Charleston, WV: Dem Party Resolution, 21st C Economic Bill of Rights, PDA, Progress Dems of America

Progressive Democrats of America celebrates great news from Charleston, W.V. Daily Kos, Oct. 5, 2023.

Progressive Democrats of America, (PDA) celebrates great news from Charleston, W.V. where the West Virginia Democratic Party executive committee passed a resolution embracing the 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights. While it is not yet included as part of the state party platform; we’re expecting that coming up next next year. The resolution was passed by acclamation (unanimously). The only change made was replacing the term “endowment” to the term “resources.”

Here is the text of the resolution: 📃

The West Virginia Democratic Party Democratic Executive Committee Passes 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights Resolution

For Immediate Release October 3, 2023

(Charleston, WV) On Saturday, September 30, at their meeting in Weston, the West Virginia Democratic Party Executive Committee unanimously passed a resolution supporting a 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights.

Committee member Troy N. Miller, who drafted the resolution, said, “Adopting this resolution sends a clear message to voters about who and what WV Democrats are fighting for. There’s a lot of work ahead, but recognizing and affirming these rights is a critical first step to securing these rights for all West Virginians and all Americans.”

The resolution is modeled after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Economic Bill of Rights presented during his State of the Union Address in January of 1944. President Roosevelt did not intend to amend the Constitution through his proposal but rather to establish measurable goals for Congress to improve and expand Americans’ living standards and quality of life.

Roosevelt said at the time, “We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people – whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth – is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.”

West Virginia Democratic Party chair Mike Pushkin said, “This 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights, passed by the executive committee of the West Virginia Democratic Party, serves as an aspirational blueprint for the type of society we as Democrats are trying to build.

I’m proud of our party for standing up for the simple truth that individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence for all.”

The resolution, as adopted, affirms the West Virginia Democratic Party’s support for:

The right to a job and a living wage

The right to a voice in the workplace through a union and collective bargaining

The right to comprehensive quality health care

The right to a complete cost-free public education and access to broadband internet

The right to decent, safe, affordable housing

The right to a clean environment and a healthy planet

The right to meaningful resources at birth and a secure retirement

The right to sound banking and financial services

The right to an equitable and economically fair justice system

The right to vote and otherwise participate in public life

Click here to read the resolution on the West Virginia Democratic Party website.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/5/2197598/-Progressive-Democrats-of-America-celebrates-great-news-from-Charleston-W-V