On the Decay of America

[United Marxist Nations]

It is... arguable. An Empire is just a collection of nations under control of a single government. Whether the US is an Empire depends on whether you can consider it to govern multiple nations. Given the Indigenous nations, it could certainly qualify. There are few states today which are not empires.

Given the definitions (all of which are controversial) of what a nation is, any diverse state could be called an empire. Canada? Empire. Brazil? Empire. Indonesia? Empire.

Until there is a standard, agreed upon definition of the concepts of a "empire" and "nation", it is a largely meaningless term.

For the most part, by the usual definitions, these states are Empires. We live in an era where states have grown to absorb their neighbors to the point that many states are empires. It must be understood that, in an empire, there should be a dominant nationality, by which I mean in terms of political power, not necessarily demographic size.

[USS Monitor]

unfortunately there may not be an America by the time I am 20 due to all the petty quarrels and liberal traitors who dare open up the southern border.

Liberals are the ones who were loyal to the Union last time we had a civil war, and conservatives were the ones that betrayed us. Judging by the far-right's calls for Obama to be impeached or put on trial for reasons that are never clear, I don't think much has changed.

The borders were open for a big chunk of American history -- not just de facto, but de jure. "Illegal immigration" is a concept that was introduced later.

[Olerand]

Um.... It has no emperor, certainly; but it has worldwide power projection,

Not all empires were powerful. Other great powers, like the UK and Germany, also have worldwide power projection (regardless of how it compares to America's). Would you call those countries empires?

disproportionate cultural power,

Which really isn't a requirement for an empire at all.

colonies (territories),

Even if you do consider territories to be colonies (which there is disagreement over), I guess that means Canada, the UK, and France, are empires, too.

client states..... Awfully similar to an empire.

The Greek city-states of antiquity would also create client states, and some modern nations, the US not included, could be considered to have client states. Does that make them empires? Not really.

All of these things individually do not make an empire, as you have dutifully noted. When they all exist together, they sort of do. And yes, hegemonic empires do have disproportionate cultural influence.

[Freemopia]

Legislative Branch
No law is passed or valid without 75%+ of the entire country’s approval by vote.
Government workers go door to door (for those who don’t opt out) to offer them air time to be on government channels daily, inhabitants can make arrangements with these government workers as to when to come over and how often.
There are government TV and radio channels 1 nation, 1 per 10,000 people, and 1 per 100 people.
There are town (1 per 10,000) and neighborhood (1 per 100) meetings that the government records and plays live in government channels every day.
The government website anyone can see all live and recorded footage that the government recorded.
Each inhabitant can submit a proposal 100charater limit that is aired on government channels and mailed to all inhabitants monthly. Yearly the ballot is sent to all inhabitants that is a list of proposals they can check to pass ones, and list of laws they can check to remove ones. The results are publicized and sent to all inhabitants, and 2 paper copies and 2 outdoor signs of the laws are sent to all inhabitants.
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4268/gihy.jpg

Jury
Jury of at least 12 per trial
Jury randomly blindly chosen
No 1 can be jury twice unless no 1 else wants to be jury.
Jury can’t have personal ties to victim, accused offender, or prosecutor.
Jury consensus required to find accused guilty.

Instructions for how to be a jury, along with the law code, is sent to all residents yearly.
Jury instructions along with law code, in a water proof format, are placed outside in neighborhoods, 1 for every 1 resident, outside of each court house, and in each public park. And engraved into public sidewalks.

Executive
Any members of the public can act as or be military, police, and tax collectors.
The public mostly cares for itself.
Gov-paid cops, military, and tax collectors mostly aren’t needed, and only are to help the poor who cant care for themselves and the public has failed to care for.

Law Enforcement
Severe physical abuse/neglect: Life in prison.

Mild-moderate physical abuse/neglect and pointing a gun at an innocent person:
Victim and at least 12 members of the public from that neighborhood (following jury rules), decide if and when they want to let offender out.

Theft(except for stealing from rich people richer than you to give to the poor, collecting debt(=uncoerced contracted) from debtor or collecting legal fines/fees/compensation from owers, allowing debtor/ower to keep up to $33,000man made property value exempt from collection,):
Fine and must give back stolen item or pay equivalent value to their victim.
if thieve owes a huge amount, maybe ankle bracelet and surveillance, if able and unwilling to work on ankle bracelet maybe prison, to help make sure they pay what they owe.

All prisons are labor prisons.

All criminals are offered education to teach them how to be nice, welfare, subsidized education if they can't afford it, moving them to a better neighborhood if needed, help them find a legal job, help them find friends and legal entertainment choices.

Innocent until proven guilty. Physical evidence that proves accused guilty is required before accused can be found guilty. Words/gossip is not enough to find someone guilty.

Government, prisons, and trails under 24-7 live public video surveillance.
All trails open for the public to watch and record with their cell phones/video cameras.
Trails must happen ASAP. After the person is arrested, they must be sent to trail immediately.

Enforcement and prison guards are required to tell criminals why what they did was wrong in detail, what they should have done instead, and answer the criminal’s questions.

Tax Collectors
Only man made property value tax, maybe plus sales tax only on lavish items. Everyone allowed to keep at least 3mil started at age 0 minus $23,000 per year, plus deductions. Deductions roll over. Tax % not higher for poor than rich.
Lavish items are taxed higher than non lavish items. High-risk lavish items (ex. recreational drugs…) are taxed higher than low-risk lavish items.

Full tax deductions for:
-Health care/insurance costs, and health care savings account (for testing for and treating physical health problems and birth control.
-Education costs for learning how to make physical survival needs(renewable energy, water purifiers, heating and cooling, shelter, soap, medical supplies and services for testing for and treating physical health problems and birth control, ...)
-Charity for giving to the poor for their physical survival, $12/h+, +resources you spent and gave......$100/m deduction for being a registered organ donor.
-Business costs for making physical survival products.
-Individual gets $7/h to $12/h for making and teaching uncoerced willing people how to make physical survival products.

Welfare and Education Dept
Standard welfare package for poor people who can't afford it: (house(picture below), $1000 worth of supplies, cell phone with small solar panel charger, healthcare for testing for and treating physical health problems, birth control, security, and a government no interest, credit wont go down if not repaid, no collateral, confidential loans to those who can’t afford it, where they don’t have to pay it back until they have over $33,000 man made property value, to learn how to make survival products). People are given more based on their need.

Tax-funded health and safety information is aired in commercial time slots of non-government TV and radio channels, and mailed to all inhabitants (who don’t opt out) as manuals and pamphlets.

Tell everyone to b vegan(vegan is ethical, not a diet. youtube how to go vegan overnight), grow all their own food, plant 1 of each type of food tree on about an acre.