Ok, let me just offer a concept of a direct democracy model for a 12 seat government based on the original transition ministries currently in place. Some of my suggestions have been already stated elsewhere. These ministers would be open to any who choose to run, though I realize several have strongly suggested that only ‘qualified’ persons be allowed and there is currently a debate on who decides on qualifications. I feel that most any person who applies themselves to a task can show surprising abilities, especially when the need arises (and for those who don’t we can put in place a mechanism of recall to have the minister replaced from another batch of candidates). There is a question of maturity and life experience, what minimums, if any might apply; just that the person is ‘of age’, 30, 40… this is not the same as being qualified, or is it, eh? I strongly believe in a single fixed term, or term limits for any elected office and a total life time limit of public service; public service should be a temporary stop in life, not a career. The ministries make up an even number, and cover a broad range of domestic and foreign concerns. One might expect that the Minister of Foreign Affairs might be dealing with heads of state, while the Minister of Trade and Commerce would be making trade packs and negotiating tariffs; each ministry could and will carve out its own little niche and there will be some bureaucratic infighting as turf is infringed upon. How do we make the lines of ministerial authority crystal clear? These will need to be spelled out or left to an arbiter. If we spell out twelve distinct departments authorities, the charter could run a hundred pages long, but we also do not want to be so vague that each creates redundant and wasteful functions. Should we charge the citizens to resolve all conflicts with a clarification amendment to the charter when such conflict eventually arises? Should we charge the 12 ministers to formally meet and resolve among themselves a proper distribution of responsibility – not leaving it to the two or three in conflict? Should there be an ad-hoc citizens arbitration panel? I do not favor a Constitutional Court; I feel that issues of charter should be resolved directly by the people; there could be a court of review to offer an opinion should a ministry choose to create regulation, but ultimately it would be up to the people to accept or reject rulings that were found to contradict the charter and amend it accordingly. Another thought previously mentioned elsewhere, that certain parts of the charter should sunset after several generations and be renegotiated by the citizens of that time. We should not presume to a perfect document that will last millennia, how can we know what the citizens will want 100 years from now, all we can do is lay the ground work for the future generations and hope they will be even more enlightened that we. I like the idea of non-federal sovereign entities, as in ‘states’, and this concept may help in the short term with our non physical nation status; currently as a group we are 160k+ citizens scattered about the internet but could identify or rationalize ourselves as members of different regional or interest based ‘charter’ organizations or proto-states that will all answer to the Council of 12. Much later as a mass group of peoples within one colony, the concept may fall out of favor but may regain it upon expansion and colonization. As we hash out the distinct limitations on the council of 12 and later state our in alienable rights as free citizens of Asgardia we will see how our great charter will truly form. Now as has been mentioned, there has been plenty of discussion of rights, but how do we formally document our fledgling governments limits? With a blank slate the future council of 12 will have unlimited authority… where do we start clipping wings, eh? How about budget limits and no national debt? No wars of adventurism? To strive to remain a neutral nation and not become involved in terrestrial politics. This is just a start, but it would be nice to see others thoughts on how to create a 12 seat government and how to limit it.

I agree. We need a government, not a moral utopia. And it needs to be conventional enough that people have confidence that it can keep us alive in space.