Idea: Preview
Relevance:
Universal
A New Form of Government with Four Branches: Lottocratic, Royal, Judicial, and Commissional.
Lottocratic Branch
-24 single-issue legislatures, each consisting of 300 randomly chosen citizens who serve one-year terms.
This would operate much like a jury (fairly paid), in which all decision-makers are exposed to thorough presentations of evidence and reasoning from all sides on legislation that arises through Egora. A congressional committee would arrange the legislature to hear from experts, community members, and other stakeholders when deliberating on a bill. During a term, jobs must be held for the lottocrats by employers who may hire temporary workers in the interim.
This branch is adapted from ideas expressed by Alexander Guerrero. He explains in his essay:
"Lottery-chosen representatives would have more time to learn about the problems they’re legislating than today’s typical representatives, who have to spend their time learning about every topic under the sun, while also constantly traveling, claiming credit, and raising funds to get re-elected. In the lottocratic system representatives will be — at least over a long enough run — descriptively and proportionately representative of the political community, simply because they have been chosen at random... They will be like better-informed versions of ourselves, coming from backgrounds like ours, but with the opportunity to learn and deliberate about the specific topic at hand."
Commissional Branch
-A congressional committee consisting of 48 members who serve six-year terms.
They would appoint 5 judicial seats to the Supreme Court through weighted or ranked vote, recruit experts and stakeholders to participate in relevant congressional conventions, manage elections, and manage the administration of Egora.
Judicial Branch -
- 15 judges - 5 seats appointed through weighted or ranked votes of the general citizenry, 5 seats appointed by weighted or ranked votes of the Commissional Branch, 5 seats appointed by the Royal.
These are meant to be objective judges who will interpret the constitution according to the intent of its original writers. Receiving a nonpartisan appointment or election removes drama and politics and adds legitimacy to a branch that is meant to be concerned with sound interpretation of law instead of the advancing of one's own ideological concept of justice.
There is an age limit instead of a term limit - all judges must retire at no later than the age of 90, though they may voluntarily retire before that.
In other matters, this branch operates very much like the Supreme Court of the United States, along with two additional improvements: The judges are held to a binding code of ethics, and breaking it means removal from the court. And information on all gifts or other financial transactions must be publicly available if above a designated monetary value.
Royal Branch -
1 hereditary head of state.
This person has a ceremonial and formal role instead of political power, as do the most enduring and successful monarchies today. Providing a sense of tradition, stability, and continuity, they are meant to be a symbol of unity, a representative to other nations, and an example of the nation's cultural ideals. They are meant to uphold the nation's dignity and embody the nation's values.
A person with an inherited office is trained from an early age in servant leadership. They would be "trained from childhood to see their rule as a sacred duty, a solemn service, and a public stewardship rather than an earned right." (Historian Ryan P. Hunter's essay on monarchism)
The royal succession would happen by matrilineal primogeniture to lower the risk of a degenerate taking office. But if an idea on Egora calling for her dethronement becomes popular enough, the congress could convene on this, and she can have a lottocratic trial, with a Supreme Court judge presiding which was not appointed by her.
Her duties would include delivering inspirational speeches, serving as an impartial moderator for legislative sessions, and appointing 5 objective judges to the supreme court. Her salary is the median income of the nations' citizens, to keep them connected to the pulse of the people. She may also visit places such as hospitals and charitable events to express goodwill and servant leadership.
Bribery would be illegal in all branches.
Lottocratic Branch
-24 single-issue legislatures, each consisting of 300 randomly chosen citizens who serve one-year terms.
This would operate much like a jury (fairly paid), in which all decision-makers are exposed to thorough presentations of evidence and reasoning from all sides on legislation that arises through Egora. A congressional committee would arrange the legislature to hear from experts, community members, and other stakeholders when deliberating on a bill. During a term, jobs must be held for the lottocrats by employers who may hire temporary workers in the interim.
This branch is adapted from ideas expressed by Alexander Guerrero. He explains in his essay:
"Lottery-chosen representatives would have more time to learn about the problems they’re legislating than today’s typical representatives, who have to spend their time learning about every topic under the sun, while also constantly traveling, claiming credit, and raising funds to get re-elected. In the lottocratic system representatives will be — at least over a long enough run — descriptively and proportionately representative of the political community, simply because they have been chosen at random... They will be like better-informed versions of ourselves, coming from backgrounds like ours, but with the opportunity to learn and deliberate about the specific topic at hand."
Commissional Branch
-A congressional committee consisting of 48 members who serve six-year terms.
They would appoint 5 judicial seats to the Supreme Court through weighted or ranked vote, recruit experts and stakeholders to participate in relevant congressional conventions, manage elections, and manage the administration of Egora.
Judicial Branch -
- 15 judges - 5 seats appointed through weighted or ranked votes of the general citizenry, 5 seats appointed by weighted or ranked votes of the Commissional Branch, 5 seats appointed by the Royal.
These are meant to be objective judges who will interpret the constitution according to the intent of its original writers. Receiving a nonpartisan appointment or election removes drama and politics and adds legitimacy to a branch that is meant to be concerned with sound interpretation of law instead of the advancing of one's own ideological concept of justice.
There is an age limit instead of a term limit - all judges must retire at no later than the age of 90, though they may voluntarily retire before that.
In other matters, this branch operates very much like the Supreme Court of the United States, along with two additional improvements: The judges are held to a binding code of ethics, and breaking it means removal from the court. And information on all gifts or other financial transactions must be publicly available if above a designated monetary value.
Royal Branch -
1 hereditary head of state.
This person has a ceremonial and formal role instead of political power, as do the most enduring and successful monarchies today. Providing a sense of tradition, stability, and continuity, they are meant to be a symbol of unity, a representative to other nations, and an example of the nation's cultural ideals. They are meant to uphold the nation's dignity and embody the nation's values.
A person with an inherited office is trained from an early age in servant leadership. They would be "trained from childhood to see their rule as a sacred duty, a solemn service, and a public stewardship rather than an earned right." (Historian Ryan P. Hunter's essay on monarchism)
The royal succession would happen by matrilineal primogeniture to lower the risk of a degenerate taking office. But if an idea on Egora calling for her dethronement becomes popular enough, the congress could convene on this, and she can have a lottocratic trial, with a Supreme Court judge presiding which was not appointed by her.
Her duties would include delivering inspirational speeches, serving as an impartial moderator for legislative sessions, and appointing 5 objective judges to the supreme court. Her salary is the median income of the nations' citizens, to keep them connected to the pulse of the people. She may also visit places such as hospitals and charitable events to express goodwill and servant leadership.
Bribery would be illegal in all branches.
Approval Rating
Supporters
Egora, “The Worldwide Stock-Market of Ideas”, enables everyone to
– develop their own political philosophy out of various ideas,
– determine which ideas are most strongly supported by the people, and
– find the true representatives of the public will, to elect them into public office.
– develop their own political philosophy out of various ideas,
– determine which ideas are most strongly supported by the people, and
– find the true representatives of the public will, to elect them into public office.