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Green Party Releases Its Progressive Agenda Ahead of Hochul’s State of the State 

1/9/24 - The Green Party of New York said that Governor Hochul’s State of the State failed to lay out the bold action needed to deal with the multiple crisis facing New York. “The Governor remains more committed to protecting her campaign donors rather than making the investments needed to lift up the average New Yorkers, many of whom continue to face significant economic challenges following the COVID epidemic. Threats to democracy and to the well-being of the average New Yorkers remains a bipartisan effort,” said Peter LaVenia, co-chair of the Green Party.

The Greens released its progressive agenda for 2024, including ballot access reform to restore third party political rights, enacting Ranked Choice Voting and proportional representation, passing single-payer universal healthcare, and needed housing reforms including rent control, constructing a million units of publicly owned social housing, and good-cause eviction. The party argued for immediate action on climate change, and said that taxing the rich, including stopping the rebate of the Stock Transfer Tax, would help pay for needed reforms and social program expansion including reinvestment in impacted communities.

While the Party was encouraged that the Governor is proposing at least part of the NY Heat Act to curtail the promotion of and subsidies for fossil fuels, they criticized the Hochul administration for failing to meet the deadlines laid out in the state's new climate law on how it plans to meet its relatively weak goals to reduce global emissions. According to a recent report by Dr. James Hansen, the world will have already passed the target of 1.5 degrees C warming before NY even adopts its legally required plan on how to reduce emissions. “No wonder the UN has said that governments' slow climate action has opened up the Gates of Hell. And delaying Hochul’s weak carbon pricing plan just allows more fuel to be thrown into the fire,” noted Mark Dunlea of the EcoAction Committee of the U.S. Green Party.

Hochul did lay out a number of small but important climate steps, but fell far short of treating the situation as a climate emergency. Noticeably absent was any mention the Hochul intended to have NYPA launched a major expansion of publicly owned renewable energy as authorized in last year’s budget, nor was there any mention of public ownership of the transmission grid. While Hochul has indicated that $3 billion a year will be raised by how delayed cap-and-trade program, her speech fell far short on outlining a plan to begin investing the $10 to $20 billion of annual funding needed for a rapid transition to clean energy. She did announce support for making polluters to pay for the damages they have caused, such as enacting the Climate Superfund Act. The Party wished that her Solar for All was actually for all residents. It also supports far greater funding for environmental justice and Just Transition programs.

“The climate emergency is at a crucial point. We must solve the climate crisis so that our children have a chance for a decent future. The Green New Deal, which we first called for in Howie Hawkins’ 2010 gubernatorial race, will also meet the economic needs of our state’s residents. Single payer health care would reduce overall healthcare spending while ensuring that everyone’s health care needs, including COVID, are met,” added Dunlea. 

In addition to funding Green New Deal initiatives, the Greens call for an ecosocialist Green New Deal to move rapidly towards a renewable energy economy. The party said it strongly opposes Gov. Hochul’s cap-and-trade solution and that the CLCPA was an example of the Democrat’s tepid response to the worsening climate catastrophe. They called for major subsidies to enact rapid decarbonization of all buildings in the state including heat pumps, geothermal, and energy conservation. Greens called for a rapid expansion of funds for mass transit and that all new vehicles should be electric by 2030.  The Greens want a target date of zero emissions as soon as possible (2030), rather than the 30-year goal under the state law, which would still allow emissions to be 15% of 1990 levels. The Greens back an immediate halt to all new fossil fuel infrastructure, increased public ownership and democratic control of the energy system and a robust carbon tax in all sectors to make polluters pay for the damages they cause with fossil fuels.

The Greens said that New York State must become a gold standard for electoral reform. They mentioned that New York is an outlier in recent years, as most states have loosened ballot access laws rather than restricting them. Reform of ballot access laws would give New Yorkers more choices and help combat the widespread and continual corruption in state government from both the Democrats and Republicans.

“Democracy continues to be in a fragile condition in New York and nationwide, with both parties engaged in corruption and suppression of democratic rights. Cuomo used the cover of COVID to kill independent small parties in the state budget. We demand the so-called progressive Democrats with a Legislative supermajority who told us they opposed what was happening to have the courage to stand up and do what is right for New Yorkers. That includes raising the taxes on billionaires and other rich New Yorkers to close the massive budget deficit from COVID,” said  Gloria Mattera, state party co-chair.

“Governor Hochul’s attempt to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units and force municipalities to build housing hit a roadblock last year because it was dependent on private property interests doing so. As a party we agree that housing reform is absolutely necessary, but the only way to get there is through public investment and ownership of housing. We need a committed program of public social housing that provides a million units for working-class and middle-class families across the state. Additionally, we need to pass strong tenant protection like rent control, good-cause eviction, and legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to shift away from the bankrupt suburban, single-family home model,” added Mattera.

The Greens have also been long-term proponents of stopping the multi-billion dollar annual rebate of the Stock Transfer Tax. “It is long past time we make the rich pay their fair share of taxes, instead of making New York the long-time leader in economic inequality. We won’t solve the climate crisis or systemic racism or a host of other social problems until we embrace ecosocialism, putting the needs of average people and the planet ahead of the profits and well-being of a few,” said Peter LaVenia, state party co-chair.

EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the United States.

https://www.gp.org/ecoaction_committee - https://www.facebook.com/GPEcoAction/ - https://www.gp.org/green_new_deal

The EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the U.S. will hold a webinar forum on Monday, April 10 about the importance of this year’s Earth Day to May Day activities. The event, which begins at 8:00 PM ET is part of the national day to build the Green Party.

RSVP is required. Register here for the April 10 Forum.

The webinar will outline how green activists can build support for system change not climate change by organizing local educational events, protests, vigils, social media, LTE, call-ins, etc. from Earth Day (April 22) to May Day. An important part is building solidarity among the various movements demanding systemic change, such as Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, GLBQT, rights of nature, public power, peace, and worker and immigrant rights.

Speakers on April 10 will address the need for the climate movement to be more anti-capitalist, as well as the need for an Ecosocialist Green New Deal; biodiversity / RON; ending single-use plastics and halting fossil fuels; the role of the military on climate; and, how to promote Green living.

Speakers include Mark Dunlea, co-chair of EcoAction and author of Putting Out the Planetary Fire (link for free internet/pdf copy), speaking on climate change and the need to end capitalism; Dawn Marie Cronen, co-chair of EcoAction, speaking on Green Living; and Prof. David Schwartzman, EcoAction member from DC and climate scientist, speaking on climate change and the military.

Registration required.

The Green Party is the only political party that promotes direct democracy in our electoral campaigns and our platform. Direct democracy is the process through which the important issues and ideas that the Green Party supports can best be implemented. It is the putting into practice of our vision of a future society. A society that would be democratically run on all levels, especially the political, economic, and infrastructure levels.

Worker councils and popular assemblies, democratically organized in the workplace and local areas, would decide on public policies together. Worker, farmer, and tenant cooperatives would replace global corporations with sustainable local economies based on democratic decision making. These could then form trade associations for the purpose of industrial and agricultural specialization. Other methods of direct democratic decision making would include participatory budgeting, community land trusts, initiative and referendum, and police review boards.

A society where the collective good is prioritized by a real political and economic democracy would foster voluntary cooperation. A decentralized democratic society would minimize the layers of hierarchy which create inequality of wealth, so you have not only the freedom but also the resources and the ability to meet basic needs. Direct democracy transforms individual free choices into equally shared collective action. It demonstrates that individual freedom and collective benefit are not mutually exclusive. Direct democracy is the process where the methods of health or security or the social good is determined by the people themselves. The inclusive participation of direct democracy expresses the cooperative ownership of the society.

That is what the Green Party is fighting for.

https://www.hawkinsmattera.org/hawkins_mattera_news_conference_announcing_campaign

The Green Party Of New York is seeking enthusiastic and personable persons, to help collect signatures to get our candidates on the ballot. These are temporary jobs lasting five weeks, from April 19 to May 24 of this year. We are hiring for both full time and part time positions. Hours can be flexible as long as you can find people to sign for you. Pay is $20/hour with bonuses for high performers.

Your job will consist of meeting people in public places to ask for their signature on a petition. Training will be provided, and no prior canvassing experience is necessary. Attention to detail is important. You must be registered to vote in New York State. Please respond here, or apply online at gpny.org/petitionjob. Together we can challenge the corrupt and complacent, and work toward a better future for all people.

Representing workers and communities with real solutions, the Green Party Of New York remains a unifying force for economic, social, political, and environmental justice.

We started and stand proudly behind our campaigns for: World Peace; Medicare For All; Worker Ownership; Direct Democracy; Banking Reform; Judicial, Police, and Prison Reform; and an actual Green New Deal.

Our success is measurable despite the obstacles put in our way for ballot access by the two faces of the one corporate party that relies on empty promises and fear tactics to fool and divide voters.

Over 111 Greens hold elected office nationwide as of November 2, 2021!

Join us and stand on the winning side of history as we elect more Green Party representatives in 2022.

We are stronger together!

Volunteers

https://www.gpny.org/volunteer

Candidates

candidates@gpny.org

Let me first say that this is my very first post on reddit. So, Hello.

I've got this burning desire to help educate young humans just coming into their sexual bodies. I feel an educated kid will be more likely to veer away from the mental inhibitions that come with shaming sexual desires. Most people just don't learn about their own bodies let alone how to treat another's. I am reading some books on human sexual psychology, but am not an expert by any means. This fact is actually what is holding me back from starting a campaign or a non-profit- I have no "formal" education myself on the topic. I'm thinking I'll begin this by studying as much as possible, but what about in the meantime, when I could be starting something small, here in my little community? I have a space in my shop that I've been preparing to host workshops in and I've recently been considering doing some parent-led sex ed workshops. I just need to do something. I can't sit back and watch this generation educated on sex by porn alone. It's an injustice. Any ideas?

Thanks