Unchecked Baggage

For those of you who have decided you are going to vote for John Kerry next Tuesday.
Many people do not realize, or choose to ignore, a candidates baggage: his partys platform. Remember that when you elect a candidate you get his party's platform as well. The platform is what is susposed to define the candidates actions once he takes office (although not always the case). Here are a few items taken from the 2004 Democratic Party platform, things I see as un- or anti-American, contrary to our founding fathers belief's.
(from the 2004 Democratic National Platform (2004platform.pdf) available at http://www.democrats.org/ Resources/Party Platform)

• recgonize only China and not Taiwan as a soverign country. (page 10, Promoting Democracy, Peace and Security : Asia)
• make US taxpayers responsible for the health care of 3rd world nations. (page 16, Promoting Democracy, Peace and Security : Global Health)
• forgive debts owed by 3rd world countries to the US taxpayer. (page 16, Promoting Democracy, Peace and Security : International development)
• require neighbors to snoop on other neighbors under the guise of strengthing homeland security. (page 18, Strengthing Homeland Security : Domestic readiness)
• will require US taxpayers to pay for retirees health costs. (page 23, Creating good jobs : Promoting small businesses)
• will require businesses to unionize regardless of the effect on business. (page 24, Creating good jobs : Standing up for workers)
• will freeze the cost of college tuition as a solution to rising costs. (page 25, Standing up for the great American middle class : Helping families cope with rising costs)
• oppose privatizing social security (even tho all leading experts disagree) and willgive benifits to those who have not earned them. (page 26, Standing up for the great American middle class : Protecting retirement security)
• raise the minimum wage as the answer to reducing low income earners. (as if simplying paying more will solve the real problem, and history shows raising the minimum wage hurts low income earners)(page 26, Standing up for the great American middle class : Expanding the middle class)
• equates health insurance with health care, insisting that those without health insurance can not get health care so will provide taxpayer funded health insurance for low income families (only). (page 30, Strong healthy families : Reforming health care : Expanding coverage)
• refuse to privatize Medicare, contrary to recomendations of experts. (page 30, Strong healthy families : Reforming health care : Helping seniors)
• repair minority education by repairing foster care programs (huh??). (page 33, Strong healthy families : Improving education : Securing high achievement)
• against school vouchers and true competition in school quality. (page 34, Strong healthy families : Improving education : Making schools work for children)
• supports affirmative action privileges for minorities. (page 37, A Strong American community)
• supports abortion and abortion funded by U.S. taxpayers. (page 38, A Strong American community)
• supports illegal aliens as though they have not broken the law. (page 38, A Strong American community)
• supports the gay and lesbian agenda. (page 38, A Strong American community)
• will require ownership of media to be culturely diverse. (page 38, A Strong American community)

Other comments:

Interestingly, page 20 and page 28 are completely blank.
Lots of WHAT but very little content of exactly HOW the DNC expects to make their goals.
Poor grammar, many sentences start with "And", written to a high school level or lower.
Neither Global Crossing or Whitewater are mentioned, but Enron is.
Many assertions/accusations without any supporting evidence.