A more efficent GA structure

[occupymytruck]

New GA structure
Let’s split up the GA by committees by day to allow for better structure and planning of individual schedules.

The number of committees that Occupy Chicago has is divided by 7. This gives us the number of committees that will be scheduled to speak each day at the 7pm-9pmish General Assembly.

All voting cycles will be 1 week long. A week long cycle allows time to edit the proposal based on friendly amendments and language changes. It also gives a week to promote and get online feedback. This will allow; more casual supporters to pick one day a week to commit their time, those who are here often but not yet on a committee to find their niche, while also taking some of the pressure off of those already overwhelmed, overworked AND getting 200 emails an hour. Ultimately, getting more people involved in the 'whole of the movement' and ridding us of any clique-ism or elitism, which may occur by happenstance, but thrives only if we allow it to.

Committees will present an idea or proposal on their assigned day. All committees must present during the week to both GA's. The original presentation will be on day 1 of this week long cycle. The afternoon presentation will be presented on day 3 of this week long cycle. Voting will occur in the evening on day 7 of this week long cycle.

Focused Stack Line Format:
For all stacks, there will be 3 stack sections. One in support of the proposal, one opposed to the proposal, and one of alternative view points. Each stack line will be given 10 minutes to speak. The purpose of this focused stack line is to hear the different views presented together as an overall concept of views. This will help focus the thoughts of the GA members so that the discourse will not be so chaotic. This will help the GA to flow more smoothly and allow participants a way to better absorb the merits of each argument. It should also keep the GA participants more interested and less likely to leave in the middle of a GA.

THIS WILL ADD EFFICENCY AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING while also creating a TRUE DEMOCRACY!


Thank you ALL,
LOVE YOU ALL,

Jamie OCCUPYMYTRUCK

[occupymytruck]

I wholly support this concept.

[abel]

Spirit fingers!!! I suggest secretariat committee looks at this.

Love the weekly schedule for committees. It will help us pace ourselves. I was doing daily announcements since Friday and I'm burnt out already. Thanks for working on this proposal.

Abel

[blacklite911]

The idea is good. I think to be implemented, we must have a system in place to manage all the proposals in the queue, preferably on site.

[Billy]

This is a good idea and that's all I'll say in favor. I would rather like to address some of the viewpoints that I heard in opposition to it voiced from stack last night at the GA.

Currently this movement is comprised mostly of people who are fortunate enough to have a lot of free time. That means the group is mostly people without demanding jobs and children at home. That leaves mostly unemployed, under employed and/or self employed people and people with out children or at least not young children.

I think if we truly want to represent the 99% we need to work to include the 99% in the process. 99% of the people can not spend of good chunk of their day on forums and answering emails and then show up downtown from about 6pm to 10pm every single night of the week. Currently we are not the 99% we are only a small portion of it. I think more people need to realize that.

A weekly schedule would allow more working people to get involved. Many people can commit to coming down town once a week and spending time during the rest of the week online; on the forums and answering emails. If we get more people involved weekly then on special occasions where we need big numbers we will have access not only to more people that feel part of this movement but also everyone that they know.

Forcing things through and trying to be efficient from a time standpoint or getting stuff passed stand point does not allow time for enough people to participate. The vast majority of the 99% is disenfranchised by this process.

I understand that committees on occasion have emergency stuff that needs to come up for vote. There has to be a way to stick by a weekly schedule and still allow for stuff to get done. If there is anything that needs to be forced through in a hurry it should never be binding in the long term. Vote now on things that happen now and any " emergency votes " on stuff with lasting implications should be temporary and have an end date so as to give time for it to be properly discussed.

I strongly believe that the single strongest point or best thing this movement has going for it is the development of this process within a horizontal structure. I think we are living an example of how things can be. Regardless of if this structure translates directly into a new government or is used as an example of how to structure a new government or change the one we have I think that needs to be our primary focus. If we can develop a truly horizontal structure that includes everyone and disenfranchises no one then I think not only can we change the world but at that point we will already have done so.

I think it is important to point out that there is no end point to this process. If we succeed in our goals it would seem to me that this process would last as long as humans still walk this earth. We should not be in any hurry to get to some future end point that does not exist. This is a process and a movement much in the way that life is a process and movement. We are not here hoping to effect some change and then leave. We are the change that we wish to see become at least the basis for a new way of life. I repeat again A WAY OF LIFE not a goal, not an end point, not some tangible thing, but a way of living. That means every day from here until the sun super novas on us.

TL;DR version: Including more people in the process is more important than hurrying the process along.