This is a statement from Julia Williams on her EMPTY PLATES protest: THE BEGINNING: ONE SMALL OUTCRY!!!! DEC. 12, 2010. The Manhattan Greens held a protest of their own inspired by it.
“I call for all of us who reject the economic terrorism of our legacy parties to RISE UP and hit the pavement! I want to see grandmothers and mothers, grandfathers and fathers, children, union members, students, Greens, Socialists, any group that rejects the idea that forced starvation can in any way “be good for our country”, become a visible, palpable, physical presence, and demonstrate on December 12th! …
Can we demand that Obama sign Executive Order 7034 and create a WPA? A thousand small fires can light up this country, the beginning of a movement that rejects the savaging of our safety nets, that disavows the idea that throwing millions of children into poverty, hunger and homelessness is the answer to our economic problem, while corporations and CEOs enjoy ever-larger profits and income at our expense. Please, can we join together for this one, small outcry? For a few hours in the middle of this holiday season we can make a statement that could reverberate around the country and begin to show our true strength.”
I visited Julia's website (http://juliawilliamsforcongress.com/) recently and found some stirring quotes and a wonderfully usable roundup of and platform for the many issues facing our struggling citizenry.
Julia Williams’ 3 KEY ISSUES: JOBS, END THE WAR, HEALTHCARE
JOBS:
“Inequitable trade policies have led to the race for rock-bottom labor costs, at the expense of the American worker, in addition to allowing manufacturers to skirt pollution regulations put in place to protect our environment, all in the cause of creating greater CEO pay and short-term gains for investors. We need to invest in our greatest resource, the most productive workforce in the world, our fellow citizens. The situation we are in today has its parallel with the Great Depression, and so is the answer: a massive investment in jobs programs, like the WPA and the CCC. Not only did these programs lift people out of abject poverty, they created an infrastructure that can, in many cases, still be seen today.”
END THE WAR:
“In addition, curtailing our out-of-control defense spending, ending the wars, and refusing to invest in undemocratic and volatile countries can only help to increase our own security.
.... The Center for Defense Information has projected the total costs of both wars to reach 1.08 Trillion dollars by the end of fiscal year 2010. The costs in our troops lives and injuries are incalculable, in addition to the numbers of innocent civilians killed and maimed and made homeless. We need to stop the hemorrhaging of our blood and wealth for wars that are illegitimate in both their cause, and their prosecution. There is also a tremendous amount of waste, corruption and fraud connected to our military expenditures, and it would be better policy to invest our money, talent, and energy in productive enterprises aimed at improving our employment and energy policies."
HEALTHCARE:
“As a nurse, I’ve seen the immense damage and pain caused by our being the only developed nation in the world that does not provide healthcare to its citizens. Passing Medicare for All will produce many improvements in our lives. Unhealthy people cannot work, be productive, or lead happy, fulfilling lives. Enacting Single Payer would also immediately stop the leading cause of bankruptcies in this country, a shameful statistic. In addition, our businesses will be more competitive with those of other nations, whose citizens have universal healthcare. The cost savings in the elimination of bureaucracy and administrative costs would be 400 Billion dollars a year, a sum that would not only cover everyone, but would lead to improved coverage."
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Here is a wrap-up of other stances Julia Williams is taking to promote US recovery:
JOB STIMULUS BILL, LIKE WPA FOR WORKING FAMILIES, REPEAL NAFTA, CAFTA
REPEAL “HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDERS PROFITABILITY ACT”, ENACT MEDICARE-FOR-ALL, REMOVE 30% PROFITMAKING AND GRATUITOUS BEAUCRATIC WASTE FROM EVERY HEALTH CARE DOLLAR, PROMOTE REASONABLE NEGOTIATION OF PHARMACEUTICALS
REGULATE GLOBAL WARMING GASSES, PUNISH POLLUTERS, COLLECT A FEE IN PROPORTION TO CARBON CONTENT, PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
STOP GOVT. SUBSIDIZATION OF PRIVATE COAL, OIL, NUCLEAR, AGRIBUSINESSES THAT GENERATE THE MAJORITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
INVEST IN MORE EFFICIENT, HIGH-SPEED RAIL AND MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS
RESTORE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, END TORTURE AND RENDITION, RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW, CREATE COALITION OF LIKE-MINDED CITIZENS TO END RAMPANT CORRUPTION
REMOVE LOBBYIST-WRITTEN LEGISLATION THAT LED TO COLLAPSE OF STOCK AND HOUSING MARKETS, DEBILITATING THE MIDDLE CLASS, END LAISSEZ-FAIRE OVERSIGHT OF BANKING PRACTICES AND RATING AGENCIES, PROMOTE PUBLICLY-FUNDED ELECTIONS AND ELIMINATE LOBBYING INFLUENCES IN BOTH HOUSES
RE-IMPOSE PROGRESSIVE TAXATION FROM EISENHOWER ERA
POLITICIANS AND MEDIA IMMIGRATION FAUX-REFORM DEMONIZES FOREIGN CITIZENS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS WHILE IGNORING CORPORATE-FRIENDLY POLICIES THAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION WITH LITTLE REPRISAL, MULTIPLE BILLIONS ON WALLS AND BORDER PATROLS NOT EFFECTIVE WAY TO SPEND MONEY, GO AFTER CORPORATE ROOT OF PROBLEM AND CREATE HUMANE LEGAL-CITIZENRY MECHANISMS
RAISE PERSONAL INCOME TAX RATES ON EARNINGS OVER $250,000 DOLLARS (CREATE $700 BILLION IN REVENUE)
END "RACE TO BOTTOM" IN WAGES AND BENEFITS, RECREATE A MIDDLE CLASS (MIDDLE CLASS INCOME HAS BEEN STAGNANT FOR 30 YEARS, TOP 1% INCOME SOARED OVER 250% DURING SAME TIME)
RESTORE THE CAP ON EARNINGS TO COVER 90% OF EARNINGS (NOW $106K PER YEAR), PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST, EARLIER NOT LATER RETIREMENT RE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGING JOBS
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HERE IS A BLOG ABOUT JULIA I HAD WRITTEN AT CORRENTEWIRE:
Green Candidate Julia Williams (U.S. House-Mich:12) Will Revive the ZEN In CitiZENs!!!!
Julia Williams identifies herself as a "citizen-politician." A mom, a wife, a nurse, a universal health care advocate, a person of conscience. She is smart, courageous, warm, articulate, hard-working, witty, passionate, honest, responsible, committed, resourceful ...
She is my inspiration for effective and honorable political activism. She is a role model of a new, rare but precious breed of citizen-politicians that embraces humanism. Whose strength will advance a paradigm shift from the toxic, U.S. government's patriarchal priorities of competition, greed and power to humanism. Win/win scenarios reflecting partnership and cooperation for all participants. "A rising tide lifts all boats" humanism.
Julia Williams' election to the U.S. House for Michigan-12 would mean a spiritual victory for those people of conscience who recognize an ever intensifying War on Empathy waged by our so-called respresentatives of both legacy political parties. They have sacrificed our welfare, betrayed our trust, for the corporatists. They are enabling and engineering monstrous situations domestically and internationally in our names with our tax dollars.
Just appreciate this one powerful paragraph as to how Julia Williams' mind, heart, political and moral imagination work in effectively sorting through the critical and nightmare issues of our time!
The issues that I will address when I am elected that mean the most to me all revolve around keeping my neighbors safe and healthy. First of all, I believe Medicare-for-All should be enacted immediately, since unhealthy people cannot be productive, work, or enjoy life. In addition, having a healthcare system that is universal will immediately stop more than 50% of bankruptcies. The issue then becomes one of jobs. The federal government is indeed one of our greatest job creators, but I want to change those jobs from military duty, defense manufacturing, and privately contracting out our security, to re-deploying our citizens to help create a new, more vibrant, and healthier America. This country can stop out-sourcing, and create new, green, local, jobs that will promote the development and use of clean energy, and build a better infra-structure with mass transit and more efficient and faster rail (all of which Michigan is uniquely positioned to help design and manufacture). In addition, to those who have worked their entire lives, and depend upon the contracts we built together with our government known as Social Security and Medicare, I pledge to work to not only defend these programs from the coming attempts by BOTH parties to cut benefits, but to strengthen them, and allow the government to negotiate for lower pharmaceutical prices.
Wow!!! Integrated and organic recovery. All this in just one thoughtful and insightful paragraph. WIN/WIN AND MORE WIN, citizen-nurturing as well as wholesome nation-building policies. What a refreshing change from the "head's I win, tail's you lose" scenario we endure from the neo-feudal corporate overlords destroying democracy as we once knew it.
I'd say Ms. Williams has a thorough grasp of what this country REALLY needs. It's called a GREEN NEW DEAL. Julia Williams believes in the Green New Deal-making, not in legacy parties' and presidential administration's SECRET-dealmaking behind the backs of and beyond any benefit to the citizenry! The rhetoric after such backroom deals is hypocritically self-congratulatory – even labelled "historic" by a colluding media -- when, in reality, its ramifications will prove profoundly destructive. We vulnerable citizens are more and more deprived of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Instead of being served, we are being downright ravaged.
Ms. Williams reminds us:
... how about the secret deal made with the Insurance companies, made even before the healthcare reform debate began, to insure a captive populace, and increased profits for the industry. The resulting “Health Insurance Provider Profitability Act’” was written by lobbyists, and came directly from the Heritage Foundation, and NOT ONE DEMOCRAT stood up to protest this travesty.
Julia Williams has got some hard-hitting, "truth to power" things to say about Obama's extrajudicial assassination presumption, the shredding of our constitution in the name of security, and the continuation of immoral not to mention illegal wars:
How about “the Imperial Presidency” ? Is it really OK if a Democrat does it? We continue to rendition, imprison, and kill with impunity, with the White House stating that murder of American citizens, without legal recourse, is fine. Where are the so-called “Progressive Dems” on this? Why are they not calling out, daily, on the shredding of our constitutional rights, and the immoral acts we prosecute to further “Security”? Where are the prosecutions of the perpetrators of the evil, immoral wars, who lied, cheated, and stole our national honor? Why are “Progressive Dems” still voting to fund these illegal wars? Why are we investing 100’s of billions a year on war, rather than our citizens? Why are we supporting evil, corrupt regimes all over the world? Why are we still giving out contracts to corrupt MIC contractors, and not prosecuting them? And where are the progressives who should be fighting against these violations?
Ms. Williams' inventory of the impotency, betrayals and cowardism of the legacy Democratic Party goes on:
Let’s not forget the whole host of issues “progressive Dems” were supposed to address after the election in 2008-DADT, DOMA, EFCA, and have fallen short on, not to mention the crystallization of the Hyde act in an Executive Order. And, in an act not even attempted seriously by the most rabid right-wing Republicans, creating a “Catfood commission”, stocking it with a clear majority of billionaires and shills for corporations, and setting up a theft of Social Security benefits, to occur during a LAME DUCK session of Congress!
With all these travesties, Julia Williams discloses the actual personal tipping point moment, the ultimate call for her to step forward and walk the walk as a Green Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan-12. It was the Macondo well geyser tragedy. She declares:
I saw a broken political system that would allow such a tragedy to occur, without accountability or effective regulations. I realized that neither party had addressed our major problems, had not focused on citizen needs, and had spent an inordinate amount of time playing politics with people’s lives at stake. I realized if we don’t act quickly, my (and everyone’s) grandchildren will inherit a barren, poisonous landfill we once called “Earth”. Neither legacy party has the platform goals of social and economic justice, ecological wisdom, grassroots democracy, and non-violence, which make up the “Four Pillars” of the Green Party platform. I believe that there is a better, more just, more sustainable way of life that can be created for this country, my State, my District, and the Green Party has the roadmap to get there.
I believe her. In fact her pro-action inspired me to unregister with the Democratic Party and embrace the Green Party in my own state of New York this month. A blessed third party I can attribute the label "integrity" to. I relish participating in their healthy, renewing agenda for the citizens of this country.
Why, as Julia Williams asks, should we as progressives settle for the supposedly "pragmatic compromising", the "2% less evil" solutions, when we can join up with people of conscience fighting a REAL fight full throttle? Not enabling outrageous corporate vendor profiteering at their own expense. I'm sorry it took me so long to commit, but as Louise Hay says, "The point of power is always in the present moment!" It is my zen answer. A positive channel for my spiritual will as a citizen, for my higher self. I like feeling like I'm finally a part of the solution, and no longer a part of the problem (as that old sixties slogan proclaimed).
Ms. Williams and citizen-politicians like her deserve serious support and will return serious support to us citizens. That is the humanist paradigm. WIN/WIN!!! And just like Margaret Mead, Julia Williams has no doubt that "a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." I'm coming to believe it, too. Hope based on real change. What a refreshing antidote to the assembly line of all those "fresh hell" betrayals!
http://juliawilliamsforcongress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Williams-for-Congress/138671702828469
http://www.detroitgreens.org/node/315
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