The Green Party

Now I wouldn't be a very good hippy if I didn't say something about the Green Party. 

The 2012 election was full of third party candidates you probably didn't hear about on any mainstream media: Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party, Stewart Alexander of the Socialist Workers Party, and many others, except maybe for Jill Stein on the occasion. Jill Stein ran as the Green Party candidate for president and was arrested for the first time in her life during it. She wanted to participate in one of the debates and when she refused to leave was arrested for trespassing. 

Stein and her running mate, anti-poverty advocate Cheri Honkala, were on at least 85 percent of U.S. ballots this year. That's a big deal for any third-party ticket, and the campaign also qualified for federal matching funds. But Stein still wasn't allowed to appear in a televised presidential debate. Did you know that to be eligible to just debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates requires support from "at least 15 percent of the national electorate" in five major polls. 

This is the video of Stein's removal.

The U.S. Green Party's presidential candidate for 2012 had a 'Green New Deal,' and proposed the politics of climate change. Her platform stood much lower than that of the Republican and Democratic candidates  In fact, third parties are rarely ever mentioned in the media for fear they will take on the fence voters and steal votes from the larger parties. But did you know that it wasn't always so? If you had the money you used to be able to just run for president, many candidates created their own parties: The Bull Moose for example. But lately the red and blue lines have been drawn and green has been kicked to the curb. 

Many people say that voting for a 3rd party is a waste of time but in fact it isn't. Because if everyone voted for who they really believe in instead of blue or red then in the end there would finally be a change. But the media plays a large role in showing how good or bad a candidate is by their spin so people like Jill Stein just become and nuisance to the main election. 

"We have the solutions, and we actually have the numbers," she says. "If those 90 million people come out to vote for their best interest, we would win this election. These are policies the American people are clamoring for in large numbers." 

Despite powerful third parties which work overseas and Green Parties with real muscle in places like Germany and Australia Jill Stein's message was largely ignored. So for those who have no idea what the Green Parties platform is, here, maybe you believe in some of these too:

The Green New Deal courtesy of: Jill Stein's Green New Deal

• "Economic Bill of Rights" — The first pillar deals with labor issues (e.g., fair pay, workplace safety), health care (a "single-payer, Medicare-for-all" program), education (tuition-free public education from pre-K through college), housing (mortgage help, public utilities) and taxes (i.e., "fair taxation that's distributed in proportion to ability to pay").
• "Green Transition" — Environmental issues are a big part of Stein's platform, from multi-use "complete streets" to subsidies for organic farms, CSAs and farmers markets. This pillar has three subsections: investing in green businesses (via grants and low-interest loans), prioritizing green research (by redirecting funds from fossil fuels) and providing green jobs (with a goal of 16 million).
• "Real Financial Reform" — Many of Stein's financial reforms sound similar to Obama's, but she argues the president is too friendly with Wall Street. Her goals include: reducing homeowner and student debt, nationalizing the Federal Reserve banks, ending taxpayer-funded bailouts, breaking up "oversized" banks, and creating a 90 percent tax on bonuses for bailed-out bankers.
• "A Functioning Democracy" — The last pillar contains a wide range of policy ideas, such as: revoking corporate personhood, making Election Day a national holiday, abolishing the Electoral College, making the District of Columbia the 51st state, increasing federal support for local media outlets, repealing the Patriot Act and cutting military spending by 50 percent. 

Jill Stein

She was a bit of an internet meme

The Green Party has loyal followers who dare to not vote the main stream, as citizens I believe it's important to go out and find out for ourselves who is REALLY best for the nation. Not just settle for the two who carry the biggest sticks and have the most money. So I challenge you for next election to read up on your third party candidates, check up on the Green Party and see who you really align with. The answer may surprise you more than you think