The foundations of your ideal government

[reflaxion.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! You have just been granted sovereignty. As the interim leader of your people, the masses look to you for guidance on how to proceed with the rigorous process of building your government. The parchment and quill pen are in your hand - what will you do?

A building should have a strong foundation, and a government should have strong founding principles. If you had to draft a constitution for your own nation today, what would be the core values that you would base it on? What rights would you guarantee your citizens, and what would you restrict? What would be the role of your government - its rights and responsibilities? What parts of your constitution would be adaptable, and what would be consistent?

Blah blah health care socialism town hall astroturfing birth certificate. Now none of you can say this post didn't get through your search filters, so let's see some ideas.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

The foundation of my ideal government would be one that accepts the necessity of leadership that protects the weak and the vulnerable and yet also answers to the masses as the fulfillment of their will.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

And that's the crux of the problem right there. To protect minorities implies restrictions on the rights of the majority, to avoid the tyranny of the majority. To respond to the masses also limits the perogative of the rulers, including the ability to protect minorities possibly....it's the tougher part to make ideals reality than it is to have them.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Except the question isn't "How would you rule a better government" it's about an ideal government.

[reflaxion.livejournal.com]

I don't think even an ideal government could pull that off. An ideal world, maybe.

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

The problem I see is you can end up with a tyranny of the minority, which in a sense leads to a revolt of the majority, and minority rights become restricted again.

"To protect minorities implies restrictions on the rights of the majority"

I would submit that this is a sweeping generality, and not necessarily applicable to most basic rights (I do concede that there is a rather broad definition of the term basic rights :D and my contention can easily be dismissed with a few specific examples)

[reflaxion.livejournal.com]

That's a good principle. Very similar to mine.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

It's pretty sensible if you want to avoid mass revolt....

[redheadrat.livejournal.com]

and then we get a smartass who asks you to define every weak and vulnerable person

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

We do?

Where?

Smartasses R Us?