I was a paper boy at age 12 or 13.
My route was pretty easy.
I would fold papers after school, rubber band them, then ride my bike and frisbee throw papers to the front porch.
I only broke 1 window.
I hated monthly “collecting” — waiting while people wrote checks.
I think I made about $30 a month. Not really sure.
I loved when people gave me tips.
The newspaper industry peaked in 1987 (nearly 63 million copies of daily newspapers) and has been declining ever since.
Citizens used to be informed about local and state government because journalists would attend so many meetings and write stories about what was going on.
Since that practice is now rare, CitizenPortal transcribes tens of thousands of meetings each months and publishes millions of news articles every month.
As you can see, more people are discovering CitizenPortal every week.
I dream of the time when tens of millions of citizens stay informed and get engaged because CitizenPortal is doing such a good job to revitalize self-government and “we the people” are involved enough to make sure our elected representatives govern with “the consent of the governed” — a principle that has been trampled on for too long.
Donors and lobbyists—more than everyday citizens—influence the priorities of government, based on studies I’ve seen.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if the Happiness, Safety, and Common Welfare of the people became the primary goal of elected representatives?
Wouldn’t it be cool if AI superintelligence could help our 585,000 elected officials in the U.S. find successful experiments in the laboratories of democracy — policies and programs that boosted important outcomes — and adopt them and adapt them for local use?
Some people have figured out how to create environments where kids can learn, startups can grow, families can thrive, good health is common, people can be safe, and peace and prosperity are the rule not the exception.
Good policies lead to good outcomes
Bad policies lead to bad outcomes.
I believe the Age of Intelligence can usher in an unprecedented era of good governance — and Citizen Portal and Elected dot AI will play a foundational role in helping that happen.
Watch this space.
DM me or comment if you want to get involved or learn more
