The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Why I Am Impassioned About Dennis Kucinich for President ? the Evolutionary Leader
Confucius said, "Better change directions or you?ll end up where you?re headed." I think we all recognize where we?ve been heading ? global imperialism, corporate greed robbing our democracy, not to mention our treasury, unending war, a huge deficit and at risk economy, plus global environmental disaster. It?s time to change directions.
What makes me so passionate about Dennis Kucinich as our next president is that, unlike all the other candidates, he sees beyond specific problems. He?s interested in changing the world and has common sense strategies, based on much political experience, to do so. He understands that the ways we approach challenges of today must have in them a vision of tomorrow.
As you read the brief descriptions of what he offers, see if you too feel a renewed hope for a promising new future. See if you, also, feel the spirit of America rising to its destiny of co-creating a higher democracy for all.

1) Kucinich champions Peace. He asks the other candidates, "How can you say you?re against the war and be for continued occupation?" He has a responsible exit strategy for Iraq, working in cooperation with the UN, and supports development of Iraqi self-governance.
In 2002, Kucinich introduced into Congress a cabinet level Peace Department, "seeking nothing less than the transformation of our society, to make nonviolence an organizing principle, to make war archaic through creating a paradigm shift in our culture." Congressman Kucinich is the 2003 recipient of the International Gandhi Peace Prize. Isn?t it time we choose peace?

2) Kucinich champions fair trade rather than "free" trade agreements. As president, he will cancel our membership in the WTO and NAFTA, organizations that have sent our manufacturing and technical jobs overseas. Both entities demand authority above all other laws to protect their profits.
Because of the WTO, corporations have claimed unprecedented powers to sue the government in closed trade courts anytime laws designed to protect workers or the environment are deemed to infringe on their 'rights' - that is, profits.
Kucinich understands the implications. "NAFTA allows foreign-owned companies to challenge our Constitution, our Congress, and our right to enact American laws. American taxpayers are financing the fight for democracy all over the world while trade laws undermine our democracy at home."

3) Kucinich upholds democracy over corporate control. He states: "We need a new relationship between corporations and our society, to institutionalize the separation of corporations and the state. This includes the establishment of a federal corporate charter which describes corporate rights and responsibilities."

"Money in the political process has become an end in itself, and when money equals policy, the public interest is shut out - you have an auction, not a democracy." ?DJ Kucinich

Privatization" is the corporate/private ownership of resources or services that most consider should be publicly/government owned. The present Administration champions privatization. The proposed privatization of Social Security challenges us to consciously choose between the public interest and private control. Our nation?s healthcare is also a system of private rather than public ownership, clearly serving corporate profits rather than public well being.

4) On healthcare, Kucinich says, "I am the only candidate in this race with a detailed plan to provide universal health care (that is, not privatized). Under my plan, patients and doctors are put in charge of the system, not HMOs and private insurance companies. Patients select their doctors. The costs are completely covered by the government. Coverage will be more complete than private insurance plans, and will encourage prevention. It will include prescription drugs, dental and mental health care, and alternative and complementary medicine, with no premiums, deductibles, or co-pays.
We are already paying what this would cost! Other candidates would leave the insurance companies in charge. We need to take our health care system back." The vast majority of Americans in recent polls (ranging from 60-80%) support this.

5) Kucinich is an environmental advocate, for 30 years now. He would support the Kyoto Treaty, strengthen environmental laws and increase penalties on polluters. He would provide tax and other incentives to businesses that conserve energy, retrofit pollution prevention technologies or redesign toxins out of their manufacturing processes.
Kucinich proposes a "Global Green Deal" for renewable energy - to provide jobs at home, increase our independence from foreign oil, and aid developing nations with cheap, dependable, renewable energy technologies. "A clean environment, a sustainable economy, and an intact ozone layer are not luxuries, but necessities for our future."
In 2002, he was one of the few U.S. officials at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and has won honors from the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and League of Conservation Voters. The League has compiled extensive information on his environmental record: www.lcv.org/Campaigns/Campaigns.cfm?ID=93 and he has a 95% rating on the environment from the Public Interest Research Group: www.pirg.org/score2002/ohio.html

6) On media reform, Kucinich differs sharply from Bush. He is the only candidate who has filed formal objections with the FCC on deregulation of the media. He is the only one who has held hearings on Capitol Hill on what the media weren't telling us about a war in Iraq.
In addition to free airtime for all political campaigns, Kucinich as president will create a greater diversity of viewpoints by breaking up the major media conglomerates, encouraging competition and quality, as well as diversity and community involvement.

7) Education - For grades K through 12, Kucinich's priorities are based on the bedrock principle of a free and high quality public education for every child in America. In Congress, he has proposed a constitutional amendment to codify the right of all citizens to receive such.
Kucinich also has a plan to provide tuition-free higher education to millions of students in state universities. The 12 million young Americans who attend public institutions, colleges, and universities pay an average of $4,000.00 a year. That equals 48 billion dollars a year, less than a third of Bush?s recent tax cuts for the wealthy.

Truth and Accountability. Kucinich reminds us that the Pentagon can?t account for over a trillion dollars (!) and uses over 1,180 accounting systems! Various multimillion-dollar programs are known to not work. "I have a budget that cuts a minimum of 15% out of the Pentagon budget without in any way impairing the ability of this country to defend itself." That alone would yield 60 billion dollars.

9) A champion of Democracy, Kucinich voted against the PATRIOT Act. Along with 20 other members of Congress, he introduced the Benjamin Franklin True Patriot Act, which would eliminate the PATRIOT Act's subjective search-and-seizure provision, unwarranted incarcerations, and the authority of federal officials to search private records without probable cause. The act would restore attorney-client privilege, revoke various Department of Justice secrecy orders, and repeal provisions harmful to the rights of immigrants. It would restore transparency to governmental administrative procedures.
Kucinich supports full democratic rights for minorities, for women, for lesbians and gay men - indeed, he champions fundamental human rights, the hallmark of democracy, for each and every person.

10) A True Visionary - Kucinich is a global visionary and international leader. A candidate who can work collaboratively with other national leaders, who is a champion of peace, of environmental sanity and democracy for all in the world, is vitally important today. When you compare the candidates, I think you will see that Kucinich offers the most inspiring vision of what we can become as a nation and a world, leading the world in a true paradigm shift. To have a new world, we must choose it.
In sum, I support Dennis Kucinich because he can lead our country to a higher democracy, and lead our world to a higher level of global unity, justice and environmental well being. I support Dennis Kucinich because I love America and he's the only candidate that gives me real hope for a new future. He makes me feel proud to be an American.
If you are so moved, please go to www.kucinich.us or call toll free: 866-413-3664 and contribute whatever you can. There you also can connect with Kucinich volunteers in your area. Working with other impassioned patriots is exciting and deeply rewarding.

Gayatri Lee, Ph.D. is the managing editor of Spirit in the Smokies, a unique magazine of new paradigm living, published in Asheville, NC since 1995. She welcomes your comments and thought-provoking, inspiring articles, as well as your first-person stories of personal awakening and transformation. Contact her via email: info@spiritinthesmokies.com Feel free to distribute this article in whatever format, provided the above credit is included.
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for the possible,
Gayatri Lee