MARS: Renaissance

by Matthew Ellis

  Kathy asked, “Couldn’t we just use a barter system?”

  Scout answered, “We can have barter as well, but we need to have some way to enforce the rule that everyone must work to contribute to the society. People can’t just expect other people to do all the work and still reap the benefits.”

  Kathy said, “It still seems like money. People are rewarded with a form of legal tender for working. That smacks of money.”

  Scout said, “But it’s not really, because no one can ever get rich or set their own prices for goods and services. Everything is always equal, so no one is ever allowed to exploit anyone else or own more than their fair share of the wealth. The fact is that there won’t be any wealth. People will be allowed to accumulate credits only for work, and not for any other form of trade. People will be able to choose how they want to spend their credits, but they will not be allowed to sell their possessions for credits. They will only be allowed to barter their possessions for other goods.”

  Kathy said, “But what about vacations, or if you get sick?”

  Scout said, “We could make rules like sick leave and vacation. I see no problem with those types of Earth carryover.”

  Kathy said, “We can’t force people who are too old or injured to contribute to the society.”

  Jordan said, “We’ll make exceptions for the old and the injured. We’ll also make exceptions for people who can’t work because of a disability.”

  Jordan asked, “What if no one wants to do the hard or dangerous jobs?”

  Kathy said, “I see that happening a lot here. People find the path of least resistance. They find a job that requires the least amount of work and offers the best pay.”

  Scout said, “I’m sure that doesn’t happen as often as you think it does.”

  Lane said, “It happens all the damn time!”

  Kathy said, “I see it all the time.”

  Shai spoke and said, “What if we make those types of jobs offer extra credits?”

  Kathy said, “That’ll just lead to some people having more than others. We’re trying to eliminate inequality, not create a new form.”

  Scout said, “But if we don’t do it, mining and farming jobs may go undone. Then the whole society falls apart.”

  Shai said, “I think that making those jobs pay half again as much as other jobs would entice people to take them on.”

  Kathy said, “Why just half again? Why not double or even triple?”

  Scout snapped, “There is no call for anyone to sarcastically attack anyone else.”

  The rest of the group was shocked. They didn’t expect Scout to reprimand Kathy.

  Scout continued, “I think that Shai’s idea has merit. We’ll implement it.”

  Scout said, “So that takes care of the mentioned concerns. Does anyone else have a concern that hasn’t been addressed?”

  Bob said, “We have to make sure that people are free to pursue other passions. Work isn’t just what you get paid for.”

  Scout said, “We’re only going to require people to work a 30 hour week. That leaves plenty of time to pursue other hobbies.”

  Jordan said, “What about housing? That seems to be the biggest problem with money. People just buy land, and then they sell it for huge profits. This makes people unable to buy homes within just a few generations.”

  Kathy said, “We could set the price of housing permanently, or guarantee housing for everyone regardless of their employment status.”

  Bob said, “The latter suggestion is the only way to guarantee housing for the very young, in case of orphanhood. It also secures housing for the retired when they’re no longer able to work.”

  Scout said, “Then we’ll provide housing for everyone. It makes sense for us to do that anyway. The environment of Mars is not as forgiving as Earth’s. That does leave the problem of people abusing the system, though.”

  Mark spoke, “Not really, because they’ll still have to eat. Everyone will be required to work.”

  Jordan said, “I also think that owning land shouldn’t be allowed. We should let the land belong to the colony forever.”

  Scout said, “That’s a very sensible suggestion.”

  Leona asked, “So how do we require everyone to work?”

  Scout replied, “We’ll create an ‘Office of Work’ that enforces the rules.

  Kathy said, “Okay, let’s take a vote on this. All in favor of the proposals issued thus far, raise your marker.”

  Seven markers shot into the air, which was enough to pass the legislation. The first article of the first section of the constitution had been written. Kathy recorded the first section of the new document into the word processing program. Mars had its first law.

  Scout said, “We need to discuss weapons. Should we allow weapons on Mars? We’re a peaceful people, but there may be a need for weapons if we’re ever attacked. I don’t want the military to be our only line of defense.”

  Jordan said, “We should talk about the military. What are we going to have to defend ourselves up there?”

  Scout replied, “We’ll discuss that, but I have the order we came up with before. Let’s stick to the list as written.”

  Kathy said, “I think that a population being armed is a great deterrent to crime. In places that allow everyone to be armed and conceal those weapons, crime drops drastically. I think it’s because you never know who’s carrying a weapon, so you don’t mess with people.”

  Bob said, “That’s crap, and you know it. The United States has some of the worst crime in the world, and many of our states allow weapons to be concealed.”

  Jordan said, “But you’re not comparing apples to apples. You are comparing a whole nation with different laws throughout it to other nations with the same laws throughout them.”

  Kathy said, “If we only compare states which allow concealed weapons to other nations which allow concealed carry, and then contrast those to nations which do not allow concealed weapons, then you will see that the states with concealed weapons laws have much lower crime rates.”

  Scout said, “I’m inclined to agree with Kathy.”

  Cindy said, “Of course you agree with your girlfriend.”

  Kathy said, “Fiancée, actually. But she’s right.”

  Jordan said, “We must allow people to feel safe, especially if there ever is an invasion by people from Earth, or any other planet for that matter.”

  Kathy said, “Let’s have a vote on the matter. All those in favor of allowing the citizens to be armed, raise your marker.”

  Six markers were raised, so the vote was a tie. This required more discussion.

  Scout said, “Those of you who did not raise your marker, what’s your concern?”

  Bob said, “It’s against our peaceful nature.”

  Cindy said, “It’s a terrible idea.”

  John said, “I’m not as opposed as they are, but I think that we would need to know who has a weapon and what kind. That way we would know who committed a crime the instant the crime was committed.”

  John’s sister, Jane, said, “I agree with my brother. If we added something that required a registration of all weapons then I would be more inclined to agree with this proposal.”

  Mark Black said, “I agree with the Johnson siblings. We should have a registration required. My wife agrees with me.”

  Kathy said, “Alright, the new language of the law will allow all weapons if they are registered when we get to Mars or at the point of purchase.”

  Scout said, “All those in favor raise your marker.”

  Ten markers were raised, and Mars had its second law. Kathy entered the law into the word processor, and the constitution was beginning to take shape. Two additional people walked into the meeting. Loni Williams and Notah Yazzie took their sweaters off and hung them in the closet. They sat at the table with the rest of the group.

  Scout said, “The next topic up for debate is how to run the government. Should we have a democracy, a republic, a dictatorship
, what?”

  Kathy said, “I personally favor a republic. It’s what the ancient Romans had, and it is also what the United States really is.”

  Jordan said, “We’re akin to communists, though. We all believe in this sort of communal living where everyone is equal, and we all help each other.”

  Lane said, “But communism in the past never operated that way. It was always more of a dictatorship, where the people in power have everything and the people they rule have nothing.”

  Notah said, “Well, I like democracy. That way everyone gets a voice.”

  Scout said, “The republic and democracy are very similar. In democracy, everyone has one vote for everything. In the republic, everyone gives their vote to a representative to speak for them.”

  Shai said, “But in a republic, if you don’t like the leaders, you can replace them the next election cycle.”

  Kathy asked, “Okay, who likes republic?”

  Ten markers shot into the air, and it was clear that the form of government preferred was the republic. Kathy wrote the form of government into the document. The new Martian republic had been born.

  Scout said, “Now, how do we deal with elections, and how long do elected people serve in the offices?”

  Lane said, “We have to have term limits. I don’t think we want professional politicians like we have here on Earth. They’re a major source of corruption.”

  Kathy said, “I agree. We should not only have term limits, but also not allow people to go from one office to another in quick succession. Maybe a waiting period is in order. That might stop the professional politicians from ever beginning.”

  Shai said, “Not only that, but we need to have short terms. We can’t be stuck with a bad leader for four Martian years. That’s nearly eight years on Earth.”

  Lane said, “I think that one term is enough for any leader to serve the people. Then let someone else have a turn.”

  Scout said, “I disagree. We should allow two terms, but that’s it. I also think that three Mars years is plenty long for a leader. What should we call the leader, anyway?”

  Kathy said, “How about a ‘Consul’, that’s what they used in ancient Rome.”

  Jordan said, “I think ‘Consul’ works perfectly.”

  Kathy said, “Alright, let’s have a vote. All those in favor of a consul with a three Martian year term raise your marker.”

  Seven markers went up, leaving another tie. The motion did not pass. Kathy asked for the input of the people who did not raise their markers.

  Becky said, “We can’t have one person with supreme power. We also need a parliament or a congress or something of that nature.”

  Scout said, “We’ll get to that next, and I had no intention of allowing supreme power in any form of government."

  Notah said, “I think we need two consuls. That way they can never have too much power in their high office.”

  A wave of head nods went around the room as people agreed with Notah’s statement. Kathy once again took a vote, this time for having two consuls with three-year terms. Thirteen markers were raised, and the motion clearly passed.

  The next hour was spent arguing varying points of view on term limits, and whether there should be waiting periods between terms. The group settled on two consuls each having overlapping terms; one term would begin halfway through the other. The group decided that two consecutive terms were enough, and any elected official would need to sit out three years once the two-term limit was reached. They further decided that no person should ever serve more than four terms in a lifetime.

  Scout said, “Now we can talk about parliament or congress or whatever you decide to call it.”

  Becky said, “Finally.”

  Kathy said, “We should decide if we want unicameral or bicameral legislation.”

  Ten people all said “Bicameral,” simultaneously. It was clear that the group did not want one unit to make laws. They wanted a system that checked itself.

  Kathy said, “What should we call it?”

  Becky said, “I vote for ‘Parliament.’”

  Jordan said, “I second that.”

  Kathy asked for a vote, “All in favor.”

  Fourteen markers went up, and the first unanimous decision was reached. The Martian Parliament was created. Now they needed to decide how to divide the elected officials.

  Kathy said, “Okay, we have a bicameral Parliament. Now, how do we divide it up? First, we need names for the houses.”

  Becky said, “We should call one a ‘Senate;” that’s the most commonly used name.”

  Scout said, “I’ll second that. It’s tradition.”

  Kathy took a vote, and nine markers were raised. Mars now had a Senate.

  The group decided that the Senate would have one person representing each town. They further decided that the second legislative entity would be called “Congress” and have representation based upon a town’s population. One representative would be attained for every 0.5% of Mars’ total population, until the total number of congress reached 200. However, they did not want 200 at the beginning. Until the planet’s population reached 10,000, the number of congress would be set at 25. They set the term of office for Congress at two Martian years. They also set forth all of the duties of each of the elected officials.

  Scout said, “We’ve made a lot of decisions, but we have dozens more to make. We’re probably all tired, so let’s take a thirty-minute recess. We can all do something else during that time, but no talk of Martian business. That way we can clear our heads.”

  The group all went into the living room except for Kathy and Scout. They went to the bedroom for some alone time. Thirty-one minutes later, the group was once again gathered at the kitchen table to discuss the new charter.

  Kathy said, “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. We’ll continue until midnight, but if anyone needs to leave, feel free to go.”

  Jordan said, “But if we leave, we lose our voice in the discussion.”

  Scout said, “You have a point. Who can stay until midnight? Raise your hands.”

  Ten people raised their hands. The people who could not stay were Jordan, Shai, and the Johnson siblings.

  Scout said, “Okay, that’s a significant dent in our group. We’ll go until 10:30. Does that work for everyone?”

  Nodded heads indicated that the earlier time limit was more acceptable to the people who could not stay until midnight. The group had two and a half hours to debate the charter.

  Scout said, “The next item on the agenda is to decide which offices we want the government to have. In other words, which services we want our government to provide to our citizens.”

  Kathy said, “Any suggestions?”

  Jordan and Lane simultaneously said, “Military. We need to defend ourselves.”

  Scout said, “I’m not putting that one up for a vote. It’s a necessary evil. We have to have a military. We’ll decide how to arrange that a little later. Kathy, write that down.”

  Kathy entered “Office of Military” next to the “Office of Work,” which had been created earlier, into the device. The discussion then continued.

  Cindy said, “We need to have Justice on this planet. We need courts and police to enforce laws.”

  Kathy said, “I agree. Anyone opposed?”

  No one raised their markers. The “Office of Justice" was created. The Martian cabinet was beginning to take shape.

  Kathy said, “Next suggestion for the cabinet?”

  Bob said, “We should know what’s coming in and out of the planet. We need customs, that’s what we need.”

  Jordan said, “I thought we wanted to escape a Gestapo, not create one.”

  Bob said, “I think this is just a necessary evil. We inspect when people arrive or leave, but never without a warrant otherwise.”

  Scout said, “I have to agree with Bob on this one. We need to be able to enforce our laws prohibiting money being on the planet. We also need to know what’s coming a
nd going.”

  Kathy said, “Show of markers.”

  Twelve markers shot up into the air. Lane and Jordan refused to vote for this measure as they thought this was an invasion of rights. It was the same kind of law that they were, at this moment, trying to escape, but the rest of the group outnumbered them and the motion passed.

  The group also passed a few other offices of government including the Office of State, and offices of both food and medicine. An office for planning was also created to make sure that the towns and people would have all the things that they needed. The group then decided that all of these offices would be chaired by an elected person rather than by appointment.

  Kathy said, “That settles that. The next item on our agenda is how to deal with time. How do we mark time, and how do we compare time with Earth time?”

  Scout spoke and said, “This’ll take forever in this forum, so we’ll skip it for now. I do, however, want written proposals to come my way. I’ll put the proposals up for debate at a later meeting. Let's move on."

  Kathy said, “Alrighty, then. The next next item is how to set up a military.”

  Jordan said, “Finally, something we can sink our teeth into.”

  Lane nodded his head and shouted, “Amen, brother.”

  Kathy said, “Who wants to begin with the suggestions. Jordan, Lane?”

  Jordan said, “I think it’s clear that the first thing we need is a force in space. We need to have some way to prevent invaders from reaching the planet’s surface.”

  Lane said, “But we need some way to stop them once they do reach the surface, in case we can’t stop them in orbit.”

  Scout said, “Well, I don’t think we’ll have the resources to be building spaceships right away when we land. It seems to me that the most logical course of action is to have an army ready as soon as possible. We’re only going to have one spaceship, and it’s going to be in transit a lot during the first few years.”