Voting Reform

The most important right we have is that of the vote. Through our votes we express our will; we invest in our fellow citizens the responsibility to govern in our name. Following the 2000 presidential election, the fairness and accuracy of our electoral system has been called into question. We believe that the Montana voting process needs to be made fair and reliable so that every voice is heard, every vote is counted, and all qualifying candidates are given the opportunity to make their views and programs known. We believe that the state should invest in research and development to modernize our voting system. Every Montanan should leave the voting booth confident that there is an incorruptible record of votes cast to ensure the truth and legitimacy of elections.

We believe that there should be as few obstacles to voting as possible. Voters should be able to register for permanent absentee ballot status, but actual voting should take place within a week of election day, not months in advance. We believe that there should be same-day registration at all polling places, which should open earlier in the morning and stay open until later at night to ensure that everyone has a chance to vote.

For too long voters have been forced to make their choices between "the lesser of two evils" in a constricting "two-party system of denial and blame." This means that many citizens cannot vote their conscience and many others have been turned off to the process altogether. We believe that Montana should adopt INSTANT RUN-OFF and FUSION voting. This means having a second choice so that your vote for a minority candidate does not benefit the candidate you like the least -- the so-called "spoiler" effect. Fusion voting means that a candidate could be endorsed or nominated by more than one party. Ballots should include a binding "None of the Above" choice so that, if the situation presents itself, citizens can express dissatisfaction with all candidates, and leave offices unfilled or to be appointed by other constitutional authority.

When our country was founded it lacked a unifying identity. Policy disputes based on factionalism, regionalism and distrust divided the young nation. Because they feared direct democracy by a largely rural and out-of-touch citizenry, the Framers implemented the Electoral College to ensure that some well-organized faction could not seize control of the federal government. This system served to ensure that the new president would have the support of a majority of states and congressional districts. Today, we know what it means to be an American. Our nation is firmly united, and it has weathered the Civil War and over two hundred years of shared history. Today, the Electoral College serves mainly to frustrate the will of the people. We believe that our nation should amend our Constitution to provide for direct election of our president.

Social Justice Issues

In the American Declaration of Independence, we stated that all men are created equal. Today our state and nation are made up of people from every part of the world and every cultural tradition. Each person deserves and has rights to dignity and moral equality. We believe that all persons should be equal in the eyes of the law. We oppose all forms of racial profiling by government and law enforcement agencies. We believe that we should maintain strong requirements of probable cause for warrants and arrests to prevent harassment and intimidation of minorities or other targeted groups.

We believe that all persons should have the right to work and be treated fairly in the workplace. We are opposed to discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or any other category intended to label and divide people. We believe that all Montanans should be paid a living wage so that they can support themselves and their families. This nation was built on the labor of men and women who make our prosperity possible. The Montana Green Party supports the right of workers to unionize and engage in collective bargaining and strikes. We support affirmative action programs to foster and promote diversity in schools and workplaces, to end institutional racism, and to ensure that the rightful aspirations of all Americans can be realized.

We support the recognition and inclusion in our communities of non-traditional families. We support civil unions and other voluntary commitments of mutual affection and responsibility. Reproductive choice is paramount in a free society. We maintain that men and women must have access to all the tools of family planning from education and contraception to adoption services and fertility enhancement. Every woman has a right to make choices about her body, including the choice to terminate a pregnancy. Family planning decisions are often difficult and complex, and must be left to the people involved, their physicians and counselors, not the state.

The Montana Green Party is appalled by the cuts that have been made to our social services. We must restore the safety net to ensure that people who are experiencing difficulties are not left behind. We believe that people should be given real help, not limited to cash assistance but with a holistic approach that must include job training, life-skills education and other investments in long-term productivity and happiness. Social services should be made more accessible, with every effort to simplify and streamline bureaucracy and paperwork so that those who need help can receive it. We maintain that everyone's basic needs must be taken into account and provided for in some fashion.

We favor the abolition of private "health insurance" so that all of our health care dollars can be wisely spent with health care providers through a single-payer system financed by a payroll tax. Those with independent means may buy additional health care services with their own resources, but they will still be responsible for supporting the single-payer system. A flat tax of 7% on all earned income would be more than sufficient, and that would be in place of all insurance plans and personal health care expenses we pay for, now. It would also replace the 40% or so of present health care costs paid out of general tax revenues, thus freeing them for deficit reduction or other programs. There is no reason why vastly inflated medical costs and prices cannot be reduced by half or more with an end to cost-shifting and ruinous litigation, malpractice suits and insurance, price-fixing, and monopoly protections of all kinds. We would repeal the recent legalization of prescription drug advertising which accounts for 3-5 times the costs of medical research (most of which are publicly funded) in corporate budgets. We defend the application of all existing free trade laws to the importation of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies and equipment.

Criminal Law Reform

Prisons are a sad necessity of the civilized world, but the United States and Montana lock up 5-15 times as many people, per capita, as other democracies. Prisons should exist to protect the citizens from the truly violent, and to provide for the rehabilitation of those that would make victims of their neighbors or the larger society. Our prisons too often fail to rehabilitate, and merely return people to their communities with no more understanding or concern for their victims than they had when they first committed their crimes. Our justice system must do more to ensure that prisoners have the resources and knowledge to make a fresh start and not return to their destructive behaviors.

Far too many people are incarcerated for non-violent drug offences. They crowd the prisons and they are often reinforced or "educated" to become even worse or "more successful" criminals after they are released. Violence is endemic in our prisons, along with AIDS, hepatitis, and other incurable diseases.

Our focus on drug prevention should be medical, not criminal. We should focus on harm reduction and humane treatment for drug users, not prison time. Mandated treatment should be the preferred mode of dealing with those who cannot control their use of harmful drugs. By taking the profits out of the illegal drug trade, we can end it or diminish it to insignificance, along with all the violence, sexual slavery, and other vices which accompany it.

We believe that medical and other responsible, personal use of marijuana and other traditional medicines should be decriminalized, taxed, and regulated. Just as in the 1920's, Prohibition has resulted in an exponential rise in crime and violence. Most of us have friends or family whose lives have been destroyed by felony drug convictions and prison sentences, as much or more than the by the drugs, themselves.

We must remember that those in prison are people just like us with all the same inalienable rights. They should have access to adequate healthcare (including drug treatment) and education; they should not have to fear torture or violence. The Montana Green Party opposes mandatory minimum sentences, "three strike" laws and the unfair asset forfeiture laws that affect even those who have never been convicted of a crime. We believe that privately run for-profit prisons are dangerous and ill advised; they do not provide those incarcerated with the incentives they need to improve their lives.

The United States has long been a strong voice for human rights around the world, but we must look inward and improve our own policies. The United States is the only nation in the world that sanctions the execution of minors and one of the few in the developed world that still imposes capital punishment. We believe that the death penalty is barbaric and that we as a nation can and must end it.

Environmental Issues

Montana's natural beauty and pristine environment makes it the envy of many. Responsible stewardship is the surest means of ensuring that Montana prospers and continues to maintain its quality of life for future generations in perpetuity. We support better legislation to protect and preserve our environment.

We are opposed to drilling for coal bed methane because its environmental costs far outweigh its benefits. We support the moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling on the Rocky Mountain front. We want to protect our forests and their ecological diversity for our children to enjoy and explore; commercial logging and so-called "healthy forests" legislation would devastate this natural ecosystem in the name of corporate profits and a very few high-paid jobs in the timber industry.

Recycling is an action that has manifold benefits for our environment as well as our economy. It reduces the need to extract new raw materials, it protects and conserves resources, and it reduces the need to commit precious land to waste disposal. We support curb-side pick up of recyclable materials and encourage the use of reusable and recyclable materials and home composting of plant and other biodegradable materials. We want Montana's air and water to be clean and pure. We oppose chemical treatment of water beyond that which is absolutely required to make it safe for drinking. Sewage treatment plants should use anaerobic digesters rather than ''cooking" or chemical treatment.

The Montana Green Party knows that responsible stewardship of our environment does not cost jobs. Environmentalism ensures that we grow and utilize our resources in such a way that we will maintain sustainable habitats for many generations to come. Industries such as environmental restoration, recycling and clean power generation will create countless new jobs in communities across the state.

Energy Issues

Our modern world is one that runs on electrical energy. We cannot eliminate its use but we can ensure that we produce it in the most responsible ways possible. The Montana Green Party promotes the use and development of renewable energy sources: solar, bio-mass, hydrogen and wind power. We want to discourage the expansion of fossil-fuel burning energy production, the construction of new dams and we advocate the total phase-out of nuclear power generation. We believe that the state has an important role to play by investing in and regulating our energy system. The Montana Green Party supports the establishment of a State Power Authority and the re-regulation of power production and distribution in the state. We believe that power should be produced and controlled by Municipal Utility Districts that are responsible to the people and communities they serve and are focused on providing clean, inexpensive power, not profits for out-of-state corporations.

Agriculture Issues

Without farmers our nation would soon cease to be. Providing food for people is one of the most important and ancient vocations. Montanans should support their Montana made and grown agricultural products. We believe that we need to support and defend the family farm and discourage the irresponsible and destructive corporate agribusiness that destroy the environment and our rural economy.

The Montana Green Party supports the expansion of organic farming and opposes the use of genetically modified seeds and produce. We favor a ban on all hormones and antibiotics in animal feed, recombinant DNA growth hormones in milk, and other dangerous contaminants of the food supply. We believe that hemp is a useful agricultural product that has countless uses, including fuel, protein, fiber, paper, cosmetics, and chemical feedstocks. To continue to ban its production will harm our farmers, our consumers and our economy.

Legislative and Government Reform

President Abraham Lincoln famously stated that ours was a government of, by and for the people. The Montana Green Party takes those words seriously. All too often our state government favors the interests of corporations, special-interests and their own privileges over the interests of the people of Montana. Grassroots democracy is the key to ensuring that decisions are made by the people most affected by them.

All meetings of government, including the State Legislature and its committees, should be open to the public and the media so that the process is transparent and the actions of our representatives are known. Paid lobbyists should not be permitted to purchase legislation through campaign contributions behind closed doors. We oppose the practice of rushing last-minute bills through the process without adequate debate or consideration. The number of bills submitted should be strictly limited to a reasonable number and prioritized so that those addressing pressing needs with the most co-sponsors are given the most favorable consideration.

We believe that government needs to be open to diverse voices; the "two-party system of denial and blame" benefits mainly the wealthy and powerful through the access they can easily buy. The Montana Green Party proposes amending the State Constitution to replace single-member districts with a proportional representation system that will allow significant minority-party candidates a chance to represent their constituencies.

Our freedom and self-government rests on our Constitutions. We are all protected by our Bill of Rights. The liberties protected by these documents are more important than any president or administration and its self-serving policies. We believe that governments at every level -- local, state and federal -- should stand firm in support of the Bill of Rights and in opposition of the unconstitutional measures enacted under the USA PATRIOT Act.

Education and Culture Issues

The primary duty of a democracy is to educate its children so that they have the tools and resources to make the decisions that will shape the future. To underfund education is not simply a misuse of resources; it puts the future in grave jeopardy. The Montana Green Party strongly believes that education and the cultural infrastructure of public broadcasting, libraries, museums, performing arts centers as well as public schools and universities is the strongest bulwark against crime, poverty and oppression. Education and cultural expression is an investment in our people, our communities, and our shared future.

We believe that educational services and institutions of all kinds need to be fully and fairly funded. Students must have access to the books and materials needed for a world-class education. We must pay educators a wage appropriate to the invaluable service they provide. We believe that small classes and neighborhood schools with site-based management and parental involvement is the surest way to ensure that future generations are given the foundation they need and deserve. We believe that students and families need to have choice in their education. The Montana Green Party supports open enrollment for public schools. We support more flexible scheduling for single parents so that they can complete their education because without education, they and their children are denied opportunities. We favor programs emphasizing education for citizenship and cultural literacy as well as college track, honors and vocational education. All of these should be available to interested students regardless of where they live. Our schools should be a haven for children. They should be places where people are free to grow and to learn. Violence has no place in our schools. Schools should be free of corporate involvement or advertisements. Our children are students, not consumers or a "market" for corporate exploitation.

City Planning and Sprawl

Across our nation urban sprawl is bringing countless harms. From loss of farm and forest land to increased highway congestion and the abandonment of our city centers, urban areas are not responsible or sustainable. The Montana Green Party knows that we need to enact laws that foster smart growth. We must protect our resources and landscapes, not pave them over. Jane Jacobs said that new ideas need old buildings. We need to redevelop our city centers to enliven community spirit and preserve our countryside. We need to enact laws that clarify the authority of city and county planning authorities and give serious, long-term thought to the size, shape and character of our cities.

Tax Reform

Taxes are the price we pay for the services we receive. If we want good schools, good roads, fire departments, parks or any of the other often overlooked services that our cities and state provide, we need to pay taxes. That said, the tax laws need to be fair. It is unconscionable that those who are able to pay should not pay. Corporations, businesses and wealthy citizens have the greater ability to pay and should bear more of the burden. The low and middle-class working families need to have some of the responsibility taken off of their shoulders. Regressive taxes hurt families, the poor and the elderly whose needs do not decrease with lower income. In the interest of fairness we need to close loopholes and ensure that businesses pay the taxes they owe.

Economies and efficiencies of all kinds must be pursued in the provision of governmental services. Costs and benefits of specific policies and programs must be freely investigated and make clear so that we can get the most public benefit out of each tax dollar.

International Relations and Peace

America is the strongest nation on earth. With that strength comes responsibility. We must work with the international community, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations around the world to ensure peace and security throughout the world. The Montana Green Party supports diplomacy and non-violence as the means of dealing with international problems. We are opposed to unilateral and preemptive military action. We support greater accountability of all governmental agencies to the Congress, the representatives of the people, to prevent out-of-control militarism.

We believe in the protection of human rights everywhere in the world and we believe that each nation has an innate right to self-government; neo-colonialism hurts the people in developing countries and should be considered beneath the dignity of our nation. Violence and oppression only breeds hatred and more violence. Dialogue, diplomacy and a realization of our interdependence is the only road to real and lasting peace.

Economic Issues

Over two hundred years ago this nation fought for political democracy. Today, the fight continues for economic democracy. We oppose supply-side, or "trickle down" economics; it is a failed model that provides only for those who are already wealthy to become more so while the poor continue to suffer.

We believe that the best economic model (socially, ecologically and commercially) is one made up of small, locally owned businesses. Co-operatives and customer-owned businesses give the community a stake in its future, and ensure that profit does not overshadow other responsibilities. Government should support and provide incentives for the growth of local economies. Small business should not be subject to more regulation than corporations. All business should be held to the same standard.

We believe that the Montana State Employment agencies should offer employment services to all workers: full-time, part-time, temporary and day-laborers. We believe that all social services are best administered by the government and non-profit community development agencies, and stand in opposition to their privatization for profit.

Consumer Protection Issues

The Montana Green Party believes that consumers have a right to be informed in the marketplace and protected from unfair and deceptive trade practices. Full documentation of health and safety records of companies and their products must be open to the public. Consumers deserve to know the reliability and endurance of the non-perishable products they buy; "mean time between failures ratings" should be mandatory. We favor legislation mandating full-disclosure labeling of food, medicines, cosmetics, and other potentially dangerous or contaminated products. The Montana Green Party supports national "country of origin" labeling. Consumer protection regulations must have real power, real enforcement, and real penalties if they are going to work to protect the citizens of our state.

The Montana Green Party opposes tort reforms that leave citizens powerless to hold corporations responsible for their products and actions. We also believe that the legal system is greatly overused for frivolous and costly lawsuits which have no basis in reality. The power of the state must be strictly limited to prevent the usurpation of the legal system and other public institutions for anti-social, private purposes.

Conclusion

The Montana Green Party is part of a global Green movement which maintains these TEN KEY VALUES:

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
4. PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE
5. DECENTRALIZATION
6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

If you share these values and you want to work with your neighbors to make the world a better place, we invite you to join the Montana Green Party