On Feb. 3, a small group of concerned citizens met in the community room of Earth Fare and formed the Buncombe County Chapter of the Green Party. Incredulously, I found myself volunteering to take on the role of administrative coordinator of the newly elected Coordinating Committee. Why? Simple answer: For several years as I bewailed state and national politics, I have been known to say, “Where is the Green Party? Why aren’t they doing anything?” Well, it’s here now, and we are it!
Remember the Green Party? While it actually started in America, bipartisan politics hindered its growth for a decade, as it still threatens to do. Meanwhile, in Germany and nations around the world, through grassroots organizing and running candidates in local elections, the party has grown to have significant impact on environmental, economic and social issues.
What is a Green? You might be one if: You support equal rights for minorities and women; you believe in national defense but not aggression; you care about what happens to the environment, think tax cuts for big businesses should be stopped, believe the government should take care of its people, and put stock in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. Check out more of the worldwide values at www.ncgreenparty.org.
Why have I never had the chance to vote for a Green candidate? Unfortunately, North Carolina is the third most difficult state in which to gain ballot access. This means that, while the Reps and the Dems are guaranteed a place on the paper, any third party has to collect 69,734 signatures on a petition in order to gain access to run a candidate.
The Electoral Fairness Act of 2005 (H.B. 88) would have cut the number of signatures needed by three-fourths (most states require 10,000 signatures or less), but it was defeated at the last minute in the House, with an additional restriction that signatures had to be collected within four months! The N.C. Green Party is working to reintroduce this bill again this year, and is also suing the state over the issue, with the help of the ACLU.
Democrats are the main party resisting easier third-party access, not realizing that the people who care about the Earth and our loss of constitutional freedoms cut across party lines. If you do nothing else, please sign the petition supporting ballot access at the NCGP Web site, or call your representative and tell him or her you think this is a great idea.
Politics talks with money and votes. We can decide to spend our money and votes as we always have, or we can try something new. I don’t personally see that the old is working. I think it would be cool to see solar panels on top of City Hall and greenway bike paths connecting all of the city. How creative can we be with our problems?
Interested? We’ll be meeting in the West Asheville Library Community Room every first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The next meeting is Saturday, March 3. If a Green Revolution can’t start in Asheville, where in America can it start? It’s our choice.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.