Utopian Society Blog

CAAS

Leaders: Clarissa, Anne, Atiana, and Satvi 

*Backstory: Anne, Atiana, Clarissa, and Satvi are the senators of the land of CAAS. Unlike Earth, the leaders of this country vowed to rule with compassion and out of pure devotion to their country. 

Education 

All citizens of our society would be entitled to free education from kindergarten to high school. We will not allow any type of private education as we will be extremely devoted to the success of our schooling system and do not want children to have unfair advantages due to money. This school system will be funded through our utopia’s budget, a significant portion will go towards education. After high school we have adopted a trade school system instead of college, this allows students to be better prepared for their career path. For example, students who want to go into business will attend the business university or those who are interested in the sciences will attend the science university, etc. These specific trade schools will also be paid for through the utopian budget as we believe every young adult deserves an opportunity to be successful. This being said we will have strict requirements for all students such as maintaining high grades and if they chose to fall behind or break university rules their education will cease to be funded. 

Religion 

Citizens have the right to practice the religion of their choice, there will be no universal faith we bestow upon them. Our utopia will have spaces devoted to each religion in order for those who practice it to have a place of worship. We will not restrict any type of religious practice, although we will not condone using religion as a way to promote any violence or wrongdoing. It can not be used as an excuse to break the set laws of our society. Religion will not be a part of making any type of governing rules or governmental decisions. We believe the choice of religion is a freedom for every citizen.

Law and Order 

In CAAS, we have a strict but fair judicial and law enforcement system. We will hold both citizens and leaders accountable to our rules and regulations. The price of living in this perfect society is that the punishments can be harsh. This can include banishing them to Earth, depending on the type of violation. But we promise our people to treat them all equally, never holding preconceived notions based on their religion, gender, sexual orientation and beliefs. We strongly believe that the current society has failed to keep us all safe, and the prison systems leave much to be desired. In CAAS, we stand against any humanitarian crimes and only convict after conducting a thorough investigation which is tried in front of a court. We also have strict regulations in place for law enforcement officers, who will be under surveillance to ensure that there is no misuse of power. 

Economics, Work, and Leisure 

The currency system is relatively the same to our modern system except everything is a lot cheaper, similar to the 1950s. Wealth is somewhat similarly distributed to our modern system today but the spectrum is definitely a lot less wide. There will not be an extremity in richness in wealth and the poor. People in the land of  CAAS strive to be hard-working and motivated, but they will never be asked to do anything outside of their job description. They will strive to do the best that they can and usually go above and beyond to do their tasks. Our economy and currency will be independent from the rest of the world. 

Declaration of Independence 

Although we know that we can never achieve a perfect society as imperfect humans, we formed our utopian society to explore what a possible world with a little less wrong could look like. We feel we can reflect on a better world through our beliefs and rules. We modeled our world based on the basic framework of our existing society but modified it to better suit our vision for our utopia. We still have a democracy, where people can elect their leaders. We have a judicial system that will hold its citizens and people accountable. We also have religious and educational institutions in place, like our current society. But we’ve built upon these ideas to create a better place, since they have been poorly implemented in our present society. For instance, we still haven’t been able to provide free and quality education to those who desire it. Private schools have taken over, leaving students everywhere with crippling debt. In CAAS, we believe people of all ages should be able to further their education, free of cost. Our current society has broken our trust with idealistic concepts and poor execution. We are unsatisfied with promises that are half or never fulfilled. In CAAS, we keep our promises to our people and have a system in place to ensure the enforcement of the norm. We find it important to form a perfect society because it is attainable; we believe that it is the only way to achieve true and complete happiness. 

List of Rules 

1. If you are not happy with the land of CAAS, you may return to Earth to live there permanently. Yet once you leave CAAS, you may not return. There will be no punishment for leaving. 
2. You have the right to speak freely, as long as you speak kindly. Hate speech is not tolerated in our land. The harmful or destructive speech will be looked over for consequences. 
3. All religions will be accepted. Every citizen has the right to follow any religion they choose. Our land is focused on love, not hate. 
4. Everyone will be treated equally regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation. By eliminating racism, and prejudice we can ensure that everyone in our land will be treated equally and fairly.  
5. There shall be no crime of violence in society. If one finds himself in a predicament, they must ask for help. People should respect each other; if people disrespect each other they will be enforced by the law. All citizens of our society live without fear of internal, such as crime, or external threats, such as war. 
6. The land of CAAS will operate as a democracy. Citizens have the right to vote for the leader of their liking. There is no limit to how long a leader can serve, yet every year the land of CAAS will hold elections to see if the present leader is no longer suitable for the job. The government will propose laws and the society will vote for the laws/rules. This is enforced to ensure that people have the power to make a difference as well. 
7. Everyone, children, and adults looking to further their education will have access to free education. The pursuit of knowledge, information, and innovation is encouraged and supported by our society. 
8. All members of our government have economic security. This allows all citizens to pursue the work and life they wish to pursue. In the case that someone is unfit to work, they will be assisted by the government to ensure they are not left behind. 
9. Punishments will be given accordingly. Our society will operate with a judicial system. If a leader abuses power they will be tried accordingly. Similarly for the citizens, if they break any laws or are deemed to be un-citizen like, they will be tried accordingly. Some of our policies include but are not limited to: no killing, no stealing, no lying/cheating, no abuse of any kind. 
10. Health care is one of our main priorities in CAAS. Each citizen receives a check-up with their doctor twice a year. Prescription drugs are only permitted with a doctor’s note. Each citizen has the right to health care access, despite their financials. 

Governing Body 

Our land will operate as a democracy. All acts and laws passed will be for the health, happiness, and peace for the citizens of our land. In addition, we will hold elections every year. There is no limit on the number of years someone may hold office yet by holding elections every year we can ensure that the citizens still believe our leaders are suitable for the position. The reason we have this rule is to warrant that the government passes laws that benefit our society. Female and male representatives are represented equally. Citizens who are eighteen and older are allowed to vote. Disputes will be settled by the leaders of the Law and Police Force. Governance will be in the control of the people, who vote on the issues that the people believe are the most pressing. 

What could go wrong? 

A society where everyone co-operates and is happy with one another is an impossible dream. Although it is a dream that most of us strive for, in reality, it is difficult to achieve. Our fear of our society is that the natural differences in ability, interests, preferences within any group of people often leads to inequalities as a result that utopias committed to equality cannot tolerate. The belief that humans are perfect, and that they live in a “perfect society” often leads to an imperfect world. People are naturally hardwired to have their own beliefs and customs. When imperfect humans try to create a perfect world, they fail. Our land is built on the idea of unity, and love for the people. Yet as we know, people act on their beliefs. A potential problem that could arise with regards to our education system is that we have high standards that our people have to uphold to have access to free education. This could be a lot of pressure on our students, but we also have a great health care system and promote good work-life balance.