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 Deputy Exequiel de Heliotropo, member of the Education Committee and Judicial Appointment Committee in a statement given to El Trabajador Semanal for an article on the FCP's proposals for land reform. "I will remark, first of all, upon the proposal made by Deputy Cobos, seeing as his is the shorter of the two. I applaud Sr. Cobos' in his zeal for real, immediate, radical change. But I fear he has not thought out the repercussions of his proposal in full. The creations of hundreds of thousands of small farms with no structure or support in place will lead to rampant land speculation, as the wealthy of Anthe offer families in desperate poverty a one-time relief to their troubles in exchange for several lifetime's worth of independence and financial security. For those farmers who are able to turn down an immediate payoff, they will face competition from massive estates with more workers, more machinery and more ties to the off-world market. Within a decade most will be forced to sell off their land, unable to survive while matching the lower prices their larger competitors can sell at. Finally, this plan by Sr. Cobos does nothing to alleviate the conditions of tenant farmers in Anthe. Even if we were to handout every square hectare of arable land there would still not be enough to provide every one of them with land immediately. The tragedy of Hawsha shows that we cannot simply wait on this issue. Deputy Bouchareb's proposal is more nuanced, but while its problems may be different its ends are quite the same. Rather than gradual reform the FCP Decree on Land seeks to create immediate, massive, wide-ranging annexation of nearly all private and public land in Anthe and hand it over to municipal authorities, who would distribute land for use to individuals based on locally set rules. I see four outcomes from such a policy being passed. First, the expropriation of land, without compensation, of dual citizens in Laibach or elsewhere will trigger Article Six of the Charter of the Themis Concordat. At best this would likely lead to Pallene demanding a more speedy payment schedule for our outstanding debt to them. At worst it would result in a military intervention to restore order, the aftermath of which might see Anthe become a complete and utter puppet to Pallene, who would undoubtedly restore land and power to the capitalists, perhaps with a nice payment of formerly-government land to compensate them for any damages incurred. A second outcome is utter chaos, as the capitalists and estate holders refuse to cooperate with the law. Will the police enforce the law? In places, perhaps, but I fear many would not. The gendarme might refuse as well, or worse, side with the rich. I cannot be certain of the military either, such a sudden and shocking overturn of the economic order might make many question their loyalty to the government. Civil war, that most heinous of shadows, could be triggered. Once again I fear the intervention of Pallene under the auspices of 'restoring order'. They'd be well within their rights, under Article 8, were Anthe incapable of repaying its debts in the midst of a civil conflict. A third, perhaps more likely, possibility is that the revocation of land ownership goes through, it is handed over to the municipalities and they are bought off by the landlords, who receive all of their land back, plus extra. The peasantry reach a deeper level of immiseration, the crisis deepens. The fourth possibility is that her highness the Queen vetoes the act, undermining her popularity with some portions of the peasantry. I would like to believe that Sr. Bouchareb is a good man and so I will assume that this is his end goal, and not any of those most horrible possibilities I have outlined. That he intends to damage her majesty's reputation and prevent the passage of reasonable first-step towards major land reform, rather than impoverish the tenantry or invite the wrath of the Concordat. The plan created by the governing coalition is not intended to be a radical, immediate confiscation or redistribution of land, but a first step that alleviates the immediate miseries of the tenantry while providing some with a path to independence and security. It is hoped that the success of this program will provide a model for the future of communal farming in Anthe."
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Oct 10, 2020 05:07
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| # ? May 4, 2024 21:41 |
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 Manuel Cobos Free Constitutionalist Party First of all, let me address the criticisms by Mr. Heliotropo. He's a very fine man, with a strong attention to detail. I admire that about him. He's the kind of guy who can look at a speech and go, "Well, what about this, this, this, and this..." I think if you gave him a copy of the constitution and said it was your new bill, he'd come back with a document twice as long outlining all the problems with it. To him I say three things: First, that a lot of the technical details can be worked out later. If he's willing to return to the Tri-Partisan Table, that is. I could have laid out a bunch of technical clauses, and section 3.A.(b)'s or whatever, but I figured that doing so right now would be a waste of everyone's time. Because I mean hey, maybe I don't win. Maybe the FCP wants to go in Seddik's direction after all. But if I win, and this plan has the opportunity to become reality, we can add all the safeguards we want. You want tax breaks, five year minimums, rights of first refusal, or things like that? Let's talk about it. Second, on the topic of rent relief, as I mentioned in my speech I want my plan to build off the Tri-Partisan Plan that we were working on. Or, if you're willing, integrate my ideas into a new Tri-Partisan Plan. The reason I didn't go into detail about rent relief for tenant farmers? I like what's already been said. Cap rents at forty percent. Provide relief for tenants. Stop these rampant abuses, and regulate these working conditions. All of that's good. We're in complete agreement on that part. And third, on the specific topic of farmers possibly re-selling their lands. Well, I should say that the new farmers won't be entirely on their one. For one, we can give them tax breaks and assistance until they get on their feet. And we could work with existing associations to help them. Do you remember the High Constitutional Court case on PB-13? The "Juan" case? That was brought to the court by a group called the Anthen Agricultural Association who, if you remember, represent over 10,000 Anthen farmers. There's support structures out there. We can work with them to provide all the help and assistance that these new independent farmers will need. We can work with our bank, too. The one that your government just nationalized. We could provide low-interest, long-term loans to give these farmers the capital they need to get started. You know this kind of assistance is possible, because you have several clauses in your own bill about government aid for your communes. The difference between your idea and my idea, is that my plan doesn't try to put people in situations where they still have to share their land and income with their neighbors. This is the most important difference, and I know a man as smart as you understands it. It's what people want, and it's also what they deserve. When people cry out for land, they're not crying out for these big, complicated communes. They want their own farms, for their own households. And we can make that happen. It doesn't even cost us anything. And yes, some of them might turn around and sell their farms a while later, but you know what? That's fine. We'll cut out all the obvious loopholes, of course. I know you and I are smart enough to be able to do that. We can put rules and guidelines in there, to cut out obvious avenues for fraud and make sure people don't get exploited. But if someone takes this new, untouched land, works it for a few years, improves it, turns it into a farm, and the sells it, you know what that makes them? A real estate developer. They've accomplished the dream. And turned this land grant into basically a giant stimulus check, at no cost to us. And that's fine with me. And of course, if you're willing to sit down and talk about it, we can put all the additional clauses, guidelines, and assistive programs in there you want to make sure that these new farmers have the best chances they can. But what's important to me, is that we do this in a way that helps individual households own their own land. And that they can get their land for free. Those are the two things that are important to me. Are you willing to help make it happen? --- And, of course, there are also the words said by my good friend and colleague, Mr. Bouchareb. Seddik's a very smart man, and what he's said here are some very smart words on the nature of liberty and monopoly. He could probably become a university professor if he ever got tired of the business of politics. But I must strongly disagree with the actual argument he's making here. He argues that to end monopolies, we must nationalize. He says- actually, let me say that again: He says to end monopolies.... we have to nationalize things. That's, well, a completely different understanding of the "monopoly" than I have. And I suspect that most of you have. A much more academic understanding. Because well, when I think of monopolies, I think of something different. I think about the government monopoly on trains. About the government monopoly on mines. About the government monopolies on heavy industry, telecommunications, and so on. About all the state-owned industries out there, that mainly exist to give the government complete control over entire sections of the economy. And keep the wealth concentrated in the hands of de Luna-era bureaucrats. Monopolization and nationalization go hand in hand. Ask a hundred people, and ninety-nine of them will agree. You end monopolies by getting the government out, not in. Monopolies happen because the government barges in somewhere and starts saying, "okay, here's how things should be done." They stick their noses in, and they start picking winners and losers. They use all the power of the government to crush natural economic forces. That's what a monopoly is. Seddik says that that there's no such thing as competition when it comes to land and farms. That there's no way to do things better. That's not true at all. The success of a farm isn't determined by God or by soil composition alone. There's many things people can do to make their farms more or less successful. Land can be plowed, fertilized, cultivated. Crops can be chosen specifically to suit the needs of the soil, and the conditions of the market. People can work harder and longer to make sure that their farm succeeds. That is the difference between a successful farmer and an unsuccessful one. You want to end the land monopoly? Get the state out of the business of land ownership. Give it to the people. Let them own their own land, and let them compete on the market. And as for the matter of practicality, the same thing I said to Mr. Heliotropo. The people want their own land. The best way to get the support of the people is to listen, and just give it to them. We have all these landless laborers clamoring for their own household farm. Why deny them? Let them become landowners, let them have a stake in the matters of business and property. Turn the landless class into a new rural middle class. Takanago fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Oct 10, 2020 |
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Oct 10, 2020 16:52
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 From the Times of Anthe, which would like to request you stop mailing us death threats and look up what "newspaper of public record" means: quote:
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Oct 10, 2020 21:22
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 From La Diccionaria, a popular radio news program: quote:
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Oct 10, 2020 23:06
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Manuel Cobos Free Constitutionalist Party quote:
Takanago fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Oct 11, 2020 |
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Oct 11, 2020 00:43
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For immediate press release:quote:
tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Oct 12, 2020 |
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Oct 12, 2020 20:58
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From the Times of Anthe:quote:High Constitutional Court issues surprise ruling on PB-41 For immediate press release: quote:DIC investigators and local police coordinate to bring Laguna barracks bombers to justice tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 00:24 on Oct 13, 2020 |
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Oct 13, 2020 00:20
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From the Times of Anthe:quote:Bureau of Ecology, Ecology Commission join forces, call for protections for 'Ape Island'
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Oct 13, 2020 03:11
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 Drafting session extended to 10/16 9 PM PST
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Oct 13, 2020 07:54
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 Irena Serrano National Construction Party PB-49, or ‘The Ape Island Protection Act’ Whereas the Great Anthen Ape is a proud symbol of Anthen Culture and is worthy of protection, Whereas La Novia is the only natural habitat of this noble creature; RESOLVED that: 1. The island of La Novia shall be declared a Protected Ecological Territory 2. As a Protected Ecological Territory, no development or construction shall be permitted, save for the following exceptions. A. In the interest of scientific understanding research cabins may be constructed, maintained, and upgraded. B. In the interest of maritime safety the lighthouse on the island and any infrastructure in place to support travel to and from La Novia may be maintained and upgraded. 3. Construction or upgrades are not permitted without approval from the Bureau of Ecology. 4. Maintenance shall be done as needed but must be recorded in a detailed log which must be presented to the Bureau of Ecology when requested. kirsus fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Oct 14, 2020 |
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Oct 14, 2020 03:36
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tatankatonk posted:
Just a brief update for the thread, I'm taking a week off of game stuff so the drafting session will be extended another week to 10/23. Thanks to all players for your patience.
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Oct 14, 2020 21:39
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I just realized that coming back on the same day that the drafting session ends will give nobody time to catch up with things after a week off. Enjoy your weekend, drafting session extended until 10/26 9 PM PST!
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Oct 24, 2020 03:13
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 Aleixo Espindola, National Construction Party quote:PB-50 "Loyalty Day" Act
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Oct 27, 2020 03:14
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The Drafting Session has ended. The Voting Session begins now and continues until October 30th, 9PM PST October - December 3641 Legislative Summary Bills under Consideration PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act
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Oct 27, 2020 09:42
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 Santo Auspitz, the Bishop of Maravilla National Construction Party PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA. PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA. PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY. PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - YEA. PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA. PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA. PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - YEA. Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA.
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Oct 27, 2020 20:34
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 Acero Amalden Royalist Alliance PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA. PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA. PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY. PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY. PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA. PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA. PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - NAY. Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA.
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Oct 28, 2020 00:31
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 Jullian Situ NCP PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA. PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA. PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY. PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY. PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA. PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA. PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - YEA. Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - NAY. 
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Oct 28, 2020 02:33
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Irena Serrano National Construction Party PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - YEA Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - NAY
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Oct 28, 2020 14:54
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Manuel Cobos Free Constitutionalist Party I am pleased to announce today that from today forward, I will be leading the Free Constitutionalist Party! I would like to extend my thanks to me colleagues within the party, without whom this would not be possible. Going forward, I wish to lead the FCP to the best of my ability, and do absolutely everything within my power to make Anthe a freer nation than it has ever been before. As I mentioned before, I joined the FCP because I believe in the freedom and rights of all people: rich, middle-class, and poor. I joined the FCP because we are the party that fights for everybody. We believe in equal rights and equal opportunity. We believe that the government shouldn't tip the scales in favor of one group or another. We believe that the government shouldn't be writing laws in favor of small cliques and special interests. We believe that the government, and our society, should be defined by the universal rights that every single one of us has as human beings. Every single one of us deserves to be treated with a basic level of respect and dignity, no matter who we are. And when people try to take those rights away, we are the ones who stand up and say NO! But going forward, I intend to do more than just say no. Even though we're in opposition, I intend to show all of Anthe that the FCP has the ideas of tomorrow. The FCP is the party of innovators and forward-thinkers. The FCP is the party that listens to the scientists and economists who tell us of all the ways we could be doing things better. There's so much more that can be done, and I can't wait to show you all of them. Our economy could grow by leaps and bounds, if we just let it. That means more money in your bank accounts. More jobs for everyone -- high-paying jobs, too. Jobs in fancy factories, where they make cutting-edge technology that we sell to our friends and neighbors. That means more comforts at home, and less debt for you and your household to worry about. All of this is possible, so long as we try.
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Oct 28, 2020 21:59
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Deputy Exequiel de Heliotropo, member of the Education Committee and Judicial Appointment Committee PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA. PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA. PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY. PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY. PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA. PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA. PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - NAY. Amendments under consideration A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA.
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Oct 28, 2020 23:01
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Manuel Cobos Free Constitutionalist Party Before I cast my votes, I would like to say a few things about some of these bills. On the matter of PB-44, the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act, I would first like to note that most of what it has is pretty good. Rent relief and the distribution of government lands are simple, straightforward, and effective ideas. But, while I'd say it's about eighty-percent of the way there, the remaining twenty-percent has some pretty big issues. First, while it addresses rent burdens for tenant farmers, it doesn't address debt burdens. Many tenant farmers find themselves essentially underwater with the debts that they owe to their landlords. Decreasing the rent now will alleviate the pain going forward, but doesn't do anything for the pain they already have. This debt will also be an ongoing burden for all those tenant farmers who choose to move to this new land, where they'll already have a big enough challenge trying to start a farm from nothing. Second, the proposed system of leasing-to-mortgage isn't actually practical for actually creating new landowners. Assuming that the farm stays viable for ten years, what do you think the odds are that the new farmer will be able to afford taking on a whole brand-new mortgage? Do you think they will have paid off their debts to their previous landlord by then? And the loan they might have taken to get their new farm up and running? Asking people to take out a mortgage at this point is irresponsible, and setting them up for failure. That is, if they even decide to go for it. Some might just decide that they'll never become landowners, which defeats the purpose. And third, which is I think the most flawed aspect, is that the bill attempts to use economic incentives to force people into communal farming arrangements for ideological purposes. Rather than try to create a new class of independent landowners, it's pretty clear that the intent of this bill is to transform unused government land into a collection of collective farms. It gives incentive after incentive to try to get people to enter an economic arrangement that I know, and you know, that they don't want. I think I might draw some partisan fire for speaking up on this particular issue, so allow me to quote Her Majesty herself: Her Majesty, Josephine Isabel II posted:The sole ambition of the Anthen farmer at the present time appears to be to become the owner of a small part of land, where she can erect a humble home for her household, and live there in peace and security at her own free will and pleasure. If she wishes to cultivate the ground, either to feed her family or grow crops which can be sold at market, she wishes to be able to do so without anyone to dictate to her hours or a system of labor. To do so, free from any outside control or coercion -- that is their idea, their desire, and their hope. And as for the other bills... I would like to thank my friend and colleague August Meier for his proposal of PB-45, the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee. I had actually intended to propose something similar myself, but he beat me to the punch. I also endorse PB-47, the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act. It is a bold, yet practical reformation of the existing Gendarme system. The day-to-day functions of the police are fundamentally a local issue, and it makes absolute sense that while we are establishing local control of other government functions, that we establish local control of day-to-day law enforcement as well. My votes: PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - NAY PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - YEA PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - NAY A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA Takanago fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Oct 28, 2020 |
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Oct 28, 2020 23:14
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 Belen Ahmad, First Secretary, Royal Alliance PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - YEA A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - NAY  August Meier, Autonomy Movement PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - YEA PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - NAY A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA  Carla Juvarra, Steel Pact PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - YEA PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - NAY PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - NAY PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - NAY PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - YEA A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - NAY San Saturnino and Ali Hakkar are voting party line (same as leader).
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Oct 30, 2020 06:15
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 Seddik Bouchareb سدك بوشارب FCP PB-44, or the Fair Tenantry and Land Distribution Act - NAY PB-45, or the Security and Intelligence Oversight Committee Act - YEA PB-46, or the Decree on Land Act - YEA PB-47, or the Establishment of Local Police Forces Act - YEA PB-48, or the Higher Education Expansion Act - YEA PB-49, or the Ape Island Protection Act - YEA PB-50, or the Loyalty Day Act - NAY A-4, Amendment to the Victim's Rights Act - YEA
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Oct 31, 2020 05:58
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| # ? May 4, 2024 21:41 |
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The voting session has ended. Drafting session will begin when all votes have been tabulated and a new budget summary has been posted.
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Oct 31, 2020 19:46
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