Citizens of the United States of America,

Imagine your family that is having an argument in an old, archaic mansion. Termites infest the walls, mold grows in the bathrooms, the roof leaks with every storm, and it all rests on a cracked foundation. Everyone you love is inside this decaying home, one built centuries ago, one on the verge of collapse. It is impossible to say which load bearing beam will give out first or which hurricane will blow the house down, but it is obvious that disaster is simply a matter of time. This house has provided a home for us for generations, and we love her dearly, but all things come to an end; houses and governments are not exceptions to this universal law. As uncomfortable as it might be to recognize, a government as rotten as ours cannot be repaired. Our lives and happiness depend on recognizing that our government cannot satisfy the needs of the American People.

Our environmental, economic, and political systems are all failing; and they are all failing because our government is either deeply corrupt or grossly negligent. Until we regain control of our government, the one that has been hijacked by soulless corporations and callous aristocrats, life for all of us just gets worse: the cost of living will keep rising, the culture war will keep intensifying, and the rule of law will keep breaking down.

What do we do?

We must organize and broadcast a modern, digital Constitutional Convention. We must assemble some of the best minds in the Union to debate the next iteration of our democratic experiment, livestreaming the discussions of our delegates so that “We the People” can criticize, comment, and cheer from the comfort and safety of our homes. Just as a house is built by a collection of specialists (electricians, plumbers, etc.), so too should our government be designed by a collection of specialists (economists, political scientists, etc.) who consider the preferences of the occupants (all American citizens). Only when our new home is fully designed do we begin building, and only when the building is finished do we move into our new home. To be clear: this is not a call to tear down the house or tear up the Constitution. But we cannot ignore the gravity of our circumstances.

A digitized Convention would reveal the will of the American People in unprecedented detail, allow our foremost experts to educate the nation on the mechanics of modern governance, and provide a unifying experience for the nation as a whole. By combining executive direction, specialized expertise, and public feedback, we can design and build the best government in the world. Our Constitution has stood watch for two and a half centuries, it has earned the dignity of an honorable discharge. We must light a new torch from the flames of a dying one before it is extinguished.

The goal is not to make our Union great again, the goal is to make our Union greater than ever. A digital Constitutional Convention could become our generation’s greatest achievement and would create the most democratic Constitution in the world. So let’s do that.

Let’s turn the page and begin a new volume of American history: the American Renaissance.

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made... institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”
Thomas Jefferson

A concerned citizen,
Marcos Bonmatí Conner