Progressive Manifesto

"No punishment is too great for the man who seeks to build his greatness upon his Country's ruin." ~~ George Washington

A Progressive Manifesto

1.- Every citizen should be educated to his or her highest potential. This education should not be a function of the citizens ability to pay, but should be treated as the nations investment in its own future.

2.- No citizen should go hungry due to poverty.

3.- All citizens should take for granted access to basic, comprehensive health care.

4.- The same restrictions against government intrusion into a citizens life accorded by the US Constitution should safeguard us against similar abuses by private, corporate and other business entities.

5.- Every business operating in America should act in accordance with triple bottom line principles: maximizing profit must be balanced by an equal responsibility to serving the best interests of people and the planet.

6.-  Bias based on race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or any other form of categorization by which we have historically restricted opportunity for other citizens should be nothing more than an embarrassing artifact of our past. Any right enjoyed by one citizen or group of citizens should be enjoyed by all.

7.- Every citizen should face a landscape of opportunity that is defined by a level playing field. We accept that inequities will always exist and that some people will always have a head start in whatever they pursue, but the relative advantages of one person or group should not mean a corresponding disadvantage for another. Some may be positioned to achieve more, but all should be empowered to achieve enough.

8.- All technological development should be undertaken subject to a professional ethical code that emphasizes social value instead of mere profit motive.

9.- US foreign policy will be conducted in such as way as to promote as much goodwill as possible. While international conflict is likely to be an unfortunate reality for the foreseeable future, it should be recognized that foreign policy based on military domination and the establishment of corporate consumer markets are guaranteed to breed ill will that fosters more conflict over time.

10.- Americans should view themselves as citizens first and consumers last.

11.- The world should be free of weapons of mass destruction.

12.- Citizen participation in the democratic process should be ubiquitous and all votes should be informed votes.

13.- A citizens satisfaction with life should no longer be a function of how much money he or she spends on material distractions.

14.- Our educational system will assure that our right brains are nurtured as well as our left, preparing students to be successful in life as well as their careers.

15.- America's standards for leadership and public service should be so high that only the brightest and best even bother to seek public office.