INTRODUCTION

1. TNN INTRODUCTION TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS NETWORK PART 2 – THE SOLUTION Slide 1

2. TNN SESSION CONTENTS PART 1 - THE PROBLEM What is Democracy? The American Democratic System. What Happened? PART 2 - THE SOLUTION The Solution: Organize! A Network of Neighborhoods. TNN is that Network. Slide 2

3. TNN ORGANIZE! THE SOLUTION: ORGANIZE! Slide 3

4. TNN ORGANIZE FOR WHAT? THE QUESTION: For what purpose or purposes, specifically, are we to organize? THE ANSWER: To discover what of a public nature is important to us – that is, the problems, the issues. To find mutually agreed upon solutions to those issues. To ensure those solutions are implemented by representatives we select and elect. Slide 4

5. TNN THIS ORGANIZATION MUST Bring all our citizenry together. Permit our citizenry to identify and rationally examine public matters. Permit our citizenry to deal in issues, not ideology. Work incessantly to identify problems,determine the facts, find solutions and make government implement them. Slide 5

6. TNN THIS ORGANIZATION MUST Discover our (currently small) common ground. Extend that common ground of issue-solution pairs. Select candidates to run for office. Monitor government and business. Slide 6

7. TNN WE MUST REQUIRE IT: • To be highly decentralized, not controlled by any elite. • To have a 'flat' structure – no hierarchy, no 'central committees.' • To be open to all citizens (but non-disruptive behavior has to be presumed). • To consider and impartially examine all viewpoints. • To be entirely transparent. Slide 7

8. TNN The SOLUTION – a NETWORK of NEIGHBORHOODS! Slide 8

9. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS! Make the neighborhood the fundamental unit of organization. Each neighborhood meets regularly (general meeting). Neighbors regularly polled for issues. Neighborhoods create Work Groups (or Task Forces). Neighborhoods network with one another. Widely accepted solutions become the public will. Slide 9

10. TNN HOW MANY NEIGHBORHOODS? Number of Neighborhoods per Voting Entity (roughly) Voting EntityNbr.of NeighborhoodsPopulation Neighborhoods 1 500 Precinct 30 15,000 Congressional District 900 450,000 Region 2,700 1,350,000 Country tens of thousands 100’s of millions Slide 10

11. TNN NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS Nearby neighborhoods have direct contact. Neighborhoods are identified in “registries”. Each election district has a registry of neighborhoods. To form task forces, nearby neighborhoods cooperate. To find consensus – neighborhoods make statistically random contacts with other neighborhoods. To pursue action – “relay neighborhoods” contact the part of the network composing the appropriate electoral district. Slide 11

12. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS TASK FORCES Slide 12

13. TNN TASK FORCES Created by neighborhoods at their general meetings. Do the “heavy lifting” of investigating & coordinating. Each given a charter describing its purpose. Each staffed by volunteers from TNN neighborhoods. Each chooses a lead and co-lead to coordinate & report. Slide 13

14. TNN TASK FORCES Can be formed jointly by many neighborhoods. Report regularly to the neighborhoods via web material & presentations to the general meetings. Experts, professors, and others are consulted. Also called: ‘work groups,’ or ‘work teams.’ Slide 14

15. TNN TASK FORCES NEEDED TO: Poll the neighborhoods for concerns, issues, etc. Research: government, budgets, taxes, education, economics, current problems, foreign affairs, ... Maintain the Registries of TNN neighborhoods. Champion important action items. . Slide 15

16. TNN TASK FORCES NEEDED TO: Maintain the Neighborhood Information Network. Describe public offices: powers, limitations, activity. “Harmonize” mandates for each public office. Coordinate candidate selection.. Slide 16

17. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS BUILDING CONCENSUS Slide 17

18. TNN BUILD CONSENSUS BY RANDOM CONTACT For “Presidential” polling, only 1,000 people are interviewed, yet the results are accurate. (Because the range of political views is quite limited, 1,000 random data points provide hundreds of points for each of perhaps 4 views.) Slide 18

19. TNN BUILD CONSENSUS BY RANDOM CONTACT Thus, to build consensus, we can collaborate with a small but truly representative and randomsampling of neighborhoods. Proposals (for legislation and for executive action) so formed will “resonate” with a vast majority of our citizenry. We can distribute those proposals to the full network of neighborhoods in the appropriate election district (where they will be accepted or rejected). Slide 19

20. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS PROPOGATE PROPOSALS Slide 20

21. TNN PROPOGATE PROPOSALS To distribute “well-formed” and “very popular” proposals to an entire network of neighborhoods – use “relay neighborhoods.” Relays can distribute information to huge numbers of neighborhoods. However, relays can handle only a small number of very high quality and urgent messages. Slide 21

22. TNN PROPOGATE PROPOSALS Slide 22

23. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS IDEALIZED GENERAL MEETING Slide 23

24. TNN IDEALIZED GENERAL MEETING Meeting agenda and materials are put on the web-site before the meeting. Neighborhood votes, on the web-site, to determine the priority (order) in which the issues are to be discussed. People of the neighborhood meet at the regular time and place. Slide 24

25. TNN IDEALIZED GENERAL MEETING Task Force “leads” give quick summaries of progress. One TF is selected to present in detail - thus becomes the “special topic” of the meeting. TF representatives are questioned by the neighborhood membership. The prioritized items/ proposals are discussed – in priority order – until time expires. Members vote on any proposals. Slide 25

26. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS GROWING THE NETWORK Slide 26

27. TNN GROWING THE NETWORK Number Number of TNN Number of Time of Neighborhoods People in TNN Doublings Neighborhoods 0 1 500 0 1 3 1,500 0.5 year 2 9 4,500 1.0 year 3 27 13,500 1.5 years 4 81 40,500 2.0 years 6 729 364,500 3.0 years 8 6,561 3,280,500 4.0 years 10 59,049 29,524,500 5.0 years 12 531,441 256,720,500 6.0 years Slide 27

28. TNN GROWING THE NETWORK! Expect that growth will not proceed so orderly. At times, growth will be slow – as TNN neighborhoods struggle to learn how to operate and cooperate, as the number of neighborhoods becomes huge, and to overcome obstacles. When people are clicking and results good – growth may be phenomenal. The notion of geometric progression applies to the TNN. A good concept multiplies as it propagates. Slide 28

29. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHODS STARTING A NEIGHBORHOOD Slide 29

30. TNN STARTING A NEIGHBORHOOD A small core of interested people in the neighborhood meet. They find a place for the neighborhood to meet regularly. They create a pamphlet which briefly describes the TNN and establishes the time and place of the first neighborhood meeting. These are passed out door to door. Slide 30

31. TNN STARTING A NEIGHBORHOOD The slides in this presentation are presented at the first meeting, and the web-sites of several TNN neighborhoods are visited. Arrangements are made for the second meeting at which further slides and discussion take place. A “pair of coordinators” is chosen by the neighborhood to arrange for, and moderate the next several meetings. Slide 31

32. TNN A NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOODS IT'S UP TO US! Slide 32

33. TNN ITS UP TO US! If selfish people can get together to accomplish their ends, why cannot good men and women work together to accomplish theirs? Nothing good happens until you and I make it happen. The TNN is nothing more than you and I accepting our responsibilities as mature adults. Slide 33

34. TNN ITS UP TO US! END OF SESSION Slide 34