PROGRESSIVE CHEVERLY: MISSION AND
PRINCIPLES
3/6/2005
Our mission is to promote economic fairness, social justice, basic human
rights, civil liberties, a sustainable environment, a tolerant society and world
peace through a more informed political dialogue and active participation in
civil society and the democratic political process.
To achieve our goals:
1) We recognize that each of us has the ability and the responsibility to
create the society reflected in our principles.
2) We will look for effective solutions regardless of labels and origins.
3) Our membership and leadership will reflect our community’s diversity.
4) Recognizing that change requires the united action of many, we will
reach out to other organizations and groups working toward common goals.
5) We will work to cultivate the next generation of progressive-minded
citizens and leaders.
As we endeavor to change our society and address the many challenges we face,
the principles below guide our work.
PRINCIPLES
1. Fair and Sustainable Economy and Livable Communities
We believe that…
a) As an educated society living in the richest country in the world, our
society must provide the means for all of its members to have access to
decent, affordable housing; adequate food and clothing; affordable, quality
health care; and quality public education at all levels.
b) Our society and economy work better when workers have the right to a
living wage, to organize and bargain collectively, to reasonably strike
without the threat of reprisals or replacement, and to have safe and healthy
working conditions, pensions and benefits.
c) Cultivating artistic and scientific discovery, creativity, and
innovation strengthens and enriches our nation.
d) A fair tax system requires those individuals and businesses most able
to pay to contribute the most to society’s protection and maintenance.
e) Our society must provide economic security to those facing
unemployment, disability, injury, sickness, and old age.
f) All members of society should feel safe at home and in their
neighborhoods.
g) An ecologically sound economy must meet society’s material needs
through sustainable use of nontoxic and renewable energy, materials and
processes.
h) Society must conserve, restore and protect its natural resources and
prevent further degradation of the environment.
2. Democracy and Social Justice
We believe that…
a) Democracy must drive our organizations and institutions at all levels.
b) Democratically elected government is essential to provide for the
common good.
c) Government must be efficiently run, fiscally responsible and
operationally transparent.
d) Individuals have a responsibility to exercise their political and
economic rights in a manner that does not abuse the rights of others.
e) Discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, class, religious
beliefs or unbelief, sexual orientation, disability, health status, and
national origin or citizenship has no place in our society.
f) Corporations have a responsibility not only to shareholders but to all
stakeholders, including the communities in which they operate and the
workers they employ.
g) Access to power must be independent of wealth.
h) The democratic promise of our society, and the power to change our
country, will be fulfilled only through maximum participation in the
democratic political process.
i) The criminal justice system must be humane, with emphasis on
rehabilitation rather than retribution, and must fairly punish offenders for
their behavior, regardless of their race, gender, gender identity, income,
or class.
j) Drug addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness must be treated as
issues of public health.
k) Individuals must have the right to make health decisions without
governmental interference.
l) All immigrants and refugees are entitled to basic rights, regardless
of immigration status.
3. Real Security and Peace
We believe that…
a) Americans must join with other nations to strengthen global
institutions that protect the vulnerable, promote self-government, and
improve the health and welfare of all people.
b) Our nation’s security depends on working together with other nations,
practicing diplomacy, respecting national differences, promoting peace
rather than war, and addressing root causes of violence and conflict such as
poverty, inequality and lack of political freedom.
c) Our nation must maintain an effective and efficient military to defend
and maintain peace and should only send our soldiers into harm’s way as a
last resort after full diplomatic options have been exhausted.
d) Our men and women in the military, who risk their lives for their
country, deserve fair treatment and the full benefits promised to them by
our government.
e) Our nation has a responsibility to emulate democratic principles in
its relations with other nations. To do this it is fundamental that our
foreign policy is based on human rights, protecting workers’ rights and
protecting the global environment.
