Right To Bear Arms

THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS        The Wood County Democrat Party as in the past continues to strongly support the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, the RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. The debate on this has always been a spurious attempt by Republicans to create a narrow slate of topics to control popular debate. The fact of the matter is that the debate concerns assault rifles. If you compare Bush's record and the Rebublicans voting record in Congress on this one area, Republicans do vote to control access to assault rifles and Bush does not discourage controlling access to these weapons. The broader debate is the Constitutional right to bear arms. Of course Democrats support this. Democrats support the Constitution period. We are for government that is for by and of the people. We demonstrate this constantly and will continue to do so despite preassure to be more moderate as seen in the eyes of Republicans.

Environment

Environmental Issues by Dr. Wayne Dunn   “Good Environment is Good Business.”               We oppose the degradation of our environment and support sustainable economic development that does not hurt our environment and the health of Wood County citizens   Environmental breakdown caused by poor local leadership decisions years ago has resulted in health problems and death to large numbers of local families. Democrats represent the people and so believe we must provide conditions that reduce these excessive health risks to our families. Doing so will result in environmental stability for now and the future, and for us and other life on earth. All life is interrelated and depends on each other to thrive. Clean, healthy air, water, and food are only natural. Only through poor decisions do we have otherwise. We believe good decisions will provide a healthy Wood County in the future. A university study indicated that the best businesses will not go to an environmentally unhealthy area. These businesses want to locate in areas that stimulate health and healthy lifestyles. By doing this, they are less likely to have lost time In sicknesses, and are more likely to have higher productivity. Healthy people are more likely to be happy people. We can provide this for our families through better air, food, and water, and living environments, Our hospitals are filled with sick people who, in a healthy environment will stay healthy longer. Many people move out of our area—children and adults. Movement is not just about jobs, it is much about where we will be healthiest and happiest. Many parents may encourage their children to go to work elsewhere if their native towns and cities are inadequate environmentally. Few of our local elected officials go to Charleston to support vigorously a sustainable, healthy environment. We need to elect citizens who push for a healthy earth, resulting in healthier Wood County residents. Prosperity, health, and good environment go hand in hand. Our state is a tourist Mecca. If we develop it to be healthy and clean, we will attract many more tourists and businesses, and will provide a county and state that we can be proud of. GOOD ENVIRONMENT IS GOOD BUSINESS! Believing that we must sacrifice environmentally to have better business prosperity is simply untrue.   Please go to "Net Links" for Environmental Links

Veterans

We Support Veterans               Today, the United States military is the best trained, best equipped, most capable and most ready fighting force in the world. The Democratic Party understands that, good as they are, the Armed Forces must continue to evolve.             Our soldiers deserve better pay. They need access to a healthy system of Veterans’ Hospitals. We need to stop the hemorrhage of our tax dollars to the defense industry and spend some of these funds on our Soldiers and Veterans.             The Democratic Party honors America’s veterans for their selfless willingness to defend the United States and promote our values around the world. The Democratic Party will work hard to expand healthcare for all eligible veterans; pursue the cause of illness suffered by Viet Nam and Gulf War veterans; press for more research on diseases caused by exposure to toxic battlefields and treat fairly veterans suffering from those ailments and bad research efforts to treat Hepatitis C; and expand programs in the areas of mental health, spinal cord injury, and vision impairment.             Veterans are the backbone of many of our communities, often volunteering in their churches, schools, and other local activities. They supported us; it is our turn to support them. They need better health care, they need Social Security and we need to honor the commitment we made to them to complete a full service nursing home facility where they will be treated with the dignity they so deserve.             The Democratic Party in Wood County recognizes these needs and will work to resolve these requirements for our Veterans.

Small Business

DEMOCRATS SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS             We support Small Businesses and their owners. West Virginia dollars should be spent supporting West Virginia Businesses. If we were to do an inventory of our homes to find out how many things we own are made in the U. S. A., it would, and should scare all of us to death. The Wood County Democrat Party believes we can control our own future by buying from our neighbors. If West Virginia business were to attempt to do business in West Virginia first, we would see a huge increase in the states income level across the board. Also West Virginia unemployment will greatly drop because our businesses would need to hire more employees. The Wood County Democratic Party will work with Labor and Management to encourage higher production, higher wages and benefits, increases in sales, and higher profits, which will increase every West Virginian’s standard of living! We recognize that without business there can be no income. We cannot afford     to continue receiving dollars from customers in West Virginia, and spending the profits from those sales elsewhere. Our party believes in business, and will strive to bring more quality businesses into Wood County and West Virginia.