10 replies to this topic

[Jikei]

Alright. Now, I was originally going to place this in The Library, but for some odd reason I'm not able to start up a topic there, so, next best thing! Anyway.

This is NOT a treatise. PLEASE do not treat it like one. Treat it like it is: A simple proposition for a new form of government. Nothing more, nothing less. Now then.

Before I give the structure of this thing, I'd like to start by listing problems I've noticed with governments in the past.

-One of the main problems: Size of government. Too many people in government, and it becomes slow and sluggish; as in a hulking giant. Too small, and too few people are left with too much power; as in a dictatorship. To remedy this, it is necessary to consider the idea of a "happy medium" range, where effectiveness and efficiency both reach a peak. Also, it is necessary to consider that actions can be taken to dampen the harm of large/small sizes, or at least act as effective fail-safes.

-Another large problem: How much the government interferes with peoples' lives. Now to be fair, no government can do much of anything without tripping over something in someone's living room, but of course you are all aware of the constant, eternal disagreement between full governmental help, or little to none of it. Addressing this problem requires attention paid to the idea of a system where governmental interference is more or less regulated by each individual citizen; that is to say, how much you want to deal with the government, and vice versa.

A few more core problems/ideas:

-Any type of government can fail, if those within allow it.

-Revolution is not as harmful as many may think; in fact, it is a necessary part of a government's growth process; I cite "controlled burning" of forests as proof of this idea.

-A government is like a human in that it grows and matures, but is also very different in the aspect, in that its growth is never-ending.

-Evolution of government is necessary in a continuously-changing world. Adaptation, as well as anticipation, is key.

-A rigid foundation makes for a lasting rule: A house built upon shifting sands will surely sink. Build a government upon a set of rules that never change, and at the very least, people will respect it.

-Money itself is not the root of all evil; the love of money is. Instead of placing stress on currency, consider the idea that it may be better to place emphasis on something else. One's own ideas, for example. It is no secret, after all, that ideas are a currency anyone can be wealthy with.

-Faith in one's nation is of course beneficial to its success. Arrogance, however, can only lead to harmful things, such as xenophobia or ethnocentrism.

-Last idea: All people have a use, no matter what their circumstances may be.

Alright, that's enough of that.

THE COMMUNIST DEMOCRACY.

Through the course of all this, I wish the audience to keep in mind the idea of "Government as Protectorate of its People." Also, I want the audience to know that this government will be built upon a rigid set of rules that will never change. It will always have a solid Constitution, outlining the general goal of all its' actions; as in a declaration of underlying reasons.

STRUCTURE.

The Communist Democracy, as according to me, will consist of 3 "True" Branches, 1 "False" Branch.

1st: The Administrative Branch: The Courts.

The Administrative Branch will contain 3 sets of Tribunals; each Judge therein labeled an "Archon." The label is, of course, alluding to the same number of magistrates of ancient Athens.

-When there is a court case to be heard, one of these Tribunals will be the ears to hear it. They will be entrusted with the authority to rule according to the Constitution in effect at the time (yes, I do favour the idea of a changing Constitution. I'll address this in due time).

-Archons will be voted on, as per the glories of Democracy. Above all else, the people must have their say in who rules them, who will translate the current Constitution, and how. They will more or less act like the US Judicial Branch.

2nd: The Adaptive Branch: The Bureau of All Affairs.

The Adaptive Branch is mainly responsible for dealing with changes to the government, from internal to external affairs. It also makes decisions necessary for the government's survival, including declarations of war, cease-fire, and peace, to declaring a state of emergency, and everything in between. Note that like the 1st Branch, this one will also contain elected officials.

-The Adaptive Branch is subject to the rule of The Administrative Branch. At various periods, The Administrative Branch will conduct an analysis of The Adaptive Branch's conduct thus far. Matters will be dealt with if they conflict with the current Constitution (note, these periodic analyses will NOT be conducted according to a set schedule, so as to preserve randomness).

-At set periods of time (most likely bi-weekly or weekly), the Adaptive Branch will vote on and send a special delegation headed by one or two individuals (two will be maximum) to discuss matters with the Tribunals. These matters will consist of what The Adaptive Branch intends to do, what it is currently doing, and/or what it hopes to achieve in the future. The one/two heads of the special delegation will also be responsible for speaking to The Citizen's Audience.

3rd: The Free Branch: The Citizen's Audience.

This is where the Tribunals and Special Delegation will go to in order to hear what the common folk think of how things are going. Be the matters good or bad, they will be heard in the Audience. Sessions of the Citizen's Audience will be held on a set schedule, with the further ability to hold emergency meetings.

-Any matter concerning how things are going with the government or the world may be discussed and dealt with. Note that transparency on the part of the other two branches will be vital here.

-The Citizen's Audience will be where ordinary people will bring up issues that can even concern why a government member should be ousted from office. Note that if two whole branches vote to oust a government member out of office, whoever it is is pretty much SOL, and they are replaced. Even if not, if the Citizen's Audience agrees to get them out, they go under investigation, and are set before a Tribunal. There, they will be required to answer for their actions.

-When something drastic happens, disaster for example, the head(s) of the Adaptive's special delegation call an emergency Citizen's Audience meeting, in which announcements may be made, concerning intentions, chosen courses of action, etc.

Ugh...so much more to write yet! And unfortunately I need to quit now. Started at around 1 am, now it's almost 430! Blah, sorry everyone! I'll get back to it tomorrow. Don't worry, there's still a lot more vital stuff to cover...

Need...sleep.
Do svyazi!

[SennylDrak]

So far I like it.
=D
Keep writing, Mr.More than average.

[Manish]

I like it as well, but:

The tribunals - You need some sort of courts on the local level - 3 nation-wide tribunals can't possibly handle every case, unless they have a huge number of Archons at their disposal

[Jikei]

Manishtusu, on Aug 13 2008, 10:48 PM, said:

I like it as well, but:

The tribunals - You need some sort of courts on the local level - 3 nation-wide tribunals can't possibly handle every case, unless they have a huge number of Archons at their disposal

Something 'fore I head off to bed: I'm intending this for a "multiple state" system, but please note that I'm not intending to change the US government to this! It would be far too radical a change, for one. Two, it most likely wouldn't completely go through to every part of such a large nation!

Quick quick: If you deal with a large nation, you set it into separate but equal states, yeah? Instill this kind of government into each one, with a final one above all the others at the highest tier, so as to sort the crap of the states, and lead the nation as a whole. I'll form that part later today...later, later, later.

Always so late, good Lord.
Do svyazi.

[Aufstand]

ping for later read. I gotta type up a quick microessay for eng lit.

[Manish]

Jikei, on Aug 13 2008, 05:03 AM, said:

Something 'fore I head off to bed: I'm intending this for a "multiple state" system, but please note that I'm not intending to change the US government to this! It would be far too radical a change, for one. Two, it most likely wouldn't completely go through to every part of such a large nation!

Quick quick: If you deal with a large nation, you set it into separate but equal states, yeah? Instill this kind of government into each one, with a final one above all the others at the highest tier, so as to sort the crap of the states, and lead the nation as a whole. I'll form that part later today...later, later, later.

Always so late, good Lord.
Do svyazi.

Oh, ok. That works then. Waiting for more.

[akiratheoni]

I haven't read it yet but I will later in class.

I'll move this to the Encyclopedia.

[Jikei]

Alright, round two. Left off at...4th Branch.

4th, The False Branch: The Mercenary Militia

The False Branch was specifically proposed in order to combat the government, should it ever spin out of control. Its single, sole purpose is to serve the people, and operate altogether outside of the government. Though they are mercenary, they are also based and rooted in principle; they therefore cannot be hired by the government, but will always respond kindly to the people. Thusly, they are to be considered for all intents and purposes a "false" branch of this Communist Democracy.

-The Mercenary Militia will hold itself to high standards, and should at any given time be able to effectively combat the government's own military forces. As a result, this also requires a law that prohibits any member of the Mercenary Militia to take governmental office.

-Mercenary Militia agents are not to be considered the same as Police Officers. They are foundationally and fundamentally different.

-When visiting a nation that has this flavour of Communist Democracy firmly in place, these agents are most likely going to be your safest bet for directions, general help, and even local rumors and lore, etc. Remember, their sole purpose is to help the People, not the Government. Feel free to feel safe with them.

-In the interests of helping the citizens of a Communist Democracy government, the Mercenary Militia may, if the People so desire, be allowed to fight in wars alongside the government's own armed forces.

-Mercenary Militia agents should be chosen carefully, and should most likely remain in the Militia until retirement. Prospective agents should feel inspired by what the Militia stands for, and must be able to do Militia work without feeling the pressure to earn currency or maintain rank.

-On the subject of rank: A possible solution to the urge to advance rank, is obviously to do away with the system altogether. Replace it instead with stress on Seniority. Reasons for this: Teach the meaning of patience. Lift the burdening urge to advance rank.
-Because of the stress on Seniority, there is a conflict with the credo "work hard, earn payment and recognition." Though this credo is not rooted in Communism, it has been pragmatically considered an effective motivator, and should be treated as such. Matter should therefore receive extra attention. Solution TBA. For now, Seniority will actually be the secondary aspect employers will look at. Primary aspect will be earned recognition and listed skills.

Stance on Currency.

As stated before, the goal of the Communist Democracy should be to lessen the importance of money in people's daily lives. Granted, it may yet be too soon to seek its' elimination completely, but at least with this system it won't serve such an important role in people's lives. I would like the audience to note at this point that one of the primary goals of the Communist Democracy is to eliminate the harmful effects of Capitalism, whilst still keeping the Citizenship "free."

Consider the following:
The CD Government will, of course, take full ownership of industry. It will be solely responsible for starting, maintaining, and eventually closing all business (in the beginning, anyway). Competition will also become the decision of the government as well, and it will be up to the government to form and spur competitive races within companies. Ability to form smaller, privately-owned business will be allowed, with restrictions. This will be covered a bit later.

I'd also like the audience to consider the idea of "Government as an investor in its' people." A term that I've come up with relating to that idea is "base standard of living." Base Standard is a bit like welfare, in a sense. Through Base Standard, residence, food, and other living expenses will be taken care of by the government; a set amount of the government's own money will be allocated to citizens, based on size and ages of families.

In the interest of citizens' choice, however, Base Standard may be refused by the citizens themselves. In this case, the citizens will simply need to get work to pay for things.

Here's where it goes from Communism to Capitalism: Though a lot of the wages earned by workers go instead to the government (as in, rates of 60-70% of pay), there is a good amount that will still go to the citizen. Please realize, this is because the government must pay so much for Base Standard, as well as Universal Healthcare (yes, we're adding that into this mix), Universal Education, Fire, Police, Library...think that's it.

Anyway, I THINK that's correct enough to post. More tomorrow.
Do svyazi!

Edit'd!: I've decided that my brand of Communism more fits the label "Hybrid Communism." Dibs on it.

[Aufstand]

Ping to print out entire thread for bus ride tomorrow.

[Manish]

I really like the concept of the Mercenary Militia.

However, abolition of ranks doesn't work. The Soviet Army (I think) tried to get rid of ranks and it didn't really work out. They added them back after a while.

[Jikei]

Arright, this's gonna be real short.

@Manish: Just cuz it doesn't work out historically, doesn't mean it won't ever work, yeah? They just demonstrated how it shouldn't be done, is all.

Anyway, this is mainly going to be about Base Standard.

Base Standard, as I've said earlier, is going to be a set allocation of funds per family of citizens. This amount of funds can be divided any number of ways between housing, food, transportation, etc. At the moment, I'm guessing that there will end up being a number of government-built apartments (think of the Soviet apartment projects, yeah?), many of these will vary in living space. Differences in space will be able to accommodate differences in family size, of course. Naturally, in the interests of citizen choice, there will always be the possibility of moving out of government-built apartments to move into a full house. (Remember, these may be built by the government, or possibly through a small private company)

A projected problem of this idea, however, comes with large families (3,4+ children). With them, the resulting expenses invariably change, and suddenly we're faced with a family that can use Base Standard to afford a large apartment, but only a small amount of food! This gives reason to the suggestion that maybe there should be such a thing as Supplemental Base Standard, to alleviate just that sort of problem.

The good thing is, this government won't have to deal with a bunch of nonsense from corporations, since all major industry will be the government's problem. Addressing private companies: Yes, they will be permitted, but will not be allowed to reach out from their home city. This is because as far as I have seen, Corporations have done far more harm than good, and their development should be curbed, if not eradicated from the start.

This is the last point I will seek to make in this installment: I'm trying to model this government around a Communist base, with the chance to exercise Capitalism if so desired.

Arright, I'm outta time for this installment...Geez, I really can't wait for Wednesday. Stupid DSL...
Do svyazi!