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tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Registering to play as Denver Axo, influential Citizen (some say its First) in the rural settlement of Panorama. Axo was the former, now-retired, head of the CLF in the region, and is known as an honest and prudent organizer. Following the death of his mother shortly after the revolution, he resigned his commission in the CLF to head his family's fashion house, Axo's. The business, which produces high-end clothing, perfumes, and accessories, has enjoyed a recent run of success as Denver's CLF-inspired fashions gained a following in a population eager to display its Revolutionary taste. Axo's factories and stores employ a plurality of Panorama's population, and Denver himself wields an accordingly outsized voice in the community. Most are happy with the relationship, though, since the recent boom in Axo's popularity in the big cities has also seen their wages and benefits increase.

In 3062, Denver is 30 years old.



I'd also like to know more about Panorama.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Jan 8, 2018

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tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
In Panorama, the years of stagnation under gangsters, bandits, and SDF thugs had resulted in a total collapse in the region's local government. People learned how to fend for themselves when it came time to repair local infrastructure, clear land for farming, and develop work schedules that allowed crucial services like schools and hospitals to function. Neighborhoods and hamlets developed basic community agricultural plots and distribution networks to stave off starvation when the rail line was severed to Sard and the spaceports. When news arrived that Greene's successor had been overthrown, there was little enthusiasm in a region that assumed the local municipal government would continue to fail to meet anyone's needs. When the news arrived that the local municipal government was now legally abolished and that it was up to the Panoramans to pick up the slack in any way they saw fit, the news was met first with shock and then spontaneous celebrations and pro-Revolutionary processions.

The leaders of the food distribution networks, work teams, schools, hospitals, local merchants, and representatives from the region's largest employer, Axo's, met with the remnants of the now-abolished city government - a handful of railway station and air shuttle workers, utility administrators, and a 100-strong CLF garrison - to decide what to do. Surprising everyone, it was the owner of Axo's that pushed for the most dramatic reshaping of the town's self-governance. The ad-hoc body drew up several decisions and proposals to be presented to the community in a formal vote at the end of the month, though the immediate positive feedback the plans received indicated the scheme would pass by an enormous margin. Everyone claiming residence in the region over the age of 16 would be able to vote on the proposals, and a three-day holiday was declared for the occasion to boost turnout for the plebiscite. Voting is as simple as logging into the specialized channel and clicking "yes" or "no" to any proposal.


The ad-hoc body that drew up the proposals declared itself as the Panorama Regional Government, and the People's Assembly would inherit the name if its proposals passed.

The main points proposed were:

- In accordance with the People's Assembly Act, the Panorama Regional Government, consisting of the votes of every resident above the age of 16, is now the legitimate ruling body of the town of Panorama and its surrounding valley, and claims all powers and responsibilities not provided for by the national Parliament.

- In accordance with the will of the PRG, all government actions, purchases, and edicts are to originate from and be legitimated by the direct votes of its citizens, requiring a simple majority to pass. A proposal will be available for public consideration for three weeks before it is voted on.

- To assist with self-governance, a 30-person advisory committee chaired by Denver Axo will provide commentary and suggestions when requested on subjects falling under its expertise. The committee is made up of the heads of local schools, hospitals, energy and transportation utilities, the CLF garrison commander, and elected leaders from the region's ten largest businesses. The advisory committee chair has the power to waive the standard three-week consideration period for any proposal. The advisory committee chair position will be up for re-election every two years, and anyone meeting the regular voting requirements is eligible for nomination.

-In accordance with the will of the PRG, the ownership of private property is abolished, effective immediately. All former private property is held in a common collective management fund owned by the PRG, and all businesses are directed to vote on their own wages and structures, with all employees given a single vote. The PRG is now the sole "owner" of all businesses and land. A special committee will hear claims for compensation.

- To ensure an adequate standard of living, the PRG is responsible for determining the material needs of its average citizen, and producing food, medicine, education, security, housing, clothing, and entertainment to meet these needs. Only after these basic needs are met are surplus commodities to be exchanged on the market.

After exhaustive debate, a number of riders and suggestions were also included. Some were as insignificant as requesting a ruling on whether a tree belonged on one claimant's land or his neighbor's, but the most important were:

- To honor the revolutionary spirit and commitment of the people of Panorama, Axo's fashion house and all subsidiaries are to be turned over immediately to the control of the PRG with no compensation claims to follow. In addition, Denver Axo pledges a $100,000 gift to the PRG to fund expenses.

-To dispatch a delegation to the Sirta Biotechnological Institute to offer a $100,000 grant, which will fund a Panoraman Agronomy Research Institute in a campus in Panorama. Several abandoned buildings near the region's largest farming hamlet have been ear-marked as a useful site.

-To task the heads of the PRG's agricultural firms with volunteering labor that will give every neighborhood and hamlet their own vegetable gardens, either private or community, so that the threat of starvation can be further reduced.

- To decree that no one is to work more than five days a week, or more than seven hours a day, in any industry deemed non-critical by the PRG. An exemption may be secured by paying an employee up to four hours of overtime each week, with the employee's wages tripled during these hours.

-To dispatch a delegation to Parliament to request 1) the immediate repair of the rail line to at least a functional state 2) development grants and discounts on industrial machinery to encourage the replacement of Panorama's reliable but aging industrial capacity and general industrial growth.

-To dispatch a delegation to the government of Opal, which will attempt to persuade the city to encourage emigration to Panorama among overcrowded or depressed neighborhoods where additional housing is not a viable solution.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo votes Yes on the General Proposal on Government and Property.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo

Statement to the Panorama Evening Star and other newspapers:

I am honored to be nominated to the post of Committee member by the esteemed Interior Minister. His prudence and integrity are rightfully famous, and set a rigorous example for all public officials. If approved, I look forward to ensuring a safe, fair, and orderly transition for all parties in this critical and exciting moment.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Denver Axo

Also, I'm officially joining the ranks of the SRLF, pending approval from its leader.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo

Excerpts from remarks delivered on May 29th, as part of an Opal speaking tour promoting tourism in and emigration to Panorama

It is true that there are kind members of the master class, good souls among the bosses. The esteemed Foreign Minister is one. While others reveled in the misery of their workers, he nobly defended the vulnerable as best he could in a system that preys on the weak and wounded. I serve with another on my government Committee -- an AMR, made for the cold calculations of business and profit. Nonetheless, he tore himself from the brutish world of finance to serve the people with a sober and wise mind. Yes, there are good masters! But there can never be a good master class! They stand for one thing, and the mass of people stand for another.

What does the SRLF stand for? It is true that we are radicals, that we are committed to a new vision of society. A society that is orderly, just, and free. No SLRF member will or could deny this. But what is radical about our politics and our vision? For the first time in Sirtan history, there is a movement of the people, by the people -- no longer content to be the tools of rulers, generals, bureaucrats, priests, or gangsters. Therefore, we should never ask 'What does the SRLF want', but 'What do the people want?' We are radical in the sense that our platform is constituted entirely of the things that the people desire, the things that make up a good life, the things formerly denied us by a ruling class in the name of their god. Their god has had many names over the years: the divine right of monarchs; security; the market; contracts; private property; capital. All names for the same thing, the same instinct to hierarchy, the same instinct to rule over us, the same instinct to divide society into the laborer and the one who directs the labor and lives well off the poverty of the laborer. This is the force that the SRLF opposes, the god we seek to overthrow in the name of human freedom!

What does the SRLF stand for? It stands for order! You, the people of Opal, live under a tyranny of gangs and gangster capitalists -- anarchists and thugs who wish only to drag us back into the primitive law of the jungle, into the pure hell of natural anarchy, where the strong do what they like and the weak suffer what they must. Their influence extended even into the highest reaches of the government, into the courts, into the political parties, until the face of the gangster and the forces of the politician blurred into one. No more! Never again! You want order, a life free from crime, free of corruption, free of anarchy and the savagery of the jungle. You want a society of laws, of calm, of peace, of being able to walk down the street free of fear, to be able to not worry about your children falling into the hands of the criminal element. This is what the SRLF wants, too. Look no further than Michael Saint-Just, running for office in your city. If you want these things, this life of order and safety, look no further than this tireless foe of corruption and gangster anarchy. Vote for him, and drive a spear into the heart of the crime stalking our society!

What does the SRLF stand for? It stands for freedom! You, the people of Opal, live under a tyranny of bosses and creatures of the bosses. You work for a living, long hours and under the constant threat of unemployment. Yet when you put down your tools, by some sorcery the boss informs you that you do not own the fruit of your labor, that he owns what you made, that he decides what you make, that he decides what kind of life you live, what kind of life your children will live, what kind of freedoms you are able to enjoy. Never forget that when the boss says you are free and that he loves freedom, he means this peculiar kind of freedom - the kind where you may do whatever you please, as long as you don't cross him, as long as you don't forget your place, as long as you don't desire to change things! But what do you want? Do you want to determine how much you earn? Do you want to decide what you do, where you go, how you are addressed, how long you work, what kind of place you live in? Do you want to work less and enjoy life more? You want what everyone wants but what has heretofore only been available to the bosses: lives of peace, of freedom, of deciding to read poetry for nothing besides sheer enjoyment, to spend time with your families! To be free from want, to be free from hierarchy, free to choose, free to travel, free to live! This is what the SRLF wants, what it stands for - this kind of freedom, real freedom!

What does the SRLF stand for? It stands for democracy! You, the people of Opal, have lived under a cruel regime, a police state where you cannot vote, you cannot express your opinion, where you are not equal to the man with a gun, a title, or a factory! By the grace of God, Sirta has overthrown this regime and stepped boldly into a future with one blazing demand: Democracy! Now, forever, Democracy! Rule by the people, for the people! Where the lowest worker has the same input in her life, in her society, as the man with the gun, the title, or the factory. The SRLF represents the purest portion of this demand, for we will take Democracy into the places the regime barred in fear. Democracy in the family. Democracy in the workplace. Democracy in your neighborhood, on your block and in your shop. Civilian control of the military, of the police, of the economy. We are no longer things to be acted upon, but people, acting in our name and our desires! This is what the SRLF stands for -- Democracy! Freedom! Order!

In the elections, vote for what you truly want. Vote for dreams and more than you are used to, more than you think you are capable of. All of Sirta, all of society, all of us have been dreaming, trapped in a nightmare. Now the people have woken up, and for the first time they speak in their own voice.

Let me tell you of my home, Panorama, where we have heard that voice...

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jan 19, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
A viral clip from Opal's most popular evening talk show, "Life's The Game, June 1, 3062

Present: EVAN DURAND, Host; ESTEBAN SEGAL, Popular Cultural Commentator; TANU BAI, Popular Singer; DENVER AXO, Government Official and former Fashion executive

DURAND: So, Denver...oh, sorry. Should I say...Mr. Committee Member?

[CROWD 'ooohs']

DURAND: Are you really planning on taking everybody's stuff and giving it to a bunch of dirt farmers?

[CROWD boos, SEGAL and BAI laugh]

SEGAL: Get him!

AXO: Uh, what?

DURAND: Just kidding, Denver. Really though, what drove you to join the government? It's so boring. All those meetings!

AXO: Well, Evan, growing up I was expected to just sort of be groomed for the position of head of Axo's. But as a resident of Panorama, I came to identify with the people who worked in the factories, much more than the rich crowd I was told to socialize with. And when I joined the CLF, I took the lessons of justice and equality to heart-

DURAND: Justice? Equality? CLF? Talk about a bunch of guys and gals with sticks up their asses!

[CROWD laughs]

DURAND: Pretty different than what you were talking about on our last date, Denver! I remember you talking more about ancient poetry, and running away to the Hesperides!

BAI: Haha!

[CROWD screams in ecstasy as AXO visibly blushes]

AXO: I - what...

SEGAL: Go easy on the poor guy! He's given us these trim new uniforms everybody's wearing.

AXO: No - I mean, it wasn't my personal design, actually-

DURAND: Alright, alright. Just one last question for you before we go to break, Denver.

AXO: Hm.

DURAND: WHAT! ARE! THOSE!

[CROWD bellows and hoots as lights flash and sirens wail while the camera zooms in on AXO's cufflinks. A bucket of green slime is lowered from the ceiling and the contents are upended onto AXO]

Axo: This was a mistake.

DURAND: That's all for tonight, folks! Check in tomorrow night when we have on Fifteen Fingers Tojiko, the famous, and she says former, mob assassin! And now a [DURAND checks notes in mock surprise] KNK party leader?!? Stick around for a special sneak peek of next week's Cromdon's World!

[The feed cuts to CROMDON's WORLD, a popular sitcom. CROMDON, a young man, supervises a CLF squad as they line a group of Regime special police up against a wall.]

CROMDON: Time to face justice, you dogs!

[The squad fires]

SHELLNO: Wait, Cromdon, those weren't police goons! They're a bunch of community theater actors!

[CROMDON shrugs in his trademark manner]

CROMDON: Woops! That's a doozer!

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

June 3062 Budget Proposal

Income:

* Profits from Voluntarily Appropriated Business – 3.6 – 0.1

* [Donation from Denver Axo – 0.1 - 0]

Overall Income: 3.7

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5

Overall Expenses: 0.5

Remaining: 3.2 million NSC

Expenditures

Compensatory Payments for:

* Vital Real-Estate:
Wind Farms (820,000 NSC)
Hydroelectric Dam (1,300,000 NSC)
Agricultural Fields (325,000 NSC)


* Vital Other Assets:
Private Clinic Equipment (130,000 NSC)
Basic Medicines (85,000 NSC)
Canned Food (95,000 NSC)


* Not-Vital Other Assets:
Vehicles (342,000 NSC)

Totaling: 3.097 million NSC

Miscellaneous:

Panorama Agronomy Research Institute funding (100,000 NSC)

Totaling: 100,000 NSC

Expenditure Total: 3,197,000 NSC

Remaining: 3,000 NSC

Comrades, it is appropriate that in our first steps towards independence and self-sufficiency we should harness the power of Sirta itself. We will grow food for ourselves in our fields, and power our homes with energy from the wind and water of our native valley. Also in this budget proposal are expenditures for an emergency supply of food, medicine, and advanced medical technology to treat ourselves with, as well as a monopoly on commercial and personal transport. Finally, with the groundbreaking funding for the new Panorama Agronomy Research Institute, we will lift ourselves up not only economically but intellectually, and begin not only to contribute food and labor, but scientific research and philosophy. Our thanks to the Sirta Biotechnological Institute, which has partnered with us in our effort to reclaim our Sirtan heritage of pioneering biotechnological sciences.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Proposal for Holidays

The PRG will allot 18 days out of the year to be designated as Government holidays, when all PRG-owned businesses will shut down for the day with the exception of any power, transport, or emergency services administered by the PRG. Any businesses which choose to remain open on these holidays must pay employees double their wages for the first three hours of work, and four times their normal wages for every hour after, up to a maximum of eight hours worked.

Proposal for Truth and Reconciliation in Panorama

The PRG will invite representatives from the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to Panorama to set up an office where the TRC can hear grievances from the region's residents.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Denver Axo


Proposals brought before the Panorama People's Assembly:

1. June 3062 Budget, submitted by Citizen Axo. - Aye
2. Proposal for Holidays, submitted by Citizen Axo. - Aye
3. Proposal for Truth and Reconciliation in Panorama, submitted by Citizen Axo. - Aye

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.

The Lord of Hats posted:


Rutherford Vanderbush, Citizen Seat

At Parliament

At the behest of my good friend Hospes, I was reviewing the recent transcripts of the Property Appropriation Committee. While I will not comment on the conclusions reached at this time--aside from noting that it is highly unusual for the chair to first abstain from a decision, and then return for the deciding vote--I did find a... technicality, if you will, that I believe has unfortunate implications. That being the provision that once a valuation is made by the committee, it is locked in permanently.

Let's examine the particular example of Panorama for an explanation of the issue. Even assuming that their revenue and costs remain stable, and that they take no other actions that require funding, it is going to take a period of several years for the local government to fulfill its goal of appropriating all private property within its region. And during that time, the value will not change. Now let's consider that you are a business owner within Panorama. You now have a value for your business that is fixed, and unchanging. At some nebulous point in the next few years, your business will no longer be yours, and you will be compensated. What, then, are you doing in this entirely nonspecific period of time? It is impossible to better or worsen your own situation--any effort you put in to growing your business will have no impact on your final result, nor will any lack of effort and upkeep. You can't sell to an outside party, either--why would they make that investment if there's no room for it to grow? So the natural conclusion, the simplest course of action, is to let it rot. Your stake is already guaranteed. And now Panorama is obligated to overpay for distressed properties--unless, of course, a double standard is created that the present owners can only be punished for neglect, and not rewarded for success.

No, to ensure the best deal for all parties involved, the valuation cannot be allowed to sit for years at a time. To do so creates a system of flawed incentives. To remedy this, I would propose the following:



Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government
Property Appropriation Committee


Comments given to The Panorama Evening Star

As both a resident of Panorama and a member of the Property Appropriation Committee, the Committee that would be subject to the changes made by this proposed legislation, I felt that I should offer a nonpartisan opinion about the legislation's problems. The reason the Committee makes one and only one valuing, the result of which is binding, is our method of combating the twin threats of profiteering and predatory investments. If this legislation passes, it creates opportunities for unsavory financiers or speculators to game the system by manipulating both the perceived value of the property and the category into which it is sorted. Let's use a concrete example, say a few dozen acres of land near Panorama's downtown. Some parts of it are used for growing grain and the rest has been given over to a small processing plant for some kind of toy, all of it owned by a Topaz industrialist. The presence of food-growing capacity marks it as Vital Real-Estate. The Topaz manufacturer knows that the Committee has ruled that he'll receive 100% for his company shares and 40% for the property itself. Out of greed, he decides to take a bulldozer and salt to the grain fields and renders it useless for many seasons. Since only the toy factory remains, it is now Non-Vital: he'll make 90% of it back if he asks the Committee to make a new valuation. The wheat that could have fed people was destroyed, and the difference flows out of Panorama into some industrialist's pocket.

On the other hand, let's look at the opposite problem. Say an Opal financier hears that the Committee will now re-value properties one year from now. He sends someone to Panorama with the goal of buying as much land as possible, makes a few impressive-sounding but inexpensive improvements, and claims that the land is now worth 300% what it was in the previous valuing. Or he might not even need to make any real improvements at all: with a few of his financier friends, he forms a conglomerate and assembles tens of millions of credits, earmarked publicly as invested in improving the properties but with no real intention of doing so. When the re-valuing comes around, he can point to the assembled money already slated for improvements: surely the committee must take that into account when compensating the conglomerate. So Panorama ends up paying him more, the "earmarked" money is pulled back out in an "unfortunate but unavoidable decision, based on market research and analysis", and the profit goes back into the pockets of the financiers.

Now, the Committee is not stupid. We will be able to find fraud and we won't let any corruption stand once we find it. But the addition of these massive complications would slow our work to a crawl. We would have to take days determining that each property is being honestly managed and not pumped up for a quick gain. Panorama alone would have taken months, maybe years of valuings instead of being dealt with so swiftly.

Instead, we made it so that the will of the people could be faithfully implemented, and that order could be maintained during this transition. In fact, our initial valuings already take into account patterns of growth and interest. But make no mistake, our loyalty belongs to the people of Sirta, not an idly rich minority that sees a crisis and thinks only of how it can profit, no matter the cost to society. I ask all Members of Parliament, in the spirit of the revolution, to protect our work from speculators and financial vultures. Please vote no on this proposed legislation.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

July 3062 Budget Proposal

Income:

* Profits – 3.8 – 0.1

Overall Income: 3.803

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5

Overall Expenses: 0.5

Remaining: 3.303 million NSC

Expenditures

Compensation Payments:

Remaining Vital Real Estate: 2,225,000 NSC
Waterfall Energy Utility Company Company Shares: 650,000 NSC

Miscellaneous:

Expanded funding of Panorama Agronomy Research Institute (PARI): 300,000 NSC
Free residential power (overage fees still apply): 65,000 NSC

Remainder: 63,000 NSC

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Jan 28, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government


Proposal under the consideration of the Panorama People's Assembly:

1. July 3062 Budget, submitted by Citizen Denver Axo. - Aye

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Property Appropriation Committee

To the People's Assembly of Sard

Citizens of Sard, I come to report to you the decision reached by the Property Appropriation Committee on the request you submitted to us concerning the valuation of blighted properties within your city. The main body of our discussion was how to properly value properties with such varying degrees of damage and neglect. Some of us favored simply letting the market prices stand and respecting the judgment of investors, and some of us favored a reduction of any market price to better reflect the inevitability of unforeseen and costly repairs. We have come up with an alternative to both methods, which we hope will prove satisfactory.

We will reconvene in 30 days, with the expectation of valuing all blighted properties at 100% of market value. However, we urge the city of Sard to carry out thorough inspections of each of the listed properties during the 30-day priod, and to make the results of these inspections public at the earliest possible time. The release of this information will clear up any ambiguity about the true value of these properties, and the market price will rise or fall accordingly. If a property is blighted in the true sense of the word, then its price will correspondingly decrease as the public learns of the extent of the damage. If it merely needs a new coat of paint, then it will be properly valued at 100%.

I must stress again that the responsibility falls upon the city of Sard to take all necessary measures to ensure every one of these properties are inspected and the results published within the 30-day period.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

August 3062 Budget Proposal


Income Breakdown:

* Profits from Voluntarily Appropriated Business – 3.9 – 0.15

* [Remaining from last month – 0.063 - 0]

Overall Income: 3.963

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5

* Residential Power – 0.065

Overall Expenses: 0.565

Remaining: 3.398

Expenditures

Miscellaneous

PARI funding: 300,000 NSC

Hiring bonuses for 10 Agronomy research professorship positions, with an offer of lifetime employment and clean rural living: 288,000 NSC (28,800 each)

Compensatory Payments

Remaining Vital Other Assets: 580,000 NSC

Not-Vital Real Estate, Stores & Pharmacies: 2,100,000 NSC


Remainder: 130,000 NSC

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Remarks given to the Panorama Evening Star

I am happy to see the PAM Act introduced to the floor of Parliament. As one of the drafters, I am proud that it was created with bipartisan and even nonpartisan support. I'd like to thank Foreign Minister Vanderbush in particular for his input during the writing process. With this act, we can introduce long-term stability to the current process of transition and satisfy both local governments and investors.

On an unrelated note, I am sorry to see such valuable members of our government step down due to personal or health issues, but I remain confident that equal talent can be found in their replacements. In the case of Mr. Farasi and Ms. Ford, shame on them for slandering former Minister Hill, whose health concerns stem from wounds suffered during his service in the CLF, and shame on them for slandering both Danube or Dr. Dubois as incompetent.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government


Proposals under the consideration of Panorama's People's Assembly:
1. August 3062 Budget, submitted by Citizen Denver Axo. - Aye

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

As a resident of Panorama, I would like to submit the following requests for information to the Advisory Council: First, what is the status of Panorama's rail connection and the effort to repair it? Second, can they provide a general overview of life in Panorama at the moment? Third, how is the effort to launch PARI going, and have we been able to attract a sufficient core of talent to begin worthwhile research?

Proposals for People's Assembly

1. September 3062 Budget Proposal


Income Breakdown:

* Profits from Voluntarily Appropriated Business – 4 – 0.17

* [Remaining from last month – 0.13 - 0]

Overall Income: 4.13

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5

* Residential Power – 0.065

Overall Expenses: 0.565

Remaining: 3.565

Remaining: 3.055

Expenditures

Miscellaneous

PARI Funding: 300,000 NSC

Housing for the Executive Transition Team planning the future Ministry of Agriculture: 25,000 NSC

Second round of hiring bonuses for four professors: 160,000 NSC (40,000 NSC each)

Compensatory Payments

Company Shares, Panorama Construction Company: 450,000 NSC
Company Shares, general: 2,475,000 NSC (against the remaining 7.39m balance)

Remainder: 105,000 NSC


2. September 3062 Rural Coordination Inquiry Proposal

The Advisory Committee will contact the rural settlements of Nielsen's Hill, Prosperity, Lavintia's Mark, and Lucky Break, and assess their overall health and economic activity. The Advisory Committee will present the PRG with a report recommending actions or trade agreements that could profitably share resource surpluses between any these settlements and Panorama.


3. Panorama Mortgage Inquiry Proposal

Observing the terms and figures laid out in the recently passed Property Appropriation Mortgage Act, the Advisory Committee will contact all current owners of private property not yet purchased by the PRG to see if any owners would like to enter into a mortgage for their property, present a report to the PRG with offers, and calculate the monthly cost of these mortgages.

4. Panorama Food Fund Proposal

The Advisory Committee will coordinate with the agriculture-operating portion of the PRG to assess what the PRG needs to do to set up a common distribution center for basic food staples, given away for free to the residents of Panorama. This distribution center will include only foodstuffs that meet basic nutritional requirements; any specialty flavorings, ingredients, or brand-name products otherwise produced by the PRG will still need to be bought in stores. Whether the PRG will need to expand food-growing capacity for this to work, or pay for any costs, should be included in the Committee's report.

5. Panorama Hotel Proposal

The Advisory Committee will assess the cost and length of time necessary to renovate three structures in the town into three five-star hotels of 300 rooms each. The Committee will contact the newly established National Architecture Project for architect recommendations, and contract any construction business to the Panorama Construction Company.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Feb 24, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Aye to the September 3062 Budget for Panorama.

I endorse the Topaz slate of bills and the slate of bills in Parliament.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Proposals for People's Assembly

1. October 3062 Budget Proposal

Income

Income Breakdown:

* Profits from Appropriated Business – 5 – 0.17

* [Remaining from last month – 0.105 - 0]

Overall Income: 5.105

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5

* Residential Power – 0.065

Overall Expenses: 0.565

Remaining: 4.54

Expenditures

Miscellaneous

PARI Funding: 300,000 NSC

Housing for the Executive Transition Team planning the future Ministry of Agriculture: 25,000 NSC

Third round of hiring bonuses for one professor: 50,000 NSC (50,000 NSC each)


Compensatory Payments

Company Shares, general: 4.165 million NSC (against the remaining 4.915m balance)

Remainder: 165,000 NSC

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Excerpt from October 2ndm 3062 airing of Topaz Tonight!, a popular panel program where prominent figures in society are interviewed on the topics of the day.

SARA PETROVIC, HOST: So, Mr. Axo, what are your thoughts on the possibility of renewing the Pink Rose Accord?

DENVER AXO: I think it'll have to be re-written before it's adopted.

PETROVIC: There's no chance Parliament will cut through the red tape and restore relations to what they were?

AXO: I don't think there's anyone in Parliament who wants to hold up normalizing relations between us. But the Accords were drafted in a time when Sirta was ruled by a dictator, and it was passed by a dictator's government. Now that the people have liberated themselves and chosen to live in a democracy, we have to go back and open important agreements like this to the voices of the people.. The trends are pretty clear -- you can look at the Eternal Friendship Act that I helped to draft -- about Sirtans liking the Hesperides, and desiring friendly relations with them. But we can't move forward without letting the representatives of the people of Sirta speak for the people's desires.

PETROVIC: The Accords focus mostly on Sirta's declining biotechnological export industry. Wouldn't opening up foreign investment like this bring badly-needed money into the economy and restore what used to be Sirtan industry's crown jewel?

AXO: Yes, it would. I very much look forward to the Hesperides, or any of our neighbors, returning to invest in Sirta. We need all the help we can get, and we should try to grow together as friends.

PETROVIC: But you're not for the Accords? How does that work?

AXO: Well, I'm for it, just with qualifications. It's like this: if you've got two dogs that love to play together -- you know, roughhousing and such -- that's fine. But if one dog is a hundred pounds and the other fits in your palm, they've got to be real gentle about how they play, don't they? The Hesperidean economy is many times bigger than our own. If we let capital -- foreign or otherwise -- run loose, unaccountable except to a few private individuals, we'll quickly see it start to disrupt our own economy and the democracy we've fought so hard to see in our jobs and workplaces. I can't imagine anyone over in the Hesperides wants to accidentally turn us into a colony where we rely on their business, and I doubt anyone on Sirta wants to see their community disrupted without having a say in it.

PETROVIC: I have to point out, though: during the Accords, Sirta was much richer than it is now. Is the SRLF really suggesting we turn down a return to the good times out of principle?

AXO: There might have been more money in the economy, but I don't think Sirta was really any richer. Vallstein and Greene might have gilded the lilies, and a few of their cronies might have flooded the SCN with pictures of their fancy cars and parties, but you can ask anyone -- I mean, you can ask anyone in my hometown of Panorama. Ask the parents of children I knew who died of starvation in the 40s and 50s how well the economy was doing. What we had during the former regime and under the former accords was merely the illusion of wealth, held only by a tiny few. And I know every single Sirtan watching this will proudly reject the illusion of something if they know they can fight to get the real thing -- a real say in their politics, in their work, and in their culture. So if the Accords have to be rewritten, then the people of Sirta will be the first ones erasing what Vallstein came up with and writing out their own story.

PETROVIC: Mr. Axo, thank you for your time. Speaking of time, I do apologize. But...

AXO: Sure. Go ahead, I know we all have our bosses.

PETROVIC: It's slime time.

[A fountain of green slime falls on AXO]

AXO: I'm fine with this. Actually, I love it.

PETROVIC: That's all for tonight. Tomorrow evening, we'll be speaking with the Member of Parliament who spoke out against the latest directives from the Minister of Defence. Just how heated is the debate over the role of the SDF in society becoming? Goodnight.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
New Player Guide

What is this?


This is a government simulation. You are someone on the planet of Sirta, in the 30th century. Sirta is very poor and has just emerged from a dictatorship and civil war, but now it’s a parliamentary democracy trying to better itself.

What do I do?


You assume the role of some sort of member of government. The government levels in this game are:

NATIONAL, where the Parliament meets and votes on legislation that effects the rest of the planet. You can be an MP in a party, and if you’re an MP and your party is in power, you can be a Minister and oversee a powerful department.

LOCAL, which is either a city-council type deal with a mayor, or a totally decentralized People’s Assembly, where player votes can decide what happens. If you’re the only player voting in a town with a People’s Assembly, you pretty much run the town however you want.

How do I play?

If you’re an MP or a city councilor or are in a People’s Assembly, you can DRAFT & INTRODUCE LEGISLATION during the drafting session. Bills can be as precise or as loose as you like, and can have as large or as small an effect as you’d like. Later, you can VOTE ON LEGISLATION during the voting phase. If your bill passes, it’s law!

If you’re a Minister, you have even more control and power. You can still draft bills and vote, but you can also spend your Ministry budget as you like, and direct your Ministry to do whatever you’d like, as long as its within your jurisdiction and it’s not illegal.

Also, both MPs and Non-MPs can serve on important COMMITTEES, where critical and binding policy decisions are reached through debate and discussion.

What are the different parties like? Can I start my own party?

The SRLF is made up of space communists. The SDU, their coalition partner, is also made up of leftists but is probably fairly described as more heterodox in its policies and ideology. Dawn is made up of (now just one) left-leaning social democrats, civil libertarians, and social reformers. The FDG is for stable development, attracting foreign investment, and steady economic growth without major structural changes. The UCS wants to see a larger and more independent civil service, though they have similar economic views to the FDG. The DAL is the political wing of the former militant resistance, and mostly just wants to kill everyone with ties to the former regime. The SnnSP is...around. Oh yeah, and there are a few MP seats where you can just run as a non-partisan independent.

Yes, you can start your own party.

What’s the story so far?

Following a major scandal involving several minor party leaders, Parliament was dissolved and new elections were held a few months ago. The SRLF and SDU are the largest parties, and have been aggressively enacting their agenda of sweeping reform and economic nationalization. Things have been slowly getting better, but crime, poverty, and corruption are still running wild. Also, the Army might be planning on killing all of us.

Cool! So do I just post in the thread, or…

Legislation, votes, and in-character posts go in the thread, yeah. The details of bills and other agreements can take some time to hammer out, so we use a Discord for general chat and private party channels. You can join it here: https://discord.gg/mzCpQEt

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Sep 29, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Remarks given to the Panorama Evening Star

I am humbled and gratified by the positive reception of the PFFE Act, which I helped to draft. Our neighbors have our deepest thanks for joining us in this vision of a peaceful future. The first commitment of our Revolution is to a future free of war and militarism, and to a society that enjoys peace with itself and its neighbors. I hope that soon the Government will honor the Sirtan people's deep desire to reject militarism, and alter the Constitution so that standing armies on Sirta are forever abolished. The future of Sirta cannot include armed forces, with the sole exception of air and orbital defense. It is my deepest hope that not a single one of our grandchildren will ever serve as a soldier as I had to, or be told to kill another human being in the name of a government.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Aye to the Panorama October 3062 Budget.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Excerpt from Voices of Panorama, a popular column/informal survey of residents' opinions on national news run by the Panorama Evening Star

Do you believe Tarquin Black is guilty?


E. Morgan, Primary School Teacher: Yeah. If you got rich under Vallstein, you're guilty of something. TRC will sort it out, though. Hope he rots.

D. Axo, Senior Creative Administrator: It will be up to the Commission to determine Black's guilt. I trust the legal process we've made.

V. Berlin, Unemployed: No. This is a politically motivated assault on the Freedom and Stability Party and all hard-working entrepreneurs on Sirta. This Government and its allies have shown a clear, fanatical prejudice against honest businessmen and small business owners. Just here in Panorama alone, I had to settle for a payout on my business. Now where am I supposed to work? A community farm? Tarquin Black is innocent, and they're not going to stop with him unless somebody does something to stop them.

L. Tran, Dam Engineer: I don't know. I mean, probably, I suppose? I don't think the TRC would go after someone if they don't have solid evidence. Does this mean we're going to have new elections?

J. Q. Axo, Community Farmer: Hell yeah. They should strap that guy to the mouth of a cannon and pull the lanyard. Boom! Hahaha!

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Proposals for People's Assembly

1. November 3062 Budget Proposal

Income


Income Breakdown:

* Profits from Appropriated Business – 6 (+1) – 0.17 (+0)

* [Remaining from last month – 0.165 - 0]

Overall Income: 6.165 (+1)

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5 (+0)

* Residential Power – 0.065 (+0)

Overall Expenses: 0.565 (+0)

Remaining: 5.6 (+1.06)

Expenditures

Miscellaneous

PARI Funding: 475,000 NSC

Housing for the Executive Transition Team planning the future Ministry of Agriculture: 25,000 NSC

Food Distribution Network: 600,000 NSC

Compensatory Payments

Company Shares, general: 750,000 NSC (against the remaining 750k balance)

Non-Vital Real Estate, general: 3,650,000 NSC (against the 33.62m balance)

Remainder: 100,000 NSC

Comrades, I am pleased to announce that this month, we are expanding PARI funding to include a full undergraduate program for the Panorama Agricultural Research Institute, free of charge for those attending. We will have 1,000 slots open for this program, with priority being given to Panorama residents. We should all be proud of the fact that in less than a year since we switched over to our new system, we have not only attracted world-class scholars and built a laboratory for them to conduct cutting-edge research into a growing field, but we can now offer all of Panorama's children a quality higher education.

Second, I am also very pleased to announce the beginning of funding for a new Panorama Food Distribution Network. Each resident will now have access to centers where they can receive, in bulk, daily allotments of cereals and basic staples equaling 2500 calories per person per day. This food will come from our local agricultural cooperative businesses, and the PRG will be paying full price to growers. Starvation, which took so much from us, will now be permanently condemned to the past.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.

quote:


A November 6th SCN message received by those SRLF members who have worked most closely with Denver Axo

Comrades,

I and some others must strike out on my own in this election. Thank you for all your help, and I look forward to working with you again in coalition once these elections have confirmed our progressive mandate among the people. Don't be upset: our democracy can only benefit from a multitude of voices, and of course we will share many goals in common. Long live the Revolution! Long live Democracy!

-Denver

The Sirta Democratic Union (SDU)

Color: Deep Green
Flag: A field of green, with the silhouette of a tiger in white in the center
Logo: A white tiger

Type: Leader-Oriented
Leader: Denver Axo, 32, of the Panorama Regional Government (Tatankatonk),
List: [PCs]Brian Praxis, 61, Landowner (AJ_Impy); [NPCs] Nourredine Saqqaf, 48, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure ; Behar Gali, 26, community organizer from Feldspar; Stanislav Sykora, 29, Militia Union garrison commander of Nielsen's Hill; Binh Ngai, 67, physician from Prosperity; Vong Savang, 45, current professor of Agronomy at PARI.

Platform:

The land and means of production belong to all of society, and exist to provide a good life to all citizens regardless of heritage or station.

As seen in the miracle at Panorama, society can be organized more peacefully and fairly. Private property that exists only to enrich a few, and a state that exists only to safeguard the property rights of this few, are neither democratic nor peaceful, and must be abolished. Society must transition to a system of communally-owned production. Our first revolution has freed us from dictatorship and given us democracy in politics; our second must free us from capitalism and give us democracy in the rest of our society.

Our first priority as a society must always be that all are fed, clothed, housed, treated, safe, free, and heard.

The planet and its ecological systems are to be protected from degradation.

Uncontrolled and unsupervised growth in a body is known as cancer. Any further development of industry and society must be directed along the most stringent ecological and environmental guidelines. We must adapt our society to a fruitful partnership with nature, and not merely seek to conquer it. At every step, we must closely monitor the biosphere and our own growth to make sure the two are not in conflict; and prioritize the first, which gives us life, over the second, which only fulfills a current psychological desire.

A Ministry of Ecology shall be made, through the same process as the Ministry of Agriculture, to promote ecologically responsible policy.

Sirta must transition to an energy infrastructure that is totally safe and clean. By 3090, all nuclear power plants must be shuttered and their generative capacity replaced by an expansion of solar, wind, and other green energy.

The countryside is to be re-settled and lifted up from neglect and poverty.

The rural settlements have been impoverished by two generations of neglect. The cities are overcrowded, poor, dirty, and violent. The solution to both problems is to begin to move willing settlers from the cities to the countryside, to give former city-dwellers more room and land of their own, and rural communities more attention and resources.

The population of Sirta has remained stagnant and confined to a single area of the planet. The SDU will set a target of a population of 100 million Sirtans by 3120, and encourage the growth of families and the directed settlement of areas of the planet previously uninhabited. At the same time, this growth of our population should be mediated by our ecological principles, and afterwards we may begin to consider the usefulness of a target population limit, though any such limit would obviously be something for our descendants to consider.

Crime, corruption, and authoritarianism are to be extinguished.

The elements of the former dictatorship that have escaped justice must be brought to trial immediately. The organized crime syndicates must be broken up and their ill-gotten riches distributed back to the society they stole from. Victims of crime must be extended a sympathetic hand from the government: a federal Witness Protection Program shall be enacted; the Constitutional amendment to abolish slavery and forced labor must be enforced; the prisons must be reformed or abolished.

Robert Greene must be found and made to stand trial.

The market is to be brought to heel and controlled by the people.

There is no such thing as a free market except one in which private property has been abolished and labor is not alienated. The transition of goods and services that makes life and trade possible must be moved away from a privately-owned model driven by profit motives, to one centrally & democratically co-ordinated to make sure everyone has enough to live a comfortable life.

All extant or proposed trade treaties with our valued neighbors are to be re-examined and altered to ensure a basic fairness to both parties, as they were drafted during a dictatorship and benefited only a corrupt few on Sirta.

Controls on the movement of capital are to be established, to prevent another occurrence of the disaster that has befallen Sard.

Sard, as our capital, must have its freefall into chaos and poverty halted and reversed, and the national government must be made to address the situation in that city.

Sirtan society is to be made democratic at every level.

All businesses are encouraged to transition to a co-operative, employee owned model, with employees setting their own hours, duties, and wages.

All governments are encouraged to transition to direct democracies on the model of the Local Assemblies; all representative democracies are encouraged to abandon First Past the Post voting systems and adopt proportional representation.

Constitutional amendments must be adopted to reduce the amount of Guardian Council Appointees in Parliament to 5.

War as a legitimate means of settling disputes is to be forsaken; Sirtans pledge themselves to eternal peace and friendship with ourselves and our neighbors.

All standing armies on Sirta are to be abolished. The death penalty is to be abolished. Trade and embassies with our neighbors are to be expanded and built upon, though for the moment foreign investment should be directed through state enterprises. Sirta must forsake aggressive war and civil war.

Defense spending must be limited to that which is mandated by international treaty, as well as spending necessary for the maintenance of batteries to defend our orbit and airspace.

We shall pursue limited membership with the Outer Alliance and seek aid from our neighbors.

We must build a moral society that upholds the rights of all.

Leaders must hold themselves to a higher standard of conduct, and society must faithfully improve itself in return. Dishonesty, corruption, aggression, complacency, thoughtlessness, and cruelty cannot simply be legislated away. We must subscribe to a moral philosophy of peace and self-improvement in order to honor ourselves and the natural order we exist in. The rights of: women; social, ethnic, or religious minorities; the poor; the homeless; the ill; non-biological citizens like AMRs; must be protected and expanded until all enjoy an equal place in society and all man-made hierarchies have been abolished. While respecting the separation of church and state, and the secular nature of society, society must recommit itself to a spiritual renewal.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Mar 16, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

Aye to the November 3062 budget.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


During the election, crowds of SDU voters began to adopt a signature hymn as their anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN8kGzHH00I



Excerpts from stump speeches delivered by Denver Axo in late November, in...

Panorama

Friends! We have all worked so hard and so diligently to transform ourselves and our society. Now, our valley is safe and prosperous, and our future is ours to decide. I want to thank you so much for gathering here to see me off as I depart to spread the good news of our story and our party. Farewell, until the election concludes! When I return, it will be as a MP, and then we shall all continue to build a marvelous future for ourselves. Take pride in knowing you are the envy of Sirta! Take pride in knowing that ours is the way of the future! Long live Panorama! Long live the SDU and our revolution!

Nielsen's Hill

Companions, we fought for the most precious things in the world in the revolution: freedom and peace. The first we exercise now, and have all pledged to uphold at the cost of our own lives if necessary. But the second remains elusive. We find ourselves plagued by the remnants of an unaccountable and undemocratic system in the SDF, and it and the CLF have understandably refused to begin to trust each other. The SDU pledges to honor the freedom we won for ourselves, and secure the peace through bold action. It is the firm stance of this party that the military has no place in the future of Sirta. It is long past time to abolish all standing armies on this planet, and to pledge ourselves to a process of demilitarization and de-escalation. Are we ready to die? To kill each other once again? Of course not. But the only solution to the constant infighting, the constant worry, the constant paranoia, is to get rid of the whole drat edifice! The TRC is doing its job - if the SDU is able, we will seek to retain DAL in the Ministry of Justice, to make sure it continues to do its job prosecuting murderers and scoundrels. But now we face problems that no gun or army can solve. We once swore oaths to overthrow a tyranny. We must now swear oaths to abandon war, assassination, and intimidation as legitimate courses of action. We will not find peace otherwise.

Prosperity

It is the experience of every rural Sirtan to know what it is like to be written off by society. We know what it is to be looked upon as a curiosity, as relics or accidents that are condemned to a slow death. In this regard, my home of Panorama was fortunate - everyone there owes a tremendous debt to the kindness and wisdom of Prime Minister Luxemburg, who responded to my petition for aid with a pledge to designate our rail connection repairs as a priority zone. But others, Prosperity among them, have not even been given this brief attention.

Companions, for the first time since the Revolution, you will have political representation at the national level that is committed to improving the lives of rural Sirtans. You only have to examine my record - I drafted the legislation to make an entirely new Ministry of Agriculture, complete with offices for establishing new agricultural enterprises and extending loans and grants to rural communities. The SDU pledges, and I pledge, to devote its energies to elevating you, to helping you, to connecting you to the bounty of society and every part of the future good life enjoyed by the rest of the planet. Under the SDU, we will continue to pass legislation that lifts up the countryside. Your voice will be heard!

Feldspar

Part of this lifting up must be the expansion of our society into the unexplored parts of our planet, and settling in new and beautiful places. We will explore the deep reaches of the earth, the ocean floor, the great equatorial forest belts, and every other wilderness. We will catalog new places, new species, new resources, and new systems. We only have an idea of a fraction of the bounty of the planet.

Lucky Break

And with the Public Lands Act - which I wrote and made sure passed - we already have democratic control over where, how, and how quickly we manage this exploration and settlement. We can also rely on another of my personal creations - the Sirtan Survey Corps. No longer do we have to entrust the exploration of our own planet to private interests, driven by the profit motive. We now have a professional body of experts, driven only by their dedication to science and ecology, on the cutting-edge of exploration and surveying. Observing their research, we can redefine settlement as a process perfectly in tune with a commitment to conservation and ecology - we will not be exploring for things to exploit or plunder, but new systems we can harmoniously co-exist with, in order to enjoy their natural productive capabilities.

Lavintia's Mark

At the same time, we cannot limit our view to our own system. Already, our friends and neighbors wait anxiously for us to rejoin the wider international community. The Outer Alliance has extended a hand in friendship, and the SDU pledges to grasp it and let ourselves be pulled up alongside them. You can check our record - the SDU MPs were the sole drafters of the recently passed Perpetual Friendship And Foreign Exhibition Act. We will apply for partial membership, not compromising our sovereignty or our vision of an egalitarian, democratic society but engaging in trade and scientific research. It will also bring, hopefully, a great deal of foreign aid, and the SDU pledges to use a portion of any of this possible money to fund new hospitals and schools, and to expand the basic essentials program of the Ministry of Interior.

Topaz

Topaz is a fortunate city. As we settle the rest of the planet and engage in expanding the productive forces of our society, Topaz, with its industrial might, stands to prosper and grow even richer. But it is precisely for that reason that the SDU must unequivocally pledge its commitment to seeing those riches flow into the hands of their rightful owners, and not a class of parasites!

Companions, we in the SDU are revolutionary communists by any measure. Labor and nature are the sources of all our material existence - and yet alienated labor and alienated nature produce a horror: a capitalist society where profits go to those who hold a magic deed called "private property," while those whose labor is alienated lose their time, their freedom, and their sense of meaning. Our society has reached the stage of revolution where armed conflict between standing armies is neither productive nor welcome among most. But we have yet to overthrow the invisible chains of capital. The SDU sees communism as a society structured around love of others - but our communism is also a hammer that we will use to smash our chains apart in a second, peaceful revolution of workers and farmers. The SDU pledges that to the best of its ability, it will encourage this second revolution, and never accept that there is a mutual harmony between labor and capital.

Our socialism is made up of three parts: First, we recognize that society must be structured so that the productive forces work first towards the benefit of all. Second, we recognize that the productive forces of society must be expanded to provide an easier life for the benefit of all, eventually reducing the need for work entirely. Third, we recognize that this growth of productive forces is ultimately bound and limited by an ecological limit, and that the second part must be conducted in honor of the third, so that we are not merely replacing the poverty of capitalism with a poverty following the collapse of our biosphere. With these three principles, our party pledges to conduct itself as your advocate, that we are answerable to you, and that we are to be judged by how well we further the aims of the working class.

Workers of Topaz, the SDU is your ally, your home, your weapon, your Union!

Opal

But not all cities are as fortunate as Topaz. You, the citizens of Opal, know what it is to live in a city that has turned more predatory and savage than any wilderness. Despite the best efforts of the new police forces, organized crime syndicates still murder, steal, and embezzle. Your woes are shared by the nation: I have seen the figures, and something approaching 40 percent of our monthly national budget is siphoned off by criminal elements. But we in the countryside do not have to suffer as you suffer - where you see gangs, corruption, and alienation, we experience clean living, fresh air, and the bounty of nature. It is the pledge of the SDU that we will continue the campaigns against crime and corruption at every level. But how long will you have to wait for those campaigns to finish? How long can you live in a battlefield, among squalor, violence, and unemployment? It is the pledge of the SDU that we in the countryside shall pledge to do our best to share what little we have with you: if you wish, come live with us, and we will give you what we have. I am happy to announce that starting next month, Panorama will begin construction on housing for 500 families from Opal who wish to emigrate to our town. Other parties may speak of indivisible bonds between rural and urban - how many have pledged to house you, feed you, clothe you, welcome you, Opal?

The SDU pledges to begin to move volunteering families to rural settlements, to secure them employment in their new homes, and to help them integrate into their new communities and ways of life.

Sard

I am always humbled to find myself in the nation's capital. My home of Panorama is so small and isolated by comparison - and yet, outrageously, in many ways Panorama has been managed infinitely more capably than Sard! How is this possible? Your own Local Assembly adopted most of the provisions that I personally wrote for Panorama, and both embarked upon a transition to a more equitable society at roughly the same time. But Panorama is fine, and growing - and Sard is impoverished, and in chaos! Even if we only compare revenues, Panorama's have grown by something over 60 percent - and Sard's have shrunk to little more than a quarter of what they were one year ago! What has happened? How could the SRLF have let our own capital disintegrate like this? Why did they not implement stricter capital controls before they acted to abolish private property? Why have they not used the mortgage system I implemented to allow for the immediate operation of revenue-producing industries? What is the plan for Sard? Where is your leadership? The SDU pledges itself to solving the problem of restoring Sard to its former glory and prosperity, while upholding the values of its socialist future - we will author a plan that provides detailed and concrete steps towards re-establishing Sard's revenues. Already, I have done what I can by passing legislation to begin enormous construction projects for the embassy parks - let us give thanks to the Hesperideans for already pledging 120 million NSC to construction in Sard - but it is not nearly sufficient. The SDU pledges to walk you safely to the other side of this chasm!

Sapphire

Biotechnology is our heritage and our future. Not only does it hold the greatest promise of foreign investment, but it is the tool we will use to be able to expand our productive capacities while remaining true to our ecological values. Thus, the SDU pledges to restore and expand our biotech industry, to encourage foreign investment in biotech, and to restore the Sirtan Biotechnological Institute, the pride of Sapphire, to its former prestige. However, as the key to our future and the shared symbol of our past, the people must retain control of our biotechnology industry. Thus, the SDU pledges to renegotiate the Rose Accord to provide a more equitable partnership between Sirta and the Hesperides. The SDU also pledges to nationalize the biotechnology industry. Our most precious and promising resource will be owned by all, be accountable to all, and produce for all. In addition, the SDU pledges a general stance of encouraging foreign investment into government enterprises, so that foreign capital is closely monitored and not allowed to, accidentally or otherwise, re-energize a declining and destructive capitalist class.

Peridot

Our future is an ecological one. Whatever great strides we make towards a society where all physical needs are met and no suffers from poverty, malnutrition, or neglect, must be balanced by a recognition that we live as part of a natural system and are ourselves a part of nature.

Soon, we will encounter an opportunity for growth. It will make a certain sense for us to degrade a part of our environment to make our lives easier. And here our society will come to a fork in the road. On the right fork, we will see forests cut down and burned, topsoil destroyed, waterways and air polluted, radioactive waste buried underground, and all of society engaged in a poisoning of the biosphere. The SDU totally rejects this principle of sacrificing our biosphere for the sake of uncontrolled, undirected growth.

We will take society down the left fork. Here, our growth will be managed, directed, and capped if we cannot proceed without further degrading our home. It is the bone-deep principle of the SDU that we reject the principle of land as a commodity to be consumed. We must begin to see it as part of ourselves and our communities, and treat it with the love and respect we would give to our families. The long-term success of our society will be measured by how harmoniously we exist within our environment. To this end, the SDU pledges to commit to establishing a Ministry of Ecology to direct all economic growth according to these ecological principles. Humanity severed from the land, from nature, from history, is a hideous sickness. The Sirta Democratic Union and all its members pledge themselves to maintaining our connection to the harmony of our natural systems.

Amber

There are two parts to any proper solution to any problem. The first is the practical - what is the problem, what do I know to work, how do I apply it? Let's use the example of corruption in government posts like customs officials. I know there are customs officials who line their pockets at the expense of others. I know that higher wages, more workplace democracy, and stricter supervision all help to reduce corruption. But I have only solved half of the problem - it is also a moral failing on the part of the custom official! Humanity is shaped and can be degraded by economic forces, yes - but we are not automatons, and we have the freedom to choose between good and evil! A moral person may be poor, and may also refuse to indulge in corruption, in theft, extortion, or murder. This is the second part of the proper solution - the moral. Whatever legislation we pass, whatever algorithms we may entrust our futures to, whatever wages we lift, whatever business we re-order to be employee-owned, whatever private properties we abolish, all will be useless if we as Sirtans cannot rediscover our sense of justice, our compassion, and our dedication to working for the betterment of all. Together, we must all work to restructure our society along economically and morally just lines. The SDU pledges to lead by example in this regard, and every MP and official shall hold themselves to the highest standards of professional conduct, transparency, and honesty. We will have prosperity! And we will also have compassion, hope, and love.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Mar 20, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

The SDU is proud to accept the confidence placed in it by the Sirtan people, and we support the slate put forward by the Prime Minister.

As the nominated Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance, I am committed to stabilizing and expanding the economy, and securing trade deals and stronger partnerships with our valued neighbors. My busy schedule precludes a lengthy speech, but in the short-term I promise to bring back to Parliament treaties with all our major trading partners, as well as a proposal concerning our future membership in the Outer Alliance.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 05:47 on Mar 20, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government
MP


As a former officer in the CLF, I have seen firsthand the consequences of state violence. I am proud to submit this Government's very first bill, which signals to all our supreme commitment to the principles of peace, justice, and mercy. Comrades and companions, I call on you to pass this Act in the name of our children, who shall inherit a society in which the barbarism of the past shall be a half-remembered shade.


Capital Punishment Act

The death penalty shall be abolished as a punishment on Sirta or any place subject to its jurisdiction, with the following exceptions: following a conviction of treason, hereby defined as an individual, owing allegiance to Sirta, levying war against it or adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort within Sirta or elsewhere; following a conviction of theft of assets belonging to the Government totaling more than 50,000,000 NSC in assets, or following a conviction of accessory to such theft.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 05:48 on Mar 20, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government

December 3062 Budget Proposal

Income

Income Breakdown:

* Profits from Appropriated Business – 6.2 (+0.2) – 0.17 (+0)

* [Remaining from last month – 0.1 - 0]

Overall Income: 6.3

Expenses:

* Advisory Committee - 0.5 (+0)

* Residential Power – 0.065 (+0)

Overall Expenses: 0.565 (+0)

Remaining: 5.735

Expenditures

Miscellaneous

PARI funding - 475,000 NSC

Food Distribution Network - 600,000 NSC

Housing for the Executive Transition Team planning the future Ministry of Agriculture: 25,000 NSC

Housing for 500 additional families: 1,00,000 NSC (against a 14 million total cost)

Renovation of three existing facilities into high-end hotels with a 500-room capacity: 3,500,000 NSC (against a 3.5 million total cost)

Remainder: 135,000 NSC

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.
Denver Axo
Panorama Regional Government
MP


1. Motion of Confidence, submitted by Prime Minister Luxemburg. -Aye
2. Capital Punishment Act, submitted by Member Denver Axo. -Aye
3. Truth and Justice Act (December 3062), submitted by Minister of Education Bookchin. -Nay
4. Truth and Justice Act (January 3062), resubmitted by Minister of Justice Victor Knapfstein. -Aye
5. Wage Enforcement Act, submitted by Member Saint-Just. -Aye
6. Tax Bill P-1, submitted by Prime Minister Luxemburg. -Aye
7. Budget Bill for January 3063, submitted by Prime Minister Luxemburg. -Aye

Other matters in Parliament:

1. Speaker Selection, the only nominee is Minister of Internal Security Radek. -Aye

Proposals under the consideration of Panorama's People's Assembly:

1. December 3062 Budget, submitted by Citizen Denver Axo. -Aye

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Mar 22, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs

To: Ministry of Finance, Central Office Staff

I look forward to working with you in the coming months. I will be drafting a formal set of guidelines and internal directives in the near-future. In the meantime, please create and forward to me the following:

1) an executive summary of the different offices of the Ministry, their duties, their performances, and their budgets, highlighting changes between this report and the most recent report requested by my predecessor.

2) an analysis of the predicted effects on local investment of "Tax Plan B" as proposed by the Prime Minister.

3) an analysis of the ability of this Ministry to positively stimulate consumption and investment through a program of quantitative easing.

4) In addition, the Director of the Trade Standards Office is to submit to me, within two weeks, a framework and list of candidates for a new Organized Crimes Task Force, which will work with the NFP and NSP in prosecuting the largest organized crime syndicates.

To Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Central Office Staff

I look forward to working with you in the coming months. Before anything else, please forward to me:

1) an analysis from the Foreign Analysis Office and Diplomatic Service Office of the anticipated negotiating priorities and demands of the Kingdom of the Hesperides in any scenario involving the revision of the former trade accords

2) general analyses from the Foreign Analysis Office of the interests and priorities of the Republic of New Frontiers and Saguenay.

Please forward to the embassies of all three nations requests to meet and begin negotiations of their respective trade policies. Please alert the Outer Alliance representative of our desire to negotiate the terms of a partial membership.

In addition, please secure any copies of Sirtan biotechnology sector industry reports as soon as they are published by trade journals or non-classified government analysis, and have them delivered to the quarters of the SRECC delegation.

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs

quote:


Financial Holdings Transparency Act

Upon the first day of each year, every salaried government employee, elected official earning a stipend, or government-employed contractor must provide a Financial Holdings Statement to the Ministry of Finance, disclosing all assets (property and stocks) valued at over 1,000 NSC. Failure to provide an updated form within thirty days of the January 1st deadline shall result in immediate dismissal. Failure to disclose all assets will incur a fine of 50,000 NSC as well as any charges of fraud or theft that the Minister of Finance recommends to the Ministry of Justice. Applications for six-month extensions following extraordinary circumstances may be submitted to the Taxation and Revenues Office, though each extension must be personally approved by the Minister. If an extension is granted, an updated form will be required six months from the day of notification of the extension being granted, after which the previously stated penalties will apply. Elected officials who waive their stipends, or employees who return a portion of their salary, are still subject to the requirements of this Act.

All submitted filings will be available to the public, and held in a SCN-searchable database maintained by the Taxation and Revenues Office. All expenses incurred by this act shall be assumed by the Taxation and Revenues Office.

Following the implementation of this act, the first deadline to take effect shall be June 1st, 3063, followed by a deadline of January 1st for every subsequent year.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Mar 29, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs


The SDU understands and is sympathetic towards the concerns raised by the CRC. To that end, we submit a bill that repeals both proposed solutions and puts forward our own, which we feel will satisfy all parties. We believe in justice, and we believe just as strongly in the rights of defendants. We will not repeat Vallstein's errors in constructing an unaccountable machine that turns on its creators.

quote:

Restoration of Peace and Justice Act

Definitions for this act:

* “government official” refers to any member of the Public Security Force, the Sirta Defense Force, the Intelligence Service, all government departments, the municipal police forces, the regular court system and all companies under a long-term contract with the government, between the years 3032 and 3062.

I. This Act shall repeal the January 3062 Truth and Justice Act, the December 3062 Truth and Justice Act, and the 3062 Truth and Reconciliation Act.

II. The Parliament of Sirta shall give its official thanks to the former Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for their integrity and their record of service to the people of Sirta.

III. A temporary body shall be formed under the Ministry of Justice, named the Peace and Justice Commission. This Commission shall operate for a term of 25 years after its establishment. At the end of this 25 year period, Parliament may, by a majority vote, approve up to three five-year extensions. Parliament and the Ministry of Justice shall be obligated to pay the expenses of the Peace and Justice Commission.

IV. The Peace and Justice Commission shall contain two Sub-Commissions and two Special Courts.

IVa. The Screening Sub-Commission shall receive claims of damages incurred or accusations of crimes carried out during the years 3032-3062 under the governments of Adrian Vallstein, Robert Greene, and the Transition Government. This Sub-Commission shall examine the details of each accusation or claim and refer it to one of the two Special Courts. This Sub-Commission shall receive recommendations of prosecution from the Ministry of Justice and Investigative Sub-Commission and refer it to one of the two Special Courts. This Sub-Commission shall receive referred cases turned over to the Commission by other courts or government bodies and refer it to one of the two Special Courts. This Sub-Commission shall consist of three Commissioners, one of which shall be named Sub-Commission Chair by the Minister of Justice. The Prime Minister shall nominate two Commissioners and the Justice Minister shall nominate one. Nominations shall be confirmed by a simple majority in Parliament.

IVb. The Investigative Sub-Commission shall investigate crimes committed by former officials of the Vallstein, Greene, and Transition governments. Commissioners may compel testimony from material witnesses through use of subpoena. Any refusal to appear before a summons of this Sub-Commission shall result in a charge of obstruction of justice, to be referred to the Lower Court. The Investigative Sub-Commission is empowered to request aid, labor, or information from any government body. Any government body receiving such a request must provide a written justification for denial of a request if it is not granted. The Prime Minister may, at their discretion. override a denied request and order a government body to comply with the request. Any investigation undertaken by this Sub-Commission shall result in either a recommendation of prosecution passed onto the Screening Sub-Commission or a formal conclusion of the investigation. If a recommendation is made, all relevant evidence shall be turned over to the office of the Attorney General for use in prosecution. This Sub-Commission shall consist of seven Commissioners, one of which shall be named Sub-Commission Chair by the Minister of Justice. The Prime Minister shall nominate four Commissioners and the Justice Minister shall nominate three. Nominations shall be confirmed by a simple majority in Parliament.

IVc. The Lower Court shall be the Special Court that hears nonviolent cases referred by the Screening Sub-Commission. This Court shall be empowered to pass sentences following a trial, and may punish defendants with appropriate terms of imprisonment or fines. In addition, Lower Court Commissioners are empowered to levy the following sanctions at their discretion during sentencing:

- The Commissioner may add the penalty of banishment from Sirta for life.
- The Commissioner may order the uncompensated seizure of assets held by the defendant, to be granted to victims.
- The Commissioner may ban the defendant from holding public office for the remainder of their natural life, as well as extending the ban to any AMRs created following the sentence.

This Court shall consist of five Commissioners - one nominated by the Guardian Council, three nominated by the Minister of Justice, and one nominated by the Prime Minister. Nominees shall be confirmed by a simple majority in Parliament.

IVd. The Higher Court shall be the Special Court that hears violent cases referred by the Screening Sub-Commission. This Court shall be empowered to pass sentences following a trial, and may punish defendants with appropriate terms of imprisonment or fines. In addition, Lower Court Commissioners are empowered to levy the following sanctions at their discretion during sentencing:

- The Commissioner may add the penalty of banishment from Sirta for life.
- The Commissioner may order the uncompensated seizure of assets held by the defendant, to be granted to victims.
- The Commissioner may ban the defendant from holding public office for the remainder of their natural life, as well as extending the ban to any AMRs created following the sentence.
- The Commissioner may recommend the death penalty to the office of the Death Penalty Tribunal, who may endorse the recommendation at their discretion.

This Court shall consist of three Commissioners - one nominated by the Guardian Council, one nominated by the Minister of Justice, and one nominated by the Prime Minister. Nominees shall be confirmed by a simple majority in Parliament.

V. The Peace and Justice Commission shall honor, at all times and without exception, the following rights granted to defendants:
- The right to a public trial.
- The right to a trial within a period of two years after the Sub-Commission has recommended a case to either Court.
- The right to legal counsel. The Government shall provide legal counsel if the defendant cannot secure legal representation.
- The right to attend their trial during arguments and sentencing.
- The right to confront, figuratively, the testimonies of their accusers through the cross-testifying of witnesses and examination of submitted evidence or testimonies. Either Court may make use of remote testimony to prevent undue hardship on witnesses or victims.
- The right to not be compelled to act as a witness against themselves by making self-incriminating statements.
- The right to a punishment that is neither cruel nor unusual.
- The right to submit a plea of clemency to the office of the Prime Minister upon sentencing, which the Prime Minister may grant at their discretion.

VI. The Peace and Justice Commission shall have exclusive jurisdiction over crimes committed by former officials of the Vallstein, Greene, and Transition governments. All other courts or government bodies must refer all relevant cases to the Commission.

VII. Recall procedures may be initiated by any Member of Parliament against any Commissioner. A two-thirds majority shall be sufficient to remove a Commissioner from their position. The Justice Minister may recommend to the Guardian Council that a Commissioner be recalled. A unanimous endorsement of the recommendation by the Guardian Council shall result in the dismissal of that Commissioner. At any point, a unanimous decision by all Commissioners may dissolve the Commission if they feel their work has been completed before the expiration of the Commission’s term.

VIII. The staff and Commissioners of the former Truth and Reconciliation Commission shall immediately turn over any and all material related to current, pending, or planned cases to the newly formed Peace and Justice Commission.

IX. This Act shall amend the Capital Punishment Act to empower the Higher Court to recommend the death penalty to the Death Penalty Tribunal for crimes deemed sufficiently heinous.

X. The Commission shall make its trials publicly available either through live broadcasting or by releasing tapes of trials within one day of the day's proceedings. The Commission shall provide monthly reports to Parliament summarizing ongoing cases and progress made in the pursuit of justice.

tatankatonk fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Mar 30, 2018

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs

Memorandum for the Reorganization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Effective immediately, I am appointing the directors of all existing departments within the Ministry to a temporary transition team that will oversee the restructuring of the Ministry into the following Offices (budget allocations attached):


Office of Foreign Service

The OFS shall handle all diplomatic and consular functions, and represent the Sirtan government abroad. It is also responsible for housing and transporting visiting foreign dignitaries, and co-ordinating with foreign embassies for joint public events or appearances.

Budget: 40%

Office of Foreign Communications

The OFC is responsible for continuing the work of the former Interstellar Communications Department, and will operate a fleet of unarmed courier ships to exchange information between the SCN and foreign communications networks. It is also responsible for the safe transport of Foreign Affairs personnel between planets.

Budget: 40%

Office of Foreign Research & Analysis

The OFRA shall receive reports from the OFS and OFC, and other relevant government bodies, and use all received information to provide an accurate picture of the priorities, status, and intent of foreign states. The analyses of the OFRA are to be considered sensitive information and will not be made public barring extraordinary circumstances.

Budget: 10%

Office of Foreign Trade Development

The OFTD shall be tasked with promoting investment opportunities in domestic industries to foreign investors, identifying investment opportunities abroad for domestic firms and the Sirtan government, and providing up to date information on all foreign trade regulations to the public.

Budget: 5%

Office of Strategic Planning

The OSP shall be tasked with developing long-term development and security plans using data gained from Complex Systems simulations, AI assistance, and information produced by the OFC and OFRA.

Budget: 5%

tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


Denver Axo
Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs


1. Repeal of the TRC, submitted by Minister Saint-Just of the SRLF. - Nay
2. Financial Holdings Transparency Act, submitted by Minister Axo of the SDU. - Aye
3. Amendment to the PAP Act, submitted by Minister Bookchin of the SRLF. -Aye
4. Restoration of Peace and Justice Act, submitted by Minister Axo of the SDU. -Aye
5. PASS Act, submitted by Minister Bookchin of the SRLF. -Aye
6. Budget Bill for February 3063 - December 3063, submitted by Minister Radek of the SRLF. -Aye

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tatankatonk
Nov 4, 2011

Pitching is the art of instilling fear.


To: Office of the Prime Minister
From: Office of the Minister of Finance & Foreign Affairs


Comrade Prime Minister,

Here is the proposed list of Sirtan delegates for negotiations with the Royal Messenger. I request your approval of these names, and for formal authorization to represent the Government of Sirta in drafting a successor to the Pink Rose Accords with the Kingdom of the Hesperides to be presented to Parliament for ratification.

Executive Delegate

-Denver Axo, SDU MP, Minister of Finance & Foreign Affairs

Deputy Executive Delegate

-Aurora Campos, SRLF MP, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Advisors for the Sirtan Delegation

-Charlotte Howe, Director of the Office of Foreign Research & Analysis
-Sjef Peeters, Professor of Complex Systems
-Stefan Borisov, Professor of Sociology

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