Green Power 2019

Seen outside of the main gathering hall at Salem State University...

Green Power 2019

words and photos by C. A. Matthews 

Our first Green Party-US Annual Meeting has come and gone. As we made our way home, we contemplated what we've learned and experienced.The main impression we came away with as relative newbies to the national Green Party is how much of a "family" the party really is. And, like any family, it has its share of strengths and weaknesses. 

Voter Choice.org is working  hard to bring ranked choice voting to your state.

Perhaps its greatest strength is its commonality of purpose of saving the Earth from the ravages of capitalism. Eco-socialism is order of the day and was frequently mentioned during the weekend along with the importance of ranked choice voting laws. From championing the health of our citizens, land and water, to protesting the military industrial complex and demanding an end to all wars of colonization and imperialism, Greens do not hesitate to speak out singularly or communally. No matter what corporate propaganda the mainstream media spouts and what smears are directed at them, Greens will not swerve from their commitment to promote "people, planet and peace over profits."

Chris Blankenhorn gave a great talk on what eco-socialism means.

Hilary Tore presents how Toledoans for Safe Water took on BP and passed The Lake Erie Bill of Rights to protect the drinking water of millions.

It is this single-mindedness to save the world and all of its inhabitants and staying true to their principles that can also be construed as a weakness. Greens do not accept corporate money--which is a weakness when you read campaign finance reports and see how many millions of dollars the establishment parties have to advertise their candidates. It's amazing how well Green candidates actually do at the ballot box with so little money at their disposal. Ironically, this could be due to the fact that without huge campaign war chests Green candidates are forced to go door-to-door and talk to the voters in order to get their message out. Could real voter engagement be a more cost effective method than slick TV ads?

Ballot access challenges were addressed by Brendan Phillips and Tony Ndege.

Ajamu Baraka, Jill Stein and Howie Hawkins speak to the original "Green New Deal" espoused by Greens since 2010. The Greens' version calls for massive military spending cuts since it is the military that creates the majority of the greenhouse gas emissions.

Greens are egalitarians that will not allow one person or group of people to dictate terms to others without their consent; hence, there are many caucuses within the Green Party: Women's, Lavender (LGBTQ+), Youth, African-American, LatinX… If there is some way to categorize humanity, the Greens have a caucus for it--or are open to starting one. While this sounds great on paper and is truly something to be proud of, in the real world it can lead to "labels." Party members sometimes get into each other faces because of perceived or real slights by another who wears a different label. The temptation to produce a "learning moment" is often too good to miss, too. 

Diversity awareness panel led by G.P. co-chair Anita Rios.

Hard feelings don't exactly engender party unity or help create an atmosphere of trust. The family can become dysfunctional, and not happy or whole. Add to this the stress of stretched finances, and it's a miracle the "Green Family" has stuck together this long. It's a testimony to the awesome power of the Green Party's Four Pillars and Ten Key Values that Greens have weathered their storms. It's safe to say these guiding principles have prevented the party's members' weaknesses from overcoming its strengths.

 

Margaret Kimberly, editor of Black Agenda Report, and former G.P. presidential candidate Jill Stein moderate the presidential forum.

The countdown to the 2020 presidential campaign began in earnest with six presidential candidates at the forum table on Friday night. They answered questions about their platform positions and occasionally took a pot shot at the perceived front runner. These not-entirely-polite comments would seem tame in an establishment party debate, but at a Green Party candidate forum they come across about as pleasant as the sound of nails scratching across a blackboard.

G.P. presidential candidates fielding questions. From left to right: Howie Hawkins, Dennis Lambert, Ian Schlakman, Sedinam Moyowasiza-Curry, Dario Hunter, David Rolde.

"Hey, we're all family here, Greens!" you want to shout at the folks on stage. "Get along, please, for the sake of the people, planet and peace, will y'all?"

But it is exactly these outbursts of valued truths that demonstrate how well the Greens' unity in diversity strategy fares. There are no secrets or conspiracies kept hidden from other family members. Greens air their grievances and hopefully will work them out in time for the presidential election season with all hands on deck pulling together.

 

Ajamu Baraka, Jill Stein, and Cheri Honkala

In the spirit of their four pillars of grassroots democracy, social justice, peace and environmental wisdom, the Green Party presses on. Ballot access fights and struggles in many states loom on the horizon, but the family members will not give up or give in. It is the planet we're talking about saving after all. We don't have the option to stop fighting for our future. Green Power shall prevail.

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We can't allow Japan to kill hundreds more whales this year. Sign the petition.

 

It's whaling season again in Japan, but this year they've taken their annual massacre of whales to a new level. Rather than dodge the rules and exploit loopholes in the international ban on whaling, Japan simply left the International Whaling Commission altogether. Without this nominal oversight, their already legally dubious whaling operations will go unchecked. Tell Japan to reverse course and rejoin the international commission and respect ban on whaling. Humans have already nearly hunted whales to extinction. That's why countries banded together 73 years ago to stop the industry before there were no whales left to kill. But Japan has lived on the edge. Each year, Japanese whaling vessels marked "RESEARCH" in all caps and English, have killed dozens of whales. This so-called "research" ends with whale meat being sold for profit, revealing itself for what it truly is: just another means of hunting. Without the imprimatur of belonging to the International Whaling Commission, Japan has increased its commitment to kill whales. This year, they plan to kill 383 whales. The international community can't allow Japan to put whales' survival at risk. Sign the petition to demand Japan end their annual whale hunts and recommit to a real ban on international whaling. Thank you, Emily V. The Care2 Petitions Team

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From Move to Amend:

As you may know, I have been in Washington, DC for the past few months, working to secure more support for the We the People Amendment. 

On Monday last week a friend let me know that the following day a group of brave young activists would be shutting down Congress to protest climate collpase inaction and calling on Congress to join the UK and Canada in declaring a Climate Emergency. 

But they were short one person because someone had a family emergency.
I decided to step up. 

I am terrified and so sorrowful for the world we are leaving for my 7 and 3 year old nephews. I am beside myself with grief at the extinction of animals and human suffering that climate collapse is already causing. 

And I am outraged that instead of protecting our future, Congress has spent the past 30 years doing the bidding of their corporate masters, at the expense of our planet.

So on Tuesday last week I joined 16 people affiliated with the climate action group Extinction Rebellion in supergluing ourselves to three underground tunnel entrances leading to the Capitol, blocking access to members of Congress who were heading to a regularly scheduled session.

Superglue has always really intimidated me, but my fear of a world wrought by climate collapse is much more terrifying. I was very afraid that police would rip our hands from the walls and cause us injury, and I knew that I would surely be arrested for the action -- but I am tired of inaction by our national leaders and I am tired of feeling powerless to save our planet!

It never occured to me that I should be more afraid of a member of Congress than the police! 


During the action Congressman Bob Gibbs (OH) ripped my glued hand from the glass and pushed past me. I'm relieved to say that his action didn't rip my skin off, but it sure did sting!

Capitol Police encouraged me to file charges and after input from a number of people I have decided to do so. 

Since 2009, Gibbs has received over $183,000 in campaign contributions from fossil fuel companies including American Electric Power, FirstEnergy Corporation, Marathon Petroleum, and Murray Energy. 

Murray Energy is known for filing Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) lawsuits against critics when they speak out against their positions, including comedian John Oliver as well as several labor and environmental leaders who are also active local Move to Amend volunteers in Ohio. 

Our Representatives are not serving the American people, they are serving multinational corporations. This assault is a physical representation of the assaults waged against communities and people across the country every day by Congress’s cold and irresponsible inaction. Our leaders refuse to act because they take orders from fossil fuel corporations and the billionaires that own them.

I don't want to let Congressman Gibbs get away with this, just like I don't want to let any member of Congress get away with their crimes of inaction in the face of this disaster that was entirely preventable but is now on fast forward. 

What you can do:

• Share the video of Rep Gibb's assault so that no matter what happens with my charges, the public knows what happened.
   
• Join me on Thursday via Facebook or Twitter Live and I'll tell you the full story, answer questions and talk about how the We the People Amendment is essential to stop climate collapse.
   
• Find ways to take bold action in the face of climate change. I was honored to be part of this action, you will feel better if you act too. September 20-27 is the Global Climate Strike, called by children and young people who are demanding we fight for their future. Find an action near you and be as bold as possible. You don't have to be arrested and spend 22 hours in police custody like I did, but it is a small price to pay given the urgency of the climate situation.

And finally, if this action inspired you, please make a donation to support our work at Move to Amend. 

My civil disobedience was not official Move to Amend business, I was acting as a concerned civillian. But one of the most important reasons why we must pass the We the People Amendment is to reign in corporate power so that climate change can be addressed.

Yours for the planet,
Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap
National Director, Move to Amend

P.S. I again want to express my profound respect and admiration to the young people of Extinction Rebellion DC who organized this bold, strategic and critical action. We were covered in over 40 major media outlets and numerous Representatives have signed on to the Climate Emergency resolution since we told them to do so, face to face, as they passed us while we were glued to the walls.

Justice For... Just Some? (Happy Election Day 2017)

  

 Justice for... just some? Why not all? This week we're looking at how the 99% is being treated by the corrupt system that cares little for our economic or physical/mental health. Bern Notice debunks that popular myth of the Reagan era. "The Rational National" tells us how difficult the battle for universal health care was in Canada and how it could come about in the U.S. 

But first, it's Election Day and if you haven't already voted early, please get to the polls as soon as you can. Yeah, 2016 looked like this meme, but that's no reason for you not to turn out and vote in this "off year" for important issues on your state ballot and to decide local elections. Remember to vote your conscience. You're not stuck with just establishment candidates--vote third party or write in a name of a candidate you feel is worthy. We can't live in fear of the status quo forever. Let's take our democracy back!

Trickle-Down Economics

by Bern Notice

Trickle-down economics. Reagan’s legacy, and the economic model espoused by the Republican Party. It is defined as:

A theory that financial benefits given to big business will in turn pass down to smaller businesses and consumers.

Source: Merriam-Webster – Trickle-Down Theory

How much of the trickle have you felt from the enhanced prosperity of big business owners? For the vast majority of Americans, it has been very little. To demonstrate why, It is important to define another term so that we understand the point in its entirety.

Profit Margin:  The difference between the cost of buying or making something and the price at which it is sold.

Source: Merriam-Webster – Profit Margin

The argument that money will trickle down fails in a case like McDonald’s. McDonald’s has had pretty good profit margins over the past 5+ years. At its lowest margin during that period, it was 36.94%. Currently, McDonalds profit margin is at its peak, at 48.96%. As of March, 2016 the profit margin was at 39.19%. Meaning, that at their lowest point, McDonald’s made 36.94% more capital than they spent.

Source: ycharts.com – McDonalds Gross Profit Margins

The CEO of McDonalds, Steve Easterbrook brought in an income of $15.4 million last year, according to The Chicago Tribune. To be fair, please note his base salary is $1.3 million. Some of the rest was made from stock options. However, he received a performance bonus of $4.6 million

Source: Chicago Tribune – McDonald’s CEO Easterbrook sees pay package nearly double to $15.4 million

Graphics Source:  CBPP – A Guide to Statistics on Historical Trends in Income Inequality

While the top 1% has flourished since the 1980’s under trickle down economics, the rest of the country has been stagnant. How will additional tax breaks to the top 1% help the rest of America prosper?

Now let’s look at the workers. According to Glassdoor, the average wage for a McDonald’s cashier is $8.60 per hour. A shift manager averages $10.41 per hour. Bear in mind that from their salaries, they have to pay for medical and other benefits if they need them, which further reduces take home salary. If you’re a sole bread-winner with a family, would you be able to afford benefits and save for retirement with those salaries?

Source: Glassdoor.com – McDonald’s Salaries

I’m reasonably sure that some people may say “Those jobs aren’t meant for people supporting a family.” That may be true for years past, but after the recession and so many high paying jobs being sent overseas for cheaper labor, the pool of eligible workers has expanded. These same individuals are looking to put food on their table via an honest living. As a result, now you see increasing numbers of older adults working in these positions to try to stay afloat.

All the while McDonald is making their annual average 36 – 38% profits while keeping pay rates relatively stagnant. And again, if the argument is that the costs increased for doing business, remember we’re talking profit margins, not profits. So they still made 35% more than they spent. So while their spending on everything else has increased with the cost of inflation, their spending on their employees’ salary has not.

Meanwhile McDonalds and similar businesses get tax breaks for stock options given to executives as compensation, and then list them as an expense when filing taxes. Yet they do this while paying their employees as little as possible.

Source: Huffington Post – McDonald’s, Starbucks, Apple Reaping Billions Of Dollars From Little-Known Tax Break: Study

Now let’s look at the after effects. The cost of everything from gasoline to food and utilities has gone up and your salary hasn’t. You no longer have disposable income for luxuries. You are spending what you have on necessities. You may pass on going out to eat or getting a gadget that you need to make your life easier.

As spending decreases, profits for corporations and shareholders decrease. As a result, the corporation will lay off workers, thus adding to the pool of individuals who are unable to buy your product. Then the cycle starts all over again. It’s basic supply and demand. All the while, the CEO of that company will get a fat bonus for “increasing efficiency.”

If this cycle is allowed to continue, the only people who will have money will be the super wealthy business owner. Then you will have serfdom and feudalism. It’s obvious when you think the cycle through. The only way you don’t see it is if you completely ignore the facts.

At the end of the day, this model is inherently flawed because of one simple factor… human greed. If you offer someone a million dollars, and it is not stipulated that they have to share it with other people, most people would keep it and spend it on themselves. It’s just human nature.

With that being said, it may make more sense to offer tax breaks to people who make 100K or less, and new start up businesses than it does to grant further tax breaks for large well established businesses and multi-millionaires. Those who work paycheck to paycheck are the consumer. They are more likely to spend most of what they make than those who have tons of money.

Small start-up & Mom and Pop businesses are similar. The small businesses as they grow are also more likely to hire more people, thus adding more consumers to the market. As they grow they will invest in their infrastructure to expand and become the new big business, and offer consumers more options through genuine competition.

Make no mistake; I have no problem with businesses, shareholders and corporations making profits. CEO’s have to bear a lot of responsibility, and are likely the first to go when a business goes south. So they should be able to make more than the people they are responsible for employing. Shareholders should also be able to reap profits from smart investment strategies.

With that being said, economics can’t just serve the supply side. There must also be a demand. Most of the demand comes from the consumers who are the employees who work on the ground level of business. Until working class citizens’ salaries are able to keep up with the cost of inflation, they will not have disposable income. There is will be little to no demand. Then there will be practically no chance for upward mobility. Trickle-down economics has failed the working class citizen, and it’s time for people take their heads out of the sand and recognize that.

BIO: Bern Notice is making a difference by speaking out on issues that affect the 99%. Support him and his Seeing Through the B.S. blog and leave a comment thanking him for his invaluable service.

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A must-watch video for all Americans, a Canadian gives us a history lesson into how difficult it was to fight for and establish universal health care in his country. We can learn a lot from our friends north of the border.

https://youtu.be/9IU5-z5cOSk

 

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And now some more examples of how justice for the rich is at the expense of ordinary Americans. Support these causes with your time and resources. We're all in this together!

 From the Green Party of Pennsylvania:

It's been over six months since the special election in Philadelphia that saw widespread voter intimidation and election fraud. The people of the 197th have been waiting for any sign that justice will be served and their votes will be counted.

Today, the Pennsylvania Attorney General finally began filing charges. Four election workers at the Esperanza Health Center polling place were charged with election fraud.

Please donate  to our continued efforts to bring have a new election for the people of Philadelphia's 197th district.

And this is just the beginning. Reports of fraud happened not just at Esperanza but at over 20 other polling locations--and the scheme goes must deeper than the workers at the polling places. We look forward to further developments with Attorney General Shapiro's investigation.

We are also waiting to hear back about our federal court case regarding these election fraud charges. Democrats and Pennsylvania election officials brought forth a motion to dismiss in September. At the hearing our lawyers asked point blank--who is responsible for this election?

At best, this was a systemic failure of our election system and someone has to be constitutionally or legally responsible. At worst, this was an intentional scheme for widespread election fraud and those who organized it behinds the scenes must be held accountable for their criminal acts.

I need help to continue to pay my lawyers fees and office rent. I am continuing to fight for the people of the 197th district through all the delay tactics, the smoke and mirrors, that the corrupt officials are trying to pull. But my team and I need your help.

Click here to chip in $27 or whatever you can afford so that we can continue to pursue our court case and organize in our neighborhood.

If the court case precedes, there is precedent that Philadelphians could get a new, fairly-conducted election. That is what we and our lawyer are demanding and that's my team and I are organizing for in our neighborhood. If there's a new election, we will win because it will not be stolen again.



Thank you for your continued support.

Solidarity,

Cheri Honkala
Candidate for State Representative
Former Green Party VP Candidate
@cherihonkala

P.S. Recently the Green Party gained it's first State Representative in Maine! If we win a new election in Pennsylvania's 197th, I hope to be the second! Please donate $27 or any amount you can today to help build this Green momentum through 2018.

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Stand up to defend the right to peaceful protest.

CALL 213-335-2077 NOW and tell your member of Congress that standing up for the right to clean water is peaceful protest, not terrorism.

Last year, thousands of people around the world raised their voices to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. They stood in solidarity with Indigenous leaders and Water Protectors, who were fighting for clean water — and their right to make decisions about what happens on their land. The movement has spread, and local communities everywhere, inspired by Standing Rock, are building a groundswell of change across the U.S. and Canada to stop pipelines from being built.

Now 84 members of Congress — including your representative — have signed a letter suggesting that the brave people standing up to the big oil companies could be considered “terrorists.”¹ They’re trying to criminalize free speech with a term intended to scare — and we need you to help speak out against them.

Call your representative now at 213-335-2077 to let them know you believe that peaceful protest is essential, and ask them to rescind their support of this fear-mongering letter. We have to show the oil and gas industry that strategies like this, which they hope will silence us, will backfire instead. When we work together, we’re stronger.

It’s no surprise that so many members of Congress would prefer to treat people fighting for their homes and the planet like criminals.² Big Oil has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to guarantee Congressional support on its endless quest to turn a profit at any cost. The powerful movement inspired by Standing Rock scares them, and labeling the people around the country fighting for change as “terrorists” is easier than standing up to their corporate donors.

That’s why we need your help. We have to tell Congress that it’s unacceptable to put the greed of Big Oil above our basic rights: to protect our communities and precious water resources and to speak out against those that threaten them. Please call your members of Congress today at 213-335-2077 to let them know that corporate polluters don’t run our country.

Thank you for standing with us,

Diana Best
Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace USA

[1] https://buck.house.gov/sites/buck.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Protecting%20Energy%20Infrastructure.pdf.
[2] https://thinkprogress.org/criminalize-pipeline-resistance-sessions-40828c2cb1e6/

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The details are out―and (surprise) the Republican tax plan is not tax “reform.” It’s a massive tax cut mostly for the richest 1% and wealthy corporations. It will result in deep cuts to healthcare, education and other critical services we all rely on. Paul Ryan and his fellow Republicans are trying to ram this sucker through the House before Thanksgiving. They figure if they move fast, and keep the American people in the dark, they can get it done.  This is an absolutely critical time to take action to help us succeed in stopping this monstrosity. Phone calls are the single most important action you can take to stop it. There is no time to waste. If we block the bill in the House―which we can do with your help―our opponents are in deep trouble. Call your U.S. Representative right now and tell them to OPPOSE the Republican tax plan: 877-795-7862 Here’s a suggested call script: My name is _______. I live in TOWN, STATE and I’m a constituent of the Representative’s. I want Representative [NAME] to OPPOSE the House tax plan that delivers huge tax cuts to the richest 1% and wealthy corporations, funded by slashing Medicare, Medicaid and education. It’s wrong to give special tax breaks to the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working families. Not only does this tax plan cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%―padding the pockets of CEO’s and shareholders―it’s also a job killer. By slashing the tax rate on foreign profits, the plan will encourage corporations to outsource jobs and shift profits offshore.  Call your representative today to demand a tax system and an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.  Thank you, Craig Johnson Digital Director Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund