Simple ideas to change the world ! ?

[einniv]

Ok. These are some ideas I have been thinking about lately and wanted to hear some input and feedback. Some are closely related , others aren't.

Discuss one, or all ideas. Give suggestions, links etc etc.

have at it :) (please?)
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#1 Lets democratize our election methods
http://accuratedemocracy.com/

We know a couple things.

First, it is absolutely impossible to satisfy all of the diverse interests of America's 300 million people with 2 political parties! To lump every voter into pile A or pile B. Its ridiculous.

Second, This is not 1789 anymore. We we know that a plurality voting system is the absolute worst system for getting multiple voices heard and the needs of a diverse society met(or we should if they taught this in school... I didn't know until a cpl weeks ago when I started seeking it out and then hit the mother load here on DU). Most modern democracies have already incorporated proportional representation and other methods in their systems.

I for one have faith in a democracy that is inclusive of all people's voices. And I think it is high time we bring this republic up to date.

This may seem like a minor thing but it isn't. The election systems are broke. Lefty's voting their hearts elect fascists. It is inherent in plurality voting!! Period. It is the voting system that is broke not the independent mind that wants to be heard(no matter how loud some may deride). And if it doesn't get fixed then it is still going to be broke! That's obvious. Yeah, sure 20 years down the road when everything is really crumbling down then a revolutionary switch might occur, the third or fourth party finally win. But that sounds like chaos. Isn't there something better?

Answer? Yes! there is. (see link above)
This debate should start now. It should be a publicly funded "debate" with very high exposure lasting 2 years and ending in the public picking the institutions they want to represent them.
Lets end things like gerry-mandering and lesser-of-two-evils that are stifling voices and hurting our country.
Further to right? To the center? Go left? It will all fall in place once the people's voices can be heard.

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#2 Lets democratize the UN
The simple idea here would be to create a second body for the UN. A people's body. Representatives elected by directly by the people of each country.
But what about the dictator ships and such? Ahhhhh :) that's the point. You don't let your people elect in monitored elections you get no say in world affairs.
Well, at least eventually. The power could be transfered slowly to the people's body over time.
This wouldn't be easy of course. And could be approached strategically from a number of directions I think. Either in the UN itself or in "side agreements" with the most powerful country in the world ... the US . We CAN lead the way if we so choose.

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#3 How about better, much better, public television
A PNN if you will (People's News Network). Perhaps the internet makes this idea obsolete, but a television presences similar to what is found on the net would be wonderful. I am not clear on what this would look like or how it might differ from current public airwaves efforts. But finding a way to increase the flow, quality and diversity of information(yes I wanna let freepers talk on it too ;-) ) to people.

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#4 A Peer-2-Peer Activists app.
What about an app to allow activists to find each other. To anonymously find other people near them to organize with. Instead of hosting large files it might be more geared to small files (position papers, news archives, event calendars etc), forums, p2p wikki and informal group chats etc. The possibility would exist to build webs of trust similar to those offered by Verisign http://verisign.com/ to ensure that people are who they say if a group so wished...

Ok , so this won't change the world, but I am a programmer and have been kicking some ideas around a bit. Does that sound interesting to anyone? Any suggestions?

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[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. Here's a couple of mine

Phase out paper money

It cost more to make a penny than the actual value of a penny. Most people use bank cards / ATM / checks anyway so the technology is already in place.

Tax incentives to not have children

Fewer people mean less consumption... less consumption of natural resources produces less pollution and economically means more for everyone. We've got 6 billion people on the planet, how much more do we need to bump up the population?

Flat Tax

The only Steve Forbes idea I ever liked... hmm.. come to think of it, it might have been the only idea Steve Forbes ever had. If you make more you pay more, if you make less you pay less. Everyone pays the same percentage.

Top limit on incomes

Partially to offset the cost of the idea above. Set the limit on how much an individual can make per year.. Say $2 million dollars (we can adjust this number for inflation every year). Who the heck needs to make more money than that, really? Who is worth that much? I would hope this would result in two things... less corporate greed (cause you're going to top out anyway) and encouragement to spread the wealth / invest in the community.

Set specific debate / ad slots for presidential candidates
Presidents shouldn't be selected by how much money they can raise, they should be selected on the basis of ideas. Set specific amount of time slots for each presidential candidate (the format of which I leave as an open question) This also reduces the amount of time candidates have to spend fund raising and lowers the amount of dependence on special interests. Also, there needs to be a set number of debates, non rehearsed, no questions set ahead of time, with candidates being able to submit questions to each other.

These are just a few.. I'm sure they have holes in them, but it's my weekend ramblings, take them for what you will.

[RhodaGrits]

2. Eliminating cash would only make it easier for big brother. n/t

[einniv]

4. That isn't really so.

Annymous e-cash is very much possible.

[einniv]

3. Thanks.

I think things like , epecially "Top limit on incomes" are only going to be possible though once we have more inclusive voting systems. There is no way to get something like that through. They aren't going to kick their biggest contributors, their source of power, in the teeth. And, there are enough pleas they can make to say no and still keep their jobs. And the system helps them. The "radical" (in quotes because I think it common sense that no person is worth hundreds of times as much as another person) gets pushed to fringe where he gets gerry-mandered and thwarted until the end of his days.

You can't win that fight without fixing the election systems. Then some common sense proposal like that might get some legs.
Or it might not. But we will know if it doesn;t that it doesn;t have broad support becuase if it did our election system would produce it as a result.

[einniv]

6. Campaign finance reform can led to an environment more open

to other reforms.

Maybe of those that would be something to pursue and more mainstream to boot (it appears.. cough).

And the phase out of paper money might even get legs with no changes so might be worht while as well.

[einniv]

5. Chirp Chirp

[einniv]

7. Tap tap... *sqqqueel*

Is this thing on?

My ideas suck. Lets hear some others.

[sweetheart]

8. Global single currency

This single thing would set long-term ground for good will between
all currency member states, that global trade and reserve currency
needs could pool instaed of nationalize. The right to property, even
for failed states (as no currency inflation or devaluation). The
simple move would cut awesome liberal ground in labour rights and
progressive trade issues.

[einniv]

9. When you say pool...

what do you mean?
That all reserves are available for anyone?
That's interesting. Sounds like a job for the democratized UN ;-)

Any links on that subject?

[sweetheart]

13. currency unions

In practice it would be like the EURO, except that it would be designed to be truly Global from the outset, and not just for a region of one continent.

All existing national currencies are set at a benchmark to the new
currency. They trade in parallel for a while, with the new currency
only for electronic transactions. Finally, the old currency is phased out. Then money is the same all over the planet and there are
no issues about credit worthiness in international trade. It is
the foundation for global goodwill.

A global standard for labour wages could globally equivalence labour pools, that the currency arbitrage (using labour) of today won't happen anymore.

It don't fix everything, but a few things certainly. It lays a good bedrock for a long term global peace and demilitarization. Free flow
of trade goes in parallel with tourism to open soft relations between
nations. The currency parity that a single currency would bring
would divest the profits that are today going to citibank, in to
the. Economic investment is made more efficient.

In practice, a massive communications and server-farm facilities in
each member nation. The central banking structure would have "federal reserve banks" in each nation state. The central banking function would stay with each national, just the whole game
of balancing trade flows, and having to maintain the balance of
payments.

The UN, until it gives up its "nucleocracy" (government by who has
nukes) and become a truly democratic instittuion, then indeed the
bank could be supervised from there.

The pooled goodwill would be the credit issuance policy. As it stands today, many non-dollar economies are effectively dollarized.
Then such places lose choice to create credit (print money) based on
social needs, with a steering committee of elected representatives.

The central bank for the currency would be global, and a supranational institution, like a central bank today is indpenedent,
except in a global sense.

If you search on "currency union"... "the economist" has chatted it
up in their issues in years past. www.economist.com

[POed_Ex_Repub]

12. Do you suppose the Euro is moving us in that direction?

That might be a first step toward elminating paper money. ;)

[sweetheart]

14. paper money

it does not matter. Each participating nation might decide.

The hard thing, in my mind, is the issuance of currency to account
for existing assets. If the new currency is 1 for every 2 dollars,
how much is your dad's farm in texas worth 4 years in to the new
currency. Valuation will be a bit hard, as people learn to think
in the new currency.

I think the euro is brilliant and see it as beacon of wisdom, given
the history that has led to such unity.

I just wish it was not called "euro" as then it really could be the
global currency itself, just in its early stages. If they changed it
to a "universal" and opened membership to any nation on earth, it
would be outstanding.

[einniv]

10. I think I once heard that the UN said it could feed the world for

$90 billion per year.
I say lop of $45 billion from the pentagon and feed the world(allies to pony up the rest).
I suppose one could debate whether the food should come with conditions or not but there is enough waste alone and heck we would still beat like almost everyone combined so it can't be THAT bad and the xtra $45b to make sure all mouths are fed will actually do much more good for security! than it will in an already bloated pentagon budget.

[einniv]

11. Well thanks guys.

I guess it wasn't as interesting as I had hoped.
Maybe too early yet.
Signing off for now take care.

[Aristus]

15. Here's mine, borrowed from the lyrics to "The Getaway" by Chris De Burgh.

'We're sick and tired of hearing
That the world is gonna blow
So there's something we'll do
To the leaders before we go

Let's stick 'em in a room together
Yeah!
And make them fight it out
Until they see nothing from nothing
Will leave nothing at all'


That ought to do the trick. B-)

[einniv]

16. I hereby co-opt all of the good ideas on this page

in my argument as to why reforming our voting systems to allow more voices should be a top priority. :)
And maybe the only real long term solution. And not all that difficult to implement either if the Dems and/or Repubs don't get in the way.

[cryofan]

17. these great ideas are worthless without the political power to effect them

And we cannot get the political power without first being able to set the stage in the minds of the voters. The public will not have the political will to vote in politicians to carry out these ideas until we can convince them that these ideas are good. But how do we change the public mind? Through what medium?

I think that the only way to do this is through a visual medium or through radio. There are too many people who just will not read enough to be able to get to them through websites.

But if broadband Net access were as widespread and cheap as it now is in some countries, we could get effectively propagandizing visual media through to most of the public. But prices have not come down enough yet. Will they ever? And CorpGovMedia has made sure that low power radio has been killed off....(((adding a bit more tinfoil)))

[einniv]

18. I was thinking along similar lines.

The production of an educational program in both video and audio format.

And yes you are right it would be tough. I wonder if moveon.org would have any interest after the elections.

Certainly use the web, P2P , places like fileplanet.com , etc.

I think I would like to pursue this voting reform stuff after the election and am trying to gather ideas on how it might be done.

Got a ways to go before then of course but it seems like something the public might support because it is so obvious that it would be an improvement. And it avoids getting into legal talk that campaign finance reform can get into.

Plus, I think it is something that people from all sides of the political spectrum can support. America loves democracy and this is just giving better and more of it.

On Edit: plus with this kind of stuff a low bandwidth version can still look quite fine (low motion and voice only for the audio stuff).



I dunno, just thoughts for now I guess.

[sweetheart]

19. Ideas in education

This is my most practical, feasible idea, given today's technology.
Cost to serve 500 million customers, about twice the costs of DU.

Imagine putting a microphone in every lecture of entire university
programmes, especially arts, history, latin, government, philosophy
of liberalism, the evolution of feminism, mysticism, and all different religious systems, comparative religion.

The system would work like a big voicemail system, where you type in
course 490, lecturer-7 on your telephone keypad. Then the lecture
plays back in a 1 hour phone call to your telephone, is emailed to
you as text or audio.

It would be a very simple menu-driven, general learning university
up to graduate levels in all reasonable subjects (some simply don't
work with the medium, needing "lab" time.

An examination system is an afterthought, and unnecessary... but were
one to be added, simply a multiple choice system that s self grading
that the entire thing be a "paperless, peopleless, global university"

Available for the cost of a phone call from anywhere in the world.
A full university education free. In the western world, there would
be no longer the excuse that you did not have access to an education. Certainly, it is paltry next to a good in-person education, but the market is "also" in western countries, but is
mostly in the millions of people overseas who don't have access to
some of the education you've seen in your life.

Lets say its 80,000 hours of audio. Then get a hard disk for that,
and a phone/internet menu system, and a menu-driven/workflow/exam
system. Put in on a Sybase, or freeware database and it will
service the entire world. The idea of providing a free, quality, university education really gets me high.

As the system can be extended to authorize and admit new lectures in
alternate sections, so that the university can grow and evolve, with
a huge lecture tree. Course administrators, would sequence
them pedagogically to create a really quality learning medium.

Multiple lecturers can do each lecture, using different communications methodologies, for audio learners, visual learners and
tactile learners. Then the learner couls switch to the spectrum
they find most comfortable.

Multiple choice exams can verify some things very accurately, and those things could be tested using secure internet exams, completely
automated, like a poll is on DU.

education to the entire world through telephones.

[einniv]

22. Some links for you

MIT Open Courseware
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
They have materials from several courses online already.
It isn't quite what you are talking about (no recorded lectures) but is a nice start (2 years old now I think)

The Teaching Company (for pay)
http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=14265
Enjoy brilliant college courses in your home or car!

Enjoy the best of lifelong learning every day. America's college-level stars teach courses specifically performed for lifelong learners.

Shop on-line for easy-to-use, noncredit courses in philosophy, music, history, literature, science, business and economics, psychology, religion and more. Most are available in audio or video format.

Wikki Stuff
http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiversity
http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page (textbooks)
http://sources.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page:English (public domain books)

[sweetheart]

20. idealists progressives website

www.whynot.net

An excellent site towards bringing such ideas together... more appropriate software than DU, and an excellent critiquing mechanism.

[info being]

26. That is an EXCELLENT site! Thanks.

[struggle4progress]

21. Electoral College

Probably not a chance of abolishing the electoral college. But maybe we could eliminate the stupid "winner-take-all" scheme now in effect and get electors for each state in proportion to the actual votes received by the top (say) three or four candidates. I have the impression this might reduce ugly discrepancies between popular vote for President and the actual candidate elected. It might also give a third party a brokering chance.

[newyawker99]

24. Hi struggle4progress!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[scottxyz]

23. I love the AccurateDemocracy website!

I've been thinking of a program along the lines of an election simulator.

It's very interesting to have a program that shows:

- there are different WAYS of totalling votes together

- different ways of totalling votes lead to different electoral outcomes

= = =

I've also been thinking in terms of some sort of EarthSim our CountrySim program - where you simulate a country and show the effects of different policies over time.

Modeling policy in a sim computer-game would be very fun (lots of people are addicted to Sims games) - and it would be USEFUL because it could be used as a tool to discuss or vote on public policy.

I think programmers need to lead the way and simply start providing these sorts of apps on top of the IP architecture.

Most of the problems we're seeing today simply stem from a bad communications topology (lobbyists, reporters, talking heads, politicians, fund-raising).

Rather than deplore it all day, programmers might be able to REPLACE this topology with something simply a lot more accurate.

If a program were out there like the web and blogging, only now incorporating some way of TOTALLING people's opinions - grouping them together into constituencies - this could give rise to very visible and very obvious statements of consensus - and replace the "conventional wisdom" the corporate networks and the politicians keep trying to shove down our throats.

Private, encrypted, networking - with public aggragation and summarization - could give us back the power over our political lives.

I think we need more than just websites and blogs though - I think we need new apps.

[info being]

25. I have a piece of the #4 App you talk about

www.infobeing.net. We're redoing the look-and-feel right now, and some of the functionality is down right now (will be up in a few days)...but it is a message-routing system that can scale to the millions and still connect all the right people with all the right people.

[info being]

27. einniv...please contact me if you want

What you're describing is exactly what I've been building for the past year. Maybe we can work together on this. Please write at [e-mail]