Anonymous wrote:I agree with novelist Robert Heinlein's model of society depicted in the book "Starship Troopers" (wayyyy better and much different than the movie, BTW)
Essentially, society was composed of two groups of people: Citizens and Civillans.
Each had the same basic human rights, educational access, occupations, etc. the only difference was the area of politics and the franchise of voting.
Only Citizens could vote and hold office.
How did one become a Citizen?
Military service. And for those unable to serve militarily due to physical limitations or ethical objections, there was an alternative called "federal service", which was no less grueling, dangerous and demanding.
The point was that the privilege of voting, without being earned, men's nothing. People will simply vote in their own interest rather than the good of the state, and will elect those who promise them free stuff.
By requiring a term of potentially dangerous service, it demonstrates that a person has skin in the game, and has earned a vote, rather than it simply being given to them by virtue of them simply existing.
Alternatively, I'd also support a system where a person could accumulate multiple votes. So every person would have one vote. If a person paid taxes on income or investments, they get another vote. If they own property, they get a third vote. If they served in the military, they get a fourth vote. Such a system incentivizes people to make the most of themselves, and rewards those who try harder with having more of a say in how things run than those who do nothing.
Either system would be preferable to what we have now.
It is not good to base a system of government on a science fiction action thriller. If so, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" might be better.
TANTSAAFL