Green Party for decentralization?

[Dane S]

Was just reading about the Green Party on Wpedia and it says briefly that the Green Party is for decentralization, but doesn't explain much of anything about policies.

Are there any Green Party members lurking who can give a quick summary of the policies Green Party wishes to enact-- or anyone who just knows a little about the party? Does it wish to enact its reforms on a local level, a state level, a federal level, or a mix among all of them? How strongly statist is the party?

[Case Closed]

The national party comes up with national party ideas and the local parties comes up with local ideas. The local parties have decision making power over this. The national party can not control the locals in this regard.

Some ideas the states can always leave the delegation under their own accord.

I suggest you check out http://www.gp.org

[AlexM]

If this is true, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party and the Constitution Party need to stop goofing off and merge into a Decentralization Party and drop all the crap on their platforms that's extraneous.

[Case Closed]

While that is true. That would never work. There is a movement we are dealing with called reset america. www.resetamerica.com that wants to pretty much do that. I can only speak for the green party when I say that the differences are very large.

Case and point...the first second a Green candidate mentions universal health care the libertarians would drop him like a rock or visa versa.

The Greens are trying to build a party to compete with the 2 big boys. We don't want to become a marginalized 3rd party conglomerate.

I am at the Green Party national convention right now and this stuff is being discussed non stop.

[AlexM]

[ QUOTE ]
While that is true. That would never work. There is a movement we are dealing with called reset america. www.resetamerica.com that wants to pretty much do that. I can only speak for the green party when I say that the differences are very large.

Case and point...the first second a Green candidate mentions universal health care the libertarians would drop him like a rock or visa versa.

The Greens are trying to build a party to compete with the 2 big boys. We don't want to become a marginalized 3rd party conglomerate.

I am at the Green Party national convention right now and this stuff is being discussed non stop.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Universal" health care implies "federal" health care, which destroys any claim they might have to supporting decentralization. Now, if they actually support decentralized state level health care, there is room for compromise with libertarians.

As for building a party to "compete with the 2 big boys," the only way to do this under the current system is to supplant one of them, and there's even less chance of the Greens accomplishing this than the Libertarians. The views of these parties are simply far too extreme for the average American. A party that focuses exclusively on decentralization, on the other hand, is entirely able to satisfy extremists while also remaining unextreme to the average American.

[Brainwalter]

[ QUOTE ]
The national party comes up with national party ideas and the local parties comes up with local ideas. The local parties have decision making power over this. The national party can not control the locals in this regard.

Some ideas the states can always leave the delegation under their own accord.

I suggest you check out http://www.gp.org

[/ QUOTE ]

So your party is decentralized in its own organization, but do you support decentralization of the Federal government once you control it?

[Dan.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The national party comes up with national party ideas and the local parties comes up with local ideas. The local parties have decision making power over this. The national party can not control the locals in this regard.

Some ideas the states can always leave the delegation under their own accord.

I suggest you check out http://www.gp.org

[/ QUOTE ]

So your party is decentralized in its own organization, but do you support decentralization of the Federal government once you control it?

[/ QUOTE ]

From the site, among the 10 Key Values of the Green Party
[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Vagos]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The national party comes up with national party ideas and the local parties comes up with local ideas. The local parties have decision making power over this. The national party can not control the locals in this regard.

Some ideas the states can always leave the delegation under their own accord.

I suggest you check out http://www.gp.org

[/ QUOTE ]

So your party is decentralized in its own organization, but do you support decentralization of the Federal government once you control it?

[/ QUOTE ]

From the site, among the 10 Key Values of the Green Party
[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds nice but how does this jive with a national health care system?

[Metric]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

So your party is decentralized in its own organization, but do you support decentralization of the Federal government once you control it?

[/ QUOTE ]

From the site, among the 10 Key Values of the Green Party
[ QUOTE ]
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.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds nice but how does this jive with a national health care system?

[/ QUOTE ]
I for one don't think it sounds very nice. Their use of the word "decentralization" appears to mean to take wealth from where it is centralized (the rich) and distribute it elsewhere. I.E. "decentralization" in the USSR sense of the word.

I'm reading between the lines a bit here, but I doubt I'm wrong, given the "universal federal health care" talk, etc.

[nietzreznor]

[ QUOTE ]
Sounds nice but how does this jive with a national health care system?

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed--I for one would love to see a combination between Green and Libertarian parties, but I don't think you can have decentralization of wealth/power while simultaneously having huge expensive federal programs.