Grassroots Movements: Explained

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Finance defines politics: the exchange of dollars for recommendations, the calculated cost of democracy. Candidates offer their support to the highest bidder, trading ideals for sponsorship. This is the slow destruction of government — with the intentions of a constitution undone by pennies. Men and women sell their motivations, and all assume that this is the only way to fuel progress.

There are other avenues to pursue, however — and among these is the Grassroots Movement process.

Simply explained: a Grassroots Movement is a collection of community efforts to inspire change. These efforts lack the usual corporate funding or manipulations. Instead they’re composed of simpler techniques — such as rallies, letters, stopping strangers on the street for petition signings, posting fliers and more. Raising money becomes a process for the people, rather than relying on companies. This produces a more honest (and earnest) campaign.

And such campaigns form the Green Party. This independent political movement emphasizes the need for social and environmental change — without succumbing to the influence of corporations or the media. It promotes justice within all forms of the country; and its penchant for Grassroots has led it to great success (with thousands of community victories and even occasional representatives with Congress or the Senate).

The value of a Grassroots Movement has forever been its ability to reach the masses. The inclusive nature of these campaigns — along with their refusal to accept donations from domineering businesses — allow them to please. And they ensure fairness within the world of politics.

 

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The Basics of the Green Party

Green Party of England and Wales

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It may not surprise you to learn that the Green Party takes its name from the common use of the word “green” to indicate things that are good for the environment. Members of the party believe in sustainable farming and business, and laws that protect the environment. Party members support the search for and use of alternative fuels sources; and encourage individuals and businesses to live in and produce goods in ways that cause no further harm to the planet.

You may be surprised, however, to learn that these same people support the development of universal healthcare. The Green Party platform says that access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege that should be reserved for the few who can comfortably afford it. An overwhelming number of workers in the United States simply can’t, based on the wages they earn, which leads us to another pillar of Green Party beliefs.

The party strongly feels that workers in this country should be paid a living wage. The minimum wage, decided upon by the government, is not enough to survive on, which leads many people who work full time to live in poverty. These same people then must fall back on government assistance programs to provide their families with food, medicine and more. In another effort to even the playing field for workers in the U.S., the Green Party supports higher taxes for the wealthy.

Some think the belief system of the Green Party is too far to the left, using phrases such as “bleeding heart liberals” to define the party’s members. But at its core, the party supports the Constitution of the United States and the rights and freedoms of United States citizens. It is possible, however, to support these ideals and still recognize that our government and our society have plenty of room for improvement.

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Rational thinking needed on illegal immigration

Seeing Arizona get into hot water with its controversial new immigration law is a welcome turn of events. The Department of Justice is doing the right thing in suing the state to overturn a law it deems unconstitutional.
Now by no means is government intervention the best solution in many situations. Solving problems should be done at the grassroots level in our local communities. Involving government in everything can cause things to become more complicated than necessary.
Still, in this case, something needs to be done to stop an irrational law from taking control. What Arizona’s immigration law does is simply single out for punishment a particular segment of our society trying to carve out a better life in the United States. It will not curb illegal immigration and will lead to massive racial profiling of our fellow citizens based solely on the color of their skin.
It will be a good thing if this law is repealed, but it needs to be just the first step of many. If we want to truly strengthen our borders, we need to adhere to Green Party principles that, if applied, will create a better society.
We need to end the insane war on drugs that fuels the cycle of poverty and violence that forces people to cross the Mexican-U.S. border to seek a better life for their families. No one is going to stop the drug trade as long as bunches of American consumers are around to keep drug lords in business. Legalizing some drugs such as marijuana may seem radical, but it could result in a massive waste of tax money and lives expended in fighting a war that solely exists to score political points.
The support of corporations that exploit immigrants through unfair labor practices also needs to end. Corporate elements make illegal immigration a problem because they exploit poor workers on both sides of the border. They pay almost non-existent wages to cheaply mass produce goods sold to middle class and upper class consumers. Not buying from such companies will make a much bigger statement and bring about change faster than any ill-conceived state law.

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BP Oil Spill a disaster on many levels

Bloomington, Minnesota May 31, 2010 People gat...
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One thing the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has underscored is that corporations are not looking out for our best interests. In the midst of one worst ecological crises of our generation, BP has worried more about its own public image than finding real solutions to the problems it has caused for millions of people.

Ecological wisdom is one of the original four pillars of the Green Party and it is easy to see with this whole BP episode why we need to take care of the environment in which we live. The toll from the millions of barrels of oil in the Gulf Waters has been devastating on so many levels.

Oily waters are proving toxic to shrimp, crabs, lobsters, crawfish and varieties of fish that are vital to the livelihood of a vast majority of residents along the gulf coast. Harming the seafood industry in this part of the United States will negatively affect the economy of the nation as a whole. Tens of thousands of people are looking at losing their jobs and their homes because the oily waters have ruined traditional fishing grounds.

The oil spill has also had a profoundly devastating effect on other non-marine wildlife. Brown pelicans – the official bird of Louisiana – are getting coated with oil when fishing for food and the result has meant large numbers of this bird species dying as a result. It was only recently that this species had been removed from the endangered species list. Now a man-made threat is undermining all the work done in past decades to preserve the brown pelican.

A society run by corporate greed is a society that will head for destruction if left unchecked. We need to use this oil spill by BP as a wake-up call to fight for policies and laws that will protect our environment. It is more than just a good idea. It is a key to a better life for all of us – human and animal alike.

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