Ruling Principles
These principles apply to any government run by and for normal people who are willing to shoulder their fair share of responsibility. It assumes that men and women are able to manage themselves, their family, and surroundings, without outside interference or control.
1. The greatest happiness and progress occur when freedoms prevail, including freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom from oppression, freedom to create, freedom to produce or render needed and useful service, freedom to succeed or fail, and freedom to own and control property.
2. Liberty prevails only when there is rule of law rather than arbitrary rule by orders of a king, aristocracy, magistrate, legislature, cabal or even the majority.
3. Whenever any form of government become destructive to the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of its citizens, the people have a right to reform or replace it with a form that will most likely secure their happiness.
4. Most people desire to do right. The voice of the majority, or their representatives if truly representing them, will most often enact good and just laws.
5. A strong constitution, with provisions to restrain abusive power, is needed to prevent majority tyranny and to protect the rights of individuals and minorities.
6. The form of government best responding to the public will, while able to act quickly and energetically when needed, is a republic in which the people elect their representatives, but one that has a strong and independent executive.
7. In a properly ordered republic, decision making bodies are kept small for meaningful discussion and action. This requires a federated system: local representatives making laws for local matters with local executives carrying them out, and national representatives making laws for national or universal concerns.
8. Social problems are best solved at the lowest level.
Although citizens of a lower domain may participate in education, welfare, or other programs through contracts of limited duration with a higher domain (which they could agree to do to take advantage of economies of scale or better management), they must always retain the right to regain control. Regaining control includes retention of taxes and other obligations sent to the higher domain for management of the programs. Without this ability to manage their internal affairs, the federated system breaks down, local autonomy and liberty are lost.
9. The best governments govern little. Their officials lead with clarity and quietude, by charisma, wisdom, persuasion, and by showing concern for those whom they serve. They never rely upon force to achieve an end except to protect the innocent or to correct or restrain those committing crimes.
10. There is more trust and comradery when assemblies are small, allowing members to become acquainted with one another, and to learn of one another's strengths, weaknesses, character, biases, and relationships. Governments should be subdivided when legislative bodies and administrative offices become large and complex.
11. Legislative bodies and committee meetings should be conducted by chairpersons with good parliamentary skills who invite the best input and creative energies from each member.
12. With modern data processing equipment, it is possible to have true democracy, so that every registered citizen might vote on every proposal. However, due to the dangers of manufactured crises, popular but fleeting interests, and media opinion-molding bolstered with Artificial Intelligence, there must be checks and balances. A senate, at each level of government, comprised of wise and experienced men and women, elected by the legislatures of the domain they represent, can temper the evils of runaway popular opinion.