League of
Women Voters of the Upper Valley
Hanover,
NH, Norwich, VT and neighboring towns
updated April 23, 2006 Home Page
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the League >> National Advocacy Positions
LWV of the United
States PROGRAM 2004-2006
The League of
Women Voters takes action on public policy issues on the basis of
existing League positions. These positions are established by a process
of study and member agreement. The compilation of League positions is
called League Program. The League can act at the local, state or
national level according to this Program.
LWVUS
PROGRAM is in four broad categories: Government, International
Relations, Natural Resources and Social Policy. A brief summary of
these positions is below.
REPRESENTATIVE
GOVERNMENT
Promote an open
governmental system that is representative, accountable, and responsive.
VOTING RIGHTS
- Voting
Rights: Protect the right of every citizen to vote; encourage all
citizens to vote.
- DC
Self-Government and Full Voting Representation: Secure for the citizens
of the District of Columbia the rights of self-government and
representation in both houses of Congress.
ELECTION
PROCESS
- Apportionment.
Support apportionment of congressional districts and elected
legislative bodies at all levels of government based substantially on
population.
- Campaign
Finance. Improve methods of financing political campaigns in order to
ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue
influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public
office and promote citizen participation in the political process.
- Election
of the President. Promote the election of the President and
Vice-President by direct popular vote and work to abolish the electoral
college; support uniform national voting qualifications and procedures
for presidential elections.
CITIZEN RIGHTS
- Citizen's
Right to Know/Citizen Participation. Protect the citizen's right to
know and facilitate citizen participation in government decision making.
- Individual
Liberties. Oppose major threats to basic constitutional rights.
- Public
Policy on Reproductive Choices. Protect the constitutional right of
privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.
CONGRESS AND
THE PRESIDENCY
- Congress.
Support responsive legislative processes characterized by
accountability, representativeness, decision-making capability and
effective performance.
- The
Presidency. Promote a dynamic balance of power between the executive
and legislative branches within the framework set by the Constitution
INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
Promote peace in an
interdependent world by cooperating with other nations and
strengthening international organizations.
UNITED NATIONS
Support measures to
strengthen the United Nations, in recognition of the need for
cooperation among nations in an interdependent world.
TRADE
Support systematic
reduction of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers and support broad
long-range presidential authority to negotiate trade agreements.
US RELATIONS
WITH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Promote U.S.
policies that meet the long-term social and economic needs of
developing countries.
ARMS CONTROL
Reduce the risk of
war through support of arms control measures.
MILITARY
POLICY AND DEFENSE SPENDING
Work to limit
reliance on military force; examine defense spending in the context of
total national needs.
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Promote an
environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise
management of natural resources in the public interest by recognizing
the interrelationships of air quality, energy, land use, waste
management and water resources.
NATURAL
RESOURCES
Promote the
management of natural resources as interrelated parts of
life-supporting ecosystems.
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Promote resource
conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with the
responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of
government.
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AND POLUTION CONTROL
- Preserve
the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the ecosystem, with
maximum protection of public health and the environment.
- Air
Quality: Promote measures to reduce pollution from mobile and
stationary sources.
- Energy:
Support environmentally sound policies that reduce energy growth rates,
emphasize energy conservation and encouraage the use of renewable
resources.
- Land
Use: Promote policies that manage land as a finite resource and that
incorporate principles of stewardship.
- Water
Resources: Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect
surface water, groundwater and drinking water.
- Waste
Management: Promote policies to reduce the generation and promote the
reuse and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes.
- Nuclear
Issues: Promote the maximum protection of public health and safety and
the environment.
PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
Promote public
understanding and participation in decision making as essential
elements of responsible and responsive management of our natural
resources.
AGRICULTURAL
POLICY
Promote adequate
supplies of food and fiber at reasonable prices to consumers,
economically viable farms, environmentally sound farm practices and
increased reliance on the free market.
SOCIAL
POLICY
Secure equal rights
and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and economic justice and
the health and safety of all Americans.
EQUALITY OF
OPPORTUNITY
- Equal
Rights: Support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts
to bring laws into compliance with the goals of the ERA.
- Education,
Employment, Housing: Support equal access to education, employment and
housing.
FISCAL POLICY
- Tax
Policy: Support adequate, flexible funding of federal government
programs through an equitable tax system that is progressive overall
and that relies primarily on a broad-based income tax; promote
responsible deficit policies; support a federal role in providing
mandatory, universal, old-age, survivors, disability and health
insurance.
- Federal
Deficit: Promote responsible deficit policies.
- Funding
of Entitlements: Support a federal role in providing mandatory,
universal, old-aage, survivors, disability and health insurance.
HEALTH CARE
Promote a health
care system for the United States that provides access to a basic level
of quality care for all U.S. residents and controls health care costs.
MEETING BASIC
HUMAN NEEDS
- Support
programs and policies to prevent or reduce poverty and to promote
self-sufficiency for individuals and families.
- Income
Assistance: Support income assistance programs, based on need, that
provide decent, adequate standards for food, clothing and shelter.
- Support
Services: Provide for essential support services.
- Housing
Supply: Support policies to provide a decent home and a suitable living
environment for every American family.
CHILD CARE
Support programs,
services and policies, at all levels of government to expand the supply
of affordable, quality child care for all who need it.
EARLY
INTERVENTIION FOR CHILDREN AT RISK
Support policies
and programs that promote the well being, development and safety of all
children.
VIOLENCE
PREVENTION
Support violence
prevention programs in all communities.
GUN CONTROL
Protect the health
and safety of citizens through limiting the accessibility and
regulating the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic assault
weapons. Support regulation of firearms for consumer safety.
URBAN POLICY
Promote economic
health of cities and improve the quality of urban life.
For more
detailed statements, go to the LWVUS web site: http://www.lwv.org/where/index.html
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