30 Radical-Yet-Reasonable Laws
Systems for a kinder planet
Random Observation/Comment #880: The third party could just be a meme party that suggests ridiculous bills.
//Generated with ChatGPT o3 after a conversation on a better humanity operating system
Why this List?
I was thinking about all these pet peeves that I have and wondered what types of laws could help me from getting a little less irked in some of the obvious wrongs in the politics and social norms of the US.
I mainly wrote this list because imagining bold but fair rules is a useful thought exercise: it forces us to articulate what we value and how we’d codify it.
Universal Civic Service Credit – Everyone chooses one year between 18‑28 to teach, rebuild, or research something within civil service. If you finish your year, you get lifelong tuition forgiveness and preferential hiring for public roles.
Why? Shared experience builds empathy and skills. I think we should all contribute back on the federal level (which may not even mean fighting wars, but applying your skillset back into the nation’s IP).
Open‑Source Legislation Platform – All bills drafted, annotated, and version‑controlled in public repositories. Citizens can comment like pull requests.
Why? Transparency + collaborative refinement. It probably wont’ be git though.
Elder Tech Adoption Corps – Tech‑savvy teens earn micro‑scholarships by tutoring senior citizens on smartphones, telehealth, and scams.
Why? This would bridge the digital divide and the generation gap. I also think scams will get out of control.
Ethical Algorithm Registry – Any AI impacting employment, credit, or health requires open auditing and bias‑testing reports, renewable annually.
Why? Keeps the robots honest. Robots, please don’t take my humanity.
National Mental‑Health Check‑up Day – Annual free screening (like vision tests) with opt‑in follow‑ups and no insurance bureaucracy. Maybe your AI therapist can help filter this for in-person review and give an initial report or synopsis. I wonder if an AI at a super early age would be a good idea for a life-long mentor.
Why? Normalizes care, catches issues early.
Lifelong Learning Allowance – A publicly funded micro‑grant ($1,000/yr) that rolls over and can be spent only on accredited courses or skill bootcamps.
Why? We should always strive for life long learning. I wonder how many people would better watch an educational series.
“Sunlight in Supply Chains” Act – Barcode/QR code any retail item to see origin, labor conditions, and carbon footprint. I feel like this has been done for most organic high class goods, but an act would use technology in a better and cheaper way to provide this transparency.
Why? Empower ethical consumer choice.
Zero‑Wait Voting Windows – 21‑day rolling elections with automatic mail ballots and live queue‑time dashboards; fines for precincts with waits > 15 min.
Why? Convenience is not partisan.
Public Data Dividend – Firms profiting from bulk personal data must share 5 % of that revenue into a citizen fund, paid out as annual micro‑dividends.
Why? We create the data; we share the upside. Give me that Facebook money.
Nutrient‑Density Food Label – Next to calories, a simple “N‑Score” rates how many essential nutrients per bite. I think this could be less confusing than the existing food labels (although my Healthbot AI will help by reading the nutritional labels better).
Why? Quick heuristics beat lecture‑length labels.
Zero‑Emission Freight Corridors – Highway lanes reserved for electric and hydrogen trucks; charging/refueling built into pavement rest stops.
Why? Clean logistics without waiting for the entire fleet swap.
Public Service AI Bench – Government hosts open‑source AI models fine‑tuned for forms, benefits, and translation; agencies are barred from buying black‑box alternatives.
Why? Transparency plus taxpayer savings. We’ll likely go the capitalism route, which I question is the better way to do market forces.
Citizen Climate Dividends – Carbon fees at the source, 100 % returned equally to residents monthly.
Why? Polluters pay, households net even or positive.
Transparent Tax Receipt – After filing, each citizen gets a pie‑chart showing exactly where their dollars went. I wish this was an available online dashboard.
Why? Demystifies government spend.
Housing First Guarantee – Any homeless individual offered immediate safe housing before paperwork; wrap‑around services follow.
Why? Stability precedes recovery.
Civic Crowdfunding Match – Local governments match resident crowdfunds for small public works (playgrounds, murals) dollar‑for‑dollar up to $250K. Parks and rec FTW.
Why? Hyper‑local democracy with skin in the game.
Plastic Buy‑Back – Manufacturers pay deposit on single‑use plastics; redeemed when material is recycled into verified circular supply chains.
Why? Financial nudge toward reuse.
Digital Privacy “Off Switch” – One‑click dashboard to revoke all non‑essential data sharing across registered apps. Must be as easy as signing up. I don’t know how good the Delete Me style apps are.
Why? Control without paperwork labyrinths.
Community Micro‑grids – Neighborhood‑scale renewable + battery units legally allowed to trade surplus energy peer‑to‑peer.
Why? Resilience and local empowerment.
Work‑Week Flex Cap – Employees can bundle 40 hours into 4, 4.5, or 5 days without pay penalty; overtime only after 40.
Why? Life design autonomy. I’m sure most remote friendly workers are already doing this.
Universal Digital ID – Voluntary, encrypted, state‑issued identity token usable globally online, replacing password sprawl and reducing fraud.
Why? Secure access without corporate gatekeepers. Verifiable Credentials with Zero Knowledge Proofs for verifications are so much more self-sovereign friendly.
Pretrial Detention Abolition for Non‑violent Cases – Replace cash bail with risk assessment + check‑in tech. There were some people will millions of dollars in bail that somehow get out and continue to operate crime syndicates.
Why? Justice shouldn’t depend on wallet size.
Green Roof & Solar Zoning Default – New urban buildings must include either green roof space or solar panels unless structurally impossible.
Why? Cities that breathe and power themselves.
Food Waste Timestamp Incentive – Smart labels count down freshness. Stores must discount items dynamically as they near expiry. It would be super interesting to have dynamic pricing based on freshness.
Why? Less waste, cheaper groceries.
Right‑to‑Be‑Forgotten for Minors – At age 18, every individual can request automatic deletion of childhood social‑media data from major platforms without fees.
Why? Kids deserve fresh starts.
Children’s Data Shield – Ban targeted ads to minors entirely; hefty fines auto‑routed into national child mental‑health fund.
Why? Protect developing brains. Let’s reduce screen time and unsafe exposure to really messed up people.
Civic Micro‑jury Duty – Randomly selected citizens spend a weekend yearly reviewing a local ordinance proposal online, giving binding thumbs‑up/down. Of course, this is very DAO-like and will likely have some level of delegation.
Why? Direct democracy bite‑sized.
One‑Strike Corruption Clause – Any elected official convicted of corruption loses pension and can’t run again nationwide.
Why? Raise the stakes for integrity. (I doubt this would pass).
“Right to Disconnect” Law – Employers barred from penalizing employees who ignore work messages outside contracted hours.
Why? Mental health and family time.
Global Pandemic Early‑Warning DAO – Decentralized, open‑data coalition sharing pathogen signals in real time, auto‑triggering funding for containment squads.
Why? Viruses doesn’t need visas; neither should data. I thought this would have been more prevalent monitoring COVID and their strain variants that mutate into more deadly diseases, but I guess we did just treat it like the flu and decide not to look into it anymore.
~See Lemons Want Better Rules