Note: This is a highly summarized version of the interview that Rob Kall did with Rocky Anderson of the newly formed Justice Party about two weeks ago.
"What good is a house, if you haven't got a decent planet to put it on?" --Henry David Thoreau
Those words have echoed in my head since I read them years ago. By extension I ask, "What good is a career if you have no place to practice it?" Presumably you've asked yourself similar questions. If so, this short column should be of considerable interest.
We encourage anyone interested in a brighter future to sign the petition to launch the Justice Party in their respective state, and very possibly change our future and world for the better. Note: By signing the petition linked below, you are not committing yourself to the Justice Party, merely getting that party on the ballot in your state.
Rocky Anderson, former two-term mayor of
Republicans and Democrats have allowed money to control our government
for far too long. They have become one and the same for all practical purposes.
The JP intends to weed out the taint of money in government, rebuild a strong
middle class and a solid economy.
"People look for strong leadership more than anything, for people who speak
the truth, who aren't going back and forth on issues. This is not my campaign, but a peoples'
campaign. It's not liberal or conservative, just correct. We need to do what's
right, not just expedient." [Longer quotes are direct from Rocky Anderson, while the article itself is a condensation of his words and ideas.]
All industrialized nations provide at least minimum healthcare for
every citizen. We could have a less expensive system and better outcomes, but
for the influence of money in medical insurance. We witness corruption in our
military as well, with taxes pouring into outmoded programs and huge pork barrels.
The JP stands for leadership that says, "Enough!" We are all diminished
by irresponsible spending and lack of investment in research and development. We're
failing to educate our kids for today's world.
Whether you are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, or even
apolitical, we encourage you join us and put the skids on major wrong-doing. Rocky
Our wars of aggression have been the epitome of fiscal and moral
irresponsibility, leaving an astronomical debt to future generations--meaning
you and all of us. These wars devastate our ability to do the serious things
that need doing.
Interest on our national debt alone is a dreadful waste. Our treatment of capable, qualified
immigrants, who could be highly productive citizens, is deplorable. Treating
corporations as people is insane.
"I'm as fiscally conservative a person as you will ever meet. It is a lie
to say we can have a sustainable economy and sound infrastructure without
bringing in necessary revenues. At the same time, we must slash wasteful
spending."
Substance abuse should be considered a matter of public health, not a
criminal matter. Our present approach to drugs isn't working. We need to put
these same resources, or a tiny fraction of them, into effective education and
prevention programs.
"I set up a youth program to engage endangered kids. This could be a model for the country in
breaking the cycle of poverty. Our kids scored better than any other school in
the Salt Lake District on Language Skills and Development."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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