Screenwriter Richard Linklater's (Bernie) animated film Waking Life depicts the ideas of dreams and consciousness, opening the screen to debate the act of being a proactive human in society. One line, spoken by a suicidal J.C. Shakespeare, describes the methods behind voting bluntly.
"You want the puppet on the right, or the puppet on the left?"
Thus began my realization that Democrats and Republicans use social issues to distract Americans from the real stuff, while corporate entities control the rest.
The U.S. two-party political system is innately flawed, in that the act of voting will never become more than the illusion of choice unless the political duopoly is challenged. Democrats and Republicans do not accurately represent democracy, and no nation can make decisions for its population when its people are not amply represented. The red and blue disagree on some things but are bipartisan on most issues in which they receive paychecks from the same entities.
According to the corporate media, voters are either left or right, up or down, black or white, red or blue - but this is not reality. This is the reality you see on the news. This is the false precept that we're told - that the country is always split, and that one candidate is always just slightly ahead, that no other options exist.
Come Election Day, over 80 percent of ballots, including New York State, will have a party that is neither red nor blue.
The Green Party recognizes that America is in a state of crisis. The presidential candidate, Jill Stein, is a mother, internist and Harvard graduate with a distinct and refreshing voice when compared to "Obamney."
Stein's primary plan is what she calls the "Green New Deal" - a plan to create 25 million jobs, to end rising unemployment and to jump-start the green economy. A plan that dampens environmental abuse that has caused global climate change simultaneously.
Oil dependency was sure great while it lasted.
Stein wants to renegotiate NAFTA "free trade" agreements that cause outsourcing of American jobs. This plan also calls for fair taxation of corporations and specifically calls out 30 major corporations who haven't paid any corporate sales tax over the last three years. Wall Street's ownership of the Democrat and Republican parties is not something to be overlooked.
Bailouts to bankers seemed like a good idea at the time.
Stein argues the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the possible future war in Iran are detrimental to our nation's security due to blowback. The United State's aggressiveness overseas has multiplied our enemies instead of removing them. There's no such thing as a friendship bomb, after all.
The $5 trillion invested in these wars are far too much, according to Stein. While "Obamney" argue over how much they intend to increase the defense budget, Stein wants to promote disarmament and handle international relations through peaceful methods.
"Fighting climate change should be the war that we're all fighting, not this war for oil," Stein said at the U.S. Third Party Debate on Oct. 23.
Stein isn't afraid to say what other politicians won't say.
President Obama opened himself to the country via YouTube in January and promised to answer questions that could be submitted online in a great show of open policy. But ignorance is strong in candidates who are afraid to talk about drug policy. The question, which received the most votes - more than 4,500 - regarded marijuana laws and changes to drug policy. Obama did not address this question and ignored it entirely.
Stein addresses these controversial issues and realizes the needless cost of the war on drugs, which has now exceeded $1 trillion.
Supply and demand tells us investing in prisons will create crime.
Now with just this small slice of Green policy, the differences are quite clear between this third party and the Democrat and Republican parties. Stein has the highest chance out of any independent party to win the election, and she won't back down from evening the playing grounds.
She was even arrested in a protest calling for fair debates at the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University and detained with her running mate Cheri Honkala for eight hours. That's the kind of dedication and certitude worthy of the title of president.
Stein has shown she wants to be the change Democrats and Republicans have promised for years.
Email: adrien.dangelo@ubspectrum.com
