Pacific Legislature Official Thread

[Meeker]

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=77795.0

Everyone vote yes kthanks.

[Meeker]

Hooray!

[Meeker]

My first Pacific Legislature vote!!!1111!!one!!!

Meeker
Bgwah
Marokai Blue
Lunar
MaxQue

[Meeker]

Aye, o/c

[Meeker]

Ugh, I have to start reading this thread now.

[Meeker]

In my experience books are mostly purchases of the wealthier amongst us. I've never heard of books being described as an item that particularly affects the lower class, nor have I ever really been under the impression that the purchase of books is an essential necessity. People can go to a library if they don't like that tax.

I guess I just don't get the motivation behind it.

[Meeker]

This situation will not improve if you artificially increase their price.

My point was that this tax increase would mostly affect the rich amongst us - I wasn't making a commentary on the market affect of having such a tax.

However, since you brought it up, it's modifying the price by at best a few cents. A price difference like that is not why the poor don't read books (or why those who already read them won't). And amongst that small portion of the population that reads books regularly and would stop buying books (as such a group hypothetically exists when talking about a tax increase in this manner), they can always go to a library.

My bottom line is that if we want the lower class to start reading more there are about a dozen better solutions I can think of while all the while collecting this tax which comes, mostly, from the wealthy.

That's quite an elitist (no, I mean actually elitist, not "elitist" in the sense it's often used in American political discourse post-1968 or so) statement, though you probably don't realise it. But read it again, and out of context, and you might.

Again, my point was only that the lower class doesn't purchase books at a higher rate than other classes do. It's the truth whether you want to admit it or not.

The point is that books and reading ought not be restricted to certain social classes, that literacy is (or at least ought to be) a gateway to self-education and self-improvement and that a tax on books is (as the campaign against the Thatcher government's attempt to remove books from 0% VAT put it) a "tax on knowledge". Of course if you go even further back - one of the traditional calling-cards of a certain sort of reactionary regime was a tax on books and newspapers (guess why).

Making the situation even worse than it is (I remember reading an estimate on how many Americans read books on a regular basis and being pretty shocked) in order to fight the deficit is an unusual action for a liberal-ish government to take.

Again, as I said earlier, if our goal is to get the lower class reading more books - or educate them more over all - this isn't the best solution. Sure it will help to some extent, but there's also other benefits to imposing the tax that outweigh those benefits to the lower class. If we're really interested in improving reading rates amongst the lower class we should look at other types of programs.

And we're not denying anyone access to a book. They need only go to a library and check one out (which, actually, makes far more sense than buying a book in the first place in my opinion).

And to apply your argument as a whole even further, there are a lot of products that are socially beneficial to the poor besides books that we should, under this theory, not taxed.

I understand and generally sympathize with the point you're making, but ultimately we have to tax something in order to collect revenue and in my opinion that tax base should include books. I can see the benefits of not doing it as you've articulated; I'm just not convinced the loss of revenue (or lack of increase in this case) is worth it.

[Meeker]

Voting is now open on the following:

Bill Frist Bill
1) All testing on non-human vertebrate animals is hereby banned in the Pacific Region.
2) Violation of this ban shall result in up to five years in prison and up to one million dollars in fines.

Voting closes in exactly one week.

[Meeker]

Aye

[Meeker]

Why do you all hate cute, wittle aminals?

[Meeker]

In case you all haven't figured this out yet, I'm a horrible governor. I'll try my best to get to this within a few days but no real promises.

[Meeker]

In case you all haven't figured this out yet, I'm a horrible governor. I'll try my best to get to this within a few days but no real promises.

You take us as stupid? You rival Daniel Adams.

And yet I'd still crush you in an election. How does that make you feel?

[Meeker]

In case you all haven't figured this out yet, I'm a horrible governor. I'll try my best to get to this within a few days but no real promises.

You take us as stupid? You rival Daniel Adams.

And yet I'd still crush you in an election. How does that make you feel?

Makes me feel like Atlasia is truly ridiculous.

Yes. We're the ones who are ridiculous.

[Meeker]

Please vote aye or nay on the following pieces of legislation. Voting closes in exactly one week.

Humane Farming Practices Bill
1) It shall be illegal to slaughter farm animals while they are still conscious.
2) Any farm found to be violating this rule due to negligence will be fined at least $10,000 and up to $1,000,000, depending on the scale and severity of the violation.
3) Any farm found to be purposely violating this rule (such as but not limited to an attempt to sell kosher meats) shall be fined up to $5,000,000 and shut down.

Abolition of Life Imprisonment Without the Possibility of Parole Act
1. The possible sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is hereby abolished.
2. Statute outlining the sentence abolished above shall be amended to read "life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after twenty years."

[Meeker]

Aye to both

[Meeker]

The Humane Farming Practices Bill has passed 4-2-1.
X Governor Meeker

The Abolition of Life Imprisonment Without the Possibility of Parole Act has passed 5-1-1
X Governor Meeker



Voting is now open on the following:

Pacific Deficit Reduction Act
1. The income tax rate on the bracket created by the Income Tax Increase Act will be raised by 3.5%.
2. The income tax rate on incomes exceeding $300,000 will be raised by 2%.
3. The provisions in this Act shall take effect on January 1st, 2010

Voting closes in exactly one week.

[Meeker]

The Pacific Deficit Reduction Act has passed 4-0.
X Governor Meeker

I want everyone's thoughts on moving the thread to the main board instead of here in the voting booth. Placing it here keeps it out of sight and out of mind for a lot of people and I think moving it could really help increase activity.

[Meeker]

I sign both of bgwah's bills.

[Meeker]

Voting is now open on the following bill and amendment to the regional constitution. Voting ends in exactly one week.

Renaming of Jackson County Bill
1) Whereas Andrew Jackson was a genocidal maniac who did not share the values of the Pacific Region and does not deserve the honor of a Pacific county named after him.
2) Therefore Jackson County, Oregon shall be renamed in honor of the recently deceased entertainer and long-time resident of the Pacific Region Michael Jackson.

Legislature Amendment
1) Section 1:3 of Article II shall be amended to read "A referendum on each bill shall begin at a time determined by the Governor (but not more than one month after it obtains the required signatures) and shall remain open for one week."
2) Section 3:3 of Article II shall be amended to read "A referendum on each constitutional amendment shall begin at a time determined by the Governor (but not more than one month after it obtains the required signatures) and shall remain open for one week. "

[Meeker]

Nay to the first, Aye to the second

[Meeker]

Nay to the first, Aye to the second

That's ignorant!

Eh, Jackson had a lot of flaws, but I still like the guy. I went ahead and put it on the ballot though. See how nice of a governor I am?

[Meeker]

Aye

[Meeker]

Nay of course.

[Meeker]

Ebowed

[Meeker]

I'd like to introduce this bill:

Pacific Representation Act
Section 1: The Pacific region shall elect two Class A Senators to the Atlasian Senate. The two Senators shall be elected in concurrent but separate elections under the same schedule all other regions elect Class A Senators.