24 New Congress Party Demands
Since many of these demands need to be implemented simultaneously, a new third party, tentatively be called the New Congress Party, should form and begin educating the public about its values and demands. No other third party specifically focuses on the radical changes that the U.S. Congress must make—to maximize democracy at home and foster peace and happiness abroad.
1. Work aggressively to dismantle all nuclear weapons and nuclear energy power plants, simultaneously and voluntarily, the world over as soon as possible.
BeyondNuclear.org Working for a world free from nuclear power and nuclear weapons
wagingPeace.org 10 facts and 10 myths about nuclear weapons (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
globalZero.org The International Movement for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
ReachingCriticalWill.org This is the disarmament program of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the oldest women’s peace organization in the world, founded in April 1915.
2. Bring home all U.S. troops and close down the government’s 700-1000 military bases around the world.
Even with such a drawdown, our nation would retain more than enough capacity to defend its own borders. The money previously spent on the military would be used to create jobs and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure: “[A]nd they shall turn their swords into ploughshares.” (Isaiah 2:4). Military ships, submarines, and planes can be used for low-budget travel and tourism.
Antiwar.com: “Obama Could Go It Alone: Bring All the Troops Home, and Stop the Killing” by Phyllis Bennis 2-14-2013
Huffington Post.com: “The Blowback World of Chalmers Johnson: Remembering the Man and His Work” by Sheila K. Johnson 4-11-2011
The New York Times: “Chalmers Johnson Dies at 79; Criticized U.S. Role in World” by Dennis Hevesi 11-24-2010
3. Establish Single Payer Health Insurance with the federal government as the single payer.
Physicians for a National Health Program: What is Single Payer Health Care?
Health Watch: The Hill’s Health Care Blog: Study: Single-payer health care system would save billions. (7-31-2013)
4. Remove the influence of private financial contributions and of lobbyists on members of Congress in the traditional way.
The Library of Congress will create a website that will become an online forum and clearinghouse for all public policy advocacies. All positions and arguments will be publicized. Everyone will know who is lobbying for what and why. Publicly provide the same finances to the political campaigns of the seven largest, national political parties, and give all seven parties equal public exposure.
Mother Jones: How to Sweep Dark Money Out of Politics by Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffrey (July-August, 2012 issue)
MoveOn.org: Petitions: Take Money Out of Politics
5. Elect the U.S. House of Representatives through a system of Proportional Representation, and abolish the U.S. Senate: Why should California and Wyoming have the same number of senators when California’s population is about 70 times greater?
The seven largest, national political parties will be empowered in a single-chambered, national legislature. Under proportional representation, the National Green Party may get 15 percent of the vote, for example, in the 435-membered House of Representatives, and Indiana’s population currently allows it to have ten members in the House of Representatives. But it may be that of the seven national political parties, the Indiana Republican Party will get to select five of Indiana’s ten representatives in the House of Representatives because Indiana is a conservative state.
Firedoglake: Abolish the Senate: Truly Radical, Yet Wholly Sensible Reform by John Walker 1-10-2011
Fair Vote: The Center for Voting and Democracy—Fair Voting 2012—provides fair voting plans of proportional representation for all states.
Fruits and Votes: What if the USA changed to proportional representation? 9-24-2005
6. Abolish the Electoral College System for electing a president.
A president must win by a majority of individual votes (not just a plurality of votes) using the method of Instant Runoff Voting, in which each voter will rank slated candidates from most favorite to least favorite. And it may take two or more rounds of voting to eliminate the candidate with the least amount of votes, until eventually one of the remaining candidates captures at least 51 percent of the vote.
US News and World Report: “Abolish the Electoral College: The current presidential elector system is outdated and easily manipulated,” by David Stewart, 2-6-2013
The Progressive: “Abolish the Electoral College, Fast!” by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman, 2-2-2013.
Forbes.com: It’s Time to Abolish the Electoral College, 11-04-2012.
7. Allow Congress–not the president–to select Supreme Court judges who will serve for 4 year terms. Judges may serve multiple terms.
Wiki.answers.com: How Are US Supreme Court Justices Appointed
Policymic.com: “Give Supreme Court Justices Term Limits” by Ruby Lee
8. Implement a decentralized, non-hierarchical, or grassroots, approach to public schools
The neighbors who live within the boundaries of each public elementary, middle, and high school will democratically establish their own school philosophy and curriculum, using public funds. There will no longer be federal, state, county, or township control of neighborhood schools. This should improve neighborhood togetherness, as neighbors ideally become tribal, in a new and modern way.
A.S. Neill’s Summerhill School
Greenshire Arts Consortium’s Institute for Holistic Studies: “The Holistic Education Movement,” by Scott H. Forbes, 6-28-1996, edited by Greenshire.
New Tribalism—Not Your Ancestor’s Campfire by Jeremiad–5-10-2011.
Institute for Liberal Studies: An Agency of the Florida State University: Student Government Association: 14 YouTube lectures: Bill Ayers and Kathleen Kemp, 1-12-2009.
9. Abolish the Federal Reserve and allow the Treasury Department to oversee a publicly owned banking system like the Bank of North Dakota.
Currently the Federal Reserve has pumped $16 trillion into the central banking system, as many people wonder, “Where is my bailout?”
The Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free by Ellen Brown
10. Strive to establish a democratic world government that provides equal pay for equal work, with no one earning more than three times the wages of the lowest paid worker.
This will eliminate the extremes of poverty and wealth and provide adequate food, housing, and jobs for all citizens of the world. A system of workplace democracy will be instituted. The world map can be divided into 500 rectangular-shaped, legislative districts of equal population. The World Legislative Council could then make executive and judicial branch appointments.
Coalition for Democratic World Government
BBC News Magazine: “Where are you on the global pay scale: If there were no rich or poor, and everyone had an equal share of the world’s total pay packet, how much would they earn?” by Ruth Alexander
11. Implement a Progressive income tax up to 94 percent for any income amounts over $100,000 with a simplified tax code.
12. Phase out fossil fuels through government incentives.
Center for Progressive Reform: David Driesen: “We will phase out fossil fuels. We have no choice. They are a finite resource and at some point they will run out.” 2-13-2013
13. Provide free post high school, public education for students whose parent(s) have an annual income of less than $100,000.
Wikipedia: Free Education: Countries that have free post high school education.
14. Provide more restrictions on the ownership of firearms–with comprehensive registration, background checks, and national standardization.
Council on Foreign Relations: US Gun Policy: Global Comparisons by Jonathan Masters, 7-15-2013
15. Legalize commercial hemp, medical marijuana, and the private use of marijuana for adults, on a national level. If marijuana is safer, why are we driving people to drink?
http://norml.org/ National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
Jack Herer: The Emperor Wears No Clothes, (11th edition online)
16. Call for a new, independent investigation of 9/11 with subpoena powers.
This is especially in regards to Building 7, which was not even hit by a plane, but fell at the speed of gravity into its own footprints at 5 pm on that tragic day. And Building 7 was not even mentioned in the initial Official 9/11 Commission Report, an investigation that was not done until 2 years later and then by government insiders, with an extremely limited budget.
ae911truth.org Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth
David Ray Griffin 2011: “911Miracles”
YouTube: The Toronto Hearings—Peter Dale Scott—9-11-2011
17. Provide incentives for local and organic food production. Require that all genetically modified foods be labeled.
Organic Food Consumers Association: GMO Myths and Truths
Opb.org: “Rethinking the Front Yard: Cities Make Room for Urban Farms” by Deena Pritchep—updated 7-17-2012
Quack Watch: Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions
18. Show how citizens of the 50 states can restructure their state governments from the bottom-up, not the top-down: from the neighborhood block club, to the precinct, township, county, and state levels.
Each level of legislative government can make executive and judicial branch appointments. Representatives at a state level, for example, can be voted out of office completely at all levels by the voters in the precinct, township, or county that the state representative emerged from. Representatives at each level would vote among themselves to send a representative to the next level above it. State constitutions can be rewritten using a democratic process.
National Center for Constitutional Studies: Also see the National Constitution Center and US Constitution.net
Third Constitution of the United States by Roger Copple
19. Increase the rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
20. Empower the seven largest, national political parties, using a system of proportional representation to elect 100 individuals to meet at a Constitutional Convention to rewrite the U.S. Constitution.
The delegates will work for three entire months to get a 51 percent or higher approval of any proposed, new constitution. (In other writings, this author has laid out a 23-month timeline for this process to occur).
Huffington Post: John Celock writes “Article V Convention to Amend Constitution Pushed by Several States” 3-25-2013.
21. Establish workplace democracy in companies that have seven or more employees.
Richard Wolff on Workplace Democracy
Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism by Richard Wolff
22. Allow Americans to visit Cuba if they choose.
Global Exchange: Freedom to Travel-Cuba
23. Stop the drone strikes, the Guantanamo torture prison, the abuse of the Patriot Acts and NDAA, needless NSA spying, and excessive security checks at airports.
Popular Resistance.org: “This Week: Close Guantanamo, Stop US Torture of Hunger Strikers” by Margaret, 6-22-2013
Tech Dirt: “Author of Patriot Act Says NSA Surveillance is An Abuse and Must End” 6-10-2013
24. Make buses and trains more affordable and available to reduce the number of cars and trucks on roads and highways.
United States Environmental Protection Agency: The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act: Cars, Trucks, Buses, and “Non Road” Equipment
Union of Concerned Scientists: Citizens and Scientists for Environmental Solutions: Clean Vehicles
evsroll: Car Pollution Facts
Miscellaneous Websites
Fellowship for Intentional Community: Intentional Community is an inclusive term for eco-villages, cohousing communities, residential land trusts, communes, co-ops, housing cooperatives, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.
beyondintractability.org Created by a team of more than 400 distinguished scholars, Beyond Intractability is built around an online “encyclopedia” that has easy-to-understand essays on conflict resolution and peace-building.
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