Note by the Author
A Letter from the Future is a method to simplify the description of the theory on Multigovernment and make it more understandable. It is not designed as an exercise to predict or prophesy the future. This method is not new, Sir Thomas More used his hypothetical island "Utopia." Francis Bacon had his "New Atlantis" to picture his ideal commonwealth. Tommaso Campanella utilized a heavenly "City of the Sun." I am using somewhat the same method of Edward Bellamy and George Orwell by moving across the face of time.
Title: A Letter from the Future From: Ernest Yad California State University, Northridge City-State Los Angeles
Date: July 4, 2176 To: Inhabitants of the 20th Century
I am a college student, majoring in English with an emphasis on the language and colloquialism of the 20th Century. My Master's project is to write a letter to the people living around July 4, 1976 (America's Bi-centennial). This thesis will give the history of the interceding two hundred years between 1976 and 2176. It will briefly describe the political system. I will proceed to write as if I am writing directly to the people of the 20th Century.
I have selected to write to the last quarter of the 20th Century because you are living in a time of an interesting paradox. You are now celebrating the courage and fore-sight of those who lived two hundred years before you (1776), having no idea that History would record your time as the lowest ebb in American history. However, out of the corruption and chaos of the 1970s came the seeds of a new political system that, in sixty years, would be the determining ideology of a continent. It would circle the earth before the century was over. The system was called, in your day, "Multigovernment." In our day, it is the natural, permanent ethos. It is our way of life. It is as superior to your system as yours is to slavery.
California State University, Northridge, California, retained its name between your 20th Century and my 22nd Century. This was done to honor the birthplace of Multigovernment in 1969. However, the identity of the State of California has disappeared.
Multigovernment was first organized by L. E. Day, then developed by others. It was expanded on street corners and in experimental colleges. It started with mimeographing machines and graduated to printing presses. The movement was spearheaded by young college students and the so-called underground. They realized that the conservative-liberal pull would be the stagnation of civilization unless a system was devised giving each individual his natural right to choose his own form of government. MGs, as the Multigovernment political party became known, appeared on the California ballot in 1985. The political party spread from California (a fertile soil for germinating ideas) to the entire globe. MG soon became a political movement in every country on earth where it was legal.
The Middle East, a traditional conflict area of the world, took the first giant step toward Multigovernment. Israel, Samaria, Jordan, and the Gaza Strip were made into one republic. The land was split up among the several states. The territory was divided to best maximize the population among the various ethnic groups. The Jewish majority had overall leadership and took up the land area not covered by the various states. The Jews handled such matters as foreign affairs, currency, and defence; the rest of the member states having their own courts, police force, schools, medical and other services.
The next logical step was to have the first experiment in Multigovernment. It happened in 1995. The Jewish majority made themselves into a sovereignty without territory. They also made the several states into a sovereignty without land. Other governments were created according to the various religious, ethnic, or philosophical notions. The people then had the right to choose the government they wanted. Some people decided to get together with others of like ideology and create a government according to their own particular specifications. Each individual also had the right to belong to no government at all. The world then had its first working model of Multigovernment. The Israeli-Palestine showcase spurred the growth of MG parties throughout the world.
On August 10, 2012, our "Fourth of July," Australia became the first continent to accept the Multigovernment system as a total political existence. The time period between the beginning of Multigovernment in 1969 and the freedomization of the first continent in 2012 was his-torically called the "persuasion period." The next three decades, known as the "transition period," was a test for Multigovernment. It was a conflict between two factions: not communism and capitalism as so many had predicted, but between the bulky land-mass sovereigns and Multigovernment. Country after country joined the ranks of the superior system. The rapid growth of Multigovernment put stress on the system. As a result, anti-freedom forces tried to recapture the land controlled by Multigovernment. Most of the people, by this time, were college graduates. They not only could have the advantage of the historical perspective on which was the better system, but they also could make a comparative analysis. During the transition period, both systems simultaneously coexisted.
Freedomization of the world came about in 2045 when Madagascar, the last holdout, became part of Multigovernment. This ended the transition period that started when Australia entered the system. The millennium was ushered in on March 16, 2076, when the entire world agreed to a constitution with the concept of Multigovernment as its basis. Since there were no wars, no violence, no revolutions, this period gets little space in history books. When the millennium started, there were no wars because there was no land mass controlled by governments to fight for. There were no revolutions because if you didn't like the government you belonged to, you could quit and have three options: (1) join another government, (2) join no government at all, or (3) create your own government. Land is a place you live in and travel on. Government is a device to serve people. What we cannot understand in our time about the people of your time is why you cement the two together simply because some government functions need a geographical base.
We will now examine the present political condition. The doctrine of Multigovernment, which is basically the same today, was taught back in the 20th Century. The broad framework of political theory was called Multigovernment. However, some aspects have changed. These changeable things we call "policy." Policy is those aspects of government that change with people's moods, wants, and conditions at a particular time and place. However, the basic theory of Multigovernment contained in the writings of L. E. Day and others allows for the fluctuations of policy.
We will now look at an overview of the political system we have today that grew out of the 20th Century Multigovernment (MG). We have three echelons of government that need explaining at this time: (1) territorial, (2) judicial, and (3) choice. There is only one territorial government in Multigovernment to each land area and each land area has only one territorial government. The theory suggests that only these problems of "territorial necessity" be handled by the territorial government. If there is any function other than police or fire protection (which is a territorial necessity), it must be voted on by 85 percent of the entire voting public of the geographical area. The idea is to keep the territorial government at a bare minimum. By the nature of the fact that all the people that live in them must belong to them, all territorial government must be democracies.
City-states have formed in large metropolitan areas and heavily populated areas. Regional governments have formed in rural, farming, and forest areas. The judicial level of government's basic function is the court system. The judges of the judicial system do not actually govern - they judge. However, as will be taken up later, the judges appoint individuals in the districts or departments to administer justice. The judicial system starts with the local courts, seeming to be on the level with, and housed with, territorial governments, then stretches out to the district courts, regional courts, the supreme court for each continent, and then an upper supreme court. The method of judges getting their positions is a policy matter and is changed through the years. At the present time, one third of the judges are appointed by the territorial officials who are elected by the people (indirect representation), one third are elected by the people (direct election), and the last one third are appointed by the original two thirds (appointments).
The administrative districts and departments are sometimes called a level of government, but they are usually considered under our court system. The administrators follow policy set by the courts. This type of sub-government is divided into two categories: departments and districts. Departments are permanent and handle things that are of an ongoing nature such as currency, welfare, etc. Districts are of a temporary, ad hoc nature and disband when the function they perform can be handled by another form of government by individuals, or there is no longer a need for their goods or services.
The choice government aspect of our system is the backbone of Multigovernment theory. A definition of choice government, for our purposes at this time, is a government where the individual can choose, from among the several governments, one to fulfill his human needs. The individual's protection needs are filled by the geographical government. His judicial needs are filled by the judicial government. Two conditions must exist for the choice government concept to work: (1) the system must provide an atmosphere so the choice governments can be created and grow by their merits, and (2) there must be people ready to start and maintain choice governments. Both of these conditions exist today and the system is working beautifully.
The idea or concept of man's basic organizational needs was first taught by MGs back in your day, and today has proven to be true. Man's organizational needs fall into three basic categories: (1) those who have a tendency toward leadership; (2) those who have a tendency toward following, and (3) those who do not need to either lead or follow. In most societies, before Multigovernment, this condition of man's organization deviation was not taken into account. Today, because of our many choice governments that exist for men to choose from, each of these needs that a man has can be fully satisfied.
In the Multigovernment system, individuals have an opportunity to express their natural and acquired talents. As far as political and social experimentation is concerned, it offers a very important opportunity for experiments in government. Prior to Multigovernment, experimental governments had to come about with bloody revolutions or expensive educational programs. Today, we have a large range of governments from which to choose. We have a choice ranging from local regional-based organizations to large world cooperation. We can choose from ethnic-oriented governments to multi-race fellowships. Or our choice can range from loose democracies to strict disciplined societies (every person has the right to leave the choice government he belongs to at any time). In the last one hundred years, every possible form of government conceived by the minds of men has existed. Those survived which best fulfilled the needs of the people. These are needs that people of your generation completely ignored. Our political scientists and organizational theorists have categorized choice government into many forms. The most popular form is a structural form. They are listed in four categories: (1) limited government, (2) religious or ethnic government, (3) comprehensive government, and (4) free agents (free agents are not members of any form of government but they must be accounted for). It so happens that my three roommates at the college (Larry, Bruce, and Chris) and I all belong to one of the above categories. I will very briefly describe each of my roommates' governments so that the reader can get a rough idea of how the governments work today.
I belong to a Socialist Democratic Government. We are located close to the center of population in the Antelope Valley next to a city-state of Los Angeles. We are a farming and food-producing government. We hold all things in common. We have a college dedicated to the improvement of agriculture and food-producing. I was not interested in the processing of food, so my government sent me to California State University, Northridge, to study English.
Restating a principle of Multigovernment, land is not a prerequisite for government, but because of the purpose of our government (which is to raise food), we own our own land in the same way as individuals and corporations did in your day and still do in our day. We all own the government's land collectively. If anyone wishes to join a new government or be independent (a free agent), we give him a prearranged portion of money or goods. We use the barter system within the governments when they have a product or service. We trade food with them. For instance, we exchange food for medical care with the government that specializes in hospitals and medical care. California State University, Northridge, was turned over to an educational district many years ago, and my government has made arrangements with that district for the education of those college students from our government who are not interested in agriculture.
My government takes pride in the amount of food we produce. We feel good when we allocate a portion of food to governments that are not as fortunate as ours, much like the volunteer system advocated by the Libertarian Party of your day.I could go on and give you an in-depth analysis of our government's method of democracy, its organizations, its history, etc., but I will confine this description to its relationship with other governments and individuals. It is hoped that the reader can conceive the broad picture of how the system works. My roommate Larry belongs to a religious society as an example of the religious and ethnic category. He belongs to one of the two largest religions that existed in your day and still exists today. His father works for a regular business corporation. He gives a portion of his salary to the church. He owns his own home, and his medical expenses are paid by the company he works for, through insurance. All of the remaining government's functions are taken care of by his church, including taking care of the old and those who cannot work. Now again, there are religious societies which do nothing but answer to the religious needs of the people, and there are those which are comprehensive; that is, they take full responsibility for their members from cradle to grave. My roommate Chris belongs to the Granite Dual Republic, to be used as an example of limited government. It is called Dual because it has only two areas of government: medical needs and education. So, individuals who belong to the Granite Dual Republic do not have any other type of government except the basic protection of the geographical community government services and, of course, they are subject to the judicial system. About half the people of the Granite Dual Republic work full time for the government; that is, they teach in the schools, work as doctors, or are in related occupation or crafts. The other half works outside the organization and pays taxes for its services. The Granite Dual Republic, like my government, trades its hospitalization and school services with other governments that have services or products to trade, such as our government trades food produced by our people for medical services performed by their people. They also sell these services to free agents and others whose governments do not provide them. My last roommate is Bruce, whose parents are free agents. That is, they belong to no government at all. They, of course, belong to the local community and are subject to the judicial system. But other than that, they are completely free from government intervention. The children of free agents are subject to the educational voucher system until they get through high school. That is, the children and the parents of school-age free agents can choose a parochial school, a school district school, or a government school when there is an opening and when the governments of the school districts can handle them. Everyone in our society is guaranteed a free education through college. Free agents are the biggest single group. Free agents are living as the conservative, the libertarian, or the right-winger wanted to live in your day. They live completely their notion of freedom, without government intervention or interference except for the bare necessities. The reason the believers in Multigovernment in the 20th Century were associated with the conservative movement is that they both had the same basic objectives in mind. What difference did it make to the true conservative if his neighbour belonged to a cooperative or a socialist form of government as long as he, himself, was free? That was to provide for those who could not make it or did not want to work in a free society. Now in the case of the liberal or left-winger, each wanted to go in a different direction or have a different amount of government services, each liberal demanding that the entire government be oriented toward his brand of liberalism. So, dear reader, political life as you live it is the right pulling against the left. If you don't end up with one suppressing the other, you end up with a coalition, which is nothing. You are now in a historical persuasion period. Perhaps you have thought about history and wondered why the serf of the Middle Ages, without question, subjected himself to a lord of the manor when freedom was just over the hill. We have wondered why the slaves of any time period stayed with their masters when freedom was so close. We here in the 22nd Century look back to you of the 20th Century and ask with the same concern, "Why do you keep, without question, those wasteful, useless governments?"