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

[Associate Justice PiT]

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.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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.

Regional governor and Lt Governor positions, and I agree with you. But nothing is really gained from an elected legislature, in my opinion. The Mideast is the best one, if you're only talking about elected legislatures, but the Southeast and the Northeast have left much to be desired. Nothing you gain in an elected regional legislature couldn't be gained in a universalist one.

     The problem with a universalist legislature is that it fails to introduce members properly to the elections aspect of the game. It is my opinion that elections should be the marquee aspect of the game, but the problem that arises is that people are too unwilling to run against people they like & popular incumbents.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Regional legislatures are an awesome way to get people involved in Atlasia. Normally people will be more active if they have a position or title, some sort of responsibility. This gives them just that. We've had some great members get their start in the Assembly and go on to even be President! The Mideast's has been going on for some time, but it'll hopefully begin working the same way in the other 3 regions that have elected legislatures. It worries me that some of our most influential members are suggesting that they're useless.

do they really do such a great job of this when the same old people keep getting elected ?

     Most new members do not look for offices to run for unprompted. During my brief tenure as Emperor of the IDS, I have made a point of trying to recruit newer members to run for various offices in the region.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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.

...and the Midwest has, not even "sort of".

Honestly, did we institute a universal parliamentary-style legislature with no one else noticing?  The fact that regional affairs are so manifestly ignored in other regions is argument enough for me

     In that case we should abolish the federal government too, given that federal affairs are ignored by everyone.

[Associate Justice PiT]

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.