Direct Democracy for America

A Proposal to Return Power to the People

THE PROBLEM

Our current system is broken. Politicians serve corporations, not people. Laws are written by lobbyists. The planet is dying. People are suffering. Children are going hungry while billionaires buy elections.

We deserve better.

The internet is supposedly good enough to hold all our personal data, our bank accounts, our medical records – but they tell us it’s not secure enough for democracy?

If it’s not secure enough for voting, then it’s not secure enough for our data. If it is secure enough for our data, then it’s secure enough for direct democracy.

Either way, we need wired internet for everyone. Either way, we’re taking our power back.

THE SOLUTION

A computer platform where WE the PEOPLE make the decisions.

Not politicians. Not corporations. Us.

Here’s how it works:

HOW THE PLATFORM WORKS

STEP 1: YOU HAVE AN IDEA

Say you want regenerative agriculture. You go to the platform and submit your proposal:

“You must use your token to participate. To submit a proposal, comment, suggest amendments, or support an idea, you log in with your token + PIN. This ensures:

Only registered voters participate (no bots, no foreign interference)
One person = one submission per topic (you can edit yours, but not spam)
Every contribution is from a real citizen with voting rights
The platform stays focused and usable

What’s the problem?
What’s your solution?
Who does it affect?

The platform automatically sorts your idea into categories. Your regenerative agriculture proposal goes into the “Agriculture” window – like folders on a computer. Other related proposals (organic farming, pesticide reform, soil health) all get grouped there too.

STEP 2: COMMUNITY DIALOGUE

Other people can:

Comment on your idea
Add sources and research
Share knowledge and insights
Suggest amendments
Correct misinformation
Build on the idea
Merge similar proposals

This isn’t just voting – it’s learning and problem-solving together.

Think of each category as a collaborative workspace where we figure things out. The agriculture window becomes a place where farmers, scientists, eaters, and anyone interested can contribute knowledge.

STEP 3: GATHERING SUPPORT

As people discuss and refine the idea, they can support it. When a proposal gets 3.5% of the relevant population supporting it (about 12 million people for national issues), it moves forward.

This threshold shows the idea has real momentum – it’s not just one person’s fantasy.

STEP 4: ONLINE VOTE

The proposal goes to an online vote using your secure token (more on that below).

Simple majority wins. If it passes, it moves to the experts.

STEP 5: EXPERTS DESIGN THE PATHS

Here’s where it gets good. The proposal goes to roundtables of expert panels – people who actually know what they’re talking about. Not politicians. Not lobbyists. Experts.

For regenerative agriculture, that might be:

Soil scientists
Farmers with decades of experience
Agricultural economists
Environmental experts
Food systems specialists

These experts are hired by US. They work for US. We can fire them if they don’t serve us well.

The experts’ job is to figure out HOW to make your idea reality. They come back with 3 different paths forward, each showing:

Timeline: Is this a 3-year plan? 10-year? 30-year?
Costs: Not just money – environmental costs, social costs, who benefits, who pays
Benefits: What do we get out of this?
Trade-offs: What’s the catch? Be honest.
Metrics: How do we measure if it’s working?

They must explain it in plain language. No jargon. No hiding behind complexity.

STEP 6: WE CHOOSE THE PATH

The experts present their 3 paths. We vote on which one we want.

OR we can say:

“These costs are too high, we’re not doing this”
“None of these paths work for us – go back and find different options”
“We want to modify Goal X before moving forward”

We have the power. The experts work for us, not the other way around.

STEP 7: IMPLEMENTATION & ACCOUNTABILITY

Once we choose a path, it gets implemented. There’s a public dashboard tracking progress. We can see:

Is it on schedule?
Is it on budget?
Are the results matching what was promised?

If things go off track, we can vote to modify the approach or demand accountability.

This is ongoing democracy, not “vote once and hope.”

HOW YOU GET YOUR VOTING TOKEN

No surveillance. No tracking. No biometrics. No digital ID.

Here’s how it works:

Register in person (one time) at your local election office
Show your regular ID (driver’s license, state ID, passport – what you already have)
The system generates a unique anonymous token for you (a long random code)
You get a secure card with QR code OR save it to your phone
You create a PIN that only you know

To vote:

Enter your token + your PIN
That’s it

The database knows “Token ABC123 voted on this issue” but has no way to trace it back to you. Your identity was verified once at registration, but the token itself is anonymous.

Lost your token? Go back in person with your ID and get a new one. Old token gets invalidated.

Security: Nobody can vote twice. Nobody can sell votes (they need your PIN too). Nobody can track how you voted.

Your token isn’t just for voting – it’s for ALL platform participation:

Submitting proposals
Commenting on ideas
Suggesting amendments
Supporting proposals
Voting

You must be logged in with your token for any action. This keeps the platform secure and prevents spam, bots, and non-citizens from influencing our democracy. One person, one voice, accountable participation.

WHO DECIDES WHAT?

Some issues affect everyone. Some issues primarily affect specific groups. The people most affected should have the primary say. How permissions work in the platform: When you register and get your token, you indicate which categories apply to you (trans, veteran, disabled, parent, etc.). The computer platform itself enforces these permissions through the software – like how certain websites only let you access specific pages based on your account type. If an issue requires permission you don’t have, you literally cannot access that voting page. This isn’t honor system – it’s built into the code.

EVERYONE VOTES ON:

Climate policy
Infrastructure
Foreign policy & defense
Federal budget framework
National parks & public lands
Education (because educated people = free society)
Constitutional amendments

SPECIFIC GROUPS CONTROL THEIR ISSUES:

People who can get pregnant decide:

Abortion access AND funding
Maternal healthcare AND funding
Reproductive rights

(We will NOT allow others to defund what this group decides. That’s tyranny.)

Trans people decide:

Trans healthcare access AND funding
Legal recognition
Anti-discrimination protections

Veterans decide:

VA benefits AND funding
Military family support

Disabled people decide:

Disability services AND funding
Accessibility requirements

And so on. The directly affected group has full authority – both policy and budget.

GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES:

State/regional infrastructure: people in that region decide
Local land use: local people decide
Tribal sovereignty: tribal citizens decide

The point: We prevent the majority from oppressing minorities by controlling the money. If a group votes for something, it gets funded. Period.

Here’s how funding works: When a permission group votes that something should be publicly funded, that decision is binding – the majority cannot veto it. BUT the experts still must show us WHERE the money comes from.

Example: People with capacity for pregnancy vote: ‘Abortion access should be publicly funded.’ That decision is LOCKED. But then experts return with: ‘Here are 3 ways to fund it: Option A – reallocate from military budget, Option B – increase corporate taxes on pharmaceutical companies, Option C – reduce spending on X program.’ Then EVERYONE votes on which funding mechanism to use.

The permission group decides WHAT gets funded. Everyone decides HOW it gets funded. This way, affected groups aren’t at the mercy of the majority, but we all share responsibility for finding the money fairly.”

EQUAL FUTURE, NOT CALCULATED PAST

We cannot repair all historical harms or undo the wrongs done to our ancestors. What we CAN do is ensure that the present and future are fair for everyone, regardless of what happened to their great-grandparents.

This means:

Every child gets the same quality education, regardless of their ancestors’ history
Every person has access to healthcare, clean water, clean air, nutritious food
Every community receives the resources needed to thrive
No one’s future is limited by inherited disadvantage

What this looks like in practice:

NOT: “Your ancestors were enslaved, here’s compensation for that historical wrong”

INSTEAD: “Your community currently lacks clean water, functional schools, economic opportunity → These are brought up to the standard everywhere else gets”

NOT: “Your great-grandparents’ land was stolen, here’s money”

INSTEAD: “Your community needs housing, infrastructure, healthcare → Here are the resources to build that”

NOT: “Calculate who suffered most and distribute reparations accordingly”

INSTEAD: “Measure current gaps in wellbeing and close them”

Why this approach:

Historical harms are real and acknowledged
But trying to calculate and compensate for all past suffering is impossible and divisive
Creates competition over victimhood rather than solidarity
Uses finite resources to argue about the past instead of building fair future
Can never truly “repay” what was stolen or repair what was destroyed

Instead, we:

Acknowledge the harm
Stop perpetuating it forward
Ensure everyone starts from equal baseline NOW
Build systems that prevent future harm

Exception: Corporate Accountability Corporations CURRENTLY profiting from ongoing harm ARE held accountable (see Corporate Code additions above). This is not about past injustice – it’s about stopping present harm and compensating present victims.

Example: If Company X poisoned a community 30 years ago and people are STILL sick from it, Company X pays. Not as “reparations for the past” but as accountability for ongoing effects of their actions.

————————————————————–

ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS – DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED

Once harm is found and consequences determined by public vote:

Immediate Actions:

Product suspension/recall (if currently causing harm)
Asset freeze (prevents wealth from being hidden)
Executive travel restrictions (prevents fleeing)
Implementation begins within 48 hours of vote results

Compensation Process:

Victims register through public platform (verified by investigative panel)
Corporate assets distributed according to priority:
1. Direct victims
2. Community restoration
3. Research and prevention
Transparent tracking (public can see where money goes)
Cannot be delayed by corporate legal maneuvering

Criminal Referrals:

If knowing harm is found, executives automatically referred for criminal prosecution
Standard legal process applies (trials, evidence, rights of accused)
But case is already built through investigation phase

Corporate Dissolution (if triggered):

Charter immediately revoked
Assets transferred as determined by vote
Worker cooperatives given first right of refusal for facilities
Company name retired permanently

JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CORPORATE CASES

Even with strong laws, enforcement fails if judges are corporate-friendly.

Judges handling corporate accountability cases must:

Disclose all corporate connections (current and past employment, stock holdings, family ties)
Disclose any campaign contributions from corporations or industry groups
Recuse themselves if conflicts exist
Be subject to recall if pattern of bias is demonstrated

Recall Process for Judges:

5% of population can petition for judge recall vote
Evidence of bias presented (pattern of ruling for corporations, weak penalties, accepting bad-faith defenses)
Simple majority vote removes judge
New judge selected through public application/vote process

Fast-Track Appeals:

Corporate accountability cases cannot be tied up in appeals for decades
Appeals must be resolved within 2 years
Victims receive compensation while appeals proceed (not held hostage to legal delays)
If appeal succeeds, compensation is adjusted but not clawed back from victims

SAFEGUARDS AGAINST ABUSE

To prevent false accusations or politically motivated investigations:

First Petition:

1% threshold is high enough to prevent frivolous claims
Requires real concern from substantial number of people

Expert Review:

Investigative panel assesses if evidence warrants full investigation
Can dismiss if petition is clearly without merit
Decision is appealable

Presumption of Innocence:

Corporation is not guilty until investigation concludes and vote occurs
Gets to present defense
Can provide evidence in their favor

Penalties for Bad Faith Petitions:

If investigation finds petition was knowingly false and malicious
Organizers face fines and potential criminal charges for fraud
Prevents weaponization of system

BUT: Strong protection for good-faith whistleblowers and concerned citizens

Being wrong is not the same as lying
If evidence genuinely suggested harm, no penalty even if investigation clears company
Encourages people to raise concerns without fear

EXPERT PANEL TYPES – CLARIFICATION

To avoid confusion, your document now describes TWO types of expert panels:

1. Policy Expert Panels (as originally described)

Handle ongoing policy questions
Serve 4-year terms
Subject to recall
Design implementation paths for approved policies
Examples: Agricultural policy, healthcare policy, infrastructure planning

2. Investigative Expert Panels (new addition)

Handle specific corporate harm investigations
Serve for duration of investigation only
Cannot have industry ties
Present findings to public for vote
Dissolved when investigation concludes

Both types:

Selected through public application process
Transparent operation
Subject to public oversight
Accountable to the people

THE EXPERT PANELS

We’re replacing Congress (535 politicians) with 535 expert positions divided across policy areas:

Environmental & Agricultural experts
Healthcare experts
Infrastructure & Urban Planning experts
Education experts
Social Services & Justice experts
Technology & Communications experts
Energy experts
Foreign Relations & Defense experts
Legal & Constitutional experts
Economic & Financial experts
Arts, Culture & Media experts
Science & Research experts

Each area has multiple 3-person panels covering specific topics.

HOW EXPERTS ARE SELECTED:

It’s a JOB APPLICATION. Not an election. Not a fundraising contest.

To become an expert:

Submit your resume with verifiable credentials
Pass a background check (criminal, financial, conflicts of interest)
Public disclosure of:
- Financial holdings
- Corporate connections
- Previous lobbying work
- Any conflicts of interest
Character matters:
- Community recommendations
- History of ethical practice
- Commitment to public interest

Experience levels can vary. We want both senior experts with decades of experience AND brilliant younger minds with fresh perspectives. Genius and innovation matter as much as years of service.

As society changes, expertise changes. The people will decide what qualifications matter.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

Experts serve 4-year terms
Can serve multiple terms but can be fired anytime
If 5% of the population (or affected group) petitions for recall → immediate vote → simple majority removes them
Must respond to public questions monthly
All their work is transparent and public
Cannot accept gifts or future employment from affected industries
10-year cooling-off period before working for corporations in their domain

They work for us. They answer to us.

ENFORCEMENT: THE CORPORATE CODE

Once we vote for something – say, regenerative agriculture – corporations must comply.

The Corporate Code of Conduct (which we’ve already developed) makes this binding:

Key points:

Corporations exist by public permission, not right
They must serve the public good and environmental health
They cannot externalize costs onto communities or environment
They are democratically accountable

Taxation:

Corporations are taxed progressively based on actual profits – not a flat rate
The bigger you are, the more you pay
No more hiding money offshore

Responsibility:

Corporations are responsible for their waste and pollution
If you cause harm (diseases from chemicals, environmental damage), you pay to fix it
Endocrine disruptors causing health issues including gender/reproductive harm? You’re liable.

Penalties for violations:

Fines (scaled to revenue – actually painful)
Loss of business licenses
Seizure of assets for public benefit
Criminal liability for executives
Corporate charter revocation for egregious violations

The goal: Transition to COOPERATIVE STRUCTURES

Bad corporations get taken down. Their assets are redistributed. Co-ops replace them.

Example: Regenerative Agriculture

We vote for it
Experts design a 20-year transition path
Industrial farmers have 20 years to shift to regenerative practices
Those who comply: continue operating
Those who don’t:
- Years 1-5: Warnings and technical assistance
- Years 5-10: Escalating fines
- Years 10-15: Loss of subsidies and contracts
- Years 15-20: License revocation, land redistributed to regenerative farmers

The cost is on THEM, not taxpayers. It’s their business problem to solve.

FUNDING THE NEW SYSTEM

Where does the money come from?

CRITICAL PRINCIPLE: When any group votes that something should be funded, experts must propose where the money comes from. Nothing is automatically funded – we have to make real choices about resource allocation. This prevents unreasonable requests and keeps the system sustainable.
Experts show us the options, explain the trade-offs, and we vote on the funding mechanism. This applies to ALL funding decisions, whether from permission groups or the general population.

Corporate taxes (progressive, actually fair)
Penalties from Corporate Code violations (polluters pay to clean up)
Seized assets from corporations that broke the code
Reallocation from programs we vote to defund:
- Military bloat
- Corporate subsidies
- Programs that don’t work
Stopping unfair penalties built into the current system:
- Late fees that trap poor people
- Court costs that create debt spirals
- Predatory interest rates
- Poverty penalties
Stopping overpayment to certain segments (we’ll decide together what’s fair)

Experts will help us figure out the details. They’ll show us:

Here’s what we spend now
Here’s what this new program costs
Here’s where we can move money from
Here’s the trade-offs

Then WE decide through the platform.

EARLY PRIORITIES

One of the first votes should be:

Wired internet access for everyone.

If the internet is essential to democracy (and it is, with this system), then everyone must have access.

This creates jobs: Laying cable. Installing infrastructure. Building the network.

This protects health: Wired is safer than wireless radiation.

This ensures participation: Nobody is locked out of democracy due to poverty or location.

Until then: Yes, we can use phones temporarily. The token system works on phones. But we transition to wired as quickly as possible.

THE TRANSITION PLAN

We can’t flip a switch overnight. Here’s how we get there:

PHASE 1: BUILD THE PLATFORM (Years 1-2)

Develop the secure online platform
Test it in willing cities/states
Work out the bugs
Train people how to use it
Public education campaign

Early Priority: Corporate Accountability System

Build the 1% petition mechanism into the platform
Establish process for forming investigative expert panels
Create public database for investigation findings
Test the system with pilot investigations in willing states
Full national implementation by Year 3

PHASE 2: PILOT PROGRAMS (Years 2-3)

Several states try it for local issues
Advisory votes (non-binding at first)
Show people it works
Build trust
Refine the process

PHASE 3: CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (Years 3-4)

Organize Article V convention
Pass constitutional amendments:
- Replace Congress structure
- Establish direct democracy platform as legitimate
- Create Corporate Code of Conduct
- Define expert panel system
- Protect the process from being dismantled

PHASE 4: PARALLEL OPERATION (Years 4-6)

New system runs alongside Congress
Both handle different issues
People see the difference
Build confidence
Current Congress members can apply to be experts

PHASE 5: FULL IMPLEMENTATION (Year 6+)

Congress ends
Direct democracy is now the government
Expert panels fully operational
We govern ourselves

EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

What about crises that need fast decisions?

We have a fast-track process:

Qualifying emergencies:

Natural disasters
Pandemics
Military attacks
Economic collapse

Process:

Relevant expert panels propose immediate action
72-hour public vote (instead of normal 60+ day timeline)
Lower threshold: 1% support to trigger (shows it’s serious)
Implementation begins immediately
Full analysis follows within 30 days

Safeguards:

Emergency powers expire after 90 days
Must be renewed through normal process
Can’t be used to bypass permission categories
Transparent reporting required

We maintain democratic accountability even in crisis.

WHAT ABOUT FOREIGN RELATIONS?

Ambassadors:

Foreign Relations expert panel nominates candidates
Public votes on ambassadors
4-year terms, can be recalled
Must report to public quarterly

Treaties:

Ambassadors negotiate
Experts analyze impact
Public 30-day comment period
Public vote on ratification

Trade Agreements:

Economic experts analyze
Affected industries get weighted votes
Everyone votes on final approval
Can be renegotiated if outcomes don’t match promises

We don’t give away our sovereignty. We vote on major commitments.

ADDRESSING CONCERNS

“Won’t people make stupid decisions?”

Will they make worse decisions than politicians who are bought by corporations?

Current politicians:

Started wars based on lies
Bailed out banks while people lost homes
Ignored climate crisis for decades
Let corporations poison our water and food

We can’t do worse.

Plus: We have expert analysis BEFORE we vote. We’re making informed decisions, not gut reactions. And if we make a mistake, we can fix it – unlike being stuck with a bad politician for years.

“What about the digital divide?”

We address this immediately:

Wired internet for everyone (early priority vote)
Phone access during transition
In-person voting centers with assistance
Help for elderly and disabled
Nobody gets left behind

“Won’t this be slow?”

Some decisions need time for deliberation – that’s good. We have the fast-track for emergencies.

But honestly, Congress is ALREADY slow. Bills sit for years. Nothing gets done because of gridlock.

This will be faster because there’s no partisan obstruction. The people decide and it moves forward.

“What if corporations fight back?”

They will. They’ll use media. They’ll lie. They’ll try to scare people.

That’s why we need a movement. This only works if enough people understand it and demand it.

The Corporate Code removes their power to buy politicians. That’s the whole point.

“Is this even constitutional?”

We’re using Article V of the Constitution – the part that lets the people call a convention to amend the Constitution.

The founders included this specifically so we could fix a broken government. This is exactly what it’s for.

WHY THIS WILL WORK

It’s already working in other places:

Switzerland has used direct democracy since 1848. They’re one of the most stable, prosperous countries on Earth.
Porto Alegre, Brazil let citizens directly allocate the city budget starting in 1989. Services improved dramatically, especially for the poor.
Taiwan is using digital democracy platforms right now to resolve complex policy issues.
Rojava (Syria) is using direct democracy during an active war. If it works there, it can work here.

People are NOT stupid. We know what we need. We know what’s fair.

We just need the POWER to make it happen.

WHAT WE’RE BUILDING

This isn’t just a new voting system. It’s a new way of organizing society:

From: Top-down control by elites To: Bottom-up democracy by the people

From: Extractive capitalism that destroys communities and environment To: Cooperative economics that serves human and ecological wellbeing

From: Corporations with power over government To: Government (the people) with power over corporations

From: Politicians who serve donors To: Experts who serve the public, accountable to direct democratic oversight

From: Poverty penalties and inequality To: Fair systems that support everyone

From: Destructive industrial agriculture To: Regenerative practices that heal the land

From: A system that concentrates wealth and power To: A system that distributes them fairly

This is possible. This is achievable. This is what democracy actually looks like.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Share this proposal – Talk to people. Spread the word.
Organize locally – Start pilot programs in your city or state
Demand Article V convention – Contact your state legislators
Build the movement – We need millions of people who understand this and want it
Support the Corporate Code of Conduct – This is the enforcement mechanism
Participate in developing the platform – We need tech people, organizers, educators, everyone

This only works if WE make it work.

THE BOTTOM LINE

They tell us democracy is what we have now – electing people to make decisions for us.

That’s not democracy. That’s oligarchy with extra steps.

Real democracy is US making the decisions. Together. Informed by experts. Accountable to each other.

The technology exists. The knowledge exists. The only thing missing is the WILL.

Are you ready to take your power back?

JOIN US

This is a proposal. A starting point. It will be refined through the exact democratic process it describes.

You are part of this. Your ideas matter. Your voice matters.

Together, we can build a government that actually serves the people and protects the planet.

For our children. For the seventh generation. For all beings.

Let’s do this.

This proposal is a living document, created through collaboration and intended to evolve through democratic input. Share it. Improve it. Make it yours.

For questions, discussions, and to get involved: [Contact information to be added]

Direct Democracy for America Government of the people, by the people, for the people – literally.

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