In response to a friend's request to list ten important points/ideals/values of a progressive agenda with full recognition that this enumeration represents my conception of a progressive vision for what might be possible for the future of this country. It is, therefore, necessarily incomplete...please feel free to contribute additional information, aspirations, and projections. The friend specifically indicated that she preferred ten 'bullet points'. Although I tried to be succinct, a bullet point presentation was never a real possibility!
1) A complete rethinking of how we the people decide to allocate public resources for the the benefit of the common good.
2) Universal health care as a human right; not a privilege to be acquired.
3) Creating a sustainable living environment by ending our reliance on fossil fuels and seriously developing solar, wind, and other natural energy sources while reducing CO2 emissions to a level that will reverse the current trend toward catastrophic global warming.
Implementation of a plan to realize the goal of all-electric cars within the next 12 years.
4) Prioritizing an economy based on the survival of our planet, entailing a subsidized (if necessary) retraining of a workforce commensurate to the needs of an industry dedicated to human survival and well being rather than one that produces the means of death and destruction. Some version of The Green New Deal signals the beginning stages of this process and suggests a shift in how our public resources are to be allocated.
5) Scrutinizing the current levels of spending on defense, cutting enormous levels of waste, and redirecting these resources to areas that create a sustainable model of existence that values all life and deemphasizes the forces of destruction while simultaneously ensuring an adequate level of national security. Replacing the Military Industrial Complex with an Environmentally Sustainable Complex for Global Survival.
6) A comprehensive remodeling of our public school system from pre-school through 12th grade, which will guarantee the reality of a quality education to all children regardless of economic/social status. We cannot sail as a nation until all boats are lifted to the surface and into the same current. A child in the inner city must have access to the same educational possibilities as his/her counterpart in the wealthiest suburb. This vision will entail the elevation of the teaching profession as an honored and lucrative career path equal to the societal demands for universal excellence in terms of educational opportunity. Making higher public education and trade school training free as an expression of the value of an educated workforce, which will accordingly return the public investment in terms of increased productivity.
7) The recognition of our fellow human brothers and sisters as members of the same family. An awareness and celebration of diversity as a cornerstone of our national identity wherein matters of race, sexual preference, gender identity, religious practice, national origin, and any other designation otherwise used to divide us is, instead, embraced as essential to a deeper understanding of who we are as a united people.
8)A reexamination of the justice system with an emphasis of ending the practice of mass incarceration and replacing it with a model based upon rigorous accountability entailing compassionate regard for the victims of crime and an authentic method by which perpetrators can reach meaningful reconciliation with their victims thereby affirming a shared humanity within the process. Refocusing our attention to genuine rehabilitation instead of the current practice of human warehousing.
9) Ending the disparity of wealth whereby the middle class has virtuously disappeared and real wages have stagnated for decades. Support for a wealth tax and the restoration of worker's rights through union representation. Recognizing the value of a living wage for all our citizens.
10) The elimination of the wage disparity between men and women and the full recognition of female reproductive rights and their agency regarding decisions relating to the dignity and autonomy of their bodies. Adoption of the principle of gender equality as a real and ongoing national value.
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