“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
-Rachel Carson
-Rachel Carson
Carbon Neutrality
We have known about the dangers of climate change, as well as the causes thereof, for decades. Our party fully accepts the overwhelming evidence that climate scientists have presented demonstrating the causes and effects of climate change over time, and we urge all citizens to accept the validity of these countless studies and to now help us be a part of the solution to the already-present problem. Even to those who doubt that human activity is the primary cause of climate change, we say that it is apparent that the climate is undergoing a level of change, and we know for certain that a reduction of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere can help to stabilize the earth’s natural systems as we have come to know them over the past several thousand years of human history. The time has come to put away debate and to take decisive action to achieve total carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this end, we will invest heavily in renewable resources, we will explore the possibility of installing more solar technologies on our roadways and buildings, we will invest in more green infrastructure, and we will look to study and utilize new carbon sequestration technologies. We have a moral obligation to allow for future generations to not only survive, but thrive, and failure to achieve climate neutrality is a failure of this duty.
Climate Resilience Preparation
There is a level of climate change that has already taken place around the world, and even if we succeed in massively scaling back on future emissions, the effect of our past emissions will continue to impact the world for decades to come. This means worsening environmental conditions around the globe, and these conditions put many of our civilians at risk of displacement, injury, or even death. Upon election, our candidates will fight for federal funding to be designated for climate resilience projects, and we will encourage local and state governments across the country to be proactive in both reducing emissions and preparing themselves for the changes they face. Lowland coastal communities must study their shores and prepare projects to help mitigate erosion and mass-flooding; farmers across the midwest must begin looking to produce crops that are either drought or flood-resistant, depending on their specific location; and communities across the nation must be prepared for more extreme heat and cold temperatures and all the risks that are associated with those conditions, and we are prepared to begin these conversations now, before it is too late.
Biodiversity
Protecting biodiversity and preserving individual, unique species is not an arbitrary goal, but it is rather one of paramount importance to human survival and betterment. Beyond the obvious benefits that biodiversity can offer our planet’s ecosystems, humanity also relies on a multitude of other organisms for the development of new food, medicine, and other technological breakthroughs. Without the horseshoe crab’s blood, we would be without an agent to test new medications for endotoxins, and without horses, many types of snake antivenoms would have never been possible. We do not yet know what endless possibilities may still await our discovery as we continue to research different species, but we do know that our options become more and more limited as species go extinct. Beyond a moral obligation to each species on this planet, we have a moral obligation to the people we serve to protect the existence of all species to ensure that our future is secure.
Corporate Carbon Taxation, Carbon Dividends for Taxpayers
Our party is one that values the earth and our limited natural resources very greatly. In an effort to both protect ourselves from climate change and to raise revenue for the government, we propose enacting a steep carbon tax on businesses and other organizations, which would charge a greater amount from entities that consume more carbon fuels on an annual basis. These funds would not go into some invisible government fund, but would be returned to the people as a tax refund, giving common folks extra resources with which they can “vote with their wallets” to buy now-cheaper, less carbon-intensive products. Over time, the carbon dividend and tax system will drive down carbon use and move us towards a more sustainable economy without putting the burden on regular people as so many other plans tend to do.
Local, Sustainable Agriculture
Agriculture lies at the heart of civilization, and we believe that this deep-rooted practice must be preserved and made sustainable. To that end, our party supports enacting policy that will promote eco-friendly, efficient farming practices. We will seek to support small farms and protect the individual’s right to farm as a means of creating sustenance for themselves.
Elimination of Food Deserts
We wish for local agriculture practices to not simply be reserved for rural and suburban communities, but we also believe that agriculture must be supported in urban centres, too. We will encourage city residents to engage with rooftop and vertical farming in an effort to produce fresh food for those areas.
Improvements to Water Infrastructure
Flint, Michigan has been without clean, drinkable water since 2014, and many communities near fracking operations have had their drinking water irreparably contaminated with deadly toxins. It is our party’s goal to provide all with clean drinking water, and we will guide local communities through the process of creating more robust water treatment centers.
Lowering Our Carbon Footprint
In an effort to lower our carbon footprint, we call for a holistic approach to eliminating the use of fossil fuels to power our electric grid, automobiles, and other machine systems. We call for the electrification of all machine systems and for greater investment in renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, hydro, and tidal power.
While controversial, we also at this time of transition support the creation of nuclear power plants in lieu of more carbon-heavy fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. In the future, with the advent of more efficient renewable technologies and a strengthening of our power grid, we would aim to eliminate the use of nuclear technologies. We see nuclear power as a means to bridge our current grid to one that is wholly sustainable.
While controversial, we also at this time of transition support the creation of nuclear power plants in lieu of more carbon-heavy fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. In the future, with the advent of more efficient renewable technologies and a strengthening of our power grid, we would aim to eliminate the use of nuclear technologies. We see nuclear power as a means to bridge our current grid to one that is wholly sustainable.
Regional Energy Autonomy & Cooperation
For the good of our earth, our communities, and our region, we support a sustainable, regional approach to energy infrastructure. We support making full use of the latest technological advances to make New England energy independent, and by leading the charge towards decentralized, battery enabled smart-grid technology. Using this technology, we can make use of a large number of small-scale, local energy sources, and preserve that energy for times of peak demand. Smart-grid technology allows for more efficient energy transmission, and easier integration of renewable energy sources.
Decentralization of these grids will create a more resilient and efficient energy distribution system, which can better make use of the smaller scale, local generation opportunities. For example, many towns and cities in New England once flourished as a result of the ability to harness hydropower, and deploying small-scale hydroelectric facilities in many of these locations may help us create more affordable electricity across the region. This would not only reduce the cost of energy for the consumer, but would also capitalize on natural assets to provide good-paying jobs in many communities that are still suffering from the loss of manufacturing and extractive industries. By creating a region-wide system of decentralized smart grids, we can successfully integrate large- and small-scale energy generation from a variety of carbon free sources.
Decentralization of these grids will create a more resilient and efficient energy distribution system, which can better make use of the smaller scale, local generation opportunities. For example, many towns and cities in New England once flourished as a result of the ability to harness hydropower, and deploying small-scale hydroelectric facilities in many of these locations may help us create more affordable electricity across the region. This would not only reduce the cost of energy for the consumer, but would also capitalize on natural assets to provide good-paying jobs in many communities that are still suffering from the loss of manufacturing and extractive industries. By creating a region-wide system of decentralized smart grids, we can successfully integrate large- and small-scale energy generation from a variety of carbon free sources.
Electric Infrastructure
Our electrical infrastructure is aging and growing more obsolete with each passing year. We support the greater development of microgrids and support microgeneration being utilized for any and all buildings where it is safe to do so. We support putting wires underground in tornado and storm-heavy regions, as power outages can very quickly become life-threatening for our elders and those undergoing medical care, and we will support examining the feasibility and cost effectiveness of transitioning the power generation industry to the public sector, as a means of better protecting our infrastructure, nuclear technology, and guarding against rising costs.
Civilian Technology Research
In Fiscal Year 2020, the Department of Defense’s initial budget was approximately $721.5 billion. With reallocations, however, the budget is more likely to be in the range of $934 billion. Considering the small size and weak power of other foreign militaries, coupled with the fact that millions of Americans are homeless, hungry, and without healthcare on a daily basis, we believe that the United States spends an appalling amount of money on war, and that we must do more to help our citizens rather than take foreign lives.
A key criticism of reducing the military budget in the past has been that many technologies that go on to help civilians greatly come from military research. We call on a portion of the money from the Department of Defense’s budget to be reallocated to civilian technology research, so that the people can benefit from technological advances without having to fund the military-industrial complex and worry about their tax dollars being used to harm others.
A key criticism of reducing the military budget in the past has been that many technologies that go on to help civilians greatly come from military research. We call on a portion of the money from the Department of Defense’s budget to be reallocated to civilian technology research, so that the people can benefit from technological advances without having to fund the military-industrial complex and worry about their tax dollars being used to harm others.
Subsidies & Grants
We do not believe that business owners should be getting wealthy with taxpayer dollars. We will put an end to the tens of billions of dollars that large, profitable companies get every year in corporate welfare, and we will instead put that money to good use in the service of taxpayers themselves. We will look to provide grants to state agencies and non-profit organizations that seek to conduct research and develop products that will be given over to the public domain upon completion.
Space Exploration
In 1961, the first human being went to space. While we have made progress in the realm of space technology since that time, we have not put those advances to good or practical use in many decades. Our party advocates for increasing funding for further scientific exploration of our solar system and what lies beyond, and generally supports efforts to colonize other celestial bodies within our solar system. We support the demilitarization and strictly peaceful use of space as part of our commitment to seeing outer space as the common legacy of the whole of humanity.
Automation Tax
In order to make a Universal Basic Income policy operational, and also in order to account for the income tax that is lost every year to jobs replaced by automatons, we support enacting an automation tax. This is a tax that would be levied against employers to make up for the amount of income tax lost in the aforementioned way to ensure that the government can continue to provide for its residents even after jobs are lost to a changing economy.
Rural Revitalization & Infrastructure
While urban centers are generally the center of much redevelopment attention, we believe that our rural communities deserve just as much care and attention. We propose developing an infrastructure replacement and expansion program that will help better connect our more rural communities with the nearest train and air hubs for increased mobility. We will also work on the state level to ensure that public universities are granting equal opportunities for development and education to those coming from rural regions.
Ending Gentrification
In line with our belief in local rule, we believe that the people of each neighborhood in a given town or city should be responsible for determining the future of their immediate surroundings. We will work with local governments to ensure that their development projects respect the type of environment that the residents of any given neighborhood wish to cultivate, and we will discourage needless movement to cater towards middle-income families that are not in need of additional housing options.
Producer-Responsible Recycling
We have become a country of mass consumption and waste, but our party aspires to greater ends. We support utilizing extended producer recycling (EPR) as a means of enforcing greater environmental standards on all purchased products and packaging. EPR is a legal requirement dictating that the producers of any product are financially responsible for the disposal of that produced material. This change in our recycling system would encourage production companies to create items that are more easily recyclable and it encourages a total decreased use in packaging, ultimately leading to a more eco-friendly marketplace.
Right to Private Business
We affirm an individual’s right to seek private services in instances where a public option is provided, such as in our education and health care systems.
High-Speed Rail
The right to travel freely is one that we hold very dear, and we believe it is the role of the government to protect that right and to make the exercise of that right all the easier. To that end, we will invest in high-speed rail systems between all major cities. This rail system will be publicly-owned and the tickets for the system will be largely subsidized to ensure easy access for all residents. We will also reinvest in our highways, working to incorporate renewable energy technologies where we can and making key expansions to help alleviate traffic pressures that have long plagued our interstate system.
Transit-Oriented Development
We need to not only develop walkable communities; we seek to develop communities that have widespread access to systems of transit. We seek to invest monies for new housing in areas that will support access to public transportation.