Green Key Values
I. DEMOCRACY
A. Political Reform
MAJORITY RULE AND PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
We believe in majority rule and demand fair and equal representation
of our state?s diverse communities through proportional representation.
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
We call for the use of Instant Runoff Voting through which voters
can rank their favorite candidates (1,2,3, etc.) for an office.
This will guarantee that the winner has majority support and that
voters aren't relegated to choosing between the "lesser of two
evils." This will eliminate the ?spoiler effect,? allowing voters
to choose from outside the two-party system.
B. Political Participation
GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Our beliefs and policies are rooted in the concern for the rights
of people and communities. We believe in self- determination of
all people, and that democratic involvement should be maximized
in policymaking, implementation and enforcement. Affected communities
should have real input on decisions that affect them. The Green
Party is the party of and for the everyday person. The decisions
of the party should, therefore, reflect this. We believe that
democracy begins and ends with the assemblage of informed citizens
of all backgrounds who come together, especially at the local
level. We are committed to the principle of universal suffrage
and one person, one vote. To this end we believe that all elections
should be determined by direct vote only, including voting for
officials, issue and referendum, and constitutional amendments.
All elected officials are responsible directly to the people and
should be subject to recall.
ELECTRONIC DEMOCRACY
Louisiana should invest in technologies and policies that provide
for more direct democracy. This should include secure voter accounts
with public kiosks, touchtone service, and Internet appliances
made available to voters. Robustness, full access, and redundancy
should be guaranteed by any such technologies.
COMMUNITY ASSEMBLIES
We call for the establishment of town and neighborhood assemblies
in every town and neighborhood in Louisiana, and that political
responsibilities be increasingly decentralized to the level of
these associations.
C. Community
FAMILY
We call for social policies that strengthen our families, regardless
of structure. Because our children?our future--are increasingly
vulnerable, we should focus on guaranteeing that they receive
basic nutritional, educational and medical necessities, and housing.
Public policies should be installed that provide universal childcare
for pre-school and young schoolchildren.
ARTS PROGRAMS
We believe that we are stewards of our cultural heritage, so we
support public funding of rich and diverse cultural programs such
as the Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities.
D. Foreign Policy
WAR ON TERRORISM
It is impossible to win a war against terrorism, because terrorism
is a tactic. Violence and hate can never defeat violence and hate,
but can only create more terror. Therefore, the Green Party of
Louisiana supports international diplomatic efforts that respect
human rights to bring terrorists to trial before fair and impartial
tribunals.
WAR ON TERROR (ADDENDUM)
We oppose these policies because this fraudulent "war" promotes
the interests of global imperialists, These policies are used
more specifically to legitimate many forms of intervention including
bombing and invasion, used to destroy movements of opposition
to corporate globalization all over the world, used to give massive
support to terrorist states, used to neutralize domestic opposition
in this country, used to expand state and corporate domination
of media, and used to undermine civil liberties. Terror has historically
been a relative monopoly of the state. The competition that state-sponsored
and executed terror is getting from terrorist groups today has
not substantially changed this conspicuous imbalance of terror.
II. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
A. Education
EDUCATION DEFINED
Education is the most important of our communities? social structures.
It is currently a largely flawed system that treats our children?our
future?as raw materials whose usage will be determined by corporate
tests, corporate texts, and an administrative bureaucracy that
encourages underachievement and mediocrity from education professionals
and from students. The Green Party of Louisiana maintains that
access to quality education is critical to our communities? success.
This education should build creative and critical thinking skills
and should foster respect for life and our communities? social
structures.
EDUCATION FIRST
The Green Party of Louisiana seeks fundamental change in our communities
to make education our first priority. We call for a major shift
in educational funding to put education at the top of the social
and economic agenda.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
We call for a redesign of the education policy in Louisiana with
focus on the premise that schools can best reach their maximum
potential when there is a true democratic sense of responsibility,
involvement and ownership in the entire local community.
CHECKS AND BALANCES
We call for the strengthening of community control and implementation
of checks and balances in educational administrative structures.
We call for the public election of local school superintendents
whose powers and duties will counterbalance the school board's
fiscal oversight.
TOPS FUNDING
We call for the replacement of private funds for the TOPS program,
which provides tuition-free post secondary education, with full
state funding from Tobacco Settlement Funds among other sources.
VOUCHERS
We oppose utilizing public funds for vouchers to support private
schools.
EQUAL RESOURCE ALLOCATION
We call for policies that will correct gross inequalities between
various districts and schools. Schools with the lowest performance
should be given first preference to ensure a balanced and equal
educational access.
HEAD START
We call for the enhancement and expansion of Head Start programs
to ensure every child?s critical early learning experience is
stimulates and nurturing.
FUNDING
We call for the removal of all economic development incentive
plans, which often deplete local educational funds to provide
corporate welfare.
CONSUMERISM IN SCHOOLS
We call for removal of methods that foster a culture of consumption
and waste in our schools, including those that expose students
to commercial marketing.
REMOVAL OF MARKETING FROM SCHOOLS
Public schools should be rid of all institutionalized commercial
messages and marketing tactics targeted at students. Commercial
messages, surveys, spyware, and marketing of any type should be
removed from education.
ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY
We call for curricula that demonstrate the effectiveness of energy
efficiency, organic gardening, and other sustainable living methods.
These practices should be implemented on school grounds as a part
of the learning experience.
STANDARDIZED TESTING
We call for a thorough review of LEAP tests and similar high-stakes
testing programs with emphasis on children first.
HIGH STAKES TESTING
Although teachers and students should be held accountable for
their performance, the practices behind high-stakes-testing should
be removed from public schools. Education should be re-imagined
by education professionals as a child-centered service where assessments
of performance for teachers and students are solely in the hands
of educators, rather than for-profit corporations and politicians.
MENTORSHIP FOR TEACHERS
Teacher training should include hands-on classroom experience
under a mentor or master teacher. This policy should provide guidance
and collaboration opportunities to less-experienced teachers,
both within and outside of their disciplines. Interdisciplinary
collaboration should be encouraged among teachers of all skill
levels.
EQUALITY IN EDUCATION
While legislating prejudices and perceptions would prove difficult,
steps should be taken to ensure that students in our schools will
not be discriminated against in any way due to their gender, race,
ethnicity, age, home background, national origin, class, disability,
or other difference. Teachers should be trained to educate the
diverse array of children that may be found in our classrooms,
with special committees at the school level created to protect
students from their teachers? perceptions of them.
GREATER PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION
All employers should be required to provide a certain amount of
paid time off, upon request and on a regular basis, for parents
and guardians to take an active role in their children?s educations.
Activities sponsored by public schools and other institutions
should carry an official excuse similar to a doctor?s excuse.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
Public education at the secondary level should be available to
all students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, home
background, national origin, class, disability, or other difference.
Career counseling should also be available to all students and
should not differ according to said identifying traits.
FUNDING FOR POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
All children should have access to a choice of fully funded academic
and vocational post-secondary educational services. Stipends should
provide living expenses, and all books, fees, and tuition should
be publicly funded.
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION
The Green Party of Louisiana calls for multilingual education
and the preservation of Louisiana?s linguistic heritage.
B. Health Care
UNIVERSAL SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE
Louisiana should follow the lead of the industrialized world by
instituting a universal single-payer health care system at the
state level. All persons should be assured of equal care and treatment
regardless of ability to pay.
ACCESS TO WOMEN?S HEALTH CARE AND CONTRACEPTION
Women?s health care, education, and options should be made publicly
available to all women. Prescriptions (including contraceptive
pills and pregnancy termination drugs), other forms of contraception,
and procedures should all be publicly funded and accessible to
all communities and individuals. Restrictions should be removed
on would-be women?s health care providers that are providers of
general health care, as should laws that discourage their provision
of such services.
C. Economic Justice / Social Safety Net
LIVABLE ASSISTANCE BENEFITS
We support the equalization of welfare benefits to the living
wage standard established in each jurisdiction.
D. Tax Justice / Fairness
REVISION OF REGRESSIVE SALES TAXES
Tax structures should be fundamentally reformed, increasing taxes
on the wealthy and corporations while decreasing taxes on the
poor. State and local sales taxes on food, drugs, and utilities
should be eliminated.
STATE-LEVEL EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT
To reduce poverty and to combat Louisiana's regressive tax structure,
the state should institute a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit.
This tax-break will combine with living wage initiatives to alleviate
some of the financial burdens on low-income workers.
TAXATION OF TRANSPORTATION
Corporate transit of goods and materials in our state should be
more greatly taxed by weight and by size of transport. Motor fuel
should be taxed at a higher rate and vehicles should be taxed
according to fuel efficiency, weight, and maximum number of passengers.
This fuel tax should provide universal liability insurance, funding
for alternative transportation research and development, and encouragement
for responsible transportation choices by consumers.
INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION
The Industrial Property Tax Exemption should be eliminated and
all revenues lost to these exemptions should be refunded to our
communities.
E. Management-Labor Relations
LABOR RELATIONS
Unionization and labor peace should be encouraged in contracted
companies, as well as in the private sector.
EQUAL ACCESS TO PAY AND WORK
Equal and fair pay for equal work should be guaranteed, facilitated,
and enforced by public policy. Posting of pay stubs, job descriptions,
and pay should be provided for, as should other means of regulation.
Affirmative action should provide for access to work, and hiring
practices should be free from discrimination based on gender,
race, ethnicity, age, home background, national origin, class,
disability, or other difference.
REMOVAL OF RIGHT TO WORK LAWS
So-called ?right to work? laws play a significant role in the
assault on the dignity and livelihood of Louisiana?s workers.
These laws allow arbitrary firing of employees, and thus disempower
them in seeking fair compensation for their labor.
LABOR UNION SECURITY
Current laws that prohibit union shops and allow beneficiaries
of a union?s gains to avoid financial support of that union should
be removed, as should all other laws hostile to organization and
self-determination of workers.
REGULATION OF EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES
Employment agencies and other contractors should be regulated,
and fair treatment, pay, and security should be guaranteed for
employees of these corporations.
STATE LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION
A State Labor Commission (based on a State Labor Relations Act)
should be created to oversee union elections for workers not covered
by the NLRA (as amended) and not allowed NLRB elections. This
would include state and municipal employees Farm Labor and could
also include employees of some medium sized businesses with 10
or more employees.
WORKERS? RIGHTS
We call for equal workers' rights in all sectors throughout Louisiana.
No worker shall be disciplined, transferred, demoted or terminated
without due process.
INFORMATION OF RIGHTS
All workers, on the first day of employment, shall be given a
state approved package that informs them of their rights in the
workplace. All information shall be provided in the primary language
of each worker. Workers shall be informed of any job related health
hazards.
RIGHTS TO DEMONSTRATE
We respect the right to freely discuss, organize, and/or participate
in demonstrations, including, but not limited to, strikes and
boycotts to effect change in any private or public policy, with
protection against permanent replacement and/or retaliation form
any employer, or from any public agency.
PREVAILING WAGE
We call for an overhaul of Louisiana?s prevailing wage laws, which
pertain to any public works project. Policies should mandate full
documentation and require contractors to audit these projects
and public agencies to oversee contractors.
LIVING WAGE
We encourage and demand living wage policies for all of Louisiana
and/or in every jurisdiction.
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS
We support only Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP's) that feature
functioning, democratic structures, and cooperative ownership
and management.
F. Criminal Justice
WAR ON DRUGS
The Green Party of Louisiana should take the lead in ending the
?war on drugs? by demanding the decriminalization of drug offenses.
Social structures should focus on rehabilitation rather than incarceration.
PRIVACY RIGHTS
The Green Party of Louisiana calls for the repeal of the state?s
?anti-terrorism? law on the basis that it violates the privacy
rights of the state?s citizens.
G. Civil And Equal Rights
CONFEDERATE FLAG
Any flag flown by the Confederate States of America does not represent
Southern culture or heritage. No flag represents Southern culture
or heritage. Confederate flags represent slavery, the immoral
treatment of human beings as chattel animals, and a wrongful notion
to dissolve the Union of the United States of America. Therefore,
facilities owned by the public should not display any flag of
the Confederacy.
REPARATIONS FOR SLAVERY
Everyone in the United States has benefited, and continues to
benefit, from the labor of the people of the African Diaspora
who were kept as slaves or were victims of post-Fourteenth Amendment
discrimination. Full reparations should be delivered to the descendants
of these people. These reparations can take the form of policies,
services, and/or funds and should take into account the belated
nature of these payments.
EXPLICITLY EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms of our society,
without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, gender,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status, or sexual orientation.
ADOPTION DISCRIMINATION
Equal opportunity to adopt should be enjoyed by all adults, regardless
of gender, race, ethnicity, age, home background, national origin,
class, disability, or other difference. While social measures
should be taken to ensure fitness of the adoption candidate, oversight
and enforcement should be provided for.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY
The mission of our state should be to ensure the human rights
and dignity of all persons within it or acted upon by it.
H. Free Speech
I. Native Americans
J. Immigration / Emigration
Immigration Issues
K. Housing
L. National Service
III. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
A. Energy Policy
B. Nuclear Issues
C. Waste Management
D. Fossil Fuels
E. Renewable Energy
F. Transportation Policy
BICYCLES
Studies show that of all trips made in private vehicles nationwide,
58.5 percent are five miles or less, and 76.3 percent are ten
miles or less. These distances are ideal for bicycle travel, which
is less polluting, less wasteful, builds physical fitness and
has beneficial social effects. Yet Louisiana discourages cycling
on its roads through a variety of means, including legislation
hostile to cyclists. The Green Party of Louisiana stands for safe
accommodation of cyclists on every public road. We will encourage
and promote bicycling in Louisiana.
COMMUTER RAIL
The Green Party of Louisiana calls for a state-owned, statewide
commuter rail system, and for the implementation of complementary
municipal systems.
G. Clean Air / Greenhouse Effect / Ozone Depletion
H. Land Use
GREATER TAXATION ON NATURAL RESOURCE USAGE
Natural resources should be more greatly taxed upon their extraction,
transport, or usage. This includes non-renewable natural resources,
foresting, and use of airwaves for transmission of information.
I. Water
J. Agriculture
ENDING AGRICULTURAL EXPLOITATION
Because our land and the people who have worked it have been exploited,
we must implement policies that respect the land and its sustainability
and those that will break the vicious cycle that threatens our
agricultural communities.
FUTURE FOCUS
We call for examination of current trends and a projection of
what our agricultural resources will look like in ten years? time
and what solutions should be implemented to conserve our soil
and to enrich it.
POLYCULTURE
We call for an emphasis on polyculture over monoculture.
MASTER FARMERS
We call for the expansion of the Master Farmers program, which
promotes sustainable practices such as crop rotation, ecologically
based pest management, and use of natural fertilizers, green manures,
and disease resistant indigenous plants.
ORGANIC SOIL ENRICHMENT
We call for the utilization of organic processes that build healthier
soils by developing a better balance of nutrients, soil bacteria,
earthworms and plant pest predators.
LAND USE PROGRAMS
We call for expansion of the following programs, Conservation
Reserve, Wetland Reserve, Wildlife Habitat Programs.
WETLANDS
We call for complete public/private funding for efforts to mitigate
the loss of our wetlands and swamps.
FARMERS? MARKETS
We call for restructuring of agriculture?s economic foundations
by allowing farmers and fisherman to sell directly to consumers
through co-ops, farmers markets, and on-site and u-pick-em operations.
DOMESTIC PRODUCE INCENTIVES
We call for the use of incentives to promote the purchase by consumers
of Louisiana produce in grocery outlets throughout the state.
FARMLAND TRUST
We call for the establishment and funding of the farmland trust.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
We call for the establishment of Community Supported Agriculture
projects throughout the state.
VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
We call for economic policies that focus on rural communities
and how they may benefit from value-added agriculture products.
SPRAWL
We call for implementation of community-based development plans
that examine natural and social capital to address how sprawl
impacts rural communities.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
We call for a moratorium on genetically engineered products. We
demand that all genetically engineered products be proven safe
to long-term public health and the integrity of the environment
before being put on the market or having any chance to enter the
environment.
FUNDING
We call for a reformulation of how the state funds Agriculture/Forestry
Dept. and related research.
COMMUNITY GARDENS
We call for the expansion of community gardens within urban communities.
URBAN LAND USE
We call for set-aside programs by urban communities to ensure
that lands designated for agricultural use are maintained and
supported.
EDIBLE SCHOOLYARDS
We call for the establishment of Edible Schoolyard projects throughout
the state.
SEED RIGHTS
Farmers have the right to save viable seed they have grown. This
contributes to sustainable farming. Therefore, so-called "terminator
gene" plants which have been genetically modified to produce sterile
seeds should not be allowed in Louisiana. Further, contracts that
prohibit farmers from saving seeds from their harvest for planting
the following season shouldn't have legal standing.
K. Biological Diversity
IV. ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
For an economy to be vibrant and sustainable, it must encourage
the creation of meaningful work that provides a living wage reflective
of the true value of a person's work, and must encourage investment
in innovative labor-intensive green enterprises.
LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED BUSINESSES
We call for a new economic direction that encourages and supports
the development of local community based businesses, which currently
comprise 95% of the state's economy.
LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Local communities must design their own economic development plans
with full public participation. These plans should take into account
the role of natural capital in restoration of our air, water and
soil. They should also ensure workers? rights and improve the
quality of life for present and future generations.
A. Eco-Nomics
FORESTRY
Forestry is our most valuable agriculture commodity, making it
the leading natural resource based industry in our state. The
Green Party of Louisiana calls for the restoration/reforestation
of our degraded forest ecosystem. To ensure that our forests are
not plundered, as they have been in the past, we call for sustainable
forestry practices utilizing adaptive management.
VALUE ADDED ECONOMICS
We call for the development of value added economics from our
forest products with special emphasis on the promotion of viable
enterprises in rural communities that ensure safe, secure and
fair jobs.
ABSENTEE LANDOWNERS
We call for a thorough analysis of absentee landowners who hold
abandoned property.
LAND ALLOCATIONS TO SMALL PROPERTY OWNERS
We call for the development of innovative financial incentives
and penalties to make these lands viable by turning them over
to small property holders under terms similar to the Homestead
Act of 1867.
OVERSIGHT
We call for the oversight of corporate forestry interests and
timber speculators to ensure that they utilize forestry practices
that will preserve and enrich the soil.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
We call for multi-jurisdictional oversight of Best Management
Practices (BMP) with full involvement of Parish governing bodies
and a focus on forestry and wetlands.
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
We call for the removal of invasive species and a full commitment
to the reestablishment of indigenous species where appropriate,
especially Bald Cypress and Longleaf Pine.
INCENTIVES FOR LAND USE
We call for the reevaluation of inheritance taxes and policies
that will provide incentives for maintenance of agriculture/rural
lands.
SMART GROWTH
We call for the implementation of "Smart Growth" planning to minimize
sprawl, the biggest threat to our forests, and related fires issue
at the forest?s edge.
PAPER REDUCTION
We call for measures that will minimize the use of paper and related
products.
ALTERNATIVE FIBERS
We call for the development of alternative fibers i.e., Kenaf,
bamboo, industrial hemp and bagasse.
URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY
We call for state/local funding to match the federal share of
the Urban and Community Forestry program.
LIMITING INFLUENCE OF TIMBER INDUSTRY
We call for a new funding model for the Department of Forestry
that will minimize the influence of the timber industry.
7. MINERALS
Louisiana's significant mineral resources consist of oil, gas,
sulphur, lignite, salt, gravel, shells and groundwater. The misallocation
of these resources results in toxic waste. The Green Party of
Louisiana calls for the true costing, sustainability and restoration
of our minerals.
LOCAL CONTROL OF RESOURCES
We call for the elimination of all barriers that prevent local
entities from having jurisdiction over the minerals in their communities
and setting those policies that pertain to hazardous materials
that are produced, stored or handled within the community.
REGULATION
We call for a thorough analysis of the Department of Environmental
Quality, Department of Natural Resources and the Public Services
Commission and reforms to ensure citizen access to all regulatory
matters.
TAXATION
We call for a shift of state tax policy from that which penalizes
jobs and income to one that taxes waste in form of resource depletion,
pollution and all toxic discharges.
TOXIC MARKERS
We call for policy that requires toxins to have "markers? identifying
them as belonging, in perpetuity, to their makers.
PIPELINE TAXATION
We call for the establishment of a property tax policy on gas
and oil pipeline transmission systems that run through the state
based on volume of minerals transported via such.
TAX EXEMPTIONS
We call for the elimination of tax exemptions in any form for
minerals extracted within the state.
B. Re-asserting Local Citizen Control Over Corporations
C. Livable Income
LIVING WAGE
All workers should be guaranteed fair and livable compensation
for their labor. Further, wages sensitive to cost of living should
be determined municipally. There should be no limits to municipal
or living wage referenda at any level.
D. Community Involvement
E. Small Business And Job Creation
F. Trade
G. Rural Development
H. Banking For People
I. Insurance Reform
J. Pension Reform
K. Anti-Trust Enforcement
L. Advanced Tech / Defense Conversion
M. The National Debt
N. Privatization
The Green Party of Louisiana opposes privatization of state
and local services.
O. Budget
P. Economic Accountability
The Louisiana Green Party calls for a fundamental change in
economic policies of our communities to reestablish trust in the
systems
1. Amend/supplement Art. 12, sec. 12, 1974 La. Constitution
titled, "Corporations...?, and the Corporate Code to ensure that
the state legislature uses it's "reserved" power to revoke the
charters of errant domestic corporations.
2. Institute processes that will ensure that citizens can petition
the Attorney General to revoke the permission of errant foreign
corporations to do business in Louisiana.
3. Allow municipalities to enact local ordnances defining corporations
within their jurisdiction.
4. Re-open corporate affairs to legislative scrutiny.
5. Reinstate stockholders/owner control over corporate management
and policy.
6. Give state courts clear authority to hear all corporate cases.
7. Reinstate historic limits on corporations.
a. Prohibit corporations from seeking or accepting "incentive'
packages from any government entity.
b. Must state specific purpose, with a penalty of revocation if
said purpose is either not fulfilled or is exceeded.
c. Require that in the event of bankruptcy, corporate management
be withheld until all debts to employees and creditors are paid.
d. Impose strict liability for all corporate officers and/or stockholders.
e. Require every corporate document to be signed by a human being.
f. Require a percentage of stockholders to live within the state.
` g. Prohibit corporation from owning stock in other corporations.
h. Issue corporate charters for only a specific term of existence.
i. Limit real estate holdings to that necessary for corporate
purposes.
j. Prohibit any and all political donations by corporations and/or
their associations especially to local and state entities.
k. Prohibit all civic, charitable, or educational donations not
specifically provided for in the corporate purpose.
l. Forbid corporations from doing business under pseudonyms or
alternative names.
m. Require corporations to pay for periodic health, safety and
environmental audits by independent experts selected by workers
and affected communities.
n. Require uniformity of health benefits throughout the corporation.
TAXATION
The Green Party of Louisiana calls for a qualitative shift towards
a common sense tax code that mandates that those who benefit from
the natural capital of our communities must pay a fair share of
their profits to maintain the common good.
EMISSION TAXATION
We call for "true-cost pricing" taxes that will put an economic
evaluation on pollution of our environment and extraction of non-renewable
resources. Louisiana produces 2% of the country's noxious gases,
(the highest concentration in the nation) which have been identified
as contributing to ozone depletion and related health hazards.
Taxing the emitters of these gases will not only provide substantial
revenue for the community, but will act as an incentive to reduce
these emissions and turn them into useful commodities.
TAX INCENTIVES
We call for the elimination of the tax incentives that are administered
by the state but drain local economies of funds.
LOCAL CONTROL
We call for the removal of barriers that hinder local jurisdictions?
ability to devise appropriate tax codes through a full and open
public process.
ENVIRONMENTAL TAXATION
We call for the enforcement of fees and penalties on those who
violate the current environmental standards.
PERMITS
We call for a reevaluation of health and environmental permits,
fees and penalties via the inclusion of an open process that encourages
public participation in their design.
PROPERTY TAXES
We call for the redesign of the property tax assessment process.
FAMILY FARMS
We call for the establishment of a rural economic incentive policy
with focus on family farms.
WASTE PREVENTION
We call for policies that penalize waste.
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
We call for policies based on nature's efficiency in allocation
of materials and human capital.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We call for the Economic Development Department to focus on programs
that emphasize the viability of existing local business and encouragement
of sustainable green entities.
