The Office of Harry S Truman

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Congratulations!

Thank-you, Mr. President!

As Federalists hold the majority of the senate membership, step aside for one of them. Yankee

If that standard mattered, I would have lost half of the times I won the PPT, including several 8-2 Leftist Senates thanks to votes of people like Antonio, Kalwejt and Napoleon, as well as many many others over the years.

If that standard had been applied in 2013, TNF would have been Senator from the outset of Duke's administration onward.

See, Yankee gets it! The Senate has a long history of giving party politics the finger when it comes to choosing its officers, and I'm proud to help continue that tradition.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Congratulations!

Thank-you, Mr. President!

As Federalists hold the majority of the senate membership, step aside for one of them. Yankee

If that standard mattered, I would have lost half of the times I won the PPT, including several 8-2 Leftist Senates thanks to votes of people like Antonio, Kalwejt and Napoleon, as well as many many others over the years.

If that standard had been applied in 2013, TNF would have been Senator from the outset of Duke's administration onward.

See, Yankee gets it! The Senate has a long history of giving party politics the finger when it comes to choosing its officers, and I'm proud to help continue that tradition.

The PPT was suppose to be a non-partisan office, but frequently the elections for such became partisan affairs, with the JCP voting me out twice when they achieved the numbers to do so. However, they ran the place under pretty much the same manner as I did. Bacon King and Bgwah just wanted the office, not to change the ball game.

Labor spent two whole years seeking to transform the office, thanks to a combination of TNF's outrageous demands (basically that he dominate the floor even after I bended the rules to get him an extra bill on the floor as it was) and Labor's much vaunted party unity over all meant a blind quest to elect him as PPT and transform the Senate's leadership method to a partisan one. The structure was never changed and TNF's time as PPT was a disaster long predicted and quickly dispensed with. However, I don't doubt that Nix hoped the creation of the Speakership and destruction of the PPT (as well as once again making the VP useless) would eventually lead to people naturally moving in that direction. But a good kind providence always seems to shine on us in this regard. Some might call it luck, in this case, I called it Speaker Windjammer.

I hope that the new SEnate is organized similiarly with it's (as yet unamed officer, but hopefully something akin to President or Presiding Officer) leadership and rules. It would help provide an important constrast and differentiation with the House. THis was the present in the Duke Plan back in 2013 as well, with a partisan House leadership and a non-partisan Senate administration.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Speaker Truman explains the proposed changes to the Atlasian-Canadian Common Market Agreement

I introduced two new bills on the Senate floor earlier this evening, both of them aimed towards easing the transition to the new Constitution. The first of these bills, the Consolidation Amendment Act, will amend the Atlasian-Canadian Common Market Agreement to allow Atlasian citizens living in Canada to vote in the upcoming Congressional elections. The second of these, the Second Amendment to the Fourth Constitution, will restore Arizona to the Western Region, ending its brief period in exo-regional purgatory.

Furthermore, I can announce that - with the passage of the First Amendment to the Fourth Constitution, the possibility of a succession crisis has been averted. For those of you who don't spend your free time looking for typos in our governing documents, what happened was this: until recently, the proposed Fourth Constitution contained a clause that would have forced President Griffin to vacate his office three weeks before the next presidential election. Fortunately, the Senate was quick on the uptake and passed an amendment rectifying this mistake, allowing the president to finish the term he was elected to. Once the new Regional Legislative Committees are established, I will forward this amendment to them so that it may be swiftly ratified without any further ado.

Finally, I would urge anyone interested in helping to write the new Regional Constitutions to declare their candidacy for Regional Legislative Committee - these very important bodies will shape the character of our new three-region system, and are a great way for new citizens to get involved in the political process.

That's all for now,

Harry S Truman, Speaker of the Senate

[cinyc]

Furthermore, I can announce that - with the passage of the First Amendment to the Fourth Constitution, the possibility of a succession crisis has been averted. For those of you who don't spend your free time looking for typos in our governing documents, what happened was this: until recently, the proposed Fourth Constitution contained a clause that would have forced President Griffin to vacate his office three weeks before the next presidential election. Fortunately, the Senate was quick on the uptake and passed an amendment rectifying this mistake, allowing the president to finish the term he was elected to. Once the new Regional Legislative Committees are established, I will forward this amendment to them so that it may be swiftly ratified without any further ado.

How can the Regional Legislative Committees ratify anything?  The new constitution says:

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I don't see any power there to ratify amendments.  Just to promptly create a constitution that allows for prompt amending (unlike in the Northeast now).

Since the current governments remain in power until the Senate and House are seated, isn't the correct answer to forward these proposed amendments to the current regions for ratification? Unfortunately, the Northeast can't vote until the penultimate weekend of June, but the other regions can open booths immediately.  If all 4 pass the proposed amendments, they'll become law, anyway.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Yes, X.2.ii would render the Legislative Committees unable to ratify the amendments themselves. By my reading, however, there is nothing to stop them from including them on the ballot alongside the senatorial elections - this would not be an act of legislation, so it does not fall under the prohibition placed on "matters not pertaining" to the LegCos' official duties. Alternatively, the Temporary Elections Officer could administer ratification referendums in each of the Regions alongside the elections for LegCo and House of Representatives.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Senator At-Large Harry S Truman
71st and 72nd Senate Archive

COLLEAGUES
Vice President A.H. Duke (IND)

Senator Cris (CR-AL)
Senator North Carolina Yankee (FED-AL)
Senator PiT (FED-SO)
Senator Altsomn J. Stmarken (FED-AL)
Senator Barnes (IND-ME)
Senator Ebowed (RAD-PA)
Senator Clark Kent (FED-AL)
Senator Dkrol (CR-NE)
Senator Dereich (FED-MW)
Senator Pikachu (LAB-NE)
Senator Potus (FED-PA)
Senator Dar The Bear (LAB-ME)
Senator Blair (LAB-NE)

Remarks
Progress at the ConCon & the Budget (1/12)
Mideast Elections (1/15)
On the Pacific & the Court (2/26)
Violence in the Pacific (3/17)
On the Executive Authority Act (3/21)

Senator At-Large Harry S Truman
73rd Senate Archive

COLLEAGUES
Vice President A.H. Duke (IND)

Senator PiT (FED-SO)
Senator Altsomn J. Stmarken (FED-AL)
Senator Clark Kent (FED-AL)
Senator Dereich (FED-MW)
Senator Potus (FED-PA)
Senator Dar The Bear (LAB-ME)
Senator Blair (LAB-NE)
Senator Leinad (FED-AL)
Senator C.X. Smith (LAB-AL)

Remarks
On the ConCon and the Speakership (5/17)
On Arizona and the ACCMA (5/20)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I never really considered Ebowed to be a full on radical, just eccentric and militantly environmentalist (ELP afterall). Talleyrand and Oakvale were the last two "true" Radical Senators. Ebowed and Barnes would fit in a category just below their level.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

Thomas Jefferson

"We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the events of a few months. The reflection is awful, and in this point of view, how trifling, how ridiculous, do the little paltry cavilings of a few weak or interested men appear, when weighed against the business of a world."

Thomas Paine

Independence Forever


Harry S Truman, Chairman of the Northern Legislative Committee

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

In my capacity as Chair of the Legislative Committee of the North, I have called a referendum on the proposed Capital Punishment Abolition Amendment to the federal Constitution. If you are registered to vote in one of these states, you are eligible to vote in this election. The polls 2:45 PM (EST) on Tuesday, July 12, so make sure to cast your ballot as soon as possible.

Voting Booth Link

[Poirot]

Can I ask from what you get the power to administer constitutional amendment voting booth?
The regional committees have the power to run the first Senate elections and write regional constitutions,

We don't have a regional constitution adopted yet to determine how we will deal with federal constitutional amendments.

Maybe it's another case of someone deciding what are the rules.

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Can I ask from what you get the power to administer constitutional amendment voting booth?
The regional committees have the power to run the first Senate elections and write regional constitutions,

We don't have a regional constitution adopted yet to determine how we will deal with federal constitutional amendments.

Maybe it's another case of someone deciding what are the rules.

The Northern regional committee effectively is the Governor of the North, and as Truman is the chair of the committee he has the authority to open the voting booth. 

[Poirot]

The committees are not really the government, they can't legislate. They write the new constitution. What is in the constitution determines how we will deal with federal amendments. The regional constitution should be adopted first. We are skipping an important step.

This is the power given to regional committees:

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[cinyc]

I don't think the chairman has the power to open up votes on constitutional amendments without express authorization from the committee, though.  There was only authorization to put the first two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot with the Senate election.

This can be easily fixed, retroactively if necessary.  I don't think there's any question that the committee itself has the power to put proposed constitutional amendment votes to the people of the Northeast.  That's not legislation, so it is permitted.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I don't think there's any question that the committee itself has the power to put proposed constitutional amendment votes to the people of the Northeast.  That's not legislation, so it is permitted.

My thoughts precisely.

[Poirot]

I don't think the chairman has the power to open up votes on constitutional amendments without express authorization from the committee, though.  There was only authorization to put the first two proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot with the Senate election.

This can be easily fixed, retroactively if necessary.  I don't think there's any question that the committee itself has the power to put proposed constitutional amendment votes to the people of the Northeast.  That's not legislation, so it is permitted.

The committee was given the power to organize first Senate elections. doesn't fall in that category.
The other power is devise the permanant constitution. I don't see how making retroactive rules to run a booth for federal amendment is devise hte permanent constitution.

In fact it goes against what is in the draft of the constitution now such as vote neeeds to start on a Friday, So making rules on the fly to make something legal after the fact looks like legislating, not devising the constitution. 

[cinyc]

The committee was given the power to organize first Senate elections. doesn't fall in that category.
The other power is devise the permanant constitution. I don't see how making retroactive rules to run a booth for federal amendment is devise hte permanent constitution.

In fact it goes against what is in the draft of the constitution now such as vote neeeds to start on a Friday, So making rules on the fly to make something legal after the fact looks like legislating, not devising the constitution. 

And we already voted for two federal constitutional amendments at the same time as the Senate election.  Nobody objected, because it should be obvious that by doing so, we weren't legislating, but doing what every other region did - passing along a federal constitutional amendment vote to the citizens.  If we didn't do so, there would have been no President at the start of the new constitution.  Even after the North constitution is passed, the only role anyone in the government has will be to pass proposed federal constitutional amendments along to the public for a vote.  There is no regional legislation involved for federal constitutional amendments.

You're right that the proposed constitution requires constitutional amendment votes start on a Friday.  That hasn't been ratified yet.  I would have preferred this vote to start on a Friday, but what's done is done.  The booth has already been open.  My emergency legislation doesn't require the voting booth for future amendments to be opened on Friday, but perhaps it should.  I'll revisit that after the bill passes.