Our Platform

The Littleton Town Democratic Committee honors and upholds the values of the National Democratic Committee, which we share here.

Economy and Social Justice

“Democrats will always fight to end discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

Every American, no matter their race, sex, ethnicity or national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability, is equal, and Democrats are fighting for them. Democrats have a long and proud history of defending civil rights and expanding opportunity for all Americans. From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009 to including marriage equality in the party platform in 2012, Democrats have fought to end discrimination in all forms. If the Trump Administration threatens a group of Americans simply because of who they are or what they believe, Democrats will fight for our core values of equality for everyone.

We are committed to protecting voting rights, freedom of religion, women’s right to make their own health care decisions, and equal federal rights for LGBT couples. We must also strive for criminal justice reform, as well as common sense approaches to reduce and prevent gun violence.

No matter who you are, who you love, where you’re from, or how you worship, Democrats are fighting for you.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to build a full-employment economy, where everyone has a job that pays enough to raise a family and live in dignity with a sense of purpose.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

Democrats believe that our economy should strengthen our country and work for every American, not just those at the top. We are committed to helping all Americans meet the challenges of the 21st century by spurring job creation, rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in clean-energy technologies and small businesses, and making sure corporations, the wealthy, and Wall Street pay their fair share.

When President Obama took office in 2009, he inherited an economy in freefall, with huge deficits, skyrocketing health care costs, dwindling employment, and banking and housing markets on the brink of collapse. Working with the President, Democrats stabilized the financial system, helped to prevent a second Great Depression, and created millions of new jobs.

Democrats cut taxes for working families, provided help for small businesses and homeowners, and strengthened consumer protections. Despite Republican obstruction at almost every turn, Democrats provided relief for hardworking Americans who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

Now we’re working to protect that progress, and fighting to extend it to every American who has been left behind. When Republicans cut taxes for the wealthy but not the middle class, or threaten our recovery with dangerous financial policies, Democrats will fight back.

We want to guarantee that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed and that all working families can enjoy economic security. Democrats won’t be satisfied until every American who wants to work can find a job. By making debt-free college available to all Americans, cracking down on companies that ship profits and jobs overseas, fighting for equal pay and paid leave, and ensuring the wealthiest citizens and largest corporations pay their fair share, Democrats will never stop fighting to build an economy works for all.

Education

“Democrats know that every child, no matter who they are, how much their families earn, or where they live, should have access to a high-quality education, from preschool through high school and beyond. ”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

Democrats believe all children should be able to lead happy, successful lives. That’s why we’re dedicated to ensuring the next generation has access to a quality education and the tools to drive our economy forward. Our country is strongest when our workers are trained with the knowledge and ingenuity to perform at the highest levels. Every child should have the opportunity to reach that horizon and to fulfill the American Dream.

Democrats have long valued education as the key to success, both for individuals and for our nation. In 1944, Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt enacted the G.I. Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that provided World War II veterans with opportunities for higher education. The G.I. Bill helped create the modern middle class in America. And in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson and a Democratic Congress enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act with the goal of providing a quality education to every child.

In recent years, Democrats have further increased access to higher education, restructured and dramatically expanded college financial aid — while making federal programs simpler, more reliable, and more efficient for students. In 2010, President Obama signed into law student loan reform that cut out the role of big banks. The Obama administration also doubled our investment in Pell Grants and made it easier for students to pay back student loans. As Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos attempt to roll back the progress we’ve made on education by stripping protections for students and student loan borrowers, we’ll keep fighting to elect Democrats who will advocate for education.

Democrats want every child – no matter their ZIP code – to have access to a quality public K-12 education, and for college to be affordable for every American. We know that as the global marketplace grows more competitive, we need to expand opportunities for higher education and job training. Democrats are committed to increasing the college-completion rate as well as the share of students who are prepared for budding industries with specific job-related skills.

Democrats recognize education as the most pressing economic issue in America’s future, and we cannot allow our country to fall behind in a global economy. We must prepare the next generation for success in college and the workforce.

Healthcare

“Democrats have been fighting to secure universal health care for the American people for generations, and we are proud to be the party that passed Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

In March 2010, President Obama fulfilled a promise that Democrats have pursued for nearly a century: making quality, affordable health care available to all Americans. In all, seven presidents pushed for health reform over the years. We have finally made real the principle that every American should have access to quality health care, and no one should go bankrupt just because they get sick — and we’ll never stop fighting to protect that principle. President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Medicare Bill at the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri.

For decades Democrats have fought for the simple idea that everyone should have some basic security in health care. When President Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965, we were finally able to provide that security to America’s seniors. In 1997, Democrats passed the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which currently covers 8 million kids.

But it took nearly a century to extend that basic measure of security to all Americans.

In 2010, despite unanimous opposition from Republicans, Democrats were finally able to pass comprehensive health reform into law.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more than 20 million Americans have gained health care coverage and the uninsured rate has been cut almost in half. Among the newly insured are more than 2.3 million young adults who are covered because the Affordable Care Act allows them to stay on their parent’s insurance until age 26. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions is now illegal, and nearly 8 in 10 Americans who recently shopped for health insurance in the marketplace could get it for less than $100 per month.

The Affordable Care Act has also allowed states to expand Medicaid to help even more Americans get covered. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid, and Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment has risen 26 percent. President Obama signs the Affordable Care Act into law.

The Affordable Care Act also provides tax credits to small businesses to help offset the costs of employee coverage and tax credits to help families pay for insurance. We are also experiencing health care spending growth at its lowest level in 50 years.

Democrats are committed to preserving and protecting the Affordable Care Act and the peace of mind it has brought to millions of Americans, and they will fight all attempts by the Trump administration to repeal the law and take health care away from tens of millions of Americans.

We are proud of this progress we have already made and are will work to extend and preserve it for generations to come.

Environment

“Democrats believe that climate change poses a real and urgent threat to our economy, our national security, and our children’s health and futures, and that Americans deserve the jobs and security that come from becoming the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

Democrats are committed to curbing the effects of climate change, protecting America’s natural resources, and ensuring the quality of our air, water, and land for current and future generations. From investing in clean energy to protecting our ecosystems, Democrats are working to address our biggest environmental challenges, paving the way to a more sustainable America.

Under President Obama, we made great strides to combat climate change and protect our environment and public lands. The Department of Transportation and the EPA issued new fuel-economy standards, the first meaningful increases in fuel economy for cars and light trucks in decades. President Obama instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are the largest concentrated source of emissions in the United States. Under Donald Trump, the United States stands alone as the only nation in the world that is not a party to the Paris Climate Agreement.

Democrats want to protect and build on President Obama’s progress. We know that climate change is one of our nation’s greatest challenges, and that addressing this urgent threat could make America the world’s clean energy superpower and create millions of good-paying jobs. Democrats will fight to protect our planet for future generations.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has called climate change “a hoax invented by the Chinese,” and withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement. And by choosing to ignore the consensus of the scientific community on climate change, he is putting our country’s health, security, and economy at risk.

It will take all of us acting together — workers and entrepreneurs, scientists and citizens, the public and the private sector — to address the challenge of climate change and seize our clean-energy future.

Science and Technology

“Democrats value American innovation and believe it is one of our country’s great strengths. ”

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM

From the airplane and the internet, to chemotherapy and the Model T, America has a rich history of technological innovation and scientific ingenuity. But after years of declining tests scores in math and science and Republican administrations that often turn their backs on science, the United States risks losing its scientific dominance. Democrats are committed to reversing this trend by investing in the technologies and jobs of the future while increasing support for more advanced research, labs, and classrooms.

In the past, government investments in scientific research have yielded innovations that have helped shape the landscape of American life — technologies like the internet, digital photography, Global Positioning System technology, laser surgery, and cancer treatment. But over the past three decades, support for the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences has been drastically cut at a time when other countries are substantially increasing their own research budgets.

Democrats believe that scientific research should play an important role in advancing science and technology in the classroom and in the lab. In order to compete globally, our next generation must be equipped with the tools and skills that lead to the job-creating technological innovations and scientific breakthroughs of the future. Democrats have taken significant steps to expand educational opportunities and make college more affordable for all Americans while improving the quality of our schools and our teachers.

Democrats have made historic investments in research for clean-energy technologies that are helping to create the industries of the future. The Obama administration lifted federal restrictions on stem cell research, providing scientists and doctors with new resources to help save lives.

Democrats are working to close the “digital divide,” expanding access to high-speed broadband internet. We recognize that broadband is an important addition to our national infrastructure by expanding access to information and education while serving as a central resource for small businesses and entrepreneurs to generate economic growth.

The Obama administration took unprecedented steps to use technology as an instrument to restore faith, transparency, and accountability to government, and Democrats are fighting to protect his work so we can harness the ingenuity and experience of all Americans to increase efficiency and effectiveness of government.