Groups
Come join the discussion online at Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community at Google Groups.
Radical middle ideas are appearing Here’s a few I particularly enjoy; I may not agree with everything they say or do, but I admire their vision and energy. See also Mark Satin’s list of 250+ radical middle websites, and top dozen centrist organizations.
• Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard
Bill Jackson
• Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
What might be called progressive evangelicals, promoting principled dialogue
• John Mark Ministries, Rowland Croucher
• Business Reform
Along with the Business Leadership School
• New America Foundation
The premier radical centrist think tank
• Justice Fellowship, Chuck Colson
Theory and practice of restorative justice
• Pundita
Thoughtful foreign policy for the rest of us
• Rocky Mountain Institute
Natural Capitalism in action
• Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee
Reality-based analysis of California Politics
• The Atlantic Monthly
Literary magazine pursuing thoughtful anti-partisan analysis
• The Utne Reader
One of the best analyses I’ve seen of the Radical Middle.
• Spinsanity: countering rhetoric with reason
Even-handed debunking, seen in the Philadelphia Inquirer
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Satirizes both Left and Right, but seems open to a centrist alternative
• TopFive.com by Chris White
Even-handed cultural and political humor; our first link partner!
Radical Centrism 
Civil Manifesto
In the financial crisis we are in people come with ideas for a better society. I wrote the Civil Manifesto to promote discussion.
Please send your comment
Walther Micke
Netherlands
wm9011@gmail.com
CIVIL MANIFESTO
(Referring to “Civil Society”. “Civil Rights”, “Communist Manifesto”)
In the view of the authors of the Communist Manifesto the expulsion of the bourgeoisie by the proletariat was a natural phenomenon. It would be the unavoidable result of the development of the forces of production as free enterprise not longer being able to
satisfy the needs of the wage earners (“salary-slaves”) whereby subsequently the bourgeoisie
would be removed with force and the proletariat would triumph.
Meanwhile the communist experiment, besides having caused immense human suffering, has proven that, contrary to the expectancies of the authors of the Communist Manifest, the market is in a better position to satisfy the needs of the people than the centralized plan economy. In countries where the centralized plan economy is still functioning (North Korea, Cuba) the people suffer a wretched existence. And citizens of the former communist countries in Eastern Europe hope to profit by the prosperity in Western Europe.
Today there is again discussion about the market economy. But the uncurbed spread of the Casino-capitalism is not a natural phenomenon. The neo-liberal ideology is deliberately produced by humans. And Alan Greenspan, greatly inspired by Ayn Rand, has occupied (sic!) a central position in this process. He is greatly responsible for the development of the financial crisis by rejecting the regulation which could have prevented the crisis. Furthermore the government in the United States has passed tax laws according to which millionaires pay less tax than the man in the street.
Conclusion: The market must not be substituted by the plan (however some privatisation having gone to far should be pushed back) but must be regulated by law such as to prevent the destructive functioning which the market can assume in certain instances.
In the present crisis-situation several people make proposals for a more just and humane society. Think about the Occupy Movement, but also about the “Patriotic Millionaires”.
But sometimes the “Occupy Movement” is accused of being unclear about goals. A clear programme may be clarifying. A shortlist of goals for a couple of areas may be useful. Individuals and groups may specify their position regarding those goals. Thus the Civil Manifesto could be an instrument for the attainment of political power.
Income
-Specification of minimum income.
-Specification of the ratio: maximum/minimum income (for instance not bigger than 10).
Pensions
-Specification of age for retirement
Worklessness
-Specification of unemployment benefits
-Specification of duration of the payment of unemployment benefits
Banks
-Split of savings-banks and investment banks
-Prohibition of harmful derivatives
-Establishment of a national bank
Housing
-Integral housing policy
-Equal positions for renting and buying
-Maximal mortgage of 400 $
Healthcare
-No privatisation of healthcare (no profit generation for hospitals).
-Affordable healthcare of a good quality for everybody
-Elimination of superfluous layers of management
Education
-Good education for everybody. No restrictions for people with low incomes
Sustainability
-Furtherance of the efficient use of energy
-Furtherance of vegetable consumption, restriction of meat consumption.
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