The Northeast Region and the New HAEV
The Populares Party was originally founded in response to a piece of legislation that threatened the very heart of our republican institutions. The creation of the so-called "High Authority for Ethics in Voting" (HAEV) gave an unelected, ideological commission the power to disenfranchise any voter at will. The original Populares, frightened by this step towards dictatorship, created a party whose goal was initially to effect the immediate repeal of this law, and concerned Atlasians of the left, of the right, and of the center, liberal, conservative, libertarian, and communitarian, joined the party in droves. In fact, it quickly became the largest party in Atlasia, as the popular outrage against this subversion of the democratic process became so great. While the bill was ultimately not repealed by the Senate, it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, a decision that likely would not have happened had the popular outcry led by our party, the party of the People, not been heard.
Now there is another proposed piece of legislation, almost certain to pass, perhaps even worse than the HAEV. It does not affect every Atlasian, fortunately, but it will fundamentally change the nature of our most populous region. As it is long and complex, I will briefly summarize the untitled bill, which can be read in full
here. The bill would allow three pieces of legislation to be considered by the Northeast Assembly simultaneously, one reserved for legislation submitted by petition, one reserved for legislation actually submitted by assemblymen, but only in the order that the Speaker of the Assembly chooses, and one reserved for legislation submitted by the Governor.
Why is this a bad thing? To start, not only does the Governor now have the power to propose legislation (a very troubling expansion of executive power in its own right), but now under this legislation anything proposed by the Governor takes precedence over any bill that an actual assemblyman proposes. This effectively produces a system of rule by decree, wherein the Governor produces a decree and only then does the Assembly decides to rubber-stamp it or not. This is the same system used by the Supreme Soviet in the USSR, wherein the executive (the General Secretary) proposed new decrees, and then the Soviet voted them up or down.
As if allowing the governor to rule by decree is not enough, this legislation neuters the power of the Assembly still further, as the legislation actually proposed by Assemblymen would now be voted on only in the order that the Speaker chooses. The Speaker would now be empowered to choose in what order legislation is voted on, and even
whether it is voted on (by delaying it until the assembly session is over), at his own discretion. He might also game its passage by deliberately scheduling it before or after a special election or resignation, or by allowing a lame-duck session to vote on controversial legislation, among other things. A grand total of
two individuals would now decide what legislation is considered by the Assembly, and the role of the individual assemblyman would now be rendered meaningless and powerless, a rubber-stamp entity exactly like the Supreme Soviet this legislation models it after. This sounds like hyperbole, but it isn't. It's a factual description of the bill, and a valid comparison.
I'm calling on all Northeasterners who value a republican form of government, rather than semi-elected dictatorship, to oppose this bill. This is not a partisan or a left and right issue, but rather one of right and wrong. Simply because a bill is long and complex does not make it worth passing, nor does the fact that it was proposed by someone you like or opposed by someone you dislike (and I know I am disliked by many). Nor is tyranny acceptable even when clothed in the guise of "reform," just as the HAEV was. And while I believe this is an issue, just like the HAEV, that can unite left, right, center, and every ideology, I call on the Popular Liberty Party to take a stand in opposing this bill, just as the original Populares opposed the HAEV.
