The Firebrand Progressives Manifesto
The Constitution – We adhere to a loose constructionist view of the Constitution that gives broad powers to the federal government. We subscribe to the philosophy that the Constitution is a ‘living Constitution’ and its interpretations must evolve with the times. Federal Government – We believe in a strong and effective federal government. We live in a technol
ogically advanced age with massive multi-national banks and corporations operating in a global economy and tremendous economic inequality that cannot be affectively governed and regulated by eighteenth century standards. Health Care – While we fully support the Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and believe it’s a huge step in the right direction, it still falls short of insuring some 30 million Americans, and it still relies on bloated, for-profit health insurance companies. Our preferred mode of health care would be a government administered ‘single-payer’ system that insures 100% of the population and eliminates health insurance companies from the equation. We believe health care must be fully decoupled from employment for the sake of the individual and the economy. LGBT Rights – We are strong advocates for gay, le***an, bi-s*xual, tr*******al, and q***r rights. We support marriage for all Americans regardless of s*xual identity or gender preference. We also support amending the Civil Rights Act to include anti-discrimination protections for our LGBT brothers and sisters. Taxes – We support a highly progressive, marginalized income tax with targeted tax breaks for the middle-class, tax credits for the poor, specifically the Earned Income Tax Credit, and fewer loopholes for the wealthiest Americans. The current tax brackets are too flat and, along with tremendous loopholes for the wealthy, have helped fuel tremendous income inequality in America as well as adding to our national debt. Economic Policy – We support economic policies that focus on growing the economy from the middle-class out. Our economy is roughly 70% consumer driven, therefore we support proven Keynesian, consumer-side economic policies as opposed to conservative supply-side economics, which have proven time and time again to only increase wealth at the top while creating no new jobs and drastically increasing the national debt. Minimum Wage – The current minimum wage in America amounts to a starvation wage. Wage earners are the consumers that drive our economy and create jobs through demand. When they have less money to spend, as they do now, the result is a negative feedback loop that slows consumer demand, slows hiring, slows business growth, slows business profits, and results to even more job cuts and stagnant or declining wages. This is precisely why tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs. Demand creates jobs. And consumers can only increase their demand and their purchasing power when they have more money in their pockets to live on. Equal Pay – Women are still only making .77 cents to every dollar a man makes. We strongly support equal pay for women. Organized Labor – We strongly support and advocate for labor unions in both the private and public sector. Labor unions are the last line of defense against big business lobbyists who continually fight to roll back wage laws and workplace regulations. Labor unions are the only lobbying voice the working class has in Washington, which is why they are so strongly targeted by big business and the Republican Party.
‘Right to Work’ Laws – So-called ‘Right to Work’ laws are a scam. The law allows someone to go to work in a unionized shop and reap all of the benefits (wages, insurance, retirement funds, overtime, pay differentials, etc.) that union representatives and union workers fought and bargained for, but without that person paying any dues to the union if they so choose. Conservatives tout the law as being fair to workers that don’t want to be forced to pay dues as a condition of work. As a second generation union member, I can tell you that you’ll never meet a union member who supports this law. The true purpose of the law is to bankrupt the unions by cutting off their source of revenue. Bank Reform – We support the reinstatement of Glass-Steagall. Banks cannot be allowed to grow ‘too big to fail.’
Religious Freedom – We believe in a clear separation of church and state. We respect an individual’s right to express their religious beliefs, but we equally respect an individual’s right to not be subjected to those religious beliefs if they do not share them. We do not believe in any way, shape, or form that this nation was founded on Christianity or Christian principles. Civil liberties - We believe there is a balance between individual freedom and civil liberties and intelligence gathering in the name of protecting Americans. The current system is grossly out of balance and infringes way too greatly on American's civil liberties. Guns – We respect the right of all law-abiding citizens to legally and responsibly own guns and ammunition. We support background checks for all firearm purchases (no gun show loopholes). We support the banning of high capacity magazines that serve no practical purpose in sport or self-defense. While we recognize that mental illness awareness and evaluation must be part of the focus to reduce gun violence, we also believe that this is an area where we must all tread lightly so to not further stigmatize mental illness or target the mentally ill as scapegoats for gun violence. SNAP (food stamps) – We fully support the SNAP program. We do not agree with some critics of the program that claim economic assistance keeps people trapped in poverty. We also do not agree with current efforts by some states to only allow people who are employed access to the program, especially while unemployment remains high. Social Security –We do not support partial or full privatization of Social Security, and we do not support a chained CPI (consumer price index) as a method of determining cost-of-living adjustments. Medicare – We fully support Medicare and view the program as a model for single-payer health care for the entire country. Abortion and Reproductive Rights – We believe every effort should be made to reduce the number of abortions while maintaining a woman’s right to choose and to have safe access to an abortion if she deems it necessary. Those efforts must include s*x education and the availability of contraception, including free birth control. Planned Parenthood – We strongly support Planned Parenthood. For many low-income women, Planned Parenthood is the only place they can go for cancer screenings, gynecological exams, and birth control. Voting Rights – We support a Constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of every American 18-years-old and over the right to vote. Immigration – We strongly support immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship with an expedited pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. at a young age through no fault of their own. Military Foreign Policy – We do not support unilateral use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign nation that has not attacked us. Climate Science – There is overwhelmingly conclusive evidence that humans are having a serious negative impact on the climate and the environment. We can debate the predicted effects of anthropomorphic climate change but we can no longer debate the existence of climate change, of which global warming is only one of many symptoms. Alternative Energy - We advocate for increased research and implementation of alternative energy sources. Science - We support the advancement of peer reviewed science that adheres to the scientific method. We do not support religious creationism, or intelligent design, as any form of science whatsoever and, as such, believe it should not be a part of any public school science curriculum. Animal Cruelty – We oppose livestock practices that have been deemed inhumane—especially those involving close confinement. We oppose factory farming. We support stricter regulations against puppy mills, and we strongly support adopting pets and spaying and neutering to reduce the number of unwanted and euthanized pets. GMO Crops – We believe the verdict is still out on the long-term safety of GMO crops for human consumption. Even if GMO’s pose no health risks to humans, they dramatically increase the reliance and use of massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides. For that reason alone, we oppose GMO crops. We also oppose companies like Monsanto producing self-terminating seeds, then requiring farmers and, in some cases, entire countries to buy new seeds every year or face lawsuits. We also strongly oppose Monsanto’s practice of suing farmers when GMO crops are found in a non-GMO farmer’s field after being carried there by natural forces like wind and rain. Ma*****na – We support the nation-wide legalization of Ma*****na. Too many lives have been destroyed by lengthy prison terms for non-violent drug offenses, and billion dollars have been wasted on the failed war on drugs. Mandatory Sentences - We believe mandatory sentencing in the case of non-violent drug offenders must be reformed.
