Counts replace qualified leaders in America, without ever earning the privilege. They assume leadership on the basis of Money Counts, rather than knowledge, skill, merit, or experience.
And this violates
fundamental
American values.
In America, holding great power is a privilege, not an entitlement. We expect our leaders to earn the privilege by demonstrating the will and ability and effort to better the lives of all Americans.
Extreme money can turn any regular problem in America into an extreme threat. Elite, entitled Counts endanger America by wielding extreme E8, E9, E10, E11 Money Counts to:
- Fall out of touch with Americans. Counts retreat from American neighborhoods, and can opt out of most of the public options Contributing Americans rely on. They aren’t qualified to understand regular American lives.
- Stay insulated from any real risk of failure. An E11-rank Count could lose a full 99% of his Money Count and still hold an E9 rank (billionaire level). He would still collect hundreds of millions of dollars in Free Income every year. Counts aren’t qualified to understand the meaning of any real risk of failure.
- Stay sheltered from life stresses. The Counting Class Line is the point where automatic, clockwork gains are greater than any realistic earned income. Counts don’t feel the pressures of working for a living. Their Money Counts shelter them from everyday stresses.
- Avoid any consequences of waste. Extreme money allows Counts to waste freely. And America is so abundant and productive that there’s a huge margin for Counts to waste. Insulated from impacts, Counts aren’t qualified to understand the real consequences of waste.
- Devalue public service. Counts brag that they don’t have to answer to anyone. They expect others to follow their commands and whims, with a “yes, sir!” Counts learn to put themselves first, not how to serve others. Many Counts don’t see the value of public service.
- Develop a god complex. No matter where a Count puts money, no matter how poor the decision, he’s still much more likely than not to see his Money Count go up. So everything he does looks like a “win.” It’s too easy for him to think he can do no wrong, like a god.
On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Big Woods Declaration (BWD) renews the call for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, free from the corruption of extreme money.
The BWD is a First Amendment petition to the American people and our government. It is not limited to any political party or group.
The BWD is a total of 60 pages: the Core Declaration (4 pages), the 13 Notes, the 27 Dangers to America, and the 16 Solutions for America.
The BWD may be shared and reused under the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. View a copy of this license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
The BWD was created without the use of any AI, opinion polling, or focus groups. The BWD draws on many core American ideas as well as the work of Thorstein Veblen, America’s visionary from the Big Woods of Minnesota.
All photos in the BWD were taken in the Big Woods. The BWD was framed by Erik Christopher Sahlin with Alyssa Beth Wulf.
