America Vision - Contest Winner

Second place goes to:

South of Dayton #2
This assignment is tall order to be sure. To be fair, I will keep this dissertation free of spiritual and religious references, focusing only on the secular.

That said I have to make one exception.

With reference to the Declaration of Independence I believe

“That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

And that these “truths held to be self-evident”, are immutable and applicable to all mankind, everywhere, at all times.

These truths were enumerated by the American founding fathers, but are not uniquely American. All peoples, of any race, creed or color are entitled to them regardless of their country of origin, status of citizenship, or personal opinions. This is the only entitlement I will speak of. All else need be earned.

Where to begin? What is wrong in America today?

Is it individual greed? No. As established by Adam Smith, individual greed is the motivating power in the capitalist equation.

Is it capitalism then? No. Yankee ingenuity and the Puritan work ethic established our capitalist economy. That system rewarded the world with abundance and gave America the most desired lifestyle in the history of the planet. Immigration is a problem only because of this desirability. Everyone in the world, for two centuries, have seen and sought to become an American.

Ok, so we have this great system. At least we started with a great system. So what happened? The concentration of power happened. Not physical power, no, while dangerous that kind of power can be balanced against with a similar power.

The greater threat, the danger that imperils the system, is the power of intangible interests. Organized interests in the form of societies, corporations and governments with a unified, directed goal. These, the interests and intrigues that Thomas Jefferson warned us about.

What makes these powers and interests so dangerous? Why has the balance of power tipped so assuredly? What mechanism delivers the key foundational element?

I propose that this mechanism is immortality.

When an intangible is endowed with tangible rights the system breaks. The natural system of checks and balances cannot apply. In a tangible, rights and attributes survive only as long as the tangible does. Food rots, water evaporates, machines break down, people die. This forces a certain finite life span on all tangible things. All power associated with such a tangible, whether individual or concentrated, will eventually exhaust itself through the natural course of time.

This is true of people as well as governments. Consider that monarchies arose as a defense against this. Implemented as a means to continue the leadership system after the "person" in the form of the leader had died. It is a plan of succession to maintain the intangible national identity of a society. Here you see the entry of that intangible. The idea of an identity that is greater than any one individual. Once conceived, it is not far to the notion of naming such an intangible. Now the intangible is an object, something that demands rights and abilities of its own. Here is the start of the danger.

You see, by endowing an institution with this legal status it becomes immortal, or at the least, its longevity is now much greater than our own lifespan. With the ability to transfer parts and pieces an intangible can survive indefinitely. It is in this ability that the monster lives.

Deals and functions in tangible objects are inherently limited by the very nature of being tangible. One person cannot eat to satisfy another’s hunger. When two men (or women) make a deal as individuals, the deal lasts only as long as they live. A deal is a bond between two people. That bond does not automatically transfer to a third person. A certain relationship and levels of trust must be established before the third person is entrusted with the rights and rewards of that bond.

Organizations have no such mechanism. We'd like to think they do. Think of the curse of modern society, bad service. The real, tangible person has no skin in the game. Their reputation is not on the line. But try and hold “the company” to task. It leaves you boxing with a ghost. Why is this? Because the organization is still intangible.

An institution is allowed to conduct business on the same level as an individual, but holds the advantage of immortality.

There are innumerable examples that could be presented.

All lead to the same conclusion. It is the same as any casino. The odds are with the house and the power will concentrate in that direction until the system collapses upon itself.

At this point in history over 90% of all wealth is held by 2% of the population. This is not a conspiracy theory, it is a statement of banking facts easily documented. This means the rest of us are trying to make do on 10% of the productivity of this country. This is the reason everyone is in debt and barely getting by. The reality is 90% of our collective output is taxed out of our hands by a group of people who have gained control of these immortal institutions. It is used to create an aristocracy class out of reach to us. And then the government takes it’s own cut leaving us to survive on peanuts.

In spite of this Americans are so productive that we still have a lifestyle that is the envy of the world even while shouldering this millstone. This proves the inherent strength and stability of the ideal of the American Republic.

The fix to the problem centers on a return and reintroduction of the finite upon these immortals. Limits in two directions will re-apply tangible attributes and well ground intangible organizations.

First is the limit of size. Not an artificial constraint arbitrarily chosen and politically implemented. No, it should be a true measure of value and worth. In short, the monetary system needs to make a return to the gold standard. This natural limit prevents the kinds of speculative bubbles that have damaged our economy. Usury would also be naturally limited through the elimination of the fractional reserve system. Then the measure of value returns to something intrinsic and not subjective.

Second, there must be a limit to the transfer of interests. When a person agrees to a deal with another person that deal cannot be transferred to a third person or have the terms changed unilaterally. How many people are decrying a change in their credit card terms? How many took a loan with one bank only to have it purchased by another bank they would never have done business with?

This limitation will make it difficult to remain immortal by removing the institutions ability to refresh itself. Companies would have to innovate and perform in order to survive. No longer will we be saddled with zombie companies that grow through mergers and then we suffer the layoff of all the employees. Historically this consolidates power and money for the benefit of a few “players” while destroying the intrinsic societal value of the company in the process.

Third, the direct approach, return to the original time limits for intellectual properties. Inventors, authors and artists must release their works into the public domain for the betterment of society and civilization as a whole. The longer the popularity lasts the more it is the public who really owns it. It is adopted as part of the culture, no longer belonging to the original creator.

This points to a deep unresolved undercurrent in our economy causing the damage. At some point society owns an interest in any institution. It is an interest that transcends the balance sheet. It is only through the adoption and participation of society that anyone enjoys success. This burden has been largely ignored because of the difficulty to measure it. However it is widely recognized. This is simply good citizenship, the Frank Capra effect.

As immortals, these institutions have become bullies. They no longer practice good citizenship, largely because they believe they are above it. They recognize no peers, are endangered by no predators. It is high time they were returned to their proper size.

There should be no larger political or economic interest than that of the individual sovereign citizen, enfranchised to participate and decide. All deals should source back to a single person, each vote to one voter.

Truly, this solves it.

Our original Republic system was sound. By diffusing power back into the hands of the individual, special interests and power blocks would disappear removing the largest source of corruption.

Once these economic steps are implemented in our country, the natural superior productivity already demonstrated in the United States will re-assert itself. The rest of the economies of the world will be forced to follow suit or be left behind, again.

Finally, with individuals empowered again and returned to an equal footing against institutions, the whole system, both economic and political, would be naturally self-checking.

third place goes to:

The Boss #3
Tell me your vision of America - Freedom

In 305bc a colossal statue of the Greek god Helios, the all seeing light bringer, was built by the Rhodians to signify their victory under Ptolemy over Demetrius Poliorcetes and his armies during the siege of Rhodes. It took 25 years to build the 107 foot structure and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It signified their successful defense of their nation against one of the other feuding generals under Alexander the Great, all of whom were vying for position to be next in line after Alexander’s early death without a successor.

America in similar fashion broke away from a tyrannical church and state that were merged to force taxes and religion on the populace in such a way that restricted any sort of imagination, free thought, and innovation. Ultimately, this revolution allowed for an awakening out of a period of time known as the dark ages.

We erected a statue under the same spirit with the following inscription:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"


In my vision, we live in a land where people can come and worship the deity of their choice or lack thereof, without spite and malice, able to conceive of ingenuity fashioned by a freedom allowed unlike the world has known. It is the hope of a true world order where swords can be beaten to plowshares and we can work to create, in and of ourselves, our own future being a beacon to the world as a shining example on how we can achieve anything.

What is currently wrong - Selfishness

In business, there are cycles of contraction and consolidation followed by segmentation and branching out. These cycles depend greatly on the success of a company at any given time. I’ve often thought this to be a microcosm of humanity in that we track a similar circuit. The new crisis is the same we’ve had in the past. We’ve been through this before. History provisions us with enough wisdom to know better, however, selfishness spawned from the celebration of the spoils of victory cause us to grow dim and forget our enemies – ourselves.

In such fashion, and somewhere along the way, we forgot to work. We thought play in perpetuity was the eternal mantra, allowing the inscription on that very statue conceived as an emblem to the cause of freedom to become eroded. Specifically, the lady’s cry to the ancient lands to keep their storied pomp in return for those desperately seeking solace from tyrannical oppression from those who thrive on control.

I suppose the gist of this is that destiny seems to take a sort of violent revenge on those who betray her. She, as the, pied piper of Hamelin, must be paid, or your children will suffer.

As a result of our selfishness, we are now in a time of consolidation and contraction. While this appears to be the natural approach, and to some degree necessary, it’s the branches we allowed to die in which we should show remorse for. In this next cycle, if course correction isn’t implemented, the breakup and segmentation cycle will come and our nation will be Balkanized as we watch valuable parts of what we once loved be sold off for half price.


What would you do to fix it – Become Accountable and Reasonable

I can’t provide a method or scripted how to on this issue. At this point it must be addressed on a much more meaningful level. Simply, allow failure and success to show itself for what it’s worth. Make no attempt to resuscitate something that is already dead or strangle that which is thriving.

Following that approach would be a nightmare for us being as spoiled as we are. It’s the path of most resistance. It would be hard and we’d feel a pinch. We have to let it happen, because we have to pay the price. We have to let those that have been selfish and greedy on a massive scale, FAIL. We have to. They must meet the destiny they chose for themselves. Altering this is sleeping with the enemy. How to fix it? It’s called accountability. It’s the truth. It’s the living proof, and we all must see it.


How would you keep it from getting to where it is today – Treasure the freedom we fought for.

We intrinsically know the difference between right and wrong. There was never anything wrong with America. With freedom comes the accountability to manage what we are free to do, keeping that which is committed to our trust with prudence and due diligence. Misconstruing freedom’s meaning into violation of law, or some anarchic take on what it means to be free is an abuse that should not be confused with “the grey area”. Blatant abuse of freedom is obvious. We need to understand that in civilized modern society one of the intrinsic functions of a free people is that we are allowed the freedom to debate our moral, religious, and legal structures. This is not a “problem”, that’s how freedom works. We must differentiate between the two – Abuse of Freedom and Civil Debate – yet unfortunately this appears to be another symptom of forgetting how freedom is defined.


What form of Government should be implemented - that's easy.

A federal constitutional republic, for the people, by the people.

Honorable Mention #1 goes to:

Andromeda Honorable Mention #1
I have a response that I think is way off the beaten path... a theory of mine that I think others may not relate to.

IMO our social divisions and dysfunction in this country have a lot to do with the corruption and rampant feudal system of insider influence in academia. Despite their lofty rhetoric, academics are the most bigoted, corrupt and insider sector of our society. While all other areas of the economy are integrated and equal-opportunity, academia is still very much dominated by white male liberals. There are many kinds of people who are routinely discriminated against and excluded from inclusion and advancement as professors and leaders in academia, and they include, most notably:

-- conservatives (of any race or gender)
-- women (except in the liberal arts, humanities, and health fields)
-- blacks

Because we respect the "intellectual freedom" of academics and colleges and universities so much, we have developed a tradition in the U.S. of not peering into their communities. Their internal disciplinary processes are usually exempt from administrative justice acts in their states, the public institutions can't be sued due to sovereign immunity protections, and they're totally outside the EEOC/Title VII investigation and review system.

Many of them operate like third world nations with a thin facade of civil society -- where academics prey on female grad students for sex and damage and discard them, openly harass and exclude blacks, and where entire departments isolate and undermine conservatives who don't fit in with the liberal extremist culture. Most people would be shocked at the kind of stuff that goes on under the surface at universities and colleges. Academic liberals literally organize witch-hunts of conservative academics, to destroy their careers and credibility. Just as they do to any student who tries to out a sexually predatory faculty member or embezzling program manager.

So you have an intellectual and media sector of our society that is totally dominated by an insular, one-dimensional white male liberal culture and its network of off-the-records influence and backbiting, that is totally out of touch with the rest of society, which is full of women, minorities and conservatives.

I can't begin to talk about how crippling it is for the conservative half of the country to have so many doors of research and intellectual advancement shut in its face. The systematic exclusion from academia is part of the reason why the conservative movement is so often dominated by rural, blue collar agendas and religion. The insular networks of white liberal male culture in academia is only reinforced by its ability to exclude women and blacks by using sexual harassment and discrimination so openly.

IMO America cannot truly be an integrated, healthy society that realizes its full potential until the grip of white male liberal academia is broken open and all Americans have access and equal opportunity in the academy.

I know it sounds unintuitive, but the best thing that can happen to the conservative movement in America is if the universities, colleges and Title VI-governed educational institutions in America were put under the responsibility of an independent investigative body like the EEOC and some of these networks of influence and corruption are finally broken up.

Honorable Mention #2 goes to:

Just2Laws Honorable Mention #2
Tell me your vision of America
What is currently wrong
No sense of community, central government is huge and is taking away the rights of everyone and taking away accountability of the individual. There should be self-determination of community: within certain limits. There is a danger of cults taking over a community and forcing narrow, constricting laws that deny rights to individuals. That is where regional, state laws would come into play.
What would you do to fix it
Return to strict Constitutional adherence. Assign a committee to review all current Federal laws on the books to determine the Constitutional validity of each one or perhaps dump them all and start fresh. Dump the asinine notion that corporations are persons with rights. Dump the Federal Reserve and return to the currency as outlined in the Constitution. Dump the IRS since it only collects the interest on loans owed to the Federal Reserve anyway and if the Federal Reserve is declared a fraudulent bank then the debt is fraudulent and therefore canceled.
Maintain a central government in D.C. to deal with those issues that concern all the states as a whole such as the need for a standing national military force. The District of Columbia would have it’s own sales tax to fund the needs of the city. Corporations throughout the entire Union would be taxed on profit to fund the standing Army and maintain government expenses.
The individual states would have near autonomy in their governance. Each state has a sales tax base that covers their budget. That way if a state gets out of hand the citizens of that state can move to a state that fits their needs.
How would you keep it from getting to where it is today
Limit terms of office for Congress, two terms and you are out. The way it is now the Reps and senators live in Washington D.C. and seem to need to justify their time by writing crazy bills. I say that they should live in their home state and have weekly town hall meetings with the people of their district; then get together for two weeks every other month to discuss the state of the Union. They would be a think tank not a law generating club of old farts without a clue.
What form of Government should be implemented
Democratic Republic is just fine, heavy on the Republic.

bump for all the contributors to this Vision of America

Congratulations Duncan. Superb work!

So....

How do we stop the same shite happening again. Anyone, anyone?

Limit the age of companies? Companies already come and go. What's the limit; the human lifespan? What if we start living for 200 years?

Go back to the constitution? How do we prevent the same 'amendments' from happening?

Go back to towns and villages? Technology has changed the world.

When was America so great? I don't see it. I see a history of violent extremes and misery. Sure we swooped into Europe after they decimated themselves and picked up some good German scientists. That gave us an advantage for a while. But now that we're coming back to the pack, how can we stop the shite repeating?

I'm saying there is no solution. We must be free, but I see no solution presented here that will protect that freedom and ensure an enlightened society. Just saying, 'we must become enlightened' does not make it happen.

FAIL

Companies don't just come and go. That was the point of my essay. Yes, the limit needs to be that of a human. Or less. I really liked the Jubilee idea, very traditional.

Capital and intellectual property are supposed to become PUBLIC property after a "short" period of time to benefit the inventor.

This is the very essence of the difference of indentured servitude as distinguished from perpetual, multi-generational SLAVERY.

In the 1600's a seven year bond service was COMMON to pay for passage to the americas. Yet by the mid 1700's that had expanded to a lifetime. And then it was never cancelled with the children bound by the status of their parentage.

How is this any different from now?

At the dawn of the 20th century the average United States family had NO debt. First came car loans by Henry Ford. Then home loans as the "American Dream" was codified into the suburbs following WWII. Finally credit cards dominated the landscape as banking laws changed in the 1970's and 1980's.

You see, the banking laws once forbid inter-state banks. Credit decisions had to be made locally. By a loan officer who lived in the same town. A person got to know his (or her) loan officer. Deals were made - locally - business was conducted. People knew each other.

I remember when those laws were changed. It was advertised that fees would be lower because of "efficiencies"

But what happened was the people chain was broken. An impersonal "score" took the place of knowing someone. Centralization destroyed local economies. The banks that "won" rewarded the top executives handsomely. Huge office complexes sprung up in those cities at the expense of every closed local branch.

YOU BECAME A LINE IN A SPREADSHEET!

When your bank was local it could only be as good as your local economy. After the consolidation whole regions suffered when a decision to "cut costs" meant YOUR town wasn't good enough. A decision made by a low level kiss ass trying to impress his boss.

I know. I used to program the computers at those places. I worked with those people. I saw it from the INSIDE.

They have NO REASON to negotiate with YOU. YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE.

Not as an individual.

The problem I tried to illuminate in my paper was "WE" have no collective power. "THEY" make decisions on groups. "WE" cannot. "WE" only act alone. "MY" house loan. "MY" car loan. "MY" town.

They only way I see to level the field is to remove their ability to centralize. This MUST be done so "WE" can make deals again as individuals with individuals.

Of course, I hardly believe "THEY" will relinquish their death grip on America, on the world....

you wrote a nice piece dayton...thank you very much

Thank you, Av.

Anytime you'd like to chat philosophy - I'm your Huckleberry!

Companies DO come and go. Big ones don't usually last longer than a typical human lifespan. It happens all the time. Bear Stearns, Lehmann Bros. are recent examples. When technology and needs change, old companies die. The only ones that don't are the ones protected by the government. In other words, Fascist ones. If the constitution was followed, these companies would also fail when they became irrelevant.

Why has nobody mentioned the failure of the constitution to mention the 'right' to education. ALL animals educate their young on survival needs. Education on survival matters MUST be a right. For us to survive a complex society, we must be educated about how the system works. THIS is the solution. If the entire population were educated with the knowledge that is shared on GLP, the problem would be fixed quick time.

If people's right to education - education about society and how things really work - was constitutionalised and upheld, we'd never have the problem of sheople allowing the corruption of any other part of the constitution.

EDUCATION should be a right.

What? I didn't win? Not even a mention?



No one is interested in happiness...

Well, I suppose the question was about America and a vision to restore America to its greatness.

I guess I'm not interested in America's greatness. I'm more interested in every American's life being great. Not wanting to sound too bitter, but America's greatness has come through slavery, African-Americans, wage-slaves and foreign imports. An army of pawns, workers and soldiers has made 'America' great. It appeals to our instincts - to want to be part of something bigger than ourselves, but that's a trick that leads to self-sacrifice and loss of life. And what of the lives of these people? How many Americans' lives have been 'great'?

Less than 0.01%? Being a wage slave, and answering to 'the man' is not a great life. I couldn't care less that America was great as long as every American's life was great. I don't want to repeat the shit from the past. What's to come needs to be something new.

Freedom is obvious, education (I agree with the last post) is important, but what is the definition of a great life? It must be the successful attainment of life's goal: happiness.

How do we get happy? Each and every one of us?

If every one of us were happy, wouldn't it be irrelevant how 'great' America was?

Last Edited by Dolphin on 08/12/2009 07:17 PM

A reminder of the great minds here on GLP

bump oldy but goody