Green Party candidate and ecosocialist — ecologist and socialist — Howie Hawkins visited Santa Monica College (SMC) on Thursday, Oct. 10. He spoke to an avid audience about what his plans for the country would be if he were elected president. The facts and figures he presented substantiated his plans.

Hawkins stated that too much of the national budget goes toward nuclear power and the war on terror. He proposed that money should instead be spent on the United States becoming a humanitarian superpower with countries like China, Russia, and India as its allies.

Hawkins also stated that a capitalist economy is incompatible with ecology. According to him, the planet needs a socialist economy instead.

Hawkins presented a list of economic bill of rights initiatives, such as guaranteed jobs and a guaranteed income above poverty level, a $20 minimum wage in all states, public housing and universal rent control, universal medicare, free public education pre-kindergarten through college, retirement security, and double social security benefits.

Like other candidates, Hawkins has also proposed a wealth tax, which is a tax based on one's income.

A fair amount of Hawkins's plans focused on climate and ecology action.

"I know California just passed a green energy bill for public funds, so that's a good thing," Hawkins stated, expressing approval about current green initiatives.

However, Hawkins went even further, proposing things like 100 percent clean energy by 2030, banning fracking and replacing it with a new fossil fuel infrastructure, removing nukes, having a sustainable organic agriculture, high-speed rails and mass transit, zero-waste manufacturing and recycling, and forest, wetland, and habitat restoration.

Hawkins also discussed his plans for farmers to make more than production costs. He also plans to make all farms organic (i.e. pesticide-free).

Hawkins stated that he wants to decolonize U.S. territories, citing the poor treatment of Puerto Rico as an example. His social justice ideas included things like restoring affirmative action to enforce anti-discrimination laws, having student and medical debt relief, defending abortion rights, having reparations, immigrant amnesty, and an open border policy like that of the European Union.

As for political democracy, Hawkins plans a great deal on that front as well, like a ranked-choice popular vote for president, proportional representation in congress, ending voter suppression and strengthening the Voting Rights Act, and ending party suppression and having fair ballot access.

Hawkins has many peace initiatives, such as taking nukes off hair-trigger alert, bringing the unilateral nuclear disarmament to the minimum credible deterrent, negotiating complete global nuclear disarmament, bringing the United States troops home, a non-offensive defense, and cutting the military budget by 75% and investing the savings in a global green new deal.

In regard to criminal justice and civil liberties, Hawkins wants changes there too, like impeaching Trump, attacking white national terrorism, federal intervention against police misconduct, fighting corporate crime, decriminalizing drugs, having on-demand drug treatment, and ending warrantless mass surveillance.

Last but not least, Hawkins wants to convert the United States economy into a socialist one, promising worker cooperatives, having public ownership of big banks and industries, public monetary authority, democratic economic planning, and production for use within ecological limits.

Hawkins finished by reaffirming his plans to run for presidency in 2020.



