A Resolution Establishing Several Senate Select Committees. (Passed)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

This isn't a bad idea in principle, but I do have a question for the sponsor: given that the Constitutional Convention has voted to establish a three-Region map, would not the long-range usefulness of these final reports be somewhat limited, or do you see a broader use for these findings beyond addressing the current turmoil in the Northeast and the Pacific?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I think that while the regions will obviously change, there will still be a valuable surfeit of information about federal-regional relations and tensions, issues surrounding government inactivity, etc.

This is a good point. Even if the Regions in question are consolidated before the committee finishes its work, the findings could still be used to ensure that similar problems do not plague the new Regional system. I do think that the deadline should be be moved back, though, considering that 12/15 is less than a month away.

I'm still unsure about the need for the Northeast Committee, though. The causes of the independence movement are pretty widely known, as Clyde and others explained themselves quite clearly; furthermore, proposing Constitutional reforms is the business of the Constitutional Convention.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I propose the following amendment:

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I am also considering an amendment to strike Section 2, under the assumption that the findings of a Committee on the Northeast would pertain too specifically to a Region that may well cease to exist before long as a result of consolidation.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Wouldn't that apply to the Pacific equally though, Senator Truman?

I think not. The situation in the Northeast arose in response to a specific set of circumstances that are unlikely to be repeated again; furthermore, any proposed solutions to this situation would need to come in the form of changes to the Constitution. As we already have a body (the ConCon) dedicated to discussing Constitutional reforms, I see no reason why the Senate should mirror those discussions. Regional inactivity, by contrast, has been a recurring problem throughout Atlasia's history. While the structural instabilities contributing to this problem are being addressed by the ConCon, it is not necessarily the case that the current debacle is entirely Constitutional in nature. As such, it would be useful for the Senate to divine the causes and appropriate responses to Regional inactivity, so that we have a game plan ready if (God forbid) this problem crops up again in the future.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

So, has my amendment been adopted?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Excellent! In that case, I offer a second amendment:

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As I have said previously, I am not convinced that recent events in the Northeast are anything other than a reaction to a set of problems being addressed by the ConCon. Unlike the inactivity currently plaguing the Pacific, therefore, we are unlikely to garner any larger truths from studying it in depth, and the usefulness of the Committee's findings would therefore cease at the moment the new Constitution is adopted.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Bump.
Are we ready for a final vote?

I suppose so. I'll second the motion for a final vote.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

AYE, tentatively. I'm not completely convinced of the necessity of this project, but several senators seem eager to try, and as such I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.