As this is ancient, and to be frank, rather sophomoric – I am considering merging this “essay” into juvenilia, completely expanding it into a full length treatise or rewriting it for sake of readability and smoother digestion.
A loosely bound confederation of small autonomous regions, each one itself a miniature republic held together by a transparent and streamlined central government which cannot exist outside of the confederation, impossible in the past due to deficiencies in rapid communication but more than practical now; a confederation of strong, independent state governments with a necessary apparatus (the federal) to unite in times of crisis.
The ideal autonomous region would operate using a two-tier civic system: citizens and statesmen. The typical individual (citizens) would be guaranteed almost unlimited personal freedom (only limited by the region’s own laws, as no federal laws can reach beyond the federal institution) in a complete laissez faire environment.
The job of the typical citizen is to be happy and live life in whatever way is fulfilling to the individual. A citizen has virtually no restrictions on his lifestyle and should not be expected to act in anyway other then as he decides to act. Citizens may not vote or in anyway directly influence the operation of the government because they may lack the prudence, virtue, wisdom, self-control and clear judgment that a statesman is demanded to possess.
The statesmen do not exist to be happy but to sustain and curate the government. The statesman casts aside his own desires and ego and looks to sustain the health of all of humanity, not just his own humanity. The statesman is an indifferent, unbiased, stoic, philosopher guardian of the civic order. To become a statesman one must only volunteer but in doing so has his personal rights severely curtailed: he may no longer own private property exceeding his personal effects, live with his family (although he may make visits he may not allow his judgment to be impaired by placing his family before any other group of citizens), publicly profess to an organized religion or use any form of intoxicants, he would be required to make every statement, decision and action logically rigorous, to previously have studied rhetoric and logic, to disregard his own life for the sake of the whole, to humble himself before the most depraved citizen, to be entirely indifferent to external treacheries, fantasies, dramas and insults, to not listen to slander, to hold in the highest esteem courage, self-control, justice and wisdom, to speak heroic truth in every word, to love one woman and one woman only or to chose abstinence, to not allow his personal biases to ever compromise what should be universal maxims, to belong to no political party or specific school of political philosophy, to not label himself or conform to popular expectations, to disregard the mob and only make judgments based on his own reasoning (regardless of how unhappy it might make the masses), to accept immediate removal of his station at the slightest confirmation of treachery or dishonesty, to maintain his cheerfulness, charisma, generosity and humor in the face of misfortunes, to endure misfortunes with logical and prudent decisions, never to pander to the public or use the power of rhetoric for unethical purposes, to live in the fashion of the “camp-bed and cloak,†to be fearless; to hold in the highest importance the quest for honesty. Statesmen must act in this fashion so that they are virtually selfless and have no capacity for corruption. Take away the privilege of property and a personal life guaranteed to the citizen and in turn create men who live and breathe civic virtue.
In a true republic corruption is nearly impossible because those who are concerned with governing have no practical reason to be corrupt (since they personally can’t gain anything from dishonest practice as the opinions of the masses does not effect their office, they own nothing and can desire nothing). There is no distant and corrupt monarchy, an Augustus’ republic maintaining nothing but a façade of honesty as would be observable in the American government, small local state governments offer you direct interaction with the law (if you so wish) and you don’t have political representation unless you strive to gain it. Only those who treasure and cultivate civic virtue would be able to effect the operation of the republic. Those who wish to be apathetic, intoxicated and void of character may live in whatever fashion makes them happiest. This is fine because there will be wise leaders in power who exist to ensure things are being done justly and with prudence. Why should the masses that lack virtue be given the power to rule anything but themselves? Things considered taboo in the American society such as state religions, bans on homosexuality, abortion laws and morality laws is possible IF DESIRED in particular regions using the regional senate system. There is no political correctness and there are no demands of lifestyle by the central government. In each republic a unique, regionalized (tribal) and specially suited culture would emerge and flourish. These cultures would organically evolve and would not be influenced by a central seat of power with connotations of an archetypal, trite and obedient morality. Although each republic may have its own unique culture it never loses its sense of nationhood, still willing to pledge its allegiance to the common cause of defense and eternal friendship.
The statesmen form a senate which is the only government of the republic. The senate’s job is to make indifferent, impartial, unbiased decisions for the sake of the people and when only necessary to organize the levying of the citizen army. Every man’s vote inside the senate is equal because it is assumed that every individual has comparable levels of virtue, self-control and clear judgment. The senate body would routinely vote to remove suspected corrupt senators so that there is no doubt of dishonest practice. The highest virtues a senator would strive to possess are integrity, clear judgment and sincerity. For the actual composition of the senate we can trust in our forefathers the Romans and Greeks for where the Roman senate failed due to corruption and infighting this system prevails because corruption is nearly impossible it. These positions come with important responsibilities that only the most meritous and unquestionably righteous men would hold. In the republic those who are honest and are most qualified for a job receive that job, not those who may pander to the public the best to receive the most misguided votes. In a republic the only people voting are those with the prudence that should be required in voting. The masses cannot be trusted to govern the body of themselves, only their individual selves.
In this fashion each autonomous region of the confederation maintains its own government, laws, operation and way of life specifically suited for the individual needs and desires of that area. The federal government is a senate similar in composition to the regional senates but instead of governing for the sake of individuals and local matters (this would be the task of the regional senate) it governs for the sake of the confederation as a whole. Senators within the federal government are voted into membership by unanimous decision of all regional senates. The federal government normally has no army, no leader and no taxation system but it is not powerless. When crisis emerges or when an overwhelming majority of the regional senates agree to commit, the federal government may levy a united citizen army or demand taxes for projects. The federal senate also serves as a diplomatic head of state. Most of the time the federal senate is not even in session and only meets when necessary.
The waging of war is an important consideration in the confederation of republics. The system is designed so that war is only possible if an overwhelming majority of the statesmen agree to commit to it. It is not possible for a war to be waged without the consent of the whole of the government and it is not possible for an unwanted war to take form. Imperial ambitions are virtually impossible. The center of attention is not on dazzling foreign wars but on domestic issues and ensuring that the citizens are as free and happy as possible. That being said, there is no professional army, only a citizen militia army. Professional soldiers are more interested in riches, fame and the ambitions of their generals then protecting the republic. When a call is sent out for troops to be levied citizens will be required to answer. Statesmen will serve as officers on campaign. When the military action is over the citizens will be free to return to their homes and resume a life of freedom and privilege. War should only be necessary if the security of the confederation is threatened by an invading army so the occurrence of this happening is remote, although possible.
The republic is a timeless government because it is infinitely flexible, able to fit whatever purpose and whatever circumstances because it lacks the machinery inherit to the thrones of the old rule: castes, class, flexibility for ambitious careerists and the possibility of dishonesty. The republic creates harmony by offering the wise and passionate the ability to evolve state doctrines and laws without having to appeal to popular vulgarities and desires, decisions that are logically and reasonably asserted for the sake of the whole of humanity and not for individual ego.
The goal of the formation of a government is not to ensure equality but to ensure harmony. Men who are educated and virtuous should govern while those who are uneducated should only be granted control over themselves. The people of the modern democracy are swayed too easily by appearances, appeasements and the pandering of beautiful and silver tongued faces. The contemporary democrat looks to his own needs and no one else’s with no manner of prudence or temperance. Why should those uneducated and idiotic masses of drug addicts and materialists influence the government? Of course they are guaranteed freedom in their own right and guaranteed happiness within their own governance but they simply are not suitable for influencing the operation of the government, which should exist solely to create unbiased, rational and indifferent decisions.
The many idealists of the past have called for utopia. Utopia is impossible because it’s unrealistic to expect the majority of citizens to conform to a certain way of life. Communism will never work because it demands that all citizens work together for the common good. The majority of people simply do not have in them the level of self-control and prudence required to make such a system operational. Thus we must consider a two class society which is divided into those who care about the sake of the government, society and harmony within the human race and those who are more interested in their own pursuits. Both are valid and fulfilling ways to live, but the former requires a special breed of man who is unselfish and willing to compromise much of the guaranteed freedoms the latter would chose to indulge in.