General Senatorial Discussion

[Marokai]

One, I'd like to give accolades to Libertas; over the past month I've been genuinely surprised by the dedication he's given this office, his ability to work with other Senators, and the new and innovative ideas he brings forth to discussion. I hope Libertas does not take this as an insult, but he has definitely shown much more zeal for this office than I was expecting of him.

Libertas' robust questioning of the Cabinet nominees was welcomed and I appreciate his decision to vote in favor of their confirmations.

I look forward to a strong working relationship between the Senate and my administration and I do urge each of you to shoot me a PM every so often to rip me a new one on something or other. I find one-on-one discussions to be of special value in this game, especially in private, beyond the lights of public posturing.

Well everyone could always just not posture in public.

[Bacon King]

A couple of things.

One, I'd like to give accolades to Libertas; over the past month I've been genuinely surprised by the dedication he's given this office, his ability to work with other Senators, and the new and innovative ideas he brings forth to discussion. I hope Libertas does not take this as an insult, but he has definitely shown much more zeal for this office than I was expecting of him.

Two, if other Senators could formally propose the rest of the Executive Branch's legislative agenda two or three bills at a time, to prevent the Anti-Clogging Statutes from coming into effect, that would be awesome.
Three, it's good to see the Senate busier again in general. Good work everyone.

edit- also, thanks again for the reelection as PPT. As always, I'd appreciate any commentary into how I could improve.

Could you give us an update on this situation because right now you will have to pull some bills unless someone assumes sponsorship of them.

Anti-Clogging doesn't require bills to be taken off the floor. I got my five bills in a row onto the floor because there was nothing in the queue and there were empty spaces on the floor, but as soon as other bills go into the queue I can't put another bill on the floor until I have less than three bills on the floor.

[Purple State]

Where the hell is everyone?

BK, could you please put the ConCon resolution in Slot 6 or 7 once one of them is empty? Much obliged.

[Marokai]

Where the hell is everyone?

BK, could you please put the ConCon resolution in Slot 6 or 7 once one of them is empty? Much obliged.

I'm kind of wondering the same thing. There's like, four (or five, perhaps) Senators regularly appearing, and that may be a bit generous.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Where the hell is everyone?

BK, could you please put the ConCon resolution in Slot 6 or 7 once one of them is empty? Much obliged.

I'm kind of wondering the same thing. There's like, four (or five, perhaps) Senators regularly appearing, and that may be a bit generous.

Enjoy it while it lasts for the number will surely be declining soon.

[Bacon King]

ConCon will be up next. Also, now that I have time to waste I've gone through and amended the administration's proposals; hopefully that may foster some debate?

[Ebowed]

Any chance I could get a confirmation hearing?

[Purple State]

Any chance I could get a confirmation hearing?

I think I'm moving too quickly for Atlasia.

[Bacon King]

Just a question here, everyone. Am I pushing things through the Senate too fast? I'm trying to use my activity as an example for others but I'm afraid I'm buzzing past everyone here. Please let me know if there's a problem with my pace.

[Badger]

Just a question here, everyone. Am I pushing things through the Senate too fast? I'm trying to use my activity as an example for others but I'm afraid I'm buzzing past everyone here. Please let me know if there's a problem with my pace.

Not at all, IMHO. Crack that whip, BK!

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Just a question here, everyone. Am I pushing things through the Senate too fast? I'm trying to use my activity as an example for others but I'm afraid I'm buzzing past everyone here. Please let me know if there's a problem with my pace.

For god's sake don't slow down. I did that, and now I got both Hamilton and bgwah saying I was piss poor (Who would of thought it possible to bring those two together on something? ). The example theory doesn't really work as that was my first method but at the very least you can say you tried to do something about the problem.

[Bacon King]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

[Marokai]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Joke legislation, which I freely admit that is, can play an interesting part in the game.

[Bacon King]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Does the separation of powers mean anything to you? I have been nothing but kind towards your agenda, personally sponsoring it and working to quickly shepard it through the Senate, even introducing things I personally opposed. If you're so riled up about "some Senator" messing up your legislation, I think you miss the point of the Senate entirely.

[Marokai]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Does the separation of powers mean anything to you?

In a political simulation game on some random forum on the interwebs? Not enough for me to have a cow over little things like that.

I have been nothing but kind towards your agenda, personally sponsoring it and working to quickly shepard it through the Senate, even introducing things I personally opposed. If you're so riled up about "some Senator" messing up your legislation, I think you miss the point of the Senate entirely.

No, you're misunderstanding me. All I expected was that my or PS's proposals gets a fair shake from the get-go. The point of the Senate is to debate, amend, discuss, and pass or reject legislation. What you are doing doesn't fit into that line, as you just pick up my or our written proposals and change them before you even propose them giving no opportunity for debate on our initial proposals.

I understand the point of the Senate perfectly, but how our proposals have been thrown out there with your remixes before even being formally introduced irks me, because when I was a Senator introducing things on behalf of others, I didn't just change whatever I didn't like beforehand, I did that during the actual debate and amendment process. I may as well just be PMing you these proposals instead of posting them publicly for all the good original writing is doing me.

[Bacon King]

The only thing I've changed was a stupid name. Is that what this is all about? Me changing the title on a single bill? The way you're talking it's like I've been doing wholesale editing to everything. I've gone out of my way to keep your proposals as-is; notice plenty of times where I offer friendly amendments after I put the bills on the floor- I didn't edit anything on my own, even though you seem to be hilariously insinuating that I did.

[Marokai]

The only thing I've changed was a stupid name. Is that what this is all about? Me changing the title on a single bill? The way you're talking it's like I've been doing wholesale editing to everything. I've gone out of my way to keep your proposals as-is; notice plenty of times where I offer friendly amendments after I put the bills on the floor- I didn't edit anything on my own, even though you seem to be hilariously insinuating that I did.

I guess my real complaint there is that you're just being too nice.

[Senator Libertas]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Does the separation of powers mean anything to you? I have been nothing but kind towards your agenda, personally sponsoring it and working to quickly shepard it through the Senate, even introducing things I personally opposed. If you're so riled up about "some Senator" messing up your legislation, I think you miss the point of the Senate entirely.

I think the Senate better be on guard now that the cat's out of the bag about Vice President Marokai's desire to violate the separation of powers and endow the executive branch with legislative powers.

He's lucky BK has introduced his legislation at all; the executive branch has no right whatsoever to bully the legislature into even considering their agenda.

[Marokai]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Does the separation of powers mean anything to you? I have been nothing but kind towards your agenda, personally sponsoring it and working to quickly shepard it through the Senate, even introducing things I personally opposed. If you're so riled up about "some Senator" messing up your legislation, I think you miss the point of the Senate entirely.

I think the Senate better be on guard now that the cat's out of the bag about Vice President Marokai's desire to violate the separation of powers and endow the executive branch with legislative powers.

He's lucky BK has introduced his legislation at all; the executive branch has no right whatsoever to bully the legislature into even considering their agenda.

'Cat's out of the bag'? You better try harder to spin up your outrage machine, Libertas, because I brainstormed about the executive being able to introduce legislation on their own during the campaign.

[Senator Libertas]

I've put the last of the President's legislative agenda on the floor. Note that I haven't done anything with the Keystone Shrill Act because I think it's stupid. If someone else wants to sponsor it, be my guest, but otherwise we're done with the PS/MB stuff.

Hopefully someday we make it so the President and VP can introduce things on their own, independently of some Senator making arbitrary changes off the bat or ignoring certain pieces of legislation.

Does the separation of powers mean anything to you? I have been nothing but kind towards your agenda, personally sponsoring it and working to quickly shepard it through the Senate, even introducing things I personally opposed. If you're so riled up about "some Senator" messing up your legislation, I think you miss the point of the Senate entirely.

I think the Senate better be on guard now that the cat's out of the bag about Vice President Marokai's desire to violate the separation of powers and endow the executive branch with legislative powers.

He's lucky BK has introduced his legislation at all; the executive branch has no right whatsoever to bully the legislature into even considering their agenda.

'Cat's out of the bag'? You better try harder to spin up your outrage machine, Libertas, because I brainstormed about the executive being able to introduce legislation on their own during the campaign.

I don't care what you did during the campaign. I will fight any attempt to usurp legislative power on the part of the executive branch.

[Marokai]

There are alot of other things we can do though that haven't been included right away, and some ideas I personally think are good ones, such as giving the President and Vice President the power to introduce legislation, Americanizing the ratification process, making amendments passed by the Senate permanently in the national debate but going directly to the regional legislatures to ratify or not ratify when they please.

The cat's out of the bag!!!!!!!!!!!

(From, uh, May.)

[Marokai]

TPTTAA: You yourself are running to be the Vice President. What are your feelings on the role of a Vice President; what do you think he or she should do, and where do you intend to take the office if elected?


Marokai Blue: The role of the VP right now is really barely a role at all. Sometimes you get a person in there, like BK, who takes a bit more active role than the position requires, but basically it's a position where the role is defined by the attitude of the person in the office, I would really really want to see that change.

I would like to see a more active role for the VP institutionalized by a Constitutional Amendment if necessary, something to make it more active. Giving both the President and Vice President the ability to introduce legislation, for instance. I myself will definitely take a more active role as VP by debating the Senators while they're going about their business. There are a few radical ideas for how you could expand the position of the VP, but I think, considering the fact that the VP is something of a "supervisor" for the Senate in between sessions and has the ability to cast tie-breaking votes, any expansion of the VP's role should probably by toward that area.

Especially since I think the choice of a VP is based off of political expediency more than anything else. I want the choice of the VP to actually have some sort of political consequences instead of trying to pretty up the ticket.

If any of the others become (or stay) Vice President, I hope they are at least semi-active in the Senate and go above and beyond their duties. Brainstorming for improving the Vice Presidency and the executive more broadly is one of my priorities for making the game more interesting. (And I believe PS shares this goal.)

Of course, the current Vice President is the perfect example of a totally inactive choice picked only to attract votes, as he's really done jack since he took office, but he's a really truly nice guy and from the right-wing, so he gets votes anyway. I really want that to change.

Oh God, my secret plans have been kept so secret that I haven't kept them secret at all!

[Marokai]

Just my two cents:

How about give the Pres. and VP the power to introduce bills. Cabinet Members also, but those would have to directly involve the issues of their department. Just my idea.

I'm definitely considering asking for a president's slot on the Senate floor, but that will be for the Senate to decide.

AHHHHH IT'S JUST GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. BREAKING NEWS FROM EARLY JUNE, EVERYONE. PURPLE STATE IS ALSO POWER MAD!!

[Badger]

Wow. That was even worse pwnage of Libertas than usual.

(Though I still oppose the letting the bills be introduced directly by the executive).

[Senator Libertas]

Wow. That was even worse pwnage of Libertas than usual.

(Though I still oppose the letting the bills be introduced directly by the executive).

There was no "pwnage". Marokai was on my ignore list for months and I didn't/don't give a damn about what he "campaigned" on. I will not sit back while this authoritarian Vice President attempts to usurp more and more power for himself.

Btw, you got some brown on your nose.