Green Party Shadow Government
Reprinted from: “Another Government Is Necessary: The People Can Rule Better Than the Elites”
Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese
Published Tuesday, 30 April 2013 in Truthout
. . . On Earth Day, another step was taken to challenge elite rule. A new alternative government was announced. It is an extension of the Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala Green Party campaign for president and vice president. The Green Shadow Cabinet currently consists of more than 80 activists, scientists, lawyers, advocates, economists, health professionals, labor leaders and artists who are independent of the corporate duopoly and are actively working on solutions to the crises we face. . .
The cabinet comes at a time when people are increasingly ready to leave the corrupt two-party system. With President Obama supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare, drone-bombing countries with which we are not at war, and appointing Wall Street and other big business interests to his cabinet, many voters are searching for somewhere to go. Even the former head of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, is talking about leaving the Democrats.
The cabinet will serve as an independent voice in US politics, putting the needs of people and protection of the planet ahead of profits for big corporations. Members of the cabinet will demonstrate what an alternative government could look like.
Jill Stein Condemns the Obama Budget Proposal
Her press release begins, "Despite his campaign promises to protect Social Security and make the economy fair, Obama’s budget throws the American people under the bus. . ." Go here for more.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose the proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicaid, and there is one action that we can take now. It is to contact one's US Senators and House Representative and pledge, "If you vote to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits, I will oppose your re-election." Go here to take the pledge.
We need to draw a line in the sand and here is our opportunity to do so.
Resist Warmongering!
Your tax dollars are going to fund U.S. aggression against other states. You can resist -- just withhold your tax dollars. Be sure to write your Congresspeople to let them know what you are doing, and why. Actions speak.
HOW THESE FIGURES WERE DETERMINED
urrent military” includes Dept. of Defense ($653 billion), the military portion from other departments ($150 billion), and an additional $162 billion to supplement the Budget’s misleading and vast underestimate of only $38 billion for the “war on terror.” “Past military” represents veterans’ benefits plus 80% of the interest on the debt.*
These figures are from an analysis of detailed tables in the “Analytical Perspectives” book of the Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2009. The figures are federal funds, which do not include trust funds — such as Social Security — that are raised and spent separately from income taxes. What you pay (or don’t pay) by April 15, 2008, goes to the federal funds portion of the budget. The government practice of combining trust and federal funds began during the Vietnam War, thus making the human needs portion of the budget seem larger and the military portion smaller.
The pie chart below is the government view of the budget. This is a distortion of how our income tax dollars are spent because it includes Trust Funds (e.g., Social Security), and the expenses of past military spending are not distinguished from nonmilitary spending. For a more accurate representation of how your Federal income tax dollar is really spent, see the large chart (top).
Two-Party Disaster
Green comment: Sometimes Americans, in loyalty to their party, seem to confound the good of their party with the good of America. That's part and parcel of the American electoral system: if it isn't my party it's the other party, and anything rather than that. It clouds our judgment.
The following article is from Washington's Blog.
Democrats Shamefully Silent on Obama Administration’s Assertion of Right to Assassinate Americans on U.S. Soil
Rand Paul carried out a historic 13-hour filibuster of dronemaster-in-chief John Brennan’s nomination for CIA chief. . . .
One of the top constitutional law experts in the country – Jonathan Turley, a progressive liberal – writes:
"What was most striking about this principled stand is the virtual total absence of Democrats in speaking out against Obama. Just this week, Attorney General Eric Holder admitted that this policy could include killing citizens on U.S. soil with drones. Yet, the Democrats worked to stop not the kill list policy but Paul’s filibuster. . .
Several New Local Green Parties
in Washington State
Green Party of Snohomish County
This party has had its first meeting. For further information: Leonard Reichlin, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 425-258-4646.
Green Party of North Seattle
This party has formed -- information coming soon.
Other Parties Starting Soon:
Spokane, Kitsap, Pierce, Clark, South King County, and East King County are nearing critical mass. If you want to be in on the formation, call Jody at 206-718-1529.
Obama won. What next?
Obama won, and if you bought the idea he was the best we could do, you will be happy. He may have set drones on helpless civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, he may have given expedited permits for any number of climate-changing initiatives, he may have entered into trade agreements to barter away our right to a living wage or protect sea turtles . . . . but, you are thinking, he is better than the other one and you are glad he was elected.
Now, your thought continues, we really need to make sure he does the important things, the right things. So you are girding up your loins for that effort: apply enough pressure to make sure the Pipeline is denied, there is no more deep-water drilling in the Gulf or the Arctic, no more wanton killing of innocent people in foreign countries, no more spying on civilians, no more punishments for whistleblowers . . . and on and on.
A good idea. Now, what are you going to use for pressure?
Since you just told him he could go ahead with whatever plans he had, and you would vote for him anyway.
The truth is, Obama will do whatever he wants to do, and you can't do much about it. It doesn't matter what he said; it's what he does that matters, and we know what he does. He has shown us. He is a corporatist, not a democrat.
If you are felt distressed that you had to vote for him -- knowing he didn't represent your ideals -- and there were many such -- you may want to take a moment to review your situation. Turning one way, you knock your elbow against the fact that if one big party doesn't win, the other will. Twisting your shoulders, your hips bump into the fact that voting for a small party candidate might take votes away from the "better" big party, and finally your forehead bangs into the fact that small party candidates are the only ones that truly represent your wishes, or seem to see you at all.
You are in a box. The box is the American electoral system, in which the biggest vote-getter wins and there is no run-off. Not many countries have this system; we were the first to try popular elections, and the other countries noticed the problems our system gave us, and went to better systems. Parliament is a better system. Many countries have run-off elections -- real or virtual.
We have four years before the next election. If we don't use the time to break open the box, we will still be in it for the next election and we will be as miserable as we are today.
So how about it?
Are you a long-time member of a political party which has changed so much over the years that you can no longer determine what values they stand for? Have your political representatives been purchased by out-of-district or out-of-state special interests? The Green Party stands for something and its members do not accept corporate money.
Can you distinguish between the “big two” political parties when it comes to representing their constituents? Do you find yourself voting for the same candidates over and over again and expecting different results? Have you ever voted for the “lesser of two evils,” and then regretted your choice? If you vote Green, you'll be voting for something different. Go to our Ten Key Values page for a list of our values and the policies associated with each one. Go here for the People's State of the Union Address, by Jill Stein, our Presidential Nominee for 2012.
Do you fear that the country is no longer headed in the right direction? Are you worried that this great country will no longer be a republic, by the time your kids or grandkids grow up? There is hope. The Green Party can help!
By educating people on our Green Vision, and by electing candidates to bring that vision into being, we will bring a better world into being.
