As one might expect, there are more minor parties running candidates than the media talk about, so this election patter from Zoltan Istvan, found in NewScientist (27 August 2016), is new to me (although it occurs to me that I don’t get out enough):
SOME scientists question the value of mixing politics with science. Not so at the US Transhumanist Party. We’re sick and tired of seeing career politicians – nearly half of them lawyers – control national science agendas and budgets.
We want passionate pro-science politicians to determine scientific policy, spending and research ethics in our nation. So we decided to get involved ourselves.
I formed the US party, the first of its kind, in October 2014. There are now others around the globe. Our motto is: “Putting science, medicine, and technology at the forefront of US politics.” I am the party’s 2016 presidential candidate.
My campaign’s main job is to set out science and technology policy from a pro-innovation point of view – not one shaped by religion, ethnicity, culture or history. I think the world’s problems can be best solved by scientific or technological solutions. Our top pledge is to reduce the size of the US military and spend the money on science and medical research.
We are also trying to spread awareness of the increasing pace at which science and technology are changing our world – from gene editing to robots taking jobs.
Unfortunately for him, I suspect too many otherwise sympathetic voters see that it’s their duty to vote for Hillary in order to save America from Trump. Here’s the Transhumanist Party website. From its Platform page:
5) Implement policy for the phasing out of all individual taxes based on robots taking most jobs in the next 25 years. Advocate for a flat tax until we reach that point.6) Advocate for morphological freedom (the right to do anything to your body so long as it doesn’t harm others). Defend genetic editing and other radical science that can transform healthcare.
7) Advocate for partial direct digital democracy using available new technologies.
8) End costly drug war and legalize recreational drugs
9) Create government where all politician’s original professions are represented equally (the government should not be run by 40% lawyers when lawyers represent less than 10% of the country’s jobs)
10) Significantly lessen massive incarcerated population in America by using innovative technologies to monitor criminals outside of prison. Spend saved money on education.
#9 tramples over the citizen’s right to choose, not to mention may lessen the efficiency of the elected officials since this just offers an even easier route for incompetent power-seekers to gain high office. With regard to #10, #8 would reduce the imprisoned population, and perhaps some more reforms would also be of help – not to mention working on reducing poverty and hatred.
