A Modern Democratic Agenda

An introduction to change where it can make a big difference AND be achievable.

Toward a Resilient Democracy

Confronting Disinformation, Disengagement, and the Crisis of Civic Trust

This paper addresses the foundational threats to American democracy posed by algorithmically amplified disinformation, civic disengagement, and structural erosion of shared truth. It proposes nonpartisan, experimentally grounded strategies to restore informational integrity, incentivize civic participation, and rebuild public trust in democratic institutions.

Democracy Is Not an Entry-Level Job

Reimagining Civic Leadership Through Education, Competency, and Deliberation

This proposal advocates for the professionalization of political leadership through a public, accessible system of civic education and credentialing. Drawing inspiration from jury duty, the judicial process, and professional licensure, it outlines a path toward ensuring that those seeking office are prepared for the responsibilities they will assume.

A Local Response to AI

Local Policy Responses to the Coming Wave of AI-Driven Job Displacement

Presents a set of pragmatic local policy tools to address the accelerating economic disruption caused by artificial intelligence, emphasizing dignity, retraining, and rapid-response infrastructure to protect communities most at risk.

These documents are intended to provoke dialogue, encourage experimentation, and support actionable policy reform at the local and state level. They are shared in the spirit of stewardship, not partisanship.

Rate-Limiting Virality

Policy Brief: Toward a Less Exploitive Internet

This paper proposes a targeted, nonpartisan reform: the imposition of structural constraints on the viral amplification of user reactions, likes, reposts, emojis, and algorithmic boosts, across digital platforms. We argue that the current architecture of virality constitutes a profound systemic vulnerability in democratic societies, enabling the exponential spread of disinformation, outrage, and manipulation at a velocity and scale incompatible with deliberative civic life.

Synthetic Companionship

The Monetization of Loneliness (companion to Rate-Limiting Virality)

Just as unregulated virality corrodes public discourse, the institutionalization of synthetic empathy via AI companions erodes the boundary between human emotional agency and behavioral manipulation. It is not merely engagement; it is affective colonization. We contend that such practices represent an emerging form of socio-emotional predation and require systemic scrutiny.