Green Party NY Convention: Platform Discussion
The Green Party of New York’s platform was the subject of spirited debate at the convention in the city of Troy on Saturday, June 11.
Points of order were a continual theme during the debate as the minutiae of convention rules reared its head over and over. Two men in particular pedantically shouted down multiple speakers for being “out of order” or violating the rules of the convention.
Still, the need for streamlining the process was undeniable. Former gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins motioned for voting controversial sections of the platform “up or down”- the reasoning being that “writing by committee” would be too long and time consuming. An up or down vote would allow for simplicity, Hawkins argued.
That motion, made at 11 AM, carried and pushed the process forward.
Controversial points in the platform included taxation of charitable donations and the inclusion of the language of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The question of taxation of charitable donations revolved around that money leaving the state. The Green Party platform holds that any charitable donations of money leaving the state should be taxed at a rate of 50 percent, and that money should be reinvested into New York.
The latter debate reflected the level of comfort the left wing party has with the language of the slave-owning “founding fathers.” Hawkins spoke in favor of retaining the language- and in favor of the party and the left not allowing the language to be appropriated by the ruling class.
“Yes, they were slave-owners; yes, they were wealthy merchants,” Hawkins declared. “But they represented the will of the people for a democratic movement.”
After two hours of debate, the platform passed unanimously.
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Presidential candidate Doctor Jill Stein will speak later in the afternoon. I will have an interview with Hawkins up later in the week.
You can find out more about the Green Party at their website.
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