Peace Party general thread

[Mr. Reactionary]

X R, PPT

Seconding Ruckersville, Virginia

[Mr. Reactionary]

Not sure if this is the time to consider platform amendments. I have a few but wanted to start with this one. It updates and expands upon the existing provisions and adds some new stuff about big business.

Social and Economic Well-Being

Atlasia's boom and bust cycle creates economic instability. Over the past several decades, Atlasia's wealthiest have become richer while our poor have become poorer. Peace believes that Atlasia is only as strong as its weakest link.

To achieve prosperity for all, we support the fair distribution of wealth that includes but is not limited to such as by expanding the earned income tax credit, increases in corporate and capital gains tax rates, and as recently proposed in the Senate, raising the top marginal tax rate to 58% and ensuring that to the maximum extent practicable tax burdens are borne by the wealthiest in society rather than those who have less.

We support universal access to pre-school, daycare services, and maternity care.

We support economic programs which lift people out of poverty and improve living conditions.

We support expanding job opportunities and higher education, such as free in state tuition at all public colleges. We support an "AtlasDeal' that pledges to repair our crumbling continued investment in infrastructure, which includes such as roads, bridges, trains and mass transit, airports, waterways, ports and harbors, shoreline resiliency, internet and electricity service, our clean energy infrastructure capabilities, science laboratories and equipment, and schools education and workforce training.

We oppose the concentration and consolidation of economic power as a tool to control, abuse, defraud, or otherwise harm the people. Accordingly we support government action to prevent and break up monopolies, trusts, company towns, and other anti-competitive behavior. We support consumer protections against fraud, deception, price gouging, and the violation of customer privacy and advocate for fairness to customers.

We support limiting the power of big banks, outlawing loan-sharking and usury, protecting customer access to financial services, and preventing harmful speculator bubbles and harmful inflation. We support protecting debtors from cruel and degrading treatment by creditors and from an endless spiral of poverty.  

We oppose the consolidation of food production into corporate factory farms and support protections for independent farmers such as preventing seed patenting, promoting organic farming and fertilizer, and outlawing monopolistic marketing boards and subsidy programs that only enrich the largest landowners.

We staunchly believe that strong unions are key to a strong middle class. We support efforts to protect the right of the workers to collectively bargain, anti-retaliation protections for workers, and the elimination of wage theft and exploitative practices by employers. We support high wages and employer investment into the well-being of workers such as paid leave policies and retirement assistance. We endorse the Employee Free Choice Act, recently passed by both branches of Congress and signed into law by President Weatherboy.

We believe that our trade policies have not been beneficial to the Atlasian worker and instead have been beneficial to companies interested in increasing their profit margin by shipping jobs to lower wage nations. As such, trade deals such as CAFTA and NAFTA warrant re-negotiation. The outsourcing of the workforce should be discouraged.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Second platform amendment proposal. It expands upon our commitment to peace.

Peace and Diplomacy

We believe that war should only be used as a last resort. Our goal for a demilitarized society can only be met through diplomacy and consensus-building foreign policy. Intervening in foreign wars should be avoided, Atlasian military bases in foreign countries should be scaled back, foreign spying should be limited, the presence of foreign soldiers on Atlasian soil should be prohibited, and the sale of arms to foreign militaries should be greatly curtailed. Most importantly, we believe that international law, as defined by the Charter of the United Nations, is obeyed at all times in order to maintain the credibility of Atlasia. human rights should be prioritized and respected and that our military should not engage in torture, prisoner mistreatment, the targeting of civillians, or other war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We believe that government does not have the moral right to forcibly subject its citizens to violence. As such, we favor a Constitutional ban on military conscription and the dissolution of the Selective Service System. We also oppose martial law and the deployment of the military domestically.

We oppose the militarization of the police and oppose giving weapons of war to civilian police forces. The police should strive for deescalation whenever possible. We support training all police officers in deescalation and appropriate use of force guidelines to limit police violence against the people.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Final proposed amendment. Modernizes a dated reference and add support from crime victims.

Fairness and Equality

We embrace the charge of our Constitution that all humans are equal. This principle should be reflected in our local, regional, and national laws. We strongly oppose recent efforts in the House of Representatives to end ending birthright citizenship.

We support protecting those who are victim to discrimination, which includes those of all gender expressions, sexual orientations, races, creeds, political beliefs, ages, abilities, economic statuses, and religions.

We support protecting LGBT citizens under existing hate crime legislation.

We seek to establish a better relationship between law enforcement officials and the people whose duty it is for them to protect.

We support defending the entire Bill of Rights from infringement by local, regional, or national authorities.

We support treating the victims of crime and violence with dignity and respect.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Most of these changes look good, but I would rather take a more finessed approach on trade. As you well know, trade pacts are good for diplomacy, and that is why we have a better relationship with several African countries whereas IRL those ties don't exist. This will pay both monetary and political dividends for both sides over the long term and play a key role in our diplomacy. And, they also partially fill the gap with our failure to establish relations with the Arab world.

While I support trade reform, I'm not really a tariff man. Historically, they haven't worked as intended and have contributed to big economic crashes in addition to inflation. Trade is a touchy subject, and overall I'd say I'm more in favor of trade than I am of protectionism. But there needs to be a balance, and Atlasia cannot be a party to one-sided trade bills, which is why we're fixing NAFTA and its rules instead of simply repealing it.

Just my thoughts.

Is that version better now?

[Mr. Reactionary]

As anyone with eyes can see the proposed amendments add the following topics to the platform:

Universal daycare
Infrastructure development
Workforce training
Coastline conservation
Science labs
Big Business
Monopolies
Company towns
Corporate fraud
Price gouging
Data privacy
Consumer protections
Bank regulations
Loan sharking
Inflation
Debtor protections
Factory Farms
Organic farming
Wage theft
Higher wages
Paid leave
Retiree benefits
Outsourcing
Foreign conflicts
Foreign arms sales
Foreign military bases
Human rights abuses
Martial law
Police militarization
Police violence
Victims of violence

In what way are these inconsistent with the Peace Party?

The only thing this is watering down is the corrupt influence that lobbyists and big corporations have over the Labor Party. Why is it that whenever we talk about big banks Labor swoops in and defends them? These changes are bad for Monsanto, Dow DuPont, Google, the big banks, loan sharks, data brokers, arms dealers, the military industrial complex, wage cheats, crooks, and greedy bosses but good for everyone else. That's why the head of the Labor Party is fighting so hard to undermine Peace and its agenda. The Labor leadership is bought and paid for by the banks and lobbyists.

[Mr. Reactionary]

LOCATION VOTE
Ruckersville, Virginia [ 1 ]
Richmond, Virginia [ 2 ]



Proposed amendment to Bylaws:

...

All members are eligible to participate in any vote conducted by the Peace Party provided they have been a registered member of the Peace Party for at least seven days preceeding the beginning of the convention at which such vote is being conducted.

...

[Mr. Reactionary]

Aye to all

[Mr. Reactionary]

1. Aye
2. Aye
3. Aye
4. Nay
5. Aye
6. Aye
7. Aye

[Mr. Reactionary]

I will second Vegas

[Mr. Reactionary]

Laki

1. Classic Liminal
2. Spiral

Scott

Las Vegas

[Mr. Reactionary]

FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT
ONE (1) to be endorsed.
[   ] Tack50 (Lab) and Laki (Pax)
[ 1  ] Rep. Joseph Cao (Fed) and ReaganClinton20XX (DA)
[   ] No Endorsement
[   ] Write-in:
FOR LINCOLN REGIONAL SENATE
ONE (1) to be endorsed.
[ 1  ] Sirius (DA)
[   ] No Endorsement
[   ] Write-in:
FOR AT LARGE SENATE
Max. Seven (7) to be endorsed (for third preference)
[ 1  ] WB (DA)
[  1 ] West_Midlander (Fed)
[  1 ] LouisvilleThunder (Fed)
[ 1  ] Pragmatic Populist (Lab)
[  ] Pyro (Lab)
[  ] nerd73 (Lab)
[   ] None of the Above
[   ] Write-in: