Green Party Platform:
Economic Conversion
We must begin to convert current military-dependent industries to economically and ecologically sound civilian production. Comprehensive planning is needed to minimize the affect on employment.
Excessive militarization of the economy during the Cold War drew much of our scientific and engineering talent away from commercial production. This has decreased our commercial products' viability in world markets. Weapons production is capital and material intensive, resulting in a low ratio of jobs created to dollars invested. The world's general economic experience indicates that a peace economy is stronger than a militarily dependent one.
National security consists of economic and social well being at least as much as military strength. The lessening of Cold War conflicts that began during the Gorbachev era resulted in increased unemployment. This trend has accelerated as the defense industry continues to experience an unstable economic climate.
The Green Party supports a careful economic conversion plan:
- Convert our economy to a peaceful basis, including the disposition of closed military sties. This should be planned and administered at local and regional levels. The peace dividend could help to fund these changes.
- Conduct a survey of the resources and capabilities that are available, or potentially available, at facilities currently devoted to military production.
- Conduct a survey of goods and services needed by society and match these with the capabilities of current military production facilities.
- Forewarn employees of plant closures, and provide retraining for displaced workers.
- Transfer the ownership of closed military bases to local communities for civilian use.