EM: A simplified representation

Educators enjoy speculating about how much simpler it would be to impart knowledge if we could start over - if there were one agreed-upon international language - if there were but one system of weights and measures, etc. A more focused question in this vein which has intrigued the author for some time is this: Supposing it were possible to start from scratch and construct an electromagnetic theory, how would one do it in order to maximize clarity for the student? His personal answer to that question is sketched in the following paragraphs.