4. Government

Summary

Endeavor to make your government serve your needs; if it fails to do so, replace it.

Actions

• Vote in every election, no matter how small. Research candidates: do not pay attention to their ads, flyers, or speeches; instead look to their personal and professional history for signs of how they will conduct themselves. Vote411 can help.
• Call your representatives. Even if they won’t listen to you, you have the right to use up their time. 5calls.org can help.
• Avoid taxes. Find alternative ways to share or exchange goods and services which are not being tracked. Consider not reporting income or wealth if you’re reasonably sure it would not be discovered.

Principles

This is the field in which I have the least certainty, partly because I have no formal training in law or government service, but also because the situation is changing so quickly that it’s difficult to gauge best practices. As the remnants of the government become more belligerent, it becomes ever more obvious that we need to create a new system that is functional.

To that end, I encourage open conversation about the idea, and suggest the creation of new constitutional conventions to create a new government, based on the foundational ideals that the previous one failed to uphold. Developing this process is not a fast one, and cannot be rushed, lest it result in mistakes that simply repeat the disaster we are currently facing.

In the meantime, it is necessary to remember that if you are a private citizen, all members of the government are technically your employees. If they actually engage in their duty in a way that is appropriate to that label, they deserve and need your help. If they instead act with belligerence or haughtiness, beware of any possible violence they may summon if offended, and avoid them to the greatest possible extent. If you do not know the character of a public servant, give them as little contact and information as you possibly can.