1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY
Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM
Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.

4. NON-VIOLENCE
It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.

5. DECENTRALIZATION
Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

6. COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work.

Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY
We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY
We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.

We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

What do you think of these values? Which one do you think is the most important? Which one do you think is the least important?

Monty

I would say #3 and #8 are your biggest concern because of the wacko's.

#3 I would say you need to get more science in on the subject at hand. California is going to backlash against you terribly because fringe groups in your party essentially made the disaster in CA happen. You MUST take into consideration man is part of the planet, not some festering disease that can only destroy it and only everything else is the correct way. Man has to be part of the eqution...not taken out of it.

#8 Diversity. While at times a great thing not all ideas are equal nor good. To think that is basically saying you are an anarchist. The great thing in America is to take the BEST ideas of every culture...not ALL the ideas.

just some thoughts....

cusbilla

#3 says, "Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature." It is the first line.

#8 says RESPECT

Monty

#3 has been IMHO interpreted that advancement of man is BAD. Why is this? Isn't this part of our evolution?

#8 I have no repect for a KKK member or their point of view and I could list 100 others that are not "healthy". Like I said...not every ieda needs to have equal respect.

cusbilla

your oppinion is wrong, Greens are not against advancement of mankind, we are against advancement when we put ourselves above nature.



Nor do I, and I don't think KKK members have respect for anyone but themselves and those that think like them.

How you can equate Respect for Diversity and me having to respect KKK members for there lack of it. Is mind boggling.

Monty

#3 How are you to say that man putting himself above nateure is not part of the natural evolution of man? Intriguing...


#8 Did you actually read what you typed? You basically proved my point for me.

cusbilla

And whose to say man's natural evolution is to become more apart of nature?

Both questions are hypothetical and they go no where.





Read that again. Value cutrural diversity, value ethnic diversity, value racial diversity, value sexual diversity, value religious diversity, value spritiual diversity.

How does this imply I am an anarchist? When you value the diversity of every culture, ethnicity, race, diversity, sexuality, religion, and spiritualism. You are taking the best from everything? so why, would you have a problem with it?

Monty

I support all of these, but I think the ones I most care about would be "ecological wisdom" (as said before, supported by good science), "non-violence" (something this sad planet is desperately in need of), "feminsm and gender equality" (a vastly underrated problem all over the world), and "respect for diversity" (with a very strong stance against discrimination based on sexual orientation.)

It's hard to say which ones are least important. I would probably choose those which talk about the structure of the political and economic systems -- "grassroots democracy" and "decentralization" and "community-based economics and economic justice." This is not to deny their importance, of course, but only to show that I think that the exact method of obtaining the goals I listed above (as long as it does not involve repressive forms of government) is not quite as important as the goals themselves. Is discrimination best fought by legal action or education and cultural change? Is economic justice best served by a genuinely free market system with emphasis on small businesses, or by European-style quasi-socialist democracy? These are certainly questions that can be strongly debated within the Green Party, and such debate is healthy.