How do we make a better government?

Actually replacing the US government is a monumental, seemingly impossible task and the plan for how to do it will need to adapt as this movement grows and more minds contribute. At the present moment, the plan has two steps. The first step is educational in nature, lasts a single day, and is intended to bring the American People up to speed on various debates and aspects of next-generation governance. The second step is designed to divide into various groups according to what they know or care about the most. The goal of this second step is to create a series of plans which will guide the development of our government and the deployment of public infrastructure. This two-step proposal should not only design a great government, it should also generate public support and acceptance of that government because citizens have the opportunity to directly influence its structure. Giving citizens the opportunity to influence and help organize their own government is an immensely attractive idea if executed correctly, especially when contrasted with the near-zero influence the average American wields in our present system.

It must be noted that this plan is almost the complete opposite of our previous Constitutional Convention. Rather than allow for a chaotic debate conducted by career politicians, those who have spent their careers selling out their constituents, this plan would create a rigid structure for our Convention, especially in the first step. Delegates, presentations, scheduling, a cohesive narrative, and the very framework of government would all be fixed before the Convention actually kicks off. While final say over the first day would fall to an individual, as this movement grows, more and more input would be given regarding its structure. You can find the working template for the first day here.

Because of this contrast between our two Conventions, the philosophy and outline for our next government is of paramount importance. I have proposed a framework which we can refine (or discard entirely) before the actual Convention, but similar to the first step, perfecting this blueprint requires far more intellectual firepower; firepower which must be brought to bear before the Convention itself. Doing so would allow us to edit the actual structure of the Convention according to democratic will. A refined, rigid outline which our foremost experts and the American People can finalize seems to be the best way to design and build a great government and civilization.

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew."
Abraham Lincoln

The first step in this two-step Convention would be educational in nature and would be conducted on a single day from 9 to 6:30 CST. This day is intended to educate our citizenry on the debates, systems, and discussions that are key components of modern government. The result would be to have some of the best professionals in the nation walking the rest of us through their field of expertise, passing the baton of national attention along, outlining the potential structure of our government piece by theoretical piece, explaining exactly why our government should be structured in a certain way. The American People, of course, would be encouraged to provide immediate responses, creating a massive amount of data regarding the public’s opinions, data which can be analyzed over the coming days, weeks, and months.

The second step follows this first day and lasts for a single week. In this second step, a committee of experts, each group representing one of the Ministries outlined in the manifesto, begins the formulation of their specific Ministry. Unlike the first step, which is designed to bring the entire nation together to sync realities and understandings, this second step is designed to divide the American People according to what they know or care the most about. The lawyers will flow into the Ministry of Governance, the economists will siphon off into the Ministry of Money, the farmers and nutritionists will migrate into the livestream held by the Ministry of Food, and so on.

There are multiple goals for the second day. The first goal is to establish 1, 3, 10, & 25 year plans for each Ministry. These plans are intended to establish a framework for each Ministry, outlining how they shall be developed and operated. These plans would be created and continually refined by combining the wisdom and knowledge of the selected experts/delegates and harnessing the aggregate wisdom of people in their field. In theory, our foremost professionals and the American People would influence each other, with the professionals educating the public and drawing up the actual blueprint for their Ministry, and the public informing the delegates of their collective will and preferences. It must be stressed that this second step would not result in the construction of these Ministries, as that will take years, if not decades, to be realized – but it would result in their creation Over the coming years and decades, the plans established during this Convention will be continually refined by the Ministries themselves with input from the American People.

The second goal of the second step is to elect individual ministers for each Ministry. This shall occur at the end of the second day, once Ministerial plans have been established, and the candidates shall be the aforementioned experts that helped design their institution. For the sake of logistics and simplicity, the voters for this first vote shall be the seven candidates themselves. In other words, the seven delegates that create the plans for the Ministry of Information shall be the ones who elect, from amongst themselves, their Ministry of Information’s first minister.

The third goal of this day is to establish a quick and dirty democratic legitimacy for our government. Once the ministers are elected and the plans for each Ministry are outlined a digital vote will be held, a poll to determine whether or not to adopt this new government. If this second vote passes by simple majority, plans for an official national referendum shall be put into motion, ensuring that the will of the People is properly felt. In short, the three votes are for the individual ministers, whether to hold a referendum, and the referendum itself.

The veto power the American People have over this Constitutional conversion cannot be overstated; it is paramount to the appeal and success of this enterprise. The referendum serves as a democratic safeguard, and given its importance, the logistics of actually organizing that referendum should be left to individuals who are extremely capable, experienced, and trustworthy. The four ex-Presidents, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the party leaders of the House and Senate would be stellar candidates for this job, bringing bipartisan comradery, undeniable legitimacy, and decades of experience at all levels and across all branches of our political system. Bringing in the leaders of the existing government and making them key figures in this monumental transition should also help ensure a peaceful transition of governments.

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”
George Patton