These ideas came from an outline that was created in January 1995. What can I say. I was compelled by spirit to express. There was no specific forethought or planning for the briefing. It came through essentially as stream of consciousness in about a 3-4 hour unbroken period of time.

TO PROMOTE THE COMMON WELFARE OF SOCIETY.

• To secure peace within the country and to actively promote peace throughout the world.

• To provide for the education of the society.

• To provide legislation of the economy to ensure that the economy provides the greatest service possible to the people.
  • In particular, to assure that the economy provides full employment and that it provides the goods and services required to meet the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of the people.

• To provide for the general safety and security of the society.

• To provide basic infrastructures such as roads and bridges for transportation; and stadiums, parks, and other structures for recreation or other public use.

• To provide basic services where it is either required or most efficient that a single supplier provide the service.

TO WORK TOWARD ACHIEVING A NEW WORLD ORDER.

• To promote peace, freedom, and harmony throughout the world.

• To lead in addressing global environmental issues.

• To assist in addressing economic inequalities between nations.

• To free the world from the risk of nuclear war.

• To work toward a true United Nations, one that is united at least to the degree that our states are united in the United States.

TO REGULATE TRADE WITH OTHER NATIONS AND TO ASSURE THAT SUCH AGREEMENTS RESULT IN WIN/WIN SCENARIOS.

• Here, it is important to really evaluate all the factors involved to ensure that the result is truly Win/Win.

• It is not enough that each side thinks it has won!

SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE US.

• Legislative
  • Enact laws necessary to support the common welfare.

  • Repeal laws found not to support the common welfare.

  • Levy taxes required to fund the government and it's programs.

• Judicial
  • Ensure that justice prevails across the land through the courts.

  • Ensure that neither the Legislative nor the Executive exceed powers granted by the Constitution and the Law of the Land.

• Executive
  • Ensure that the laws of the land, including all government programs are carried out effectively.

  • Establish friendly relations with other nations where possible, and make treaties appropriate to address world issues and problems.

  • Act as "Commander in Chief" of the armed forces of the country, only employing such forces where necessary and then only to secure peace.

DEFENSE

• This should be reduced to an essential minimum.
  • We live in a world where there are no longer two superpowers.

  • Our strategy and our funding must be revised to reflect this.

• It is not clear that the present means of choosing and funding new programs is done in a manner that truly serves society.
  • Consideration should be made as to who should be involved in such decisions.

  • Our levels of security and compartmentalization of information are a big problem in this area, contributing greatly to high costs.

WELFARE

• No one in the country should be living at or below the poverty level.
  • Welfare must provide the net to ensure that this doesn't happen, period.

• The fix to this is to ensure that the economy provides jobs with sufficient income to everyone.

EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION

• Provide everyone with the education they need to function most effectively in society.

• Provide everyone with the access to information that they need to function most effectively in society.
  • This could initially be via suitable facilities in schools and libraries.

  • It should also extend to the workplace and the home.

POLICE AND JAILS

• Provide for the physical security of people from one another.

• Enforce the laws of the land, using force as required.
  • Search out, catch, and detain those individuals who break the laws.

• Carry out sentences imposed by the courts.
  • Run the prisons, rehabilitating prisoners to the degree practical.

COURTS, ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND PROSECUTORS

• Pass judgment in civil and criminal cases.

• Conduct prosecution in criminal cases.

• Conduct the defense in cases where the defendant cannot afford it.

VARIOUS BUREAUS AND DEPARTMENTS

• Department of Transportation

• Bureau of Weights, Measures, and Standards

• City Planners
  • Building permits, building codes, inspection & enforcement.

  • Public transportation.

• Department of Commerce.
  • Business permits, quality assurance, and fair trade.

BASIC RESEARCH

• NASA: Space Program and related technologies.

• Medical and biological research.

• Information technology.

• Other enabling long-term research that the private sector will not fund yet has overall public value.

NATIONAL PARKS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

• Preserve and protect our most beautiful scenic wonders.

• Enact and enforce legislation to prevent further damage to the environment and to correct the problems caused in the past.

• Bureau of Land Management retains the bulk of the land in this country for the use of the entire society.
  • It is not clear that grazing rights, mineral rights, water rights, and lumber rights have been managed in a manner that best serves the society.

  • Companies have gotten far too good of a deal in many cases.

GOVERNMENT IS TOO LARGE.

• Too many agencies, too many bureaucrats.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING IS TOO HIGH.

• National debt is too high.

• Still operating under a large budget deficit each year.

• Taxes are too high (on average approximately 40%).

GOVERNMENT IS INFRINGING ON TOO MANY FREEDOMS.

GOVERNMENT CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE.

• Too many PACs and special interest groups get in the way.

• Most representatives are lawyers; the least trusted group in America.

GOVERNMENT IS TOO LARGE.

• Given the purpose of government described earlier, if anything, the government is not large enough.
  • There are many services that society requires that the economic system is not structured to support. These the society can provide better for itself.

  • The government is presently the only organization set up to provide common services for society as a whole.

• When we look at the size of government, we need to consider the services that it is providing. The bulk of government either directly provides services or administers that contracts in which private companies provide goods and services for the society.

• In the open market, individual gain and individual greed are key factors which impact the ability for society to get maximum value.
  • When operating properly, the government as the servant of society does not have this fatal flaw.

  • However, when the PACs and Captains of Industry are allowed to use large sums of money to influence decisions and legislation, we all lose.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING IS TOO HIGH.

• How do we really know this?
  • What does it truly cost to educate someone?
  • What does it truly cost for national defense?
  • What government programs are really needed and which are wasteful?
  • What level of aid should we give to foreign countries?
  • What level of welfare should we provide to our own people?

• When we examine the national debt per capita vs the per capita share of resources in this country, is it really that bad?
  • Most of us have personal debt ratios that are far worse than this!

  • Yes, we have to pay interest every month on this debt. However, it is at rates that are lower than we pay for house mortgages.

• The deficit is another matter. If we know that we are using the extra money to do something important enough to incur added debt, that is one thing. However, if this is not the case, the bottom line is that the budget must be balanced -- cut spending or increase taxes.

TAXES TOO HIGH (APPROX 40%)

• Prior to WWI this was 10%, after WWI 20%. After WWII, it jumped to 30%, and after Korea to 40%.

• During that same time the quality of life in this country improved immeasurably in nearly all aspects.
  • The variety and quality of goods and services increased dramatically.

  • Automobiles, planes, electrical appliances, robots, computers and a host of other inventions have completely changed our lives.

  • The period after WWII was a time of prosperity following the long severe depression of the 30's.

  • The period after Korea was during the height of the Cold War era requiring heavy expenditures for defense. In addition, the prosperity continued to grow.

• The 40% figure is highly inflated due to the way deductions are allowed for various things.
  • Were the federal government to go with a flat tax rate of 15% or so, this figure would drop from 40% to approximately 25%.

GOVERNMENT IS INFRINGING ON TOO MANY FREEDOMS.

• If the right to own assault weapons is a "freedom" we've gone way overboard in this country.

• The freedom to privacy is an interesting issue as well. Does this extend to protecting criminal activity? Or, is it in the best interest of society for the government (as society's agent) to have an effective means for carrying out its duties and responsibilities?

• This is really an issue of the group versus the individual.
  • For most of our history, we have operated as a loose collection of individuals.

  • Sports teams, military units, and to some degree companies are exceptions.

  • Many of our deepest social problems arise from this crucial issue. Are we a society that focuses on the needs of society while it acknowledges and respects individuals, or are we simply a collection of individuals out to meet our own needs while expecting others to do the same?

  • We've reached a point in time where the power of collective focus is the only real way of addressing all of society's needs. Most individuals simply do not have the time or information needed to do this effectively in a complex world.

GOVERNMENT CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

• This is our problem, we elected them. Further, we stand by and allow the system to work as it does without doing anything.
  • There is nothing that says legislators have to be lawyers.

  • If our political parties fail to give us better choices, it's time to leave them and find independent candidates.

• We need to get the PACs out of Washington DC and out of the reach of our representatives.
  • No company or PAC should be able to contribute toany candidate.

  • No individual should be able to contribute more than $100 to any candidate.

• We need a better way of knowing where candidates stand and whether they are qualified for a position or office.
  • One way to do this might be to have each candidate generate a 60 minute video that explains: what qualifications are required for the position; why I am qualified; what key issues/ problems must be addressed; and my position on those issues/ problems.

ACTUALLY, GOVERNMENT CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

• This perception is correct given the way that the system is set up to run today. There is simply too much potential for corruption, and the extremely high cost of running for office almost forces moral compromises to be made.
  • Yes, these reflect greatly on the integrity of individuals that are involved in politics. However, with the way society is presently structured we've put these people into the lion's den where the stakes are incredibly high; especially to private industry, where slight changes or exceptions in legislation can literally amount to fortunes.

• Without tough campaign reform, running the PACs out of town, and treating such dealings with companies or industries as major criminal offenses both for the government and corporate officials involved -- there is not much that can be done to fix this.
  • The bottom line is that we can't let private corporations dictate policy to the government (the servant of the people) or to We The People.

  • These corporations should be our servants as well, not just the servants of the owners and shareholders. They owe us this for having access to our market.

DEFICIT SPENDING CANNOT CONTINUE.

• Must balance the budget either by reducing spending or increasing revenue from taxes.
  • Increasing tax revenue can come via an overall tax increase or via targeted cuts in deductions for individuals and/or for corporations.

  • The bottom line is that the bulk of the people (primarily the middle class) pay for most of this anyway either directly in taxes or indirectly in the prices of goods and services.

• The only exception should be for deliberate long-term investment in infrastructure improvement.

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING.

• We're paying more and more, yet the kids are learning less and less.

• Must reevaluate what we expect from education in this day and age.

• Must revamp the system as required to provide what is needed.

CRIME RATE IS TOO HIGH. SOCIETY DOESN'T FEEL SAFE.

• Recent crime bill addresses some of this.

• Lack of moral responsibility is a major contributing factor.
  • This is a failure of our families and our religious organizations.

  • However, it has become such a major problem that it may be time for the government (again, as the representative of society) to get involved.

• Cost of prisons and of law enforcement are high as well.
  • Need to come up with alternatives that require fewer resources. It shouldn't cost $30,000 per year to lock someone up -- that's over three times the yearly minimum wage.

  • Need to reconsider issues of what civil liberties prisoners are entitled to?

• Gangs are a problem in most cities, even in small cities.
  • Here we need alternative outlets that allow the energies of these people to be used constructively rather than destructively.

TOO MUCH LITIGATION IS TYING UP THE COURTS.

• Need to reduce the amount of litigation.
  • Force party filing suit to pay defense cost if they lose the suit.

  • Get lawyers out of the process when they don't need to be there. Allow the two sides to plainly state their case before a judge or arbitrator and decide the matter swiftly.

  • Get people accustomed to working out their differences amicably again.

• Force loosing party to pay all court costs.

• Establish strict rules on what constitutes a reasonable suit.

Current rules make it tough for justice to prevail.

• Consider amendment to repeal part of 5th amendment relating to right to refuse to testify on grounds of incriminating oneself.
  • The bottom line is that justice must be based on truth. Society should permit whatever means is most expeditious to getting to that truth. (barring cruel and inhumane treatment, of course).

• Consider use of drugs (truth serum) and lie detectors to get to truth.
  • Or any other means that is reasonably reliable.

  • At the very least these should be elective on the part of the accused and might result in a quick acquittal, saving time and possibly preventing innocent people from being incarcerated awaiting trial, or worst yet convicted on circumstantial evidence as the guy from Canada who spent 10 years in prison until analysis of DNA evidence proved that he was not guilty.

• Criminals will probably not elect these techniques. Neither may others who fear that a false result might occur because they are nervous.

POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, AND WELFARE.

• Kids don't have any choice. They should not be hungry, or uncared for in any manner, period. Further, if they are in abusive homes, they must be removed immediately and placed where they can get proper care.
  • As a society, we owe this to all of our children -- no exceptions.

  • This means we must have appropriate places, families, or organizations that can provide this care when and where needed.

• No individual or family should be below the poverty level.
  • The poverty level is that level required to just meet basic subsistence needs.

  • Allowing people to live below this sanctions unnecessary suffering.

  • We have more than enough abundance to ensure that every member of society lives at a level above basic subsistence.

  • Where possible, we should expect the individual or family to make some beneficial contribution to society for this support -- possibly in the form of some type of community service.

• There should be no homeless in society, unless they choose to be so. Even then, one must wonder about their mental health.
  • It doesn't take a lot to constitute a home. A small room with a bed could suffice. Many of these in one building could form a motel-like structure or an apartment complex. If necessary a larger dormitory arrangement could be worked out as well.

  • Residents in such facilities could be taught and expected to perform most of the basic services required to keep the facilities running and in good order.

  • The bottom line in all of this is helping people to be able to help themselves. In doing so, society wins big time.

THE CONSERVATIVES ARGUE THAT PRIVATE CHARITY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS "PROBLEM".

• However, why should a few have to carry the burden for a problem that belongs to all of us?
  • Private charity forces those who care enough to do it all.

• After all, we are all responsible for allowing an economic system to exist which results in these outcasts.
  • Arguing that it is their choice is not the answer. The bottom line is that there is not anywhere they can go for jobs.

  • When you don't have a home, where do you go to clean up enough to deal with a potential employer?

  • Further, the bottom line is that the economy lives with a 4-8% unemployment rate. That's a lot of people out of work simply because there are no jobs to be had. (also, because it's good for business!)

• One only needs to open one's eyes to see that private charity isn't getting the job done. There are homeless people everywhere.

GIVEN THAT THE MAIN PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO PROMOTE THE COMMON WELFARE OF SOCIETY, WE NEED MORE GOVERNMENT, NOT LESS.

• As we move from a loose collection of individuals to a connected and whole society, the nature and amount of services that we as a society require from government grows greatly.

• We must be careful that we do not allow industry to unduly influence our legislation any longer.
  • Further, we need to go back, find and repeal any legislation that has passed which benefits any industry or special interest group to the detriment of the society or to the environment.

  • PACs and their influence must be eliminated.

  We need to look at the government as a service organization of society that provides us with services free from the greed and profit motivations of private industry.

  • We have a right to expect these services to be the best they can be.

THE GOVERNMENT IS AN ARM OF SOCIETY, NOT A TYRANT THAT CAN DO AS IT PLEASES AS DURING COLONIAL TIMES.

• Every aspect of the government should be designed to provide services in the most streamlined and effective manner possible.

• Per our Constitution, the government is only empowered to do what we the people empower it to do for us. It cannot take on additional powers of its own accord.

• It has been 208 years since the Constitution was ratified in 1787.

• During that time the United States and the world has changed in ways that the Founding Fathers could never have dreamed.

• It's time to take a hard look at what will be required to take this country into the next century and revise the Constitution to meet the demands of the first century of a new millennium.

Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman, Revised -- (27 Nov 95)

DISSEMINATION FOR EDUCATIONAL OR NON-PROFIT USE IS BOTH PERMITTED AND ENCOURAGED.