Persinger to challenge for McClellan’s seat
Making this her first contested general election, Silver Persinger has begun the process of challenging incumbent Jennifer McClellan in the autumn’s race for the the 71st District House of Delegates seat.
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Yay!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Silver!
I have no idea who Silver is, so it’s hard to take him seriously. However, any opposition to McClellan seems good. I have been less than pleased with her politics lately. She is way more concerned with what is best for her political career, than what is best for Richmond. It’s high time we have a delegate, any delegate, that actually represents their district.
Silver is an interesting character, but I wonder if he is able to obtain enough signatures to run. He has some pretty radical views that will not appeal to the mainstream.
Here is a link to the Free Party’s platform: http://www.freeparty.us/
If you click on his name, it takes you to the Free Party page, his personal page, etc…he’s apparently been trying to buck the system for awhile now, so good for him…and the Free Party itself has some really interesting ideas.
I do agree with hill resident in that any opposition is a good thing!
Okay, here is the platform:
• 6 Hour Work Day / 24 Hour Work Week
Passing legislation to limit the hours of labor to 6 hours a day and 24 hours a week, represents an immediate emancipation from the demands of a 40 hour work week. Workers shall receive no reduction in wages or benefits. 6 weeks paid vacation annually as a standard benefit.
• Currency Reform
Nationalize the currency, abolish the Federal Reserve System, and restore to the U.S. Congress the power to regulate the country’s monetary affairs for the benefit of society and the national happiness. Fix the legal rate of interest at 1%.
• Tax Reform
Institute a “Socially Beneficial Tax.” Citizens should no longer be taxed on their incomes unless they are in the top 1% of income earners. 99% of citizens would enjoy the total profit of their labor. Where as 1% would receive the top rate of 99% tax free and everything above that would be taxed at 98%. Such a tax policy promotes the free market, encourages innovation and creativity, and rewards hard work yet puts a reasonable cap on salaries that the majority of the public could approve. In addition, tax revenues would allow the government to invest in healthcare, education, jobs, infrastructure and providing the benefits of modern society to all.
• Election Reform
We supports the use of Instant Runoff Voting, citizen initiated referendums, ballot initiatives, recall elections, term limits and other measures to improve the health of our democracy and empower citizens to direct the government. We also support the direct election of judges to ensure democratic control of our justice system. Further, no one’s right to vote should ever be taken away, not even violent felons. In a democracy, the right to vote is the bare minimum right of all citizens.
• Co-op Revolution
Co-operative businesses, not government owned industries, are the ideal expression of economic organization because co-ops are locally owned and managed. Co-ops provide a structure for democratically controlled workplaces based on equality and equal distribution of profits.
• Land Reform
Aside from sunlight and water, our most precious resource is our land. Our current system has promoted an uneven distribution of the land and given great authority to individuals and corporations to determine the use of “their” land which in truth is our common resource, America. As an initial reform, non-farming land owners should be limited to owning no more than 100 acres. All lands held by corporations and foreign owners should revert to the nation. All reclaimed land should be paid for at “above market value.” New communities should be developed with the benefit of wise urban planning and government financing. A home for all.
• War Referendum
At a time of war, let the people who will be doing the fighting and dying vote whether or not to go war by putting the question directly to the voters. Let those who vote yes, be the first to volunteer to fight the war. Every person that doesn’t vote, shall have their non-vote counted as being against the war. Production of war materials shall only be conducted by the government, eliminate private profit motive for war.
• Regulate ‘Illegal’ Drugs
We advocate free treatment over incarceration. Drug use is a public health issue not a crime. Drug use should be discouraged as much as possible but people have an unquestionable right to live as they choose and to be free of unreasonable punishment at the hands of our government.
• Crime Reduction
When the basic needs of people are guaranteed to every man, woman and child as a matter of right, a major source of crime will be eradicated. Opportunities for meaningful employment and education will be plentiful. The citizen will be free to pursue his or her interests, both professionally and personally.
• Freedom to Live in the Country of your choice
Citizens have the right to travel and live where ever they want. National borders are arbitrary and a historical source of conflict. We favor a system of direct democracy that is strongest at the local level.
• Restore Original Copyright Law & New Provisions
We advocate the original exclusive use of your copyright for 14 years and after that period the copyright shall revert to the Public Domain. However, if anyone profits from your creation (over $500 annually) the original copyright holder shall be entitled to 50% of the profit.
• Abolish the Death Penalty
Make 50 years in jail the maximum punishment for any crime. The Death Penalty is a cruel and unusual punishment.
Instant Runoff Voting allows third party candidates to fairly run for office without the disadvantage of being seen as a Nader type “spoiler”
[...] Silver Persinger is running against Jennifer McClellan for her State Delegate seat. Other RVA news sites are also carrying this [...]
Anarchists Unite!
silver is the real deal….
Uh, this “Free Party” has a few interesting ideas, but they are definitely way to radical for the mainstream. Are there any “real” candidates running?
So according to Silver if ya want to work more than 6 hrs a day you cant, its illegal. I cant take seriously anyone who thinks this passes any form of rational examination.
That’s not my take from the site http://www.6hourday.org/. We have a standard 40 hour work week now but its not illegal to work more than 40 hours, but they do have to pay overtime after that. I’d love to get overtime at 30 hours.
Not sure if anyone else is picking up on this, but I think it’s fair to say that significant portions of the Free Party platform are tantamount to straight-up COMMUNISM (redistribution of land to be shared by the masses, using taxes to effectively cap the amount of salary any one person can earn, etc. etc.).
The communal approach seemed to work well for small communities like those in pre-Columbian Native America. But it generally failed in larger societies like the Soviet Union, China, Eastern Europe, etc. What’s differenet about the Free Party angle that will make it work where earlier efforts fell short of the mark?
Simply put, this won’t fly. Communism is a bad word here in the US of A.
Let’s get real, folks.
Good God, I smell the patoulli oil from here. Isn’t government a required class Senior year of high school? Seems most of society slept thru it, or smoked thru it I should say….
Buffalo Wilde, you really think that 1 guy in the House of Delgates will turn our whole country into Commies? I didn’t realize the 71st district was that important a seat.
As for me, I welcome some new ideas to shake things up, and I will be fully supporting him with my “Commie plot”…it’s got some red cabbage, red onions and red roses in there
That’s the beauty of democracy, Guilty Mom – you can vote for whoever you like.
BTW – You might have noticed that I did not even say whether I AGREED with this guy or not (don’t know who he is even) – just that I think the Free Party is pretty radical for mainstream America to stomach.
Its important that all ideas are allowed representation. Our widely diverse political spectrum should shine from all angles, even though it is sometimes impossible to see it from our individual perspectives.
Even if you don’t agree with the general platform of a candidate, the reasons for their position is always worth consideration. How are different lives being affected by current policies that make them feel that this alternative would be of greater benefit to the population? To ask these questions from a neutral & nonpartisan point of view is of extreme importance.
Politicians are not required to be economists, scientists or engineers — they are simply the voice of the people.
I’ve enjoyed the dialogue. I am simply one person who thinks the values of society are messed up. I think humanity is more important than money and I advocate an economic and social value system with that goal in mind.
If you think you can do better run for office yourself. It only takes 125 signatures to get on the ballot. The deadline is June 9. I encourage anyone to run for office. The more choices, the better.
In the last two elections, Jennifer McClellan’s name has been the only name on the ballot. Sham democracy especially when you see that her campaign is bankrolled by Dominion Power, Ukrops, Virginia Bankers Association, Virginia Auto Dealers Association, Anthem, Altria, lawyers, and realtors.
See more:
http://www.vpap.org/candidates/profile/money_in_donors/35804?start_year=2005&end_year=2009&lookup_type=year&filing_period=all
I believe, and I have been telling people I visit door to door, that corporations and business people have too much influence in our government and I believe government should be doing more for poor and working people like providing access to health care, education, and jobs.
Most of the folks I’ve spoken with so far agree with the sentiment. I created the Free Party Platform to explain my political outlook and to present to the public as concise prescription based on my understanding of the problems and my knowledge of other political movements of the past.
I support preserving the free market because it drives efficiency and progress and incentivizes individuals. But the folks at the top are benefiting from an economic and legal structure where wealth is afforded great privilege and power in determining the order of every day life.
How free are we when money is the lifeblood of society? What kind of society refuses food to the hungry, medical attention to the sick, or a home to the homeless?
At the bottom of it, I am a humanitarian. And I refuse to sit by and let others tell me this is the way it is supposed to be, or this is the way it will always be. And ultimately, I truly believe in democracy and that the majority of people are good, want to be secure in their life and possessions, and are willing to help others. However, when the whole of political life seems to serve only the interests of corporations and preserving the established financial oligarchy, I say “No thank you.”
As one of the only citizens who regularly attends Richmond City Council meetings, it is painfully apparent that citizens aren’t engaged in our government and the newspapers don’t give the public decent information to make informed decisions.
I am not a Communist. Communism seeks to establish a strong centralized government. I am an advocate of democracy that is strongest at the local level, of giving more power to citizens and taking power away from corporations. I support democracy in the workplace by my support for labor unions.
Keep an eye on the website. Shortly, I will be presenting a less ambitious platform for my House of Delegates campaign.
Where does Silver live? I assume it is within the district. Just curious. Also, I’m hearing great, lofty ideals about society, but what are the specifics of the Free Party Platform that address the issues of the district and the city? We don’t need pie in the sky politicos when the bread and butter issues are the ones that need to be addressed. There are many legitmate issues in the district that require a candidate’s immediate and thoughtful attention. Get off your soapbox, Silver, and talk to your neighbors.
In theory, communism (sharing the WEALTH amongst “the people”) might not seem all that incompatible with democracy (sharing the POWER amongst “the people”).
So it has often struck me as odd that communism and democracy are so often presented as polar opposites on the same spectrum – with democracy idolized on one end and communism demonized on the other. However, this is not a good apples to apples comparison. It’s important to note that communism is an ECONOMIC system and democracy is a POLITICAL system.
Perhaps a better arrangement for comparison would be capitalism vs communism (economic approaches) and democracy vs dictatorship / totalitarianism (political approaches).
In the end, it might be argued that communism is not so much “evil” as it is ineffective in large societies… as seen in the examples of China, the Soviet Union, Cuba, etc.
Silver, you make a good point: It IS “interesting†that, for example, it was the normal custom of most “primitive†Native America societies to share resources with one another and even with strangers in need – while our “advanced†society allows business people in $2,000 suits to casually walk past homeless folks starving on the streets – without batting an eye. How can we call that “progressâ€? Fascinating question indeed.
But I ultimately find myself siding more with #19 in saying that we need to move away from lofty philosophizing and towards real, workable, common sense “bread and butter†solutions for an era of both tremendous global competition and daunting challenges right here at home.
Bill,
I do live in the 71st District, in Oregon Hill.
Politicians live on soap boxes so it’s ridiculous to ask me to step off.
If you read my comment above you’d see that I plan to announce my state platform soon.
Most of the issues I deal with currently by my participation with the City Council are not ideological but simple good government things like promoting open government and citizen participation.
I don’t understand your getting mad at me for sharing my deeper vision “pie in the sky” as you call it — it is only fair that voters should know what I believe and where I am coming from. If you want to get an idea of state issues I’m interested in pursuing a good starting place is my 2007 campaign for State Senate when I ran against Donald McEachin, which by the way had been the first time the seat had been contested in 40 years!
I’m not pie in the sky. I’m one of the few people I know who has given serious consideration of how our government and economic systems are framed. And the only citizen that has attend so many Richmond City Council meetings regularly, three out of the last 3 and a half years; and actually going back to 2003. So I am painfully aware of what the city government has been up to. Check my Council blog I’ve been working on since January. That’s my effort [and it takes a considerable amount of time] to open the government to average citizens and trying to hold government officials. http://www.richmond-telegraph.blogspot.com
Silver…are you out there?
I get the sense that Silver is a regular reader, but not an every day reader, of this site. Don’t hold that against him.
Hello Bill,
Yes, I’m here. I even submitted a comment to the site. Twice in fact and it told me the comment had already been submitted.
John, is there some way to recover the comment. I don’t have time to rewrite it now. But briefly, I live in Oregon Hill which is part of the 71 District.
I am one of the most active citizens engaged with the Richmond City Council for the last 3 1/2 years, I’ve run for office many times before since 2002. I believe that citizens need to be involved in our government in order to have a meaningful democracy. I believe that corporations and the wealthy have too much influence in our government and have written the rules to benefit themselves.
If I actually got into office my views would be less ideological and more practical. One Virginia Delegate, a national economic restructuring does not make. What I would stand up for is upholding civil liberties, increasing citizen participation and promoting engagement in the political process, opening government, and empowering local governments and citizens.
I will be updating my website soon with issues I would be interested in pursuing if I were elected. My campaign only began about a week and a half ago. I have little money, no volunteers, and I am doing everything myself — from website, to paper work, to canvasing, to designing literature — in addition to my duties as an employee and still attending Richmond City Council meetings and doing my Council blog, http://www.richmond-telegraph.
One comment I made in my first response that I recall was that I thought it was silly for you to ask me to get off my soap box, politicians live on ‘em.
Feel free to call me [683-7845] and tell me what your concerns are and what you think the Commonwealth can or should do for you or the community. If I agree, it may be an issue I can pursue. Regardless, your comments would be just a small sampling of what a Delegate is subjected to.
I’ve raised $290 to date, I could use some financial help.* Contribute online, http://www.votesilver.org or send a contribution to Vote Silver // PO Box 4299 // Richmond, VA 23220
*I am not accepting contributions over $100, in an effort to demonstrate the influence money has on politicians. Also individuals who donate $100 or less, their names are not required to be reported on Campaign Finance Reports, a cool way to promote anonymous activism so that my supporters can remain anonymous.
You got caught in the auto spam filter, sorry about that. It’s been retrieved.
Silver, I will help to circulate a petition here in Church Hill, since you need signatures. John Murden knows who I am and can put you in touch with me offline. I’m working late hours this week and next week, so I don’t get home until nearly 11 p.m. and that’s too late to call you. Please contact John (you can use the ‘contact us’ link on this blog) and ask him to please share my phone and / or email addy with you. I’m a veteran of doing petitions over the years, did the first ones for Jean Cunningham, years ago, whose seat you are running for (she retired, Viola Baskerville had it for a while, and now McClelland).
Good luck!
I thought Communism’s mantra was that after “all things were made equal”, the central government would wither away. It didn’t quite work out that way. Are you willing to give up all of your rights to be “taken care of”?
@PointCounterPoint – May I suggest that you look at both Silver’s comments and website and perhaps ask a more genuine question? He’s not claimed to be a communist or an anarchist, and I’d hope to not see this discussion derailed into some kind of ideological pissing contest.
Hope I haven’t been part of the “derailing” process. I’ve just been commenting on Silver’s Free Party platform (which was linked to in very early in the thread (post #3) and essentially outlines the Free Party ideology). I’ve personally been rather enjoying the conversation.
But just to be clear, it has NOT been my intent to imply that Silver is claiming to be a communist. The main thrust of my comments here has been to say 1) I welcome new ideas but 2) I think the Free Party platform is probably too radical to be accepted by mainstream America.
In my attempt to make those two points, I’ve alluded to some of the objectives outlined in the Free Party platform (i.e. redistribution of land, guaranteed housing for all, and a tax structure that would effectively cap the amount of income a person could earn), which sound pretty closely aligned with approaches espoused by various communist manifestos.
It is not my intent to “win†the “debate†(or “pissing contest,†if you will) – just to engage in the dialog. And, I actually give Silver credit for sticking his neck out by contributing his thoughts to the public forum. The willingness to speak one’s opinions – even in the face of potential opposition – takes courage and is a vital component of successful democracy.
If you truly believe in the stances taken by Silver, I urge you to be true to your viewpoint and sign the petition for him.
Likewise, if you do not believe in his positions, then do not sign the petition.
It is often the most radical who comment the most often here in cyberspace. I do not believe the wide majority of people who live in the City of Richmond espouse such radical views, but instead prefer a more moderate candidate.
To fairly represent this populace, it makes sense that you should represent the viewpoint of your constituency. I think Silver is gutsy, too. For me, he is more a fringe candidate and does not represent the concerns of most of the people here in our community.
I wasn’t implying that Persinger was an Anarchist or a Communist. However, some of the platform principals draw from both of these.
I look at the Free Party platform and I see many ideas that have failed in practical implication. They sound “good” on the surface, but in actual application in other countries and societies, they have failed miserably. This is basically an ungovernable platform.
If he wants to run on that platform, have at it, but don’t expect a lot of votes.
I’ll go out on a limb: If no GOP or viable independent runs, he’ll get 425 votes. If someone else runs-175 votes.
Let’s face it, the Democratic nominee has the election pretty much locked up unless there is a “party” war that splits the vote. That is one of the problems of creating “black majority aka Democratic” districts- no choices, no discussion, no options, no viable alternatives. Ditto the GOP where “conservative white districts” were created when black population was lumped together.
I will show up and cast my vote for the candidate of my choice or “none of the above”.
The more people voting for “fringe” type candidates, the more it encourages others to do the same.. a snowball effect. The numbers are important, even if they are not winning numbers. The same reason a protest is important: not because a handful of people with signs can necessarily change the world – but because the impact of their presence is inspiring to everyone that passes by. Seeing real folks devoted to real change hopefully encourages others to get more informed, to find out what they can do to help out. I think election reform is vital; a tangible first step towards a real representative democracy. That right there is enough to win my vote.
edg – regarding your comment on signing a petition only if you agree with a candidate’s position. I totally disagree. I will, and have, signed petitions for people whom I have no intention of voting for – just to have some choices there on the ballot. (Okay, I refused to sign a Lyndon Larouch sp? petition, but that’s probably the only one I’ve never signed). Signing a petition is just putting them on a ballot – you can still vote against them, and many people sign petitions intending to not vote for someone.
I think it’s always good to have other choices, hence I sign almost all petitions presented to me.
I finally had time to find this link. A very basic commentary on the various forms of government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkOcFVBoA-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htTnD_Zl0bs&feature=related
I agree with crd. I’ve signed petitions for the same reasons and for people I would never vote for. I like more than one candidate on the ballot. We wouldn’t want a politician to take his position for granted and rule how ever he sees fit.
I’ve yet to meet anyone in Richmond as authentically and selflessly engaged in politics for and by the people as Silver Persinger.
I know Silver, have watched him work. I disagree with most of what he says. But Silver is there. He comes to every city council meeting, and many council committee meetings. He tapes meetings and posts them on his blog. He comments on items before council and council committees. Now, I think he is wrong on most of his comments…but he is engaged. His factual, as opposed to political, comments before council are occasionally on point and useful. I wonder how many people on this blog put the time, energy and thought into their political activities as Silver does, and I wonder about the level of hypocrisy of some of these comments.
Personally, I will not sign a petition for someone I do not believe just so we have a “choice” on the ballot. If I disagree, there still is no choice in my opinion.
And, as Point Counter Point commented, I have written in None of the Above before.
I would like to see a conversation on the issues, how Silver and McClellan differ, McClellan’s accomplishments in the House, how Silver would handle similar policies and how he would vote. To make this thread more interesting, we would need to see both candidates’ platforms for the seat in the House of Delegates.
Would be great if John could interview them for CHPN.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a “None of the Above” as a ballot choice? Basically it would be a vote of no confidence. If NotA wins the most votes, a new election is cast a few weeks later.
It would take days to dissect a good portion of the “Free Party’s” platform as to why it simply is too far out-in-space to be a viable platform. It would be fun to do over a few or twenty beers. Maybe it makes more sense after a few brews?
PointCounterPoint, you are posting links to youtube videos like this was 2nd grade show-and-tell. This isn’t a Constitutional Republic anymore, buddy. The US is a de facto Corpratocracy. I hope you’re happy with the illusion of representation.