It is essential to human nature, in order to survive, to communicate what is happening, to understand it, and to contemplate what could happen.One of the most enduring traits of human survival has been using language and the written word to express insights, ideas, concerns, and aspirations. As communication spreads, knowledge, opportunity, and freedom grow. Governments, organizations, advances in every field of study, commerce, and known history all owe their creation to this part of human nature.
The second most important bond of communication is between the people and those claiming to represent their interests. If the system isn't working for us, it is not working for them either. The inability to communicate has caused wars, strife, scarcity, suffering and a shouting match with time, energy, or influence as the volume control.
If officials, businesses, and organizations want to address the needs of humanity, the tools to do so are scarce and often just polls filled with leading questions. Some of them don't even bother and tell the public "60% of the people agree or want X" whether they do or not.
A voice in community, a voice in government, an equal opportunity to express yourself in this existence we all share. The idea is to open up this communication.Not only an equal right to speak , but an equal right to be heard.The aim of the Voices Project is to strengthen that voice, your voice.
The Voices Project is basically this: collecting public opinion in a free form manner, segmenting the responses according to representation based on physical distance (i.e. representative district, taxation, zip codes), delivering the responses on a quarterly basis to representatives in an open process format, and then publishing the responses on the web with the understanding it will be freely available to the public and press. Kinda like a town hall where everyone has a chance to speak without interruption.This is not an idea about an end result, it is an idea about creating opportunity.It's an equal opportunity to speak to your community, government, and world. Everyone will know what the public expects, businesses and organizations will know what needs the public has, and ideas will have greater exposure.
Write down your insights, worries, and aspirations about your local community in one section, then government in a second section, and humanity in a third. Mail it to the P.O. Box address listed above.
The Voices Project's sole purpose is to deliver your ideas,concerns,and aspirations to your representatives and the public on a quarterly basis in an open manner.Anonymous copies of all responses will be given to community leaders and government representatives, hosted on the Internet, and preserved for the future. It will also be re-printable in any form of media, in part or in whole, as long as there is a reference to the whole response you have submitted. Using the random number assigned to your document by the Voices Project will help you and others make sure what you have to say will be heard.
Everyone from your local community to historians will know what community you belong to,what you had to say, and that it was made available to representatives and the public.
Freedom is participation in empowerment. All leaders in every form represent interests besides their own. This is your opportunity to help them know what those interests are.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 i don't understand your distinction between an equal right to speak vs an equal right to be heard. what is that? sounds like something jesse jackson would say.
why did you capitalize all of the letters in TUIT? just curious.-- xclamp, Aug 11 2004 In the US right now our system is a shouting match with money or influence as the volume control.This would even the playing field. Kinda like a town hall where everyone has a chance to speak without interruption. On the TUIT, I'll tell you when I get around to it!-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Point of order: Baked is not grounds for mfd. It must be widely known to exist. Please rescind.Welcome to the Halfbakery, [Around TUIT].-- spacemoggy, Aug 11 2004 Sorry, I don't understand either of the last two posts. As I am new to Halfbakery, could you explain further?-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Read the "help" file under "meta," to the left, especially the part under "Marked-For-Deletion": it will explain everything. Many things, anyway.-- Etymon, Aug 11 2004 corrected it, sorry-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 If what is being said is that this idea exists already, please let know where.
Part of the problem I am trying to address is the communication between representatives and the people they represent is closed and scattered. If a representative wants to represent the tools to do so are scarce and often just polls filled with leading questions. Also a representative can tell the press "70% of the people agree with X" whether they do or not. Part of this idea is to open up this communication.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 This sounds like the letters page in the local paper.-- bungston, Aug 11 2004 This is an idea I'm trying to implement. I've put out flyers to try to get responses. Talking to fine folk such as yourself to refine the idea.
It is like a gallop poll except there are no questions. It's an equal opprotunity to speak to your community, government, and world. I'm hoping to setup an organization who's sole purpose is to deliver your ideas,concerns,and aspirations to your representatives in an open manner. Everyone will know what you had to say, what community you belong to, and that it was delivered to the representative.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Basically this is just like writing a letter to your MP/Congressman, except that you're going to record the person speaking it. You're then going to classify all the recordings, put them in a searchable database, and make it available to the public. Is that right? I think it would be a good idea if you could persuade the politician to get involved by answering some of the questions, otherwise, as [Bungston] says, it's going to be just like your local newpaper's letters page.Here's an idea: in Britain, and I expect in the US too, politicians hold regular 'clinics' for the members of their constituency. Video these conversations and make *them* available on your classified database. This would give people an insight into their local politician. The politicians might like it as well - they're always eager for attention.-- spacemoggy, Aug 11 2004 right on! That is only the goverment level though. The local section would be mayors, local newspaper,local libraries etc.The humanity section would be the Net, public record,or time capsules, etc. Also it would be released in mass on a quarterly basis.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Ok, just re-read everything. You are basically trying to let people know that they are not alone in their concerns, yes? So if someone wants to, for instance, complain that their local library is badly run, they can look on your database and find out if other people have voiced the same opinion. Correct?-- spacemoggy, Aug 11 2004 yes! So can the library, so can mayor, so can the newspaper, so the bookstore down the street to see if you are complaining there is not enough sci-fi! This idea is the creation of a tool, that is why I was so basic in explaining it. This is not an idea about an end result, it is an idea about creating opprotunity.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 OK, I like it. Here's a croissant for you, for what it's worth.-- spacemoggy, Aug 11 2004 mmmm.... croissants...-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Sound like the 'bakery, but exclusively for ranting.-- yabba do yabba dabba, Aug 11 2004 if that's what you want to do with your chance to speak. It could be like the Bakery, not like the Bakery, everyone would have a chance to use their veiwpoint however they see fit.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Will there be voting with more gubernatorially appropriate icons to replace the bread-n-bones?-- yabba do yabba dabba, Aug 11 2004 Whatever gets some real work around here! Bread-n-Bones, that's funny!-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 I've noticed several similar idea ....
more precisely, let me say I care enough about amending public service as an occupation that this idea appeals to me as it must to several others on this site I judge by certain recent ideas I've seen here. I like the notion, I like the propect of influence directed in this way, but most of all I like the way [Around TUIT] characterizes public officials as in a small way responsible to their constituents. If we can nurture this kind of thinking and restrain ourselves from trying to hang a square tit on [Around TUIT] I think this idea could move forward from here.-- dpsyplc, Aug 11 2004 Let us not forget that some public officials want to do their job. If the system isn't working for us, it is not working for them either.-- Around TUIT, Aug 11 2004 Would those who voted against this idea provide some input on their decision? I value your advice on this idea.-- Around TUIT, Aug 12 2004 I have done a major re-write of this idea. Please review.-- Around TUIT, Aug 12 2004 You'll often get people fishboning you without explanation, just as you'll get people bunning you without comment. I advise against caring too much what people think.
Now, I generally like this idea (+). I think government has only began to utilize the power of the Internet, and I can see it playing a huge part in our future. However, doesn't this give those without money or resources to access the Internet less power than those who do? (mind you, this is a much smaller distinction than those who have money to run ads) Also, how can you be sure that people will even go to this proposed site?-- Worldgineer, Aug 13 2004 This idea starts at the mailbox using the postal system as a 3rd party verifier of the location it was sent from. All you need is a stamp. People, press, and oraganzations would only need Net access if they want analyze or verify the data. That's their problem. The Voices Project is about creating the data in an open process. It really wouldn't even need the net at all. It could be done on horseback wtih public libraries.-- Around TUIT, Aug 13 2004 random, halfbakery