Political Parties! : Green Party

Hello there! Today we are going to talk about political parties, specifically the Green Party :)

**DISCLAIMER
-I want to ensure transparency when I'm bringing in my own personal thoughts, or when I may express bias(intentionally or unintentionally). So, I'll just go out and state that my personal views align most with the Democratic Party. I'm defiantly liberal in my stances. Just puttin' it out there. k? Cool.

Okay, well then... Let's talk about the Green Party :)
-The Green party is a left wing political party founded in 2001. They typically emphasize policy that is for the betterment of the environment, social justice, gender equality, etc. Most of their more notable policy consists of liberal takes on social and environmental issues.  Currently they are the 4th largest political party, behind the big two, and the libertarian party. They have several members elected into state legislatures.

The green party is know to be very friendly to people of the LGBT, and ensures that their policy reflects that.

The green party is known to advocate for environmentally conscious policy.

The Artifact I'll be using to represent the Green Party's values is this one. Here's a quick rundown of the 10 commandments : 

• Grassroots democracy : putting as much of the policy and decision making back into the hands of the people. The green party wants a higher percentage of public engaging in political participation

• Social Justice and Equal Opportunity : Everyone should benefit equally from every resource in the country. As such, we should implement policy that allows for equal opportunity.  No one should be discriminated against because of their race, gender, sex, age, nationality, religion, or any other way.  

• Ecological Wisdom : We need to set up policy that will benefit us now, later, and after that! Long term sustainability is important if we want to prosper as a society

• Non-Violence : No one should be fighting. We need to ensure that criminals are educated properly, that people are kept out of violence and crime, and that domestic, interstate and/or international disputes are handled with words, not guns. 

• Decentralization : The concentration of wealth and power today is an uneven scale between the top 10% and the rest of us. We've gotta implement policy that balances out the power and wealth. However, the importance of safety, regulation, amoungst others does require some centralized government.

• Community Based Economics! : The current economic situation puts too much power to the top. The green party supports employee ownership, workplace democracy, higher working class wages, lower executive wages. 
• Respect for Diversity: This nation stated out with immigrants, so we must bring in immigrants. Diversity is very important to implement policy that gives equal opportunities and representation. 
• Personal and Global Responsibility : People should be encourages to improve their own well being, enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We need to develop an environment that fosters peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet. 
• Future Focus and Sustainability : Every action the green party takes is motivation by long term goals. Natural resources should be conserved, waste must be reduced,etc . We need to implement policy that reflects these long term goals and aspirations. 

Okay, that was a lot :(. We are gonna do a real quick analysis of our piece of evidence to provide some insight.

• LIBERAL! : It's quite evident from the policies detailed that the party shifts heavily to the left. From power to the people, to ecological responsibility, every decision they make indicates a more liberal, open stance on politics. 

• SOCIALIST!?!? : So, we live in a democracy. However, many of their principles and beliefs are similar to that of socialism. Ideas such community based economics are socialist, and represent socialist values. 
• WORKING CLASS : If there's any group that the green party represents, it would be the the working class. Higher wages, employee owned corporations, grassroots democracy... These all benefit the working class the most. So, I believe that the green party derived out of the working class' demands. 

So now that we have a rudimentary understanding of the Green Party and it's policies, lets check out it's 2016 presidential candidate : Jill Stien. 

Jill Stein who?

Yea, you heard me right, Jill Stein exists, and you could've voted for her instead of Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump.  

According to Wikipedia, Jill Stein is an American Physician and politician. She is the green party's presidential nominee. She is what I would call "the face" of the green party. The Artificial I have chosen for Jill Stein, is a video that CNN did on her on August 30th, 2016. Here are some points that she made : 

• Get the money out of politics! Everything should be publicly  financed. 
• Free public higher education, get rid of student debt. 
• Minimum 15$ Living wage 
• Climate Change is a thing, we need to clean up our energy system, and transform our economy. Renewable energy by 2020
•  Foreign policy based on national law, rather than economic and military domination
• Drug issues considered health issues
• Healthcare is universal. Every age
• Abortion is an issue between a woman and her physician. 
• Immigration is a source of strength, diversity and creativity. Let's welcome them :) and have our immigration policy reflect that.  

After looking at that Artifact about Jill Stein, here are my impressions. 

• Her beliefs are very much in line with left wing policy 
• Even though it's evident she is in an affluent class, she's obviously very much dedicated to the people(minimum wage, drug issues, healthcare). 
• Wouldn't have made a terrible president. But I do see her ideology coming in conflict with the other branches of government.
• Just a good person, who implements policy that is for the betterment of the working man. 

Reflections : Just some thoughts about this blog post

• The green party overall has some good ideas, and really support the working class. 
• They are very much left wing, and support a socialist agenda.
• However, I believe that they aren't stetting up their government for success. They want to reduce the power of government, while implementing policies that require more centralization and more control to be successful. 

I hope you liked this blog, and I'll seeya next time :)