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| 1. | Elected officials shall represent the citizenry's needs exclusively. | |
| 2. | Elected officials shall make it their sworn duty to thoroughly understand all legislation put before them for a vote. | |
| 3. | The government shall not go to war except when war is necessary to protect the national interests of the majority of the citizenry. | |
| 4. | No official elected or appointed shall take or receive anything of value in exchange for any government action under the pain of death. | |
| 5. | The government shall confine itself to keeping the citizenry safe and advancing civilization. | |
| 6. | All citizens shall vote when requested to do so by the government or by petition. | |
| 7. | The citizenry shall not request the government to favor one religion or the lack of religion over another. | |
| 8. | Citizens shall endeavor to advance themselves in an honest and productive fashion. | |
| 9. | All citizens shall be loyal to their government above all other affiliations. | |
| 10. | No citizen shall exploit another citizen for personal gain. | |
The Amplifications: | |
| 1. |
Elected officials shall represent the citizenry's needs exclusively and shall only weigh how any government act or proposed legislation benefits the common good of the citizens or advances civilization. Influences outside of the nation shall not be considered other than to weigh the consequences of bringing economic disadvantage or war upon the nation and its citizens as a direct or indirect consequence of the actions of the government. All elected officials shall be treated as equals relative to their office in all government capacities. Length of service shall bestow no special privileges to elected officials, other than civilization's eternal gratitude, as granting special privileges to elected officials for length of service destroys the freedoms of the electors.
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| 2. |
Elected officials shall make it their sworn duty to thoroughly understand the entire legislation put before them for a vote. They must seek the input of a wide variety of their electors both in private and in public forums to develop clarity of thought and a thorough understanding of the consequences of the proposed legislation for the officials, electors and civilization.
The elected official must endeavor to be the champion of his electors and no others, ignoring all outside voices that attempt to influence his thinking at the expense of the electors and civilization. In the event an elected official cannot develop clarity of thought or a thorough understanding of the consequences of the entire proposed legislation the elector shall publicly notify his electors prior to the vote and abstain from voting. As laws are maintained or passed they must be funded in their entirety from the working budget, inversely as laws are abolished the funding shall be returned to the budget. |
| 3. |
The government shall not go to war except when all diplomatic means have been exhausted or the nation has been attacked. Then war becomes necessary to protect the national interests of the citizenry. Before agreeing to go to war or sending troops into harms way in any fashion, or supporting any other foreign nation or entity in doing the same, the government and its elected officials must assure the citizenry, by exhibiting absolute proof, that war is the only choice. All military actions must be in the best interests of the citizenry and civilization. The likelihood of victory must be greater than the possibility of stalemate or defeat. The elected officials who champion a war in any of its forms shall personally direct the war on the battlefield. |
| 4. |
No official, elected or appointed shall take or receive anything of value in exchange for any government action under the pain of death.Political corruption in all forms is the source of much human suffering; it greatly damages civilization and should never be tolerated for any reason. If the local custom forbids the death penalty, for all crimes for all citizens, then the harshest punishment allowed by law should be applied in place of death. No distinction shall be drawn between the corrupted and the corruptor, as neither can exist without the other. It is also the official's duty to immediately publicly disclose to the electors and the government when any individual or group proposes the giving of anything of value to the official for any government act or proposed act. It is also every citizen's duty to immediately disclose to the public and the government when any official requests something of value in exchange for any government action. If found guilty by a jury of their peers that either an official, or any individual or group on the official's behalf, has accepted or requested anything of value; or an individual or group has offered or given anything of value in exchange for any government action, the penalty shall be, delivered within 30 calendar days after the final appeal. There shall be no more than 30 calendar days between each appeal. |
| 5. |
The government shall confine itself to keeping the citizenry safe and advancing civilization to the very best of its ability. The government shall protect the citizenry from foreign and internal threats and from fellow citizen's who choose to break the laws set down and administered by the government on the citizens' behalf. The government shall also strive to find ways and means to help mankind progressively advance and develop more knowledge of the natural world. The government shall be administered in the most economic and efficient methods possible. The government's activities and finances shall be open, transparent and accessible; to both regular public auditing and any citizen at anytime. Government shall not squander its tax revenues, whether it is the purchase of goods and services or the direct employment of citizens. If a citizen discovers waste and presents a solution that ends the waste and it is instituted by the government, that citizen is entitled to 50% of the saving derived by the government for twelve months, businesses are prohibited from this activity.
All expenditures shall be measured as to how that expenditure helps the government attain the mandate of keeping the citizenry safe and advancing civilization to the very best of its ability. If the expenditure is found not to support these goals it is to be eliminated. The government shall make and maintain all matters put before it in the public domain in such a way that an average citizen can easily retrieve it and use it as they see fit. This includes all civil matters, inter-government records and all other communications, agreements and settlements of any kind, overseen by the Government. The only exclusion shall be matters of national security and ongoing criminal investigations that if publicly known would jeopardize the safety of the citizenry. |
| 6. |
All citizens shall vote when requested to do so by the government or by petition. It is the citizen's primary public responsibility to vote and to obey the laws. Citizens who choose not to vote put all other citizens in danger by not protecting democracy with their direct participation. This creates two levels of citizenship, voters and non-voters. This breach is against the electors' and civilization's will, which is not desirable and fosters rebellion. An additional benefit for citizens who vote shall be a 50% reduction in all taxes; federal, state and local until the next vote is called whether by the government or petition. Non-participating citizens have chosen taxation without representation and shall make up whatever difference is needed, by the absolute and sole discretion of the government to whom the taxes are due and payable. In the event there is a cash short fall to fund the current budget the government shall reduce it's spending so as to match the current cash outflow with the current cash inflow. The government shall not raise taxes or borrow to make up for this shortfall without the electors voting their approval by a two-thirds majority.
In the event the overwhelming majority of citizens vote, every efficiency possible has been instituted, waste has been eliminated, and it becomes impractical to reduce taxes by 50% any longer, the citizens must accept that civilization has a cost and that the citizenry has built a modern, Collaborative Democracy that is run as efficiently as possible. The government, overseen by the citizens must in perpetuity be searching for more efficient and effective ways to run government. |
| 7. |
The citizenry shall not request the government to favor one religion or the lack of religion over another. The citizenry shall not petition the government for any special treatment or privileges for any religion or the lack of religion. Neither shall any citizen derive or be denied any privileges or rights due to their affiliation or lack of affiliation to any religion. |
| 8. |
Citizens shall endeavor to advance themselves in an honest and productive fashion. The citizen, who endeavors to advance oneself through life-long learning, is civilization's most fundamental asset. Mental acuity, combined with a common language, and a continuing and growing understanding of the natural world – free of superstition, is the cornerstone of civilization. Citizens with respectable reputations are good. Citizens with excellent character are essential to advancing civilization. Without the good citizen with excellent character there would be no civilization and all of the things that come with it. |
| 9. |
All citizens shall be loyal to their government above all other affiliations. Never shall any affiliation; foreign country or power; religion; fraternal order; business; tribe, or any other, come before the citizen's loyalty to their government in public matters — to do otherwise is treason. In private matters, the citizen's first duty is equally to the family of origin and the family created through matrimony. This duty is best exercised by assisting other family members to advance themselves in an honest and productive fashion. A family divided is a family conquered just as a nation divided is a nation conquered. Honest and productive families create honest and productive citizens. Honest and productive citizens create a great nation and advance civilization. |
| 10. |
No citizen shall exploit another citizen for personal gain. Citizens who exploit other citizens legally and illegally are a great cancer in civilization. Over the years many citizens have made their living by exploiting other citizens, law suits for profit; products that do not work as promised; selling based on the ignorance of the buyer; and appraisals based on no economic reality. A wide variety of products and services are designed to obscure their true nature, and a reasonable person would not purchase if they knew all of the facts.
Exploitation is not limited to commerce. Many citizens engage in the manipulation of facts, ideas, and public opinion and prey upon the weakness and fears of other citizens for personal gain. The practitioners of these activities are to be shunned in all forms of commerce and public life by all citizens and the government. They are uncivilized people as they have not learned to fulfill their needs without violating the rights of others. Citizen exploiters, once found to be such in a court of law by a jury of their peers are to be publicly identified and are to be barred from all forms of commerce, employment and political office for five years. Additionally, for the first offense they shall be liable for any and all economic damage they have caused. For the second offense they are to be barred from all forms of commerce, employment and political office for ten years and shall be liable for triple any and all economic damage they have caused. For the third offense they shall to be stripped of all of their assets and are to be imprisoned for no less than 20 years in a prison that is greater than 500 miles distance from their nearest victim. |
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People, choose your elected officials wisely. Go out, find and elect the wisest among you. Ignore the ones who seek elected office, for they seek only their own glory at the expense of the citizenry. To do otherwise puts civilization in peril.
These are the Ten Commandments of Civilization as they came to me. These Commandments will stand the test of time and advance civilization, as they are right and just. Jack Martin May 18, 2007 | |
