Lafayette County, Mississippi, Democratic Party

Our Values and Beliefs

The Democratic Party seeks to promote the freedom and well-being of all.  We stand for equal rights and equal opportunity, justice and the rule of law, access to affordable health care, high quality and fully funded public education, and all other basic values of a civil society based on the social compact.  We believe in science, truth, honesty, and integrity.  We believe in the rights of every human being to live in dignity, to be economically secure, and to participate in democracy.  We believe in protecting our environment, clean water, and safe food necessary for daily life and preserving the earth for our posterity.  We believe in government that is accountable to the people and seeks solutions that serve the common good.

Our party values and ideals are therefore deeply rooted in the foundations of our great nation.

Fully Participatory Democracy

Our representative democratic republic rests on the ability of its citizens to participate in the selection of those who will comprise our governmental bodies.  We must work to overcome barriers to suffrage and to expand and protect voting rights through every means possible, to thus enable all our citizens to register and to cast their ballots in safe and secure elections.  We must also work toward logical, ethical, and constitutionally defensible redistricting and systems of campaign financing.

Public Education

The prospects for achievement and sharing of prosperity in our society depend on the literacy of our citizens.  Fully funding and otherwise supporting quality education in robust public schools, at all levels, will help ensure that no child, young adult, or adult learner is denied the opportunity to reach their potential and become contributing members of our community.

Economic Opportunities

The equal opportunity for persons to make a better life for themselves has been the most fundamental characteristic of our “American experiment.”  All persons should continue to enjoy equal economic opportunities that will encourage them to contribute, succeed, and help others.  This should include the dignity of a living wage, equal pay for equal work, fair taxation, consumer protections, equitable access to justice, sound and expanding infrastructures, preservation of the social safety net, and opportunities for businesses to thrive and share their prosperity.

Clean, Safe, and Welcoming Communities

We believe our county and our landscape should be clean, healthy, and welcoming for all of us.  Our communities deserve clean drinking water, safe food to eat, and an environment that welcomes and promotes health and well-being for all our citizens.

Access to Affordable, Quality Healthcare

The strength of our society is dependent on the vitality of its citizens.  No person should be bankrupted by illness or be put at risk of death by the lack of adequate and timely healthcare.  We therefore believe that all our citizens have the fundamental human right to healthcare and should have ready access to affordable, quality healthcare respectful of the dignity and privacy of every member of our community.

Protection of Human Rights

We must preserve, protect, defend, and honor the rights, liberties, and privileges guaranteed to our citizens under the Constitution and our common law, regardless of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, or political affiliation.  No less is required if we are to afford the fairness, dignity, and respect that all our sisters and brothers deserve throughout our county, state, and nation.