• Wednesday, September 26, 2007 9:37 AM EDT • No comments posted. Comments

The Dorchester County Democratic Party officially went on record in support of five new and innovative policy ideas for reform in South Carolina recently.

The County Party adopted a resolution in support of the "5 Big Ideas" to reform education and health care that were previously adopted by the S.C. Democratic Party at the state convention in April.

"We believe that to win statewide elections and then bring the needed reforms for our state to be successful in the 21st century, we as a Party must adopt a few big and bold ideas that demonstrate our values and priorities to the people of the state", said A.J. Glover, Chairman of the Dorchester Democratic Party, who led the adoption of the resolution.

"With this we say to the voters: 'if you vote for us, this is what you will get'."

The resolution calls the "5 Big Ideas"..."long-term goals for our state that they believe will dramatically increase their chances of success in the global economy of the 21st century. These goals cannot be reached immediately, but we believe they are attainable within two to four years if we begin now. And, they can be financed with 'pay as you go funding' without raising taxes or increasing debt."

The ideas are:

* Commitment to World Class Leaning-pass a Constitutional Amendment to establish a 'top quality, world class' education system instead of a 'minimally adequate' system as the state's standard for public education.

*Ready to Learn- create universal statewide 4 year old kindergartens with adequate support services in health and nutrition to ensure that all children are ready to learn.

* Tools to Learn- ensure a laptop computer for every student and wireless broadband access for every family. In the 21st century, computer literacy is as important as reading, writing, and arithmetic was in the 20th century. The global $100 laptop initiative, One Laptop Per Child, shows what is possible. Everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to wireless broadband as it is an indispensable tool for success in the global economy of the 21st century.

* Unlimited Learning- provide universal access to unlimited learning and job skills training for colleges, graduate schools or tech schools- regardless of an individual's wealth. With a combination of financial aid, tax credits, loans and community service, everyone should be able to get all the education and job skills required to held them develop to their full potential.

*Universal Minimum Health Care- ensure a minimum level of health care for everyone. There is no single best way to achieve this goal. Many states are experimenting with different methods.

Two of the most promising are the universal minimum health insurance plans enacted by Republican governors in Massachusetts and California, Democratic party officials say. Regardless of the specific policy formula chosen, the goal should be the same-a minimum level of health care for all, the platform states.

"This is not some pie in the sky wish list. All these ideas have been implemented in other states. We believe that in South Carolina education is the key to our long-term success. If we don't fix our broken education system, nothing else really matters. Therefore, the focus of our long-term goals is primarily on education", said Glover.

The goal of the "5 Big Ideas" is to create a common vision and platform for all Democratic candidates in South Carolina. The resolution called on all Democratic Party candidates and affiliated party organizations to support these five innovative reforms.

"We are just getting started in building support for the "5 Big Ideas" among county parties and the Dorchester County Party is showing real leadership by being among the first," said Phil Noble, President of the S.C. New Democrats. "We are all very proud of their bold leadership on this and their vision for the future."

The S.C. New Democrats are both a reform think tank and a do tank- an action oriented public policy organization. Their goal is to reform the Democratic Party so that Democrats can win elections and then bring about the reforms we need to make South Carolina successful in the global economy of the 21st century.

Founded by former Gov. Richard Riley, the New Democrats give a voice to people who want to move politics beyond the old left-right debates of the past. They seek to build support for a new public philosophy built on progressive ideals, mainstream values and innovative non-bureaucratic solutions to the challenges facing South Carolina's families.

This S.C. New Democrats initiative is part of their Reform Agenda for Success in the 21st Century and details can be found on their web site www.SCNewDemocrats.org