Poems in true chronological order by post date
-> file: messages/340 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── In a system such as the one I described, it perhaps would be better to describe it as a "federation" rather than a "nation". Federation implies a set of standard protocols that allow geographically disparate entities to coexist and interact in a mutually beneficial way. Much the same way that every apartment has a kitchen and bathroom, though it be more efficient to centralize them and have a communal dining hall or bathroom (the way a school dorm or a prison might be arranged), it is not ideal for our collective sense of liberty and freedom. In addition, the proposed distributed nature of our infrastructure and productive capacities would induce inefficiencies that cannot be ignored. So, perhaps instead of centralization or decentralization, perhaps specialization? For example, if 3-5 states were experts in a particular good or service, then they could compete amongst one-another for the best product (utilizing one of the beneficial impacts of capitalism), while also utilizing localized resources (reducing inefficiencies in transport) and increasing the resilience of production. This works well for physical goods, but services are more difficult because they imply that a person must be physically present in order to engage with them. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/341 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── So for example, if a particular state specializes in a service, say, making pizza, then any other state which desires their service may contract with them to utilize their methods and practices in their own state. We all enjoy eating Domino's or Pizza Hut, but there is also space in our lives for more local brands that are unique to a region. So perhaps Domino's creates a contract with each state that states they may utilize their production methods and perhaps their specially made pizza dough shipped in from wherever their factories may be. In such a system as this, for each employee employed at one of these pizza chain restaurants, their wage will be paid to the employee (to facilitate local commerce) and to the state in which Domino's is from. Note, the company never receives a dime, but that is by design. Corporations are not people, they cannot wield money and they cannot vote. However they are productive and useful members of society, so they shall be utilized as tools to facilitate the enrichment of the lives of the citizens and the economic development of each region. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/342 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── So. To reiterate, the employee in Arkansas is paid a wage of 30$ per hour, and the state in which the corporation is based (say, Oklahoma) is paid 30$ for each hour that employee works. However, these dollars are specific to the region, and cannot leave it - Oklahoma and Arkansas must reach an equitable arrangement where their dollars equal out. Balance is desired, as it brings stability and provides a foundation for future growth. If one side prospers, so does the other. Why should the Oklahoman have less than the Arkansan? ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/343 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── Person, family, neighborhood, city, state, nation, planet. This is a rough description of each "tier" of algorism. These rules apply at every tier, so though I said "state" and "nation" for the presented arguments they are equally relevant to the family and the planet. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/344 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── In algorism, every month any unspent dollars are distributed to all of a person's open queues. Should a person have no open queues, then perhaps they may be distributed to everyone in the rest of the structure, to foster a sense of solidarity, or perhaps they are simply lost, as money unspent is money wasted. Either way, the relevant functionality is the dispersal of unspent currency. This applies to higher states as well, such as states - if a state is engaged in many profitable arrangements and fails to balance it's external budget, then the unspent dollars must be distributed to everyone else in their tier for the next month. Ah, but this raises a critical question - dispersal to the tier, dispersal to the structure, or waste? I believe dispersal to the tier is best, though perhaps it should be a choice made in each instance by the representatives. Or perhaps it should be a requirement for them to choose a certain way - it's up to the people of that state, that family, that neighborhood, to decide what privileges their representatives possess. However, the options available for them to choose between are limited, as the mechanical interactions of these unit structures (the representative and everyone they represent) are necessarily defined by the system. As such, the options may be enumerated, and in doing so they are granted as options to be wielded by representatives as their constituents see fit. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/345 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── The original question, the most critical question I believe, is how to preserve a sense of unity between tiers. How to ensure that there is no reason to abdicate our responsibility to preserving unity and fostering goodwill between the people of this earth. A proposed solution is to allow for the greatest freedoms, such that there is little reason to desire liberty from unity, however freedom is not enough - there must be mutually beneficial reasons for coexistence. Hence the idea that economics must be tied to national structure. If Texans would rather be part of their own structure, well then it is functionally impossible for them to trade (legally) between other states. That is not ideal, so it is much more appealing for them to work together and define their lives as they will while also co-habitating in the same national structure as everyone else. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: messages/346 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────── Now, another example. Should Washington or Maine desire one day to become part of Canada, for example, they must necessarily seek exclusion from the United States market. They would bring with them only what they carry, and that's... not ideal, as most of the wealth of a nation is in it's interactions with others. But say they do not desire exclusion, and rather would instead prefer to simply trade with Vancouver or Quebec. External trade must be facilitated through a higher level, in this case the national level. Washington might request a certain type of good from Vancouver, and Maine might desire a service from Quebec. This request would be given to the national representative (or rather, the tier higher than the state) who would then develop a contract with the nation of Canada to purchase the type of good or service they desire. Assuming the canadians are still utilizing the capitalist mode of production and economics, there would need to be an exchange between American dollars and Canadian dollars. This is handled nationally, and those dollars can be circulated across the globe by canada should they desire. For example, the American dollars passed to Canada might be spent in Brazil, where they then find their way to England, and then to Australia. Then, several months later, those same American dollars are used to purchase a good or service from an American industry by creating a contract with the American government. Such a contract could be on the individual level or higher level, however as capitalism tends to decay all social fabrics that bind a group of people together leaving the naked individual alone, it tends to be on the individual level. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════════════════════───────────────────────┴───────────┘ |