Behold: TEXT WALL!!!
I'd set up a Technate. Essentially, it's a continent-wide government system run by engineers. You've got the resources of Canada and Mexico, the breadbasket and industrial capacity of the United States, and the commercial potential for Caribbean tourism. The North American continent should be able to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure, as well as the army of personnel capable of maintaining it. Large-scale mechanization of industry would eliminate many jobs, leaving only skilled workers and administrators in employment.
The economy would replace the fickle beast of currency with a so-called Energy Credit. This credit is equal to a share in the Technate's total production. Instead of being based solely on the whims of the many, the prices of goods in a Technate would rely on how much resources, and energy are put into an object. Therefore, consumers are goaded into choosing efficient and environmentally sustainable products. Services would be priced according to whomever performed the service, as they're harder to translate into matters of resources and watt-hours.
As for the loss of jobs caused by renovating the economy, those unable to find work would receive enough compensation from the Technate to maintain a decent quality of life, which when you think about the abundance of goods that can be created under proper management of resources, wouldn't be much. Those who are actually employed in the economy whether as technicians, administrators, engineers, or in service fields, would receive compensation based on their contribution to the Technate.
The unemployed, being of the surplus population which is unnecessary to the growth of society, will be restricted in breeding. One-child-per-couple regulations will have to be passed in order to keep the population at a sustainable level, something that could not be done in the long term with the legions of unemployed efficient management will create. This infringement upon human rights would be unique in a Technate, as its goal is to create a utopia in which men and women can do what they want. However, moral ideals must give way to simple practicality at some point. It is better to limit population growth for a few generations then to discover unsupportable masses later on.
The means of production would be put under heavy regulation. The most skilled administrators currently working in any factory or plant would be given control over said facility. The only way to make it big economically would be competence rather than luck at the stock markets.
Modern-day cities would be converted or recycled to provide the highest quality of life possible. All cities would be planned to take full advantage of their natural surroundings, with residential and commercial districts being placed so they do not overlap with the industrial facilities. Most roads in North America would be abandoned to be replaced with high speed railways connecting the cities and industrial enclaves. Mass transit would be the norm for transportation in most cities due to the simple fact that one tram takes less resources to move 50 people than 50 cars.
As far as the political system is concerned, the directors of the country would not be democratically elected. Those who the most competence in administration would be given control over the country's infrastructure. Decisions regarding civil rights and laws would be passed by popular vote. Those who are not democratically elected will have no power over the people and those who've not demonstrated supreme skill at administrating industries will be given no power over the economy. This set up will allow for maximum civil rights in an economic landscape run by the competent and not the popular.
While this seems like an impossibility today, this is a feasible system. Like it or not, capitalism is on it's way out. Whether it takes decades or centuries, keeping everyone employed so they have a decent quality to life will become increasingly difficult as mechanized alternatives able to produce more for less are developed. For example: City A has long relied on Generic Industries for it's employment. However, GI replaces their legions of factory workers with machines in order to create more and in theory, sell more. However, because much of the populace is now out of work, they are unable to buy the numerous products cheaply produced by GI. Thus you have a disparity between production and consumption which hurts both producers and consumers.
If this continues, which it most likely will, seeing as how engineers are difficult to control. We will come to a point at which we have an abundance of goods, but no one to use them. The population will get restless and rebel against those who produce. Populations are growing to fast to keep them employed in irreplaceable industries and engineers are improving means of production too fast to regulate. Thus, the only logical path I see is abandoning capitalism at that boiling-point and moving to a new system.
While this may sound like communism (something I, as a John Galt have no love for), it is closer to Ayn Rand's ideals than you think. It supports individual rights and the "men of the mind". It is these men and women who will lead the Technate, not those who do nothing to justify their power.
I'd set up a Technate. Essentially, it's a continent-wide government system run by engineers. You've got the resources of Canada and Mexico, the breadbasket and industrial capacity of the United States, and the commercial potential for Caribbean tourism. The North American continent should be able to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure, as well as the army of personnel capable of maintaining it. Large-scale mechanization of industry would eliminate many jobs, leaving only skilled workers and administrators in employment.
The economy would replace the fickle beast of currency with a so-called Energy Credit. This credit is equal to a share in the Technate's total production. Instead of being based solely on the whims of the many, the prices of goods in a Technate would rely on how much resources, and energy are put into an object. Therefore, consumers are goaded into choosing efficient and environmentally sustainable products. Services would be priced according to whomever performed the service, as they're harder to translate into matters of resources and watt-hours.
As for the loss of jobs caused by renovating the economy, those unable to find work would receive enough compensation from the Technate to maintain a decent quality of life, which when you think about the abundance of goods that can be created under proper management of resources, wouldn't be much. Those who are actually employed in the economy whether as technicians, administrators, engineers, or in service fields, would receive compensation based on their contribution to the Technate.
The unemployed, being of the surplus population which is unnecessary to the growth of society, will be restricted in breeding. One-child-per-couple regulations will have to be passed in order to keep the population at a sustainable level, something that could not be done in the long term with the legions of unemployed efficient management will create. This infringement upon human rights would be unique in a Technate, as its goal is to create a utopia in which men and women can do what they want. However, moral ideals must give way to simple practicality at some point. It is better to limit population growth for a few generations then to discover unsupportable masses later on.
The means of production would be put under heavy regulation. The most skilled administrators currently working in any factory or plant would be given control over said facility. The only way to make it big economically would be competence rather than luck at the stock markets.
Modern-day cities would be converted or recycled to provide the highest quality of life possible. All cities would be planned to take full advantage of their natural surroundings, with residential and commercial districts being placed so they do not overlap with the industrial facilities. Most roads in North America would be abandoned to be replaced with high speed railways connecting the cities and industrial enclaves. Mass transit would be the norm for transportation in most cities due to the simple fact that one tram takes less resources to move 50 people than 50 cars.
As far as the political system is concerned, the directors of the country would not be democratically elected. Those who the most competence in administration would be given control over the country's infrastructure. Decisions regarding civil rights and laws would be passed by popular vote. Those who are not democratically elected will have no power over the people and those who've not demonstrated supreme skill at administrating industries will be given no power over the economy. This set up will allow for maximum civil rights in an economic landscape run by the competent and not the popular.
While this seems like an impossibility today, this is a feasible system. Like it or not, capitalism is on it's way out. Whether it takes decades or centuries, keeping everyone employed so they have a decent quality to life will become increasingly difficult as mechanized alternatives able to produce more for less are developed. For example: City A has long relied on Generic Industries for it's employment. However, GI replaces their legions of factory workers with machines in order to create more and in theory, sell more. However, because much of the populace is now out of work, they are unable to buy the numerous products cheaply produced by GI. Thus you have a disparity between production and consumption which hurts both producers and consumers.
If this continues, which it most likely will, seeing as how engineers are difficult to control. We will come to a point at which we have an abundance of goods, but no one to use them. The population will get restless and rebel against those who produce. Populations are growing to fast to keep them employed in irreplaceable industries and engineers are improving means of production too fast to regulate. Thus, the only logical path I see is abandoning capitalism at that boiling-point and moving to a new system.
While this may sound like communism (something I, as a John Galt have no love for), it is closer to Ayn Rand's ideals than you think. It supports individual rights and the "men of the mind". It is these men and women who will lead the Technate, not those who do nothing to justify their power.
