Non-sustainable and extractive industries

Methods that convert earth’s limited natural resources into pollution and waste are by definition not sustainable. The burning of fossil fuels in particular has resulted in significant groundwater and air pollution and a rise in the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, causing climate change that endangers the fragile web of life upon which all human existence and endeavor depends.

The lack of incentives to modify consumer behavior towards the use of non-polluting and multiple-use goods and production processes, and the focus on using capital to create short-term financial profit instead of benefiting society and creating long-term sustainability is a major shortcoming of capitalism.

I support the deployment of capital for the safety, health, education, and happiness of all members of human society, and the preservation of the environment upon which human life is inextricably dependent.

non-reusable materials

The use of materials such as single-use plastics, and processes that generate high volumes of non-reusable materials has resulted in the planet-wide dispersal of substances that have unknown or toxic impacts on soil, water, and air.

I support action that reduces the use of non-recyclable plastics and other materials, and the development of cycles of use that result in the highest level of material recycling and the lowest volume of disposed waste.

Destruction of earth’s ecosystems

The web of life that has evolved on this planet over the last several billion years has nurtured and supported human life and society, and has been the support system for every area of human endeavor.

However, capitalist control of natural and human resources has resulted in the widespread and willful destruction of habitats, resources, and people in the pursuit of short-term profits that are distributed to a very small number of beneficiaries at the expense of everyone and everything else.

Example organizations whose missions in protecting and restoring earth’s environment I support:

• Center for Biological Diversity, Tucson, AZ

• Friends of the Earth, Washington, DC

Racial, gender, and income equity

Freedom of belief or non-belief

Health care

The advances in medicine and the health care sciences over the last several generations have been truly astonishing. However, our ability to provide health care to the citizens of the world has been compromised by putting profits ahead of care, I support efforts such as “Medicare for all“ to provide health care to the US population without treating insurance companies as a profit center.

education

A good education is foundational to creating good citizens. Yet our teachers and overworked and underpaid [as of May 2018, the median income of a high school teacher in the United States is $64,340 per year].

An important part of education is the press. AMENDMENT I of the US Constitution states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The Constitution is silent about defining “the press”. However, its inclusion in the phrase protecting freedom of speech suggest that the press could be considered “any fixation in media of speech” - in other words, free speech that is printed, broadcast, recorded, or made into a song, movie, play, or rendered on a web site.

justice

Example organizations whose missions in improving justice, equity, and fairness in human societies that I support:

Campaign finance reform

At the root of the perversion of the United States Congress from servants of the people who elected them into vassals of whatever entity gives them the most money is the tragic Citizens United decision wherein the Supreme Court ruled that corporations can without attribution contribute unlimited sums of money to political action committees.

Corporations are not people. Corporations, wealthy individuals, and entities funded by them should not be allowed to flood media spaces with campaign advertising. Rather, candidates should be provided equitable access to media for the purpose of stating their positions and articulating their policies. And money is not free speech. Only citizens should be allowed to vote to choose their elected representatives.

voting rights, methods, and systems

In the United States, each state is free to choose its own voting methods and equipment, even for Federal elections. Some of the most-used voting machines come from vendors who have poor records for system security, and even poorer records for trying to influence the politicians and election officials who choose the equipment. Many of the machines either cannot be audited or have their auditing features disabled. And many of them use electronic ballot marking devices and bar codes that make it difficult for voters to ensure that their votes are being tabulated correctly. In addition, the machines that aggegate and tally the votes are susceptible to hacking. Last but not least, voter registration databases are poorly protected meaning that hackers can alter records and cause legitimate voters to be disqualified from voting.

diplomacy, statecraft, and war

The United States seems to choose its interventions and abstentions based not on the principle of supporting legitimately-elected democratic governments, but rather supporting any government from which the USA or its major corporations can obtain advantage, resources, or profits.

In the western hemisphere alone, the United States has illegally intervened in the domestic affairs of foreign governments over 80 times. El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala

According to data collected by political scientist Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University, the United States has attempted to interfere in presidential elections in other countries as many as eighty-one times.

Example organizations whose missions in ensuring the integrity and fairness of elections and voting rights for all: