Progressive Values

At the most basic level, the progressive story is built on care and concern for oneself and others, and the duty to act on this concern.

Progressives believe fundamentally in the dignity of each human being.  Being progressive means:

• Caring about the conditions and lives of all other people;
• Believing in individual freedom with due regard for fairness and equal opportunity for all;
• Using honest, open communication to achieve trust as you work to create the world you want to live in; and
• Fostering a sense of responsibility to those around you and in other places, particularly the vulnerable, the exploited, and those lacking the ability to care for themselves.

Progressives endeavor to create supportive communities that respect people with different views and backgrounds, and believe we all do better when we all do better.

These values fall in line behind the progressive principles of justice, equity, equality, and ethical behavior to create representative Democracy.  They seek a government that protects and serves, and a foreign policy that supports human rights, diplomacy and multilateralism above corporate interests of domination and unilateralism.

These words owe a great debt to George Lakoff, and his book Don’t Think of an Elephant. They are modifications of his excellent definitions.

Progressive Policy Guidelines

1. Policy Guidelines for the Planet

Environment. Energy efficiency, reducing waste and living more simply will support a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for ourselves and our children.  We want everyone to experience water you can drink, air you can breathe, and food that is healthy and safe. Polluters are responsible to repair the damage they cause.

Nature & Animals. Animals are sentient beings, and should be free from exploitation.  We respect the fact that humans are in an interdependent, not dominate, relationship with nature. We recognize our responsibility to steward and preserve the natural ecosystems of which we are a part.  More details HERE (link to “Respect for Animals” document on IV website)

Energy Sources & Climate Change. We support safe and sustainable energy generation including a major investment in renewable energy, eliminating the use of fossil fuels, implementing sustainable carbon sequestration methods and reversing global warming.

2. Policy Guidelines for Equal Opportunity

We want ALL Americans to be engaged, valued, contributing members of our society.

The Economy. Create good-paying jobs and clean energy careers, reduce the overly dominant role of the military on the economy and provide everyone a fair economic opportunity while giving due regard to the sustainable use of the Earth’s finite resources.

Health. Everyone is covered by a state-of-the-art, affordable health care system that promotes wellness and disease prevention and recognizes the importance of addiction and mental health services.

Education. A vibrant, publicly-funded, and inclusive public education system that encourages the lifelong joy of learning. Where children, through the educational system, learn to utilize their civic awareness in school and in their day to day life, so citizens young and old may fully participate and contribute to our society.

Early childhood. We support high-quality, regionally equitable early childhood education for all, including intervention and family support to address childhood exploitation and violence in the home.  More details HERE (link to “Child Sexual Abuse” document on IV website)

Equal rights. Equal rights and freedom from violence for all regardless of race, ethnicity, gender expression, religion, ability or sexual orientation.  We create opportunities for ALL Americans through fair taxation and a living wage.  Women are self-determined, capable and fully empowered members of society receiving equal pay for equal work, given full control of their reproductive capability and are represented equally in government and business.  We stand for moving forward on race relations by putting racial animus, suppression of rights and substandard education / employment opportunities behind us.

3. Policy Guidelines for Governance

Foreign Policy. Honor all nations by recognizing their sovereignty, unique culture and history, thus earning their trust.  Work to resolve disputes, expand alliances and counter human rights abuses. Emphasize diplomacy, cooperation and negotiation instead of force, with military intervention as a last resort.

Immigration.  As a nation of immigrants, respect immigrants and asylum seekers by honoring international agreements to extend sanctuary to those fleeing persecution and economic collapse in their home countries.  Develop a path to citizenship to those who become part of the fabric of our nation.  We recognize our inputs to global warming disrupt less resilient communities, contributing to immigration and asylum seeking, thus we prioritize foreign aid to remove the conditions that cause population disruption.

Government Protections. Government shall provide protections equally for all individuals and groups, to foster economic prosperity, health and safety, freedom and justice, and to guard personal privacy.

Openness and Integrity. We stand for a political system that operates with diligence, accuracy, transparency, efficiency and fairness.  A government that informs citizens and earns the trust of every American and other countries.  Our representatives work diligently in their roles as leaders in our government.

Criminal Justice. Honor and respect the Constitution including due process of law and equal protection under the law.  Place particular emphasis on young and vulnerable populations, restorative justice and respect and support of international laws. Corporations should not profit from incarceration.

Representative Democracy. An election system that gives all adults the right to vote with equal access to voting options in publicly funded election campaigns.  The voice of the people outweighs the influence of corporate campaign contributions.  The President is elected by the popular vote of the people.  Elected officials seek the best policies for the nation, providing fair and equal representation.

We are concerned that states with small populations are overly represented in the US Senate and believe this must be addressed in a true Democracy.

Gun safety.  We stand for gun safety, locking up weapons, background checks for all gun transactions, restoring protections that prevent the mentally ill from purchasing weapons and removing weapons of war from private ownership.

These and many other policy guidelines follow from our values.