The Democracy App
Mike flicked his finger on the screen of his tablet as scrolled through his morning news feed. There wasn’t anything of interest as the titles zoomed by. Then, something peculiar caught his eye:
Government Fluoridation Mandatory Under New Law
Mike didn’t like the sounds of this new law coming into effect. He wasn’t sure one way or the other whether fluoride was such a bad thing. It could actually be harmless and it could actually improve dental health among the population. On the other hand, it could also be harmful and it could be sold to the government because somebody lobbied them with a good chunk of cash not being the least bit concerned with the population's dental health. The thing Mike really didn’t like in the headline was the word mandatory. This word meant there would be people threatening anyone who didn’t comply and forcing people to consume a substance even if they didn’t consent.
The real issue for Mike was that consent.
People should have the choice to make up their own mind about their dental health, he thought as he switched to his Democracy App on his tablet. He typed fluoridation into the search bar and quickly found the new law mentioned in the news headline. Clicking on it, he quickly noticed he was supporting a number of government representatives who supported this new forced consent. With a couple of taps on his screen, he unchecked his consent from the respective representatives. Scrolling through the opposing side he clicked on a number of names who looked like they would be good candidates for the few votes he just freed up. He found a couple of good choices that didn’t appear to conflict with any other things he was against and cast his new votes for the new representatives.
To Mike, he was okay if people wanted to add things to their water supply if they chose. Maybe supporting this kind of thing at the smaller municipal level was acceptable, but it sure wasn’t for everyone to be forced into. Although the change from the old system had been a rough couple of years, he was really glad where society was now and felt much more in control of his own life. Sure, there was still a government to suggest the rules everyone needed to follow, but it was the people who now decided if those rules would be accepted. Even if they were accepted initially, they could always be revoked later should things not be working as originally planned.
Even though it had been less than a year since the new Democracy App system came into effect, Mike could see things improving for the better every day. Bankers were being hauled off to jail for committing fraud, politicians were much more trustworthy and open about their views and goals, taxes were calculated individually for what each person supported, and even police became less threatening as the people voted on what they should and shouldn’t be enforcing. And with news of a new feature for the Democracy App coming out where citizens could suggest and vote on laws themselves, things were only going to get better.
A few hours later, Mike checked in on the new law and noticed he wasn’t alone in revoking his support. The support for the new law was down 30% and was still dropping as he watched the polls changing on his screen.
“That was a close one,” Mike said to himself, closing the voting app and opening his news feed. He scrolled down until he found an update on the new law:
The People Have Spoken - Fluoridation Will Not Be Mandatory
“This new Democratic Blockchain really is something,” Mike said to his wife as she entered the room.
“Oh, I know,” replied his wife. “I just recently gave my support for the decriminalization of all drugs and it looks like it’s going to pass shortly.”
“Oh that is a good one to support,” said Mike. “I’ll have to adjust my votes for that one in a little while. Right now, I’m just headed out for a little jog.” Mike put on his headphones and headed off.
That was an interesting take on blockchain and its potential. Picture the impact in the USA, where not all states have decriminalized marijuana. There would be less people in jail, but that would also cause a downturn for the prison-industrial complex there.
Who is to say we won’t be able to vote like this in the near future. How often do we hear the phrase ‘there’s an app for that’? I was taking an ethics course a couple of years ago and in an effort to put off writing a paper, I searched the App Store for an Ethics App. Sure enough, there is one available from Santa Clara University. https://www.scu.edu/ethics-app/
It was interesting; however, if a person is consulting an ethics app during a dilemma, then I’m betting that their initial course of action is not ethical, otherwise, they would not need to consult an app.
So if there are already a number of ethics apps on the go. Your story makes me wonder then, how far out is a voting app.
Thanks for sharing this one: it was a fast but throught-provking read.
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Hello @stephen.king989, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!