Dallas County Democrats
2000 Platform Comparison
This site is an ARCHIVE of the website used
for the Dallas County Democratic Party from 2000 to May of 2002, and which was built by the then Chair Bill Howell. Though some information
here will be relevant through the 2002 elections, other pages here are of interest for
history or research. For the
latest updated news about the Dallas County Democratic Party, see their own website at
www.dallasdemocrats.org.
These contrasts of selected parts of the 2000 Texas Republican Party State Platform versus the 2000 Texas Democratic Party State Platform were posted by the Texas Democratic Party. To see the full texts of both Platforms for yourself, go to their website at www.txdemocrats.org
Minimum Wage:
The Texas Republican Party ?believes the minimum
wage law should be repealed.?
Texas Democrats support ?a meaningful increase in the
minimum wage aimed at giving all full-time workers the
ability to live dignified lives? and will ?guarantee that all
farm workers are afforded that same dignity.?
Public Education
The Texas Republicans ?call upon our next
governor?to fulfill in 2001 Gov. George W. Bush?s
1994 pledge to abolish the regulatory authority of the
Texas Education Agency and to transfer their authority
to the elected State Board of Education.? [Texas
Republicans] call for the abolishment of the U.S.
Department of Education.
The Texas Republican Party ?opposes
[federally-controlled] programs?such as Early
Childhood Development?? Texas Republicans
?strongly oppose a system of education such as
School-to-Work.?
Texas Democrats ?have led the fight to improve public
education while others have sought to weaken or
destroy it. The Democratic Party of Texas believes
public education is the key to economic opportunity and
effective participation in our democracy. We believe
that family, school, and community share responsibility
for providing every child with a quality public education
in a safe, secure school.?
The Texas Democratic Party supports the commitment
of ?the necessary resources to early intervention
programs so that every child can read at [his or her]
grade level.?
Bilingual Education
The Texas Republican Party ?believes the majority of
bilingual education programs in Texas have not proven
to be successful and should be replaced with the
immersion method or a combination of the existing
English as a Second Language (ESL) and immersion
methods.?
The Texas Democratic Party rejects ?Republican efforts
to destroy bilingual education and support bilingual
education and dual language programs that help move
students to English-language instruction and also allow
English-speaking children to learn a second language.?
Health Care
The Texas Republican Party ?supports the abolition
of?the Department of Health and Human Services.?
The Texas Republican Party ?believes that health care
is not primarily a concern of the federal government.?
?Texas Democrats are working to build strong
communities with safe, healthy and thriving families. We
support initiatives to ensure security for Texas families.?
?Texas Democrats believe that every family deserves
health care they can count on and a health care system
that puts family health first.?
Texas Democrats ?believe that our communities, state and
nation are stronger when we work together to meet common
challenges. Strong communities are bound by the tradition of
neighbor helping neighbor.?
Texas Democrats ?support guaranteeing health care for
all 1.4 million uninsured children in Texas. [Texas
Democrats] support utilization of all federal funds
available through the Children?s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) and simplifying the Medicaid
application process so that it mirrors CHIP.?
Social Security
The Texas Republican Party ?supports an orderly
transition to a system of private pensions based on the
concept of individual retirement accounts and gradually
phasing out the Social Security tax.?
The Texas Democratic Party ?believes we must keep
the promise of Social Security solid and certain for
those who worked and contributed to the system all
their lives. Texas Democrats believe the federal budget
surplus should be used to strengthen Social Security.?
The Environment and Public Property
Texas Republicans ?support the abolition of?the
Environmental Protection Agency,? and ?believe the
environment is best served by individuals working in
their own best interest.?
The Texas Republican Party opposes the ?acquisition
of Texas land by conservancy groups? and
?understands government ownership of land to be a
cornerstone of socialism.?
The Texas Democratic party ?believes a clean environment is
part of a safe neighborhood.? Texas Democrats pledge to
?provide opportunities and incentives for businesses to
employ energy-efficient and environmentally sound
technologies, and enforce environmental compliance standards
so that non-complying businesses do not get a competitive
advantage over responsible businesses.?
Texas Democrats ?support the protection of public
lands and national parks, support the expansion of the
state park system, and oppose indiscriminant
clear-cutting, leasing, development and commercial
exploitation of parklands.?
Access to the Democratic Process
Texas Republicans ?seek the immediate repeal of the
?Motor Voter? law and urge re-registering voters every
four years and requiring first-time registrants to
produce photo identification, proof of residency, and
citizenship along with voter registration.?
Texas Democrats ?reaffirm our support for the Voting
Rights Act; the protection of the right of minority groups
to participate fully in the political process? and
?encourage full voter participation in all elections,
including continued selection of Party nominees through
primary elections.?
Campaign Finance Reform
The Texas Republican Party ?opposes any so-called
?campaign finance reform? that?restricts the amount
of individual or Political Action Committee
contributions.?
Texas Democrats ?support comprehensive ethics and
campaign finance reforms that restrict undue influence
and special interest control of the democratic process.?
Texas Democrats ?support continuing revision of state
ethics laws to assure full reporting and disclosure of
campaign finance, lobbying and other activities that
influence the operation of government.?
"English Only" Laws
The Texas Republican Party ?supports the immediate
adoption of American English as the official language of
Texas and of the United States of America.?
Texas Democrats ?believe that linguistic and cultural
diversity present opportunities to develop a competitive
edge in a growing global economy. The Texas
Democratic Party believes that all Texans have a
responsibility to be proficient in the English language but
opposes the efforts of the extremist ?English-Only?
movement to curb the use of other languages.?
Valued Public Agencies and Public Servants
The Texas Republican Party ?supports the abolition of
?the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, the Department of Education, and the
position of Surgeon General.?
Texas Democrats believe that ?government exists to
help us achieve as a community what we cannot achieve
as individuals. Good, responsible government need not
cost more. In fact, it can cost less.?
Back to Platforms page
Back to Contents page.