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[Criptfeind]

Anything not involving hooking up my mind to Armok's.

... darn, my plan of becoming a one man nation has been found out!

But would that even be you anymore?

[Ochita]

Basically, I think all Utopia's are flawed by the mind which made it, so really.. An actual Utopia would just be how the world is now.. If we just really worked together.

[SalmonGod]

Labor vouchers aren't a new idea.  The problem is the same as always.  The system is designed and administrated from the top-down by a handful of people (at least, you haven't said otherwise).  What stops those people from influencing things in their favor at the cost of everyone else, the same as happens with any system capitalist or communist?

[PremierMeridian]

Exactly, but that is more of a democratic issue rather than an economic one.

[SalmonGod]

Exactly, but that is more of a democratic issue rather than an economic one.

I rather think that it is, considering property (the subject of economics) is the source of leverage.

[Max White]

Right now a unreasonable amount of Australia's budget goes to maintaining our excessive road system, to transport goods and people. While a road system will always be needed, over use of it raises maintenance costs. As such, I would invest into a better rail system, lowering the transport budget, lowers greenhouse emissions, and lowering road accidents.

That is all.

[Taricus]

That is it?

[Max White]

Well, I would also support a sustainable logging industry through regular rotation and selective harvesting, unite the hospital, ambulance and healthcare systems, and support the hell out of education.

[SalmonGod]

I would invest into a better rail system

Have to fight the auto lobby.  I've heard that Indiana used to have a great rail system, but the auto industry lobbied it down to nothing.  There are abandoned tracks and stations all over the state and almost no public transport at all outside of Indianapolis.  You almost can't survive without a car here.

[white_darkness]

Whatever you call the currency, doesn't make much difference, semantics aren't important.

And the ultimate point has been raised in regards to any utopian society, they can only work in the minds of an individual, since all of them are either flawed, or will fail when faced against the corruption that is a regrettable part of much of the human psyche.

Which I sort of wish the economy for DF was "fixed" so that it would activate, since I'm guessing Meridian has never encountered the joys in DF where a portion of your populace ends up starving, homeless, and poorly clothed because the prices of everything are set by a few individuals (who also set the wages and don't have to pay for anything).

[SalmonGod]

An actual Utopia would just be how the world is now.. If we just really worked together.

I basically agree with this.  Capitalism and Communism and everything in between are founded on internally consistent logic that would operate just fine if everyone were good-natured and willing to make things work out for each other and not just themselves.

The question is how do we foster such a culture.  The structure of a society has an influence on the values and goals people have.  Systems focused on the manner in which one accumulates wealth or political influence into centralized authority structures encourage people to do exactly that.  How do we encourage the opposite?  Figure that out and you'll have your utopia.

[freeformschooler]

Since we're allowed to get theoretical with our utopian society:

1) Everything a person could need or want can be produced by a machine only.
2) The machines are powered by a root machine, which has a self-sustaining energy unit that produces no carbon emissions and can be easily replaced.
3) The only people who have access to the machines are people who choose to be educated and partake in any of an endless supply up human-only jobs (research, medicine, fixing and maintaining the machines and so on).
4) For these people, there is no "finding a job", jobs are always available and always being created as machines detect problems they cannot solve themselves.}
5) Everyone who doesn't have a job or can't work is sent outside the city (which is stored on flat ground but protected by nigh impossible security measures).
6) By the time we have achieved this most of the outside world is in tatters and horrifically scarred. The people who get to live inside the city don't know this.

This is the point where I realized how awful I am.
(okay, gotta get off the internet now daggummit)

[Strife26]

I don't have a utopia. I *can't* because for a perfect society to exist, there can't be any warfare. As long as their are soldiers like me, there'll never be an end to war, becuase I'll *always* see someone else to prepare for. Until the last soldier dies to the last bullet of the last battle of the last war.

[Askot Bokbondeler]

everything we do, machines can(or will eventually) do better, so we put machines doing it
machines decide everything we do they can do better, and we're waisting valuable resources and being unproductive, so they get rid of us
they live happily ever after

[Angel Of Death]

My Utopia would be a really, really left. Preferably without war and a system regarding money that dosen't involve the poor suffering.

Yeah. That's never going to happen