Welcome
to the Republic of Star Island, a fictional country that I have created
to showcase my ideas on how we can build modern societies that are both
environmentally friendly, and that operate market economies that
conform to social democratic ideals, while allowing people to pursue
their dreams in life. - See more at:
http://s1203.photobucket.com/user/EBFilmsMan/media/Better%20Living%20Through%20Compact%20Cities/starislandwithrepublic_zpsa0549fdf.png.html?sort=2&o=0#sthash.MRc3EkMf.dpuf
Welcome to the Republic of Star Island, a fictional country* that I have created to showcase my ideas on how we can build modern societies. You can view a video about the project here.
This imagined country is intended to show how a society can be built which:
(a) provides for the needs of its people
(b) respects the environment
(c) operates without a high level of taxes*
The average citizen, unfortunately, tends to either not care about politics at all, or think of "the government" as being some faceless evil blob that just takes everyone's money and gives them nothing in return. The reality is far from this.
Social programs and infrastructure are integral to the functioning of a society. However, maintaining a government that does all the things you want it to do, and stays out of your personal affairs is a delicate balance.
Different groups of people often have vastly different opinions on the aspects of life that a country's government should be able to have control over. I have attempted to strike a fair balance between the desires of those who want to see as little government intrusion in their lives as possible, and those who want (or need) to have government services easily available.
How would this be done? For a start...
You would pay no income tax.
Star Island's government revenues would largely come in the form of resource revenues and taxes. These kind of taxes are called consumption taxes (taxing stuff you buy).
Taxing the things we buy is usually considered a right-wing economic policy, which hurts the poor a lot more than people with more money. Lower income people spend most of their income on basic necessities.
I believe my model helps to fix many of the issues that the majority of the public face in their daily lives, by achieving a level of spending that is reflective of left-wing economic policies in the Nordic countries, which routinely are listed among the best places to live on the planet.
To start, all working-age citizens would get a monthly tax refund, called the Citizens' Dividend.
The country's basic natural resources (water, electricity, and locally produced green gas and traditional fuels), would be owned and managed by the government at large. It is my belief that a government, which has a responsibility to look after its people, should exercise ownership of its basic resources. This will not only allow it to to keep track how much of a resource is being used, will allow it to get money directly, instead of being a third party.
As a third party, a government would have to apply a tax on resources if they were sold by a private company. Adding a tax, such as a carbon tax, would drive up the price of resources, and make life less affordable. (This is currently happening in Canada, and around the world.) Instead of applying a tax, the fee or bill you pay for the resource itself would be paid directly to government employees, who provide people with services they use every day.
Metals would be an exception, and would be owned by by private companies, but would have a small tax applied to them when sold to the consumer.* Mining companies themselves would only pay the tax on metal purchased from other companies; for example, when buying new machines. Recycled metals and plastics, which do not have to be extracted from the ground, would not be subject to these taxes, which will encourage the recycling of materials, and so reduce the impact on the environment. Consumption taxes on natural resources will have a positive environmental impact. The less you use, the less impact you have on the world around you. Less waste also means SAVING MONEY.
*(As always, though, if economic conditions change, this model could change as well.)
This approach will encourage businesses to find cost-effective ways to deliver their products and services, which take into account the environmental impact of every decision they make. Everything about a product or service, from where it is produced to what materials go into it, will become important decisions for a business that wants to save money. Businesses are all about making money, so anything that can reduce the amount they spend means more money for them, and the people they employ.
We live on a planet of limited resources. This presents a unique challenge. A capitalism-driven society is always trying to grow, but that is an idea that is at odds with the reality of the natural world. It is equally important that we recognize the natural limits to growth; they must be respected, or the entire market, and society at large, will suffer.
The following spreadsheet (as well as the examples below it) explains how my economic plan works. All of the numbers can be adjusted. This is intentional, as this spreadsheet is meant to be a framework for any size of country, from tiny ones like Star Island or Luxembourg, all the way up to large countries like the USA or China.
The most important parts on this spreadsheet to the average person are likely to be in columns F and beyond, where adjustable tables are listed for things like how much gas or water you pay for each month. Since this community is designed to be pedestrian-friendly, it is possible to get away with paying little to no taxes at all!
People often complain (especially in Canada) about giving over 50% of their income to taxes once they reach a certain income level. I believe that giving away half of your paycheck is too much, and that a country can still achieve a high level of government service with a lowered level of tax, by changing the way it taxes people.
This concept of lowered and shifted taxes, combined with lowering the amount of administration required (by eliminating two entire tiers of government) is central to all of my economic models.
Try out the spreadsheets for yourself by putting in your own numbers. That will tell you about how much tax you would expect to pay under this system. I think you will like the results.
The large-scale vision of this is that, over time, many, many self-sufficient city-states, working with one another to transform provinces or countries, will focus on growing and maintaining their local economies; ensuring that the citizens and the environment in their local area are protected and maintained, while keeping themselves from outgrowing their resources.
I have experimented with several other budget models while creating this project. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.
If the Republic of Star Island were real, all of these proposals would be discussed and put to a public vote, so that the entire society could decide at large how they want to pay for their government, because, as I said above, people have differing opinions which deserve to be heard and considered.
Two options worth consideration: -----
Bracketed tax - This model is what Canada has now, but as stated above, the tax brackets in this model are much lower than current brackets are in Canada.
"Fair Tax" - This model raises government funds almost exclusively from a 20% sales tax on purchased goods. It is the most libertarian in nature of my economic proposals, as it boils all government funding down to a single tax applied on purchases.
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Despite the limited nature of taxation, all of these economic models continue to provide a level of government funding similar to that of the Nordic countries. Those countries consistently have some of the highest standards of living in the world. I believe that I have eliminated the requirement of their high level of taxes to maintain their systems.
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The Republic of Star Island, a small island nation, would cover about 2 square kilometres of land, and comfortably house approximately 320,000 people.
For comparison, the entire US population could, in approximately 1,000 such cities, cover the same amount of land as the US state of Rhode Island. I realize that not everyone wants to live in compact cities.
This is not meant to be a one-size-fits-all solution. What it is, however, is an illustration of the impact that large-scale downsizing of society would have. I hope that all future expansion and changes to societies around the world would at least use some of the ideas presented here in their construction.
One of the primary goals behind compacting the city is reducing our dependence on personal automobiles, and thus reducing the amount of necessary infrastructure for them, such as roads and parking lots. In some cities, as much as 50% of a city's land is devoted to cars. I would prefer if that was land that people could use, instead.
Source: http://autolife.umd.umich.edu/Environment/E_Casestudy/E_casestudy2.htm
This is a 1,000 square foot residence. It would have room for 2 to 4 people.
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Those who want a little more luxury also have plenty of residential options. Here is a 1,000 sq. ft. luxury residence, and a 2,000 sq. ft. model. If you want to buy more space than that, options are also available, just like buying a backyard. A new residence will be built with the funds that you pay to purchase the expansion to your own home.
Weather is an important concern when travelling to and from the home to anywhere. Star Island's residences would be connected to the central business and industry districts by enclosed sky bridges. This means that you don't need to take a car to work. When shopping for groceries or other items, you will be able to use a personally owned shopping cart, without having to worry about the elements.
The central towers of Star Island are where everything happens - business, commerce and light industry are all contained in these towers. As you can see from this overhead concept photo, commercial towers will be close to residential towers, with a fourth tower, containing heavy industry, separate but in close proximity to the rest of the infrastructure. This intentional separation of heavy industry is aimed to minimize and contain any pollution.The residential towers have been colour-coded into 8 wards, each of which will be represented in government by one councillor, who also serves as a government minister on one of 8 key portfolios.
Star Island's post-secondary population will be able to attend a network of college, university, and trade school.
There is a precedent for this technology. There are real-world vertical farms already growing produce using the same technology, such as Plenty Farms in San Francisco.
In the real world, over one third of the land on the entire planet is currently being used for food production (agriculture and grazing space for livestock). I believe that underground farms, if embraced by nations around the globe, will allow most of that land to return to its natural state. The "breadbasket of America" might be nice and comforting to look at from a plane, but it was once covered in vast grasslands, and could, thanks to changing climate, potentially turn into desert, or be covered in glaciers. If a catastrophe were to occur, humanity would need a stable food supply from a different source. This is why I propose the use of underground farms.
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One additional idea:
Coming down from a 200th floor residence might prove to be frustrating if you have to wait for an elevator along with many other residents in your building, so I think that having an alternate option for descending from your residential tower is a prudent move. I would like to present external descent carriages as one such option.
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I have many more conceptual drawings on an album on Facebook. Take a look!
*Star Island is a real island in Northern Ontario, which I believe would suit the purposes of this imagined country. This project is entirely fictional, however. It is meant to showcase methods for building a sustainable community.
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