Common Sense Papers 46 through 52 discuss certain arguments for the right kind of independent political movement.
First Principles
A new political coalition in American political life should be fundamentally based on first principles that are supportive of the Constitution. Here are some ideas regarding the first principles that might serve us now, just as they have successfully served political endeavors in the past.
The people—all of them—rule. We the People are sovereign.
Government is instituted to protect rights, maintain order in society, and provide basic common structures & services for all to enjoy; plus, to address wrongs through a fair judicial system.
Government must be effective & limited in power.
As a constitutional democracy, the founding of the United States rests on a series of core principles. These principles include the following items: popular sovereignty (rule by the people), republicanism (the right to vote for representatives), federalism (power is shared between the national and state governments), separation of powers (different branches make, enforce, or interpret laws), balance of power (checks can be made on the other branches), limited government, and individual rights (personal freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights).
Along with these core first principles that apply to government structure, we need to embrace some common first principles that relate to human values. These are open for debate. A starter list might include the following ten items:
Freedom is essential for humanity
Creation honors our individual gifts
Virtue is needed for self-government
Truth is an objective for common understanding
Trust is essential for human progress
Stewardship is part of good order
Justice is necessary to protect and restore good order
Dignity is necessary for human well-being
Service is the rent we pay to build healthy communities
Peace is the pathway to sustained happiness
A list of first principles and values serves to guide the directional aims of political reform and form a common basis for solving problems and drawing boundaries around political activity.
Parts of The Common Sense Papers have addressed Freedom (No. 18), Virtue (No. 2), Truth (No. 10), and Dignity (No. 9). The next essay will focus on trust in the political sphere.
Notes for new readers:
The Common Sense Papers are an offering by Common Sense 250, which proposes a method to realign the two-party system with the creation of a new political superstructure that circumvents the current dysfunctional duopoly. The goal is to heal political divisions and reboot the American political system for an effective federal government. If the movement can gain appeal, a call to crowdfund the project may occur in 2024 or 2025. Subscribe for free with an email to follow along.
The tabs on the top of the Substack page can bring you to earlier essays that spell out key political issues. Common Sense Paper No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5 can help anyone get up to speed on the project.
Common Sense 250 is still working out details on launching a podcast for those who want to listen to the political strategy but don’t have time to read. Subscribe and watch for an email announcement.