NationStates - Eindelijk nieuwe issues !

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The Issue

In a bid to provide a new revenue stream for LostFormat's Beef-Based Agriculture industry, it has been suggested that hunchbacks could be added to the menu.
The Debate

1. "The fact is, the hunchback population is out of control," says Beef-Based Agriculture spokesperson Roger McGuffin. "We have to do something about them anyway, so why not market them as tasty snacks? We could have hunchback kebabs, hunchback pies, hunchback-on-a-sticks--the possibilities are endless! Let's not pass up this golden opportunity to provide a feast, if you will, for our economy."
[Accept]

2. "I agree that something needs to be done about hunchback over-population," says random passer-by Bianca Shiomi, "but eating them? That's kind of gross. Let's just shoot the ones we have to and shovel their bodies into ditches like normal."
[Accept]

3. "I am shocked and appalled!" declared SPCA President Thomas Spirit. "If anyone needs to be culled, it's us humans. The hunchbacks were here first, remember? We need to take this as a sign to get our industry--agriculture in particular--to back off. The hunchback is part of what makes LostFormat a great nation!"

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Op donderdag 16 februari 2006 13:24 schreef LostFormat het volgende:

[..]

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The Issue
A loose coalition of sartorially-challenged individuals known as "Let It All Hang Out" has called on the government to relax public nudity laws.

The Debate

1. "For too long, our bodies have been trapped in these prisons of cotton and polyester!" yelled protester Tobias Mistletoe, while apparently developing a nasty case of sunburn. "We must repeal the puritanical laws that make public nudity a crime. My body--my choice to dangle!"

2. "I agree," mused sociology professor Pete Summers. "But I don't think the protestors are going far enough. Public nudity shouldn't be an option: it should be compulsory. Nudity is highly liberating. And it would put that disgusting "Hooters" out of business once and for all."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt

3. "Whoa, whoa," says noted accountant Lars Hendrikson. "Are these people serious? The last thing I want to see when I'm out for a coffee is some lumbering, over-weight nudist coming down the sidewalk toward me. If people want to get naked, they can do it in the privacy of their own homes. Think of the children!"

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 2.

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New Croutonia Decides:

Auto Industry Struggles Against Foreign Imports


The Issue:
Cheap, foreign-made cars are becoming increasingly popular, causing concern in New Croutonia's automobile manufacturing industry.

The Debate:

[1] "Unless this government does something, New Croutonia won't have an auto industry for much longer," says auto industry union boss Naki King, in a rare public appearance alongside management. "These foreign companies employ people for a few Credits a day. The only way to level the playing field is to raise tariffs. The government would make more money, too, so it's win-win."
[Accept]


[2] "For once, I agree with my grubby colleague here," says General Chassis CEO Pip Hanover. "Although I have to say, tariffs aren't the only answer. A more effective solution would be to abolish minimum wage laws. Now that would level the playing field. And we'd be able to employ more--argh, let go of my throat!"
[Accept]

[3] "I think we need to face facts," says noted economist and chat-show regular Stephanie Hendrikson. "We live in a global economy now, and automobile manufacturing just isn't New Croutonia's strong suit. There's no point taking money from taxpayers in order to line the pockets of a few greedy workers and corrupt managers in a doomed industry. Let the market takes its--argh, let go of my throat!"
[Accept]


The Government Position

The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.

If you wish, you may simply dismiss this issue.

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The Dominion of Zhenarum is a small, economically powerful nation, renowned for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 14 million are rabid consumers, partly through choice and partly because the government tells them to and dissenters tend to vanish from their homes at night.

The small, corrupt, pro-business government concentrates mainly on Religion & Spirituality, although Commerce and Education are on the agenda. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 3%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Door-to-door Insurance Sales, Information Technology, and Furniture Restoration industries.

The streets are increasingly clogged with poverty-stricken beggars, young children are regularly seen wagering pocket money at blackjack tables, public nudity is compulsory, and all recreational drugs are legal. Crime is a problem, probably because of the country's utter lack of prisons. Zhenarum's national animal is the platypus, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the nookie.

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The Dictatorship of Devilles is a massive, economically powerful nation, notable for its absence of drug laws. Its hard-nosed, cynical population of 2.573 billion are ruled with an iron fist by the dictatorship government, which ensures that no-one outside the party gets too rich. In their personal lives, however, citizens are relatively unoppressed; it remains to be seen whether this is because the government genuinely cares about its people, or if it hasn't gotten around to stamping out civil rights yet.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Commerce. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Arms Manufacturing industry.

College students make ends meet by selling their kidneys, all news sources are under strict government control, the nation is currently revamping its entire education system, and high-income earners pay a 100% tax rate. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Devilles's national animal is the cobra, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the soul.

Devilles is ranked 3rd in the region and 1,244th in the world for Largest Defense Forces (per capita).

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People Request Not So Much Dictatorship, If That's All Right
Government Acts
The Issue

While effusively praising Zazzizi's leadership and bowing repeatedly, a delegation has humbly requested that the government take a more "modernistic" view in the future.
The Debate

1. The High Minister for Finance, who also happens to be your brother, dismisses the claim. "What these people fail to realize is that you know what's best for them. The alternative is anarchy! I say stick to your course. And execute these wackos for treason."
[Accept]

2. "Perhaps the people could be given some more political freedoms," muses your Chief of Staff, who is your sister. "Is there really such harm in allowing public discussion of ideas? We could even have a real Opposition Party. One that isn't just full of your puppets, I mean."

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

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Political parties are banned from advertising and receiving private donations, tourists from around the world come to visit the country's famous rainforests, euthanasia is legal, and the nation is ravaged by daily union strikes. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown. Zazzizi's national animal is the djuk, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the obozo.

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The Free Land of Dubz Da KoolOne is a small, safe nation, renowned for its absence of drug laws

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Cloning Research Promises New Breakthrough
The Issue

Scientists using cloned human embryos for research are on the verge of a medical breakthrough.
The Debate

1. "It's really very exciting," says lab head Dave Jones. "Until now, we've kept very quiet, to avoid being targeted by lunatic fringe groups who for some reason think it's wrong to clone human embryos. It's too early to promise anything, but we hope that one day we will have genetic cures for a whole range of debilitating illnesses. I certainly hope the government will support our work."
[Accept]

2. "Well, if you have to be part of a lunatic fringe group to object to this barbaric practice, I'm a lunatic," says placard-waving protestor Beth Utopia. "Of course it would be nice to cure these unnamed diseases, but at what cost? They're messing with the sanctity of human life. It's wrong, and the lab should be shut down immediately."
[Accept]

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The Largest Defense Forces (per capita) in Fok

Nations ranked high on this list spend disproportionately large amounts of money on national defense, and are most secure against foreign aggression.

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Op dinsdag 21 februari 2006 09:52 schreef DeHovenier het volgende:
Moet nu gaan beslissen over:
[..]

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New Croutonia Decides: One Wife Is Never Enough, Say Polygamists

The Issue: A small religious group is lobbying the government to allow them to take multiple wives.

The Debate:
"It's about time we had our religious rights recognized," says Alexei Mistletoe, a devout member of a faith that is never made quite clear. "Who is the government to tell me I can't love more than one woman? The government doesn't know how much of me there is to go around!"
[Accept]


"This is nothing more than sexual deviants using religion as a pretext for perversion!" says Reverend Fleur Thiesen. "Marriage is one man, one woman, and death do we part. What's so hard to get? Anything else is a perversion, and must be banned."
[Accept]


"Multiple wives? Excellent!" says passer-by Freddy Gutenberg. "Presumably we will allow multiple husbands, as well. And gay marriages, of course. In fact, now is probably the time for the government to butt out of marriage altogether. Let people marry their cats, if they want."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position:
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 3.

If you wish, you may simply dismiss this issue.

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...and streakers swamp all public events in order to bare it all

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Op zondag 26 februari 2006 12:53 schreef DeHovenier het volgende:
Mijn Economy is imploded

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New Croutonia Decides: Illegal File-Sharing Flares

The Issue: A surprise raid conducted on ISPs over the last week in New Croutonia shows that more than 30% of all Internet data transfer in New Croutonia at one time or another is used by illegal file-shares to illegally distribute files, most notably songs.

The Debate
"What we need to do is hack their computers and format their hard drives," says Lars Hendrikson, recording industry representative. "People need to be taught to not mess with the law. This is theft, pure and simple. And they're not only halving our revenue to tune of billions of Credits, but you are also stealing a few hundredths of a Credit from the artist for every song they steal. THINK OF THE STARVING ARTISTS!"
[Accept]

"Yo, dude, like, don't be hatin' man," says teenager Faith Clinton. "We're like, going to change the whole structure of our society. Everything should be like, publicly available to, like, everybody, dude. Copyrights are so, like, uncool man and we need to get rid of them. That'd be totally radical, and cool as well."
[Accept]


"Yo, dang, blizzity blang, yo, this ain't, right, yo," says Klaus O'Bannon, famous rapper with three platinum albums. "Dang, yo, we dang need to copy-protect my dang CDs, yo. That dang playability life dang decreases, yo, but it's the only way to stop this, dang, yo."
[Accept]

The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.

If you wish, you may simply dismiss this issue.

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Reclaim The Streets!
The Issue

Several major city streets were clogged with bicycles this morning, as the environmental group 'Two Wheels Good, Four Wheels Bad' staged a protest. Several hundred riders ambled through downtown streets, blissfully ignoring the torrent of abuse hurled at them by thousands of motorists running late for work.
The Debate

1. "People are sick of dirty, smelly automobiles," said protest organizer Thomas Thiesen. "They're choking the city, the environment--our lives! Cars must be banned!"

This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

2. "The only thing people are sick of is long-haired idiots riding their bicycles at two miles an hour on major thoroughfares," says committed motorist Naki Steele. "People shouldn't be able to protest like this. The government needs to crack down on them."
[Accept]

3. The Automotive Manufacturers Association, meanwhile, has called for government support. "It's clear that we need to boost the level of automobile support in this country. This protest this morning is a clear indication of... um... anyway, we need more government funds."
[Accept]

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New Croutonia Decides: Southern New Croutonia Demands Semi-Autonomy

The Issue
Politicians from a distant and obscure part of New Croutonia have been calling for the government to split New Croutonia into various semi-autonomous regions, each with an elected council to govern their designated area.

The Debate
"The government is too centralised," complains rural villager, Naki Longfellow. "We get these big-city politicians making rulings that affect our way of life, when they have absolutely no idea what our way of life is! One of them even suggested that farmers should be banned from picking crops in case they disturbed the local wildlife! What we need are various councils to govern their own part of New Croutonia, giving us the chance to have our say on laws affecting our area. It'll bring politics to the people! Of course this will require the implementation of a council tax to fund it all, but if that's the cost of more political freedom, then so be it!"
[Accept]


"Councils? Are you mad?" gasps political commentator, Charles Broadside. "Most of the politicians we already have earn very large sums each year - and you want to employ even more?! We must not listen to the whims of some dangerous separatist movement; next they'll be wanting independence! I suggest we keep the government in one place where we can keep an eye on it and stop creating more jobs for over-paid politicians. Heck, why not trim off the ones we don't need while we're at it and give some leeway to the taxpayers? Anyway, if we allowed places like West New Croutonia to make decisions for themselves, they would soon be introducing laws allowing them to marry their cousins or something - you know what they're like..."
[Accept]


"These people are obviously power-hungry lunatics," whispers Roxanne Nagasawa, one of your innumerable advisors. "They're simply trying to loosen your grip on the nation! Let's just send anyone who opposes your absolute rule to the gallows and ban elections. We hardly need them when you always know what to do! There may be some protest, but we can just lower taxes and they'll be as happy as clams."
[Accept]

The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.

If you wish, you may simply dismiss this issue.

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Op dinsdag 28 februari 2006 19:29 schreef wc-eend het volgende:
The Free Land of The Pussycats

Location: The East Pacific

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Op dinsdag 28 februari 2006 19:58 schreef DeHovenier het volgende:
Niks mis mee toch