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Public Goods
Smart Officiating
The National Services

 
 

Public Goods

 

A lot is going to change in the next 20-30 years. The economy will look much different than it does now. There is a growing concensus among tech entrepreneurs, economists, and futurists that automation will replace the majority of the labor sector. In recent history, especially here in America, labor has been the dominant source of income. Our economy is based on the principle that mixing one's labor with material, or capital, is what gives a right to property or payment. If that source of payment is going to decline and vanish for the majority of citizens, we need to seriously think about implementing other structures of providing income.


Public Endowment

A public endowment would function as a companion to a robust free market to provide for the common good. The endowment will be funded by (1) capital tax on mineral rights, (2) a set percentage of collected taxes, and (3) capital gains. Endowment funds will be invested prudently in industries with positive externalities. The endowment will also invest funds in public projects (such as energy and space research) that have potential egalitarian effects and dividends. 
 

Public Estate

nest
 

Basic Income

Replace hundred of overlapping and opaque federal programs by providing every citizen with a basic level of income. Basic income shouldn't be viewed as a right, but rather as a milestone privilege enabled by our nation's progress and industry. It has been shown to improve quality of life and increase economic participation. Labor usually only decreases slightly by those working multiple jobs, which is counteracted by those who can now educate themselves and take entrepreneurial risks. It is preferred by libertarians for it's simplicity and freedom, by traditional conservatives for its efficiency and fairness, and by progressives for its egalitarianism and compassion. 
 

Increase Tax

Percentage tax on total income, interest, and gains. Percentage is determined by CBO to cover spending, including administrative allowances, the National Services’ budgets, and Endowment contributions. The merits of a progressive tax are somewhat moot in conjunction with the institution of Basic Income. A complex system of incentives and disincentives carries too many negative externalities and leaves an unjust burden of compliance on citizens.

Rates for individuals and corporations will be the same. When the rates are lower for corporations or when costs can be exempted, businesses direct as much spending as they can into “business expenses” instead of distributing it to employees. This leads to opulent corporate indulgences that don’t benefit most employees. Arguments that this would stifle growth can be made, but taxes are a burden shared by all citizens, regardless if they organize themselves into business groups or not. Growth generated by increased wages should offset it.

 
 

Smart Officiating

 

The House

150 Representatives. 3 year terms with 50 Reps up for reelection each year. Reps awarded based on population + land area, with a minimum of 1 Rep per state.

Because of the size of congress and the fractured houses, legislators are often not valued like they should be by the public. A simpler congress would bring elected representatives into the public consciousness. A smaller congress would create less anonymity and should lead to more accountability. Also, individual congress members would be more influential, hopefully leading to congress being a greater check on an increasingly powerful administrative branch.

Most humans can stably manage 150 interpersonal relationships before the quality of the relationships starts to degrade (Dunbar’s number). In order for a work group’s efficiency to not degrade, it should be capped at 150. Also, the bicameral congress is somewhat of a relic. There’s nothing 535 people can do that 150 well staffed people can’t do. The advantages of having two houses could easily be replicated with considered procedures and electoral rules applied to a single house.

Reps will be awarded based on population, with two weighting factors: (1) Statehood guarantees at least 1 rep per state. With only 150 reps, this actually skews representation for states with small populations more than the current congressional setup does. And (2), land area will be added to population score. The thought with land representation is that a state like Alaska with its great wealth of land should have more of a say than Vermont with a similar population. It represents the idea that America is more than just a group of people, it’s the land we live in as well. Land will augment population by 1 point per 50 hectares.

Possible state redistricting: (1) split California into Northern and Southern California, (2) combine North and South Dakota into Dakota, (3) combine western Oregon and western Washington into the new state of Columbia, (4) merge Eastern Oregon and eastern Washington into Idaho, (5) merge the American Virgin Islands into Puerto Rico and grant it statehood, and (6) merge Pacific commonwealths into Hawaii. Moves keep state count at 50.
 

The Chief

9 Administrators; 1 President (3 year term, 3 term limit), 1 Vice President (cabinet chief), 7 cabinet Secretaries of the National Services.
 

The Bench

9 Judges (life term). Nominated by the Chief and confirmed by the House. Same as it’s done now.
 

Preference Voting

Strategic voting has become a major problem. Strategic voting occurs when you vote to prevent a less desirable option from winning. Sincere voting is when you vote for the person that most appeals to you. Obviously, sincere voting is morally superior to strategic voting. 

Preference voting is used in several presidential elections around the world, and in several municipalities in the U.S. When voting, you rank your choices for president. This way, a voter can vote sincerely with their first choice, and strategically with their second choice. If there is not a majority winner during an election, the least popular candidate to receive votes is eliminated and those votes are then allocated to those voters' next preference.
 

Electoral Collage & Election Day

Reorganize the electoral college by House districts instead of by states. Each district will deliver its results to its representative. In a House meeting to elect the Chief, Reps will declare who has the won their district. If there is not a majority winner, districts for the least popular candidate will be reevaluated based on preference voting and recast. This process will continue until a candidate has the majority.

Move election day to Veteran’s Day (November 11) and make it a national work holiday. Election Day should be a holiday every year. The benefits of high electoral participation outweigh the loss of a workday’s production. Institute the same type of automatic voter registration common to most modern democracies. Even though states manage voting, mail-in ballots should be advocated and used as widespread as possible. 

 
 

The National Services

 

Public employ should be viewed as a service to the public. The burgeoning pile of federal agencies and acronyms is increasingly inaccessible to the general populous. All of these groups and institutions should be reorganized into more cohesively mission driven federal services. There can still be very specific and complex jobs or programs within these services, but the mindset and perception need to change. Naturally, there will be a lot of collaboration between the Services.

I started by binging through lists of acronyms and started grouping government departments and agencies into groups. There seemed to be roughly seven groups that caught almost all of them. The lists of assimilated entities below each Service are by no means exhaustive. I tried to keep the numbered lists of responsibilities unadorned and straightforward. Each Service would no doubt have a lot of minutiae to do in addition to the general points, but they should let you know the general thrust of their responsibilities. 
 

The Economic Service

1. Collect Increase Tax, mineral stocks, and offset taxes and tariffs.
2. Fund the Public Endowment, the Federal Services, and offsets.
3. Promote research through Public Endowment investment.
4. Run the Federal Bank.
5. Balance and protect the rights of labor, capital, and consumers.
6. Watch over the financial sector and set offset taxes. 

(Assimilate the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the Internal Revenue Service, the Consumer Protection Agency, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, and the Small Business Administration.)
 

The Domestic Service

1. Provide basic income.
2. Promote healthy industry and behavior.
3. Ensure access to basic needs.
4. Build and upkeep infrastructure.
5. Look over industry and set offset taxes. 

(Assimilate the Department of the Interior, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Post Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Education, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.)
 

The Foreign Service

1. Make and keep strong international relationships.
2. Promote peace and cultural exchange.
3. Resolve conflicts through diplomacy.
4. Promote and regulate the movement of people and goods.
5. Watch over trade and set offset tariffs. 

(Assimilate the Department of State, foreign embassies, the Foreign Service, the United States Trade Representatives, and the United States Mission to the United Nations.)
 

The Security Service

1. Know and articulate threats to the United States.
2. Provide actionable intelligence to other Federal Services.
3. Secure our infrastructure. 

(Assimilate the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Administration.)
 

The Defense Service

1. Provide for the common defense.
2. Build and upkeep defensive systems, tactics, and strategies.
3. Help others if assistance is available, wanted, and warranted.
4. Reduce global armament. 

(Assimilate the Department of Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, The Marines, the Boarder Patrol, the Coast Guard.)
 

The Justice Service

1. Ensure domestic tranquility.
2. Interpret and administer the law.
3. Reform and reintegrate offenders. 

(Assimilate the Department of Justice.)
 

The Nature Service

1. Manage federal parks and lands.
2. Set sustainable environmental policies.
3. Grant mineral rights with a stock owned by the Public Endowment.
4. Watch over natural resources and set offset taxes and tariffs. 

(Assimilate the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Energy.)