Pretend that America is a brand new nation. How should it be set up?

[mopaul]

if we were starting over, if we were the 'founding fathers', if we were designing a great nation for all the world to envy for centuries, how would we build it? how would we design it and make it work? from the ground up, from we the people, to the white house, how would we make a great nation?

my ideas: take the billions of dollars of waste out of the equation.
no election war chests, no 8 million dollar inaugaral balls, no pentagon waste and overcharging. no more war profiteering, no more war on drugs, and no more imperialism, just for starters.

[rpannier]

1. How About Starting with...

No corporate or soft money donations and limit everybody to 1000 dollar donations.

[mopaul]

2. politicians forbidden from taking ANY money for their votes

first instance and your out of public office. no more limos, free mansions, air force one, or shadowy front groups like the swift boat liars.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. In this new nation

there are laws regulating just what a corporation can/cannot do. And a corporation does not have the same rights as an individual. Diversity in the marketplace is encouraged, and no one is allowed to buy up a monopoly of media markets. Taxes are progressive, and health care for all is a matter of course. Military is used for helping victims of natural disasters and for teaching people better ways to farm, etc. Women and minorities are given full equal rights, including the right to control their own bodies and the right to marry. Church and state are kept strictly seperate. No candidate for office is allowed to get more than $1000 from anyone. There is a nationwide primary and voters also choose their second choice so there are instant runoffs. There is a direct election of the president. No paid lobbyists allowed. Those are a few of my thouguhts.

[mopaul]

4. good ones

one person, one vote, no electoral college bullshit, no elections decided by the supreme court. voting holidays, mandatory voting, voter education, and no vacations during a crisis

[Swamp Rat]

5. We could start by funding SETI and send a message to the alien lizards

to come pick up their colonists. It's just not working out.

[Sugarbleus]

6. The first thing that comes to mind before I get off this computer is

I'd start out with a parlimentary form of government. At least we'd have to option of a "No Confidence Vote" if our leader was a dumbass like the one we have. We could boot him out much easier than with they system we have now.

Ta Ta all... Catch ya later

don't forget the 1000th dead soldier black ribbon campaign.

Peace in our time ~~~~

[dbt]

7. 1. Nationalize the energy corporations.

2. Outlaw all paid lobbying.
3. Members of Congress shall wear uniforms and live in barracks in Washington D & C. They shall be prohibited from accepting gifts or donations of any sort.
4. The Government shall fund a Department of Opposition, whose job it shall be--through its own TV network--to present the opposing view of any and all Government positions.
5. The Bush DNA shall forever be barred from holding any public office.

So let it be written, so let it be done!

:evilgrin:
dbt

[mopaul]

8. elected officials should be paid the minimum wage they inflict on us

boy, that'd go over great huh?

[Andy_Stephenson]

11. and make congress persons

Retire on Social Security like the rest of us.

[area51]

9. Universal healthcare.

And good/affordable childcare, are two things that spring to mind.

[mopaul]

10. free healthcare for the poor, free medicine too

we can afford it, and we can make it happen

[Vickers]

12. OK, I have a few

Change the 2nd Amendment to read "You can legally own any weapon your government has in its arsenal"

Make the salary of each member of Congress equal to the average salary of the workers in their state/district.

Make the health benefits of members of Congress and the Supreme Court equal to what is offered to the average citizen.

One 6 year term for President.

No electoral college.

[rhite5]

13. The United States is too big to be a single country.

For a long time I've been thinking about the changes I would like to see. And the first thing that I keep coming back to is that our country is just too big to function well as a democracy. (after all, my ideal country does not plan to be the policeman of the world, so it does not need to be the biggest and strongest on the planet)

If we were broken up into several regional "countries" we could come closer to installing a real democratic government.

Beyond that wish I want a government that has representation for several political parties (no party bigger than the sum of all the others) so coalitions would have to form to settle any issue questions. There would not be this sharp division we have now between just two political parties which has created so much divisiveness in the country. Wouldn't it be nice as a voter to be able to vote for a party you genuinely agreed with on 80% or more of the issues? Also, think of the healthy dialog possible when all points of view feel free to speak?

So, Regional countries, more political parties with proportional representation, coalition government (like most other democracies have), some form of instant runoff voting .... would be a very good start.

[Mikimouse]

14. Hey mopaul, you echoed some interesting things...

that are already written in the form of the Ideal Democracy (Durkheim). Durkheim suggested that all groups have eqaul representation through a guildlike affiliation based on stakeholder interests (he called these entities 'corporations'). The corporations were supposed to be responsible for sending representatives to the legislative assembly, ensuring that communication was maximized between the individual and the state machinery. He also suggested term limits (one term, no more, ever), and the abolition of private property (not small landholders, but the large inherited estates (just like Marx, frankly). The abolition was based on the concept of productivity (small landholding farmers are the ones that make their land productive, but inherited estates are productive on the back of wage labor). According to Durkheim's model, the inherited estates would be divided up (with some left to the original owners' families) as the original owners died. The rest would become part of the corporations and would be 'issued' either by seniority or lottery to members of the corporation. There were restrictions on what could be done with the land; no permanent, irreversible changes, and the land reverted to the corporation upon the death of the holder, or upon surrender of the land. Then, it would be redistributed again, according to the established guidelines.

[mopaul]

15. good ideas

radical, but practical. i think a country as wealthy as our should be able to totally eliminate all poverty. impossible? not really.

[Tyler Durden]

16. Start with a Parliamentary Democracy instead of a Republic.

Try the Brit/Canadian model, with a little more control at the Federal level.

Univeral Healthcare, Graduated Income Tax, Restricted Proterty Tax at the lowest levels for starters.

[SidDithers]

17. Yup...

A parliamentary democracy forces the "leader" to answer questions about his/her government on a daily basis. Wouldn't it be fun to watch Bush do that!

Sid

[Tyler Durden]

18. and NO CHENEY.

This just sounds better and better.