Thought Experiment #5
Welcome to The UNITED
This is your guide to governmental, legal and social structures. We hope that you enjoy your stay. Whether it is a temporary visit or a planned immigration, these points of knowledge will orient you to the legal and cultural ecosystem of The UNITED.
The UNITED (formerly known as the United States – or US), is governed by the people themselves using digital voting. Each adult of 18, 21, or 25 (more on that later) has an encrypted self-identifier that allows them to digitally vote on governmental issues.
There are, however, 5411 Advocates, who submit local concerns, but do not actually vote. The former “United States” structure of senators and representatives has been dissolved, as have all state governments. The 5411 Advocate count is an artifact of the previous number of state level representatives.
The former state of New Hampshire has the largest number, with 400 advocates, while former Alaska has the smallest with 40.
This structure has resulted in an enormous reduction of cost and reduncies in supporting senate and house representation on both the national and (former) state level.
The UNITED is run by a number of federal agencies, including digital, commerce, agriculture, education, trade and Peace (formerly known as the Department of Defense), among others.
The UNITED is funded by designated contributions (formerly known as taxes). Both individuals and corporations can designate which UNITED functions they would like their contributions to fund.
Federal Agencies compete with each other for public funding support by cutting waste in an environment of full transparency, creating realistic budgets that they hope to undercut so that excess funds if any can go to less popular departments.
Individuals and corporations that issue their contributions early get first choice of which governmental function they fund. Later contributions will be allocated to less popular choices.
Social Structures
Marriage
The US had an institution of marriage, which in the UNITED has been restructured as two separate items. The legal structure is a civil union, which allows partners of adult age to contract to form a partnership which conveys to each the rights of survivorship, of hospital visitations, joint contribution returns, etc. The term “marriage” is regulated by religious groups, who set rules for or against same sex marriage, divorce, etc.
Conception and Abortion
Up to the 20th week of gestation, policies regarding abortion determined by religious affiliation. Some faiths disallow any form of contraception, some allow abortion up until conception, (est 6 weeks after sexual activity), some support a theory of reincarnation in which the soul enters the body at the five month point, and some have no policy. The UNITED disallows abortion after the point of fetal viability, estimated to be at the 20th week of gestation. Repercussions for abortion in violation of any of the religious strictures are to be set by the respective religious groups. All other groups shall have full unrestricted access.
Foreign relations
The UNITED views itself as a great model for economic and social progress. However, it respects that there are other models of governance and economic progress on a global scale. The UNITED aims to serve as a model of a possible structure that people in other countries may be inspired to emulate, while not seeking to impose that structure elsewhere.
Immigration
The UNITED is aware that the success of the UNITED model will at times result in a desire by residents of other countries to immigrate into the UNITED. The UNITED is of course almost entirely populated by immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, so it has a long history of assimilating people from across the globe.
The first policy of the UNITED is to strengthen other countries so that immigration is unnecessary. To do that the UNITED engages in a policy of economic and technical support to strengthen the economies of other countries. This policy is implemented based on a country of origin specification. All United citizens other than Native Americans submit a country of origin specification, based on their ancestral heritage. Then a portion of their US annual contribution is dedicated to stimulating the economies and social welfare of those originating countries in the form of microloans to encourage entrepreneurship, expand educational opportunities and provide disaster relief.
Legal immigration will result in immediate enrollment in this contribution plan. Companies that need increased labor can submit a request for immigration waivers and sponsor new citizens. Jobs of this nature must have been clearly publicized to existing citizens for a period of one month before becoming eligible for waivers. Companies must employ said citizens for a period of one year from hire, or find equal employment for them at another firm at the same pay rate. (any shortfall to be made up by the original employer).
Corporations
Corporations in the UNITED follow a B-Corp model, where they have a specified social benefit in addition to providing jobs for employees and wealth for owners and stockholders. Corporations can provide this benefit via robust designated contributions. Corporate contributions are a matter of public record, and serve as elements of a company’s Public Relations initiatives, generating support for products and services of that corporate entity. Corporations can also fulfill their contribution quota by funding designated public functions, such as building roads, funding schools, or by doing job training of various sorts. They can also contribute to designated non-profit corporations.
Guns
Gun ownership is restricted to rural environments and then only with registered gun owners. Gun owners must complete gun safety training courses and be licensed, like automobile licensing.
Adult Status
Individuals can claim adult status at the age of 18, 21 or 25. Full adult status conveys certain privileges, such as voting, purchasing alcohol and recreational drugs, and gun ownership, subject to the restrictions mentioned above. They are also eligible to be drafted into military or civic duty service as needed. Minors (under 18) or Majors (age 18-25) who have not claimed adult status are eligible for free educational training including all expenses for college or professional/trade school attendance.
Department of Peace
It is the responsibility of the Department of Peace to radiate a powerful influence of peace such that the UNITED serves a a global force for peace on the quantum-mechanical level. All of the enlisted ranks, warranted officers and commissioned officer ranks in what used to be termed the Department of Defense practice meditation varieties that have been documented to improve individual and collective effects on stress, crime statistics and war zone incident intensity.
Note that the effect of serving as a global force for peace, harmony and success establishes the UNITED as a treasured resource for all humankind, which does not give rise to initiatives to destabiloze or attack on the military level. (See comment below).
Comment:
(from ChatGPT):
Research indicates that the collective practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi programs can lead to reductions in war incidents and crime rates. This phenomenon, known as the “Maharishi Effect,” suggests that group meditation positively influences societal trends.
Impact on War Incidents
A notable study during the Lebanon civil war (1983–1985) observed that on seven occasions when large groups practiced TM and TM-Sidhi programs, there were significant reductions in conflict intensity, war fatalities, and increased cooperation among factions.
Another experiment, the International Peace Project in the Middle East, found that group practice of these meditation techniques led to a 48% reduction in war intensity and a 71% decrease in war deaths.
Impact on Crime Rates
In 1993, a study in Washington, D.C., involved approximately 4,000 participants practicing TM and TM-Sidhi programs over two months. The results showed a 23.3% reduction in violent crime rates during the study period, suggesting a direct correlation between group meditation and decreased crime.
Further research focusing on 206 large U.S. urban areas between 2007 and 2010 found a 28.4% decrease in murder rates during periods when a significant number of individuals practiced these meditation techniques.
Mechanisms and Theoretical Perspectives
The underlying mechanism is thought to involve a reduction in collective societal stress, leading to decreased aggression and violence. This perspective aligns with public health models and cognitive neuroscience, suggesting that group meditation can mitigate collective violence by addressing fundamental stress factors.
While these studies present compelling evidence, it’s important to approach the findings with a critical perspective, considering the need for further research to fully understand the scope and mechanisms of the Maharishi Effect.