Why is there virtually no progress being made in the Constitutional Convention?

[Türkisblau]

Can we form another committee to investigate this?

[Talleyrand]

Pompous poltroons like "Harry Truman" would rather create threads where they pretend to be Thomas Jefferson and say meaningless filler about the "the profound task before us" or whatever.

There's no way this Convention is going to ever finish anything, and it's embarrassing. A competent administrator should have been appointed from the outset with a plan to have it completed within two months at latest, but instead we've had a gaggle of clowns in charge. And naturally, as people wasted time with trivialities, interest has waned.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

"There are none so blind as those who will not see."

I'm going to assume this is a joke, because a) this is coming from a known troll and Radical agitator, and b) anyone who has been paying any attention at all to the proceedings of the ConCon over the last few months will note that substantial progress has been made since the present Administration took office in October, especially considering the formidable obstacles before us. Some people, of course, will attempt to sully the accomplishments of the last four months in hopes of advancing their political fortunes, but a thorough investigation of the facts shows that we are well on the road to completing this monumental undertaking.

I. We have adopted the Three Region Map, arguably the most significant accomplishment of the Atlasian period and one towards which reformers have been striving since the Administration of President Duke. As has been said countless times, consolidation is a must if Atlasia is to be revived, so I fail to see how the passage of this measure constitutes "virtually no progress."

II. We have passed large-scale Devolution, vesting more responsibilities in the hands of the Regions on issues ranging from domestic policy to Constitutional law. Whereas the structure of the current Constitution renders most Regional legislation virtually meaningless, the new Constitution will lend serious weight to the actions of Regional officials. This, coupled with the passage of Consolidation under the Three-Region Map, will lead to an increase in interest and activity in Regional affairs (as we have seen on a smaller scale as a result of the ruling in Roe vs. ZuWo).

III. We have built a bicameral Congress from scratch, and did so while actually reducing the number of offices nationally. The addition of a nine-member House of Representatives will add a new dynamic to the game, both from an electoral and governing standpoint, and will increase the significance of the Vice Presidency by empowering him to act as the coordinator of the two houses.

IV. We have (as of yesterday) expanded presidential authority, granting the chief executive a line-item veto over the budget, eliminating cumbersome and undemocratic term limits, and empowering him to establish executive departments as needed (a positive change from the current system, which absurdly places that power in the hands of the Senate). With the Regions set to gain broad new powers under the Constitution, a powerful president is an appropriate counterweight that will maintain the balance of power between the federal and Regional governments while making for a more interesting game as a whole.

V. We have - crucially - passed the Legislative Reboot, which next to Consolidation is arguably the most important action by the Convention thus far. So obvious are the benefits of this measure - which will repeal all federal and Regional laws passed since 2004, allowing the new generation of Atlasians to shape the future of their republic - that I hardly need to enumerate them here.

In all, the Convention has drafted, debated, and approved 1,577 words of text since the inauguration of the present Administration, despite the strain of final exams and the holiday season that nearly killed activity during the month of December. We have finalized the new Regional system, completed the largest branch of the national government and are nearing completion of the second. We have enacted three major structural reforms to the game - Consolidation, Devolution, and the Reboot - that have been the focal point of reform efforts for years. If a handful of Radical has-beens are bitter because they didn't get what they wanted, well, tough. No-one's forcing you to stick around.

In the end, these accusations are the product of an unrealistic expectation that the ConCon would be wrapped up in a matter of weeks, an expectation fueled largely by the same Radicals who have been trying to derail the Reform Movement from day 1. In reality, no reasonable person ever expected this to be anything but a long and difficult process - something I, Griffin, and virtually everyone intimately involved in guiding the Convention have been saying since August. I don't expect Turkisblau or his partners in crime to ever acknowledge this - they're too deeply invested in sabotaging the game for their own enjoyment - but the Atlasian people are smart enough to see through this ridiculous attack.

Pompous poltroons like "Harry Truman" would rather create threads where they pretend to be Thomas Jefferson and say meaningless filler about the "the profound task before us" or whatever.

I suppose this is slightly more mature that Maxwell's campaign rap, I'll give you that.

[Türkisblau]

Lol, someone named "Harry Truman" branding me a radical agitator is almost flattering.

This is not a matter of being "wrapped up in weeks." You people started signing in to participate on September 21st. At this pace, the ConCon will finish next September!

Can you estimate when this will finish? I am sure the expectation was that you would finish in months and not years. I obviously was never given the chance to participate because I am a filthy radical agitator but are you kidding me? Things are not rosy.

Only half of delegates vote.

Only a fifth, at most, of you add to the discussion.

Previously engaged delegates now only vote, or don't vote at all.

Get your sh**t together.

The game is suffering because the delegates to the Convention have failed at their job.

P.S. What a robust and active ConCon! Literally only a few posts in the last week, it appears.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Only half of delegates vote.

In the last principle vote, 18 of the 22 sitting delegates cast ballots. That fraction is roughly 4/5, or 81.8%. By contrast, 0% of Pacific residents cast ballots in the last Regional election, because you never bothered to open the voting booth.

Only a fifth, at most, of you add to the discussion.

Obviously, I would love to have more input (and, unlike you, have actually taken action to make this happen beyond complaining about it); nevertheless, it is fairly common in legislative bodies for a handful of the most knowledgeable members to contribute most of the debate. In any event, I fail to see how this can be pinned on the ConCon Administrators: are we supposed to break into peoples' homes and force them to post on Atlas?

Get your sh**t together.

Thank-you for this thoughtful and mature contribution to the game!

[Enduro]

Only half of delegates vote.

In the last principle vote, 18 of the 22 sitting delegates cast ballots. That fraction is roughly 4/5, or 81.8%. By contrast, 0% of Pacific residents cast ballots in the last Regional election, because you never bothered to open the voting booth.

Only a fifth, at most, of you add to the discussion.

Obviously, I would love to have more input (and, unlike you, have actually taken action to make this happen beyond complaining about it); nevertheless, it is fairly common in legislative bodies for a handful of the most knowledgeable members to contribute most of the debate. In any event, I fail to see how this can be pinned on the ConCon Administrators: are we supposed to break into peoples' homes and force them to post on Atlas?

Get your sh**t together.

Thank-you for this thoughtful and mature contribution to the game!

Burn!!!!

[This account no longer in use.]

Say what you will, but the Constitutional Convention is making great progress. You, meanwhile, have given up on your own region and let it crash and burn to the ground just because of an inactivity problem that might have been temporary if you had actually decided to help. Instead, you just gave up. Nice governing, Turkisblau.

[Türkisblau]

Oh, and to respond to your diatribe about your accomplishments, let's put it into perspective. Going from the date of September 21st, 2015:

• The Convention has lasted 4.5 months
• That means that about one topic completed a month
• 1,577 words in the text completed means about 11 words a day. What a fast pace!

Again, something has to change. Me being a radical agitator doesn't make what I'm saying wrong.

[Türkisblau]

Say what you will, but the Constitutional Convention is making great progress. You, meanwhile, have given up on your own region and let it crash and burn to the ground just because of an inactivity problem that might have been temporary if you had actually decided to help. Instead, you just gave up. Nice governing, Turkisblau.

The Pacific is currently a black hole. I have participated in regional government since the end of 2014 (except for a break during 2015). For all of that time, I have been the catalyst for activity in the region, oftentimes being the only elected official bothering to do anything. Yeah, it's not a new issue for the Pacific.

When I became governor, no one bothered to participate. I tried recruiting, contacting established residents to offer positions, but no one would bite. Part of that reason is that the Pacific is expected to be dissolved, so what's the point in passing laws, etc...? Preparing and participating in the new regional constitutional convention with the Midwest was what I ran on when I was elected governor. Guess what? Nothing's been happening because the Constitution has still not been passed, after 5 months.

I will not be lectured to about my region from some uppity newcomer to the game, who happens to not even live in the Pacific.

[Türkisblau]

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It's regularly 8, 9, 10 delegates not voting with 3 vacancies. 10 delegates not voting with 3 vacancies would be a little more than half of the established count of 25, no? I'm sorry for overstating that a bit, but you have to agree that the activity level is much less than what would be desirable, no?

I didn't open the voting booth because no one would have cared. There was only one council candidate and no residents beyond possible write in candidates would have voted, because they don't care. Is that a system that you want to perpetuate? This is a game and I did not feel like keeping up a facade of an active government would be fair or fun to anyone.

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It's just another symptom of the ConCon not being successful. There seems to not be a robust debate occurring at all.

I was initially interested in joining the ConCon, but the selection process and how you initially addressed me in this post (radical agitator) has kept me from contributing. Would you really have listened to anything that I'd have to say? I literally pointed out the slow pace of the ConCon and you resorted straight to namecalling and dismissing all of my concerns.

After all, I'm a radical agitator just because I advocated for a reset. Each day that passes with the ConCon not finishing its work is more proof for a reset having been the most ideal option.

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Perhaps harsh words are needed every now and then?

[Kingpoleon]

Do we have a process to eliminate non-participating delegates?

I noticed a very low turnout to decide to cut the number of regions. Combining the West and Midwest sounds like a good idea, but this consolidation is a bit much to be put before fourteen active delegates.

[Adam Griffin]

Do we have a process to eliminate non-participating delegates?

One citizen proposed an amendment to allow for this action back in the fall when we were debating the regulations of the ConCon, though it was far too strict (automatically expelled if you didn't post in a 72-hour period) and attached to some other unpopular ideas. The amendment was ultimately rejected. No other amendments regarding this provision were offered. There is no formal mechanism for expulsion to my knowledge. This is why I haven't went all "Cleansing of the Temple" on select delegates as of yet.

It's possible we could invoke something standardized from Robert's Rules and remove delegates from office, but it would be highly controversial and I am unsure whether we'd even have the numbers to do it.

[/]

I didn't open the voting booth because no one would have cared. There was only one council candidate and no residents beyond possible write in candidates would have voted, because they don't care. Is that a system that you want to perpetuate? This is a game and I did not feel like keeping up a facade of an active government would be fair or fun to anyone.

low expected voter turnout=who needs elections, right?

[Türkisblau]

I didn't open the voting booth because no one would have cared. There was only one council candidate and no residents beyond possible write in candidates would have voted, because they don't care. Is that a system that you want to perpetuate? This is a game and I did not feel like keeping up a facade of an active government would be fair or fun to anyone.

low expected voter turnout=who needs elections, right?

Again, if you think that the Pacific is in any shape to exist, you are being ignorant. I know the region better than anyone and the facade was not worth keeping up - it's not fair to anyone involved. Present participation in the game is only able to justify 3 regions, at the most.

Oh and,

I will not be lectured to about my region from some uppity newcomer to the game, who happens to not even live in the Pacific.

I just love how there are no rebuttals to be made to the points I have brought up. It is clear that something has to change and ad hominem attacks against me will not fix the Constitutional Convention.

[This account no longer in use.]

Turkisblau, I vote that you come up with some ideas to encourage more activity in the Constitutional Convention, just like you did with the Pacific.

[Türkisblau]

Turkisblau, I vote that you come up with some ideas to encourage more activity in the Constitutional Convention, just like you did with the Pacific.

Ahahaha, love the additional little bit you put in the end there

I advocated for a full game reset while there was still a lot of momentum towards starting over, specifically when the ANUS movement first took shape. Instead, folks like Harry Truman took over and we have had a long drawn out Constitutional Convention that's lasted 5 months and has seemingly not accomplished a whole lot during that time period. In Truman's own words, A WHOLE 11 WORDS a day! Truman and the advocates for a ConCon dug their own graves and they can sleep in them.

Besides, if you take a glance at the responses I've been getting (specifically Truman's troll, radical agitator BS), I'd never be listened to just as ANUS folks were never listened to while being entirely right.

I'm like Donald Trump predicting 9/11 over here!

[Türkisblau]

So are you guys going to do something instead of insulting me and hoping no one will notice that you're doing no work?

[Türkisblau]

Since the last post here, barely any progress has been made! A couple principle votes on courts does not make for a productive gathering. It is unfair for our delegates at the convention to hold this country hostage while aspiring users like Ted Bessell will just see their accomplishments at the regional level erased right at consolidation. Their energy should be utilized towards the drafting of regional constitutions at the present moment.

Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to Adam Griffin just drafting the rest of it himself. At least something would happen with that course of action.

[Mike Thick]

If your avatar is indicative of your ideology, you should be glad my accomplishments will be erased

Seriously, though. I'll be working with Simfan and the guys on the regional committee to get a Western Constitution worked out. We might not be able to do everything yet, but we can certainly do a lot. It'll help speed things up when the time comes.

I think, though, that it isn't quite right to say our accomplishments will be erased at consolidation. If we can get the economic situation under control, that won't just go away like a law will. Sure, if the Midwest is in bad shape it might be diluted, but this is a governing simulation and we have to govern. That means taking care of our citizens until the bitter end.

[Adam Griffin]

Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to Adam Griffin just drafting the rest of it himself. At least something would happen with that course of action.

If I were to be given this prestigious power, then I'd have it done in a week tops and it'd be the most magnificent, functional and full-proof document any of y'all have ever seen. Alas...

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

The convention is moving along fine. Sure, I favor just letting Adam and myself write and unilaterally ratify a new document, but I've gotten mostly what I wanted out of the democratic process, so no complaints will be coming from me.