FREE AMERICANS MOVEMENT
Imagine
A vision for what this agenda makes possible
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Imagine a world where opportunities exist for every person. It's a crazy idea, but it shouldn't be. We've now lived through enough to see that the system that's been built has weak foundations. Otherwise it couldn't be so easily manipulated that the very core of our government is so uniformly rotted.
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Imagine we could take advantage of the opportunity we've been given — to see just how far we've veered — and course correct. It will take immense work and there will be opposition, but if we work together with the single goal of making a system for everybody, we can make a difference. Think of all the evil and hate that exists. Where does it all start? It started when a person who was different in some amazing way, was judged by others who had already been judged.
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The crazy part is WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. And in that way we're the same. So why have we built a system that caters to so few? Imagine, instead, one built for all of us — and it starts the moment we are born.
Imagine the moments of brightness and learning we'd have of our childhoods. Childhoods where working parents could take time off to focus on raising a new life. Jobs give mandated time off that allows for anyone to take the time they need with loved ones, or maybe away from them. They got time off when the baby was born or adopted, and they didn't have to worry about how they'd pay for the unpredictable needs that came next. A tumble off the counter doesn't cost a month's wage. Nor does it have to compete with the cost of daycare. In this reality, they weren't spending most of their life working to pay for rising grocery bills and gas.
As you grew up, readily available mental health resources, for the times when things got hard, kept arguments between your parents from tearing worlds apart. Your memories with your parents included stories they'd tell you — teaching you vulnerability with every life lesson. You stayed close with them as you learned how to navigate the world as an individual. You learned all the work that goes into a healthy relationship, and you learned through real conversations even when the topics were hard.
Imagine starting school and the never-ending journey of meeting new people without the weight of thinking disagreements could only be viewed as right versus wrong. You were taught to ask ‘why?’ and felt excitement learning about a different perspective. Your education added to the excitement. Grading and rubrics were meant to draw out interest and inspiration, not rank you against everyone else — so even on the days you weren't good at everything, it was okay, because that was never the goal. When you didn't do well, or disliked a topic, you were redirected toward something new to find where you thrived, and you never felt the embarrassment or pressure of a ‘bad grade.’ You were guided along a journey toward something you enjoyed, and it unlocked intrigue and motivation in school every day. In this world where grades were second to finding a field of interest, you moved into your middle school years learning more tailored information, allowing you the room to become hungry for more.
Imagine the classes and curriculum that took you through the next round of learning were created and grouped together as part of a variety of secondary schools that got you ready for post-secondary schools and apprenticeships. Industry leaders worked with government closely to give your generation the skills necessary to add value wherever your education took you. At the same time, cornerstones of being part of a community were taught without bias as you formed your early view of the world. Religion was taught as a spectrum rather than a single truth. Financial literacy coursework prepared you to make your money go further once you entered the workforce. Research and critical thinking methods were paired with your interests to train your open and educated approach to learning about the world around you. As you became eager for your future career, you didn't worry about the cost, and your parents didn't miss your development into an adult while paying for the steps that came first. Government programs worked with every institution to guarantee a spot for those who made less, without a mountain of debt, no matter how much money you had — and that security followed you straight into your first paycheck.
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Your first job's wage gave you the support of a burgeoning member of the workforce. Guaranteed minimum wage stopped the possibility of a near-zero paycheck. The tax system gave you confidence in what you were paying toward and full transparency into the policies behind it, instead of asking you to carry the weight of the rich and their loophole-laden hoard. The government calculated and communicated how your taxes were used, and why you were taxed that amount.
Imagine everything around you was ready for you to take your first steps of freedom. After secondary school, you might've gone to college and learned how scholars teach and how they research to perpetuate progress, and you were able to contribute without fear of AI Armageddon undermining your dreams. Whether you took up a trade, science, arts or any other path, you were supported and given room to succeed. You didn't risk life-changing consequences while experimenting with everything the world had to offer. You may or may not have tried marijuana — and lived to tell the tale. Where the tale didn't end with undertrained law enforcement inflating a lesson learned into a bullet or bail. Consensual discovery didn't flirt with unprepared parenthood because the government had prioritized safe and effective contraception availability for both sexes. In the case that something did happen, safe options were available so that a person had the right to make a decision for their own body — and wasn't systematically shamed for an outcome that was just as much created by the other person involved.
Imagine you decided to serve your country in the military. In exchange for your life, the government provided a stable, defense-first, armed forces that prioritized the welfare of its people, rather than the policy of a foreign nation. Your service didn't come with the risk of a volatile or petty President. Whether or not you served, you were able to deliver on your duty as a citizen of the United States by voting - and you were able to vote freely because no matter where you were, voting was accessible and built to ensure every citizen participated with ease. The pressure of voting also didn't come with the pressure of one side versus the other. A spectrum of choices and topics were available so that your vote was tailored to your individual values, not diluted and crammed into one of two bad choices. Better yet, the weight of your voice wasn't compromised by partisan redistricting or a deluge of toxic television advertisements. The candidates you reviewed were all moving with the world, not against it. You weren't stuck checking the same names as your parents, and their parents before them.
After you specialized and found your path, you found new opportunities and met new people. You were free to question each other's perspective and learn from each other. No one had to worry about what the other one was thinking, because they were open to hearing it. You remained skeptical and constantly looked for more information that reflected who you are, and you found a voice. No one had to worry about being deported because of a voice that came from an experience rooted in another place. Because everyone was human. And humans, no matter where they were from, were born with the right to due process and given a fair chance at finding their own path to citizenship if they wanted it. Instead of keeping people out, we carved a place for them to come in, somewhere where they could contribute as they pleased, without having to climb hurdle over hurdle just to be treated differently no matter how many they cleared. People didn't see crossing borders as a permanent solution anymore. They could make a living in a booming economy, and still call home, home. And the country gained skilled labor without straining real estate and resources unnecessarily.
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Then, because you learned from them, and heard more stories of how people found their calling by taking a chance, rather than falling, you leaped for a future you wanted to reach. And you leaped without fear of how much further you'd fall down if you failed. Because even if you fell, the government invested in getting you back up. Public food and housing access was built into the system to make sure you could survive even as you failed. This allowed you to find courage in your ambition and resilience in your humility. And no matter where you landed, you found your way there in part because of a support system.
Imagine now, existing in a place where you've been able to take all these chances and truly find your own path. This vast country and all it has to offer is at your fingertips. Public transport makes a huge country small. You can travel for work without uprooting your life. And if you do, it's never too much to visit. Whether it's across states or counties, traveling is accessible, and so are your dreams.
Imagine that the dreams are uplifted by a system safe for free speech and sharing ideas, but shielded from loopholes that allow rampant riches to be built off of misinformation. Your job and its opportunities are bolstered by industry-government-scholar built solutions and protections that keep markets modernized and safe. And you can be confident in its design because it's funded to meet its citizens' needs. Those programs that allow you to barrel through your early life with freedom are built on a funding structure that makes sure dollars are allocated to citizen necessities before desires. One that doesn't place unfathomable fortunes into bottomless pits, because it has transparency built into research showing its value in providing a necessity or a better result, both for the people and for the budget.
Imagine this system. This system where you can imagine a path where you're happy and fulfilled. You can become who you want to be, and find your fit next to others doing the same. Your path and the experiences it brings you are valuable and respected.
Imagine this system that provides you with the desire to give back. Whether you express that through civil service or partnering with the government as an industry leader to keep it running efficiently and smoothly, you're helping your fellow citizens get the most out of their taxes. As you develop as a proud member of the United States of America, you weigh joining, or even leading, a cause that aligns with your values and your identity. You're able to develop your identity and your voice without fear of retribution, fraud, or being mischaracterized. You may even have the courage to run for office, or pay towards a candidate or a committee that reflects the ideal you want to see for everyone around you. You can do so knowing the dollar you give isn't drowned out by corporations. You can be confident in the results of the movements those candidates and causes inspire. One where every person, even those in our nation's capital, has equal representation through those candidates. Candidates who are as invested in us, as we are in them. Causes that lead the international community by example, creating a template others can aspire to.
Imagine a system where we can protect the potential of those who don't have the same foundation we've built, and give them the space to thrive as well.
Imagine it becomes a reality.
It all starts with people, ideas, and courage.
It starts with intention and openness.
It starts with holding each other accountable.
It starts with us.