A quick way to form voter groups -------------------------------- For some reason I've forgotten the problem that people (we) may not be able to form voter-groups out of our own initiative (easily). Kind of a big problem during revolution ... People these days do not even know their own neighbors, at least not here, much less people in the street. It seems to be a bit of an issue how to do it: streets have varying names in all neighborhoods with varying length and they criss/cross each other randomly. An obvious initial idea is: simply group houses per 50, since most have 1 or more adults, you get voter groups of 50 or more adults, so that is in an emergency not that bad. At least it would be a legal number. Since Governments are bound to territory, it makes most sense to use living quarters of people. What about this rule: - Divide the street from beginning to end in blocks of 50 homes, and after all streets have thus been divided the remainders of the streets are locally combined to also form groups of 50. ...... - Take the city/place map and find its streets-name register. - Starting from the top and the house number 1, the first 50 homes will comprise the first voter group (most likely numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, ... 48, 49, 50). The next 50 homes comprise the second, (51, 52, 53,... 98, 99, 100) until you are left with a remainder of homes. - Then the second street, which may be somewhere else entirely, some method: first 50 homes is that (emergency) voter group. - Eventually once you pass through the whole city this way almost all streets end up with a remainder of homes. Then you are going to try by hand and map to look at these remainders and form again groups of 50 homes out of them that are closest by. In some cases you may again end up with remainders but then you can add a few more homes to a few voter groups that is no problem. Many voter groups could also give up homes if you check whether they already have enough for a voter group of minimum 50 adults. The benefit of this rule is that everyone who does not live in the "remainder" of a street, now already knows with whom they are in an "emergency" voter group. Take some street on the other side of the world, first 50 homes is an emergency voter group. The people who are in the remainder can also come together knowing they are a remainder, knowing nearby streets are also the remainder, so that is almost done also. They can come together and say "hi hi, we are supposed to be in an 'emergency voter group configuration,' how about it ? Then the people can proceed to fine tune their emergency voter groups. For example some may have more then 100 persons, that is easily divided into 2 groups. Others may find they have some 70 while nearby groups also have 70, they can all decide to give away some people who form a new voter group. Voter groups ideally are a little more then 50 persons, to prevent one person leaving immediately leading to a voter group collapse. If it is tight, all 50 or close, it becomes harder to correct deficiency in some group, no room to play with memberships in the area. * If streets have no names, I suppose you could try to use streaks of lane/street, something like that. If streets have no house numbers you could start counting from one side. To coin a starting point: from north to south ? If exactly east/west, from west to east ? * Even if there is total freedom of people to group in voter groups how they like, it is often much more efficient to just start from "some" way and then /adapt/ that given distribution. People can swap around, "i want with them," and so on; that's easier then out of nowhere do it right. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Text of a pamphlet that can be passed into people's homes to inform them of the model, what they can do and what their rights are. Another such pamphlet is here: http://www.socialism.nl/~joshb/sheet2.txt Maybe this one is better, written from the perspective of unsuspecting people, also explaining the essential details as a way of informing them and convincing them (ASCII is the most simple form of digital communication, if you want to make it look nicer cut/paste into some editor). = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A new form of Government: A new form of Government can be established, where people group in small groups selecting a representative. These representatives combine to form councils. Below is how this is to be achieved in actuality. See also http://www.socialism.nl/~joshb/sheet2.txt (revolution) and http://www.socialism.nl/gov.html for additional ideas ... Dividing into groups: - The women will take the lead. - The women will go to the houses if the people are inside. - The men will stand on one side and the women on the other, two groups. The men will attempt to remain calm. - The women will attempt to set up these voter groups properly. They will make proposals to the men, ask assistance of the men for certain tasks. The men will then reject or accept the proposals of the women and give the women their arguments. The women will then discuss that and see how to proceed. - It is undefined in the (proposed) Constitution how the voter groups are formed, the idea is not to create women and men voter groups, although you could do that also if you like. The idea was to have mixed groups of men and women, men and women in the same voter groups, but that is neither an obligation of any kind. The proposed Constitution literally says: _3.1.d People Government One group of adults assemble out of their own initiative. Once they have chosen from between them a vote block housekeeper that is responsible for correct voter registration and verification, they are allowed to have one representative, which can be anyone in or out of that block. The People or in their absence the Country Council decide on the minimum size of a voter group. The minimum size for a voter group is: ..50 persons. Creating these 'voter groups' is the first task at hand in setting up this form of Government. Only to make that go as smooth as possible is the initiative in that task proposed for the women, because they probably will do it better, and the most power hungry / aggressive men will not be able to dominate the situation for power games. - If there is disagreement between the women then the oldest five women will form a committee of order and they are responsible for letting things go calmly and properly, whatever is decided. + In case these things happen with actual groups standing outside, it may be nice at some point if there is some drinks for everyone. Because when groups are outside either something good, or something bad may happen, but when everyone has something to drink how can something bad happen - then something good will happen. Everyone will calm down a bit, hopefully. Sharing a drink means friendship between all people. As a practical issue: bring your own cup out of your home ? In all the happenings it won't be nice if someone loses its cups by accident, or if people need to concern themselves with such logistics also on top of what might have to be done. - The men can constantly say yes or no, and give their arguments, and the women can constantly make new proposals. If there is no solution then the women can propose to go on another day, and go home. - If the men are unruly, the younger men must listen to the much older men as if they where their fathers and as if they where small children. - It is best to take enough time for everything and not to rush, because in the rush someone may feel oppressed and jump up, and that may cause others to jump up, and then because of the rushing everything may break down. When in doubt, stay calm and do nothing, or talk to the person next to you and don't scream and shout and whatever. - Some individual men should not think they should go and stand with the women because they think they can, they must all leave the women to do their thing. For a male to go stand there is to attempt to gain power and that is exactly the big problem with the men, more then with the women. By trying to stand with the women that man is rather proving he is exactly that kind of problem ! Just stand and wait on the women, remain calm. When the men are calm, they can be very smart and useful in the whole process, the women can use that. - This would all take place per block of homes roughly, so the women and men of these blocks will form groups of what are going to be the voter groups once the people are properly divided. That dividing and making up the groups is the role the women have. Once the groups are formed then they rule by their mixed majority of men and women. It is quite a simple task, but it can mean chaos/failure if it isn't being accomplished properly. The women should not feel rushed to accomplish it, they can take hours or days or even weeks to get it together: what they want. - Divide per 50 group houses in each street starting to count from house number 1. Usually: 1,2,3,...48,49,50. Then 51,52,53...99,100. Etc. - The remainder in a street that does not have at least 50 adults in its group is to find another such group nearby to establish at least 50 persons. If none can be found they can ask for other groups who have more then 50 to join them until they also have at least 50 persons. If this is impossible or if there is only a few in the remainder, they can ask to join other groups nearby. - If a group has more then 104 adults who want to join in this effort, that group can split in 2 groups each at least 50 persons. For example the part with the lowest house numbers and the part with the highest. - Eventually all groups should at least have 50 persons, groups with fewer then 50 persons do not count as groups. Either they find enough people or they may want to disperse into the other groups. It is not important that groups have exactly 50 persons, a little bit more is better because if someone leaves you don't immediately lose your right as being an official voter group. Anywhere from 50 to 60 or even 70 (a bit large though) is fine, it is your choice. No matter its size, each group has only the right to send in one representative. Choosing a representative: - Choose someone who will be responsible for voting inside the group, and to maintain a list of who is in that group. That person is the administrator of that group, or its housekeeper, it's servant. It has no power whatsoever. - Then elect a representative. The representative has no power whatsoever, it only has a right to participate in a council once properly elected. The power stays with the voter group, the representative is the servant of the voter group, not its leader, there is no leader of the voter group. The voter group leads itself through its own majorities and who wants to join that group and is allowed to join it by those already in it. Rights: - You don't have to participate with anything. You don't have to be part of any voter group, you don't have to attend any meetings of your voter group if you want to be part of one, you can quit any and all voter groups at any time for unstated reasons. - You can choose of what voter groups you don't want to be a part. - There is no rule that says a voter group must consist of people in the same area, you can form a voter group from all across the nation if you want to. - The voter group can elect another voter group administrator/housekeeper any moment. - The voter group can elect another representative any moment. - You can only be part of one group. If you try to be part of multiple groups you are guilty of voting fraud and this may not go unpunished. - Voter groups are only an election model, the voter groups do not comprise production groups or socializing groups or fighting units of whatever else. Voter groups exercise political power in their own interest by influencing their representative. Note that the common interest is part of that interest. - Every 5 years there is elections of delegates, all across the nation at the same time. - A delegate must do what it has promised, or the Court can replace it. - The proceedings of Government are public. - The Government is obligated to follow the will of the people. - A block can elect anyone as their representative, the delegate does not have to be part of that voter block or live in the area. Referendum: - By gathering 10% of signatures for a Referendum, the Referendum must be held. The non-votes in a referendum are given to the concerning council(s), where each delegate will get an equal share. The combined tally of the votes and taken over non-votes yields a binding decision. This decision can only be broken by another referendum having more votes, but the number of votes that is counted for a previous referendum is slowly lowered when time passes so that a Referendum that happened about 70 years ago will have no greater power then a regular Government delegates decision. Also a two third amount of votes will break any previous referendum on the same issue. This system dynamically combines referendum power with representative power, where non-voters apparently choose to leave the issue to the representative system, who will then indeed actually vote those votes. The deterioration of the power of a previous Referendum means the future is not decided by the (distant) past, and eventually the power slowly comes back to the representatives. Delegates: - Delegates are to meet up with at least 50 to form a local council, the local council rules by its own majority on local issues. The local council is not sovereign, sovereignty lies at the national council, the supreme law court, etc. The local council does not own the homes of the people in its area, it does not issue its own money, it does not form its own army, it does not own the businesses in the area, and it may not have power over government activities and organizations that are doing work for a larger area. - The elected delegates have a right to group in groups of 50 in larger or smaller areas, these 50 sections of delegates can all elect one representative, it must be someone from within that section. They can not elect someone outside that section. This way a council can be formed over larger areas, while within that area the smaller councils still persist. The area size difference between both councils dictate their respective responsibilities. This way local councils could be involved in highly local issues in a neighborhood. Over the whole city such a city wide council deals with city wide issues, leaving the highly local issues to the local councils. The entire nation is divided into 50 sections of equal numbers of delegates to elect the national council, handling national issues such an the currency, the Constitution, foreign policy, differences between other councils, and so on. - Because the nation is now divided into 50 section for the national council, it makes sense to elect in each 50th sector a larger area council as well, taking opportunity of the effort to elect the national council. - Once a delegate has been elected by its voter group, and then was elected by a section of other delegate to represent them also, that delegate can not once more elect someone to represent him/her. There are two steps and no more. A third step is against the law, the police will have to step in and the court will have to dismiss such a practice if it occurs, following the rules of the constitution. Operation of councils (obligations): - Councils are to select a name. - Councils are to publish one week ahead what they will be discussing. - If they are going to discuss making/changing a law, it has to be announced 2 month prior instead of just 1 week. - Emergency issues can be handled immediately. - Councils are to elect a chair person, who will lose its voting right in any debate he/she is chairing. - Delegates are payed an about average salary for their work per hour, with certain bonuses if they work full time / much. - Councils are free to make up their own internal operations if the national council does not regulate it, but here some suggestions that may help: Operation of councils (not obligated): + Divide a council into groups of 10 persons or a little more. + Each grouplet will debate with itself proposals that come to its attention. + Once a grouplet has made up a proposal that is satisfying to it, the grouplet approaches another grouplet of its own choice. + That other grouplet can accept, amend or reject the proposal. + On rejection or amendment the proposal comes back on the desk of the first grouplet, who will then reconsider it with the remarks of the other grouplet. + Then the same procedure: the grouplet proposes its work to another grouplet of its choice. + Finally a proposal might make it past all grouplets and there seems to be at least a numerical majority for it. + The council convenes a meeting of all grouplets. + Each grouplet can elect a spokesperson, someone who can reasonably talk well in public and can represent that grouplet and the people in it if needed. + The chair person arrives at the proposal, then a debate may occur. + After the debate the proposal may come to a vote or it may go back for re-consideration. + If it is voted upon and it wins a majority, then it is an official decision and it is to be carried out (if that council has the powers needed to make that decision at least, which are limited by the Constitution, the law and the power of other councils.) - The delegates have no right whatsoever to force a made council decision on anyone, also not on the voter group it is representing. When there is a problem with the actual execution of a decision, forcing it through is a matter for the Courts of Justice and ultimately the police. - The people always retain the right to change any and all previously made Government decisions, either through referendum or by selecting different representatives, or by convincing the delegates to make a different decision. National council: - The national council is the top Government, it makes both laws and decisions. - The chair person of the national council is not the head of state. Electoral Committee and head of state: - Across the entire nations, all adult people can partake in the election for the Electoral Committee. This should yield a list of names who have more or fewer votes. - The persons not having made it into the 10 persons with most votes can choose to give their votes to someone who did make it into the top 10 (this can matter, see later). - The person with most votes then has the right to take those votes he/she has more then the person with second most votes, and give these votes to whomever he/she wants in the entire nation. - This yields a new list of 10 persons who have most votes, these 10 persons are the Electoral Committee. It is this committee that has the sovereign task to set election dates, by its own majority. - The oldest of these 10 is the Head of State. - This Head of State has no power over Government, makes no laws, no decisions. - Once the Head of State has deeply familiarized itself with the Constitution, process that takes about 9 months, the Head of State becomes an inspection agency primarily aimed at corruption within the Government through its right of immediate and full disclosure of all Government information. This right does not extend into private homes. - The electoral committee must always have at least 6 members, and it must at least achieve having 10 members every 30 years (meaning once one member steps down, there will be Electoral Committee (EC) elections after 30 years, unless 5 in total step down in which case there would be immediate EC elections.) - The Head of State can take over the Government for one year if the delegates are in chaos, after that year of dictatorial King rule there is one month of regular government rule and then a new election for the EC and therefore head of state. - The head of state is richly compensated for its services (if any), but the other 9 members of the EC are prohibited from working for the Government (they must have private sector jobs, to make sure they have a more distant and objective position toward the Government and the head of state). - The Constitution provides in two modes for the nation: either with this active role for the Head of State, or with that role becoming dormant (meaning the Head of State has no special powers beyond the regular EC membership.) Either mode for the nation is to be decided on by a special Referendum. - The EC and therefore head of state function is not hereditary, elections are open to all. Constitution: - The constitution can be altered through a national Referendum, following mentioned procedure for Referendums, but a constitution changing referendum must be announced 5 years before it is to be held. Comparison neo-roman model: - The rest of the Government model is more or less what we are already used to in many parts of the world: a government, a police force, a judiciary. Here taken to make up the separation of powers between: action (police), decisions on justice (judges), law making and decision making (councils), inspection (electoral committee and head of state in its role of sovereign inspector), control (referendum power and power to replace delegates any moment). - There is no separation within the representative government as exists in the neo-roman model between a select ruling few often about 10 in number (often called ministers), a larger body to which those ministers owe responsibility and that can ask for new elections (often called parliament), and what is often seen is a second chamber which looks at law making and can reject a proposal for new law. In the neo-Roman model, these 3 parts of neo-Roman government are all formed from people associated with one of the parties (fractions), so that each fraction gaining enough votes will have its people in all these three parts. One could say that these 3 parts of government are more or less a fake separation, because they are all made from the same clubs that gained the votes. In this new model proposed here, the role of 'ministers' would be that of either servants or sub-council below the national council being given a specific management task in a certain area (for example to print and maintain the currency.) The role of law proposing, reviewing and passing all fall unto the council, but they need to honor the 2 month time restraint which is to make sure there is ample of opportunity to think the laws through. Essentially a law is a repeating decision, as such closely related to singular decisions. The suggested way in which councils could operate, the grouplets model, also provides the mechanism of proposal, review, sending back, amending, another review, and so on, which is a task the second chamber of Government in the neo-Roman model engages in (often). But in this case it happens within the council, and it happens at least 5 times instead of at least 1. + It is not an obligation but a proposal: have the national Government travel around in the nation all the time, convening one week here, then one week somewhere else, so that it never puts down any roots in one particular city. This to prevent the national Government to see itself as a conquering force from that city busy with the task of hauling riches from the rest of the nation to that city. - Government departments are to be located throughout the nation, this is a Constitutional obligation. It is good for transparency and protocol, it spreads the benefit of spending taxation money and Government associated jobs across the nation, it decentralizes power. + Most notable changes: the national government would be much smaller in total size: only 50 persons (the Dutch Government comprises a "government" of ministers maybe some 10 persons, a 2nd chamber of 150 persons and a 1st chamber of 75 persons, total 285 persons). The elected persons do not necessarily represent fractions or parties (although that is also still possible), and therefore it is likely the debate would be less between entrenched fractions or party political games for power, it is more individualized. Because the delegates vote for the national Government and not the people directly, it is both easier and cheaper to re-elect the national government, and the campaign people may want to engage in is directed at delegates (mostly). The delegates in turn are expected to do their duty and commit to a more thorough investigation into the competence of their candidates (for whose election they of course will be politically responsibly, and answering for to their voting groups). If the Government is constantly and routinely on the move in the nation, that will be a very obviously different happening as well. In other words: no more parties, or at least if they exist (they are invited to) they are not the backbone of the system. - The national council selects advice councils for varies issues, by its own discretion and majority, who have no power beyond (publicly stated) advice. This is a measure important for stability and competence. It may be that much informal power resides in these advice councils, while the national council weighs and selects proposals from all sides in accordance with the popular will. Nation: - Nations are not to be too large, an ideal size would be in the order of 10 to 30 million people. The Constitution states an upper boundary of 100 million people. - People who want to set up a new nation from part of the present nation can do so by following the (extensive) Referendum protocols. They must have 1,000,000 people in favor or more, and win several Referendums in that area. After becoming independent they have a time where they can grow into the present nation by winning more referendums. This entire procedure takes many years. There must be two third referendum majorities 5 years apart to become sovereign after another 5 years following the second referendum. In these referendums the non-votes count as against-votes. There must also not be a referendum once with a majority to stay in the country during that time with at least half of all people voting in it. This means that if people really want out in large majority, they can, but not until it is quite well established they actually want to break away. The resources are equally divided between both nations. More: - These things are all worked out in much detail, the above is merely a very short summary of some of its aspects, not touching even on the most important issue of all: the economy. The above only handled the restructuring of the Government. The economic question is handled in 4 sectors: money and investment (common good), company ownership (free market and labor self rule), land and other natural resources (limited use right distributed to all individuals), infrastructure and other non-competive sectors (common good). For all materials (all free), see http://www.socialism.nl (free trade in labor, services and products, free dictatorial ownership over entrepreneurial companies until the starter leaves and company has 10 or more full time employees.) Transition to new Government: - The police and courts should remain in operation and enforce the laws. Presumably there are no laws that forbid people to combine and organize, but if they do exist they are to be broken. The police and courts could refer to natural law, respect for the people, or being overwhelmed. - The police and the courts should remain in operation. The laws are not suspended at any time, the new Government will take over most laws without any moment of there being no laws. All laws remain standing unless the councils actively change them in due course of their protocol. - The new Government does not attempt to take over the buildings of the old Government, but either is not located in any particular building or if it wants to attempts to find another location. If the old Government wishes to vacate its buildings out of its free will, then these could become part of the governed public buildings under the new Government system. - If the new Government fails then the old Government continues as if nothing has happened. - If the new Government succeeds there will be two Governments. It would not be the first time in history that has happened. - That Government which organizes most people should be the ruling Government in case of conflicts. Ideally that type of Government that is not favored by the majority melts away and merges with the newly formed Government. Both politically, organizationally, and infrastructurally. - It may be that for quite some time there are two Governments, or that there is disagreement about what Government represents the majority. This disagreement may not be taken away in case of a Referendum with a close result, or if there was some kind of manipulation happening (likely to be claimed anyway). - If the new Government is not the commonly accepted ruling Government by clearly a large majority, they should probably do best to take on a cooperative and service oriented stance with respect to the other Government, without sacrificing their independence and the potential sovereignty inherent in the organization once completed. It is best not to attempt to steer the councils into conflict with a persisting old Government. Both Governments may view each other as their own advice council. If the other Government takes a hostile stance, this may cost them their remaining credibility, it would be a matter of time until they melt away. Over time the new Government is likely to get its things in order and work smoothly, this should mean gaining credibility and therefore power. Playing nice and for the long term is therefore probably best, while attempting to behave like a true Government should, which can also be taken as practicing the new system. Power could come dancing into the quarters of the new Government because it wants to. - The old Government shouldn't be completely dissolved until it is absolutely clear the new Government is up to the task at hand. It should be possible to quickly reinstall the old system with its people, even in a few hours, as if nothing had happened, just in case.