A proposed constitution for the Island of Tagg establishing individual rights and social democracy

¶ … Individual Rights for the People of the Island of Tagg

Preamble:

The progress of man is dictated upon the actions of great individuals and great states. Together, they may arrive at a constitution which is acceptable both for the protection of individual liberties and for the extension of the life and glory of state. The Island of Tagg, now on the cusp of achieving its own Constitutionality, can author a statement toward such progress. We hold the belief in going forward on the day of ratification that the Island of Tagg has succeeded to present day in existing as a state of cultural value, social esteem and moral enlightenment, but yet it is a state which has proceeded on aged traditions governance, law and judiciary. The vision and brilliance of the Elders in counseling us to this moment has been indispensable, and quite surely, it is with no small degree of gratitude that we are reaching a place of readiness to transcend to yet another tier in the philosophical evolution of man.

But with the composition of each new state constitution comprised of intentions for the extension of individual rights, so too enters the world a new and actionable realization of all the principles which have delivered us to present day. Thus, in the authorship of such a declaration, we would be guided by the expectation of crafting a document that is at the forefront of improving the preservation of rights in a way that is practical, pragmatic and capable of being preserved.

It is our belief that we have reached a juncture in human history where individually based independence and social progressivism must be prioritized as a way to strike balance in a global culture driven by democratic discourse but also encumbered by the conflicts of materialism, exploitation and violence. Tagg stands in categorical opposition to structures both internal and external which are designed to oppress, exploit, abuse, discriminate or otherwise depress the citizens of Tagg. The is a statement which applies to the authority vested in the government just as equally as it applies to danger of imposition by rogue agency, foreign government, private organization or corporate operation. In all instances, the right of the people, the preservation of the state of Tagg and the protection of the lives and entitlements for the people of Tagg will trump these entities where conflict of interest arises. This is a covenant made to the people of Tagg in reflection upon the need to strengthen the state to observe, channel and protect the will of its people as these challenges arise.

This should help to identify the form of government which is anticipated for Tagg, Tagg is projected as a Social Democracy, where democratic electoral process, legislation by referendum when appropriate, fully open information society practices and judicial proceeding by due process will be designed to favor the individualities that make a plurality prosperous and great. Simultaneously, the statement of individual rights will be balanced by an empowerment of government to use the resources availed it through structure and tax policy in order to serve in its fullest capacity the social, infrastructural, legal, educational, economical and practical demands of the nation. This will be the primary impetus for the vestment of authority, with the wages committed to those elected civic duty retaining them within the common economic class rather than allowing this as a justification for vaulting such figures above those whom they are intended to serve. These parameters for governance will deliver a society that is dedicated to the functionality of its governance insofar as this will have direct consequences on such factors as quality of life, stewardship of state maintenance and the perception that popular will is being performed at these levels.

As Tagg has formulated this new identity, it has done so with a reliance upon the ideas promoted by some of history's great and revolutionary thinkers. In the convention and discourse which have delivered us to this point, the prioritization of individual rights has been given to us some of those idealists who have contributed to the constitutionality of their respective states. The implications of Democracy, as one point of fact, come to us from the ideas of Thomas Paine, who in charging the colonial monarchy of British rule with tyranny, would set a mold for resistance to external imposition that resonates with the proud people of Tagg. In the influential Common Sense, Paine would argue that "government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocent; the palace of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise." (Paine, 65) He demanded a rational order where representation was chosen amongst peers and not imposed by kings and the landed gentry alone.

The view of independence as tantamount to a high quality of life also depends upon the state's reliability in functioning to protect the system by which this life is sustained. So enter the principles of Karl Marx, whose ideals give breath to the socialist premises giving over our government's utility roles. The intent to distribute resources with fairness and equity is promoted by the valuable threads of compassion in an otherwise disabused ideology, wherein, "the humanistic and visionary parts (of which there are only glimpses, formerly downplayed) still hold out hopes for insight into our contemporary condition." (Lovell, 630) it is here within that we find the grounds to integrate those natural possessions of individuality with the values that are held to the preservation of the society and state. In these is beheld the survival and the greatness of the individual and of the Island of Tagg.

Statement of Individual Rights;

I. The Right to an Effective Democratic Government.

For all of its citizens, Tagg offers the right to a government that is freely and democratically elected to term limited, civil servant roles, supported by state Elders now beholden to advisory positions. The citizens have the right to a government which is divided amongst its branches of execution, with elected roles filling executive, legislative and judicial branches alike. As the sole funding source for the elections and payrolls supporting elected officials and their work, the public will hold the authority through an unfiltered electoral system to select its leadership.

Through its governance, the public has the right to see the proper carriage of justice in its courts by way of due process. Likewise, individuals have a right to an executive office that is dedicated to administration of clear goals in terms of the protection and maintenance of infrastructure, the retention of civil services relating to sanitation, weather services, utilities and emergency services. These are the highest priorities of the government which has been outfitted to reflect the will of the public. So too will citizens therefore have the right to intervene where the government has proven ill-suited to conduct its duty, particularly through the availability of publicly issued referendum, which can be drawn up, campaigned up and driven to appearance on a publicly voted ballot by private citizens. This preserves the right of the public to act directly in the composition of its own laws.

The Right to Protection and Representation in International Affairs

The nature of modern trade is both challenging and rife with opportunities. For a modestly sized but resource-wealthy nation such as Tagg, there is a direct pressure to define a policy that protects the entitlement of Tagg's citizens first and foremost to the bounty of its resources and its economic system. The ability of the state of Tagg to enter into trade agreements with states much larger than itself, particularly in light of its wealth of certain valuable natural commodities, must be balances by strict assurances that the public is in direct ownership of the infrastructure, equities and majority portions of labor and resource markets upon which the state is supported. This is the type of balance which is needed to preserve its individual rights against foreign exploitation. Therefore, taxation and commodity consumption cost on the domestic level, as well as parameters restraining the behaviors of foreign investors, will be designed to protect the economic power of Tagg's citizens.

So will it be the case in war and diplomacy as in trade that the people of Tagg will be the foremost concern as crucial decisions are made. As a peaceful state which is yet capable of defending itself, Tagg intends to make itself an open and friendly nation dedicated to peace with its neighbors, normalized diplomatic ties with the democratic and peaceful world order and a representation of its people in all discussions at the world table.

IV. The Right to the Protection of Individuality, Life and Liberty

Encompassed in the protection of individual rights is the gamut of behaviors which are unpredictable but permissible in their variance. The individual rights which are provided us by the evolutionary history of world governments has prioritized such liberties as political orientation, public speech, religious expression, sexual orientation, occupational freedom and a host of rights which tend to emerge through the legislation and judiciary precedent. It is the right of the people of Tagg to see that such rights are both preserved and pragmatic where needed.

This pragmatism gives us over also to the inclusion of such protections as personal environmental rights which concern the treatment of public resources, lands and ecological systems, denoting the connection between these and public health. Economic rights are here also encompassed and concern labor matters and the entitlement to a standard of living commensurate to that which Tagg's citizens have come to expect as a whole.

V. The Right to Adapt the Statement of Individual Rights

Where necessary, citizens must have access to a standardized procedure whereby the evolution in social conditions, a change in civic affairs, the revelation of new philosophical consensus or judiciary evidence of a need for refinement can segue into a revisiting of the conditions here generalized.

Works Cited:

Lovell, David W. (2004). Marx's Utopian Legacy. The European Legacy, Vol. 9, No. 5.

Paine, Thomas. (1776). Common Sense. Penguin Classics.