We can defend the values of the Contributing Classes. Counts have limited imagination for what America is all about. Counts live far removed from real American neighborhoods, exempt from work and waiting to collect Free Income. Contributing Americans value showing up and making a contribution. We feel the joy in work. Together we build America the beautiful.
Americans can say, “Enough!” to the out-of-control, extreme Money Counts of elite, entitled Counts. Contributing Americans can renew the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, free from the corruption of extreme money, as we:
Recognize the value of working together. Americans in the Contributing Classes show up, in person. We look our neighbors in the eye, we listen, we learn how to be kind to one another. If Counts want to do things that impact our communities—like trying to put in AI data mining plants—they can come and work it out in person.
Experience the reward of really contributing. Americans are moved to contribute. We work as parents and caregivers, we make and do and create in our workplaces, we help our neighbors. It’s how we feel useful and alive. If a Count wants to make a net contribution, he’s first going to need to trim back his extreme Money Count.
Put American Life first, ahead of self gain. Counts can get caught up in envious comparison with other Counts, with a narrow focus on Money Counts to keep score. Extreme money can cause Counts to lose sight of things beyond self gain. Contributing Americans know we have to keep regenerating American Life for all Americans.
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.