SECTION V: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENS

A. Laws

1. There shall be no prosecution of victimless crimes. This amendment shall not apply to traffic violations, including drunk driving.

2. Marijuana shall be legalized and the war on soft drugs shall cease. There shall be an immediate pardon and release of those in prison for the use, sale, and growing of marijuana.

3. No sexual act between consenting adults shall be illegal.

4. Gay marriage shall be legalized. All rights allowed to heterosexual domestic partners and married couples shall extend to gay and lesbian domestic partners and married couples.

5. Fines for misdemeanor violations shall be minimal and should not appear on record.

6. Children shall not be tried as adults under any circumstances.
 

B. Citizens' Rights

1. Every U.S. citizen shall have the right to a decent home. The government shall provide housing for homeless people.

2. Every U.S. citizen shall have the right to adequate protection from the economic fear and insecurity of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment.

3. Upon reaching the age of eighteen, all citizens shall engage in one year of public service, and shall be paid at least the current minimum wage for such work.

C. Consumer Bill of Rights

1. Interest charged on credit card debt and loans of any form shall be capped at prime plus ten percent, regardless of the term of the loan. There shall be no variable rate loans or point charges.

2. Late fees or penalties on personal debt shall be prohibited if interest continues to be compounded on a debt. Hidden fees shall be prohibited.

3. Bankruptcy shall be permitted in the case of debt incurred for medical expenses.

4. There shall be no limitations on corporate liability. This particularly includes, but is not limited to, pharmaceutical and medical industries.

5. The federal government shall establish and rigorously enforce “Do Not Junk Mail,” “Do Not Junk Fax,” “Do Not Phone,” and “Do Not Spam” lists.
 

D. Employment Bill of Rights

1. Every employee, including those who work in private homes, shall be entitled to an annually recalculated and realistic minimum wage set by Congress, regardless of the location and job.
 

E. Medical Bill of Rights

1. The federal government shall create a national health care program and provide free medical care to all U.S. citizens.

2. All hospitals and health insurance companies shall revert to non-profit status.

3. So-called “alternative” and natural healing modalities shall hold legal status in the United States and shall be covered by medical insurance. Unlicensed practitioners shall be required to provide consumers with disclosures.

4. Doctors shall have the right and obligation to advise patients about alternative or natural therapies, substances, or procedures.

5. Patients shall have full access to all health care information pertaining to treatments, products, and other health and survival issues.

6. Patients shall have access to any and all non-toxic substances, drugs, and homeopathic remedies intended for healing or treatment of any disease or health condition.

7. No federal, state, or local government shall mandate vaccinations, procedures, medicine, or treatment for children or adults. Parents shall have the right to determine appropriate treatments for their children and shall not be subject to prosecution for selecting an unconventional medical course of action.
 

8. Individuals shall have the right to make all of their own decisions about their health care.

9. Assisted suicide shall be legal; however, counseling must be provided to anyone who seeks to take his or her own life.
 

10. Licensed, practicing doctors and alternative practitioners shall not be allowed to accept gifts, money, or marketing materials from pharmaceutical or drug companies. Doctors who have in the past received compensation from a pharmaceutical or drug company shall disclose such information to their patients.

11. Until a national health care system is in place, no patient shall be charged more than an insurance company or Medicare would pay for a medical service, procedure, or drug.
 

F. Educational Bill of Rights

1. The right of every U.S. citizen to a high quality education is hereby established. An equally high quality education shall be standard throughout the nation.

2. The financing of education shall have the third highest federal and state priorities, following health care and the environment.
 

3. Starting at the middle school level, the school curriculum shall include mandatory classes in environmental science, renewable energy production, alternative health modalities, nutrition, organic gardening and farming, survival and self-defense skills, yoga and meditation, personal finance management, and principles of “green” construction.

4. Interest on student loans shall be capped at two percent with no hidden fees or additional charges.

G. Prison Reform and Prisoners' Bill of Rights

1. Every prisoner shall receive training in green collar jobs. At least twenty-five percent of prison labor shall be devoted to ecological restoration and to growing organic food for local schools, hospitals, and the prison system.

2. State universities shall develop and administer college courses for prisoners. Educational credits earned by a prisoner shall be transferable to an accredited university. College credits earned by prisoners shall allow prisoners to earn time off their sentences.

3. Prisons shall not be privatized or run for profit. All privately-owned or operated prisons shall be transferred to, and owned and operated by, municipal, state or federal governments.

4. Private for-profit corporations shall not be allowed to use prison labor in the course of business, unless prisoners agree to volunteer to work for the corporation. A minimum or higher wage shall be paid to prisoners for such service.

5. Shackling of prison mothers during birth shall be banned.

6. Prisoners shall have the right to health care that they deem beneficial, including “alternative” therapies.
 

7. Prisoners shall not be moved more than fifty miles from their families without their family’s agreement.

8. All prisoners shall hold full rights to family visitation.