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Don't Just Settle for One of Two Choices!There is a Better Way. We Believe in Action--Not Just Words. We are United for a Purpose, Working for the Greater Good. We have Always Believed that the Government Should be Run by the People, Not Big Money."This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in." Theodore Roosevelt Chicago, IL, June 17, 1912 Progressive Party of WashingtonJoin us at our next meeting!
Our next meeting will take place at the Rusty Pelican Restaurant, at 1924 N. 45th Ave in Wallingford on the last Friday of the month at 7:00PM. We need your help, your ideas, and your energy! We need activist members who want to make a change for better local government by gearing the government to the people. We welcome those who have been activists in their own neighborhood, schools, parks, or working for social justice at the city, county and state levels, including environmental justice. If you live in the King County/Snohomish County areas, please email Linde Knighton at waprog2@yahoo.com or if you live in the rest of the state, particularly Pierce or Thurston Counties, please email Larry Pratt at greyfuzz@eskimo.com You might also enjoy joining our email list, a place of often lively discussion. If you do want to join us, please read membership, decide what type of member you want to be, then email us for more information or snail mail us your application.A word about this partyWe are an original party. We have our own history, our own platform. Want to be a Progressive? Join the Progressive Party. One of the most shocking things to us last year (2006) in the legislative election was that two districts (the 36th and the 29th) had all three candidates from state legislature run unopposed. In the 5th and 27th, two ran unopposed. Where was their choice? We think that this is so wrong that we are pushing hard for a three-fold solution to this problem. 1. Ballot Access--it needs to be easier for 3rd party and Independent candidates to get on the ballot. Why do the 3rd party and Independent candidates have to hold a seperate nominating convention for every candidate they have, plus gather signatures, plus run a legal notice as well as do what every other candidate does to qualify? 2. Instant Runoff Voting-to cut out spoiling and mudslinging. 3. Clean Money Campaigns, to stop big money from pulling candidate's strings. We also are working with other third parties for the right of the voter to have a choice. 2005 Pride Parade
Who Are We?The Progressive Party of Washington is a revival of the original Bullmoose Party of 1912. The Party did very well in both the United States and Washington. Check our History. In 2003, a few friends started a movement to revive the party in Washington as a state party. Getting help from the Vermont Progressive Party on how to start, we did all the legal work to get the party back in Washington for the 1st time since Aprox. 1960. We are primarily a political party, intending to run candidates, and endorse various initiatives (After all, initiatives were originally our idea) and improve the lives of the average Washingtonian. Christal Wood, one of our members did an interview on Washington DC voting rights. Think we have problems?Voting Rights Some of the things we want to support are:
Statement of Principles Jobs and Labor Rights: People cannot survive without jobs which pay enough to enable the laborer to live comfortably. Workers need a safe work environment, the right to bargain collectively and to organize. Trust Busting: No corporation has the right to bypass the law, endanger the people, wreck the environment or refuse to pay their fair share of taxes. Public Health: Full funding for health care for everyone is the ideal. A return to the original version of the Basic Health Care Law is a good first step. Alternative health care methods should be treated with respect. Your Vote Should Count: Any method of vote counting which has been shown to be open to fraud should not be used. Voters should be able to verify their votes with a paper ballot. Instant runoff voting should be made the law to enable the people to choose their own candidates in the freest and most effective way. The Bill of Rights: The rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights should not be abridged at any level of government. Respect for All of Humanity: Human rights and dignity should be respected. Schools should teach history as it happened and include all participants in the events that shaped our world. Laws should be evenly enforced. People Before Money: Politicians are there to serve the people, not big donors. Clean money laws should be passed and enforced immediately. Problem Solving Without Force: Children and adults need to learn to solve problems without using force. This does not preclude self-defense. Conservation: We need to be smart about how we use our resources–working first with renewable resources produced locally. The use of poisons which enter our waterways, water table, air and soil should be sharply reduced. Recycling is to be encouraged and overuse of limited resources to be discouraged. Register to voteProgressives are talking about:Most jobs in Washington are created through small, local businesses. We are working on a campaign to get ordinary people to spend their hard-earned dollars in local businesses so they will not be replaced by Wall Mart. We are also talking about the need for living wage jobs, expecially in businesses with contracts through state and local governments. An income tax on people making $100,000 a year or more would enable the state to fix Basic Health Care and other programs that suffered under the recent tax cuts. check out the David Horsey cartoonThe $64 Billion in tax cuts for mega businesses are a drain for our state tax dollars. Very few jobs were created, at a very high price per job. Tax Breaks Election Reform We now have the Modified Montana Primary, a confusing way for the
independent and minority party voters to foot the tax bill for the
Majority parties' primaries. New
Primary Ballot Access Why did our party have a majority in the state legislature in 1913, and large numbers of candidates from the Populist, Peoples and other 3rd parties do very well until the 1930s? Read about Ballot Access in these two fine essays by Libertarian Richard Winger. What Are Ballots for?BALLOT ACCESS:A Formidable Barrier to Fair Participation
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