The failure of the Occupy movement has been that it is primarily been driven at an emotional level, and (if my own experiences have shown anything) has lacked serious thought.
So, here, we're all designers/engineers/entrepeneurs, let's talk about this.
Goal:
Fix what is broken with the US federal government.
Constraints:
Any proposed solution cannot disrupt current economy significantly (avoid riots, breaking public services, hurting people. etc.).
Any proposed solution must be straightforward in implementation and simple in explanation (average Joes and Janes need to be able to get it--no GNU cat() implmentations, please).
Any proposed solution must gracefully integrate or deprecate existing systems where possible (see defense, messaging [postal service], FCC, IRS, etc.)--this need not include existing legislative organs, however (those are command mechanisms, which probably would need to be replaced wholesale anyways).
Any proposed solution must allow active participation by the governed and allow for expression of their will. This implies any solution must allow for equal, open, and easy access to the functioning of the government.
Suggested starting point:
1. Identify what is actually wrong with the government.
EDIT: Updated example list of existing systems example. Added constraint for "expression of governed's will".
Lawrence Lessig argues that the fundamental problem in government is money. Getting elected is expensive, so candidates have to build a network of donors, which creates an obvious conflict of interest if they get elected. A decent introduction to Lessig's ideas can be found here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/...
Public financing of elections would be a definite step in the right direction and meets all of your constraints.
It's worth noting that Occupy movement was started in the pursuit of one clear, simple, publicly and plainly stated goal: to get the money out of politics. [1]
Everyone who pushed forward the meme that the Occupiers had/have no clear agenda did nothing but expose their own ignorance, ineptitude or intellectual dishonesty.
To be fair, the confusing structure of anonymous, and the multitudes of 'alternative' press releases under the name of anonymous certainly confused the issue. As more people joined the occupy protests in SF, new issues started getting mixed in (from prosecution of banking board members to banning circumcision), and the press naturally published what was most interesting to the general public.
I'm sorry, but I just don't agree with that. This is the first time I've ever heard of that specific demand, and I've been actively seeking information about the movement.
Feel free to blame "the media," but I've personally asked more than a few people at Occupy to be specific about what they were demanding or what success looks like and I never heard anything like that. I heard a lot about jobs and employment. A bit about the banks having too much power. And one person talked a lot about middle east politics.
> "I've been actively seeking information about the movement."
You've been looking for information, yet never read the original call to Occupy? Or were you just keeping an eye out for more background information in what is provided to you by the press?
I think before any fixing takes place.. a lot of people still need to be convinced that something is broken.
Identify and visualize the "broken wheels". And no vagueness either: Name names, quote figures and compare track records to campaign platforms then get that information out there in clever, "viral" ways. Large, detailed infographics might seem popular with us nerds but general population needs very specific, dramatic examples of just how fucked up things are.
Actually, it sounds like you're describing the Tea Party movement. While it remains to be seen if it has run out of steam, it made a big impact on the 2010 elections.
The failure of the Occupy movement has been that it is primarily been driven at an emotional level, and (if my own experiences have shown anything) has lacked serious thought.
So, here, we're all designers/engineers/entrepeneurs, let's talk about this.
Goal:
Fix what is broken with the US federal government.
Constraints:
Any proposed solution cannot disrupt current economy significantly (avoid riots, breaking public services, hurting people. etc.).
Any proposed solution must be straightforward in implementation and simple in explanation (average Joes and Janes need to be able to get it--no GNU cat() implmentations, please).
Any proposed solution must gracefully integrate or deprecate existing systems where possible (see defense, messaging [postal service], FCC, IRS, etc.)--this need not include existing legislative organs, however (those are command mechanisms, which probably would need to be replaced wholesale anyways).
Any proposed solution must allow active participation by the governed and allow for expression of their will. This implies any solution must allow for equal, open, and easy access to the functioning of the government.
Suggested starting point:
1. Identify what is actually wrong with the government.
EDIT: Updated example list of existing systems example. Added constraint for "expression of governed's will".