Social & Economic Responsibility
Democratic Principles
Stewardship of Natural Resources

I. Exercise Social & Economic Responsibility

A. Providing educational opportunity, and the funding of education, are vital investments in our children, our State, and our future. Invest in education at levels that will ensure a skilled Tennessee work force and an informed citizenry.

B. Lack of access to health care for some increases the cost of health care for all when emergency rooms become primary-care facilities for those with no other options. And, illness is more cheaply prevented than treated. Invest in health care resources for those who need them to keep the costs lower for all.

C. Conditions of poverty have enormous costs to Tennessee in both human and financial capital: in the incarceration of too many young people, in trapping families in "unaffordable" housing such that a disproportionate percentage of income is absorbed in housing costs to the detriment of other needs. Invest in education and affordable housing, and ensure economic opportunity for all Tennesseans to help reduce these costs.

D. Tennessee families need financial resources to meet the basic necessities of life. Encourage employers to compensate their workers at levels that enable families to meet family needs adequately. Further, encourage employers to pay equal wages to persons performing the same or comparable work.

E. Many adult Tennesseans, and their children, are trapped by circumstances in relationships that are physically, sexually, or emotionally abusive. Support programs that assist victims in breaking out of such relationships; prosecute and rehabilitate offenders. Work to eradicate abuse by addressing its underlying causes.

F. Recognize that drug addiction is an illness. Invest in treatment programs as a more viable strategy than legal sanctions alone in winning the so-called "war on drugs."

G. Access to the resources that ensure fairness in our criminal justice system is uneven. Implement a moratorium on capital punishment while issues of fairness are studied and addressed so that Tennesseans can be sure that no innocent person is sentenced to death.

H. Incarceration without rehabilitation becomes a vicious, expensive cycle. Invest in rehabilitation opportunities for prisoners who sincerely wish to change their lives for the better so that they might become contributors to society rather than a burden on its limited resources.

I. Although progress has been made, historical patterns of prejudice, as well as prejudice against newcomers, hinders the efforts of many Tennesseans to lead useful, productive lives. Ensure a "level playing field" so that no Tennessean is denied the opportunity to succeed based on disability, circumstances of birth (race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation), or the exercise of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion.

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II. Exercise Democratic Principles

A. The strength of Tennessee is in its people and their diverse backgrounds and experience. Provide ample opportunities for Tennesseans from all walks of life to participate in governmental processes.

B. Ensure openness in governance and accountability for elected officials so that citizens may scrutinize their government.

C. Special interests have diluted the role of the citizenry in the democratic process. Restore the importance of ordinary citizens to their government by reducing the opportunities for special interests to purchase influence through campaign contributions. Ground political decision-making in multipleperspectives.

D. State budgets must reflect the needs, gifts, and talents of the working people of Tennessee. Budgetary processes must ensure that their voices are heard.

E. Recognize that corporations do not always act with "enlightened self-interest" in the long term, but too often respond to the short-term pressures of "the bottom line." Encourage more corporations to be accountable to the communities in which they operate.

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III. Exercise Stewardship of Natural Resources

A. Tennessee's natural beauty and wilderness areas are limited, dwindling, and threatened resources. Invest in their preservation for present and future generations.

B. Clean air and water are essential to the health of Tennessee citizens. Provide incentives for communities and industries to make clean air and water a priority, and implement sanctions against those who fail to do so. Emphasize regional mass-transit as a means of reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

C. Urban sprawl threatens the quality of life in many Tennessee communities. Implement planned growth to limit sprawl and mitigate its ill effects.

D. Our rate of consumption poses a threat to Tennessee landscapes, water, air, and natural resources. Invest in conservation, reuse, and recycling efforts to help keep Tennessee clean, safe, and beautiful.

E. We, the citizens Tennessee, are stewards of the state's natural resources. Because they are interconnected, protect and restore the integrity of Tennessee, regional, national, and global ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.

F. Once ecological damage has occurred, it is costly, difficult, and sometimes impossible to repair. Prevent harm, as the best method of environmental protection, and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.

G. Recognize that some agricultural practices, as well as some agricultural products, are harmful to Tennessee and its citizens. Advance the study of ecological and agricultural sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired. Seek and implement means of supporting agriculture in an environmentally sound manner. Seek crops that improve the lives of Tennesseans rather than impair them. And, seek methods of supporting, sustaining, and preserving Tennessee's family farms.

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