Commodumena

A Utopia of Educational and Employment Opportunity

By Donny Williams

Commodumena The name Commodumena comes from the Latin

word commodum, which translates to ‘opportunity’.

The citizens of Commodumena experience a utopia of educational and employment opportunity.

Introduction to Commodumena The modern college student faces a constant anxiety of choosing

between a profitable or desirable occupation. There is a minority of people who are able to do something they enjoy for a living and be financially sound. This is due to the pressures of modern day society-paying taxes, raising a family, etc. While this is unfortunate, society needs order and a variety of jobs that are essential to society’s well-being. These important jobs become the profitable occupations, making the less-important/artistic ventures less profitable. A lack of adequate payment in return for work makes some enjoyable occupations undesirable. An equal wage for all occupations would solve this issue. In the past, experimental governments have assigned jobs with equal wages to citizens, but being unable to choose an occupation does not inspire citizens to perform at their personal best. This lack of freedom, in addition to corrupt government officials, weakened the citizen morale and the economy alike. A solution to this issue is an equal wage and the right to work multiple jobs. In Commodumena, everyone receives equal payment increments, does what they want for a living, and services the community at least temporarily by doing less desirable jobs in their youth when they are most capable.

Geography Commodumena is a landlocked country in Europe that was

purchased from Northern Bulgaria.

Bulgarian citizens are invited to join country or compensated for loss of land.

Choosing to be land-locked rather than an island nation reduces trading/shipping expenses with neighboring countries.

Free Borders

Commodumena

Citizenship Requirements Automatic citizenship is granted to those born in

Commodumena (or Bulgaria). Those wishing to obtain citizenship must pass a

background check. Current income level is not an issue, the

Commodumenian government is looking for willing citizens of any social status to work high-demand occupations with equal wage.

Must be a legal citizen to work in Commodumena.

Citizenship Requirements Failure to pass background check prevents citizenship

but not visitation rights to Commodumena with proper passport and identification.

After three months of citizenship, an unemployed Commodumenian citizen must apply for a High-Demand occupation, or the government will randomly assign a high-demand occupation to the citizen.

Failure to contribute to society, as well as committing a felony, will result in probation, then deportation. Laws are similar to those of the United States.

Commodumena: A Modern Melting Pot

With free borders & a simple naturalization process, Commodumena is the most recent melting pot of culture, religion, and language.

Marriage is limited to one human partner of any race or gender.

Commodumena has no official language or religion, though school is taught in English.

Commodumenian Education System

All children are required by law to attend pre-school through 12th grade.

Schools and Colleges are public and free. Homeschooling through 12th grade is legal.

Students are exposed to a wide variety of knowledge, art, and skills in grade school to help them decide their major.

Once in college, the student immediately delves into major classes. Additional educational classes are electives. Students may change their major.

Commodumenian Education System

In addition to studying their desired major, the student is randomly assigned and/or can apply for an additional job that is in high demand but has a low percentage of citizen employees. This temporary, second job is known as a High-Demand occupation.

The government conducts a bi-annual survey to see what jobs are in shortage of personnel due to skill-level/unpopularity. The Commodumenian government issues an announcement twice a year that lists the current High-Demand occupations.

While attending college, the student studies the skills required for their issued High-Demand occupation alongside their major.

Though every student is at least a double major, degrees take relatively the same length of time to earn as in America due to the lack of core classes required in Commodumenian colleges.

Commodumenian Employment System

After graduating college, the student must complete a minimum of two years in the field of their assigned/requested High-Demand civil service job before being able to begin their preferred occupation.

After their two years of civil service, the citizen can freely choose to continue their service job, switch to their desired occupation, or do both.

No limit exists on the amount of occupations. Working an additional High-Demand occupation is encouraged.

Most occupations require a written exam before entry, especially upper-skill level jobs that citizens work after their two years of civil service.

All jobs receive equal wage.

Currency equivalent to US Dollar.

The Commodumenian Self-Employed and Business owners

The Commodumenian equal wage allows all citizens who are employed in any occupation, own any business, or who contribute a skill, art, or a product desired by society to be paid for their preferred occupation, passion, or talent.

Citizens who contribute a skill, art, or a product desired by society are known as the Self-Employed.

The Self-Employed and private business owners that are unable to make enough money to pay their employees or themselves the national equal wage are placed on probation for 6 months. If standards are not met, the employers and employees must take up an alternate occupation.

Unemployed citizens are placed on probation for 3 months. If an unemployed citizen fails to find a new occupation, the Commodumenian government randomly assigns a High-Demand job to prevent poverty and unemployment.

Commodumenian Taxation After paying employees, business

owners are taxed all extra profit so that the owner makes the same amount of income as all other citizens.

The taxes collected are used to pay people working in government occupations such as healthcare and education, the current civil service High-Demand occupations, as well as to provide retirement benefits to citizens over the age of 75.

Successful business owners that stimulate the economy by employing many citizens enjoy a variety of benefits from the government such as inexpensive or free services to keep their business up to date or the funding to expand successful businesses.

Government Intervention in the Economy

Standards for the success of businesses causes a competitive strive for quality and distribution of the product.

Owners have an incentive to sell/partially sell their companies to the government for security.

Government-run businesses have the advantage of being able to systematically employ trained civil service workers and are able to employ and fund the necessities of the business’s success, weakening the possibility of not meeting the national wage requirement and the subsequent economical failure.

The Equal Wage Policy The society would not be equal in class, but

equal in wage regardless of occupation or gender.

The equal wage is annually set at an average of the middle-class wages of the current top three world super powers.

The equal wage allows the government to set the minimal income at a decent standard of living.

Providing required High-Demand job employment to unemployed citizens prevents high levels of poverty.

The Advantages of the Commodumenian Equal Wage Policy

Equal wages for all occupations makes economical success easier to achieve for all citizens.

Citizens are free to choose their occupation and are encouraged to be successful and profitable in order to maintain the right to run their business.

The fixed wage encourages business owners and the Self-Employed to provide a quality and profitable service in order to remain in business. The taxation of extra revenue after paying employees and business owners encourages business owners to employ more workers to pay with the revenue of a successful business.

The system encourages employees to work at their full potential so that their employer remains in business and the employee can continue to work in their desired occupation.

The Advantages of the Commodumenian Equal Wage Policy

Working longer hours at a multitude of any occupations allows all citizens the opportunity to make enough income to live comfortably.

The fixed wage encourages citizens to contribute their skills to the economy in multiple ways in order to make more money. This encourages a diversity in skills and strengthens the economy as a whole.

Citizens can work a part-time job with the hourly wage benefits of a full-time job.

Free public education encourages citizens to go back to school and earn an additional degree in order to work additional occupations.

Commodumena Facts Healthcare is public- Doctors are paid by the government

with collected tax funds. Education is public- Teachers and professors are paid by

the government with collected tax funds. Subsidized housing would be minimal due to the

society’s preventive measures against poverty. Leaders are chosen in a direct democratic vote by

citizens every 2 years. Commodumena trades with other

lands through its open border policy. Though Commodumena maintains

neutrality, it has a trained standing militia.

Commodumena Facts The landscape is primarily open plain with several

mountain ranges and lakes. Due to the Commodumenian geography, Wind and solar power is encouraged and profitable, as well as agricultural business and farming. These businesses are employed by government.

Marijuana is legal. There is no legal drinking/smoking age. A lack of regulation exists in hopes of promoting moderation in citizens at an early age.

The country grows in the sphere of professional sports teams as its population increased. The established national teams form from citizens who apply their interest and skill to the occupation of playing professionally.

Inspiration for Commodumena The lyrics of Soul Meets Body by Deathcab for Cutie inspired

Commodumena. Commodumena is a place where a citizen’s passions (soul) can ‘meet’ their earthly needs (body), infusing together as one. This ultimately allows a citizen to make a living from what they love to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpTYWv_kP2s

Aspects of the movie Brazil inspired Commodumena, a place where no citizen is required to slave away at an office job their entire life to be successful and happy.

Inspiration for Commodumena The unfair caste system of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World inspired the

opportunity that Commodumena allows-Success and wealth based on contributing to society and taking advantages of the free education programs rather than being born into normalcy or greatness.

Edward Bellamy’s Mr. Barton’s Sermon inspired the advantages of the government issuing High-Demand occupations. Commodumena hopes to create a country where ‘There were no more beggars.’ By providing jobs to the unemployed, Commodumena hopes to leave ”charity without an occupation” like the world described by Mr. Barton.

Benefits of Commodumena

Something you can do for others on your own

In Commodumena, the equal pay will diminish severe poverty levels in society, allowing all citizens to live in reasonable comfort.

Something you can do for others with the help of others

By implementing the Two-Job system, Commodumena allows citizens to work their dream job with national equal wages. Citizens earn this right by working a High-Demand occupation that benefits others in society and/or the Commodumenian economy.

Something you would do for yourself

By living in Commodumena, I could live comfortably as a novelist and/or professional skateboarder after working a High-Demand occupation.

Works CitedBellamy, Edward. “Mr. Barton’s Sermon.” Chapter 26. Looking Backward, from 2000 to 1887.

1881. Boston, MA. Houghton Mifflin, 1915. Hypertext Projects: American StudiesProgram. 1997. The University of Virginia.

Death Cab for Cutie. “Soul Meets Body.” Plans. New York, NY: Atlantic Records, 2005. YouTube. Ed. DCFCtv. 10 August 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizQVriWp8M>.

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. London, UK: Harper, 1932. Brave New World? A Defenceof Paradise Engineering. Ed. David Pearce. 2008. BLTC Research. <http://www.huxley. net/bnw/index.html>.

“Information Retrieval.” Brazil. Dir. Terry Gilliam. Writ. Terry Gilliam and Tom Stoppard.Perf. Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, and Ian Holm. London, UK: Embassy International Pictures. 18 December 1985. YouTube. Ed. Pocodecine. 7 August 2007.<http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=LFlFIG22Y9E>.

The End