by Susan Hall, co-chair of the Greater Boulder Greens
The 2014 midterm elections are now over. Thank you to all the Green Party laborers, activists, writers, speakers, researchers, debaters, analyzers, techies and contributors for making the world a more inclusive and better place to live.
Those in the US who care about what happens in politics pay attention to issues such as the following: a free public education; medical care; uncontaminated water, air, and food; medicaid; social security; as well as workers taking home more wages instead of giving half to the military and subsidizing billion-dollar corporations that can afford to starve and enslave labor. We need to chose our candidates from activists out of our own groups. We need to care about every office and vote for Green candidates who will NOT take corporate funding; then support them with research, outreach, writing, education and providing at least half as much effort as we support football, Hollywood/TV, and fashion.
Greater Boulder Greens co-chair, Susan Hall (left).
The lack of support for the Democrats this election is not about the spoiler vote, but about the public discovering that behind the rhetoric, the Democrats are working with the same corrupt billion-dollar corporations as the Republicans and signing the same bills. It takes some time for humans to change, but the Green Party has been working and growing and everyday more and more people recognize our integrity.
After decades, the ideals of democracy of freedom have still not taken hold the way we would like. The ideals of American democracy encompass concern for other people besides just those whose origin is from Britain or Germany or are Christians–including those who burned crosses, and not just the white, rich and male holding the power via their heritage. We should also show concern for Native Americans, African-Americans, Mexicans across the border and Mexican-Americans here (and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo has been repeatedly broken by us), Japanese Americans, Muslims, atheists, women, the working poor, handicapped persons, the sick, orphans, elderly people and activists and soldiers wanting truth told to the public, concern for people in foreign countries to whom we sell or bomb with our own weapons of mass destruction on…etc.
The Democrats lost a lot of seats in this election because the public are learning the truth, but we Greens have a long way to go. In the meantime, human life and its physical and social environments are being destroyed all around the world.
We do need more than cast a vote, but don’t kid yourself that you have nothing to offer. We need everyone doing different things, appreciating both differences and similarities and especially people stepping up to run for office.
Let’s be clear: it is hard to convince people to to pay a good salary to elected officials, and the oil companies and other corporations step in with paying for favors and assistance for reelection. The Citizen United decision has had an impact, but there is still so much we can do with sound policy at the state and local level.
The Green Party is a place for those who care and who are ready to do something to show it. Get involved!
