tax loopholes need to be closed so that no person can avoid paying the taxes they are supposed to.

One thing I'd like to see here is the party taking a look at where Atlasia currently stands on policy and what we support and what we change. Not necessarily on every bullet point, but I think it would help to improve the substance as some of these lines remain vague. Example that comes top of mind would be whether we support the current personal and corporate income tax rates that exist.

[tmthforu94]

^^^I'm supportive of these. Glad to see a point on rural issues especially.

[tmthforu94]

I assume we will vote on the several amendments/proposals soon, correct?

You'll need to become registered with the party in order to vote, but my suggestion is that once we've completed it, we allow an objection period where we vote on each plank that is contentious. I don't think we should vote on this as a whole.

The best option for the abortion issue is to probably have 3-4 options and allow people to rank them based on which view comes closest to their own.

I also don't support the military cuts amendment - while I would probably support this in RL, here in Atlasia, the military budget has already been cut quite a bit, so I think we're probably at the point where any cut made would have greater consequences. This is a good example of us shaping our platform around Atlasia instead of America, which I think will help us rise above.

[tmthforu94]

Gonna formally introduce that grammatical fix since that's the only part I'm really in favor of. I'd introduce some other amendments but thinking about it, it would basically be left-wing Fairbol amendments, that meaning too far from the middle of the party to be considered reasonable. We'll all have our own disagreements with bits of the platform, we have our own personal platforms.

Economic Policy

- Democratic Alliance is a firm believer in capitalism with regulations that are necessary to protect consumers and ensure fair business practices where needed.

I support this, I also think Fairbol's suggestion to nix "that are" also works.

I appreciate Fairbol's suggestions but don't see them as actual amendments unless a party member proposes them. While I am in agreement with some of them, I personally don't think they reflect the full spirit of the party so won't sponsor them. As for the abortion discussion, my personal agreement is closer to him on this issue, but I think the best solution for RIGHT NOW is to continue working through the platform and get a completed draft, then allow a time for objections to particular planks. For ones super contentious like I'm sure abortion will be, I think the best best is to allow folks to submit proposals with multiple viewpoints, then let party members vote on which to adopt. Similar to how the iSideWith quiz works.

[tmthforu94]

I object to Clause 20. I support a vote on the issue with multiple options available and will be supporting a more pro-life stance. Whether that happens right away or if there is an up/down vote on the current version is at the Chair's discretion, I presume.

[tmthforu94]

My proposal:

Abortion is a decision best left for the regions to decide, not federal government. It should only be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is endangered. Birth control and contraceptives should be free and readily available.

[tmthforu94]

Platform Plank #20 Vote

The vote shall last 48 hours.

[  ] Option 1

Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. The right to have access to abortion services should not be restricted to women during their first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

[X] Option 2

Abortion is a decision best left for the regions to decide, not federal government. It should only be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is endangered. Birth control and contraceptives should be free and readily available.

[tmthforu94]

I nominate Philadelphia, PA

[tmthforu94]

Alliance, OH [2]

Democrat Point, NY [3]

Philadelphia, PA [1]