Green Party Platforms

We find that the best way to help people understand the Green Party is to get people to look at our platform. Here in Steuben County we are working on a local platform. The Green Party of New York is working on a state platform, and the national Green Party is preparing revisions to the national platform that will be presented for approval to the national Green Party convention in June 2004.

Steuben County Green Party Platform

We will have some of our local platform ideas posted very shortly. Our platform will incorporate issues on which we are currently working.

Here are suggestions the Steuben Greens made last fall regarding the national platform:

I. DEMOCRACY
A. Political Reform
Call for voting by mail with paper ballots. Oppose electronic voting machines, even with paper trail

B. Political Participation
Expand section on rights to INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM and RECALL to explain how we can should go about obtaining these rights

D. Foreign Policy
Add protections for free flow of information from foreign citizens to U.S. citizens
Add statement on Palestine to support two states
Add statement to eliminate spy operations

We support the proposed amendment on Foreign Policy - Military contained in the proposed platform language circulated at the July 2003 national meeting, but we would like to add provisions about banning depleted uranium weapons and cleaning up areas where depleted uranium weapons have been used.

II. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
A. Education Add:
1. Learning is an active process. Children learn most easily through
repeated exposure, consistent role modeling from others around them, and
from repeated opportunities to apply and practice; They learn by doing, not
simply by seeing or listening to others.

2. Most children under the age of twelve, and many adults, have difficulty
in grasping abstract concepts. It is essential that schools make wide use of
carefully designed and presented 'concrete' models and experiences which
have been developed to help them visualize the principle or concept being taught.

3. When children first begin school they enter as more effective learners
than they will normally be in two years. By first or second grade, most will
have forgotten how to learn, but will know how to memorize and play the game
of 'school'. As infants and toddlers, children spend their first years of
life following the scientific discovery method. They touch, taste, smell,
manipulate, and investigate everything around them. They ask endless
questions. They are spontaneously curious and motivated. Good education
builds upon this fact of childhood, and works to keep the spark of intellect
and self-confidence alive.

4. Children can learn to pay attention to what they see, hear, feel, taste,
and smell. They need to develop the ability to observe stimuli or properties
of objects and to use their senses in more sophisticated ways; to recognize
more and more complex relationships or differences among things.

5. Children need to learn from their mistakes. Failing should become a
relatively anxiety free experience that tells them to try again. Every human being has
the right to feel successful and to perceive oneself as a successful learner.

6. Whenever possible, students should be involved in the planning of their
education. Their contributions or areas of interest should be springboards
for future learning.

F. Criminal Justice

Call for repeal of Patriot Act sections and executive decrees that allow search and seizure without probable cause to assist terror investigation, allow incarceration indefinitely without a trial, allow incarceration without accused being charged or being able to confront witnesses against them.

G. Civil and Equal Rights

Call for repeal of Patriot Act sections and executive decrees that allow governmental monitoring of religious and political institutions without suspecting criminal activity to assist terror investigation, close immigration hearings, encourage government bureaucrats to resist public records requests, and allow prosecution of librarians or keepers of any other records if they tell anyone that the government subpoenaed information related to a terror investigation.

H. Free Speech

Elaborate protections for free flow of information on worldwide web

I. Native Americans

Oppose new New York law mandating the collection of sales taxes from non-Indians on reservations, which violates the sovereignity of Indian Nations and their treaty rights.

Green Party of New York Platform

As currently constituted, the Green Party of New York does not have a platform. It has a committee working on a platform. The committee is working to update the platform adopted by the New York Greens Assembly in 1998.

Green Party of the United States Platform

The platform of the Green Party of the United States is undergoing revisions that will be presented for approval at the national Green Party convention in June 2004.

Other Inspirational Green Party Platforms

The platform of the Green Party of California is particularly well-thought out and well-organized.

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