Ten Key Values

[Frodo]

Do you agree or disagree with any of the following?
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10 KEY VALUES

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect his or her life and should not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature.
We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.

4. NON-VIOLENCE

It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society's current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments.
We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.

5. DECENTRALIZATION

Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS

Redesign our work structures to encourage employee ownership and workplace democracy. Develop new economic activities and institutions that will allow us to use our new technologies in ways that are humane, freeing, ecological and accountable, and responsive to communities.
Establish some form of basic economic security, open to all.
Move beyond the narrow "job ethic" to new definitions of "work," jobs" and "income" that reflect the changing economy.
Restructure our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy: those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work, etc.
Restrict the size and concentrated power of corporations without discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY

We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.

We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or "unmaking" all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.
Make the quality of life, rather than open-ended economic growth, the focus of future thinking.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Disagree with all of them

[dazzleman]

I agree with all of them to a point.  Still, the devil is in the details.

I believe in equal opportunity as much as possible, but I don't think government can be expected to compensate for every disadvantage beyond its control.  In theory we all have equal opportunity, but in reality, we all have different levels of intelligence and ambition, and different types of upbringing, all of which affect our real level of opportunity.  One area where we can really do better is to break the link between where we live and what our educational opportunities are.

I don't think true gender equality is really possible, because of the different physical makeup, emotional makeup, and biological roles of the two genders.  We should strive more for equivalency with offsetting assymetries.  I don't think mainstream or radical feminism, as they're currently constructed, are appropriate vehicles for this goal.

I like the idea of workplace democracy to a point, but it works with some people and not others.  The bottom line is that somebody has to be the boss in a workplace, and democracy in that environment will always be a partial thing.

I think that respect for diversity is a good thing to a point, but once again, it is currently being severely distorted, and used as a way to focus on how people are different, and what separates them, rather than what brings people together.  This defeats the whole purpose.  I think we'd be better off de-emphasizing things like ethnic differences rather than obsessing over them, as we are currently doing.

[Andrew101]

10 KEY VALUES

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

We have a right to do what ever we want whenever we want.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Yes I agree with this 100 percent. This nation we all live in was founded on that statement right there. Plus who are we to say who is better then one self?

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

We should live in a way to make sure we do not destory nature at all. We only have one earth and if or when we destory it we will die from our own doings. We need to live with it not try to destory it.

4. NON-VIOLENCE

Golbe peace is good, but we still need weapons to protect our country just incase some other nation when to war with us. But we should move toward golbe peace no douth.

5. DECENTRALIZATION

Giving power to the local goverment is somewhat a good idea, but we still need power in the national goverment. We need the national govement to slove the desputes between the states.

The other ones to come later.

[Jake]

4, 5, 7, 8

I disagree with how the other six are addressed by most people.

[Citizen James]

Well, like many political platforms, it's full of a lot of vague generallities.   I'm not sure about #5 but the rest look unobjectionable on the surface.

It also looks like the sort of platform the green party would have - and may well be (I haven't looked it up).

[nclib]

I'm not sure about #5 but the rest look unobjectionable on the surface.

^^^^^^^

It also looks like the sort of platform the green party would have - and may well be (I haven't looked it up).

It is indeed the ten key values of the Green Party.

[°Leprechaun]

All of them, of course.