Freedomland Founders: Robert Blount, Nicolo DiMaria, Matthew Merryman, Nancy Todaro, Michael McCabe, Eric Nagele

Freedomland: A.K.A. McCabe’s Awesome Island of Fun.

The island’s government should be simple, strong, and inclusive. Its primary unit will be a form of representative senate. From the general populace, forty members of the community will be chosen who shall represent the others. This should take place through a democratic election open to all people. These forty, with self-determined frequency, will meet to discuss and resolve issues and problems that face the island’s inhabitants. Matters within the senate are to be settled by a simple vote.

Each senator is to serve a one year term, and should never serve consecutively. Each year, when a new senate convenes, one from among them will be appointed as the Presiding Senator. The appointment to this position is to be decided by chance, by drawing lots. The Presiding Senator typically has no additional powers or responsibilities other than perhaps organizing senate meeting and keeping order. Only in times of extreme duress and emergency can the Presiding Senator be given higher powers. The senate may vote with a three quarters majority to declare him dictator for a period of no more than six months. This action would grant the Presiding Senator powers that would enable him to act quickly in order to preserve the state. However, the six month limit will be vigorously enforced so as not to submit to tyranny. A single Presiding Senator’s attempt to extend the duration of his dictatorship should be punished by death. The occurrence of need for a dictator should be very rare, if ever. And it is in this way that the liberty of the government is best preserved.
Senators are not restricted from service by sex, age, race, or any other distinguishing characteristic. The position is open to anyone, and so will hopefully stimulate the Democratic-Republican values we wish to embrace. However, politics must not be the central occupation of senators. They must be otherwise contributing members to the island society and economy. A career politician or aristocratic class must be avoided. By ensuring that political service will be somewhat burdensome, the chances of an individual or group wresting the powers of government from the people is lessened.
Due to the small population of the society, the senate will be given very little power over the people. The main goal of the senate is to mediate differences between individuals or differences between groups. Conflicts between two different groups will be mediated by ten senators from neither group to act as a neutral party. Resolutions within these conferences must be approved by at least six senators within the group of ten. Disputes between individuals should be compromised between the individuals, however if the individuals are unable to come to an agreement a group of ten senators that are neither friends with or don’t know the individuals will be called to resolve the dispute. Punishments for individuals that commit a crime will be decided by the neutral jury. Punishments shall be contrapasso otherwise known as the punishment fits the crime. Anyone found guilty of murder shall be executed for their action. This severe style of punishment will effectively deter future criminals from breaking the laws. Crimes as serious as murder will require the entire senate to vote on the punishment.

Each case is different than the next and any previous senate decisions between similar disputes should have no bearing on the senate’s decision. Therefore case law does not exist in this society because the senators are also the court system. If the senators involved in the court system feel they should make a law based on their court decision they can bring it up at the next senate meeting for the entire senate to vote on. This will prevent a few senators from creating a law the rest of the senate opposes.

Because of the small size of the society it is impossible to have a separation of powers within the government. Allowing only a few people to run the government unchecked is a very dangerous idea. To reconcile this, limitations will be put upon the senate. Besides limiting senators to one term, the laws senators make are not permanent. Any law a senate makes will be terminated at the end of said senate’s term. At this time the entire population can vote on making the law permanent by at least 2/3 approval or abandoning the law completely. They will vote on this law while voting for the next year’s senate.

Since our island’s government has very little power, the citizens will have an extraordinary amount of freedom to live as they see fit. Assuming that it does not blatantly break one of few written laws of the island, people will have the freedom to do, say, or believe anything they want to. There will be no religious persecution or restraints of speech, and all citizens are considered equal in the eyes of the law. This is not to say, however, that people will be able to do whatever they want without any repercussions. Due to the lack of a strong, central state, citizens will be encouraged to negotiate and agree upon certain societal norms and values. For example, it would not be technically illegal for a person to place some kind of provocative sign on his own property. However, nothing would stop his surrounding neighbors from negotiating with him and creating a “gentleman’s agreement”, deciding what and what is not appropriate. Ideally, others on the island would look at the resolution and would follow it; therefore it would become an unofficial norm that would dictate what is acceptable, without the government ever having to make any kind of ruling.

Our society will be free market, so no restrictions will be placed on the sale goods and services. It will not be communal at all; people are expected to look after themselves and their families with little help from outsiders. Any sale of a good, service, or property between consenting parties are automatically acceptable, regardless of terms of trade. Therefore, if a person makes a bad sale and loses quality of life, it is his own fault and he must suffer the consequences. The opposite is also true and if someone takes advantage of other parties through completely legal practices, he is able to accumulate as much wealth as he desires. It is not the government’s or anybody else’s job to maintain economic equality on the island. In a way it is very much like Social Darwinism: those who make bad choices will not survive, and everybody else will adapt through their example.

There are certainly complications that could arise from so much individual freedom. For example, there will be little, if any, police force on the island, so it will largely be up to people to protect themselves. This could easily lead to conflict. Another possibility the government may not have the authority to prevent racism or rapid inequality. The important thing to remember is that the survivors will be of varying ethnicities, nationalities, and religions, so there will not be one established way of doing things. In other words, what dictates how many personal freedoms should the government be able to take away? Clearly, Chinese and American survivors may have differing opinions on that matter. Because this island is an accidental melting pot, it will be impossible to dictate which way of life is the most effective. Therefore, the best option is to start from scratch and allow the island’s society to dictate itself. By restricting government, inequality and conflict may indeed arise. However, in time, through various agreements and negotiations between the citizens, a framework of acceptable norms and customs will develop which would dictate society’s rules. Essentially, as the island’s society is developing, it is up to individuals to decide which rights they choose to yield, and that no rights are taken away.

Groups are very important for a society to form. In this case, groups form very quickly. Families and close friends stick together early on. However after the formation of the Senate, there will be a delegation of jobs to each member of the society. Before being stranded on the island everyone had a job of some sort. These jobs require skills which could be used for either the same job or another job on the island. This is the concept of specialization. This division of labor is intended to increase efficiency of output within the society. The natural inequality of human beings is embodied in this concept of specialization is the basis of the society in terms of groups. In a world where technological advances and capital are nonexistent, the society is forced to rely on labor-intensive tasks such as farming, hunting, hut building, fishing, fire making, basket weaving, sewing, and others. As Plato puts it, they are the producers to provide for a human’s bodily needs.

This being said, groups are important to this island society. The delegation of these tasks to people will force them to associate with these groups. After a short time the members of the society will learn to live with the group and they will be prideful of the group’s accomplishments. To prevent against factions forming within the society, the groups will be all be considered equals. It will be imposed upon the members of the society that each group is important in its own right and that without a certain group, that task will not be able to be completed. This is to say that if the hunters feel that they are the most powerful group on the island and that they do not like the fruit and berry gatherers then they can just take them over. This would not happen within this society because the hunters would realize that without the gatherers, they would lose a major part of their diet. Another aspect which wipes away the thought of factions is that it will be imposed upon the people to do their job and know their place. They will understand that whatever they do, it must be for the good of the entire society. Rising up and becoming all powerful does not do good for the society but only for the group and they will understand that it is a good idea to know one’s place.

The next topic which must be considered in terms of groups within the society is how their voice will be heard. The senate, as stated earlier, will consist of regular members of the society. To be a senator is one’s secondary temporary job. One is a farmer first and senator second. This places someone from each of the main groups in the senate. This senator can lobby for the rights of his group or about a problem or issue that has risen. If a group is somehow not represented in the Senate, a representative from the group can simply go to a senate meeting and discuss the issue.

The final topic for the groups is equality of groups. It shall be considered, just as with individuals, that all groups are to be equal and shall under the law be treated equally in all hearings of the Senate, laws of the Senate and Courts-martial on the island. In conclusion, each group has its own task which is equally important as the other groups and all problems and issues will be lobbied by Senators represented that sect.

Foremost, these castaways are Americans accustomed to the rules and norms of the American constitution pertaining to the rules of property. Therefore, an American microcosm will strive to emulate their former society as best as possible. However, in these extraordinary circumstances, equality will inevitably be sacrificed for order as far as the rules of property are concerned. Order is the protection of one’s well being as well as their possessions. Therefore, in this society the rules of private property will be enforced.

Private property is as much a democratic idea as it is a capitalistic one. Under the assumption that the castaways comprise a random sample of America, the majority will believe capitalism is the best form of economy. Therefore, property will not be divided communally. Perhaps, in the very beginning and chaotic stages, people will be philanthropic, and castaways will live communally for lack of organization, time and supplies. However, in the long run, government will not provide shelter or goods and services to the castaways. People are responsible for obtaining their own property. In addition, our free market economy will lack the government subsidies and spending that exist in a welfare state. Since the island has such a small number of inhabitants, it is not necessary for government to support the less fortunate, considering the population will be very minimal. Furthermore, the social contract will not consist of sharing shelter, or goods and services communally.

It is up to the individual to obtain all the material necessities for survival. Our senate will not be preoccupied with scenarios such as castaways not being able to adequately attain essential property. Personal problems will be solved by the individual. There are no laws guaranteeing that others must assist the less fortunate; nonetheless, in the society other castaways are encouraged to help those in need. If members of the society are unable to acquire shelter, or goods and services independently, they can barter to obtain these items. To obtain items that do not result from their occupation, these members must bargain, negotiate and trade with other members. Each member will naturally specialize in the occupation they perform most efficiently.

On the other hand, the senate will enforce laws that strictly forbid theft and damage of private property. Although innocent until proven guilty, these castaways will be prosecuted in front of a jury of their peers, and face appropriate punishment if convicted. There will be no lawyers, so castaways must represent themselves. Moreover, penalties for violating another’s right to private property will also be decided by a jury of fellow castaways.




 

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