INTRODUCTION - A CALL TO ACTION, (page 3, line 1.

In contrast to the way in which major other political parties create their platforms, …

Comment:  Who wants to join a minor party?

 

Platform Preamble

Levels of federal revenue are the lowest they have been since 1950 because of tax cuts and breaks for the very rich and for corporations and because of the tremendous costs of the continuing illegal Iraq War.

 

I. Democracy:   A. Political Reform (#10., page 8)

A third party Additional parties can validate and raise other points of view that need to be heard.

 

I. Democracy:   A. Political Reform (#12., page 8)

Proposal:  Use current #12. as second paragraph at beginning of this section:

Using our voice to help others find their voice, a national Green Party should spring from many

sources: state and local Green Party electoral efforts, individual efforts, political involvement and direction at every level. We look toward forming bioregional confederations to coordinate regional issues based on natural and ecosystem boundaries instead of traditional political ones.

 

I. Democracy:   A. Political Reform (page 8)

Add as new #12:    We support fair and uniform election/ballot access laws applied equally across all levels of government.

 

I. Democracy:  D. Foreign Policy ( third paragraph, second sentence, page 11)

Greens support sustainable development improvement of infrastructure, especially in educational systems, healthcare facilities and housing,  and social and economic justice across the globe.

Comment:  When land is “developed” it usually means native forests, fields and wet lands are converted to roads, shopping malls, subdivisions, office buildings, etc. Obviously, this can not go on forever.  “Sustainable development” is an oxymoron that is used to hide a multitude of sins and was coined from “sustained yield” which is used in forestry to mean the amount of timber cut per harvest cycle can not exceed the amount grown per harvest cycle.

 

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE :    7. Religious Freedom and Secular Equality (page 22, first sentence of section)

The United States Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of, as well as freedom from, religion.

Comment:  This could be a tipping point for people in groups like Freedom From Religion Foundation, American United for Separation of Church and State etc. 

 

 

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE:   I. Population (first paragraph, second sentence. page 36)

No species, especially on the upper end of the food chain, can have unchecked exponential growth without depleting the Earth's carrying capacity —human population expands at the expense of other species and the quality of the environment.

 

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE:   I. Population   (page 37)

Add:  #6. Wealth and religious belief can not be used as an excuse for having more than two children per family or replacement children for individuals.

 

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE:    K. Immigration / Emigration  (page 38, first paragraph)

We must never forget that we are a nation of immigrants, Our nation is a rich tapestry of nationalities, races, religions and creeds who have come together to forge a new, classless society based on equality of opportunity and the individual freedoms and inalienable rights protected by our Constitution.

Comment:  Europeans stole this country from Native Americans and introduced African slaves. 

 

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE :    L. Housing and Homelessness:  (page 39-40)

Add to in the main section or under Increase Affordable Housing Supply:

We support government assistance to borrowers caught in the recent sub-prime lending crisis whereby they can keep their homes while paying down their loans.

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:  (page 41, last sentence of second paragraph)

We strongly oppose the recent attempts to roll back the federal changes in environmental protection laws that were designed to safeguard our air, water, and soil.

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:  (page 41, second sentence, fourth paragraph)

We support planetary efforts to slow the ever-increasing numbers of humans stabilize the world population pressuring the ecosystems, and…

Comment: Slow or fast, the end results from an ever-increasing number of humans is the same.

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:  A. Energy (page 43, #8)

We oppose the development of environmentally destructive “alternative” fuels produced from unsustainable or toxic feedstocks, such as genetically-engineered crops, food crops, especially corn, or that require conversion of native forests, in addition to coal, or waste streams contaminated with persistent toxins.

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:   E. Global Warming and Climate Change (page 47, second paragraph)

Earth's atmosphere is in great danger due to emissions resulting from human activities.man-made chemicals and hydrocarbon emissions.  Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochloro-fluorocarbons (HCFCs), and other related chemicals  All ozone-depleting substances should be banned as soon as is possible and immediate steps must be taken to drastically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:   F. Land Use and Sustainable Cities  (page 48 forth paragraph)

 Guided by our sense of stewardship, all land use polices, plans, and practices should be based on

sustainable development and production principles of sustainability, the reduce-reuse-recycle ethic, and the encouragement of balance between optimum and diverse use of land.

Comment: Same as above in I. Democracy:  D. Foreign Policy ( third paragraph, second sentence)

 

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:   H. Agriculture (page 52-53)

6. We urge the banning of sewage sludge or hazardous wastes as fertilizer, and of irradiation and the use of genetic engineering in all food production.

Comment:  Irradiations and genetic engineering are addressed later in 14.and 15.

III. ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY:   I. Biological Diversity (page 53, #5 and #6)

Drop both sections.

Comment:  Plant breeders learned long ago that yield from pure line varieties of corn could not be improved using traditional selection methods and discovered the boost in production due to hybrid vigor.  Sure, crops can be grown from heirloom seeds, but GPUS would be condemning to death much of the world’s population if all growing of hybrid crops, was stopped, not to mention the lack of raw material for bio-ethanol.  Greens are not aware of the vast amount of genetic diversity for all of the crops we grow that is stored at the many USDA National Germplasm Repositories.  We probably hold more diversity here than can be found in some crops in their native countries.  We can not blame farmers for current production methods; they are responding the only way possible to the out-of-control growth of the world’s human population.

III. Ecological Sustainability:  K. Forestry Practices  (page 55, third paragraph, line 2-4)

Unsuitable r Rain forest land having steep slopes and poor soils is also given to subsistence farmers whoruin the soil in a few seasons  who are forced to use environmentally destructive slash and burn farming techniques  In the meantime, landowners hoard prime agricultural land for speculation while landowners hoard prime agricultural land for speculation.

Comment:  No land supporting rain forests is “Unsuitable”.  In many cases growing trees is the best use of land, especially on steep slopes with poor tropical soils. We should not blame “subsistence farmers who ruin the soil” – they do what they can to grow food.  This is also a lead-in for the addition below.

 

III. Ecological Sustainability: K. Forestry Practices  (#1. and #2., page 55)

1. Overhaul state and U.S. Forest Service rules to protect our forests and use them wisely.

21. Review, reform and restructure all federal and state land-use policies through legislation and participation in USFS public hearings when citizen can participate  in developing forest  management plans  so that our practices become environmentally sustainable, and so that forests provide a continuing supply of high quality wood products “under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people (from USFS Mission Statement).”

 

III. Ecological Sustainability:  K. Forestry Practices  (#3.,page 55)

Drop:  Stop building logging roads in national forests at taxpayers' expense. These roads not only cost more than the revenue from timber sales that they expedite, but they also contribute to soil erosion and silting of streams, which ruin fish habitats.

 Change to:  New roads required for logging must be paid for by contractors and built only with the approval and inspection of the USFS to insure they meet  Best Management Practices rules.

Comment:  Roads in National Forests are not used exclusively for logging.  One of their more important uses is the movement of fire suppression crews and equipment.  They are also used extensively for recreational purposes.

 

III. Ecological Sustainability:  K. Forestry Practices   ( #6., page 55)

 Drop this plank:   6. Offer subsidies to local watershed-based mills. This will maximize employment opportunities through value-added processing, and promote sustainability and worker control.

Comment:  “We all live down stream”, so, depending on what creek, stream, river we choose, all mills can be defined as “local water-shed based mills“.  Where do we draw the line on subsidies?  Being  “local“ should not be the only criteria for giving subsidies.

 

 III. Ecological Sustainability:  K. Forestry Practices  (#8., page 55)

8. Encourage growth Grow and use of industrial hemp  and kenaf as a plentiful and renewable resource for the manufacture of paper and other forest products.

Comment:   Paper companies and the USFS have been looking at growing kenaf and hemp for years, but have not converted any operations for their use.

 

III. Ecological Sustainability:  K. Forestry Practices (#10., page 55)

10. Support the rights of people indigenous to the rain forest, and their ecologically sound use of the

forest—such as rubber extraction, nut gathering, and collecting medicinal herbs. Discourage environmentally destructive slash and burn farming by granting subsistence farmers title to existing pasture land suitable for cultivation where they can supply their food needs and sell their surplus in local markets. End the importation of rain forest beef. 

Comment:  We offer an alternative to giving rain forest land to farmers which is more suitable to everyone except land speculators.

 

IV. ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY  (page 57, second sentence, first paragraph)

Our current system—based on the notion of continuous population growth to drive perpetual economic expansion on a finite planet—is seriously flawed.