EcologyNuclear Power
Greens all over the world oppose nuclear power because we understand that it is emblematic of the problems with our society. To generate deadly radioactive wastes that will be killing, sickening and maiming our descendants for hundreds of thousands of years, just so that we can enjoy a moment's electricity is immoral. The tens of billions that the Obama administration has wasted on building nuclear power plants that are over budget and behind schedule could have been put to good use building wind turbines and putting up solar panels. The nuclear industry's lies have been disproven one after another. Nukes can and do melt down as we all saw at Fukushima. Nuclear power is massively expensive. After 50 years, there is still no solution to the waste, and despite the industry's denials, cancer, birth defect, and miscarriage rates soar near nuclear plants. This technology has got to die.
Climate ChangeClimate change is real. If you are someone who doubts this, ask yourself, how could we put countless billions of tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere for two hundred years, literally changing the composition of the planet's atmosphere WITHOUT changing the way the atmosphere holds heat. It's literally impossible. Different gasses hold heat at different at different rates. We need to act against further climate change with the utmost urgency. We need to stop putting more carbon into the air, moving away from gasoline fueled cars, for example. We also need to begin a massive, federal program of reforestation, since forests are excellent carbon sinks. Finally, we need to stop drilling. Leave the oil and gas in the ground, where it belongs.
Social IssuesUniversal Health CareObamacare set the cause of universal health care back by ten years. We were ready, as a nation, to finally join the rest of the developed world in recognizing health care as a right, and to provide health care to everyone. Instead, we were given Obamacare, a bad copy of Romneycare. Thirty million people are still uninsured. Medical bankruptcies continue unabated. People are still losing their homes because they can't pay their medical bills. The insurance corporations profits have increased by the billions, and we now have a new class of poor--people who can't afford health insurance AND have to pay government fines because they are too poor to pay for their own insurance. We need a simple, inexpensive, universal, national health care system.
Black Lives MatterThe recent publicity surrounding police killings of black youths is casting a harsh light on what can happen when racial stereotyping is combined with bad policing. While the vast majority of police are responsible, law abiding citizens, the few that turn immediately and disastrously to deadly force must be weeded out. These killings are a symptom of a society divided along economic and racial lines. To cure the disease, we need to ensure economic opportunity for all our citizens and look at the process that drives a policeman to the point where he is willing to "shoot first and ask questions later." Many of our police are overworked, having had their staffing levels cut for decades. Crime has been increasing in the inner city, leading to more and more dangerous confrontations for police. But, it is not acceptable for these experiences to lead police to treat any black person as a potential criminal and threat. The vast majority of black people are responsible, law abiding citizens.
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EconomyTrans Pacific Partnership
This secret trade deal is a real threat to our sovereignty. The fact that the Senate Democrats folded yet again and gave the President Fast Track Authority demonstrates that it's time we had a Green in the Senate. Joe DeMare would have filibustered fast track until he dropped. If just one other Senator could have been convinced to support the filibuster, we, the people would have had a chance to have some input into this treaty. Instead, if the Senate Democrats and Republicans get their way, we would be forced to turn our laws over to multi-national corporations to do with what they please. Freedom and self-determination are more important than trade.
$15 Per Hour Minimum WageThe federal minimum wage needs to be raised to $15 per hour, immediately. People who work full time should earn enough to survive. As our production becomes more and more automated, minimum wage jobs are frequently all that are available to people. Minimum wage should allow people to maintain a decent standard of living.
SustainabilityGreen New DealJoe fully supports Jill Stein's plan for a Green New Deal. Putting people to work creating the infrastructure for a sustainable world is not just good public policy, it's absolutely essential if we are to survive on this planet. The Green New Deal would move the United States to a carbon-free economy, putting up wind turbines and solar panels and dismantling the old, nuclear and carbon based energy sources.
PeaceAs a strict adherent to non-violence, Joe believes that there is ALWAYS a non-violent solution to any conflict, though we may not always be wise enough to see it. Joe was among the millions that protested the Iraq war, protests which were ignored by the mainstream media. Ruling out war as a recourse does not mean appeasement. In fact, vigorous opposition to those bent on military conquest is essential in preventing war. However, if we used the resources we've committed to war to making a more just world for everyone, we would all be better off.
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