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From Pete Ashdown Campaign Collaboration Wiki
Live Election Results from the State of Utah can be found here.
Hello. My name is Pete Ashdown, and I ran for the United States Senate in Utah in 2006. This wiki is where you have the power to influence my Campaign. You can help work on policy, strategize in an open forum, or simply see what needs to be done. Don't be afraid to make a mistake, I'm covering new ground every day.
This site is not an official pronouncement of the policies endorsed by Pete Ashdown. Instead, it is an ongoing public forum where we, the people, can help create what we feel is good policy. Every page can be edited by you or anyone else, and each edit is tracked, so everyone can view each change and input to each discussion, no matter what content gets changed or overwritten. (Vandalism is quickly reverted and vandals banned.) Pete uses the input from these pages to form his official policy, which can be found on his official campaign web site at issues.
Because this is a public forum, please consider yourself part owner of these pages, and you have the right to add to and improve the information found anywhere in it. By contributing here you will be promoting open, democratic discussion and development that can improve all parts of our government. The efforts during the 2006 campaign on this site helped Pete's chances of becoming Utah's US Senator in 2006, and we're going to keep building!
Contents |
Collaborative software
The Wikipedia is the most famous example of "collaborative software". If you are new to this concept, we recommended that you inspect the Wikipedia, along with reading their Introduction. The software used for this website is a version of the same software used for the Wikipedia.
The convergence of this collaborative software and politics is beginning to be referred to as "Wikipolitics".
How Do I Edit?
All are welcome to contribute to this Wiki. However, due to our inability to properly staff against vandalism, there is a registration process involved.
- Register an account.
- Respond to the registration email sent to your email address.
- Email the campaign staff to activate your account. Be sure to include your Wiki account name!
Message
A short summary of why Pete should be elected.
Policy
I will start these areas by putting in a few ideas of my own which you can further edit. When I feel a good conclusion has been reached, policy will then be put on my issues web page. Alternatively, you can suggest a topic for discussion or revision if you feel something is lacking.
- Abortion -- Promote personal responsibility. Should be deferred to the states.
- Capital Punishment -- Death penalty not a deterrent. Discontinue it.
- Copyright -- Promote public domain. Oppose DMCA. Re-evaluate closed source software copyrights.
- Corporate Reform -- Safeguard investor value and democratic control.
- Defense -- Move spending from the high-end to the low-end. Support soldiers and veterans as the most precious resources of the U.S. Military.
- Drugs -- Treatment is more effective than punishment.
- Economy -- Invest in longterm solutions such as education. Eliminate tax-breaks for offshoring labor and facilities.
- Education -- Decouple federal funding and test performance. Model on successful programs. Make schools safe, healthy and free from commercialism. Education should be attainable for all who want it.
- Election Reform -- Comprehensive election reform package. Return the power to the people.
- Energy -- Full energy independence in a decade through American innovation and renewables.
- Environment -- National land use policy but with local control. Clean energy. Protecting our open spaces and wilderness while gaining revenue from recreational sources.
- Ethics and Corruption -- Promote "wide open" transparency. Balance lobbying and the voices of constituents.
- Foreign Relations -- Support nations that affirm human rights and democracy.
- Global Poverty -- Fair trade, eliminate debt, smart foreign aid.
- Guns -- Support gun ownership, education and safety practices.
- Health Care -- Regulate drug advertising. Research for cost-effective treatments. Move toward universal single-payer health care system.
- Immigration -- Closely track immigrants. Base immigration quotas on needs. Reform the entire system to be efficent.
- Internet Neutrality -- Against all forms of Internet regulation.
- Iraq -- Help Iraqis reconstruct their infrastructure. Let Iraqis vote on how long the US should stay.
- Labor -- Reward responsible businesses and protect startups and small business. Regulate irresponsible businesses.
- Law Enforcement and First Responders -- Provide adequate resources and manpower to the front lines of health and safety.
- Limits on Government -- The Constitution limits the federal government to certain specific powers.
- Lobbyists -- Restrict in-person meetings between officials and lobbyists.
- Minimum Wage -- The minimum wage needs an increase.
- National Security -- Control immigration. Rebuild our global reputation. Stop nuclear proliferation.
- National Service & AmeriCorps -- Foster national service among young people.
- North Korea -- (Open for input)
- Nuclear Waste -- No nuclear waste at Goshute Reservation; promote on-site reprocessing
- Nuclear Weapons and Testing -- No use of nuclear weapons, no further testing, work on non-proliferation.
- Obscenity and Pornography -- Ensure private industry gives parents the tools to protect children.
- Patents -- Patent system is broken, peer review and staged granting is a possible solution.
- Patriot Act -- Needs to be changed to protect citizen privacy.
- Politics -- Why I am a Democrat.
- Pollution & Climate -- Industrial policy and regulation to reduce environmental degradation and public health problems.
- Prison Reform -- Prepare prisoners for return to society by working 8-hr days in prison.
- Property Rights -- Protect individuals against eminent domain with economic justifications.
- Seniors -- Stop government borrowing from Social Security.
- Sexual Orientation -- Reduce government interference with personal lives.
- Social Security -- Only minor adjustments are needed.
- Spectrum Policy -- The EM Spectrum is a valuable public asset, the wise use of which will be major factor in economic growth and democratic free speech.
- Stem Cell Research -- Remove restrictions.
- Taxation -- "true" flat-tax. Close loopholes used by corporations.
- Technology -- Encourage companies to focus on long term, not just the next quarter. Promote investment in renewable energy producing technology.
- Term Limits -- Choose committee leadership by lottery instead of seniority. Term limits are not democratic.
- Torture -- Initiate measures to eliminate torture and prisoner abuse.
- Trade -- Protect American jobs and innovation.
- Transportation -- Promote high speed rail technology over road widening.
- Veterans -- G.I. Bill of Rights for 21st century.
- Water Issues -- Determine full impact of the SNWA's intent. Closely manage Bear River.
- Wiki -- Wiki is a great tool for public collaboration and would be continued after election.
Campaign strategy
What do you feel is needed in a campaign? What bothers you about traditional campaigns? Want to volunteer but don't know what to do?
- Advertising - How to get the word out about the campaign.
- Communication - Where to get more information.
- Design - Website Resources for spreading the word online.
- Endorsements - Who supports our campaign?
- In the News - Links to articles in the Media about the campaign
- Recruitment - How can we bring people into the campaign, and from where.
- Opposition research - Standard for all campaigns.
- Opposition Quotes - Quotes from the incumbent
- To Do List - What does Pete need to do, what does the staff need to do, what can the grassroots do?
- Timeline - What are the milestones on the calendar?
- Fundraising - Standard for all campaigns.
- Long-term strategy - Beyond the race for this one single office, what is this race about?
