Improve Initiative

Sacrifice On Our Terms
For Our Benefit

Demand The Promise

Withdraw Cooperation
Force Their Accountability

The leaders of our current federal system will continue to find ways to disturb the peace and reallocate resources away from those that need it most, to those that already have everything and deserve it the least. They exploit ambiguity and adversely interpret laws to their advantage. They subvert norms and disregard precedents. Various court orders continue to be ignored. Certain military actions against sovereign countries is considered illegal by many. Their strategy is erosion by exhaustion: repeated rule-breaking is designed to wear down enforcement through crisis fatigue and apathy. They will continue to undermine national morale while portraying their actions as virtuous and just. Conscientious and irreplaceable workers have been fired or forced to leave, then asked to return. Critical infrastructure has been dismantled or institutionally captured, rendering it ineffective. An emergency response is warranted when law-abiding citizens are arrested and released without record, snatched from their homes without due process, violently detained, or killed with indifference.

What is the last straw for you? How much needs to be taken away from you to warrant dynamic action?

Most Americans, regardless of ideology, want accountable government, clear ethical rules, and predictable systems. Across the country, people feel traditional mechanisms are no longer functioning as intended. People are exhausted by uncertainty and by systems that enforce rules upon common citizens while allowing the wealthy to escape accountability. Traditional protests feel symbolic. People are not looking for another political crusade rather, they want a peaceful, meaningful way to influence government.

The Improve Initiative offers enforceable laws designed to limit abuse of power, increase transparency, and reduce undue financial influence in politics. Scale is the deciding factor. Statewide or targeted boycotts lack the leverage to change federal policy. Meaningful results at the national level require coordinated, national-level pressure. The initiative will gather broad public input to create widely acceptable demands, stronger ethics rules, fair election protections, and cross-branch accountability, regardless of political affiliation. The initiative channels everyday economic habits—spending, viewing, and clicking—into a short-term, well-defined, nationwide economic withdrawal. It’s a lawful, moral, and effective way to pressure businesses, which will in turn pressure congressional action. The initiative leverages impulse buying and advertising revenue, to pressure Congress to enact widely agreeable demands, shaped by public input, and focused on federal accountability. Its major strength is precisely quantifying revenue-loss for businesses and all levels of government, yielding significantly more reliable impact projections. The initiative uses the boycott as a catalyst, and quantifies potential revenue loss through pledges and petitions to ensure the economic impact is felt before the event begins. Small businesses are less exposed because the timeframe is short, and the greatest pressure falls on large firms.

The goal is to create stability, not redistribute political power or punish businesses. Success will be driven by prioritizing the importance of our labor, ensuring effective choice in how our government serves our needs, and fostering accountable, thriving businesses.

Leaders and influencers are invited to review, stress-test, and share the concept so the public can evaluate it for themselves, offer feedback, and consider whether this concept deserves broader public examination. Furthermore, leaders are invited to recommend economists who can test the projections and assumptions so the public can determine whether the idea is responsible, realistic, and genuinely useful.

The details provided are intended to illustrate one way these ideas could work in practice and to address common "how would that work?" concerns. They are not meant to signal rigidity, but rather to invite refinement, challenge, and improvement through genuine collaboration. The action plan, specific demands, methods, and implementation outlined here are a starting point, not a finished blueprint. Meaningful input from others is not only welcome but essential to shaping the strongest possible outcome. Demands and action plan must remain grounded in clearly defined goals and principles. Any changes to the goals or principals must arise through careful deliberation, particularly in response to new evidence, legitimate critique, or identified flaws.

Summary

I urge influential leaders with nationwide appeal to consider leading a nationwide economic boycott to improve government functioning and prevent the final decay of our institutions. Individuals close to national leaders should make sure they hear these ideas. Since big money is the only reliable motivation for Congress, we should use big money to get Congress to strengthen rules, roles and accountability. A boycott of a few businesses won’t create enough urgency. We must economically withdraw from the entire system. As Dr. Gene Sharp noted, “Democracy (e.g. choice by the people) does not survive by itself. We must be stewards of justice (& choice)”. The goal is a system that has predictable rules - predictable consequences - and that fairly rewards owners 'and' labor for their contributions to society. This proposal, though dramatically bold, aims to establish order across all federal branches by applying economic pressure on businesses and local governments, who will in turn influence Congress to enact reasonable and fair laws that will promote a stronger framework for accountable governance. The boycott, if adopted, would occur from 7 AM to 7 PM on the last Tuesday and Thursday of a chosen month. While the impacts may cause significant interruptions, the positive outcomes far exceed the disruptions. Details about the demands, action plan, major challenges we face, and how these steps will decisively establish disciplined and effective order are outlined in the full PDF.

We need an innovative protest that harnesses the everyday habits of right-thinking everyday people. This protest leverages impulse buying and advertising revenue. Research and calculations have been done to gauge the potential impact of a blanket, system-wide, economic withdrawal. Calculations are conservative and links are provided to show the basis used to prove the potential success of this type of protest. These ideas are straight forward and easy to understand. This protest is based on the idea that businesses cannot survive without our cooperation. Businesses only make money because we agree to cooperate by using their product or service. The only question is how much money will be missed during a short period of withheld cooperation. We are living in a time of fake news and compromised information. The reader is encouraged to review the rudimentary calculations in the appendix (found in the full PDF), which require only a basic understanding of multiplication, division, and percentages. This is one possible solution. New ideas require modification and correction by like-minded co-creators. Intellectual contribution from others is invaluable and greatly desired.

These ideas are a search for light in our present darkness. If this is not the answer, I pray the Lord favors someone with the courage to offer a substantive solution designed to produce meaningful results. It is my sincere hope that, at the very least, these ideas will encourage others to develop and share their thoughts on how to ensure order, predictability, and parity in our government - right now.

Imagine a government accountable to its principles, where the ultra-rich abide by the same laws as everyone else. Achieving this is possible and will require sacrifice.

Prioritized Demands

1. Pass an amended John Lewis Voting Rights Act: Include provisions that prevent purging and other forms of voter removal. Include provisions that prevent manipulation of the shapes of district maps by legislatures. Create U.S. House districts using a computer model and computational methods, aiming to enhance fairness, transparency, and public engagement in the electoral process and mandate that states justify deviations from the model.

2. Pass a Criminal Prosecution Act for SCOTUS: Include provisions that limit the use of the shadow docket to short term, temporary relief cases only - restrict the court's ability to introduce or infer new facts and require cases return to lower courts to establish needed facts - and prohibit ruling on synthetic cases where cases originate without an actual plaintiff or injured party. Include provisions that amend the code of conduct to become mandatory - amend honoraria rules to prohibit reimbursement for travel and lodging - and include felony criminal penalties for presiding over a case that involves gifts, financial interests, or a relationship with either party. Require automatic impeachment hearings if a justice is found to have received gifts from parties with business before the Court without prior notification and without recusal. The "good behavior" clause in the Constitution guarantees that federal judges hold their positions for life, but only "during good behavior". This means they can and should be removed for misbehavior (term limits may be pursued if 75% of respondents support such a measure).

! Pass a Constitutional Amendment that grants Congress the power, under tightly prescribed and very narrow circumstances, to challenge a Supreme Court ruling when its findings are based on omitted, ignored, or misrepresented facts, precedents, or evidence (or Congress can be granted the power to create, under very narrow circumstances, a review panel comprised of federal judges and experts)(no criminal liability may arise solely from judicial reasoning, legal interpretation, or ruling - all solutions shall preserve judicial supremacy)(lastly, the amendment can preserve self-policing by granting power to initiate the review panel, to a small percentage of justices).

3. Pass an Anti-Super PAC and Anti-Lobbying Act: Include provisions that prohibit the establishment of super PACs. Include provisions that amend the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 to include a four year ban against lobbying for all three branches of government, their staff, and advisers employed more than an accumulative 3 months - include an eight year ban for any elected official or staff that served more than eight years in office or on staff - the lobbying ban shall prohibit direct, advisory, or strategic lobbying roles with felony criminal penalties. Without these constraints the super wealthy will continue to influence the creation of laws to which only the common man will be held accountable.

! Pass a Constitutional Amendment to establish that political spending is free speech within the narrow limits defined in the Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

4. Pass a Criminal Prosecution Act for Congress: Include provisions that amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 and the Foreign Emoluments Clause to include stricter financial disclosures and stricter ethics rules with felony criminal penalties. Amend the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012 (to include the presidency and the supreme court) with felony criminal penalties. Prohibit trading where there is direct interaction with a particular sector, industry, or company - require seizure of all illegally obtained assets or profits (whether willfully or non-willfully obtained). If convicted of a felony, strip members of leadership positions and committee assignments - and require automatic impeachment hearings.

! Pass a Constitutional Amendment to protect law-abiding citizens from arbitrary or extrajudicial deprivation of liberty, including unjustified detention, restriction of freedom of movement, or loss of life not otherwise authorized by due process of law. The amendment shall expressly prohibit detention, questioning, surveillance, or enforcement actions based solely on a person’s appearance, language, accent, or other non-criminal characteristics. These protections shall not be diminished or nullified by judicial doctrine or interpretation. The amendment shall further prohibit all forms of slavery and involuntary servitude without exception, including as punishment for crime, thereby closing the exception clause of the Thirteenth Amendment. Finally, the doctrine of qualified immunity shall be abolished and replaced with a standard of accountability that permits civil liability for violations of constitutional rights, while allowing reasonable consideration of the inherent risks and safety demands of law enforcement duties.

5. Pass a Criminal Prosecution Act for POTUS: Include provisions that re-establish the partitioning of presidential authority and reject the idea of unitary executive theory. Include provisions that amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 and the Foreign Emoluments Clause to include stricter ethics rules, financial disclosures, and divestiture with felony criminal penalties. Require automatic impeachment hearings if convicted of a felony. This law is meant to include provisions that make all essential presidential norms law. The executive branch should not have ambiguity in areas that profoundly disrupt the public order.

! Pass a Constitutional Amendment that prohibits any form of presidential immunity for criminal or unofficial acts (except for official acts expressly authorized by the Constitution), including any claim of self-immunity - and that limits pardoning power by prohibiting pardons for crimes against the state (including treason, insurrection, coup attempts, and coup-related violence against officials), crimes involving conflicts of interest, quid-pro-quo arrangements, and any form of self-pardoning.

Plan of Action

1. Economic Boycott
Halt spending from 7 AM to 7 PM on the last Tuesday and Thursday of a designated month. Including all goods - in-person and online services - prepaid or per-use accounts - and subscriptions (e.g. temporarily suspend the use of streaming services, unlimited coffee programs, carwash subscriptions, etc.). The extent of disengagement will depend on individual circumstances and commitment. The greater participants disengage from daily economic activities, the sooner the proposed demands will be met. However, partial participation will play a large role in the protest’s success. Purchase all necessities and essentials prior to the protest.

2. Advertising Blackout
Avoid all advertising platforms and devices, with as much disengagement as possible. Only devices needed for safety and essential communication should be used.
(e.g. don’t use email, podcasts, social media, video-on-demand platforms, music apps, network TV, cable TV, etc. Don't call-in to any radio station. Don't listen to radio online, through apps, streaming, or with a listening meter. Where it’s safe to do so, turn off voice activated assistants and navigation. Don’t use apps that show advertising or is connected to the internet. Temporarily restrict as many devices from children that is safe for family circumstances and that is emotionally manageable).

3. Restrict Use of Online Services
Cease participation in all online services, particularly those supported by advertising (e.g. gambling, multi-player gaming, stock trading, dating sites, etc.).

4. Business Participation
This is a consumer-based protest. However, businesses may show solidarity by not placing orders or scheduling deliveries on boycott dates, where feasible. Businesses may also pause operations for one hour on boycott dates at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET to join a simulcast lunch with seven short interfaith prayers or nonsectarian reflections.

This Theory of Change document serves as a guide for implementing a coordinated campaign to build public support and pressure Congress to enact fair, enforceable laws that improve government accountability. The Theory of Change provides a strategic, narrative explanation of how and why change is expected to happen, outlining the pathway from the current problem to the desired impact. It includes key assumptions, risks, and contextual factors, and is used to justify the strategy—explaining why mass mobilization, economic pressure, and public sentiment can influence policymakers when traditional mechanisms have failed. The Logic Model complements this by breaking down the campaign into actionable components: inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and long-term impacts. This implementation framework ensures that every step— from pledges and petitions to boycotts and investigations—builds on public will and measurable data to drive systemic change. Together, they provide a structured, evidence-informed roadmap from citizen engagement to legislative and institutional change.

Phase 1

1. Establish support via pledges and petitions

2. Refine widely supported demands

3. Boycott to pressure business

4. Business to pressure Congress

5. New widely-acceptable laws enacted

6. Improved federal governance

Phase 2

1. Boycott to pressure business

2. Business to pressure States & Congress

3. Investigations to promote accountability

4. Improved accountability & governance

Phase 3

1. Boycott to pressure business

2. Business to pressure Congress

3. Address critical structural-governance issues (rather than hot-button or values based issues)

4. Vital agencies and infrastructure stabilized to baseline functionality or upgraded to peak utility

Prioritized Principles

P1: Prohibit voter removal and purging. Voting must be easily accessible by all citizens.

P2: Develop the broadest possible set of widely acceptable demands in order to gain the support of over 50% of the population and limit the ability to discredit the protest’s goals and methods. Demands must focus on ensuring choice by the people and the behavior of federal officials.

P3: Investigations shall be designed to ensure the existing balance of political power is not altered. Corruption must be eliminated without regard to party affiliation.

P4: Restrict financial influence in the electoral process from wealthy donors and organizations. Ensure rule by the people through the unmanipulated selection of federal representatives. Ensure our nation's values are defined by the people. Prohibit self-enrichment mechanisms used by politicians and political operatives. Serving the public, and receiving a livable salary, must be the sole motivation for those seeking office. The same standard must apply to political staff and consultants.

P5: Codify all substantive rules and norms into law, with enforceable consequences.

We have a 'social compact' with our government in which we agree, as citizens, to obey laws, pay taxes, and cooperate as consumers. In return, the government promises to protect our rights, maintain security and order, uphold justice and the rule of law, provide representation and participation, and deliver public goods and services. We must demand that these promises be kept.

We have a responsibility to offer a plausible solution to our current troubles. We must live with the understanding that there is an answer to every problem and a solution to every question - if we are willing to apply our talents and imagination. If we never take on the responsibility - or the burden - of offering solutions rooted in our perspectives and life experiences, we become complicit in the very problems we now face.

Prioritized External Factors

E6: Historical frequency of everyday freedoms lost under authoritarian governments:

Actions by the current administration show a real desire to move toward an authoritarian style of government. How will that affect non-political, everyday life? Historically, many authoritarian systems did not remove daily routines entirely, but they often changed how predictable, fair, and autonomous everyday systems were. The losses usually appear in administrative control, favoritism, unpredictability of law, reduced choice, and dependence on state approval rather than explicit political repression.

1. Loss of Property Security (Homes, Businesses, Wealth)

Historical Frequency: 70-85%

Population Affected: Majority

Current Administration Similarities: Behavior and policy signals indicate this enjoyment/access is at-risk

Business owners risk losing licenses or contracts

The wealthy may be pressured to support regime

Poor citizens can lose housing protections

Government or political actors can seize property, revoke licenses, or force sales with weak legal recourse.

7. Reduced Media, Internet, and Information Diversity

Historical Frequency: 90-100%

Population Affected: All

Current Administration Similarities: Behavior and policy signals indicate this enjoyment/access is at-risk

Less variety in news sources

Cultural content becomes more uniform

Social media platforms pressured to acquiesce to the regime's agenda

Information ecosystems narrow as media outlets self-censor or come under state influence.

For a Better Federal System

Labor . Choice . Business

Improve initiative