The Abolition Movement: The Quest to End Regional Inactivity and Indifference

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

What do the regions provide Atlasia as a whole? Originally, the regions were created to provide fair and accurate representation of its district. This is now a moot point. Atlasians no longer register in their home regions, and instead join whichever area that suits their political preferences. Any attempt to accurately represent the region is overthrown by party struggle upon party struggle.

The regional elections are patently predictable. Campaigning is diminished in light of premeditation and number-crunching before-the-fact. In the end, the elections are boring and anticlimactic.

Three of the five regional governments have fairly inactive legislatures, but it is a legitimate concern that people in regional offices may "lose their jobs" and be unable to partake in Atlasian politics. Thus, the abolition of the regions should be complemented by an increase in the size of the Senate. I advocate abolishing the regions and making a second branch of Congress, like a Lower House, House of Representatives, or another type of system if the Atlasian public so desires.

We need to get the ball rolling on Abolition, as it is clear that the original meaning of the regions has been lost, and a new system needs to replace it for the good of the game.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

Although I guess it is true that ballot initiatives would be better than an elected regional legislature. The ideal method would be a universal assembly, like the Pacific (sort of still) has.

In regards to attacking Regional Legislatures, I have to disagree.  They have served a valuable purpose - they help get new members/members who have been away for a while an opportunity to get involved.  After my year long exile into the wilderness, I was able to begin rehabilitating myself by serving in the Mideast Legislature.  Valuable members like A-Bob and Purple State started in the Assembly.  Without Legislatures I don't think it would be as easy for newbies to get involved, and I see that as one of the big advantages to having elected bodies other than the National ones.

     Ben is quite correct here. Regional legislatures are a great source of experience for new Atlasians. Granted there are also Governorships & Lt. Governorships, but without legislatures those tend to be worthless sinecures. Granted some exceptional individuals have managed to put those offices to good use under those circumstances (Vepres, for example), but that aside they tend to make for a poor first experience in Atlasia.

Well, entry-level positions in are created by the "Lower House" in my aforementioned plan.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

I've addressed this so many times, but I think the content of the original post speaks volumes of how much improvement we have seen in the regions over the past year or so.

The fact that we can say that the regional legislatures are inactive means that all the regions have legislative bodies... That is an amazing thing never before seen in Atlasia. We also see regional laws used as the foundation for federal laws on a frequent basis.

Also, as I have always argued, again and again, the region is where new citizens get their chops. It is how people are introduced to the game and build a resume that can be used to run for federal office or higher regional office. It is also how the voters are able to distinguish between those who deserve to be promoted and those who are do-nothings.

I am a result of the regional system. Badger is another excellent example. The regions are where people with no previous reputation can build a name and become something great. To do away with them would be a terrible mistake.

You are absolutely right in the sense that there needs to be a way to slowly integrate new people into the fold and thus allow them to become productive members of society all the while. I think this goal is achieved by the Lower House of my proposal. This would allow newer members who haven't quite yet broken the "upper crust" of posters by still providing meaningful legislation to debate upon at a national level. This improves upon the status quo by creating a consistency throughout the nation in local legislation, not a system in which there are five different types of legislatures in the five different regions.


Also, look at all the names that are being thrown around as becoming "important" members of Atlasia through regional government. How many of them came from the Mideast? The Abolition plan expands the very successful Mideast Assembly into a national Lower House. Sure there is room for the pedantic and the detractors, but even a taste of a fivefold increase in newbie "integration" is quite alluring. Regional legislatures are not disappearing; instead, they are being replaced by a consistent national body which could produce similar results on a larger scale.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

I've addressed this so many times, but I think the content of the original post speaks volumes of how much improvement we have seen in the regions over the past year or so.

The fact that we can say that the regional legislatures are inactive means that all the regions have legislative bodies... That is an amazing thing never before seen in Atlasia. We also see regional laws used as the foundation for federal laws on a frequent basis.

Also, as I have always argued, again and again, the region is where new citizens get their chops. It is how people are introduced to the game and build a resume that can be used to run for federal office or higher regional office. It is also how the voters are able to distinguish between those who deserve to be promoted and those who are do-nothings.

I am a result of the regional system. Badger is another excellent example. The regions are where people with no previous reputation can build a name and become something great. To do away with them would be a terrible mistake.

You are absolutely right in the sense that there needs to be a way to slowly integrate new people into the fold and thus allow them to become productive members of society all the while. I think this goal is achieved by the Lower House of my proposal. This would allow newer members who haven't quite yet broken the "upper crust" of posters by still providing meaningful legislation to debate upon at a national level. This improves upon the status quo by creating a consistency throughout the nation in local legislation, not a system in which there are five different types of legislatures in the five different regions.


Also, look at all the names that are being thrown around as becoming "important" members of Atlasia through regional government. How many of them came from the Mideast? The Abolition plan expands the very successful Mideast Assembly into a national Lower House. Sure there is room for the pedantic and the detractors, but even a taste of a fivefold increase in newbie "integration" is quite alluring. Regional legislatures are not disappearing; instead, they are being replaced by a consistent national body which could produce similar results on a larger scale.

     The Imperial Legislature has been quite effective at initiating newbies in Atlasia as well. In my time, I have seen at least three different newbies (tb75, Yelnoc, KS21) become active officeholders in the South due in no small part to the regional legislature. They are merely lesser-known than the heroes of the Mideast Assembly because none of them have yet ascended to federal office, but I am confident that each one of them could make the leap if he so chose.

I agree that the assemblies of most other regions have allowed for the initiation of some members, but the Mideast Assembly has been by far the most effective and most worthy of replication at a national level. At the same time, the crux of the newbie issue isn't how many newbies have been integrated by each Assembly on its own, but the marginal utility of creating one national assembly to serve the same purpose on a larger and more consistent scale. I think that it is far more beneficial to make it national so newbies from any region can ascend to the national spotlight.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

Exactly what PiT said.

Also, there is something to committing to a strategy and letting it play out. It seems that every few months we see a lower chamber proposed to replace the regions, but that argument gets weaker as efforts to strengthen regional activity through other means are implemented. Changing horses midrace seems less and less appealing.

The case could have been made a year or two ago that regions were a meaningless piece of the game. That really isn't the case today. Let's see where the revitalized regions take us before we throw them under the bus.

The case I'm making is that we aren't losing anything by disposing of the regions. This isn't a case of switching horses but rather feeding it a different type of nutrient-rich water for the stretch run after we observed that it was tiring.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

Exactly what PiT said.

Also, there is something to committing to a strategy and letting it play out. It seems that every few months we see a lower chamber proposed to replace the regions, but that argument gets weaker as efforts to strengthen regional activity through other means are implemented. Changing horses midrace seems less and less appealing.

The case could have been made a year or two ago that regions were a meaningless piece of the game. That really isn't the case today. Let's see where the revitalized regions take us before we throw them under the bus.

The case I'm making is that we aren't losing anything by disposing of the regions. This isn't a case of switching horses but rather feeding it a different type of nutrient-rich water for the stretch run after we observed that it was tiring.

Your idea might work, but we have no idea whether it will be the greatest boon to the game or whether it will kill the game. On the other hand, regions have proven to be a steady and reliable means of introducing new players to the game. Are they perfect? Surely not. Is there a better alternative? There always is. But I feel the risks involved in most of the proposed ideas is such that it far outweighs the benefits of switching.

Reform is only truly needed when something is broken or an alternative is clearly better. Until you prove that the regions are truly broken (which cannot be argued right now) or that your idea is proven to be beneficial (which is only possible by testing it in a region or two, partially boosting the opposing view), I can't get behind it.

Regardless, this is a conversation Atlasia needs to have when disputes are springing up like mushrooms after a rainstorm.