archetypal fool

I've been asking myself lately why things are currently going so sour in my country (US). Whenever any speaks of any politics, corruption always comes up. No one is happy with the current administration. Few, if any, laws have been made to benefit the common man lately. The country is falling apart from beneath our feet, and there's little, if anything, we can do about it. Politicians don't seem to have our interests in mind, as they try to appeal to big companies, in order to receive big paychecks.

With this in mind, I've tried to ask myself, if I were given the chance to do anything, or change anything, what would I do? Furthermore, I'm very interested in hearing what th TFP community has in mind.

Here's mines:
Personally, I've always wondered why we pay our representatives in congress so much (average of about $160,000. source:http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm). It seems odd to me that money should be an incentive for earning such a roll in society. Therefor, I believe that, in the good of the country, congressmen should get paid a common man's salary for a common man's work (some congressman don't show up to congress as much as they should, and others don't even read the bills they're deciding upon). Proof of concept: Career politicians. These are people who go into politics, and remain in politics, re-elected year after year, becoming more and more distant from the common man, and corruption runs deep in the "career politicians" as a result.

Contraction: Basically, don't let money become and incentive to represent your brothers and sisters; want to represent us because you want to make a positive difference, not so you can fill in your bank account. Therefor, cut down the salary significantly ($30,000-$60,000, maximum).

What would you guys change?

johso

I'd stop scaring people. I live in Denmark, and ever since 9/11 there has been way to much focus on terror. Sure, things could happen. But come on, terror existed before 2001 too. I'm not saying that you should totally ignore the threat completely, but when every if every show on the TV is related to terror in one way or another, people are going to be more and more paranoid. And the innately stupid and nonsensical bills there are passed 'in order to protect the public against terror'--there's not a thing that the government can't get away with as long as they fit in the word terror somewhere along the road.

Same goes for drugs. I was really happy to read the news last friday, because of this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6474053.stm
A group of experts have been consulted, and it clearly shows how a drug-scale would look if there was any science (and common sense) behind it.
It's just sad that so much money is wasted on catching small-time dealers and users, when the drugs aren't that dangerous anyway. A friend of mine even got fined for an 'intend to resell weed' even though the police never found anything in his house. I don't get just how it's legal, but I just think it's lame that weed is illegal in the first place.
Of course, I think all drugs should be legal, good or bad, but that probably wouldn't work out in the kind of society we live in.
And all the stories you hear about ecstasy... Makes me sick to hear that people die and stuff from just taking a pill. Piles of lies upon piles of lies.

It's practically the same thing when they tell lies about drugs and when they scare us with terror threats. It doesn't do any good, and the people that know the truth just stop trusting the government. But what it does do is to widen the gap between immigrants and natives--which is a very bad thing in a multi-cultural society.

That said, it would probably be easier to start a new country, 'cause changing what has already been established would be a humongous hassle. ^^

CptAJ

I would establish an autocratic government giving me absolute powers of sovereignty over our territory. I would use my position of power to dissolve all existing bureaucracy. After that, I would enact laws demanding that *ALL* government activities be subject to public record with the very strict exception of immediate-execution military operations (Even these would have a statute of limitation). I would assemble an user-friendly infrastructure to disseminate these public records so that everyone can access them with little to no effort. Then I'd rebuild the needed bureaucracies sans the fat.

I would set a hard ceiling to the possible accumulation of wealth per-individual to a relative number depending on the average wealth of the individuals in the nation. This way no one would be able to get disproportionately wealthy compared to others. All funds earned above this limit would be automatically donated to the government and then used only for public services. I would set a similar limit for corporations and corporate conglomerates.

I would overhaul the intellectual property system to reduce patent lifetime and such, specially in the medical, transportation and construction fields. I would study the possibility of limiting intellectual property only to the original authors (As in not being able to sell the rights. Only giving a temporary, possibly hard-limited license of use and manufacture)

Then I'd continue to administrate and lead the nation for 50 years. I would make clear emphasis on support for the health care and transportation sciences (This includes space exploration, which is a fucking necessity)

I would make it clear to the international community that I want no part whatsoever in any international conflict and demand that all foreign entities keep their noses out of my business (which does not mean I'd limit commerce, just political interaction)

After my time is done, I would reinstate a representative democracy based on a parliamentary republican system.

Of course, there'd be a lot of details to work out along the way but thats more or less what I'd go for.

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"Knowledge comes by eyes always open and working hands, and there is no knowledge that is not power." Jeremy Taylor

Willravel

I could write 10 books that wouldn't even begin to cover what I'd do, so I'll try to sumamrize:
I'd like to have nation-states on hundreds of islands, the democratically elected leader of each would make up a parliament with no head. Each island would have strict limits on population growth, that would be supported by state funded science programs that measure exactly how large a population could survive on the resources of the whole nation of islands. The idea would be to never run out of resources by maintaining a healthy population level.

State-islands could trade freely, and taxation between states would be minimal. Exporting would be taxed minimally, and importing would be taxed a bit more. The idea would be to promote self sufficiency and interdependence between islands instead of dependence on trade from other countries.

We would have strong and friendly relations with all neighbors by providing humanitarian aid free of charge when and if needed and by defending them if they were ever invaded without provocation or by providing safe neutral grounds for multilateral peace talks.

We would have a very, very strong volunteer defensive military force and a very weak offensive force. Drafts would be unconstitutional. Military-only corporations would be illegal. Civilian manufacturers would be asked (not forced) to provide services in time of need only. War could only be declared in specific cases of necessity and would require a 3/4 vote from the entire parliament.

Health care would be federally funded and state run.

Education would be Montessori method through the end of High School and colleges would be required to meet high state standards that were competitive with the top colleges in the world. College tuition would have a cap, be they private or public. No one will ever have to drop $300,000 for a degree no matter what.

Economics would hopefully play to strengths and work to compensate for any weaknesses (for example, if tech was well represented and agriculture were lacking, technology would be gently persuaded to assist agriculture). Incorporating would be illegal. Banks would be federal and only would hold money, no investments, and no interest. Credit and loans would be illegal. Money would be backed 100% with gold.

One night a month, members of every community would be asked to attend community or town hall meetings to discuss local issues that may not be addressed by the county, state or federal levels in order to ensure adequate representation. Each community leader would meet with the town leader, that would meet with the county leader, that would sit on a state board and speak to the head of each state. Any leader not adequately thought to be representing his or her constituents can be put to a vote of no confidence and removed by a vote of 55% or more. This goes all the way from community leaders to state leaders. It would be in the constitution that all government is there to serve at the pleasure of the people, and that the populace is responsible for maintaining the entire country.

Campaigns would be maintained by the state. A minimum of 6 and maximum of 12 political parties would be able to choose one representative, which would be given state allotted time for debate with the other people running. TV, radio and print would be allotted, not bought. Campaign contributions would be illegal. Each representative, be they community, town, county, or state, would be paid the mean income of their constituents. Each representative will need to have lived in the area they are representing for several years.

Criminality would be addressed in childhood. The idea would be to absolutely curtail criminal behavioral patterns early on so as to prevent crime instead of react to it. There would be a federal prison system in place, but the idea would be to find out what led to the criminality and seek to always adjust the school system to help prevent future crime.

The justice system would place justice above the law. Lawyers would be charged with finding the truth, not just defending or prosecuting. The system would be less adversarial than the system I'm familiar with here in the US. Judges would be required to monitor cases only, and the jury would preside. Jury duty would be mandatory and the jury would be completely chosen at random a year ahead of the case (ex. March 2007 a jury is chosen and put on notice "March 2008 you will be required to serve", then as a case would come up they'd be assigned). 12 people would be chosen and swear to uphold justice, and then the law. Jury selection is unnecessary, as all people would be required to put any bias out of their mind. Monetary compensation would only be allowed in cases where money was lost and the money could only replace that money. One could not sue a company because one fell and get $100,000. One could get all their physical therapy and psychology bills paid by the company, but no monetary winnings.


More to come.

Bill O'Rights

When the history of my reign was written, I could only be compared to Hitler, Stalin, Ghengis Khan and Attila the Hun, in that I made them all look like a bunch of quiche eating effeminate girly-men.

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Willravel

That good, eh?

CptAJ

No fair, willravel cheated. I modeled mine to one nation in today's world. It would be much more badass if it were several nation islands completely isolated

__________________
"Knowledge comes by eyes always open and working hands, and there is no knowledge that is not power." Jeremy Taylor

epoxy27

A stronger Third (and possibly even forth) party. I think the polar differrences between the Dem's and Rep's are killing America. Though it seems this is easier to think then to implement.

Also, a limit on terms Congress can serve. Fresh blood could do the system wonders.

The_Jazz

You think that the Democrats and Republicans are POLAR OPPOSITES? What?! If anything, they're virtually indistinguishable on everything except for a handful of issues (abortion, gun control, etc.).

/threadjack

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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin
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archetypal fool

Wow...I thought this post had died (no email notifications), and I come back now to find that it's rippling with life...

It's actually a little weird...A lot of the things most of you said I also was (have) been thinking about. For example, what mmcxiiad said about adding more political parties. This bipartisan crap is getting old and on my nerves. (As a side note, force the news and media groups to be unbiased and make actual intellectual arguments with *really* fair and balanced coverage...CNN and FOX are further dividing this country with their slanderous bullshit). And what Will said about the island nations. I feel the same way, except instead of islands, sections of land (within the country) would be alloted to the individual city-states. Besides that, it's exactly the way I felt. The only flaw I could think of would be finding lucrative exports for the city-state to benefit from monetarily (if you're unlucky enough to live in the middle of the desert, good luck exporting anything but cacti and sand).

One of the only solutions I can think of which would keep all the city-states equal is if a centralized entity was created which would basically keep track of all the resources around the country and distribute them around in such a way that each city-state gets an amount necessary for the number of people living within (if you want to call this socialism, then so be it). The leaders of the centralized entity would be elected yearly to keep the blood fresh (well said, mmcxiiad) and corruption out. This entity will NOT be a government as we know it. It will be a tool, implemented by all city-states to create equality among all citizens of country X. That's to say, no legislation would be passed concerning trivialities (keep a small government, hand the power to the people). All affairs would be handled by the city-states involved, and in case of exceptional problems, the grand entity will rule on the subject, again, with the minds and hearts of the people.

I can only dream of the possibilities, since most would be too idealistic or nearly impossible to implement in an existing country. And our other option, starting our own country, is nearly impossible these days as well.

I'd make the following change if I could only suggest one: perhaps if nothing else can be changed, at least a revamped education system would solve a lot of problems (maybe not for our generation, but for the future of this country). I've met many kids, and it's frightening that most couldn't use logic and reasoning to break out of a paper bag, given a cup of water and a poking stick. Our current education system is teaching children to be "good workers"...Obedient, future paid-slaves who are being taught to memorize menial tasks and information and listen to authority. Make a curriculum which teaches them to think, reason, find logic, find flaws, and question everything they don't understand, (add Montessori for taste) and gone will be the days of stupidity. Educate them about the cultures, peoples, and past events or our world. Enlighten them with art and music, thereby aiding them in finding their talents and life-long passions. Don't try to shove meaningless (to young children) scientific information into their heads. Instead, SHOW them science, and all the wonderful applications and startling implications, so that we may SPARK interests, rather than scare them off with complex (for young children) scientific vocabulary. Perhaps then our children won't bicker and fight over stupid things which never should've happened anyways the way we do. Give them the tools they'll need to fix themselves once we leave them with a fucked up world (that's the way it's headed). Too bad Bush would rather spend billions more in a groundless war (and his buddies won't share the profits they accrue from said war...) than save our country from the rampant stupidity (but then again, seeing as he's part of the rampant stupidity, he'd be getting rid of himself, which is clearly against his best interests...).

I'm sorry I had to end my post with an ani-Bush remark...I got a little heated.

Arc101

I would make all politicians have to take lie detector tests, if they fail then they go to jail for 10 years. Also politicians will only earn whatever the average salary is, and if they vote for a war then they have to go and fight in it.

blade02

I'd emploment my "exercise bike" idea. Humans on stationary bikes hooked up to generators can produce a good deal of electricity. Most modernized countries are running into problems producing enough electricity. Using the US as an example, there are roving brown outs in California each summer, obviously they have a lack of electricity. But how does one produce more electricity? There are special interest groups that oppose every form of power plant that we have created so far. Hydro-electric? Can't do that, fish can't find their way home after a river is damned. Nuclear? Can't do that because radiation is scary. Coal? Who wants big billowing towers of black smoke (even though last time I took a tour of a coal burning power plant, the air was actually quite clean) Windmills? Last time someone proposed making a windmill farm, residents complained it'd ruin their spectacular ocean view. Get the point? So how do we generate the electricity needed to power a modern civilization? With hundreds of thousands of "Bike Plants".

But who do we get to pedal the bikes? Don't have a job? Drawing welfare? Well if you're able bodied and fit, you'll no longer be getting a check from my government. Instead you'll be given the choice of vocational training (its free, you learn a skill, you earn your money), or you go pedal and earn your money. Are you a "citizen" with no birth certificate, social security number, or green card? Want to be deported? If no, then off to the Bike Plant to earn your citizenship (i figure 1 to 2 years, with language and vocational classes taught in the evenings).

As an added bonus, certian modern countries are fighting a battle against obescity. What better way than to pay people for their time at the gymn? I also figure that making it mandatory that all students say (say a year before graduation) work a minimum of 20 hours a week in the Bike Plant. This not only ensure that our youth are becoming fit and healthy, but also gives every kid the experiance of having a part time job.

Every person except criminals (who of course would be forced to work in special prison bike plants while serving their term) would be paid. Naturally, pay would be based on Killowatts produced. No nonsense of showing up and being a lazzy ass while someone is busting their ass, and expecting to make the same amount of money.

I'm sure there are other benefits of having human produced electricity. And I think that the outline for this also covers my stances on a wide range of issues.

blade02

double post.

Baraka_Guru

I would take America as it is now, except I would shave 10% off the defense budget and put it into the education budget, thereby more than doubling it.

It's a start, is it not?

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soldierz_1

i would get rid of the right wing and limit the power

fatbob

I'd like independence

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change happens when those who don't normally speak get heard by those who don't normally listen.

Ballzor

I'd like to create a government very similar to any standard checks and balances democratic government, but with one main difference.

I would add a separate comedian cabinet, featuring the top comedian laureate's (How about an all star cast of Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lewis Black, Stewart/Colbert, Chris Rock, and Joe Rogan (gotta have an asshole)). All government actions would have to first be presented infront of these comedians to be torn apart and criticized, whose invaluable opinions would then directly influence that governments policies. I figure comedy is the most effective method of cutting through the bullshit, incorporate it into the government body and there's no way you could get away with the same mindless shit we've seen for hundreds of years.

It would be like the Supreme Comedy Court. Justice Stewart, Justice Black. Feared and Respected in the Political realm.

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ShadowFox

Meritocratic Darwinist society. Dumb people lead human-wave attacks on entrenched MG posts. Smart ones get nukes and smart-bombs. Everyone is happy except dumb people who are dead.

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Halx

I'd put me in charge.

More thought out answer to come later.

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Deltona Couple

After reading this part, all I could say would be "Good luck finding people who would do all the needed jobs"...Why would I work hard and put in 100% at my job, if I knew that I might have to give away my earnings to someone who sits on their ass all day doing very little work? Why would I go through 4 years or more of college to wind up having my income supliment the guy who right out of highschool said "screw it" and works digging ditches, and can STILL make the same amount of money as me....I honestly don't think this could work....lol.

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archetypal fool

I think what he meant was a way to stop people from getting millions of dollars, which would cause corruption and greed. So most people will live normally, but the most money you can have is, say, $20M, and if you're already earning $20M, you should have no trouble raising more. The costs of living for a single person is around $1M, so why should some have billions of dollars and spend it on yachts and luxury cars? It's stupid. You don't need a solid gold house or a rocket car. If you earn more than $20M, good for you, but you don't need it, so it gets funneled back into the public. I hope that made sense...

Willravel

The only job in the world that's honestly worth over $10m a year is being a parent. People that accumulate a considerable percentage of the GDP should be thrown in prison for treason. I doubt anyone is saying that the garage man should make as much as the brain surgeon, but a system that has teachers making $24,000 a year and Colin Ferrel making $8m for making a piece of crap like Alexander has a problem.

loquitur

I would appoint myself benevolent dictator. I wouldn't even require a salary, just payment of expenses and provision of as many concubines as the whim strikes me.

archetypal fool

Bringing this thread back from the dead. I'm just curious if positions have changed and what newer members and members who didn't contribute may have to say.

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