The Federalist League

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

* Memphis, TN *

<A slow tempo version of "Battle Cry of Freedom" plays softly in the background as crowd waits for the rally to begin>

*Ernest walks up to podium draped in red white amd blue bunting.  Behind him. on five flagpoles of equal height, fly the flags of the five regions, with the Southeastern flag in the center.  No Atlasian flag is in sight.*

<Song ends, and there is a pause as Ernest waits for the expectant crowd to quiet somewhat.>

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Southeast.  I speak here today in our glorious regional capital, to speak on a matter of grave importance.  Grave, I tell you, for if something is not done soon, we shall have to gather for a funeral.

<A few nervous chuckles come from the crowd.>

A funeral for our beloved Southeastern region and our sister regions as well.  Ever since our Atlasian government has come into being, The government in Nyman has proceeded one slow but sure step at a time to strip the regions of their responsibilities, their rights, and even their very reason for existance!

<Ernest pauses for sip of water and to gve the crowd time to think on what he has said.>

We no longer have a federal government here in Atlasia.  The regions exist only on the sufferance of the national government.  Our boundaries are changed without even giving any pretense to consulting the will of the people.  I am glad that Texas is now part of our once proud region, but does it really matter?  What will keep the bureaucrats in Nyman from deciding that Texas must be amputated from the Southeastern body politic and served up as a piece of pork to satisfy the political appetite of some beltway bandit?

<Ernest bangs podium with his clenched fist.>

I have come here to announce the formation of the Federalist League.  This Federalist League will act to restore the federal nature of our Atlasian government.  However, it will not be a political party.  We will welcome to our numbers the good people of any party: the United Left and the Libertarian,  the IP and the UAC, Democrat and Republican, to join our glorious criusade for government by the regions.  I shall be travelling to the other regional capitals to make further speeches and hopefully to listen to speeches by those who shall join us in seeing that no region shall be a slave.  Together we shall show the dastard minions of tyranny that we shall fight for our rights forever as we rally round our flags!

<A rousing fast tempo version of  "Battle Cry of Freedom" begins as a the crowd cheers.>

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The intent was not to slight the brave members of our armed forces, either past or present.  I felt that the inclusion of all five regional flags would be sufficient to indicate that this is intended to be an all-Atlasian movement and not a movement restricted to any one region or any sort of seperatist movement.  The Southeastern flag had been placed in the center simply because the rally was held in the Southeast.  I had intended to have the flag of the host region in the center of the five regional flags at future events, but if the host of future events wishes to iinclude the Atlasian flag in the display, I certainly have no objection.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Out of curiosity, why is it called the Federalist League? Weren't the federalist party in favour of a large central government? Is it supposed to be ironic?

Roughly speaking, there are three ways of managing the differences between two levels of government .

• Unitary  The central government is sovereign and its constituient parts have only those powers granted to it by the central government which may choose to change or withdraw those powers at any time.
  
• Confederate  The state governments are sovereign and the central government has only those powers which they grant to it and which they may change or withdraw from the central government at any time.
  
• Federal Both the national and the state governments are sovereign with certain powers and responsibilities that cannot be removed save by the consent of the affected sovereignity.
  
  The historical Federalists were aiming to change the United Sttaes from a confederate system to a federal system while the Federalist League aims to change Atlasia from a unitary system to a federal system.  The only irony that exists in the choice of name derives solely from the difference in the starting conditions.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Patunia, I welcome your interest in this important matter and hope you froe up (reach 18 posts) real soon now.

I feel that a suit to the Supreme Court  over the interpretation of the Atlasian fourth amendment will first require a case where the laws of a region and of Atlasia are in conflict which is not currently the case.  However, I am not as hopeful as you are that the Supreme Court will reach the right decision (altho of course it will reach the correct one.)  I  hope to pursue a gradua plan, begin with an amendment to address the problem that the very existence of the regions is in the hands of the national government.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Well, here's a proposed Constitutional amendment that does what I feel should be the first step in making Atlasia into a federal government. It is possible, but not likely. that the Senate could cause mischief with its power under Section 6 but there needs to be some way to enable a Region that has no voters to be merged with another Region and giving the Senate the power to make proposals seemed the simplest solution.  Comments anyone?

Regional Territory Amemdment
Preamble
Whereas a fundamental characteristic a sovereign government is the territory thereof, this amendment specifies the only manner in which the territory of a Region may be altered under the Constitution of Atlasia.
Section 1
All restrictions on the number of Regions and the territorial characteristics of Regions contained in the Constitution prior to the adoption of this amendment are repealed, save that the Regions as they existed as of said adoption shall continue to exist as Regions whose territory shall be changed only as specified in this amendment.
Section 2
The Regions of Atlasia shall consist of one or more of the several States of the United States  For purposes of this amendment, the District of Columbia shall be considered a State.  Each State shall be part of a single Region.
Section 3
A State may transfer from one Region to another Region only if both Regions and the State agree to said transferral by simultaneous plebescite.
Section 4
Two or more Regions may combine into a single Region only if each Region shall agree to said combination by simultaneous plebescite.  Said plebescites must specify the law to be used in the combined Region.
Section 5
A Region may divide into two or more Regions only if each proposed new Region shall agree to said division by simultaneous plebescite.  Said division shall not take effect unless either each of the proposed new Regions would have more registered voters than the average number of registered voters in  the other existing Regions or the government of Atlasia should give its assent before the start of the general election that follows said plebescites.  New Regions formed by this section shall inherit the laws of the original Region as of the date of division.
Section 6
Proposals for territorial change may be submitted by either the Senate or jointly by the government of each Region affected thereby.
Section 7
The plebescites required under this Amendment shall be held at the next general election that follows a proposal made in accordance with Section 6 of this Amendment.  In the event that no votes are cast in a plebescite, the Region or State so affected shall be deemed to have given its assent.  Otherwise a majority of the votes cast must be in favor of the proposal, with a tied result indicating failure of the proposal.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I'll admit that my penchant for small-r republicanism tends to get me in trouble at times.  I favor governments of laws and not of men, so I like to have things spelled out just so.  Belive it or not, there were some more provisos I didn't include because I wanted to keep things simple.

There are three things a constitutional amendment that does what this one wants to do must do:

• Specify what a region is
  That's what Sections 1 and 2 do.  Without that pair of sections, the 5 regions of 10 states each rule would still apply and a region could only be changed by swapping states.
  
• Specify the sorts of changes in territoryy are legal
  That's what Sections 3, 4, and 5 dom with one section per typr of change.  Section 5 could be simplified, as the extra restrictions therein are design to provide an extra check against having too many regions or regions that are too small..  That only becomes a real concern if national power is ever apportioned on a per Region instead of a per capita basis, so I could see leaving that for later.
  
• Specify how the procedure to be used
  That's what Sections 6 and 7 do.  The what to do if no votes are cast rule is necessary because we have some states with no regstered voters.
  
  
  

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Based upon the statements on the public record that have been made by the candidates for the Northeastern Governor, the Federalist League has decided to endorse ColinW as the best of the five choices for the post with blerpiez and MAS117 as acceptable choices.  We feel that Phillip's record has shown him to be best suited for a legislative rather than an executive post and the public record of True Democrat is simply too brief to enable a reasoned opinion to be rendered.  Since there exist candidates without these flaws, we consider both Phillip and True Democrat to be undesireable choices in this race.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The Federalist League is a non-partisan origanization I started some time before I became Attorney General.  With my official duties, it hasn't been very active of late, but it still exists to promote the ideal of a Federal system of government where the National and Regional governments are cosovereign.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

new members are most certainly accepted.  Note however that the Federalist League officially takes no stance on what a Region does with its powers.  If a Region wishes to make itself over into a European-style social democratic paradise or a little-l libertarian enclave that's for the Region to decide, within the limits of what the Constitution allows of course.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Federalist League Supporters:
  Friends, the time has come to make some hard choices about the Federalist League.  The primary task, of enshrining the cosovereignity of the Federal and Regional governments in the Atlasian Constitution has been accomplished.  While they are hardly the grand fight that has been won, there are three tasks I can see the Federalist League undertaking, that would fall withing the original scope of what the Federalist League has stood for.  However, none of these three tasks can be said to be a high priority one.

First and foremost would be to guard against Atlasia backsliding towards a National Government or mutating  into a Confederate government with a toothless administration in Nyman.  There is nothing on the horizon that threatens to alter the balance of power between the Regions and Nyman, and if such should appear, it would be easy enough to reconstitute this League.

A second task would be to clean up some minor provisions in some Regional Constitutions that originated in the days of Regional Senators that gave those Senators some minor roles in the governence of those Regions in the event of the derilection of duty by the Governor.  But, those roles all have to deal with elections in the absence of a Governor who can perform an intended function.  The Regions can best decide without the prodding of a national group, how they wish to alter such provisons so that necessary task can be accomplished when needed.

A third task would be to press for an Amendment that would allow for the Regions to change transfer territority, merge, or split.  However, there is no groundswell for any changes in the territory of the Regions, and until there is, pushing for such an Amendment would be ony sound and fury signifying nothing.

To put it bluntly, the Federalist League was a one-issue political interest group, and we won our issue.  Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close our doors, and unless someone else is interested in paying the rent, they will close this Friday.

Ernest

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

At this point, it would take a Constitutional amendment to enable any change, and I personally would be opposed to any change that did not have majority support in each affect Region, and in each State that would be moved. In your case, NM support wouldn't be a problem, and I doubt that either the Pacific or the Southeast Regions would object to a simple acquisition of NM, but the bureaucrats of Belle Fourche might object to losing their Mexican border.  If people insist on keeping 10-State Regions, the likliest possiblity to get what you want would be an exchange of New Mexico for Montana.