[Platform] Re: Mike - can you post to the platform committee list?: Platform Minutes - 12/2/06

[Mike Heichman]

Jill Stein wrote:

> PLATFORM COMMITTEE MINUTES – (Not Yet Approved), Green-Rainbow Party,
>
> December 2, 2006, Worcester
>
> Attendance: John Andrews, Steve Baer, Suel Bartone, David Dionne, 
> Larry Ely, Danny Factor, Nadia Factor, Nat Fortune, Amy Hendrickson, 
> Howard Heywood, Joyce Palmer Fortune, David Rolde, Grace Ross, Jill 
> Stein, Nancy Lee Wood (Note: Written comments on agenda items were 
> received from Mike Heichman who could not make the meeting.)
>
> NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, JAN. 3, 8 PM, BY PHONE CONFERENCE.
>
> _Outcomes of the Meeting_
>
> • 15 people were in attendance. Many thanks to Steve Baer for hosting 
> the group and helping set up a delicious vegetarian pot luck dinner. A 
> number of new people signed up to help with the work of the Platform 
> Committee.
>
> • The outcomes discussed below resulted from the apparent consensus of 
> the group (no formal vote was taken, so approval of these minutes will 
> be sought to confirm the will of the Committee.)
>
> • The PlatComm endorsed the idea of starting work on Outreach Issue 
> Reports on a number of subjects. A preliminary list of the subjects 
> and the persons who agreed to work on each is as follows:
>
> DEMOCRACY (Clean Elections, IRV, “required” debates, democracy 
> safeguards/state-local balance) – John Andrews, Nat Fortune, Jill 
> Stein, Nancy Lee Wood
>
> ENERGY/SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY (JOBS) /LOCAL AGRICULTURE/ 
> “RELOCALIZATION”- Suel Bartone, Nancy Lee Wood, Dave Dionne
>
> FAIR TAXES – TBA
>
> HEALTH CARE – Nadia Factor, Jill Stein
>
> CRIMINAL JUSTICE (including drugs and immigration) - TBA
>
> PEACE/FOREIGN POLICY – Amy Hendrickson, David Rolde
>
> The scope of each effort and the possibility of merging similar 
> efforts will be decided as people work on them. The membership of the 
> working groups is still in flux. Several members of the Platcomm have 
> not yet plugged into a working group.
>
> • The PlatComm did not endorse any particular process for acceptance 
> of the Outreach Issue Reports outside the PlatComm. Members were given 
> copies of John Andrews’ “Outreach Issues Reports” proposal to the 
> State Committee and will read this and discuss it at the next meeting. 
> (The proposal will be resent to platcomm members by email.)
>
> • The PlatComm agreed that the current Green-Rainbow platform document 
> is outdated and no longer accurately reflects the positions of the 
> Party. However the Platcomm declined to start the process of rewriting 
> the platform at this time. Most members felt that the Outreach Issue 
> Reports were the most immediate need, and that after some of these 
> were completed they could be folded into an updated Platform.
>
> • The PlatComm noted that GRP municipal officials are not fully 
> engaged in party activities and felt that engaging our elected (or 
> appointed) officials in discussions relevant to municipal issues would 
> be beneficial.
>
> • Some attendees noted that the Green-Rainbow Party needed to show 
> leadership on environmental issues, arguing that this was a historical 
> base for Party growth, that the GRP had a unique role to play given 
> the lack of leadership from conventional parties, and that 
> environmental issues would grow in importance in the future. 
> Addressing that concern, one of the Outreach Issue Report/working 
> groups will be covering issues related to energy and sustainable 
> development (including local agriculture).
>
> • The next meeting will be by teleconference on January 3^rd , 8 PM. 
> It is expected that another face-to-face meeting will follow this in 
> February.
>