I want a viable third party and I want it today.

I woke up at 3:30 this morning and made one up out of a longing to live in a world that makes sense to me. Before I even got out of bed, I decided that I want a third party that will take us in the direction we need to go to save our Democracy and our planet and I want true leaders to step up and guide it fearlessly. My confidence in our two major parties to do so is 99% gone. On this day in the U.S., Veteran’s Day, it is especially honorable and holy to contemplate what we want our country to be in the name of those who gave their lives to protect it.

I have been a lifelong independent (until the current cycle when I registered Democratic so I could vote in our primary) but I am in shock at the degree to which our system has failed us. We have elected a person who is unfit — and unworthy — to be our President. Any government that cannot prevent or overturn such a travesty may be safely declared dysfunctional. Even more obvious, a government and a culture that gave rise to it in the first place must be overhauled.

The One Nation platform, made up by me this morning, supports:

1. Immediate action to stop climate change and protect our planet from destruction.

2. Immediate implementation of gun control. Background checks and penalties for not implementing them rigorously. No weapons created for warfare allowed for purchase by individuals, only those fit for hunting and self-protection. A limit on how many weapons one household may contain.

3. Local governance whenever possible to allow for local values to prevail.

4. Zero tolerance for racism, misogyny, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and hatred in any form. They are un-American.

5. Controls on immigration to take care of those who are already here. Remove controls when it seems intelligent to do so.

6. Create the strongest military in the world to protect us, not to attack others. Make military service an honorable position, not a last-chance for people who can’t otherwise find a job or afford an education and healthcare.

7. Stop our country from running on consumerist values. Cap greed. Raise taxes on the super-wealthy and lower them for everyone else, especially the poorest among us. Reward teachers, doctors, nurses, police, fire fighters, farmers, trash collectors, school boards for keeping our local environments working, healthy, orderly, and strong.

8. Fines and penalties for any business that spends money outside of the US that could reasonably be spent within to create jobs, products, and services. Reward businesses that put employment and contributions to the health of their locale first, not profits.

9. Reward local businesses and disincentivize national chains and foreign businesses.

10. Healthcare as a right, not a privilege. Put healthcare back in the hands of doctors and nurses and take it away from insurance companies and hospitals that run as businesses. Prevent insurance companies from governing how healthcare works. Make it a responsibility of the federal government, not employers.

11. Support religion and spirituality. The more churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, the better. Encourage worship and prayer. Religions that are true to their core values will promote wisdom, kindness, tolerance, and character.

12. Help other countries by stepping in to prevent crimes against humanity of the highest order — and then get out.

13. Promote art over entertainment. Take steps against the culture of celebrity to prevent another TV reality star from becoming the leader of the free world. Limit the amount of money any individual can be paid to endorse a product or service. Flip the culture that created a generation of people who would rather be famous than productive.

14. Turn prisons into rehabilitation centers for all but the worst, most violent, and psychopathic among us who must be locked away from society. Outlaw the death penalty. Increase time served for hate crimes and abuse.

15. Protect against human or animal abuse of any kind. For obvious reasons.

16. Make mindfulness the foundation of our culture. Teach it in schools, prisons, hospitals, and within all of our institutions as the key to peace, tolerance, communication, culture, health, and the confidence we need to create a good human society, one that is rooted in generosity rather than greed. Mindfulness and daily contemplation instill values of decency, reason, kindness, bravery, and creativity so that we can live as one nation rather than a collection of individuals who look out for themselves alone. Make America the most mindful country on earth.

I’m the least political person on earth. I have none of the finer insights into the workings of a democratic society. (Hey, maybe that means I can be President!) But I do recognize common sense and sanity when I see them. I believe that my fellow Americans do as well. Most of us know that protecting our planet, each other, and our core values must be our highest priorities. What is required at this point, it now seems abundantly clear, is not a change in policies but a change of heart. Who are we as a country? Who do we want to be? Now is the time to decide.

Be the leader you can be in your world, whether as an elected official, parent, teacher, artist, business person, activist, cleric, or friend. We can and must return our country to its position as a bastion of hope, heart, and innovation. It is time to go high.

Here’s to the third party, whenever and however it may arise. May goodness bless America.

categorized in: Culture, open heart project