The American system is crumbling. But the situation isn’t hopeless. Like your old laptop, US systems and institutions simply need to be brought up to date—or, in some cases, replaced.
With an entrepreneur’s eye and his Silicon Valley sensibility, former presidential candidate Andrew Yang suggests a host of upgrades for the US government in the 21stcentury.
Take paying taxes, which is currently a miserable process for most Americans. The IRS could use technology to calculate and deduct most income tax automatically, which would make paying easier. If the government could transform Tax Day from a deadline into a federal holiday, people might not dread the payments so much.
Yang also wants to reform the way in which national campaigns are financed. It takes as much as $2 million to successfully run for a seat in Congress, which gives rich contributors too much power. Yang proposes giving each citizen a stash of 100 “democracy dollars” to donate to candidates of their choice.
Learn more about Yang’s bold plan for saving democracy in our Instaread on Forward.
