Other Political Parties Angling for Space on California’s Ballot

Infinite Love Flag

This is the flag of the Utopia Manifesto Political Party, which, as the name implies, champions creation of a utopian society.

“The flag is red for love and white for purity and in the center is a heart inside a heart — meaning our heart inside the Sacred Heart of Jesus — over red Infinite Love Waves,” according to the party’s website.

“This is a bartering Society giving to and helping all with Love for all people in the Utopian Country.

“We strive for restitution, reparation of the former slaves in the world. Love, brotherhood, sisterhood, and kindness; not greed.”

Like the We Like Women, formerly, Neuroscience Party, Utopian Manifesto seeks a spot on California’s ballot.

Both parties have missed the deadline for the June 8 primary. Petitions needed to be turned in 154 days before the election.

The easiest way to qualify is by registration. The number of petition signers needed to qualify is 1 percent of the number of persons who voted in the November 7, 2006 General Election.

That November, 8,899,059 Californians cast ballots so to qualify a new political party by registration requires 88,991 persons complete an affidavit of registration, on which they have written in the proposed party name as their party of choice.

Neither the Utopia Manifesto nor the We Like Women parties are alone in missing the deadline to qualify for the June ballot.

Also falling short for the primary appear to be the Free Parliamentary Party, Golden State Party, New World Party, American Centrist Party, American Resurrection Party, Anarchy and Poverty Party, Reform Party, People for Direct Democracy Party, California Cannabas (sic, presumably) Party, Twelve Visions Party of California, California Partnership Party and the Whig Party, the self-proclaimed “party for the rest of us.”

According to the contact information contained in the Secretary of State report detailing parties attempting to qualify, the parties are headquartered throughout the Golden State: Roseville, Turlock, El Cerrito, San Diego, Sacramento, Albany, San Mateo, Westminster, Los Angeles, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Santa Rosa and Paradise.

As to the other tenets of the Utopian Manifesto Party, “the shape of this Society is a wagon wheel unlike the old system of a triangle which only works for very few and is very stagnant.”

The center of the wagon wheel is God. The spokes radiating from it have several “governmental departments.”

These include: “Marriage, Anger Management, Disaster, Construction, Free Housing, Jobs, Energy, World Bank, Arts, Goals, Retirement, Sports, Growing Pains, Natural Remedies, Organic Farming, Economic Managers, Bartering, Homelessness, Transportation, Research, Education, Families, Libraries, International Translation, Help Hot lines, Death, National Health, Free Clothing, Restitution, Climate, Religion, Environment.”

The party stresses that having manifesto in its title doesn’t mean its communist.

Among the 11 questions in the “10 List of FAQ,” the party prohibits same sex marriage. Divorce is allowed if approved by “canon law.”

The Reform Party has an extensive platform that includes term limits for federal lawmakers, creation of a “new, fair tax system” and some financially sound budgetary positions:

“Enact only economic policies that require fiscal responsibility and accountability.

“The federal government should be managed within its means, and not run chronic budget deficits.

“Enact a Balanced Budget Amendment.

“Pay down the federal debt until the principal balance is zero and American taxpayers no longer have to pay interest on the debt.

“Use any budget surpluses generated to pay down debt. Surpluses should not be used to fund tax reductions or to fund new programs.

“Eliminate programs that are wasteful, outdated or that do not serve an important national goal.

“End corporate welfare and special interest subsidies.”

The most active graphics can be found at the Direct Democracy Party site, which opens with pulsing green countries against a bright red background.

The purpose of this worldwide party is to “salvage the planetary life which now has been brought to the edge of the abyss.

“In this ultimate emergency situation,” Direct Democracy says, “all previous sets of ethics and moral (sic) urgently must be replaced by the only one possible moral codex:

“GOOD is everything that sustains planetary life.

“EVIL is everything detrimental to the planetary life.

“SCIENCE in practice is to determine the dividing line between good and evil. “The imperative task is to scientifically determine within each one and across the environmentally decisive fields, the requirements for survival, and to urgently put the findings to good use.”

The Whig party lays out its principles and positions on a site designed to look like weathered parchment. The party’s principles include insisting “any action of the government must respect principles of fiscal responsibility and public accountability.”

More domestic energy sources need to be developed to “reduce dependence on foreign energy sources.”

In a bow to the Tenth Amendment: “Each state can generally determine its course of action based on local values and unique needs.”

More public and private emphasis should be placed on math and science to promote innovation and better American competition in the world economy, the Whigs say.

And:

“When the government is compelled to legislate morality, every citizen should be considered as equal.”

To appear on the November ballot, petitions with the names of at least 88,991 party members must be submitted by July 1.

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