Star Island's mandate is to create a
society which provides for the well-being and growth of the lives of
all of its citizens. In that regard, I believe that some services
that modern society provides should be considered essential if they
are not elsewhere in the world.
1. Access to your money at all times
should be an essential service, available 24/7
Bank holidays bother me a lot. Not only
do large banks borrow your money in order to lend it out to increase
their own profits (and the profits of their rich shareholders); they
also charge you service fees seemingly for simply holding your money,
and when they do actually give you a bit of money from the
investments they have made with YOUR money, it is peanuts – unless
you already have a lot of money.
I decided that Star Island would be a
place where for-profit banks are not allowed. It would be illegal for
them to operate directly in Star Island, although in the interest of
promoting business, they may still work with the credit union
co-operatives that would serve the same purpose as banks in Star
Island.
Anyway...
Anyway...
The point of my preamble there was
this: I bank with a major bank, as I am sure most of you do. One
thing that I have noticed with operations such as online banking is
that transactions do not take place immediately – even in the
online world, where you would think such transactions could be done
right away; you know, at the speed of light through the
internet.
Instead, something simple, like paying off your credit card, takes a day or two, or sometimes three if there is a “bank holiday”. This is stupid. We have the technology to do instant money transfers.
All credit unions/financial institutions in Star Island would have online access to their services around the clock, and all transactions would be processed in a flash, as indicated.
Instead, something simple, like paying off your credit card, takes a day or two, or sometimes three if there is a “bank holiday”. This is stupid. We have the technology to do instant money transfers.
All credit unions/financial institutions in Star Island would have online access to their services around the clock, and all transactions would be processed in a flash, as indicated.
----
2. Transit should be available 24/7
If you are a member of the working class or lower middle class, it is likely a huge financial burden to own a car, truck or van. Sure, you need it to get around where you live – but that's a fundamental design flaw in the way communities are built. Unfortunately, it's beyond most people's control.
That's why I think that public transit also should be an essential service, operating all hours of the day. While a car is convenient because you can pile your family and gear into it and drive off whenever you need to, the fact is that the reason we need cars in the first place is the expansion of suburbia as well as car-related infrastructure, and the never-ending pursuit among city designers to make traffic flow easier – for motorized vehicles only, at the expense of all other forms of transport, including WALKING.
Star Island would be small, and everything would be within walking distance. Other cities around the world, though, need to develop other solutions, as compacting a city which has already expanded is likely too expensive to do in a timely fashion. So public transit needs to become a 24/7 thing, and governments need to enact policies which make public transit more attractive than sitting in gridlock all day.
As an aside...if you need to transport large items, like home appliances or heavy machinery, some vehicles, such as forklifts, should be able to operate to move those things around, both in my imagined country, and in real cities.
If you are a member of the working class or lower middle class, it is likely a huge financial burden to own a car, truck or van. Sure, you need it to get around where you live – but that's a fundamental design flaw in the way communities are built. Unfortunately, it's beyond most people's control.
That's why I think that public transit also should be an essential service, operating all hours of the day. While a car is convenient because you can pile your family and gear into it and drive off whenever you need to, the fact is that the reason we need cars in the first place is the expansion of suburbia as well as car-related infrastructure, and the never-ending pursuit among city designers to make traffic flow easier – for motorized vehicles only, at the expense of all other forms of transport, including WALKING.
Star Island would be small, and everything would be within walking distance. Other cities around the world, though, need to develop other solutions, as compacting a city which has already expanded is likely too expensive to do in a timely fashion. So public transit needs to become a 24/7 thing, and governments need to enact policies which make public transit more attractive than sitting in gridlock all day.
As an aside...if you need to transport large items, like home appliances or heavy machinery, some vehicles, such as forklifts, should be able to operate to move those things around, both in my imagined country, and in real cities.
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