Difference between revisions of "Draft GPUS Platform Amendment 10 key values"

Revision as of 06:42, 22 March 2010

[NOTE FROM MARNIE: I didn't edit any of the titles of the 10 key values, just the explanatory text.]

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Every human being deserves the opportunity to participate in community and government decisions that affect his or her life. We believe decision making is best done at the local level. We work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to voters. We support create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The foundation of any democratic society is the guarantee that each member of society has equal rights and opportunity. We recognize an intimate connection between our rights as individuals and our responsibilities to our neighbors and the intimate connection between our rights as individuals and our responsibilities to our neighbors and the planet. We conscientiously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Our human community is a part of nature, not separate from nature. We strive to live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. We replenish our planet by live in ways that respect the limited resources of our planet.

4. NON-VIOLENCE

We always support non-violent policies and tactics unless there is an undeniably clear need for self-defense. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace. We support demilitarization and elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.

5. DECENTRALIZATION

Decentralization of wealth and power promotes social and economic justice, environmental health and demilitarization. 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 fundamental rights are protected for all citizens.

6. COMMUNITY BASED ECONOMICS

We advocate for economic activities and institutions that are humane, freeing, ecological and accountable, and responsive to communities. We work to reduce the rights and powers of corporations. Instead, we support expanding the rights and powers of individuals in our economy. Everyone should have basic economic security. We encourage employee ownership, workplace democracy and restructuring our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY

We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines. We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals and quality of life, not short-term profits and open-ended economic growth. We seek to protect the planet's resources and safely disposing of all waste we create. Economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.