We are the group that the media has nicknamed ‘modern day Robin Hoods’, whether or not that moniker applies we will leave for you to decide. Last night we destroyed the presses of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in what shall be our final strike of retribution against the corrupt financial network that has done so much harm to us all. Our goal was not to bring vigilante justice to each and every member of the plutocracy which has defrauded us all, but to express to those in the plutocracy that co-opting the legal system does not guarantee them impunity. ‘We the People’ will not be passive victims. Those in charge must understand we are serious when we say the time is now for fundamental change.
We are not revolutionaries, nor are we traitors; we are patriotic citizens who saw those with wealth corrupting those with power while those who work to maintain the nation suffer the consequences of their amorality. This has always been the case, in every nation, in every period of history; a small group prospers off the effort of the rest of the population. The problem is not capitalism, socialism, liberalism, conservatism or any other –isms.
The problem is that while this nation is philosophically “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” those who control the money are those people. Let us be clear, this is not some vast villainous conspiracy where mustachioed men sit in back rooms smoking cigars and laughing at the ignorant proletariat they have enslaved. No, this is a system that has developed organically over the centuries and has been allowed to continue due to a willful refusal by us all to conduct any sort of meaningful social self-examination.
Banks and business are in a partnership, naturally, to keep each other strong. Any organization as large as a government has to borrow money for its budget. Even if they have a zero deficit, they borrow at the beginning of the year and pay it off at the end as any business would. Due to their size they will borrow from the largest banks, who will also be partnered with the largest businesses. Which creates a natural partnership of common interests between big business, big banks, and big government in which millions of individual citizens cannot hope to have a serious voice.
That being the case, how do we change the equation to our favor? As a group, the electorate invests more money into the government than any other group. We should have the most influence. However our money is not seen as an investment, it is seen as the government’s for the taking, at whatever numbers the administration of the moment chooses to set. Meanwhile those in government are evaluated only by what they wish to do, not on their performance. Nor are they subject to accountability for their actions when they violate the public trust. This must change.
First, we must assess the value of the United States as if it were a corporation; based on property, income, overhead, etc. We then issue 2 stocks, A and B. ‘A’ stocks are issued to all citizens, are non-transferable, revert to the government upon death, and carry a vote. ‘B’ stocks are the publicly traded stock known as the dollar, and carry no vote. Now every citizen is an equal investor in their nation, and the dollar is backed by real value.
Second, we must change the manner in which we elect our government. We need accountability and we need politicians to receive their rewards on the job, not from lobbyists after they leave office. Politicians will be elected to an office that has no end date, just like any other job. You may retire, quit, transfer, or be fired. Every X number of years the constituency will hold a referendum in which they will choose between a large bonus (e.g. 10%), a small bonus (e.g. 3%), no bonus, or no confidence. The base salary would remain the same unless a referendum changed it. If the majority votes no confidence, an election must be held.
Third, taxes cannot be the sole income of our government, and borrowing from other nations is not an acceptable supplement. This government must find a way to raise money. We do not want the government competing in the private economy either. So we need to legally limit the government to one for-profit business that is logical for us to be conducting as a nation. Therefore, the government will nationalize the import/export business and run it for profit, with the local offices being run as franchises. The security advantages to the government controlling everything coming across the border are obvious. This is a legitimate business for the government to take over because the border belongs to all of us, therefore we should all enjoy whatever profits are made from goods crossing it. This will not replace 100% of taxes, but it will offset them significantly. We also need to change the personal income tax to a value added tax so that people are choosing to pay the amount they can afford when they choose to make a purchase.
Fourth, we must define the role of government in stricter terms so that we know exactly what to expect, and they know exactly what is expected of them. The concept of the Social Contract is that people are willing to sacrifice some degree of their natural sovereignty in exchange for a cooperative effort to guarantee certain necessities. We need to specify what those necessities are for us, and make that the not for profit business of the government. I would envision such a list consisting of; police, fire, EMS, justice, transportation, communication and energy infrastructure, coinage of money, defense of the nation, and healthcare. Whatever list the populace agrees to, it must be specific and the crime of a politician reaching beyond their legal powers should be treason.
All of this can be accomplished with a bill of amendments to our current Constitution. We do not need to start over, or revolt, all we need is to do the one thing that is key to survival… adapt. We all complain about the same problems (accountability, transparency, corruption) and we all know what we expect from the solutions. All that is required is adapting our current system to those expectations. It takes courage to change from what you have always known, but if what you have always known isn’t working... what does it take to stay with it?
Citizen A
