GREEN PARTY OFFERS TRUE ALTERNATIVE

The Green Party is fielding a full slate of candidates for statewide office
this year. I am its candidate for governor.

We are not embarrassed to invoke the word "taxes." We are boldly running on
a tax-and-spend program. New York state's urgent environmental, health,
education, housing and transportation needs cannot be adequately addressed
unless we enact new taxes. While most middle-income people pay too much,
those with higher incomes pay too little.

For a start, as governor, I would propose a new 2 percent general welfare
tax on incomes above the maximum Social Security tax, $80,800 a year with
no exemptions or deductions. It would add more than $4 billion to the state
treasury.

We are also for unconditional repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. We favor
decriminalizing marijuana.

We propose the immediate closing of the Indian Point Nuclear Power plant,
an extensive cleanup and provisions for its workers. We favor the eventual
shutdown of the state's other nuclear facilities; the re- funding of the
environmental Superfund, which is now broke; and stiff fines for corporate
polluters.

Finally, the Green Party calls for the restoration of democracy to the
state's government. Now all important decisions, especially the budget, are
made by three men: the governor, Assembly speaker and Senate majority
leader. The people elect representatives, but they are little more than
lobbyists rather than genuine legislators.

The Legislature should be a deliberative body and its process should be
transparent, so that the people are let into the act. We favor a system of
proportional representation to allow the state's six smaller ballot
parties, as well as the two major parties, to participate in governance.

The Democratic and Republican parties have converged. Their economic
policies are nearly identical - promoting corporate welfare at the expense
of small business and the rest of us. My job is to start a public
conversation, to show voters they have a choice.

Stanley Aronowitz, New York