Bitarch’s Column

The Polystate is an idea by American writer Zach Weinersmith. In the book Polystate: A Thought Experiment in Distributed Government, a simple but radical idea is proposed.

Currently, under conventional democracy, we live by laws established by the party chosen by the majority. Weinersmith believes this is wrong, and that a citizen who voted for a certain force should live by the laws of that force. They should pay taxes to it, rather than to the winners or competitors. For example, supporters of communists would pay more, while libertarians would pay less. However, the pensions and social benefits for communists would be higher, while libertarians would have to save for their own retirement.

Voted for the left — go to the army. For the right — pay for contract soldiers. In essence, this creates several states within the territory of one country. Zach’s system can be compared to choosing a mobile operator or an internet provider. Some have more coverage but lower prices, and vice versa. On the other hand, new opportunities arise. For instance, you could choose not to pay taxes for the storage of nuclear weapons. In theory, this would help citizens truly delve into political programs and encourage parties to maintain a consistent line.