The Imperial Dominion of the South's Legislature

[Adam Griffin]

I'm back, so Aye from me if it still counts.  I see we have been sued by the Feds, which is vaguely interesting.  Is the position of Judicial Overlord still vacant, or did you appoint someone, PiT? I see Pingvin was appointed back in May.  I wish I had been able to make it to the election.  Regardless, welcome to our new member, AdamGriffith!

Thanks for the welcome, Yelnoc! I'm looking forward to getting started. Do our terms begin immediately or is there an official inauguration day?

[Adam Griffin]

Aye, assuming my vote is valid at this point.

By the way, I'm stirring over a proposal regarding activity that I'd like to present in the coming days. I still want to work out the details prior to speaking directly about it, however.

[Adam Griffin]

That makes sense.  So something like this?

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If there is no further discussion to be had, I'll close the debate and open a vote tonight.

The amendment looks structurally sound and tackles the problem. I look forward to the Speaker bringing this up for a vote tonight.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye

[Adam Griffin]

In regards to this part:

"...may vote in any and all elections conducted in the Imperial Dominion of the South."

Is this implied to include Senate races as well? If so, will federal election officials allow individuals living in these states to vote in both IDS and Midwest/Mideast elections without intervention? Also, wouldn't this open up the IDS to an increased chance of electoral sabotage, seeing as how anyone in the Mideast or Midwest could move to one of these states within their own region without penalty?

Even if the current RR proposal goes through (which would make this somewhat redundant), Missouri will not be in the IDS. If DoFE says no to allowing individuals to vote in multiple regions but allows those residents to pick which region they want to vote in, then the sole measurement and value of a given state is rendered moot and the state(s) in question would be subject to at least partial takeover by another region (in this case, ours) without any say by those affected regions.

I'm not necessarily against this idea, but would like to hear some clarification.

[Adam Griffin]

I will enthusiastically support this bill, assuming it remains exactly as proposed, of course. I'm sure several of my Midwest Labor friends would love new vacation homes in Oklahoma.

[Adam Griffin]

Who the f**k vacations in g*ddamn Oklahoma?

Think about all that nothing you'll see! Nothing on the horizon, nothing around you - no buildings, trees or civilization of any kind. Just the thought of it puts me into a state of uber-relaxation.

[Adam Griffin]

Problem solved! You're welcome.

[Adam Griffin]

My amendment seeks to solve this problem by giving people in the states in question a choice on whether or not they want to participate in Mideastern or Southern elections.

What specific mechanisms will ensure this? Let me throw out a scenario:

Early July: Several individuals relocate to Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia.

Early November: (4) month residency requirement is met.

November 16: IDS holds elections, individuals in above-mentioned states vote in IDS.

November 23: Other region holds elections, individuals in above-mentioned states vote in their respective regions.

While you could ban said individuals from participating in future IDS elections, it really only takes one to initiate a takeover.

    That's what made me think. Oklahoma & Missouri have plenty of claim to being Southern in real life. In Atlasia though, they've been home to such left-wingers as opebo and Lewis Trondheim; these states are not home to friends of the South. If we allow Oklahoma in, we're basically asking for a left-wing purge of the regional government.

Even though I gave a specific example, there would be just as likely the chance of a right-wing assault from the Whigs in the Mideast. I don't think that result would be any more desirable.

EDIT: Whoops, just saw this was withdrawn.

[Adam Griffin]

I see no negatives here.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye

[Adam Griffin]

Aye

[Adam Griffin]

Thanks for your outstanding service in the Legislature, Yelnoc.

[Adam Griffin]

God forbid Legislators have any real requirements in regards to providing an actual service to this game. There is the fantasy aspect of Atlasia and there is also the real and strategic aspect of it, and it's a shame that some are neglecting the strategy.

Forum awareness and advertising are crucial to our region's success, considering how inactive it is currently. From what I gather, we've rebounded quite a bit in recent months but the initial problem with inactivity is still apparent. We're slightly more active than the Midwest but when you consider the difference in legislatures, we would probably be even less active than the Midwest if we too had a universal legislature. Honestly, how do the Imperialists expect to take over anything with 10 people?

There are requirements to serving in the Legislature and requirements imposed upon Legislators while serving. Your choice is made when you choose to accept the position as Legislator. If you miss 7 days of session, for example, you are automatically expelled.

Let's not also forget that the title in question is publicly bestowed and "forced" upon us by the very same legislature we represent:

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By simple interpretation of existing laws and definitions, we are already required to address and identify one another as Legislator. Our titles are bestowed by the public, and as such there is no guaranteed right for any Legislator to choose not to disclose their titles to the public that elected them. Some might argue that they can effectively "tell" people who they are and what titles they hold, but a forum only has two somewhat constant identifying traits: your name and your signature. They are the property of Dave, Nym and Atlasia, and only that.

As for the signature, you are not given any mandate as to the content, ideology or even region that you advertise. It is a non-partisan proposal that allows all IDS Legislators to passively advocate for increased involvement in this region. I'd hate to see the ensuing battle if I had actually submitted a bill advocating active recruitment on behalf of Legislators.

Oh, and it's just a game. So let's save the personal liberty argument for proposals dealing with more than five residents of the IDS and vote for activity!

[Adam Griffin]

Adam, do you accept these changes?

In spirit, but I offer an amendment to Section 1 that allows our most accomplished legislators to showcase their aptly-earned titles:

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[Adam Griffin]

Aye

[Adam Griffin]

While I did provide some preliminary consultation on flag proportions, I personally do not find the styling of the flag aesthetically-pleasing. This primarily originates with the existing design that I think if changed, should be overhauled.

In regards to the renaming of states, I don't find it reasonable to rename them 'Kingdoms' due to many of the reasons Duke mentioned; there's a clear contrast between the renaming and the perceived goals of the legislation.

Finally, I find some of the police provisions to be non-meritocratic. If Texas gets special treatment, then so does Georgia.

I just don't see anything here that I can support.

Nay.

[Adam Griffin]

One of my family's old license plates was '666 FHZ', completely random. I'm not against this bill; I think we could add a provision that allows people to add the numbers if they so wish.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye.

[Adam Griffin]

I think this is a decent overall proposal. A thriving Wiki and Almanac better serves the interests of the region and is good for long-term stability. I see nothing bad in the proposals put forth.

[Adam Griffin]

I'd be up for it in the future, but I've got too much on my plate at the moment. I know Adam ran on the idea of wiki modernization, so I do think he'd be a good fit if he's up for it.

I suppose.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye.

[Adam Griffin]

I am having some fun oral surgery tomorrow morning and I may or may not spend the the next few days just relaxing watching South Park and eating yogurt/ other soft foods, you know the American dream.

Anywho, due to me likely not feeling like coming on for a couple days or so Andy Griffith will be  Speaker Pro-Temp from now until lets say Monday morning.

Hope everything goes well. I've had about half of my mouth "rewired" so I feel for you.

[Adam Griffin]

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Let debate commence.

[Adam Griffin]

I'm thinking an idea like this could in effect work - but it would need backing from the regional census and the lines would need to be recalculated every two months. The only problem is that there would need to be a more concentrated effort with reviving the regional census and finding yet another person to fill that slot. That, or the legislature could redraw the lines.