An edit from the last post
In what I’m sure will be my most controversial proposal, the principle of “one man, one vote” would be abandoned for the Chamber. Wait, wait. Hear me out.
To begin with, citizen of the U.S. over the age of 16 would be guaranteed one vote. So no one is being denied a vote. But, as a person shows their commitment to the advancement and well-being of our grand Commonwealth, additional votes (up to a total of 9), could be earned for each of the following:
- Every 5 years of Public Service
- Every degree of higher education achieved
- Every 10 years of income taxes paid
- Every 2 years spent in a combat zone
- Every 10 years of marriage (either hetero or homo) to the same person
- Every 5 years of donating at least 10% of one’s income to charity
- Upon reaching the age of 25 without a substantial criminal record (defined as 1 felony or 3 misdemeanors), and for every 25 years of a substantially crime-free life thereafter
- Every 10 years of being a supporting parent (single or married), either biologically or through adoption.
So let’s look at some possible outcomes over the course of the lives of some hypothetical people: Anne, Bill, Carla and Deon, Eliza, and Frank.
Anne
Anne gets her first vote for the Chamber of Trustees [hereinafter “CoT”] upon turning 16. Upon graduating high school, she goes to a technical college and earns an Associate Degree in Paralegal gaining 1 vote. Her vote total [“VT”] is 2. She is 20 years old. During this time, she did not pay income taxes.
After graduation, Anne gets a job with a prominent law firm. She is now an income tax payer. After ten years of employment and paying income taxes, she earns an additional vote. During this time, she turned 25 and gains one more vote for a VT of 4. She is 30.
But she grows weary of her job and wishes to do something more for society. Thus, she leaves the firm and goes to back to school where she earns both her Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctorate gaining two additional votes. Her VT is now 8 and she is 37 years old.
Upon graduating law school, she goes to work for her state’s Public Defender office. Because the Public Defender program (as well as the State Prosecutor agency) is paid far below the rate for private sector attorneys, Anne qualifies for the Public Service vote. She works for the Public Defender for twenty years, but she reaches her maximum VT after ten years of service. She has a VT of 9 when she is 47 years old. As a public servant, she does not have to pay income taxes.
Bill
Like everyone, Bill gets one vote upon turning 16. He quits school, but joins the Marines with the intent to make a career of it. As military service is considered Public Service, he gains an additional vote for every five years of service. Thus, after thirty years of a military career, he gains 6 votes. He also gains a vote when he turns 25. While in service, Bill was deployed to a combat zone for a total of six years gaining 3 votes. Thus, by his twenty-fifth year of military service, he reaches his maximum votes. He is 41 years old.
He doesn’t get the tax based vote as
Carla and Deon
Both Carla and Deon, like everyone, get their first votes upon turning 16. Carla’s family owns a successful restaurant and Carla works for the family. She has paid income taxes since she was 16.
Deon is the same age as Carla and they have known each other since high school. He has an Associates Degree in Accounting and gets his first job when he is hired by Carla’s father to help manage the restaurant’s books after the family decides to expand the business by selling franchises. He is 20.
After several years of working closely together as the burgeoning business empire grows, Carla and Deon marry when they are 25. They are married for their entire lives and they adopt a number of children. They adopted their first child when they were 30.
Upon her father’s death, Carla inherits the restaurant chain. Working together, she and Deon grow the business into a nationwide corporation and become wealthy. During this entire time, they paid income taxes. Carla has paid income taxes since she was 16 and Deon since he was 20.
So, what are their VTs and when do they reach their maximum of 9.
| Age |
Carla’s Vote Total |
Deon’s Vote Total |
| 16 |
1 |
1 |
| 20 |
1 |
2 [when he got his degree] |
| 25 |
2 |
3 |
| 26 |
3 [ten years of taxes] |
3 |
| 30 |
3 |
4 [ten years of taxes] |
| 35 |
4 [marriage] |
5 [marriage] |
| 36 |
5 [taxes] |
5 |
| 40 |
6 [children] |
7 [children and taxes] |
| 45 |
7 [marriage] |
8 [marriage] |
| 46 |
8 [taxes] |
8 |
| 50 |
10 [children + age]
Max. of 9 |
11 [children + age + taxes]
Max. of 9 |
So Carla and Deon both reach their maximum VT at age 50.
Eliza
Eliza was born into wealth and lives the life of a socialite. She gets her first vote at 16 and her second at 25. While she doesn’t work, she pays income taxes from age 21 (when she gets her trust fund) on and thus gains an additional vote at 31, 41, 51, 61, and 71. She never marries, nor does she ever have or adopt children. However, upon reaching the age of 50, she begins to worry about her legacy and she begins to donate to charity. She donates 10% of her income from age 50 until her death at age 80. She reaches her maximum vote at age 60 [1 for age 16 + 1 for age 25 + 5 for 50 years of taxation + 1 for age 50 + 1 for charity].
Fred
Fred is a sad case. While he gets the mandatory 1 vote, he never goes to school and works illegally for cash at various odd jobs and small criminal enterprises his whole life. He marries a few times, but never for long and he has a string of unstable live-in relationships. He would have gotten a second vote at age 25, but unfortunately he racks up a few misdemeanors. His low-level criminality keeps him from every earning another age based vote. He has a number of children with a number of different partners, but he never supports them and they are all on the public dole. Thus, he fails to earn the parental based vote. He never does public service, nor does he ever donate to charity.
Thus, poor Fred only has one vote for the Chamber of Trustees.
More to come….
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