Welcome to the STC.
Below is a summary of an approach to social transformation which I map out in a book entitled Allsville Emerging ( http://sbpra.com/DarrellMoneyhon ). The underlined sections of each bullet point are links to pertinent excerpts from the book.
I share the summary of the Allsville Approach in hopes that it will be a springboard for a broader and more thorough discussion of social transformation approaches. Making a list of many different strategies would be a good next step. I need your own offerings (social innovations, plans, ideas) to make this "consortium" more than a one man band. To submit new approaches, and/or feedback about the Allsville Approach, participate here:
Social Transformation Consortium (Discussion Zone)
or email me (see sidebar). Together, we can create some workable synergy.
I misspoke about this being a one man band. I have had some "musical accompaniment" from another author. Roger Rothenberger offers a different, but complementary, approach to social transformation. In his book, Beyond Plutocracy, Roger proposes that we add fourth branch of governement, in which we directly vote online on a limited slate of issues (mostly economic). He calls this fourth branch "the Demos." So I will add Roger's Rothernberger's ("demos") Approach" to our list. See link below in order to read Roger's summary of his approach. For a more thorough look his approach, here is a link to Roger's website where Roger's book, Beyond Plutocracy, is available for reading (Home).
Add Brian Assam's ideas about social transformation to the symphony we are composing here. See a brief description of his approach below (third on the list here). Placed on our list 11/07/2011.
Thanks, Darrell
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darrell Moneyhon's ("Allsville") Approach
• using model communities as socio-political experiments , from which we gradually learn
to do government, or "us," better
• enacting a democratic and deliberative process to collectively engineer a healthy culture
• maintaining a priority of developing human virtues in general
• forming and using systems which maximize the development and utilization of human gifts
(each person's unique aptitudes and dispositions) in particular
• consenting upon, and practicing, spiritual principles in common with all faith traditions
and secular expressions of spirituality
• creating and using an integrated system (utilizing pooled resources and organized into an "indigenous corporation") for developing an optimal
lifestyle service
• placing our lifestyle service (as provided in our intentional communities) on the global
market
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use link below to read Roger Rothenberger's summary of his Approach to Social Transformation. Also, below the link is a bullet point presentation which Roger and I prepared. I thought it might be helpful to standardize, as much as possible, the format of the various "approaches."
Roger Rothenberger’s Approach to Social Transformation (bullet point version)
· Rothenberger contends that America is not really a democracy but a plutocracy dominated by a powerful,
wealthy minority that uses our market economy and government to serve itself first and best, much to the detriment
of the rest of the populace.
· He uses a national approach to correct the problem by partially redesigning the American government by adding a
new direct democracy branch called the demos.
· Some powers are moved from current branches into the demos. The demos has limited powers balanced with the
limited powers of the currently existing branches.
· The demos has a nationwide electronic voting system in which all of-age, able citizens deliberate, vote and
achieve consensus on a fixed set of 12 issues: 3 electoral issues and 9 economic issues of central importance to
our nation.
· Voting on the 12 demos issues is a civic duty. Participating in demos deliberations is optional.
· The demos practices a new kind of democracy called consensus democracy that achieves the consensus of the
entire electorate, unlike majority-rule democracy which only achieves the consensus of the simple majority.
· Unlike today’s periodic voting, demos voting is ongoing. Each voter has a lifelong vote riding on each demos
economic and electoral issue that the voter may change at any time.
· The 9 economic issues contain no math. The voter simply selects green to increase a value, yellow to keep it as is,
or red to decrease it.
· The demos has the sole power to tax. It sets the size and distribution of the tax burden. The tax system is vastly
simplified. There are only 3 sources of tax revenue: a tax on corporations and businesses, a personal income tax,
and an inheritance tax. There are no exemptions of any kind.
· In the demos electoral system all periodic elections including all primaries, all state electoral district systems and
the Electoral College are eliminated. The president and all 100 senators are elected from the nation at-large by
direct popular vote. Representatives to the house are elected from states at-large.
· In the ongoing, at-large, free electoral process, any number of people may run for office. The top person in the
always existing national presidential Candidates list, the top 100 people in the senate’s national list, and the top
people in each state’s house list (according to the state’s allotment of house seats) are currently seated in office.
One stays on the list even while in office and, after an initial protected period, stays in office until a given term is up
or he gets bumped by someone that wins a higher rank in the office’s list over time.
· Voters don’t get stuck voting for “lesser evils” from a short list financed and therefore preselected by the wealthy as
is done today. For the simple reason that people get to vote for whom they really want, the demos electoral process
automatically results in a senate and house that demographically resembles the entire electorate in body, mind,
interests and pocketbook and that truly serves the entire electorate as it writes laws for the market economy and
· Thus, our government is rendered inclusive, honest, just and functional, and the market economy is made
Brian Assam's ("Social Synthesis") Approach to Social Transformation
(click onto title above for a longer written version of Brian's Ideas regarding his approach)
• Humanity's "true" economy is based upon the supply and demand of knowledge and information as it applies
to the values and needs of individuals and society.
• Monetize this, and you have a perfect transcend and include model that is self-organizational, holistic, and
acts for the betterment of the whole.
• Call it what you may, its the goal of the Internet.