The American Experiment 2.0
By: Michael Tolkin
Tags: Human Rights, Automation, Economy, Government, Politics

The American Experiment 2.0

Smart Nation, an interparty political coalition, will reunify our country around a common set of values, principles and plans, and modernize our government to be lean, efficient and effective. Michael Tolkin Dec 20, 2020·25 min read

INTRODUCTION

Our civilization is in distress due to a flawed economic model that concentrates wealth and underinvests in people, resources and infrastructure, and an outdated system of governance that doesn’t serve the best interests of the People. Meanwhile, rapid technological change is transforming our economy and ability to self-govern.

The Smart Nation plan proposes a comprehensive set of solutions to 1) upgrade and democratize our economy, and 2) simplify and modernize our government.

Plan Highlights:

WE MUST ADAPT TO A NEW AGE. The world today is vastly different from, and more complex than, the one of centuries ago. In the age of automation, we must adapt our system of governance by securing new economic rights, which represent the ingredients to life in the modern era: care, housing, income, education and freedom (CHIEF). A new public sector economy, Smart Cities, will offer a public option for everything, and will both fund and deliver these benefits. We will also cut taxes and eliminate unnecessary regulation, and in doing so, ignite growth of the FETCH economy (food, entertainment, technology, care and home).

The world today is vastly different from, and more complex than, the one of centuries ago. In the age of automation, we must adapt our system of governance by securing new economic rights, which represent the ingredients to life in the modern era: care, housing, income, education and freedom (CHIEF). A new public sector economy, Smart Cities, will offer a public option for everything, and will both fund and deliver these benefits. We will also cut taxes and eliminate unnecessary regulation, and in doing so, ignite growth of the FETCH economy (food, entertainment, technology, care and home). WE MUST REDEFINE GOVERNMENT’S ROLE. Government should not be responsible for the execution of programs and services, but rather a regulatory framework governing the conduct of individuals and enterprises in the private and public sectors, and to the minimalist degree possible. With a public sector economy, we can eliminate government’s role in the administration of social welfare programs, and as such, reduce the size, scope and cost of government. Also, structural changes — like a reorganization of the executive branch and Senate — will better position our elected officials for success. Embracing research and innovation, particularly automation technologies, is vital to forming a new government built upon fair and equal representation.

Government should not be responsible for the execution of programs and services, but rather a regulatory framework governing the conduct of individuals and enterprises in the private and public sectors, and to the minimalist degree possible. With a public sector economy, we can eliminate government’s role in the administration of social welfare programs, and as such, reduce the size, scope and cost of government. Also, structural changes — like a reorganization of the executive branch and Senate — will better position our elected officials for success. Embracing research and innovation, particularly automation technologies, is vital to forming a new government built upon fair and equal representation. THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW. Automation will drive never-before-seen efficiencies in a faster-than-ever timeframe. We can either embrace this change and leverage it to our collective benefit, or suffer the painful consequences of inaction.

BACKGROUND

Born in 1776, our nation is nearing its 250th anniversary. While our Constitution has endured, we have progressed well beyond the imaginations of our founders.

Problem

Due to centuries of advancement beyond the scope of the framing of our Constitution, our economic model and system of governance are outdated and dysfunctional.

FLAWED ECONOMIC MODEL: Capitalism in its current form is broken. Our economy has concentrated wealth among a small, privileged class while underinvesting in our people, resources and infrastructure. This has resulted in economic unfairness and environmental destruction. Furthermore, an outdated taxation-based revenue model robs us of our hard-earned money.

Capitalism in its current form is broken. Our economy has concentrated wealth among a small, privileged class while underinvesting in our people, resources and infrastructure. This has resulted in economic unfairness and environmental destruction. Furthermore, an outdated taxation-based revenue model robs us of our hard-earned money. OBSOLETE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE: Since our founding, the executive branch of government has ballooned in size and become a paradigm of hierarchical dysfunction. In addition, though our civilization has grown monumentally more complex from where we began, our representatives in Congress are still expected to have comprehensive knowledge of all issues and be well-versed across the spectrum of stakeholder needs. This has resulted in roles that are too unfocused to be effective. Moreover, many of our elected officials are not voted in on a popular basis, which leads to unpopular stances becoming the law of the land.

Opportunity

As with private enterprise, healthy evolution of the public sector requires disruption and innovation. A dysfunctional and outdated system will not yield good results; but if we implement appropriate structures and processes to address the problems of our day, they will produce adequate solutions.

We will transform our economy and government to a citizen-centric model and modernize our systems to ensure that our nation is governed fairly and sustainably.

NEW ECONOMIC MODEL: In the age of automation, when we will realize unprecedented efficiencies, we believe these rights to be self-evident: care, housing, income, education and freedom (CHIEF), the necessities of life. Smart Cities — an independent corporation owned by the People — will be responsible for creating a public sector economy and delivering public services and benefits, as well as developing new resources and infrastructure.

In the age of automation, when we will realize unprecedented efficiencies, we believe these rights to be self-evident: care, housing, income, education and freedom (CHIEF), the necessities of life. Smart Cities — an independent corporation owned by the People — will be responsible for creating a public sector economy and delivering public services and benefits, as well as developing new resources and infrastructure. UPDATED GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE: We must redesign the organizational structure of the executive branch to be lean and efficient, eliminating unnecessary roles and functions. We also need to rethink representative government to truly reflect the will of the People with representatives capable of understanding and executing on it. A free market approach to governance — a direct democracy in which popular vote wins and the best ideas and brightest minds are able to rise to the top and flourish — is key to addressing our challenges of dysfunction and intransigence. Representative government in the modern age should include geographic, generational and issue-specific representation, voted on a popular basis. We believe that with open access to truthful information, the People will self-govern in their collective best interest.

VISION

The Smart Nation plan calls for new economic rights, the creation of a public sector economy (Smart Cities), a significant reduction in taxes, and a restructuring of government. It consists of five parts: 1) human capital, 2) economy and education, 3) resources and infrastructure, 4) international affairs and 5) organization and governance.

HUMAN CAPITAL

Rights

Economic productivity from automation allows us to rewrite our social contract and institute universal rights: care, home, income, education and freedom. These rights, CHIEF, not only protect one’s ability to live in the modern age (i.e., economic security); they represent an investment in our future labor force (i.e., economic opportunity).

Care: comprehensive care so you can live well.

comprehensive care so you can live well. Home: a place of your own so you can feel safe.

a place of your own so you can feel safe. Income: money to pay for food and essentials.

money to pay for food and essentials. Education: skills to pursue your passions.

skills to pursue your passions. Freedom: independence and security to choose your own path.

Student Debt

We will provide economic relief to 45 million Americans and stimulate the economy by addressing the student debt crisis and canceling the entire $1.7 trillion in student loan debt.

Cannabis

We will end prohibition and legalize cannabis nationwide.

Guns and Weapons of Mass Destruction

We must protect our families’, friends’ and citizens’ rights to life. We will take an intersectional, comprehensive approach to preventing gun violence with the goal of reducing gun deaths by 50% in ten years. We will ban weapons of mass destruction, including assault rifles, armor piercing rounds, bump stocks, and high capacity magazines. We will initiate a federal buy-back program for these weapons, which has seen success in countries like Australia. We will institute universal background checks and a federal licensing program. We will prevent the accumulation of private arsenals and close the gun show loophole, which allows the private sale of firearms circumventing background checks. We will require waiting periods to get firearms and allow hospitals to collect statistics on gun violence. We will implement community based violence intervention programs. We will also make mental healthcare available to all.

Criminal Justice Reform

We will end the widespread incarceration of people with mental disabilities and provide them with community-based support. We will champion comprehensive reform of our criminal legal system. We will incentivize states to cut their incarcerated population by 50% while supporting massive investment in housing, drug treatment, diversion, education and health programs. We will end the War on Drugs and legalize cannabis.

Restorative Justice

We will abolish private prisons, which incentivize inhumane conditions and high recidivism. We will shut down the school-to-prison pipeline, which targets people of color. We will replace punitive incarceration with a restorative justice system that focuses on rehabilitating people, which studies show is the most effective criminal justice system in the world. We will ban the practice of using arrest and incarceration quotas. We will abolish the death penalty and restore felons’ rights, including the right to vote. We will ban the felony checkbox on employment forms and help pave a path to jobs upon release from prison.

We will demilitarize police by banning and reversing the transfer of military weapons to domestic police forces. We will promote community policing and employ special prosecutors for all police killings. We will legalize cannabis and end the drug war, which targets communities of color. We will end what amounts to slave labor at prisons, where inmates are forced to work for pennies an hour producing goods for large corporations. We will end mandatory minimum sentencing. We will review all forced mandatory sentencing cases and release prisoners convicted of nonviolent minor drug charges.

Racial Justice

We will end the private for-profit prison industry, which incarcerates young non-violent Black men at a disproportionate rate. We will put an end to discriminatory laws and the purging of minority-community names from voting rolls by restoring the Voting Rights Act. We will demilitarize our police forces and create new laws for the allowable use of force. We will eliminate mandatory minimums, which result in sentencing disparities between Black, Latino and White people. We will take cannabis off the federal government’s list of outlawed drugs. We will protect the health of neighborhoods of color by establishing and enforcing strict environmental laws. We will ensure access to universal child care and higher education. We will enact universal economic programs like guaranteed healthcare, housing and income that lift the most marginalized and disadvantaged communities the most, instead of means-tested programs that often leave people of color behind.

Equal Rights for Women

We will support the Paycheck Fairness Act to end wage discrimination based on gender.

Women have a fundamental right to govern their own bodies. We will launch non-governmental organizations and initiatives that assist with women’s health and family planning. We will protect women’s access to contraception and the availability of a safe and legal abortion. We will end the practice of female genital mutilation, underage forced marriage and the abuse of sex workers. We are against any enforcement that does not take into account the dire circumstances under which many women make survival choices.

LGBTQIA Equality

We will defend against the rollback of achieved rights, including spousal benefits, and back the strengthening of laws against hate propaganda and hate crimes.

Indigenous Rights

We will uphold the rights of Indigenous people to defend and protect their lives, natural resources, sacred sites and culture. We seek to follow and learn from the example of Native people who are consistently at the front lines of resistance for protecting water, air and land, even though it is everyone’s responsibility to do so.

Veteran Care

We will eliminate veteran homelessness with care, housing, income and education for all. We will ensure that all returning service members are fully aware of all benefits to which they are entitled. We will give assistance to find out where and how to make use of them.

We will remove the chain of command in the military for investigating and prosecuting claims of rape and sexual harassment. We will also change the status of veterans who were discharged due solely to their sexual orientation from involuntary to voluntary.

We will pass federal legislation mandating that no undocumented veteran can be deported after serving our country. We will offer comprehensive healthcare and mental healthcare to all veterans and their families, including those with post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

We will provide assistance to all service people exposed to Agent Orange and other toxins including contaminated soils. We will reduce backlog claims at the Veterans Administration. We will ensure that all leases and use of VA facilities solely benefit veterans and their families. We will establish a complete range of medical, housing, free college tuition and post-service employment assistance.

People with Disabilities

Disability rights are civil rights. People with disabilities deserve to live full lives, to work and participate in society free of systemic discrimination. We will pass the Disability Integration Act, to provide seniors and people with disabilities home and community-based services as an alternative to institutionalization, ensuring access to long term services and support. And we will guarantee housing for all.

We will improve and enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act. We will end the widespread incarceration of people with mental disabilities and enforce the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision to provide people with mental disabilities community-based support. We will guarantee healthcare as a human right for all.

Immigrants

We will commit to immediate executive actions to expand DACA and other policies to protect people from deportation and hold ICE and CBP accountable. We will close the vast and cruel web of detention camps. We will end the collaboration between local police and ICE and the use of racial profiling by deportation agents and local police that pulls people into the deportation pipeline. We will provide guaranteed access to counsel for all while making immigration courts independent and free of political manipulation. We will repeal 1996 immigration reform laws and create citizenship pathways for all undocumented people.

Civil Liberties

We will reassert the human right to privacy and the Fourth Amendment. We will repeal the Patriot Act and abolish mass surveillance. We will affirm the right to free speech and free assembly. We will strengthen protections and rewards for government and corporate whistleblowers, and increase penalties for those who conceal government crimes and negligence. We will abolish government torture, indefinite detention and extrajudicial assassination. We will defend habeas corpus. We will protect the Freedom of Information Act and mandate a higher government response rate. Without transparency there is no accountability.

Access to the internet is no longer a luxury; it is essential to 21st century democracy, commerce, education, telemedicine and public safety. We will protect net neutrality, classify the internet as a public utility and bring the country online with high-speed community broadband.

Animal Welfare

Every living being deserves freedom from torture. We will end the barbaric practice of factory farming and switch to free range animal farming.

League of Love

We will create an intersectional human rights council, the League of Love, which will bring together human rights organizations from across the country and around the world to help shape, coordinate and implement our ambitious agenda.

ECONOMY & EDUCATION

Public Sector Economy: Smart Cities

To address the mounting and intersectional problems of economic unfairness and environmental destruction, we will create a public sector economy: Smart Cities.

Objectives:

Develop renewable energy sources, pioneer sustainable practices and upgrade infrastructure to support the new economy.

Ignite innovation, cultivate new industries and build high-quality products and services.

Generate profit and distribute income and benefits.

Prepare our people for future jobs.

Governed by an independent Board of Directors democratically selected by the People, Smart Cities will be an intercity confederation of enterprises that offers a public option for everything, constructs public infrastructure, and generates profit to fund public benefits, including universal care, housing, income and education.

The Smart Cities platform will consist of three parts:

Blockchain: a decentralized digital architecture, the Smart Cities Blockchain.

a decentralized digital architecture, the Smart Cities Blockchain. Currency: a proprietary digital currency, Americoin.

a proprietary digital currency, Americoin. Enterprises: a confederation of companies, USA Enterprises.

Smart Cities Blockchain

The Smart Cities Blockchain will be a secure, scalable, and reliable blockchain that will serve as the digital infrastructure for the Smart Cities platform, and the foundation for Americoin, our proprietary cryptocurrency. Products and services from USA Enterprises will be architected for privacy and security using the Smart Cities Blockchain.

Americoin

Americoin will be a cryptocurrency built on the Smart Cities blockchain. Designed for security, simplicity and flexibility, it will support the Smart Cities ecosystem with financial infrastructure and enable dynamic applications. Americoin will serve three purposes:

currency of USA Enterprises and a method of payment and smart contracts at participating third-party merchants.

funding mechanism for our initial launch and ongoing development and infrastructure projects.

distribution vehicle for universal basic income (USA Income) and other public benefits.

USA Enterprises

USA Enterprises will be a confederation of enterprises that will develop green infrastructure, generate profit through the sale of goods and services, and fund public benefits. Our companies will function collectively to holistically address our economic and environmental challenges and ensure that the fruits of labor automation are produced sustainably and distributed equitably.

USA Labs: technology products and services. USA Labs will be the research and development arm of Smart Cities. It will be responsible for pioneering and commercializing new tools and technologies, including electronics, digital media, communications, information systems, transportation and smart city infrastructure. Built on the Smart Cities Blockchain, USA Go will serve as a universal digital identity and portal to the Smart Cities ecosystem of products and services, including a social network, email and communications platform, operating system, data/content locker, digital wallet, user-generated content platform, mapping and navigation program, streaming channel and search engine. Our early-stage science research organization, USA Research, will seed the innovation pipeline with new intellectual property and facilitate productization across economic sectors, in areas like renewable energy, sustainable materials and industrial practices, wireless power, on-demand manufacturing, urban and regenerative farming, clean meat and food production, artificial intelligence, sensors, internet of things, robotics, drones, quantum computing, cybersecurity, biotechnology, neural interface, sound, hemp, cannabinoids, psychedelics, virtual and mixed reality, spatial computing, high-speed transit, autonomous vehicles and urban mobility, satellites, and sea and space exploration.

USA Labs will be the research and development arm of Smart Cities. It will be responsible for pioneering and commercializing new tools and technologies, including electronics, digital media, communications, information systems, transportation and smart city infrastructure. Built on the Smart Cities Blockchain, USA Go will serve as a universal digital identity and portal to the Smart Cities ecosystem of products and services, including a social network, email and communications platform, operating system, data/content locker, digital wallet, user-generated content platform, mapping and navigation program, streaming channel and search engine. Our early-stage science research organization, USA Research, will seed the innovation pipeline with new intellectual property and facilitate productization across economic sectors, in areas like renewable energy, sustainable materials and industrial practices, wireless power, on-demand manufacturing, urban and regenerative farming, clean meat and food production, artificial intelligence, sensors, internet of things, robotics, drones, quantum computing, cybersecurity, biotechnology, neural interface, sound, hemp, cannabinoids, psychedelics, virtual and mixed reality, spatial computing, high-speed transit, autonomous vehicles and urban mobility, satellites, and sea and space exploration. USA Markets: online and offline commerce. USA Markets will manufacture, distribute, sell and deliver all products and services, including electronics, home goods, gardening tools, office supplies, clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, pet supplies, sporting goods, beauty and health products, travel and tourism, and food and grocery items. It will comprise online markets via USA Go and offline commerce with physical shops, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, theaters and entertainment and recreation venues. Our urban agriculture initiative, USA Farms, will develop city-based farms using vertical farming and hydroponic techniques.

USA Markets will manufacture, distribute, sell and deliver all products and services, including electronics, home goods, gardening tools, office supplies, clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, pet supplies, sporting goods, beauty and health products, travel and tourism, and food and grocery items. It will comprise online markets via USA Go and offline commerce with physical shops, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, theaters and entertainment and recreation venues. Our urban agriculture initiative, USA Farms, will develop city-based farms using vertical farming and hydroponic techniques. USA Studios: art, culture and entertainment. USA Studios will produce art, culture and entertainment, including photography, design, fashion, art, architecture, dance, theater, performances, movies, television, music, radio, books, magazines, games, interactive media, augmented and virtual reality, sports, esports, recreation, events, museums, science centers, experiences, location-based entertainment and theme parks.

USA Studios will produce art, culture and entertainment, including photography, design, fashion, art, architecture, dance, theater, performances, movies, television, music, radio, books, magazines, games, interactive media, augmented and virtual reality, sports, esports, recreation, events, museums, science centers, experiences, location-based entertainment and theme parks. USA Works: resources, infrastructure and city services. USA Works will be the resources, energy, transportation and infrastructure arm of Smart Cities, responsible for developing and maintaining all public works projects in and between cities. USA Energy will construct new solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources and a smart electric grid. USA Ways will develop new transportation infrastructure, including high-speed passenger and cargo hyperloop, rail and autonomous vehicle super-highways, ports, airports, heliports, spaceports, nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and USA Rides, a point-to-point transit service using a network of driverless vehicles. USA Works will retrofit and upgrade existing cities’ infrastructure with smart and green technologies, including roads, buildings, transit and delivery systems, hospitals, parks, recreation facilities, schools, libraries, cultural venues, arenas and stadiums, and services like broadband, water, waste management, plumbing, power, snow plowing, street cleaning and sanitation. And it will create new 100% green cities, like CityAmerica, which will be a prototype smart city at the heart of the United States mainland. USA Nature will be responsible for land maintenance and resource management, including clean mining, soil recarbonization and reforestation.

USA Works will be the resources, energy, transportation and infrastructure arm of Smart Cities, responsible for developing and maintaining all public works projects in and between cities. USA Energy will construct new solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources and a smart electric grid. USA Ways will develop new transportation infrastructure, including high-speed passenger and cargo hyperloop, rail and autonomous vehicle super-highways, ports, airports, heliports, spaceports, nationwide electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and USA Rides, a point-to-point transit service using a network of driverless vehicles. USA Works will retrofit and upgrade existing cities’ infrastructure with smart and green technologies, including roads, buildings, transit and delivery systems, hospitals, parks, recreation facilities, schools, libraries, cultural venues, arenas and stadiums, and services like broadband, water, waste management, plumbing, power, snow plowing, street cleaning and sanitation. And it will create new 100% green cities, like CityAmerica, which will be a prototype smart city at the heart of the United States mainland. USA Nature will be responsible for land maintenance and resource management, including clean mining, soil recarbonization and reforestation. USA Care: comprehensive care. USA Care will offer high quality personalized care, including USA Health for healthcare (including dental and vision), USA Happy for mental health and wellness services, and USA Life for rehabilitation. It will also offer child care, senior care and emergency care.

USA Care will offer high quality personalized care, including USA Health for healthcare (including dental and vision), USA Happy for mental health and wellness services, and USA Life for rehabilitation. It will also offer child care, senior care and emergency care. USA Homes: housing and campuses. USA Homes will create and manage smart home campuses, offering free and affordable modular housing units with integrated amenities, including performative parks, gardens, farms, co-working spaces, entertainment, recreation facilities, and protection, safety and wellness services.

USA Homes will create and manage smart home campuses, offering free and affordable modular housing units with integrated amenities, including performative parks, gardens, farms, co-working spaces, entertainment, recreation facilities, and protection, safety and wellness services. USA Talent: education and training. USA Talent will offer end-to-end education services, including early development, pre-K to 12, vocational training and special education, and facilitate open access to information, technology and skills training programs. It will focus on preparing people for jobs of the future, and will offer five development tracks in the areas of food, entertainment, technology, care and home, collectively the FETCH economy. Schools will be equipped with collaborative workspaces, state-of-the-art technology and creative sandboxes, and libraries will be transformed into learning laboratories that feature modern tools and resources like 3D printers and virtual reality simulators. We will integrate learning activities into public spaces and community programming, and provide parents with additional support and resources to create more effective at-home learning environments, including an online learning platform. Apprenticeships and real-world learning opportunities will be seamlessly woven into USA Enterprises.

#DreamAgain

We will seed and empower a global cultural renaissance, the #DreamAgain movement.

RESOURCES & INFRASTRUCTURE

Sustainability

The introduction and implementation of new automation technologies affords us an opportunity to modernize our infrastructure and redesign our business practices around energy efficiency, climate and community resiliency, and environmental sustainability. Through Smart Cities, we will launch and scale an end-to-end green economy and, in doing so, facilitate adoption by the rest of the private sector.

Harness free natural energy. We will develop renewable energy sources (like rooftop solar, wind and geothermal), storage and distribution. We will end coal, oil, gas and nuclear developments. We will end fossil fuel subsidies and use a carbon tax to incentivize the adoption of green energy. We will ban domestic oil drilling and fracking, which releases more greenhouse gases than coal due to its methane content.

We will develop renewable energy sources (like rooftop solar, wind and geothermal), storage and distribution. We will end coal, oil, gas and nuclear developments. We will end fossil fuel subsidies and use a carbon tax to incentivize the adoption of green energy. We will ban domestic oil drilling and fracking, which releases more greenhouse gases than coal due to its methane content. Reengineer green infrastructure. We will build energy efficient and environment-friendly technology, materials and processes. We will promote energy-efficient building codes, net metering and ambitious renewable portfolio standards. We will expand and improve public transportation and high-speed rail to make commuting faster and cheaper, take cars off the road and reduce vehicle pollution.

We will build energy efficient and environment-friendly technology, materials and processes. We will promote energy-efficient building codes, net metering and ambitious renewable portfolio standards. We will expand and improve public transportation and high-speed rail to make commuting faster and cheaper, take cars off the road and reduce vehicle pollution. Cultivate local ecosystems. We will create neighborhood economies that facilitate local sourcing, manufacturing and distribution. We will replenish and preserve natural resources. We will raise clean air and clean water standards to save thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in annual medical costs. We will preserve public lands and prevent resource exploitation in national parks such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We will reduce deforestation and desertification.

Food and Farming

Food production is entirely reliant on the health of the natural environment. The federal government has a key role to play in working with the states to promote the sustainable production of food, to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to reduce food waste. Keeping control of farm and ranch land in the hands of family-run proprietorships leads to fair and competitive agricultural markets, which in turn support healthy socioeconomic conditions in rural communities.

We will encourage local food production and sustainable farming practices. We will eliminate food deserts and ensure the universal availability of nutritious food to everyone. We will ban the use of carcinogenic food colorings, additives and hormones. We will eliminate agricultural subsidies that amount to corporate welfare for big agribusiness.

We will promote vertical farming, which eliminates the need for fertilizers, pesticides and the expensive and polluting transportation of food to cities. Vertical farming also frees up agricultural lands, eliminates toxic runoff and water contamination, and protects pollinators.

We will promote new farmers and farming opportunities, high-level farm conservation and investment in clean energy and renewable products. We will encourage equitable access to healthy, preferably organic food, protect the bee population by cutting down on pesticides, develop strategies to address climate change and its effect on farming, and provide for improved care and welfare of animals. We will encourage crop rotation and other practices that avoid the desertification of arable lands.

Infrastructure

We will provide federal support to Smart Cities’ infrastructure arm, USA Works, to repair, upgrade and create America’s infrastructure. We will fix our crumbling roads, bridges, airports, dams, harbors and waterways. We will modernize the electrical grid for a renewable energy future.

We will repair our aging and leaking drinking water pipes, meters and wastewater treatment plants. We will expand bus lines, subway systems, high speed rail and other means of public transportation. We will reduce public transit fares to broaden access and take more cars off the road. We will classify the internet as a public utility and bring the country online with universal high-speed community broadband that covers rural communities.

We will ensure swift federal disaster relief and recovery to cities, states and territories struck by natural disasters. Citizens of the richest country on earth should not have to languish for months on end without basic necessities like the thousands in Puerto Rico who continue to suffer the loss of electricity following Hurricane Maria.

CityAmerica

CityAmerica, one of USA Works’ marquee projects, will be a prototype city of the future: a living urban laboratory, built from the ground up to incubate and scale new technologies and infrastructure. It will also be where we pilot test our free programs and services, like USA Care, USA Homes, USA Income and USA Talent. Every aspect of CityAmerica will be designed for resident happiness and each component will be custom engineered with automation technologies for efficiency and sustainability.

Located at the geographic heart of the mainland, it will be the headquarters for the Smart Cities confederation, home to 15 million people (with ten million affordable housing units), and a hub for our next-generation transit system, USA Ways, linking all cities by high-speed transit by 2030. Part of a $25 trillion infrastructure project, USA Ways will include a network of tunnels, tubes, railways and highways, and be designed for safety, reliability and speed, enabling intercity commutes of under five hours for over 80% of the United States population.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Smart Cities International

The Smart Cities plan scales to the rest of the world. We will make our technology and the Smart Cities Blockchain available to other nations, cities and territories to reconfigure their own economies around fairness and sustainability. Global adoption of a single technology platform offers additional advantages of improved security, efficiency and reliability.

Flexible Immigration

We will create a swift pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in America. We will pass the Dream Act and naturalize all undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. We will expand DACA and DAPA. We will dismantle inhumane deportation programs and detention centers.

We will protect refugees who come to America and their right to return from trips abroad. Refugee crises in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas can be traced back to wars and organized crime stemming from U.S. foreign policy. We will stop the wars in the Middle East and North Africa that have destabilized countries such as Syria and Libya, destroying their infrastructure and forcing millions to leave their homes in desperation. We will end the drug war which exports cartel violence and corruption to Latin American countries, forcing many to flee to the U.S.

Free and Fair Trade

Global economic collaboration means an open exchange of ideas, goods and services, with mutual respect for local ecosystems and the cost of resource displacement and asset distribution. We will embrace free and fair trade and reduce tariffs to the greatest degree possible.

Clean Environment

Given the delicate balance of nature’s equilibrium and its global implications, carbon emissions should be governed by an international council. We will implement a comprehensive climate resilience plan: smart policies that regulate carbon emissions and protect our environment, construction of new infrastructure to deal with the immediate threats posed by natural disasters, development of renewable sources of energy, adoption of environment-friendly materials and waste product, investments in research and new technologies that enable us to reverse the damage and depletion that has already been done, and public awareness that drives sustainable change in behavior.

Open Space

Space exploration, research and development should be approached on a global and collaborative basis with respect for the Earth’s resources and the natural ecosystem to which they belong. Any permanent removal of resources from Earth should be subject to international approval. We will create an international space council to govern space exploration and colonization.

Peaceful Global Community

We will end wars of aggression, preemptive wars and regime change. We will close Guantanamo and return it to Cuba. We will prosecute officials who committed torture in violation of the Geneva Convention. We will return habeas corpus and due process.

Whistleblowers have revealed that the overwhelming proportion of U.S. drone victims are civilians. We will stop invading sovereign airspace with drones. We will ban the use of automated military weapons including automated drones. We will halt the arms race on autonomous weapons by negotiating an international treaty banning their development and use as we did with chemical and laser weapons.

Climate change is already creating resource conflicts and refugee crises, which is why the Pentagon has identified it as a threat multiplier. We will lead the international community in addressing climate change with our climate resilience plan.

We will support a two-state solution that recognizes Palestine’s right to exist with self-determination and governance.

We will cut off military aid to countries that violate human rights and international law. We will stop propping up unelected regimes abroad and meddling in foreign elections.

A series of audits have found that the Defense Department can’t account for several trillion dollars in taxpayer money. There is also no elected oversight over parts of the black budget. We will end the complete lack of transparency and accountability at the Defense Department. We will restore congressional authority over the Defense programs and the budget. We will account for the trillions in missing funds.

While the Constitutional authority to declare war legally rests with Congress, the executive branch has effectively seized that power. We will enforce the War Powers Act and restore that authority to Congress. We will require Congress to vote on a formal declaration of war before funding can be allocated. We will repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which the executive branch has treated as a blank check for endless war. We will ban the use of overly-broad, ill-defined and indefinite AUMFs that place no constraints on the executive branch’s ability to wage war. War should not be a business. It should only be waged defensively and as a last resort, after all diplomatic options have been exhausted. We will pursue diplomatic solutions with North Korea and Iran and halt efforts to destabilize Venezuela. We will de-escalate tensions and proxy-wars with Russia and resume bilateral nuclear stockpile reductions. We will join the global community in working towards a nuclear-free world.

We will restore international goodwill, confidence and moral authority in the U.S. by ending world hunger and extreme poverty. We will strengthen and enforce the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Puerto Rico and District of Columbia Statehood

We will welcome Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. to the Union and provide their residents with all the benefits of statehood.

ORGANIZATION & GOVERNANCE

National Mission Statement

While respecting and protecting individual liberties, we all share a collective mission: to pursue happiness, advance knowledge and achieve adventure. It’s what led to the discovery and formation of our country. And it’s why we will facilitate and invest in science research, space exploration and eventually space colonization. We will put a person on Mars by 2030.

Taxes & Regulation

With Smart Cities’ delivery of public benefits and infrastructure, automation of government services, and a reduction in war and other expenses, we can afford to begin the gradual elimination of the taxation system. To the greatest degree possible, we will reduce taxes, beginning with zero tax for anyone earning under $130,000 and zero corporate tax.

And with the assistance of artificial intelligence, we will purge many outdated laws and regulations that currently stifle economic growth and obstruct personal freedom. We will instead apply regulatory frameworks that drive innovation and create a fair playing field for each industry.

Executive Branch Structure

We will restructure the executive branch of government to streamline operations. The President will have six direct-reports, in addition to the Vice President: Resources and Infrastructure (which includes Food and Agriculture, Energy and Climate, the Interior, and Transportation), Economy and Education (which includes Commerce, the Treasury, Labor and Automation, and Education), Human Capital (which includes Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human services, Veteran Affairs and Justice), Homeland Security, State, and Defense.

Senate Structure

We also propose restructuring the Senate to consist of age-based representation and issues-based roles.

Our world today is more complex and interconnected than when our nation was founded. As such, the complexity of the issues we face requires a depth of knowledge specific to individual issues. The Senate is an outdated electoral vehicle and should be replaced with age-based and issues-specific representation (three Senators per cohort for a total of 48 Senators).

Automation of Government Services

We will invest in artificial intelligence and automation technologies to make government operations more efficient and effective.

Expanding the Supreme Court

We will support the expansion of the Supreme Court.

Secure, Fair and Transparent Elections

A free and fair election system will yield the best results. To elevate the best ideas in politics, we must remove the need for fundraising, which means we must eliminate the need for capital. To do so, we will:

change our election laws and cut out administrative hurdles that necessitate campaign spending.

reform our campaign finance system and eliminate fundraising threshold requirements to participate in debates.

remove the cost of campaigning by developing a public media platform and digital forum, thereby enabling all candidates equal opportunity to share their plans and communicate directly with voters.

We will switch from first-past-the-post to ranked choice voting, and from single-member districts to multi-member districts. We will enact automatic voter registration and open primaries. We will make election day a national holiday and allow early voting by mail. We will do away with the archaic electoral college, which distorts the weight of people’s votes. We will abolish gerrymandering and use independent commissions to draw districts to favor competitiveness.

We will lower ballot access requirements for independent candidates and parties and equalize the requirements for all parties. We will switch from our patchwork of state and local election and ballot access rules to national standards that promote access, fairness and competitiveness.

We will restore integrity and trust in our democracy by switching to hand-counted paper ballots with routine post-election audits. We will mandate the retention of paper ballots and scanned ballot images. We will require that all election hardware and software be open source and secure. We will hold election officials and processes accountable.

We will ensure that all precincts are equipped with ample polling stations to handle capacity without long lines. We will end voter ID provisions, often used to suppress the vote in communities of color. We will halt voter roll purges and interstate cross-check programs, which exist to combat the statistically non-existent issue of voter fraud and end up disenfranchising thousands of honest voters. We will implement a systematic exit polling system to monitor the vote according to U.N. guidelines.

We will prohibit politicians from fundraising during working hours. We will strengthen the definition of a lobbyist and eliminate other lobbyist loopholes. We will strengthen enforcement at the Federal Elections Commission.

Presidential debates are presently hosted by a private corporation owned by the Democrats and Republicans. The establishment parties work together to block independent and third party candidates from the debate stage and prevent Americans from learning about political alternatives. We will return the management of presidential debates to a nonpartisan independent commission and invite all candidates that get on enough state ballots to be able to win the presidency.

Collective Freedom

Individuals come together to form communities — towns, cities and other forms of social organization with shared resources and infrastructure. We aim to empower these communities to self-govern on a localized basis.

Cities are increasingly complex systems capable of independent governance. We will advocate for big cities to declare independence from their respective states and function as city-states with proportional representation in federal government.

Constitutional Convention

The nation’s 250th anniversary, July 4th, 2026, is an opportune time to re-draft our nation’s Constitution: to update in today’s language, integrate amendments, remove outdated references, reframe our social contract and redesign our systems for the modern age.

A constitutional convention requires approval by two-thirds of both Houses or two-thirds of the state legislatures.

NEXT STEPS

Launch Smart Cities to build a public sector economy.

Evangelize the Smart Nation platform and run for President in 2024.

Hold a constitutional convention in 2026.

CONCLUSION

Automation allows us to redesign our systems and institute a new bill of rights, which constitutes freedom in the modern age as well as an investment in our labor force, our nation’s greatest asset. We will guarantee care, housing, income, education and freedom to every individual.

We aim to create a global human civilization, just and sustainable, undivided by nations and states, and united in our values —compassion and respect for the autonomy of each individual. In doing so, we hope to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, in which human creativity and enlightenment will reach new heights.