Leslie Pool’s comment in that article is very telling: “…limited bandwidth..” This is the major problem with our system of community decision making in general. We cannot expect 11 people to effectively make good decisions for 1-2 million people. The limited bandwidth council members do have is relegated to the special interests that have crammed extractive economies into Austin at the expense of our environment and the community. We need a new system of government altogether.

With that said, we must acknowledge our need for a transitional system that effectively establishes a humanitarian foundation on which we can equitably build that new system. This is why I am running for mayor with a plan to establish Universal Basic Resources: Water, Food, Housing, Healthcare, Education, Energy, Transportation, and Telecommunications all become FREE to the people, not through taxation and redistribution, but through a system of collective ownership and de- commodification by utilizing advanced technology, cooperative and automated systems. While this may seem fantastical, it is not. It is very real and possible within the next 10 years. All will benefit, and none will lose.

This is not taxation and redistribution, it is not mandate or force or centralized hierarchy; this is a new system where we recognize the available abundance for all and incentivize cooperative voluntary Contributionism for the benefit of all people. This is very important to solving our issues with systemic governmental corruption. Once the people have the bandwidth in the form of true freedom, we can effectively make civic choices that make sense for all.

However, here we are NOW, in this current system. So, Yes, we need to revisit all the recommendations of our Charter review commission. Otherwise, what’s the point of having a commission….

POWER TO THE PEOPLE.