Self-Governance
The new democracy lets us make our own decisions, for our own communities.
For cities and towns, the path to self-governance is simple. Write a new Constitution, then select it as the new form of government in a local election. Unincorporated areas can use the same process, holding their own local election.
A Constitution lays out the power of the People, and who gets to govern.
Writing a new Constitution
To illustrate what’s possible, the Constitution below creates a Direct Democracy. It lets the People govern themselves. This is only one possibility. Each community gets to write their own Constitution, and create their own form of government.
Illustrative Example
Constitution of Anytown, MA
We the People of Anytown, Massachusetts, adopt this Constitution as our new Form of Government.
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all People are created Equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness—That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among People, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, and that it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish their Form of Government, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
In accordance with our unalienable Rights, we declare our Independence from the United States Government, the Government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Government of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. We choose to Govern ourselves.
We are members of Society. As such, we have a responsibility to exercise our unalienable Rights in a manner that is Reasonable and Fair to the rest of Society. This responsibility extends to our neighboring Cities and Towns, our County, our State, our Nation, our World. We alone do not get to decide what is Reasonable and Fair. It is up to Society.
We are Americans. We can Agree to Disagree. We can be Reasonable. We can Cooperate. We can do all these things.
Article. I. Direct Democracy.
Section. 1. Legislative Powers. We the People make all Legislative decisions of Government. This includes all Laws, Taxes, Policies, Programs, Government Services. The process must be simple, fair, secure, transparent.
Section. 2. Citizenship. Every person with Legal Residence in our Town for the entirety of the previous three months is a Citizen of our Town, with no restrictions or conditions.
Section. 3. Voting Rights. Every Citizen who is eighteen years of age or older can participate in any and all Legislative decisions, with no restrictions or conditions.
Section. 4. Dynamic Representation. Every Citizen has the option to select any other Citizen to Represent them in Legislative decisions, and can change their Representative at any time. Citizens have full visibility into how their Representative votes on each issue, and can override their Representative on any issue.
Section. 5. Pluralism. Majority rule is not the only way to reach a decision. In many cases, a pluralistic approach is best. It allows for bottom-up decisions, experimentation, contextual solutions, diversity.
Article. II. Self-Governance.
Section. 1. Sovereignty. We the People have the sovereign Right to make any and all decisions for our Town. No federal government, state government, supreme court, or any other external authority has a legitimate Right to rule over us.
Section. 2. Society Mandates. We will honor any decision society may impose on us with a vote that reaches a supermajority of 70% of citizens, a vote in which we can participate. Such vote may occur at any level of society of which we are members. The process must be simple, fair, secure, transparent.
Section. 3. Government Services. We will opt into the Government Services we desire, under our Rules. We may do so in cooperation with others. This includes our neighboring Cities and Towns, our County, our State, our Nation, or any segment of Society.
Section. 4. Immigration. We can welcome anyone into our Town we desire. We can ban anyone from our Town we desire. No Government has the authority to impose Immigration rules onto our Town.
Article. III. Council of 500.
Section. 1. Executive Powers. All Executive responsibilities will be vested in a Council of 500. Responsibilities include Emergency, Procedural, Ceremonial. There exists no Executive power to overrule Legislative decisions of the People.
Section. 2. Judicial Powers. All Judicial responsibilities will be vested in a Council of 500. There exists no Judicial power to overrule Legislative decisions of the People.
Section. 3. Council of 500. There will be a Council of 500 drawn by Lot each year from the pool of all Citizens with Voting Rights. The number of People to serve on the Council of 500 will be a Legislative decision. Duties on the Council will be Decentralized and Rotated in such a way to eliminate possibilities for Corruption.
Article. IV. Servant Capitalism.
Section. 1. Servant Capitalism. Businesses will serve the People and Interests of our Town, under our Rules.
Section. 2. Market Access. Our Town creates Consumer Markets, Labor Markets, and other Markets valuable to Businesses. We can Regulate, Tax or Ban access to these Markets in any way we desire, with no limit to location or method. This includes Goods and Services sold to the People of our Town, wherever the transaction takes place. It includes Labor provided by the People of our Town, wherever the work is performed. It includes Foreign Trade.
Section. 3. Trade Agreements. No Government or Governing Body has the authority to impose Trade Agreements onto our Town.
Article. V. Unalienable Rights.
Section. 1. Freedom. All People are created Equal. No one has the right to rule over other any other Person or People against their will.
Section. 2. American Dream. All People have an unalienable Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Anyone who does not like the Laws and Customs of our Town is Free to leave, or to work to enact change. No Community can deliver on every possible aspiration people may place on it. It is up to each person to find a Community that embodies their values and beliefs in the American Dream.
Section. 3. Self-Governance. We the People have an unalienable Right to alter or to abolish our Form of Government, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to us shall seem most likely to effect our Safety and Happiness. This is an unalienable Right of every Community, of any size.