PLATFORM OF THE WASHINGTON PROGRESSIVE PARTY
Submitted to the General Membership by the Platform Committee 11 May 2020
Adopted 10 September 2020
WASHINGTON PROGRESSIVE PARTY PLATFORM 2020 PREAMBLE
We of the Washington Progressive Party submit this living platform to the voters of Washington and invite their participation in our political revolution. The purpose of this party is to engage, service, and unite voters disenfranchised from politics. We are committed to dismantling oppression in all forms, wherever it exists, so we can bring to birth the better society all people deserve. We must continue the long march to an inclusive and participatory democracy. We offer this platform not to hand down answers from the top, but to drive conversations that form the bedrock of people’s democracy. True democracy requires the participation of all people. It cannot co-exist with oppression. True democracy requires solidarity; no one should face injustice alone. The struggle will not always be easy, there will be setbacks, there will be conflict. This party is founded on the conviction that a better world is possible if we work together and fight not just for ourselves, but for humanity.
SOCIAL JUSTICE We understand that all issues intersect. Our goal is to eliminate oppression in all its forms, including but not limited to racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism, and classism. Our members strive to live and treat all people in such a way as to reflect our opposition to oppression in all its forms.
RACIAL JUSTICE We will proactively work to eliminate institutionalized racism in our workforce, government, and law enforcement, and to mitigate personal racial bias within ourselves. In our advocacy for the interests of racialized communities, we will seek not only to advance policy that will improve their material conditions, but to empower them to advocate on their own behalf. We support racial justice, but we do not presume to speak for those in racialized communities.
GENDER EQUALITY We will work to prevent discrimination and violence against women, including but not limited to sexual harassment, abuse, workplace discrimination, wage discrimination, and domestic violence, with a strong emphasis on promoting a culture of consent. We also support equal rights for non-binary genders, transgender people, and all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
DISABILITY RIGHTS We support the full inclusion of and social support for people with diverse intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities. We strive to use up-to-date language so as to promote an inclusive environment for all people, and promote autonomy and self-advocacy for people with disabilities
CIVIL LIBERTIES We believe it is the responsibility of the government to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of every person. We will preserve Washington’s national leadership as a champion of human rights. We will protect citizens from unconstitutional government intrusion, defend immigrants and refugees, support religious diversity, and oppose all limitations to a free society.
POLICING We believe that the police are a greater threat to many people than antisocial behavior from fellow citizens, and that this cannot be the case in a free society; it must change. The police have become akin to an occupying army. It is clear that the problems of our society will not be solved by shooting people, gassing them, or locking them up. Despite this, police budgets have continued to increase at the expense of other municipal programs. We believe funds should be moved from violent policing to programs that actually address the root causes of social ills. We support the creation of elected citizens’ review boards with the power to remove officers from the police force. Decades of organizing to this end have yielded little result thanks in part to powerful police unions and fraternal organizations. These organizations engage in right-wing political activism, and make it nearly impossible to fire bad actors or pass meaningful police reform. Furthermore, they normalize a toxic culture of police brotherhood that makes all officers complicit in the abuses of their departments. The political power of these organizations must be reduced or eliminated. We must hold the police accountable. The use of paid administrative leave for police officers under investigation must be suspended; officers under investigation should forfeit pay. Police officers involved in excessive use of force should forfeit pay and pensions. Officers involved in misconduct should be liable for misconduct settlements, not the taxpayers they brutalize. Police militarization programs must end. A majority of officers on patrol should be unarmed; firearms should be used only as a last resort and by specially trained personnel. Special gun rights should not be afforded to off-duty police officers. They should go through the same process to carry a personal firearm off-duty as any other citizen would, and service weapons should be stored securely in police departments. We demand an end to the practice of civil forfeiture. We demand that District Attorneys fulfill their obligations outlined in Brady v. Maryland. The police should be subject to democratic oversight; localities should consider electing qualified police chiefs in the same way they elect sheriffs or city attorneys. Our ultimate goals are to reduce the scope of policing and size of the police budget. Many social functions currently delegated to the police can be transferred to professionals better qualified to handle them, so that the police can focus on protecting and serving the people.
PRISON REFORM We believe that if an individual is not a danger to society, then there is no reason to lock them up. We must end the disproportionately high incarceration of marginalized groups, and reduce incarceration in general. We support fair sentencing and bail laws, a reduction in out-of-state incarceration, and an end to private prisons. We support restorative justice; prisons should rehabilitate people, not punish them. Human rights do not end when someone commits a crime. Too often incarcerated people have been neglected during natural disasters and pandemics. Too many prisoners are victims of sexual violence. Too many prisoners go without adequate medical care and sanitization. Religious and cultural needs of all incarcerated people must be respected. Indigenous customs in particular are under threat; drumming, sweat lodges, tobacco, peyote, and cannabis should be allowed. The practice of solitary confinement, and all other state sponsored torture, must end. We support the abolition of slavery. Prison laborers should have all the protections afforded to other workers, including minimum wage and OSHA protections. The government has a responsibility to ensure that incarcerated people are safe and their rights are protected. This includes the right to vote; people do not cease to be members of society upon committing a crime. Ideally, incarceration should rehabilitate and educate, not ruin a person’s life. Incarcerated people should be afforded opportunities for education and vocational training.
GOVERNMENT REFORM We believe the government should be fair, transparent, and accountable. We insist on publicly funded elections with comprehensive campaign finance laws. We believe that progress requires participation by people in all communities, workplaces, and schools, and we will work to mobilize citizens at all levels during and between elections.
DIPLOMACY Diplomacy is the bedrock of a peaceful society. We support our active and veteran military personnel, but oppose preemptive and aggressive military action. We also insist that the State and Federal Government honor all treaties and international agreements made in good faith. This means all owed treaty obligations must be delivered in a timely fashion, and that all indigenous people retain the right to learn, teach, and practice their cultures and ways that respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of all people. The State of Washington should recognize all indigenous tribes who have previously signed treaties with the US Government, including but not limited to the Duwamish, and work with tribes to obtain federal recognition where applicable.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE We believe that addressing class inequality is key to ending oppression at all levels of society. The United States of America is the wealthiest country in human history, yet millions live in poverty within its borders, while a wealthy elite exerts disproportionate control over all aspects of our lives. Too long has our government been solely geared toward the interests of capital, and we seek to change that by whole-heartedly rejecting moneyed influence. We refuse all corporate contributions. We do not believe corporations are people, or that money is speech. We recognize the economic challenges faced by our communities, and we believe in democratic ownership of the economy. The economy must work for the many, not the few.
TAXES We believe that the State of Washington, where many of the wealthiest individuals in history reside, including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, should not be the state with the most regressive tax code. Washington needs a progressive tax system where wealthier Washingtonians pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than low to moderate income Washingtonians. We believe in reducing our state’s reliance on sales tax, property tax, and other regressive taxes, and we support implementing a state income tax and a progressive capital gains tax.
HEALTHCARE We believe that healthcare is a human right. Thus, we support universal, single-payer healthcare of the highest quality. We are the wealthiest nation in human history, all people deserve access not just to basic healthcare, but to preventative care, reproductive care, prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, hearing care, durable medical equipment, in-home services, long term care and mental health services. Healthcare is critical to a person’s right to live. All people will one day need healthcare to survive, and to deny them healthcare for any reason is to condemn them to suffering and death, which constitutes unjustifiable violence. The goal of universal healthcare requires not only addressing financial access, but physical access to individuals in rural areas, and thus we support investment in rural healthcare. We support medical autonomy, and the right of patients to choose their medical procedures, physicians, and long-term care options. A person’s healthcare should be between them and their physician including but not limited to a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion and contraceptive services.
EDUCATION We believe that education is a human right. Education in the United States is modulated in quantity and quality by economic issues. The wealthy have access to some of the best education in the world. However, a society is not measured by how it takes care of those in power, but how it takes care of those on the margins. The American working class lags behind the rich in educational outcomes. One’s access to quality education early in life, long before they have ever made their first paycheck or voted in their first election, will greatly impact them for their entire life. Thus, we support universal pre-K education. We demand that every student, rich or poor, be given the highest quality education available, funded by progressive taxation. We demand tuition-free public colleges and universities, so that one’s economic status does not impact their ability to go to college. We demand that teachers are compensated in a manner befitting their status as educated professionals responsible for one of the most important functions in democratic society. We demand that education is accessible to all people, including those with diverse physical and mental abilities, and thus we demand that every student has the accommodations needed to excel, including but not limited to American Sign Language education. Students who use English as a second language should be provided with education in both English and their first language. Many students rely on school districts for food, and if a student is hungry it impacts their education, and so meals should be provided free of cost, including when school is not in session. School lunch debt should not exist in the wealthiest country on Earth. Guaranteed transportation to and from school is also critical to student success, and should be provided free of cost, regardless of where the student lives. Schools should provide reasonable health services, including mental health services. Classes need to be sized such that teachers can give proper attention to each student both personally and academically. This means hiring more teachers, so that the needs of every student can be met, whether they live in a rural area or in the heart of Seattle. The United States is the richest country in human history, and should lead the world in education, and Washington can lead the United States toward that goal.
YOUTH WELFARE We believe the government should work for all people, including the youth. Young people deserve to have their needs met, voices heard, rights respected, and interests represented long before they vote in their first election, or pay their first taxes. Minors are a vulnerable class. They are virtually always at the mercy of factors beyond their control, and it is easy for those in power to ignore them, as they are not voters. Young people, especially historically oppressed and marginalized youth, are often victims of abuse and neglect, including in institutional settings such as public schools. While it is not the government’s place to raise a child, and we support the right of parents to make decisions in areas where their children cannot reasonably be expected to make a decision, such as in the case of very young children, minors should have legal recourse if they sincerely believe their legal guardians are not acting in their best interests, even if their parents’ actions do not fit the legal definition of child abuse. These situations are virtually always complicated and will need to be handled sensitively and on a case-by-case basis. There are many instances where a parent’s decision might need to be upheld, despite a young person’s disagreement. Nevertheless, we believe in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable, and giving a voice to the unheard, and that includes those who are too young to vote.
HOUSING We believe safe, stable, and affordable housing is a human right, and will work to end homelessness and housing shortages by supporting an increase in public investment to create safe, stable, and affordable housing. We support rent control, housing subsidies, and supportive services for renters. Our goal is to eliminate involuntary homelessness. Thus, we support a wide variety of solutions, such as updating housing codes to include unconventional and wheeled housing. We oppose homeless sweeps.
INFRASTRUCTURE We believe Washingtonians need to invest in fixing crumbling infrastructure and in the development and expansion of mass transportation. We believe that all utilities that serve the general public should be truly public and should never be privatized. We support the continued expansion of high-speed internet and cellphone coverage throughout Washington. Internet access is increasingly crucial to success both in education and the workforce. Therefore, the Internet should be a public utility.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE We acknowledge that the state of the environment affects all people, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, class, or creed. Thus, a healthy ecosystem is critical to social welfare and human survival. We in the State of Washington are fortunate to live amongst striking natural beauty, vibrant ecosystems, pristine water, and abundant renewable resources. It is in the best interests of all people that this natural beauty is maintained. We support sustainable economic practices, and we believe that we must see ourselves as part of the environment, rather separate from or in dominion over it.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS We acknowledge the United States is on stolen land, and that our current environmental crisis is due to a system built on colonialism and genocide. While many today talk about transitioning toward a new way of thinking about society's relationship to the environment, Indigenous People always had a relationship with the environment that focused on sustainability and stewardship, and thus their leadership is both a moral and practical necessity. We support tribal sovereignty, but we also seek input from indigenous people on the governance of the entire State of Washington, not just the lands directly controlled by tribes. Their wisdom and experience will be critical in this time of ecological crisis. We also support state and federal investment in tribal welfare, including social programs for those living on reservations, and trust that indigenous people can articulate their specific needs better than we can. Social programs intended for indigenous people should not be exclusive to reservation communities. All of the land in the State of Washington is Indigenous land, and Native Americans should be able to access healthcare and tribal programs whether they choose to live in Neah Bay or Seattle. We demand that nation-to-nation treaties made in good faith be respected, and that the State and Federal Government uphold all treaty obligations. We support State and Federal recognition of tribal status for the Duwamish People, and all other Indigenous People who have lost their tribal status.
CLIMATE CHANGE We are committed to doing everything in our power to address, mitigate, and reverse anthropogenic climate change. We accept the scientific consensus that climate change is real and is caused by humans. We support the Green New Deal, but believe we must go further. We demand that climate change be treated as an immediate, existential threat to all people. This is not just a problem for our children; it is a problem for everyone on the planet. While credible scientific models give varying time estimates, it is imperative that we act as if the deadline were today. To underreact is worse than to overreact. The problems of climate change cannot be separated from the wasteful and insidious economic system that created them. We cannot address this issue without also addressing the exploitation of workers, the marginalization of women, racism, the destruction of the Arctic, or the pillaging of the Global South. The solution to climate change will come not from some new technology, or some individual savior, but from global solidarity and a total overhaul of our relationship with the planet. Our task will not be an easy one, but we believe in the ability of humanity to come together and meet this crisis. We must, for if we fail, we will perish.
NATURAL RESOURCES We believe that protecting the environment contributes to a healthy and vibrant economy. We support sustainable, green industries that protect Washington’s natural beauty and resources, contribute to the greater good, and improve our soils. We support strong land-use planning, wildlife management and conservation, restoration of our waterways, and the sustainable use of natural resources. We support financial incentives to alternative fuels such as fuel alcohol, alternative materials like industrial hemp, and the move toward zero waste.
ENERGY We support sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy. There is simply no way for our global society to persist with the burning of fossil fuels. We believe Washington should lead the nation into the future, and be powered exclusively by safe, clean, and renewable energy sources. Our energy system and utilities should be publicly and locally owned. We support investments and job development in energy conservation and weatherization programs. Every new structure or public works project should be built with sustainability in mind, and existing buildings should be modified to be as sustainable as possible. The state should invest in this, as they would in any other situation where millions of lives are at stake. This investment should be funded all or in part by taxes on fossil fuel companies. We also support job retraining and other economic support for those currently employed in carbon-based energy. State investment to update our energy system will create thousands of good-quality jobs for engineers, construction workers, machinists, millwrights, programmers; the very people currently employed in the fossil fuel industry. The dangerous and destructive process of hydraulic fracturing should be banned globally. Indigenous people should have the sole right to decide what happens on their land; in general, no special rights of way should be granted to energy companies and pipelines.
WATER RIGHTS We believe that water is life, and that all people worldwide have the right to clean water. Water is a human right, and all people fighting for that right have our support. We offer our solidarity to the Indigenous water protectors and their allies who fight against pipelines and other corporate incursions into Indigenous territory. They are an inspiration to us. Here in Washington, we are fortunate to live in a water rich state. However, a growing population and increased stress from climate change will necessitate management of our water resources. We support the continued setting of instream flows to ensure that streamflows are preserved for fish, wildlife, recreation, aesthetics, water quality, and navigation. Water intensive projects must be in the public interest, and must not impair another existing use. Polluters should be responsible for cleaning up pollution, including but not limited to chemical spills, at their own expense, and the State should ensure this is done in a safe and timely manner. Water is a public resource, held in common by all, and so we are all responsible for ensuring that our state’s rich water resources are managed effectively.
AGRICULTURE We support diversified, sustainable and locally based agriculture. There is only a limited amount of arable land, and it needs to be preserved for the production of food. Any development that removes arable land from production must be stopped. We support farmers’ markets, farm-totable, and farm-to-school initiatives to ensure that all Washingtonians have access to quality, healthy, and sustainably grown food. We oppose the consolidation of the agricultural sector into the hands of large corporations that deprive farmers of powerand the fruits of their labor. Farmers and agricultural workers feed the world, and have done so for thousands of years., not multinational corporations. We support the farmers and workers who feed us, not the corporations that feed on us. Farmers and workers should be the ones with control power over their livelihoods, and the agricultural system. We support financial assistance for family farms that wish to switch to organic. We support the right of farmers to own and repair their own equipment. We support tax incentives for small family farms. As with all workers, we urge farmers to band together, organize, and stand up to big business. No family farm should have to face a government or corporate legal team alone; we are stronger together.
IMMIGRATION We demand an end to the violent and inhumane separation of families at the border, and a path to citizenship for all undocumented people. To do this, we must abolish ICE, and extend asylum to undocumented people currently living in the United States, so that no one lives in fear of racist deportation. We support a continuation and expansion of the DREAM act. We must update our immigration policy to reflect the current reality; many sectors of our economy have relied upon immigrant labor for generations, and these laborers deserve legal protections and rights befitting essential workers. We oppose the border wall. Financial barriers to obtaining a visa must be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, and companies that exploit undocumented labor must be brought to justice. The wait times at the border for asylum seekers are unacceptable, and provision must be made to fulfill our moral and legal duty to asylum seekers and refugees. The United States has an obligation, under international law, to process them in a timely manner.
FORESTRY We believe public forestry is about creating the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time, and the forests of the State of Washington should be managed by and in the interests of the people of the State of Washington. We are fortunate to live in a state with incredible geographic diversity and biodiversity, and management plans must reflect this diversity. Plans must be tailored to the ecology of each forest; more than half of our state is forested, and forests in the Okanogan Highlands will have different needs to forests on the Salish Sea. Plans must be proactive; it will always be cheaper to prevent catastrophic forest fires than to react to them. Plans must be adaptive; an adaptive plan will always be more suited to the ever changing needs of a forest than an inflexible plan. All of this requires a greater investment in forestry. We must invest in workers who manage our valuable forested land, their programs must be well-supplied, and we must listen to and value those who have dedicated their lives to this work. Greater investment in forestry should be funded primarily by companies like Weyerhaeuser who profit immensely from our state's timber resources while forcing rural communities to shoulder the negative externalities created by their actions. Forestry does not exist in a vacuum, and the balance between preservation and the needs of the rural communities that live among and alongside our state’s forests must be carefully considered. Access to lands and special forest products in lands owned by the public should be managed by the public, not by Weyerhaeuser or other companies. Forests have intrinsic cultural, aesthetic, and ecological value irrespective of their potential profitability. Maintaining and creating biodiversity and ecological resilience should be a goal of public forests. While timber is a renewable resource, forests, especially old growth forests, are not. We also must acknowledge that Indigenous people, as the original land managers of this region, have extremely valuable insight into the problems we face today. The State of Washington sits on and benefits from stolen land, and we cannot discuss how to manage this land in the public interest without elevating Indigenous voices.
Submitted to the General Membership by the Platform Committee 11 May 2020
Adopted 10 September 2020
WASHINGTON PROGRESSIVE PARTY PLATFORM 2020 PREAMBLE
We of the Washington Progressive Party submit this living platform to the voters of Washington and invite their participation in our political revolution. The purpose of this party is to engage, service, and unite voters disenfranchised from politics. We are committed to dismantling oppression in all forms, wherever it exists, so we can bring to birth the better society all people deserve. We must continue the long march to an inclusive and participatory democracy. We offer this platform not to hand down answers from the top, but to drive conversations that form the bedrock of people’s democracy. True democracy requires the participation of all people. It cannot co-exist with oppression. True democracy requires solidarity; no one should face injustice alone. The struggle will not always be easy, there will be setbacks, there will be conflict. This party is founded on the conviction that a better world is possible if we work together and fight not just for ourselves, but for humanity.
SOCIAL JUSTICE We understand that all issues intersect. Our goal is to eliminate oppression in all its forms, including but not limited to racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism, and classism. Our members strive to live and treat all people in such a way as to reflect our opposition to oppression in all its forms.
RACIAL JUSTICE We will proactively work to eliminate institutionalized racism in our workforce, government, and law enforcement, and to mitigate personal racial bias within ourselves. In our advocacy for the interests of racialized communities, we will seek not only to advance policy that will improve their material conditions, but to empower them to advocate on their own behalf. We support racial justice, but we do not presume to speak for those in racialized communities.
GENDER EQUALITY We will work to prevent discrimination and violence against women, including but not limited to sexual harassment, abuse, workplace discrimination, wage discrimination, and domestic violence, with a strong emphasis on promoting a culture of consent. We also support equal rights for non-binary genders, transgender people, and all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
DISABILITY RIGHTS We support the full inclusion of and social support for people with diverse intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities. We strive to use up-to-date language so as to promote an inclusive environment for all people, and promote autonomy and self-advocacy for people with disabilities
CIVIL LIBERTIES We believe it is the responsibility of the government to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of every person. We will preserve Washington’s national leadership as a champion of human rights. We will protect citizens from unconstitutional government intrusion, defend immigrants and refugees, support religious diversity, and oppose all limitations to a free society.
POLICING We believe that the police are a greater threat to many people than antisocial behavior from fellow citizens, and that this cannot be the case in a free society; it must change. The police have become akin to an occupying army. It is clear that the problems of our society will not be solved by shooting people, gassing them, or locking them up. Despite this, police budgets have continued to increase at the expense of other municipal programs. We believe funds should be moved from violent policing to programs that actually address the root causes of social ills. We support the creation of elected citizens’ review boards with the power to remove officers from the police force. Decades of organizing to this end have yielded little result thanks in part to powerful police unions and fraternal organizations. These organizations engage in right-wing political activism, and make it nearly impossible to fire bad actors or pass meaningful police reform. Furthermore, they normalize a toxic culture of police brotherhood that makes all officers complicit in the abuses of their departments. The political power of these organizations must be reduced or eliminated. We must hold the police accountable. The use of paid administrative leave for police officers under investigation must be suspended; officers under investigation should forfeit pay. Police officers involved in excessive use of force should forfeit pay and pensions. Officers involved in misconduct should be liable for misconduct settlements, not the taxpayers they brutalize. Police militarization programs must end. A majority of officers on patrol should be unarmed; firearms should be used only as a last resort and by specially trained personnel. Special gun rights should not be afforded to off-duty police officers. They should go through the same process to carry a personal firearm off-duty as any other citizen would, and service weapons should be stored securely in police departments. We demand an end to the practice of civil forfeiture. We demand that District Attorneys fulfill their obligations outlined in Brady v. Maryland. The police should be subject to democratic oversight; localities should consider electing qualified police chiefs in the same way they elect sheriffs or city attorneys. Our ultimate goals are to reduce the scope of policing and size of the police budget. Many social functions currently delegated to the police can be transferred to professionals better qualified to handle them, so that the police can focus on protecting and serving the people.
PRISON REFORM We believe that if an individual is not a danger to society, then there is no reason to lock them up. We must end the disproportionately high incarceration of marginalized groups, and reduce incarceration in general. We support fair sentencing and bail laws, a reduction in out-of-state incarceration, and an end to private prisons. We support restorative justice; prisons should rehabilitate people, not punish them. Human rights do not end when someone commits a crime. Too often incarcerated people have been neglected during natural disasters and pandemics. Too many prisoners are victims of sexual violence. Too many prisoners go without adequate medical care and sanitization. Religious and cultural needs of all incarcerated people must be respected. Indigenous customs in particular are under threat; drumming, sweat lodges, tobacco, peyote, and cannabis should be allowed. The practice of solitary confinement, and all other state sponsored torture, must end. We support the abolition of slavery. Prison laborers should have all the protections afforded to other workers, including minimum wage and OSHA protections. The government has a responsibility to ensure that incarcerated people are safe and their rights are protected. This includes the right to vote; people do not cease to be members of society upon committing a crime. Ideally, incarceration should rehabilitate and educate, not ruin a person’s life. Incarcerated people should be afforded opportunities for education and vocational training.
GOVERNMENT REFORM We believe the government should be fair, transparent, and accountable. We insist on publicly funded elections with comprehensive campaign finance laws. We believe that progress requires participation by people in all communities, workplaces, and schools, and we will work to mobilize citizens at all levels during and between elections.
DIPLOMACY Diplomacy is the bedrock of a peaceful society. We support our active and veteran military personnel, but oppose preemptive and aggressive military action. We also insist that the State and Federal Government honor all treaties and international agreements made in good faith. This means all owed treaty obligations must be delivered in a timely fashion, and that all indigenous people retain the right to learn, teach, and practice their cultures and ways that respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of all people. The State of Washington should recognize all indigenous tribes who have previously signed treaties with the US Government, including but not limited to the Duwamish, and work with tribes to obtain federal recognition where applicable.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE We believe that addressing class inequality is key to ending oppression at all levels of society. The United States of America is the wealthiest country in human history, yet millions live in poverty within its borders, while a wealthy elite exerts disproportionate control over all aspects of our lives. Too long has our government been solely geared toward the interests of capital, and we seek to change that by whole-heartedly rejecting moneyed influence. We refuse all corporate contributions. We do not believe corporations are people, or that money is speech. We recognize the economic challenges faced by our communities, and we believe in democratic ownership of the economy. The economy must work for the many, not the few.
TAXES We believe that the State of Washington, where many of the wealthiest individuals in history reside, including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, should not be the state with the most regressive tax code. Washington needs a progressive tax system where wealthier Washingtonians pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than low to moderate income Washingtonians. We believe in reducing our state’s reliance on sales tax, property tax, and other regressive taxes, and we support implementing a state income tax and a progressive capital gains tax.
HEALTHCARE We believe that healthcare is a human right. Thus, we support universal, single-payer healthcare of the highest quality. We are the wealthiest nation in human history, all people deserve access not just to basic healthcare, but to preventative care, reproductive care, prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, hearing care, durable medical equipment, in-home services, long term care and mental health services. Healthcare is critical to a person’s right to live. All people will one day need healthcare to survive, and to deny them healthcare for any reason is to condemn them to suffering and death, which constitutes unjustifiable violence. The goal of universal healthcare requires not only addressing financial access, but physical access to individuals in rural areas, and thus we support investment in rural healthcare. We support medical autonomy, and the right of patients to choose their medical procedures, physicians, and long-term care options. A person’s healthcare should be between them and their physician including but not limited to a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion and contraceptive services.
EDUCATION We believe that education is a human right. Education in the United States is modulated in quantity and quality by economic issues. The wealthy have access to some of the best education in the world. However, a society is not measured by how it takes care of those in power, but how it takes care of those on the margins. The American working class lags behind the rich in educational outcomes. One’s access to quality education early in life, long before they have ever made their first paycheck or voted in their first election, will greatly impact them for their entire life. Thus, we support universal pre-K education. We demand that every student, rich or poor, be given the highest quality education available, funded by progressive taxation. We demand tuition-free public colleges and universities, so that one’s economic status does not impact their ability to go to college. We demand that teachers are compensated in a manner befitting their status as educated professionals responsible for one of the most important functions in democratic society. We demand that education is accessible to all people, including those with diverse physical and mental abilities, and thus we demand that every student has the accommodations needed to excel, including but not limited to American Sign Language education. Students who use English as a second language should be provided with education in both English and their first language. Many students rely on school districts for food, and if a student is hungry it impacts their education, and so meals should be provided free of cost, including when school is not in session. School lunch debt should not exist in the wealthiest country on Earth. Guaranteed transportation to and from school is also critical to student success, and should be provided free of cost, regardless of where the student lives. Schools should provide reasonable health services, including mental health services. Classes need to be sized such that teachers can give proper attention to each student both personally and academically. This means hiring more teachers, so that the needs of every student can be met, whether they live in a rural area or in the heart of Seattle. The United States is the richest country in human history, and should lead the world in education, and Washington can lead the United States toward that goal.
YOUTH WELFARE We believe the government should work for all people, including the youth. Young people deserve to have their needs met, voices heard, rights respected, and interests represented long before they vote in their first election, or pay their first taxes. Minors are a vulnerable class. They are virtually always at the mercy of factors beyond their control, and it is easy for those in power to ignore them, as they are not voters. Young people, especially historically oppressed and marginalized youth, are often victims of abuse and neglect, including in institutional settings such as public schools. While it is not the government’s place to raise a child, and we support the right of parents to make decisions in areas where their children cannot reasonably be expected to make a decision, such as in the case of very young children, minors should have legal recourse if they sincerely believe their legal guardians are not acting in their best interests, even if their parents’ actions do not fit the legal definition of child abuse. These situations are virtually always complicated and will need to be handled sensitively and on a case-by-case basis. There are many instances where a parent’s decision might need to be upheld, despite a young person’s disagreement. Nevertheless, we believe in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable, and giving a voice to the unheard, and that includes those who are too young to vote.
HOUSING We believe safe, stable, and affordable housing is a human right, and will work to end homelessness and housing shortages by supporting an increase in public investment to create safe, stable, and affordable housing. We support rent control, housing subsidies, and supportive services for renters. Our goal is to eliminate involuntary homelessness. Thus, we support a wide variety of solutions, such as updating housing codes to include unconventional and wheeled housing. We oppose homeless sweeps.
INFRASTRUCTURE We believe Washingtonians need to invest in fixing crumbling infrastructure and in the development and expansion of mass transportation. We believe that all utilities that serve the general public should be truly public and should never be privatized. We support the continued expansion of high-speed internet and cellphone coverage throughout Washington. Internet access is increasingly crucial to success both in education and the workforce. Therefore, the Internet should be a public utility.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE We acknowledge that the state of the environment affects all people, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, class, or creed. Thus, a healthy ecosystem is critical to social welfare and human survival. We in the State of Washington are fortunate to live amongst striking natural beauty, vibrant ecosystems, pristine water, and abundant renewable resources. It is in the best interests of all people that this natural beauty is maintained. We support sustainable economic practices, and we believe that we must see ourselves as part of the environment, rather separate from or in dominion over it.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS We acknowledge the United States is on stolen land, and that our current environmental crisis is due to a system built on colonialism and genocide. While many today talk about transitioning toward a new way of thinking about society's relationship to the environment, Indigenous People always had a relationship with the environment that focused on sustainability and stewardship, and thus their leadership is both a moral and practical necessity. We support tribal sovereignty, but we also seek input from indigenous people on the governance of the entire State of Washington, not just the lands directly controlled by tribes. Their wisdom and experience will be critical in this time of ecological crisis. We also support state and federal investment in tribal welfare, including social programs for those living on reservations, and trust that indigenous people can articulate their specific needs better than we can. Social programs intended for indigenous people should not be exclusive to reservation communities. All of the land in the State of Washington is Indigenous land, and Native Americans should be able to access healthcare and tribal programs whether they choose to live in Neah Bay or Seattle. We demand that nation-to-nation treaties made in good faith be respected, and that the State and Federal Government uphold all treaty obligations. We support State and Federal recognition of tribal status for the Duwamish People, and all other Indigenous People who have lost their tribal status.
CLIMATE CHANGE We are committed to doing everything in our power to address, mitigate, and reverse anthropogenic climate change. We accept the scientific consensus that climate change is real and is caused by humans. We support the Green New Deal, but believe we must go further. We demand that climate change be treated as an immediate, existential threat to all people. This is not just a problem for our children; it is a problem for everyone on the planet. While credible scientific models give varying time estimates, it is imperative that we act as if the deadline were today. To underreact is worse than to overreact. The problems of climate change cannot be separated from the wasteful and insidious economic system that created them. We cannot address this issue without also addressing the exploitation of workers, the marginalization of women, racism, the destruction of the Arctic, or the pillaging of the Global South. The solution to climate change will come not from some new technology, or some individual savior, but from global solidarity and a total overhaul of our relationship with the planet. Our task will not be an easy one, but we believe in the ability of humanity to come together and meet this crisis. We must, for if we fail, we will perish.
NATURAL RESOURCES We believe that protecting the environment contributes to a healthy and vibrant economy. We support sustainable, green industries that protect Washington’s natural beauty and resources, contribute to the greater good, and improve our soils. We support strong land-use planning, wildlife management and conservation, restoration of our waterways, and the sustainable use of natural resources. We support financial incentives to alternative fuels such as fuel alcohol, alternative materials like industrial hemp, and the move toward zero waste.
ENERGY We support sustainable alternatives to carbon-based energy. There is simply no way for our global society to persist with the burning of fossil fuels. We believe Washington should lead the nation into the future, and be powered exclusively by safe, clean, and renewable energy sources. Our energy system and utilities should be publicly and locally owned. We support investments and job development in energy conservation and weatherization programs. Every new structure or public works project should be built with sustainability in mind, and existing buildings should be modified to be as sustainable as possible. The state should invest in this, as they would in any other situation where millions of lives are at stake. This investment should be funded all or in part by taxes on fossil fuel companies. We also support job retraining and other economic support for those currently employed in carbon-based energy. State investment to update our energy system will create thousands of good-quality jobs for engineers, construction workers, machinists, millwrights, programmers; the very people currently employed in the fossil fuel industry. The dangerous and destructive process of hydraulic fracturing should be banned globally. Indigenous people should have the sole right to decide what happens on their land; in general, no special rights of way should be granted to energy companies and pipelines.
WATER RIGHTS We believe that water is life, and that all people worldwide have the right to clean water. Water is a human right, and all people fighting for that right have our support. We offer our solidarity to the Indigenous water protectors and their allies who fight against pipelines and other corporate incursions into Indigenous territory. They are an inspiration to us. Here in Washington, we are fortunate to live in a water rich state. However, a growing population and increased stress from climate change will necessitate management of our water resources. We support the continued setting of instream flows to ensure that streamflows are preserved for fish, wildlife, recreation, aesthetics, water quality, and navigation. Water intensive projects must be in the public interest, and must not impair another existing use. Polluters should be responsible for cleaning up pollution, including but not limited to chemical spills, at their own expense, and the State should ensure this is done in a safe and timely manner. Water is a public resource, held in common by all, and so we are all responsible for ensuring that our state’s rich water resources are managed effectively.
AGRICULTURE We support diversified, sustainable and locally based agriculture. There is only a limited amount of arable land, and it needs to be preserved for the production of food. Any development that removes arable land from production must be stopped. We support farmers’ markets, farm-totable, and farm-to-school initiatives to ensure that all Washingtonians have access to quality, healthy, and sustainably grown food. We oppose the consolidation of the agricultural sector into the hands of large corporations that deprive farmers of powerand the fruits of their labor. Farmers and agricultural workers feed the world, and have done so for thousands of years., not multinational corporations. We support the farmers and workers who feed us, not the corporations that feed on us. Farmers and workers should be the ones with control power over their livelihoods, and the agricultural system. We support financial assistance for family farms that wish to switch to organic. We support the right of farmers to own and repair their own equipment. We support tax incentives for small family farms. As with all workers, we urge farmers to band together, organize, and stand up to big business. No family farm should have to face a government or corporate legal team alone; we are stronger together.
IMMIGRATION We demand an end to the violent and inhumane separation of families at the border, and a path to citizenship for all undocumented people. To do this, we must abolish ICE, and extend asylum to undocumented people currently living in the United States, so that no one lives in fear of racist deportation. We support a continuation and expansion of the DREAM act. We must update our immigration policy to reflect the current reality; many sectors of our economy have relied upon immigrant labor for generations, and these laborers deserve legal protections and rights befitting essential workers. We oppose the border wall. Financial barriers to obtaining a visa must be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, and companies that exploit undocumented labor must be brought to justice. The wait times at the border for asylum seekers are unacceptable, and provision must be made to fulfill our moral and legal duty to asylum seekers and refugees. The United States has an obligation, under international law, to process them in a timely manner.
FORESTRY We believe public forestry is about creating the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time, and the forests of the State of Washington should be managed by and in the interests of the people of the State of Washington. We are fortunate to live in a state with incredible geographic diversity and biodiversity, and management plans must reflect this diversity. Plans must be tailored to the ecology of each forest; more than half of our state is forested, and forests in the Okanogan Highlands will have different needs to forests on the Salish Sea. Plans must be proactive; it will always be cheaper to prevent catastrophic forest fires than to react to them. Plans must be adaptive; an adaptive plan will always be more suited to the ever changing needs of a forest than an inflexible plan. All of this requires a greater investment in forestry. We must invest in workers who manage our valuable forested land, their programs must be well-supplied, and we must listen to and value those who have dedicated their lives to this work. Greater investment in forestry should be funded primarily by companies like Weyerhaeuser who profit immensely from our state's timber resources while forcing rural communities to shoulder the negative externalities created by their actions. Forestry does not exist in a vacuum, and the balance between preservation and the needs of the rural communities that live among and alongside our state’s forests must be carefully considered. Access to lands and special forest products in lands owned by the public should be managed by the public, not by Weyerhaeuser or other companies. Forests have intrinsic cultural, aesthetic, and ecological value irrespective of their potential profitability. Maintaining and creating biodiversity and ecological resilience should be a goal of public forests. While timber is a renewable resource, forests, especially old growth forests, are not. We also must acknowledge that Indigenous people, as the original land managers of this region, have extremely valuable insight into the problems we face today. The State of Washington sits on and benefits from stolen land, and we cannot discuss how to manage this land in the public interest without elevating Indigenous voices.
We still need all voices for our Gun Rights, Reparations, Local Economies and Public Safety. We meet every other Wednesday from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm PST. Please join us and help shape your platform Get Involved