SENATE BILL: Blast From the Game Reform Past Amendment (Tabled)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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Sponsor: Marokai Blue

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Marokai, 24 hours or I might just take a Kidney.

[tmthforu94]

Not trying to go on a power grab, but I don't think it would hurt to try new things out since I think this game has gotten a little dull to some. I feel like this amendment was written for Spamage, as he's an active Governor in an inactive region.

I don't think this would bring too much harm to the game, and would certainly make things interesting. I hope the Senate remains open-minded here. People always complain about the need for game reform, yet every time something is brought up, it's always rejected.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Tmth makes a good basic case for it. It's all addition, no subtraction. It gives Governors more to do, making those jobs more meaningful and consequently pepping up the elections to fill those positions which typically aren't all that exciting. This is a modified proposal from the past that gives the CoG more power than proposed in the past, while not being an outright and equally powered second house. Governors have to deal with the impact on their regions more directly than just about anyone. Why not?

I have three concerns that would need to be addressed before I could support this:

First, I think that we're seeing promising levels of activity in each of Atlasia's five regions. Most of our regional executives are already some of the busiest players in the game. Even in a low-activity region, there's a lot that a creative, self-motivated individual can pursue. When I consider what Governor Spamage and Lieutenant Governor Wolfentoad have accomplished in the Pacific, I'm not left with the impression that they need us to give them more to do.

What do Governors really do though, even at the best of times? Not to sound dismissive, but it doesn't take much to really be an active Governor. And throughout the history of the game, Governors have tended to be more inactive than active. When you think about it, it's not the most exciting job in the world, and given more responsibilities would make the job more worthwhile and the elections to fill the positions more competitive than present. (Which, are usually not at all.)

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Well, this isn't true bicameralism. It's not unicameralism either, of course, but the Council wouldn't have the full powers of a second House, but more powers than a "house of sober second thought." Most of what they'd be doing would be yes/no votes and amendments. The additional time spent should be negligible.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I personally disagree with this legislation. The job of a governor is as the executive of their region, not in the federal legislature.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

When I came here in December 2008, the "Council of Governors" was a latent agenda item of the RPP. Over the course of the next year, I concluded it was a bad idea for several reasons.

1. You blurr the lines between excutive and legislative branches
2. You blurr the lines between federal and regional levels of gov't
3. It adds more work onto executives who if they are doing theirs jobs, have quite a lot on their plate already.

And lastly there are significant organizational hurdles to deal with to make sure it doesn't become an administrative mess. Look at how hard the committees have been to get running and then keep functioning.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Honestly, I just have no interest in seeing these changes come to fruition. Sorry, but I really don't think the current system is lacking.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I'm inclined to agree with Yankee on this one.

[Niemeyerite]

I support Marokai proposal.

[Simfan34]

I agree with the substance of what NCYankee has said. This would complicate the government without adding much in the way of useful oversight. I am disinclined to support this bill.

[ZuWo]

When I came here in December 2008, the "Council of Governors" was a latent agenda item of the RPP. Over the course of the next year, I concluded it was a bad idea for several reasons.

1. You blurr the lines between excutive and legislative branches
2. You blurr the lines between federal and regional levels of gov't
3. It adds more work onto executives who if they are doing theirs jobs, have quite a lot on their plate already.

And lastly there are significant organizational hurdles to deal with to make sure it doesn't become an administrative mess. Look at how hard the committees have been to get running and then keep functioning.

As a former regional executive I must say that I wholeheartedly agree with what Yankee said. Points 1 and 2 are self-evident and self-explanatory, I would say. Regarding point 3, I would contend that if you take your job as a regional executive seriously, you have more than enough reasons to be busy; updating the wiki, keeping in touch with the citizens of your region and debating in the regional assemblies, just to name a few examples, are time-consuming and fulfilling duties. I think that it is neither necessary nor desirable for a regional executive to get involved in federal matters to such an extent. For these reasons, I kindly ask the members of the Senate to vote against this bill.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Does the sponsor have a reply to this chorus of opposition here?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Marokai hasn't posted in over 72 hours on this bill. There are pending questions aimed at him. Just like I motion to table bills to motivate sponsor to speak in the first 24 hours, I am going to start doign the same for sponsors who go silent for 72 hours, with questions directly at him pending.


Motion to Table!


If he comes back and talks, I withdraw. If not, I want a second.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Seconded

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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The underlying bill has a motion to table filed by Senator NC Yankee, and it has been seconded by another senator duly choosen and sworn. A vote is now open on the motion to table the underlying bill. This is a 2/3rds vote and will last for 48 hours.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE!!! BECAUSE MY PATIENCE RAN OUT DAMN IT!!!!!!

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Aye

[Niemeyerite]

Aye. Why not?

[Simfan34]

Aye- throw 'er overboard!

[Oakvale]

Aye.

[Franzl]

Abstain

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Aye

[Marokai Backbeat]

Aye. I'll take the punishment here.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Motion to Table:

Aye (: Averroës Nix, Ben, HagridoftheDeep, JulioMadrid, Marokai Blue, NC Yankee, Oakvale, and Simfan34
Nay (0):
Abstain (1): Franzl

Didn't Vote (1): Snowstalker - Not a good idea to a miss a vote caused by a colleagues absence. Sends a bad message and we wouldn't wnat that to happen, now do we?

This has been tabled.