Press Releases
Greens endorse citizens initiative on health care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Greens endorse citizens initiative on health care
April 12, 2021
AUGUSTA--The Maine Green Independent Party endorses a citizens initiative to establish a publicly funded health care system for all Maine residents.
The party's state committee voted unanimously to support the initiative, which was launched several months ago by Maine Health Care Action, a campaign group organized by Maine AllCare.
The party will promote the petition campaign and encourage members to collect signatures to place the measure on the ballot.
If 63,000 signatures are submitted to the secretary of state by December, the referendum will be on the ballot in a 2022 election.
The Maine Green Independent Party platform calls for a "health care system with comprehensive healthcare for all, including vision, hearing, mental and dental health, regardless of ability to pay."
The party has supported universal health care coverage in its platform every year since approving its first platform as a qualified Maine political party in 1996.
In 2006, Green Independent nominee for governor, Pat LaMarche, made universal health care a cornerstone of her policy proposals, arguing that it would become an engine for the state's economy.
The party plans to rally its membership to help get the required signatures to place the referendum on the ballot.
For more information, visit the party's website at www.mainegreens.org
Greens oppose trans sports ban
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2021
Greens oppose trans sports ban
MAINE--The Maine Green Independent Party opposes LD 926, a bill that would exclude transgender women from participating in interscholastic sport in all Maine public schools and universities, including intramural sports. "When we tell transgender girls and women that they can’t play girls sports, it sends the message that they don’t belong," said Jake Kulaw, co-chair of the party. "This bill violates the Green values of social justice, equal opportunity and respect for diversity." The bill mirrors efforts in other states to ban trans girls from participating in school sports. "This bill puts the humanity of transgender people up for public debate," Kulaw said. "This is an attack on the very existence of transgender girls and women." Kulaw said laws targeting transgender girls violate the US constitution and Title IX, and override sport governing bodies. Lyn Maravell, also co-chair of the party, said the bill attempts to politicize transgender people’s lives. "Maine transgender youth should not be used to advance hatred, fear and bigotry," she said. "This bill is bad for all Mainers." In 2014 Maine’s Supreme Court affirmed the right to equal educational access for transgender girls in schools. "The Green Independent Party stands in solidarity will the transgender community and will not support a bill that is harmful to any person, especially trans youth," said Maravell. "An injury to one of us is an injury to all of us. |
Maine Greens host Jill Stein, 2020 presidential hopefuls
Maine Greens host Jill Stein. 2020 presidential hopefuls
Augusta -- The Green Independent Party, Maine's largest third party will hold its annual convention on Sunday, May 19 at Viles Arboretum, 153 Hospital St., Augusta. Candidates for the 2020 presidential nominations, Sedinam Kinamo Christen Moyowasifza-Curry and Dario Hunter, have confirmed their attendance in person at the convention. Other candidates will be presenting their campaigns via Skype.
Jill Stein is expected to speak about how to best organize and grow the political party in an age of climate change, and a real plan for a Green New Deal to improve the economy, opportunity for all and social justice while transitioning toward an environmentally-positive society.
While Green New Deal has become a popular subject of public discourse, Stein was the first presidential candidate to present a Green New Deal solution: her plan to invest in people and the environment for a better economy and healthy society.
According to a February Politico/Morning Consult poll, 31% of Democrats and 25% of Republicans would support a third-party candidate for president in 2020. 45% of Democrats and Republicans think a third party is needed.
Representatives of the Green Party of Quebec, a provincial party of Canada, will attend the convention to present information on Hydro-Quebec and the proposed Central Maine Power corridor.
The Maine party, with more than 43,000 enrolled voters, will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its inception in 1984. The party also celebrates the 25th anniversary of first earning official recognition by the state as a qualified party in December, 1994. The party will hold its annual elections for state party officers, set goals and decide whether to allow unenrolled (Independent) voters to participate in the party's 2020 primary.
Registration cost is by donation, what people can afford, or $20. "We do not accept corporate donations," said Niomi Larrivee, party co chair. "We count on the good people of Maine to help fund green change. We welcome people to be a part of this change, a party with moral values that stands for real beliefs. Now more than ever, a third party is needed to represent people in Maine, our nation and internationally."
For more information, including program schedule:
Greens oppose CMP corridor, endorse buyout bill
Greens oppose CMP corridor, endorse buyout bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2019
Augusta, ME--The Green Independent Party has taken a position opposing a Central Maine Power proposal to create a 145-mile transmission line corridor that would deliver electricity from Canada to Massachusetts.
Central Maine Power, which would distribute power provided by Hydro-Québec, has failed to provide evidence that the proposal would reduce climate-changing emissions and has admitted that it does not know what the sources of energy will be.
The Green Independent Party is an ecologically-focused political party that has been on Maine's ballot for more than 20 years and initially formed in 1984.
In addition to redistributing electricity from greenhouse gas-producing sources and adversely impacting the development of clean renewable energy, the corridor would damage hundreds of miles of Maine's natural environment and lead to the seizure of personal properties.
The states of New Hampshire and Vermont have both rejected proposals for a transmission line corridor.
"CMP is not listening to the will of Maine's people, towns and businesses," said Niomi Larrivee, co-chair of the party. "CMP is trying to buy us out. We are on the losing end. Property rights would be lost via eminent domain. This will impact our tourist trade: destroying valuable trusts, sanctuaries, ancient Native American treasures, parks and our personally owned land."
John Rensenbrink, a co-founder and advisor of the party, said the proposal is an example of a corporation failing to work for the public good.
"The top leadership of Central Maine Power has consistently put their own money and control ahead of what is good for the company as a whole and well ahead of what is good for the people of Maine," Rensenbrink said.
Kimberly Pfusch, chair of the Lewiston Green Independent committee, said, "Residents are asking why a foreign owned company can do this. We want our power to be owned by local citizens."
The proposed corridor would cut through Lewiston and more than 30 other Maine towns and cities.
As well as opposing the corridor, the party endorses "An Act to Create the Maine Power Delivery Authority".
Jon Olsen, senior co-chair of the party, said the bill would benefit Maine because revenue would remain in Maine instead of being "siphoned off to Spain for the benefit of CMP's parent company."
Olsen said the newly-created power delivery authority would be "accountable strictly and only to the people of Maine," and would be created without an additional tax burden on ratepayers if CMP were purchased over time with a bond.
"The new entity, which can be run nearly non-profit if desired, would be far more willing to invest in alternative, sustainable energy not dependent on foreign-sourced fossil fuel products, provided that this entity has the authority to deliver and produce electricity for the use of Mainers," Olsen added. "This means more good jobs."
Green Independent and Libertarian parties release joint statement
AUGUSTA-- The Green Independent and Libertarian parties of Maine have agreed to work together to promote pro-democratic policies and protect individual liberties. Officers of each party held a joint press conference, at the Samantha Smith statue near the capitol building in Augusta, in front of the Maine State Museum, on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at 3 p.m.
PREAMBLE
Despite having diverse fundamental ideological perspectives with regard to an economic foundation for our society, the Maine Green Independent Party (MGIP) and the Libertarian Party of Maine (LPME) are united in our desire for honesty and integrity in our political system. We find these qualities frequently lacking within the two major political parties, especially at the national level. Examples abound.
Maine has a good track record of allowing all qualified candidates into debates, but many other states have not. At the presidential level, such compliance has been non-existent, despite being qualified on the ballot of enough states with sufficient electoral votes potentially to win. We seek an even playing field in the contest for political support.
The ten points of agreement herein were arrived at through the respective executive committees of MGIP and LPME and a 2 1/2 hour in-person discussion among some of these members. It is important to understand that these points of agreement in no way bind our respective national parties nor our parties in other states. Further, this agreement should not be interpreted as any kind of merger. We agree on some issues, but in others agree to disagree, but in a cordial manner have agreed to unite on these issues in order to strengthen our advocacy for or against these important matters.
In putting this initiative forward, we implicitly encourage other state parties, and our national parties to follow suit by engaging in mutually respectful dialogue.
AREAS OF AGREEMENT
1. End regime change wars.
2. Close down most U.S. bases in foreign countries
3. Terminate corporate welfare
4. Void, via repeal, the PATRIOT Act and the 2012 NDAA provision
allowing “indefinite detention” without jury trial, judge, or
witnesses for the defense as flagrant violations of the U.S.
Constitution
5. Teach and enforce our Bill of Rights and give extensive training in
such to law enforcement personnel.
6. Support municipal food sovereignty ordinances for farmer to
consumer transactions
7. Expand time to gather petitions for office to April 30, to minimize
difficulty during the most difficult weather of the year and to allow
more time.
8. Do not require caucuses to maintain ballot access in Maine
9. Allow nomination of candidates by convention as an option
10. In some cases vaccines have prevented deaths or serious diseases.
In other cases documentation exists of fatal or lifetime debilitating
injuries to people, especially infants. Accordingly, we oppose any law
mandating vaccines, which fail to take into account either sovereignty
over our own bodies or important medical variations including allergic
reactions.
