Talk Elections

Conference of Atlasian Governors

I have an idea.

In order to establish a regular exchange between the regions of Atlasia, we could set up a more or less formal Conference of Atlasian Governors. The idea is that the Governors of all 5 Atlasian regions participate in a conference/talk/discussion (call it as you want) that takes place maybe twice a year and discuss issues concerning the game as a whole and the regions in particular. Each conference would be chaired by a different Governor and would take place at a different venue (e.g. first in the South, then in the Midwest, then in the Northeast etc.). A real-life example is the National Governors Association that exists in the US.

Now I am tempted to say "what do you think, fellow Governors?" but I have to remind myself that my election, even if it seems likely, is not certain at this point. Nevertheless, even if it's not me who's going to be the next Mideast Governor, I think it's an idea that is worthwhile to be pursued.

What do the other Governors (and other Atlasians who have an opinion on this) think?

Potentially.

This idea was brought up about 4 years ago when I was Governor, but I don't remember who tried to start it though. Didn't really catch on at the time, but maybe it will now.

It could work.

What is the opinion of the Governor of the Northeast and the Emperor of the Imperial Dominion of the South?

Back in the year of our Dave 2010 I tried to establish Lieutenant Governor's Conference, didn't work.

     Sounds good, though I'd suggest that it be held somewhat more often than twice a year. Some regions have higher gubernatorial turnover rates than others, & one point of view may be unduly privileged in the interregional discourse by the serendipitous event of holding power when one of these infrequent occurrences rolls around.

I don't know if this will be particularly useful for anything, though I have yet to communicate with any other regional executive.

I'm bumping this because Governor Nix has approached me and the other Governors with a similar idea. Nix, would you like to state again what kind of gubernatorial conference you envision?

Not surprisingly, I support Nix's vision of this gubernatorial conference. Governors do an important job but too often they are very isolated and there is little cross-regional cooperation between the Governors. This should change because we could all learn from each other and our individual approaches to our office. I also think that game-reform ideas are an ideal framework for cross-regional debate. Unfortunately, too many good ideas have not picked up steam because they haven't been taken up and pursued by a sufficient number of people.

     I think that it is necessary that we emphasize the role of regions in Atlasia. Recently, Clarence proposed creating an Atlasian Parliament. This idea met with an entire page of approval before someone pointed out that it would hurt regional activity. Given that Clarence has always been a friend of the South, I think that many people just did not take into account the effects of forum affairs policy on the regions.

     This is a manifestation of a much older trend; a systematic lack of esteem in regional institutions. With many long-time Atlasians, there is little respect for what regions do. When I joined, Atlasian was much smaller than it is today. A Presidential election would attract about 50 voters and there was a large movement to abolish the regional Senate seats, eroding away the political standing regions. There were some who wanted to abolish the regions outright. This was before the existence of elected Legislatures; a newbie back then had no real options, except to become a (Lt.) Governor (generally useless posts in those days, other than in the Pacific) and get to know people. Running for Senate was a herculean task, as one would have to face a popular and well-supported elder statesman.

     The growth of the parties helped deal with this problem. Back in mid-2008, most parties (the JCP being a crucial exception) were mere vanity labels with no clout to throw behind candidates. I played an instrumental role in building up the RPP, reviving the Atlasian right and leading the charge for stronger party structures. A new avenue opened for the new Atlasian; getting involved in party politics. However, party politics is tricky business. Towards the end of his career, erstwhile RPP Chairman DWTL became very anti-newbie. Few parties proved to have staying power in the new regime, as Atlasia slowly became a duopoly. And what about independents?

     Over the course of 2009 and 2010, the focus fell upon the regions. The Mideast, the Northeast, and the South all created elected Legislatures. With these bodies, many low-profile seats opened up, carrying with them many opportunities for new Atlasians to get out there and prove themselves with useful work. These bodies have all endured to this day, with varying numbers of members. Truly, the ladder was lowered for the new Atlasian.

     So what is the problem here? Apathy. As I pointed out, many Atlasians are slow to take the regions or their value into consideration. Opposition to the regions has died down, but if we fail to impress their worth on the people then, like embers, it could flare up again. This is where this body comes in. By uniting in cross-regional discussion, we can bring the interests of our level of Atlasian politics to the fore, and defend these institutions from the scourge of Lethe.

Structure-wise, do you think this should be organised like a real conference where we "meet" several times a year (two, three, four or more times) or should it just stay a thread where every Governor posts whenever he has something to contribute and feels like posting?

EDIT: Just saw Nix's new thread - scarp this.