WHEREAS, Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction as was the case for war presented by President George W. Bush and other officials of the Bush Administration;

WHEREAS, Iraq had no ties to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as was the claim made by the Bush Administration;

WHEREAS, the Downing Street Minutes informed us that “intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy,” in order to invade Iraq;

WHEREAS, the treatment of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay violated the rules of the Geneva Convention;

WHEREAS, President George W. Bush has admitted to the illegal wiretapping of United States Citizens without a warrant;

WHEREAS, congressional leaders have expressed their opposition to the impeachment of President George W. Bush;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Young Democrats call on the Congress of the United States to censure President George W. Bush.

 
Resolution calling for the United States Congress to investigate the Iraq War

WHEREAS, Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction as was the case for war presented by President George W. Bush and other officials of the Bush Administration;

WHEREAS, Iraq had no ties to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as was the claim made by the Bush Administration;

WHEREAS, the Downing Street Minutes informed us that “intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy,” in order to invade Iraq;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Young Democrats call upon the Congress of the United States to fully investigate how and why the Bush Administration led this country into war with Iraq.

Resolution calling for the re-regulation of college tuition

WHEREAS, college tuition has increased substantially since the Texas legislature deregulated tuition in 2003, and

WHEREAS, tuition increases and other fees have proven to be an obstacle for those wanting to attend college;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Young Democrats support the re-regulation of college tuition by the Texas legislature, and call on the legislature to further help college students by exempting college textbooks from the state sales tax.

Resolution honoring Texas Governor Ann W. Richards

WHEREAS, Ann W. Richards served honorably as the first female commissioner of Travis County, Texas State Treasurer, and finally as the 45^th Governor of the State of Texas;

WHEREAS, Governor Richards cared deeply about all Texans;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Texas Young Democrats honor the life and legacy of the late Texas Governor Ann W. Richards.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Texas Young Democrats extend profound gratitude to the family of Governor Richards for holding a public memorial service to honor Governor Richards.

WHEREAS housing, much like food, water, and health care, is a basic need for all human beings; and

WHEREAS the Democratic Party and progressive politics have historically served as strong advocates for access to affordable housing, and

WHEREAS housing programs including the Community Development Block Grant, the nation's most basic source of funds for housing and community development, have been targeted for cuts and even elimination in recent years;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the newly elected Democratic Congress, the Democratic Party, and progressive political movements mobilize to protect current housing programs and to make affordable housing a central issue in American politics for the foreseeable future.

Resolution on the preservation of rights for families seeking asylum.

Whereas the Texas Young Democrats believe that democracy, built on the sacred values of family, freedom and fairness, can afford every Texan, without exception, the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential, and

Whereas the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and

Whereas, the previous settlement of Flores v. Meese establishes that children should generally be released promptly to family members when possible and that those who do remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) custody be placed in the least restrictive setting available and, regardless of where they are housed, that children be guaranteed basic educational, health, and social benefits and rights, and

Whereas, The Flores settlement's requirements that minors be placed in a licensed, non-secure facility with adequate conditions,

Whereas, the Hutto facility in Taylor, TX and others facilities are being run like a secure facility,

Whereas, the court deciding the afore-mentioned lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against DHS "finds it inexplicable that Defendants have spent untold amounts of time, effort, and taxpayer dollars to establish the Hutto family detention program, knowing all the while that Flores is still in effect,"

Be it therefore resolved that the Texas Young Democrats recognizes the importance of the recent lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and it's attempt to preserve the rights of families seeking asylum in America.

Resolution Regarding Global Warming, the Environment, and Energy

WHEREAS, there has been an increase in the global temperature, and

WHEREAS, there is empirical evidence that this increase in global temperature is mostly due to increased carbon-dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and

WHEREAS, the increase of carbon dioxide has come from man-made machines such as automobiles and industrial plants, and

WHEREAS, clean energy solutions, as well as, conservation efforts have the real possibility of slowing global warming and improving the quality of human life, and

WHEREAS, clean energy is an emerging market with the possibility of creating new jobs, thereby improving our economy,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED; The Texas Young Democrats acknowledge that global warming is a very real and serious threat to the Earth and its inhabitants, both in the forms of increased temperatures and the additional air pollutant of carbon dioxide,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; The Texas Young Democrats encourage and endorse the further development of clean energy technology and to promote conservation efforts so as to produce carbon neutral results in Texas.

Resolution Regarding the Date of the Presidential Primary in Texas

Whereas, The presidential primary typically takes place in Texas so late that Texas delegates make little difference in the outcome of the race, and

Whereas, This situation causes candidates for the presidency to seek only campaign funds from Texans, not votes, and

Whereas, Texas is a large and diverse state, filled with dedicated Democrats whose opinion should matter in the race for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party,

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Texas Young Democrats encourage the state legislature and governor of Texas to move to date of the primary to February 5th, as recently done by California and which other large states are considering, and

Be it further resolved, that the Texas Young Democrats encourage the Democratic National Committee to craft a more diverse primary schedule in future elections that would allow for most states to have greater input in the selection process.