Green Party View: Getting What We Deserve

Is it consequence, karma or, as Thomas Jefferson said, “The government you elect is the government you deserve”? I don’t know about you, but for most of my life, I feel I deserved better than the governments I got, although they were often the governments I voted for. Most of the time I was voting for the lesser of two evils; thus, actually voting for evil.

Usually, we know what is the right thing to do; whether we learned from our parents, from religious education or simply life experience, we do know right from wrong; good from bad. The touchstone of our legal system after all is, does the accused know right from wrong? Shouldn’t that also be the criterion by which we choose for whom to vote: do they often do the right thing; are they good; not, are they less bad? We deserve a good government.

In this election season, like many before it, we are barraged by political campaigns and candidates demanding we choose X to save us from Y the “other” party/candidate. If we judge by our experience, we see that it is unrealistic, this delusion fostered by the paid-for ads and manipulated news in our media, to think that voting for Democrats will lead to a major change for the better or voting for Republicans will put the country back on track (did we get single payer health care or free higher education as so many countries have, when Democrats were in control? did we stop Federal surveillance or clear out the political swamp, when Republicans were in control?). No, we did not, in either case, but in both, we continued warring.

Yes, there are differences between the parties in their stated goals for our national welfare, but not in foreign policy. Both parties are parties of war -giving our money to weapons manufacturers and the military and sending it to foreign countries for their wars- so there is never money to fulfill their declared home goals. Both parties are also owned by the corporations that gouge us and neither party does more than deny or pay lip service to our climate catastrophe.

One party has brought us to the verge of a real war with a nuclear power, Russia, and the other party would like to start one with another, China, although neither are wars that we could win.

When we review deeds as right or wrong, surely genocide -the intentional murder of people because of where they live- is beyond the pale; it is pure evil. Most of us cannot bear to watch the babies and children being killed every day in Gaza (70% of all those murdered are women and children, not to mention the medical workers, journalists and the elderly), so how can we be asked to vote for those who support this? Democrats, who could cut off Israel’s war funding in an instant, continue supporting this evil and Republicans criticize that Israel is not doing enough. Representatives of both parties receive millions of dollars from the Israeli lobby. If the wholesale murder of a people is the worst thing one can do, to put that aside to talk or vote on a candidate’s opinion on anything else is simply wrong. We deserve better.

It is terrible to know that we and our money are actively supporting the intentional murder of thousands of people, and there are many other awful things confronting us, worry about our healthcare, being able to afford healthy food, having to stay indoors because of the air quality or weird weather, or worse, having to go out in it because we have no choice. All of these bad things haven’t simply happened, they have been perpetrated by leaders of corporations and people from both parties whom we, you and I, have previously elected. Indeed, there are beautiful things in our lives as well: our friends and loved ones, our pets, nature providing us with tranquility and oxygen, the kindness shown us by neighbors and strangers, you can name the good things for yourself, and you should do so frequently to combat the depression caused by those many awful things confronting us. Think of the good things, and remember when you vote to vote for them and the good people we deserve, not somewhat less evil things and people.

We do have the power to change the bad things. We can educate ourselves (turning off the television is a good first step) by studying, not what candidates say, but by looking at their voting histories.^[i] That way, we elect people answerable for the things that matter to us instead of believing their promises while they kowtow to the rich lobbyists from the corporations that swindle us or from foreign countries that want our tax dollars for wars.

The Green Party knows that the bipartisan endless war machine enriches military contractors, lobbyists, and politicians, while it fuels devastation around the world and impoverishes our own people. Dr. Jill Stein is the Green Party’s candidate for President. Her position on war and imperialism is lengthy and includes the ideas that everyone has a human right to live in peace and dignity free from violence and oppression and that we must end the endless wars. To that end, she will establish a foreign policy based on diplomacy, international law and human rights, stop U.S. support and arms sales to human rights abusers and return the power to declare war to Congress instead of the President. Please see her peace platform for her comprehensive intentions. ^[ii]

In November, I am going to vote for Dr. Jill Stein, the people, planet, peace candidate, whom I know personally to be an honorable person who does the right thing. If everyone who is dissatisfied with both parties (upwards of 63%) votes for Jill, we shall have a good person as president. You are doing the right thing by reading this. I hope you will do the right thing in the weeks leading up to the election and then, do the right thing on election day.

Even if you all don’t, I will. Because, as Eugene V. Debs said, “I would rather vote for something I want, and not get it, than vote for something I don’t want and get it.^”

May the Future We Deserve Be With US.

Carolina Cositore Sitrin is a retired teacher, social worker and editor, nonretired activist and a resident of Dryden.