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Designing Next-Generation Constitutions: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and First-Principle Thinking for Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Governance Preamble: Charting New Constitutional Frontiers with AI and First Principles The endeavor to design a constitution from scratch, whether for a new terrestrial nation or a pioneering Martian colony, represents a profound intellectual and societal challenge. This ambition, leveraging the dual powers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the rigorous methodology of first-principle thinking, is not merely a speculative exercise but a timely exploration into the future of governance. This report aims to provide a multi-faceted, expert-level analysis of the prospects and complexities inherent in such an undertaking. It will navigate the theoretical underpinnings of first-principle constitutionalism, assess current AI capabilities and limitations, examine relevant efforts including proposals for Martian societies, consider methodological frameworks for integrating these advanced tools and philosophies, and critically evaluate the far-reaching impacts and ethical dilemmas. The inquiry, while touching upon speculative frontiers, is crucial for understanding how humanity might craft foundational legal and political frameworks in an era of accelerating technological advancement and expanding horizons. ...

AI-Driven Voter Mimicry: Feasibility, Existing Initiatives, and Implications for Citizen Representation I. Introduction: The Vision of AI Voter Mimicry and Citizen Representation A. Addressing the Core Interest in AI Voter Agents The prospect of developing artificial intelligence (AI) agents capable of faithfully mimicking individual voters—predicting their choices on political candidates, ballot measures, and other civic decisions with high accuracy—has captured significant interest. This exploration extends to the potential for such AI agents to eventually serve as a form of citizen representation. The allure of this technology is multifaceted, hinting at possibilities for a more nuanced understanding of public opinion, potentially leading to more responsive governance, or even pioneering novel forms of democratic participation. ...

Artificial Intelligence and the Automated Ballot: Navigating Assistance, Autonomy, and the Future of Democratic Choice 1. Introduction: The Voter’s Dilemma and the Allure of AI Assistance The modern election ballot often presents citizens with a formidable array of choices. From candidates for numerous offices to complex referenda and judicial retention questions, the sheer volume of decisions can lead to voter fatigue or, worse, uninformed selections. This “voter information deficit” is a recognized challenge in contemporary democracies, where citizens may struggle to access or process the information needed to make choices aligned with their interests and values.1 In an era characterized by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), it is a natural inclination to look towards technological solutions to simplify such complex tasks. The prospect of AI offering a streamlined path through the intricacies of the ballot may seem appealing to voters grappling with information overload. ...

The Landscape of Law Evaluation: Examining “Worst to Best” Rankings 1. Introduction: The Quest for Evaluating Laws The endeavor to evaluate and rank laws, policies, and legislative outcomes from “worst to best” is a complex but prevalent practice. Numerous organizations, including advocacy groups, think tanks, academic institutions, and media outlets, engage in various forms of such assessments. These evaluations serve multiple purposes, from informing the public and influencing policy debates to holding legislators accountable and promoting specific ideological or policy agendas. However, there is no single, universally accepted methodology or definition of what constitutes a “worst” or “best” law. Instead, the landscape is characterized by a diversity of approaches, criteria, and underlying philosophies. ...

Comprehensive API Resources for AI-Driven Legislative Analysis: A Report for Non-Profit Initiatives I. Introduction and Landscape Overview The Imperative for Legislative Data in AI Initiatives Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents transformative potential for non-profit organizations engaged in legislative analysis and advocacy. By leveraging AI, these organizations can more effectively analyze voluminous legislative texts, identify emerging policy trends, predict the potential outcomes of legislative actions, and ultimately enhance their capacity to advocate for their missions. At the core of such AI-driven endeavors lies the availability of structured, comprehensive, and timely legislative data. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) serve as the critical conduits for accessing this data, enabling automated ingestion and processing essential for training and deploying sophisticated AI models. Without robust API access to legislative information, the ability of non-profits to harness AI for deeper insights and impactful engagement in the legislative process is significantly curtailed. ...

**BRIEF *****AMICUS CURIAE ***OF THE LOUIS D. BRANDEIS CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER LAW AND THE SILICON VALLEY CHINESE ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER 硅谷华人协会基金会(SVCA Foundation) 联合犹太人组织The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law，日前向最高法院递交了Amicus Brief，从哈佛在历史上歧视犹太人到今天仍在歧视亚裔的角度，支持SFFA对哈佛的起诉，敦促最高法院接受这个案子，一举推翻歧视亚裔的族裔优先法案(Race Based AA)。 Please view details in attached PDF file below: Harvard_Amicusbrief_SVCAFoundationDownload

Fate of Ballot Measures Often Depends on the Wording 投票提案的命运往往取决于其措辞 【译者按：投票提案，也就是全民公投，是加州（和其他州）的公民参与立法的重要渠道。本文分析选票上对提案的用词，摘要的选择，经常影响一个公投是否成功。因此这也是公投的支持方和反对方对薄公堂的常见争论。】 Stateline.org examines the priorities of the people who write the language describing proposals on ballots. Sometimes, it’s more than simply making it clear. Stateline网站对投票上的提案撰写人的优先事项进行了检测。有时候，这不仅仅把事情说清楚这么简单。 CAROLINE COURNOYER | 2012年3月9日 Stateline特约撰稿人Josh Goodman Just a couple of months ago, Dan Pellissier was leading an effort to ask California voters to overhaul the state’s public retirement system. The ballot initiative campaign looked like it had momentum, with polls showing a majority of Californians in support of pension changes. The stage appeared set for a November showdown between fiscal conservatives and public employee unions. ...

Benefits of Filing the 501(h) Election For most charitable nonprofits, electing the expenditure test by filing Form 5768 will provide many benefits, including: 对于大多数慈善非营利组织来说，提交5768表格来选择支出测试能够收获许多好处，包括： It’s Easier 更简单 YOU GET TO USE CLEAR DEFINITIONS THAT EXCLUDE CERTAIN ACTIVITIES 您可以了解到清晰的定义情况，排除某些不符合的活动 For nonprofits using the expenditure test, Congress created various exclusions so that the following activities are NOT included in the definition of “influencing legislation” under 26 US Code Section 4911: 对于使用支出测试的非营利组织，国会制定了各种排除条款，以下活动不包括在《美国法典》第4911节26条的“影响立法”的定义中： Making available the results of nonpartisan analysis, study, or research; 提供无党派分析、研究或研究的结果； ...

Non-Profit Organizations CAN Lobby 编者按： 非营利组织及其服务对象面临的许多重大问题。基于这种情况，慈善机构参与公共政策的辩论比以往任何时候都更为重要。然而，太多的人错误地认为非营利组织游说是非法的。相反，联邦法律实际上是鼓励慈善机构在特定范围内游说的。关键是要了解法律中游说的定义以及其中的限制，这样就能够合法安全地游说。这篇文章简化总结了部分关于慈善游说管理的法律法规。完整的法律要复杂得多，所以请咨询您的律师或会计师以获得专业建议。 How much lobbying is too much? 怎样算过度游说？ Federal law clearly states that a 501(c)(3) publicly supported charity may devote no more than an “insubstantial” portion of its activities to lobbying. There are two ways in which this can be measured. One is a subjective “substantiality test” based on the facts and circumstances of each case. Because this test can be applied rather arbitrarily, it is often advisable for a charity to file a short form with the IRS in order to be governed by the “expenditure test,” which is based solely on the amount of money spent for lobbying. The expenditure test lays out specific limits on how much money a charity can spend for lobbying, based on the charity’s own “exempt purpose” expenditures: ...

【编者按：本文概述501c3组织如何合法地影响立法和进行政治倡导。对于参与影响立法的组织，作者提到可以提交 Form 5768 ，以获得20%开销用于游说的明确许可。具体操作请咨询会计师和律师。本文仅供初步参考】 Yes, You Can—and Should! Nonprofit Advocacy as a Core Competency 是的，非营利组织可以并且应该把政治倡导作为核心能力 Dyana P. Mason November 8, 2018 In a popular online nonprofit forum, a nonprofit leader recently asked about whether or not it was appropriate or possible for their organization to directly speak out about important issues of the day. Stating apprehension that the organization would be considered “too political,” this leader struggled with balancing a call to action with concern for possible negative consequences to their organization. They were a 501c3 organization, after all! ...

Asian American Coalition Condemns California Asian American Legislators’ Scapegoating All Children for Votes For Immediate Release June 15, 2020 Fremont, San Diego, & Irving, California: Representing a diverse and broad-based coalition of concerned organizations to oppose Assembly Constitutional Amendment ACA-5, the Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation (SVCAF), San Diego Asian Americans for Equality (SDAAFE), TOC Foundation, Chinese American Equalization Association (HQH) and Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) issued the following statement denouncing several members of Californian Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Legislative Caucus. ...

Asian American Coalition Calls on Democrat Senator Richard Pan to Oppose Legislation Prioritizing Racial Preference FREMONT, Calif. – Representing a diverse and broad-base Asian American coalition,Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation (SVCAF), San Diego Asian Americans for Equality (SDAAFE) and Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE) today called on Democrat Senator Richard Pan (SD 6) to stand with them and vote against Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA 5) which is a divisive and controversial legislation that will discriminate against minority communities. ...

Mask4Seniors Happening Again! To protect the most vulnerable and the first responders in our community, we have been working hard to get more masks since Mid March. And till today (5/27), we have donated 20270 masks of various grades (N95, surgical, medical disposable, and disposable) to the community around bay area. Beginning from 5/28, we are again accepting reservations of disposable masks. If you are of age 65+, you are eligible for one 25 masks per family (25pc in one box). These masks will be donated to you, for free. ...

编者按：本文翻译一篇保守派出版物Imprimis的演讲摘要，分析美国民主党和共和党分裂的根源。（February 2020 • Volume 49, Number 2 • Christopher Caldwell ，2020年2月-卷49，11月2日-克里斯托弗·考德威尔） 演讲的主要观点是美国从宪法立国变成一派用民权进行道德绑架，树立道德敌人，绕开宪法的国家，造成各种分裂，仅供参考。Imprimis是希尔斯代尔学院（Hillsdale College）的每月的演讲摘要，免费订阅，有四百万订阅者。Salon.com将其描述为“您从未听说过的最具影响力的保守出版物“。Imprimis是拉丁语，意为 1.第一 , 2. 打印的动词的第二人称单数。 Christopher Caldwell 克里斯托弗·考德威尔 Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute and Author, The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties 克莱蒙特研究所资深研究员和《权利的时代：六十年代以来的美国》一书的作者 Christopher Caldwell is a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, a contributing editor at the Claremont Review of Books, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. A graduate of Harvard College, he has been a senior editor at the Weekly Standard and a columnist for the Financial Times. He is the author of Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West and The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties. 克里斯托弗·考德威尔是克莱蒙特研究所的资深研究员、《克莱蒙特书评》的特约编辑以及《纽约时报》的特约意见撰稿人。他毕业于哈佛大学，一直担任《每周标准》的资深编辑，同时也是《金融时报》的专栏作家。他是《欧洲革命的思考：移民、伊斯兰教和西方》以及《权利的时代：六十年代以来的美国》两本书的作者。 ...

编者按：排华法案的历史和背景是每一个美国华人都应该了解的。本文翻译 《大英百科全书》相关条目，供大家参考。 Chinese Exclusion Act, formally Immigration Act of 1882, U.S. federal law that was the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. The basic exclusion law prohibited Chinese labourers—defined as “both skilled and unskilled laborers and Chinese employed in mining”—from entering the country. Subsequent amendments to the law prevented Chinese labourers who had left the United States from returning. The passage of the act represented the outcome of years of racial hostility and anti-immigrant agitation by white Americans, set the precedent for later restrictions against immigration of other nationalities, and started a new era in which the United States changed from a country that welcomed almost all immigrants to a gatekeeping one. 排华法案，前身是1882年移民法案，是美国联邦法律中第一个也是唯一一个明确暂停特定国籍移民的主要联邦立法。排华法案的基本内容禁止被定义为“技术和非技术工人以及从事采矿业的劳工”的中国劳工入境。随后的法律修正案阻止了离开美国的中国劳工回国。该法案的通过代表了多年来美国白人种族敌对和反移民的鼓动，开启了一个新纪元，自此以后，限制其他国籍移民的措施开始出现，美国从此从一个几乎欢迎所有移民的国家转变为一个设置移民门槛的国家。 ...

编者按： 目前美国的冠状病毒爆发，多少让一些人担心治安问题。美国万一如果出现骚乱，军队如何调用? 本文转载美国国务院的历史科普文章，介绍和联邦调用军队救灾相关的“治安官动员法”（Posse Comitatus Act，简称PCA）。 1878年民主党控制的国会通过了一项对后来美国历史有着深远影响的法案“治安官动员法”（Posse Comitatus Act，简称PCA），这项法案严格限制联邦政府动用军队介入国内的治安、执法行动，当时的规定主要针对陆军，没有涉及海军及海军陆战队。由于当时还没有空军，因此1956年法案做了修正，将空军也包括在内。海军及海军陆战队虽然不包括在“治安官动员法”限制范围内，但海军部参照该法，也制定了相应的规定，限制海军及海军陆战队介入国内执法。 “治安官动员法”是南北战争结束后，南方分裂州重新回到联邦，南、北势力再一次大较量的产物。南北战争结束后，南方各州中大批被解放了的黑奴获得了与白人一样的公民权，但南方的白人却不愿看到黑人享有与自己一样的权利，尤其是投票权，因此常常发生黑人被极端白人组织骚扰、威吓甚至杀害的事件。为了维护南方各州的秩序，联邦政府在南方各州派驻大量军队以维持治安秩序，并协助南方的重建。联邦军队在南方驻军并介入当地治安事务，引起南方各州政党的不满，成为当时南北政治争斗的重要内容。1876年大选，代表北方州的共和党候选人拉瑟福德•海斯（Rutherford B. Hayes）获得了165张选举团票，而他的竞争对手、代表南方州利益的民主党人候选人塞缪尔•土登（Samuel J. Tilden）获得了184张选举团票，还有20张选举团票有争议，结果国会判定这20张选举团票归给海斯，使海斯得以一票的微弱优势在充满争议声中当选为第19任总统。当时国会中的民主党以支持海斯当选为条件，要求联邦军队从南部各州撤出，不再干预南部的事务。他们最终如愿，联邦军队退出南部，标志战后重建时期（Reconstruction Era）的结束。 拉瑟福德·伯查德·海斯（Rutherford Birchard Hayes） 联邦军队撤出南方后，国会议员开始起草限制联邦军队介入各州地方事务的法律，这便是“治安官动员法”的由来。根据“治安官动员法”的规定，不允许联邦军队介入国内治安事务，除非联邦军队接受州长的指挥，或者是总统根据“暴动法”（Insurrection Act）的规定动用联邦军队，又或者在有核威胁的场合，由司法部向国防部提出请求，派出军队协助地方应对核威胁。该法案之所以称为“治安官动员法”，是因为在英美法系的传统中，各地的治安官或警长在遇到治安紧急状况时，可以号召15岁以上的民众协助自己维持治安，在18世纪的时候，在紧急状态下协助执法官或警长维护治安，成为民众的责任之一。 1878年的“治安官动员法”实施后，大大限制了联邦政府动用军队干涉地方事务的能力，但也引起许多争议，尤其是1957年艾森豪威尔总统动用101空降师介入小石城危机（Little Rock Crisis）、武装护送9名黑人学生进入小石城中心高中后，引发激烈批评，许多人认为艾森豪威尔总统违反了“治安官动员法”的规定，擅自派遣联邦军队干涉地方事务。艾森豪威尔总统则引用“暴动法”为自己的决定辩护，因为当时阿肯萨州州长法布斯（Orval Faubus）已经无力维护小石城的秩序，并且小石城市长伍德罗•威尔逊•曼（Woodrow Wilson Mann）也直接请求艾森豪威尔总统派出联邦军队协助维持秩序，因此他才调派了101空降师前往小石城。 德怀特·戴维·艾森豪威尔（Dwight David Eisenhower） 1981年国会对“治安官动员法”做了修正，2005年飓风卡特里娜（Hurricane Katrina）横扫美国南部墨西哥湾，对路易斯安那州新奥尔良造成巨大破坏，为了安定当地局势及增加救援力度，小布什总统下令联邦军队介入救灾及参与维护治安，再一次引起传媒、学者及公众对“治安官动员法”适用范围的辩论。九一一事件后，随着反恐战争的深入，有关联邦军队是否可以在需要时介入国内的反恐行动也不时被人提及，因而牵涉到对“治安官动员法”的再思考。 总体上来说，“治安官动员法”大大限制了联邦军队介入国内事务的能力，是州与联邦就各自权责范围长期争辩的结果，从历史发展的角度看，该法强有力地稳定了州的自主地位。

Project #StrongerTogether Update 04/07/2020: To alleviate the extreme shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals and public service workers, Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation has successfully secured the first batch of masks including N95 respirators! More shipments are coming in. On Tuesday 4/7, we have distributed 2000 masks at 3 locations in City of Sunnyvale to our senior members of the community, and we also delivered more than 1000 masks to the doors of our seniors after that. We want everyone in the community to be SAFE! ...

硅谷华人协会基金会编辑整理 因为时间仓促，翻译中出现错误遗漏在所难免。欢迎发信到 info@svcaf.org 批评指正， 我们将在下一版本中改进。任何译文中有不确信的地方以英文原文为准。 成为沃伦•巴菲特 2017 HBO纪录片| Becoming Warren Buffett 2017 HBO Documentary Films Transcripts of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK4jaamtRjA [00:00:16] Woman 1: And now, one of the most respected investors in America is going to tell you about his secrets. 女1：现如今美国最受有声望的投资人将要告诉你他的秘密。 Man: Warren Buffett. It’s the sound of money, $9.2 billion last year generated by this man… 男1：沃伦·巴菲特，他就是钱的代名词。去年有92亿美元是这个人创造的。。。 Woman 2: Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the second richest man in America. 女2：亿万富翁投资者，沃伦巴菲特，美国第二富有的人。 Man 2: He’s estimated to be worth about $62 billion and makes him the richest man in the world. ...

2019年度加州立法论文大赛 2019年度加州立法论文大赛开始接受投稿了！大赛的目的是为了促进加州青少年关心时事，提高对争议话题的独立研究和判断能力。本次大赛由以下组织联合举办：圣地亚哥亚裔平权会(SDAAFE)、硅谷华人协会基金会(SVCAF)和金橙俱乐部(TOC)(以组织英文名字母顺序排序)。 以上三个组织分别代表圣地亚哥（San Diego, SD）, 北加（Northern California, NorCal), 和橙县（Orange County, OC）三个地区。请仔细阅读以下参赛规则。 题目：加州众议院提案AB-392和平警察（2019）目前正在加州众议院辩论和投票。 假设你是加利福尼亚州立法委员，你会支持该提案还是反对？ 为什么？ 请做自己的研究，然后写一篇文章来支持你的决定。 请清楚列出你的参考文献。- 资源: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB392 - 参赛者资格：现居住在加州的6-12年级的在校学生。（请按照就近原则从圣地亚哥(SD), 北加(NorCal), 和橙县(OC)三个地区中，选择一个作为你的参赛区） 要求：英文，500 – 800字（不包括论文题目和参考文献）- 提交截止日期： 2019年8月31日（星期六），晚上11点59分. 电邮至: essay2019@sdaafe.org 邮件内容应包含论文，签名的申请表，和签名的免责文件。表格下载地址： https://tinyurl.com/2019contest - 邮件标题: 2019_参赛区的代号(从SD, NorCal, OC中按就近原则选一个)_你的名字 (范例：Mary Lee来自圣地亚哥地区，邮件标题为2019_SD_Mary Lee)- 裁判(论文将由写作专家和当地政治领导人来评分): 写作技巧和语法占30%- 论证占35%- 调研和支持数据占35%- 奖励(分两级进行): 本区预赛：三个赛区分别评出本区正反双方的优秀文章，9月30日公布结果。- 州级决赛：各区预赛优秀文章自动进入州级决赛，正反双方都有机会获得以下金额奖励： 一等奖$1,000正反方各一名；二等奖$500正反方各一名； 三等奖 $300正反方各一名。结果将于10月上旬公布。- 州级决赛获奖者必须参加10月下旬在圣地亚哥举行的大赛颁奖典礼（具体时间地点于8月通知）- 获州级奖的文章将发布在SDAAFE，SVCAF和TOC的网站上以表彰参赛学生。获奖文章内容不代表以上三个组织的观点。所有参赛者所花的时间可由本区组织授予义工时间。- 论文格式要求： **文件类型 – **以.doc或.docx文件的形式提交。- **字体 – **Times New Roman字体，12磅大小。- **间距 – **双倍间隔。- 参考文献 – 必须包含你所咨询的至少三份参考文献的清单。- 征引格式 – 使用MLA，芝加哥或APA格式手册的征引格式。- 请一定填写申请表，你的合法监护人必须签署免责文件。- 不要在文章中输入你的名字。不要以任何其他方式在文章中传达或暗示你的个人身份。 ...

The Voice of Asian Americans Scholarship SVCAF will award “The Voice of Asian Americans” Scholarships to accomplished young Asian-Americans. The Board is evaluating applications and will announce the scholarship winners at its gala on February 9, 2019. The details of this scholarship program are as follows: Scholarships shall be awarded annually to up to three college or high school students in California. The Voice Scholars should have demonstrated a series of accomplishments aligned with SVCAF’s mission. ...