A Theory Naked
The 90-Degree Turn is a theory in need of validation. In its current form, it's pure imagination.
I aim to transform that imagination into a prototype that can be shared and tested and ultimately released as a secure open-source platform for changing how our democratic republic operates.
While many have more experience than I in creating and launching web services, I did go through this trying exercise in 2005 when I founded a HIPAA-compliant pain tracking service known as ReliefInsite.com. Starting from a blank slate, we created a specification and hired the programming team to build it. I hope to do the same with the 90-Degree Turn, starting with the Needs Monitor.
Like ReliefInsite.com, the goal of the 90-Degree Turn is to relieve pain – not just today's pain, but the severe pain that lies ahead in the form of an oncoming train.
Ray Dalio's historical data (covered in my previous blog) makes clear that the United States of America is running out of time. The life expectancy of past empires – like the Dutch and British – was approximately 250 years. In 5 months, on March 4, 2023, the U.S. will be 234 years old.
More significant than age are the problems of debt, imbalanced wealth distribution, civil unrest, and geo-political overreach. The same evils that doomed the Dutch and British empires are knocking on the door of the American empire.
Like Dalio, I'm an optimist. The Dutch and the British didn't see what we see; their instruments were not as refined as ours. We have the insights and tools to do better and change course. Our better understanding of history, economics, and human nature should compel us to apply our learnings to right the ship of America.
Of course, the greatest challenge to any new system is end-user willingness to adopt it. The approaching tsunami of economic destruction should frighten us into action. In 2022, we see the crest of that tsunami as Social Security payments going out exceed revenues coming in.
We need levers to pry ourselves free from past practices that no longer work. The 90-Degree Turn is envisioned as such a lever. It enables us to act ourselves into a better way of thinking about Government.
A detailed specification has no place in a blog that's trying to build interest. An overview from 30,000 feet is a different story. The 90-Degree Turn architecture is that overview; it provides a frame of reference for the pivot envisioned in the theory.
ASSESS: Using the Needs Monitor, we assess requirements starting with individual households.
ORGANIZE: Needs are aggregated by town, city, county, and state and organized into proposals to the Federal Government. The procurement process is reversed. Funding is from the bottom up rather than from the top down.
IDENTIFY: Based on the Federal Government's response to locally initiated proposals, we see which agencies and departments of the Federal Government are needed and which are not. In "Buttom-up Separation," we differentiate between wheat and chaff.
STREAMLINE: Once we know which parts of Washington's bureaucracy are needed, we can reconfigure Washington to serve the country better and more efficiently.
VALUE: According to my estimates, based on a review of Federal Government initiatives and reports, for every dollar spent in Washington, all but half a penny is consumed by overhead. That's a value gap of 99.5%. I think we should reduce that gap to 20%. That would make the Federal Government about half as efficient as a public company. A giant leap forward for Washington, America, and democratic republics around the world!
