Forum Post: U.S. Bill of Rights for a Global Economy

My idea below is to focus about what we expect from our government and from each other if we get the corruption fixed. Here's my proposal:

U.S. Bill of Rights for a Global Economy The new global economic challenges demand that we state clearly the economic rights of the American people. We, therefore, affirm an economic Bill of Rights under which security and prosperity can again be established for all Americans, regardless of station, race, or creed. The American people have basic economic rights* that must guide our government's priorities and, more importantly, our expectations of one another, as fellow Americans, in this new global economy. Among those rights are: 1. The right to earn enough from our labor to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, and recreation.

1. The right of every family to decent, affordable housing.
2. The right to affordable medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.
3. The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment.
4. The right to live in a healthy natural environment with clean air, clean water, and access to safe and healthy food.
5. The right to access and use affordable energy that does not damage our natural environment.
6. The right to privacy, free from corporate or government intrusion.
7. The right to a good, affordable education and access to affordable job retraining as global industries change.
8. The right to access and use well-maintained, affordable infrastructure, utilities, and other shared services.
9. The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere free from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad.
10. The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living.
11. The right of workers to decide for themselves when and how to collectively organize and collectively bargain. The right of workers to join together and collectively bargain for their labor is as fundamental as the right of businessmen to join together and form corporations. Governments cannot ban collective organizing or collective bargaining by citizens any more then they can ban the creation of corporations by citizens. Governments can, however, regulate both corporations and collective bargaining.
12. The right to elect local, state, and federal governments responsive to the majority will in each natural community, free from gerrymandering and other partisan manipulation. A majority is defined as 51%. We cannot allow partisan manipulation to require 2/3 votes, where a minority of just over 1/3 is given the power to choose gridlock over the will of the majority.
13. The right to regulate financial donations and other financial transactions in our political campaigns and in the business of our government at all levels so that government is responsive to the will of the majority of citizens. Money is not speech. Money is financial power. The use of money in politics must be well-regulated, so financial power no longer overwhelms the will of the majority.
14. The right to regulate corporate influence on government at all levels so that government is responsive to the will of the majority. A corporation is defined as a legal entity with rights and responsibilities separate from those of its owners.
15. Once government has been reformed to respond to the will of the majority, the people have the right to direct their government to function as a trim and effective instrument with adequate and fair taxation to provide services desired by the American people, a military budget for actions supported by the American people, ongoing strategic, long-term economic planning, and a balanced budget. It is intolerable, however, for cuts in services for the American people to be dictated by international corporations and plutocracy. These rights are in addition to the rights already preserved for all American citizens. We must work to support these rights through responsible and ethical actions in the free market and through effective and common sense actions by our government. An affirmation of these rights makes it imperative for our country to restructure our political campaigns and governance to respond to the will of the majority of citizens at the local, state, and federal level. Let's hold mock Constitutional Conventions with university students and concerned citizens each summer and develop the leadership to tackle reform. Discuss this document with the Coffee Party on Facebook.
16. The U.S. Bill of Rights for a Global Economy builds on FDR's Second Bill of Rights.