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DAVOUT
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AUERSTADT
Jun 2002 time: 05:23
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quote: Originally posted by Apocalypse
Because of VP is approved by the senate, there is a protection against the pres putting a lacky in there. If you don't like the VP nominated, don't approve him. |
I approve the VP nominated, but that is not in contradiction with my not supporting the VP partipating in the veto. The VP cannot be distinguished, politically from the President ; the Senate approval, as I understand it, is only to ascertain that he has a profile in line with the job (he has not played ahead before, he has not been impeached previously, he does not enter in conflict with everybody, things like that). In other words, an approval is not equivalent to an election.
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Apocalypse
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Lexington, VA: College - Houston, TX: Home
Aug 2005 time: 00:23
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quote: Originally posted by DAVOUT
I approve the VP nominated, but that is not in contradiction with my not supporting the VP partipating in the veto. The VP cannot be distinguished, politically from the President ; the Senate approval, as I understand it, is only to ascertain that he has a profile in line with the job (he has not played ahead before, he has not been impeached previously, he does not enter in conflict with everybody, things like that). In other words, an approval is not equivalent to an election. |
You can vote against the VP for whatever reason. The VP doesn't always have to vote with the president though. I don't believe this veto thing will have any real affect on the game anyway. It was a minor part of the constitution. Many of you seem to be missing the point of it. We want to keep the game running by addressing the concerns brought up in the failed revolution, and make sure election problems like those in terms 4 and 5 are fixed. You also must realize, politics don't play a large part of this game. At least not since Linney and Trip left.
On abstain. Why would someone abstain to watch the election? You can easily press the view results button. Voting abstain just to view the results also removes your chance to vote later. You might argue that pressing abstain will allow people to only press something one time to view the results every time but this argument is rather silly. If someone cares enough to continually check on the poll in multiple instances, they will probably vote either yes or no at some point in time.
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DAVOUT
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AUERSTADT
Jun 2002 time: 05:23
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NYE,
I appreciate all efforts made by the four of you, I am just, with many others, trying to fully understand what you did so that your purpose to solve problems once and for all be met. You have certainly anticipated that introducing a new feature makes the difficulty greater; I do not believe that you expected us just to applause and say OK that is fine, lets go with it.
The fact that the VP is potentially a President does not implies that he is a duplicate of the President and enjoys the same powers at the same time; he is just a substitute and has no powers which are not shared, literally, with the President.
In the absence of indications, I believe that the VP can be demoted at will by the President; if this is thru, the VP has no independence at all; this situation does not make of the VP a creature or a lackey, but creates a link of dependency that deprives the VP of the possibility to act freely.
I would like also to draw your attention on the delay during which the veto can be exercised, because I did not found it in the draft. I understand that there is a time limit allowed to the President to veto a Senate bill; it would not be reasonable to let such a Damocles sword above a bill after it has been promulgated.
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Kloreep

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of the pillow
Jun 2002 time: 00:23
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Looks good to me. I really like the new senate. 
However, I would like to see a runoff clause added. As most of the ConCon members have pointed out, the smaller number of elected positions means more choice; however, this means we will likely be seeing more elections like the one for Science Minister. No candidate received a majority of the votes in that election; yet, because we have no runoffs, that one election was the final word between three candidates, all obviously liked.
Anyway, that's my one major concern, since it obviously has to go in the Constitution. (Yes, it could be an amendment, but I think it would be best to make sure this is included in every post-NewCon election.) There are other things that concern me as well, but they would all fall under the category of laws and should go in the Senate thread.
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Kloreep

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of the pillow
Jun 2002 time: 00:23
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What I mean is that I think if no candidate gets over 50% of the vote, a second election poll should be held between the two candidates who got the most votes.
Here's a fictional example: in the recent Science Minister Election, Thud and PlagueRat, who both ran a builder campaign focused on making our research good enough that we wouldn't have to buy so many techs, had split, with Thud getting 35% and PlagueRat 25%. Duddha, who campaigned on toning down science and waiting longer on raising science funding, gets 40%. Under our current system, Duddha wins.
But, in a runoff system, a new election would be held between Thud and Duddha (the two candidates with the most votes). Most of the voters who supported PlagueRat prefer Thud, so Thud now wins the election with around 60% of the vote.
This system isn't quite as good as preferential voting in a situation with four or more candidates, which is similiar, but eliminates candidates one at a time until it's down to two. Still, I think it would help such close (and crowded) elections go more in line with the majority's choice.
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UnOrthOdOx
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Hello....
Jun 2002 time: 22:23
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I think that without the Fourth option, people will vote abstain just to see the results. This is really not the issue at hand, however.
The fundamental disagreement here, is that GK and I are saying that if YES votes cannot surpass 50% of those that vote yes, no, OR abstain, the law should not pass. The way the constitution is written, Yes only has to surpass no, reguardless of the number of abstains.
And why shouldn't we take in the comfort of our voters? Would it not be better to make it as easy as possible? Would it not be a more accurate way of knowing just how many are watching that poll?
Again, at the end of the day, I really don't see this becomming a major issue. I looked, we have had over 130 polls. Of all of them I can count 1 poll where abstains would effect outcome, and 3 where they would not have made quorum (but that was an odd term with near 300 voting in the Pres election...)
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GodKing
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Detroit
Feb 2002 time: 00:23
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These are my comments. I am making them not because I say everything should be changed, but because I feel these points should be discussed. Overall, I fell that the members did an excellent job, and should be commended. I hope they do not take offence at how I “made it bleed”. Sorry about turning off the numbering, but Word kept trying to reformat all of my comments and instead of potentially having a something become miss-numbered, I felt it best to just turn them all off.
quote:
The President shall physically play the game and post the save of the game to the forum.
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Nothing about posting reports.
quote:
The game shall be played on a regular and scheduled basis whenever possible,
In the event of a national emergency, the President may halt play so that the crisis can be resolved.
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The word “may” implies that it is not a requirement to stop. I say it should be a requirement, so it should be changed to “should” or “will”.
quote:
If the President is unable to play the game on a regular and scheduled basis, the Vice President shall play it.
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The opposite of my above comment, I say “shall” should be replaced as “will”.
quote:
The President must follow the instructions of the Senate and Ministers while playing the game unless the instruction is clearly erroneous, or made impossible and/or harmful by changed circumstances. If the President makes changes to the instructions due to these problems, he must follow the will of the Senate or Minister in making the changes.
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“will” should be changed to “intent”.
If these problems constitute a “National Emergency”, then invoke clause I.b.i.
quote:
The President appoints temporary Ministers should any resign or be impeached. The appointment must be approved by a majority of the Senate.
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I say that the president should appoint a temporary replacement, with a new election to be held for the position within a week of the position being vacant.
quote:
The Vice President assumes all powers and responsibilities of the President should the President be unable to perform. |
What kind of time frame are we talking here?
quote:
The Supreme Military Commander
The Supreme Military Commander controls all units except settlers and workers.
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Add “and Great Leaders” because the Senate controls them.
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The Supreme Military Commander may not use a Great Leader to form an army without approval of the Senate. The Senate alone decides if and when a Great Leader may rush a project. |
This contradicts to some extent the fact that the Senate controls the Great Leaders. This should be rewritten to “The SMC will immediately move a great leader to a place of safety. The creation of a Great Leader constitutes a National Emergency. The senate alone decides how a Great Leader is to be used, and the SMC will post orders for the GL’s use as determined by the Senate.”
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The Supreme Military Commander must make a request for funds to upgrade any unit. The request must be first made to the Senate and may also be made to the President . If the Senate has not decided the issue prior to the game being played, the President may then decide the issue. |
The bolded area can be changed to “public.” Please note, this section for SMC is written completely different than the same sections for Foreign Affairs and Domestic Minister’s.
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The Supreme Military Commander may disband units under his or her control. A Great Leader may never be disbanded.
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Second sentence is not appropriate here as the Senate controls the GL.
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The Supreme Military Commander may appoint generals and deputies he or she feels necessary, and give them any and all powers he or she feels appropriate. |
Generals, admirals, whatever. Specific defined words such as “deputies” should be used in the constitution. Let the deputies call themselves by whatever title is appropriate.
Not addressed under SMC or Domestic is the idea of purchasing/rushing Military units. Are the funds for such coming from SMC budget, Domestic budget, or whatever the senate decides.
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The Foreign Affairs Minister |
I think Ministry of Foreign Propaganda is a better name. Lets get creative here, along with the “Domestic Minister”, and have some fun.
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The Foreign Affairs Minister has sole power over:
Right of Passage Agreements |
Tact approval of the SMC should also be given, to make sure there is enough defensive units in place to protect us from a sneak attack. Remember the Persians!!!
Does this include placing spies? I would assume so. Even though the FAM has sole power, they do not have control of the purse strings.
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Any trade, exchange, or gift that involves giving away gold must be approved by either the Senate or the President. |
Remove the bolded part, as it can be abused and misinterpreted.
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Any trade, exchange, or gift that involves giving away cities or workers must be approved by either the Domestic Minister or the President. |
Giving away cities should be done only by the senate, or by will of at least three of the five executive (Pres, VP, SMC, FAM, DM). This needs to be worked on and discussed.
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The Foreign Affairs Minister may appoint deputies and ambassadors as he or she feels necessary, and may give them any and all powers he or she feels appropriate.
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See my comment above regarding Generals.
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The Domestic Minister |
Nothing in here about POP rushing.
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The Domestic Minister may rush any project, but only with the approval of the Senate or President. |
Change it to “….project, but with approval.” to remove the potential for misunderstanding.
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The Domestic Minister may also create or alter any system for naming all cities, however that system or change must be approved by the senate. |
Not just cities, but also provinces, geographical features, etc.
I think judges can be Deputies, but not a Vice Minister. Jdjdjd did an excellent job for Ill de Rose right after the first Franco War (or whatever it was named).
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Other Powers of the Executive Branch
Any reference in this Constitution to a “Minister” refers to the Supreme Military Commander, Foreign Affairs Minister, and Domestic Minister. |
This is a definition. That is good, but it is the only one in the entire document. I think there are several things, such as “National Emergency” that should be defined. Definitions should be Article 1.
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The Senate
law in its entirety, and gives three options: “yea”, “nay”, and “abstain”.
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Any “abstain” votes are considered solely for quorum purposes. “Abstain” votes may not be considered “yea” or “nay” votes.
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I agree with much of what Unortho has been saying regarding this. The abstains in a quorum vote should count as NO as it means that the person does not care about this issue. There should also be a fourth option, a No Vote Vote, which means the person is voting to see the poll results, but does not want to count for quorum. See my earlier posts, along with Unortho’s, regarding this issue.
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The Senate has the power to modify the quorum requirements or to perform a census without amending the Constitution. |
I disagree with how quorum is determined. But because of this clause, I can live with it as I see it being changed. See my other posts regarding a rough idea for how to determine quorum. I particularly like the idea of making the senate something separate from citizens (who are the ministers), but not make it difficult for anybody to become a senator.
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All citizens, not just senators, are allowed to vote in any poll.
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Only senators should be able to vote in a poll that is for a senatorial position, such as “Supreme Senator” or “Senatorial Clerk” or whatever.
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Senators may also propose motions, resolutions, orders, and decisions of the Senate. These are proposed in the same way as laws and follow the same rules. These carry the same authority as a law. |
This means nothing. Why is it here?
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The Senate has the sole power to declare war. |
I added the word sole.
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The Senate has the power to authorize drafts of citizens
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This power should be in the hands of the Pres, SMC or Domestic, not the senate.
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The Senate must keep records of all laws, motions, resolutions, and otherwise that are passed, amended, or removed. It may appoint a Clerk to do so. |
Irrelevant to the constitution. This is Means and Methods, which the senate should determine on its own.
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All powers not specifically given to the other branches are hereby given to the Senate.
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I applaud this. We definitely need this clause.
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The Court
The Court is composed of Five Judges. |
Will members of the court please speak on this. I was on the committee that help develop the court system, and five seamed to be a good compromise at the time. However, now a days judging by the amount of work they have actually had to perform, I would reduce it to three. Please, current and past judges, comment in regards to this. If we are to change it, now is the time.
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A Judge may not serve in any other government post. |
I think a judge can be a deputy, as long as it does not interfere with their judicial duties.
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The Court has the authority to view the poll results and/or votes cast of a contested poll for the passage of a law, decision, motion, or other Senate act; or any amendment’s ratification poll. This may be done to ensure that non-citizens did not cast votes in the poll. If it is found that a non-citizen cast a vote, that vote shall be removed from the final total. |
Very touchy subject. If we redefine a citizen to include all of apolyton, with the senate being those who post a ‘here’ in a “term X census thread” then this is irrelevant.
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The Court may view the votes cast in a contested election upon the agreement of a majority of the Court. |
Redundant, just add the word “election” to the above clause.
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In the event that the Court does view the record of who cast which votes, the Court is mandated to keep the individual identities of all lawful voters private. |
Must also keep the vote of an individual private. This is implied, but I would prefer it to explicitly state this.
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The Court shall keep a record of all disputes, issues, and hearings before the Court. The Court shall also keep a public record of the Constitution in its most current form. The Court may appoint a Clerk of the Court to keep these records. |
Old constitutions, amendments, etc. should be kept as a record as well. LET US NOT FORGET OUR HISTORY.
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Citizens
Any person who has registered to participate in this Democracy Game is considered a citizen. |
Per my comments previously posted, and posted above, I think anybody on poly should be a citizen, making senators something special. Senator - an active participant in the demo game.
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A citizen’s vote in a poll is to remain private. No individual with admin powers shall reveal the way a citizen voted. |
This goes against what was done above with the judiciary.
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Impeachment
Should a member of the Court be the subject of impeachment, he shall not take part in the decision by The Court. The Vice President shall sit in his place for the sole determination of whether the impeachment has merit, and shall be considered a “Judge” for that vote only. |
Can be any member of the executive. Let the 5 people who are the executive volunteer and the remaining justices pick one.
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After arguments are presented, the people may then debate the topic in the thread, and may request that the Court hold a public forum for arguments.
This public forum will be a chat that shall be moderated by at least one member of the Court.
A public forum must occur within 3 days after the impeached posts his answer to the Impeachment thread. |
And May & Must contradict each other here.
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A 2/3rd majority of the people must vote for removal for it to pass.
This poll shall last for 3 days. |
Quorum?
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Conflict of Laws
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The Court may take the issue upon themselves at a later time to officially resolve any legal issue decided by the President. |
This goes against III, 3, a
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If the dispute is between the President and a Minister, and there is insufficient time to allow the Court to resolve the dispute, the matter may be resolved by a quick poll of the citizens, then the matter may be taken up at a later time by the Court to officially resolve it. |
Better define a quick pole, and if there are to be any rules or regulations regarding it.
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Elections
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All newly elected Ministers begin their term of office on the 18th of the month. The previous Ministers remain in control of their offices until the same date. |
Do we need to specify a time, such as 12:00 GMT?
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Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution can be proposed by any citizen. An amendment is passed and made Minister when 2/3rds or more of the citizens approve of the change to the Constitution. |
Is it just me, or do I not get it because there are problems with the way it is written. Can this be clarified? Thanks.
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:23. Apolyton Time is 00:23. |
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