Many people in our society, young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban look at the political system and see a zoo.
It is not the typical zoo with a vast diversity of choice like, birds, hippos, or monkey but rather it is zoo full of nothing but donkeys and elephants. The elephants give free rides to the corporations and the wealthy and trample the common people’s interests. The donkeys are always making noise, claiming that they’re here for everyone, while in reality they are a whitewash of hypocrisy.
Now who would want to go to a zoo where your only choices are to be trampled or talked to death? Well, here in Vermont we don’t have zoos, but we do have beautiful pristine forests, full of MOOSE… Progressive moose.
Moose care about economic and social justice and who are backed by people, and not big money. Moose want to protect the forests and fields of Vermont. Moose are willing to fight for the family farm and the Vermont way of life.
Vermont is a state which has always blazed its own path, from being the first state to ban slavery to being the first state to legalize civil unions. In a country defined by its democracy, a democracy that is devoid of any real choice, Vermonters are taking action. In Vermont a democracy doesn’t mean two parties.
The Vermont Progressive party is the strongest third party in the nation. The Progressive Party is a growing force in Vermont and you are welcome to join this great movement. You know what you are getting when you vote for a Progressive candidate.
Progressives believe that all Vermonters should have the right to a livable wage and access to health care. Progressives believe that everyone should have the right to a free and equitable education, from preschool to college.
Progressives believe that we need to make sure that there is money to support and sustain these goals by developing strong local economies. Progressives not only believe in these issues, they push the political landscape to get things done. We are the anchor that keeps the political dialogue from drifting farther and farther to the right.
Progressives believe that we must protect Vermont’s landscape. We must not let private businesses continue to contaminate our waterways. We all need clean water! Furthermore, we have to protect our open land from reckless development and “sprawl” for several reasons:
1) Vermont’s quality of life is directly related to our open spaces.
2) Vermont’s tourist-based economy is directly related to our open spaces.
3) Vermont has a deep tradition of hunting and fishing which rely on preserved open spaces.
The Progressive Party is not trying to be everything to everyone. We believe in our principles and act on them (www.progressiveparty.org). In Vermont we are leading the nation through a long term commitment to building a multiparty system where people have real choices that they want to support rather than just accepting what is offered as better than the alternative.
It all starts locally, so do what you have to in the presidential election…but do more on the state and local level…vote Progressive and get active on campus!
“I knew that I could never raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettoes without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, my own government.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
