The Green New Deal, presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein's platform:
Economic Bill of Rights: Everyone who is willing and able to work has the right to a job at a living wage, the right to quality education, health care, utilities, housing, the right to unionize, to fair taxation, an to fair trade.
Full Employment Program: This program will create 16 million jobs by investing in green infrastructure. The jobs will be directed at the community level and will be locally controlled through broad community input and democratic decision-making. Jobs will be "stored" in local job banks where they stand ready to take up any slack in private sector employment. "Instead of going to an unemployment office when you can't find work, you can simply go to the local employment office."
Medicare for All program: As it sounds, this program will provide health care for all Americans. It will be free to citizens, but will still save money overall due to reducing overhead and stabilizing medical inflation.
Green Transition Program: We will shift to green technologies and sustainable ways of making things. In Dr. Stein's words: "A business model that destroys our forests, our fisheries, our topsoil, our water supplies, our health, and our climate – is a business model that will inevitably collapse upon itself. And an economy that is addicted to ever-increasing supplies of oil is not only doomed, it is a national security disaster just waiting to happen. [...] If you are someone who wants to start a small business or cooperative in the green economy or in providing for other vital community needs, you will find an ally in the Green Transition Program. Right now, our federal government subsidizes the rich agribusiness corporations and the oil, mining, nuclear, coal and timber giants at the expense of small farmers, small business, and our children’s environment. [...] The Green Transition Program will provide grants and low-interest loans to grow green businesses and cooperatives, with an emphasis on small, locally-based companies that keep the wealth created by local labor circulating in the community rather than being drained off to enrich absentee investors." The 16million jobs created in the Full Employment Program are the core of the Green Transition Program.
Financial Reform: First, immediately halt all foreclosures and evictions, and forgive student loan debt. Create "a federal bank with local branches to take over distressed mortgages and either restructure the mortgages to affordable levels, or if the occupants cannot afford a mortgage, rent homes to the occupants. Forgiving student debt will be coupled to tuition-free higher education on the model of the post World War II GI Bill, which has paid for itself more than seven times over in increased government revenues from higher productivity, according to a study by the congressional Joint Economic Committee in the 1980s." Second, break up banks that are "too big to fail." Third, end bailouts for banks, insurers and other financial companies. Fourth, regulate financial derivatives and require them to be traded on open exchanges. Fifth, restore the Glass-Steagall separation of depository commercial banks from speculative investments banks. Sixth, establish a 90% tax on bonuses for bailed out bankers. Seventh, support the formation of federal, state and municipal public-owned banks that function as non-profit utilities.
A Functioning Democracy: Use the presidential "bully pulpit" to push amending the Constitution to make clear that corporations are not persons and money is not speech, so that the people's democratic voice is not drowned out by corporate money. Enact a Voter Bill of Rights that will replace partisan oversight of elections with non-partisan election commissions, make Election Day a national holiday, allow same-day voter registration, do away with winner-take-all elections and replace with instant runoff voting, use full public financing and free and equal access to airwaves for candidates, guarantee equal access to the ballot and to debates for all candidates, abolish the electoral college and implement direct election of the president, restore the vote to ex-offenders who've paid their debt to society, and enact statehood for the District of Columbia so those Americans have representation in Congress.
States' Rights:Thoroughly review federal preemption law which limits states' rights in regards to safety regulations, food labeling, human rights, immigrant rights, and drug policy. Instead federal environmental and human rights regulations will act as a floor, not a ceiling.
People's Rights: Repeal the Patriot Act and parts of the National Defense Authorization Act that violate civil liberties. Prohibit the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI from conspiring with local police to suppress freedoms of assembly and of speech.
Reduce the military industrial complex and America's "empire": Reduce military spending by 50% (which is how all of the above will be paid for) and withdraw U.S. military bases from over 140 countries in which we're now located. Restore the National Guard as the centerpiece of our national defense system. New round of nuclear disarmament initiatives.
Full text here: http://www.jillstein.org/text_psou
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