The Millennial Party

A political party that embodies the views of the Millennial generation that is open to all, and believes Americans are far ahead of the typical politician and deserve a viable and permanent third party.

Millennial Party Beliefs

 The United States is ill-served by only two mainstream parties and desperately needs a legitimate third party representing a more diverse set of views. Over 300 million people with unbound diversity, and we have two parties? This is archaic.

 We support thinking over ideology. And we obviously (and thankfully!) don’t share all the same views- that would be boring. But we support each other and seek collaboration and honest cooperation. To support the Millennial Party, one does not need to be doctrinaire and one does not need to agree 100% with what’s written here. We are dynamic and flexible; homogeneity and staleness are bad. We are not self-serious either.

 All campaigns for national public office should be publically financed. We believe that only people are people and only people should elect their representatives, drive public policy, or influence elections. In a $3 trillion federal budget, we can easily provide some $5 billion every two years to fund our national campaigns and ensure our democracy is in fact driven by the people. And candidates cannot opt out. We think lobbyists should be legally barred from providing benefits of any kind to public representatives, as this corrupts our political system.

 We believe the bedrock of America is its values: hard work, commitment to our dreams, a blue collar attitude of rolling up our sleeves, individualism, diversity, and a free and prosperous marketplace driven by dynamic capitalism. The free market is the best way to provide the most opportunity, freedom and wealth to the most. But we realize that we live in a mixed economy with both markets and public institutions, and that each segment has unique and vital roles. We believe in civil society and do not think it can be fostered exclusively by private actors. There are myriad problems that can only be addressed by government and we support a strong and active government in protecting us, caring for our sick and destitute, fostering civil society, and serving justice and authentic compassion to all. From growing beneficial relationships with other nations, inventing new medicines, feeding impoverished children, limiting Mercury in the air we breathe, airlifting Tsunami victims- the U.S. government is essential and we wholeheartedly reject the idea that it should be further weakened or vilified. Perennially attacking our government is akin to attacking one’s immune system. The goal should not be to eliminate it, but nurse it back to health.

 It almost goes without saying, but we demand full and equal rights and treatment for people of all races, genders, ethnicities, religions/belief systems (so long as they basically follow the Golden rule), sexualities and any other thing that is part of who a person is. We support gay marriage across the nation and world. We support a woman’s right to choose about when and if to give birth. We think these stances are self-evidently moral and the basis for law.

 We believe globalization, the Web and information technology have created a historically unique confluence of freedom and community. The Web has revolutionized global society and in no small part shaped our generation. We believe the freedom of the Web, global markets and international politics reinforce one another, and that open information is part and parcel of the first amendment, is inalienable and should not be centrally controlled. We’re just at the start of the potential for technology to improve communities, foster understanding and creativity, grow our economy, improve our health and topple regimes. We invented and were the first adopters of blogs, social networks, torrents, and mobile applications. These are not diversions, they enable us to meet and learn from people we would have never known in previous generations, and see views from the primary sources so we can think for ourselves. In older generations, this information would have been passively presented via vertical media, or ignored. The technology of our generation can foster peace and understanding in ways never before possible. Our use of technology is neither petty nor selfish; it is open, diverse, collaborative and often irreverent- like us.

As such, we support innovative future solutions like stem cell therapy (although not human cloning, ever), nanotechnology, concentrated solar energy and many other game-changing ventures. We support websites, but also investing in the Webs of the future. We think the government is woefully behind in engaging the people and conducting public policy on the Web. We believe plain text versions, with open source functionality, should be posted for all bills, Administrative policies, and Committee work so that we can all work from the same facts. Keep the Federal Register, but for most citizens this is not useful. Furthermore, we think politicians are often calcified and uncreative because they have been in office too long and we want to make government more civil and mature, including having more fun and being more creative. We support more funding for public television, radio and media to provide a bigger voice to people, not just advertisers. We support a representative democracy that looks more like a plain old democracy.

 Directly related to the rise of the Web and globalization is the rise of new business opportunities. Ours is an entrepreneurial generation. We believe profoundly in startups and entrepreneurs, and government should support them more. We’re not looking for handouts; we are builders, creators and doers. We don’t just admire Steve Jobs because he gave us beautiful devices, but because he was a pioneer. We like pioneers.

 Basic healthcare is not a used car and it should not be sold as such. America pays at least twice as large a share of its income for healthcare as every other developed nation, and gets mediocre outcomes. “Outcomes” is too much of a euphemism here, because healthcare involves our lives. Too many people die and are permanently hurt by our healthcare system, while paying too much for it. This is largely because America is the only developed nation in the world that allows insurance companies to profit from basic healthcare. The fundamental problem is that private insurance companies and private shareholders enrich themselves from the healthcare system. Insurance companies need to be put on a diet, and non-elective healthcare should be non-profit. Healthcare intermediaries should pay their bills and their payroll, not dividends. There is also promise in reducing waste through comparative effectiveness research.

 We support the armed forces, but not necessarily the civilians who lead them. Our troops and those who defend our country are heroes. Their sacrifice is truly beyond what words can say. Providing for the common defense of the country is a cornerstone of the constitution and a main reason our States are united. We need a strong defense and intelligence community. This is not a panacea, however, for fighting wars that aren’t in our national interest, overspending because of lack of responsible policy, or incestuous contracting practices- all of which have been hallmarks of both mainstream parties for decades. Most Millennials have never witnessed anything but radical foreign policy in their adult lives. We support civil occupations, not militaristic ones.

 We think more funding should be used to subsidize higher education. Education is one of the primary catalysts for improving America and giving everyone a chance at their dreams, regardless of what income bracket they are born into. Yet the inflation rate for university is higher than crack cocaine. This is wrong. We think student loans are often run like a racket, and that debt that can’t be reduced, even in bankruptcy, is a form of modern indentured servitude.

 America is behind the curve in mass transit and it lowers our quality of life every day. Ever compare our rail system to other cities, say Singapore or Berlin? Their trains move lots of people, quickly and safely. We support buses, trains, highways, bike lanes and airports that work better. We also think walking and biking fosters stronger communities and connects individuals more with their surroundings. We strongly support open spaces, natural spaces, parks and public lands to be sustainably enjoyed.

 We are not afraid to say the word taxes and we do not think raising taxes is anathema to a modern party, as both mainstream parties currently operate. We think our elected representatives have too often acted like children, fighting over pet projects, pandering to us, and seeking free rides while not leveling with Americans about the true costs of society. Americans are smarter than this and are way ahead of their politicians on many issues, including the budget. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and there is no way to reduce our debt and provide the government America deserves without paying for it. This is reality. We are not afraid to pay taxes and think taxes are the price we pay for civilization and an effective government. Our lives are not measured or defined by tax rates and there is too much life and time wasted fighting about it. For too long, older generations have not paid taxes to cover their budgets, meaning the Millennials will have to pay for it. All generations should pay for their public services and benefits.

The U.S. needs tax reform and at a minimum must end the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. It needs less deductions and a more streamlined system. The government should not write off mortgages on mansions, subsidize millionaires’ healthcare, give free passes to multinationals to evade their obligations, or tax hedge funds at half the rate of school teachers and nurses. Yet we do all of this and more today. Not because it makes sense or serves America’s interests, but because powerful interests have manipulated elected representatives. Corporate tax collections have declined from over 3% of GDP in the 1960s to 1.5% today, largely because of tax havens; this is the second lowest among OECD countries and needs to be rebalanced. In 1960 the top one percent of income earners made 9% of total income and paid federal tax rates averaging 47%, today they collect 20% of income and pay 31% in federal taxes. This needs to be rebalanced. We do not vilify the affluent. They are our neighbors, friends and fellow citizens and America is a place where getting rich is the right and just reward for succeeding- this is a great and necessary result of fairness and vital incentive to advance society. But we do support a modest increase in the taxes they pay. We know many of our wealthy friends feel the same way and have yearned for a government that does not pander to them, but inspires them, calls for their leadership and engagement, and actually solves problems.

 Sustainability is a necessary condition for living responsibly. Our government today practically ignores the idea of intergenerational equity, whether it is saddling the Millennials with debt because of their failed fiscal politics, encouraging the burning and mining of natural resources without investing the resultant wealth, or spewing GHGs. Sustainability is not an idea to be selectively applied, or worse yet used in greenwash; it is an interdisciplinary science relevant to everything in public policy.

 We believe in a strong and permanent future for America’s social safety net- including social security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, unemployment assistance and assistance to needy families (welfare). We think that these systems should support those who truly need it and we support means-testing in all cases. As Warren Buffet has said, Warren Buffet does not need social security. We think there should be choice in how individuals’ FICA social security payroll tax is used, and that Millennials should have the option, but not the obligation, to place their retirement related taxes in their own private savings account in lieu of traditional social security. Savings accounts have the potential to accrue significant wealth over a worker’s lifetime, reduce public debt, and channel more private capital towards America’s markets. This is just an option however; traditional social security should be there for all who choose it.

 We are against the unfettered expansion of government and wasteful bureaucracy. We hate red tape and see lots of waste in government, mainly because of so many layers and useless processes. There is waste in government and we support a more efficient, empowered, better funded civil service, not a substantially bigger one.

 We believe climate change is a real, multi-generational problem. It’s physical chemistry not an opinion. Greenhouse gas emissions need a fair market price that accounts for the present and future damage they are doing to our health, ecosystems, and climate. We are sick and tired of politicians yammering on about freeing America from oil dependence- it’s old and we’re not buying it anymore. The time for rhetoric is over, and it is time to debate which specific policy America will use to price dirty energy, and thus account for the true cost of our climate emissions while putting clean energy on a level playing field. We support a carbon tax, one that is potentially revenue neutral and rebates money back to all households. We support other approaches to price GHG emissions so long as they are specific and serious. A price on carbon and national energy plan can employ millions more Americans, create wealth, protect our future, and reduce our trade imbalance.

 We support the Millennium Development Goals and providing .7% of GDP towards global development and international assistance. Most Americans do not realize how little in foreign assistance the United States provides today (.2%, about 1/20th of what we spend on traditional defense) and we should increase it in line with Americans’ generous self-views. Too many people suffer in extreme poverty across the world, and too many global problems fester because of a chronic lack of funding and this hurts our national interest.

 We have been disproportionally hurt by the housing bubble and banking crisis. Bubbles are a historic pattern in markets and we have lived through perhaps the two largest. While the periodic over-allocation of capital may be unavoidable, we believe there were completely avoidable mistakes made in the financial and housing sectors, largely because of cronyism and short-sightedness. Capital reserve standards were deliberately lowered well below prudential levels because of special interests and hubris, with little thought given to risk management. And the Fed inexplicably failed to use existing law to ensure accuracy in mortgage documentation. Markets rely on transparency, which was purposefully hindered with off-market transactions. The futures market is often purposefully manipulated by rumor and gamesmanship, which has no economic value. We support a more transparent, capitalized, over the counter market, where trades are not decoupled from economic purpose.

 We support immigration reform as a whole, to provide a path to citizenship for those who have acted responsibly in America. And we support Visa reform to attract the best talent to the U.S. and drive prosperity for America. And sure- staple them to advanced degrees. On second thought, paper clips are probably better.

 We think teachers and schools are obviously crucial to education and need more support, but that children learn the most from their parents and families. Teachers stay with kids a few hours a day for nine months, families stay with them throughout their lives. We think teachers and unions are often scape-goated for the broader failures of society. We support publically financed daycare and pre-school for families who cannot afford it , to relieve pressure on families and working mothers, and invest in children in the critical first 6 years of their lives to help them be prepared to learn. This investment will be good for families, and good for society later in that child’s life.

 We love and believe in art, design and music as among the highest forms of human existence. We support it culturally, politically, socially, spiritually and financially. Art is blamed and attacked too much by both mainstream parties today and is not a problem, but an irreplaceable platform for thinking, feeling, solving, living, having fun. We also believe in the power of space and intergalactic travel.