Northeast Assembly Thread

[Хahar 🤔]

Friendly note:

Cut the size of your legislature to three, immediately.

We already passed an amendment to be on the ballot in May, reducing it to six.

Six is way too many.

Really now?  Maybe three is too many.  Perhaps we should have one member of the legislature.

Don't be ridiculous.

You just elected four people to your legislature. The Mideast had a three-man legislature for a long time and it worked well.

Three people in a legislature doesn't really give a whole lot of room for diversity of views.

Four, then.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

I think six is a balanced number of Representatives.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

I will run for Speaker.

[Хahar 🤔]

I think six is a balanced number of Representatives.

It would be good, but you don't have enough candidates to make it work.

[Purple State]

The region's legislature did this odd sorta thing where it grew and grew and grew and then popped. It is kinda like a financial bubble of sorts, which is a fairly good reason to remove floating numbers of seats.

I do think six is okay considering the size of the region. You can't blame it for an ebb tide.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

I think six is a balanced number of Representatives.

It would be good, but you don't have enough candidates to make it work.

That's just temporary.  Last time we had way more than enough candidates.

[Badger]

Friendly note:

Cut the size of your legislature to three, immediately.

We already passed an amendment to be on the ballot in May, reducing it to six.

Six is way too many.

Really now?  Maybe three is too many.  Perhaps we should have one member of the legislature.

Don't be ridiculous.

You just elected four people to your legislature. The Mideast had a three-man legislature for a long time and it worked well.

It's worked rather well with 5 members too.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Alright, no other nominations for speaker? We shall begin voting now then.


Official Ballot of the Northeast

Speaker of the Assembly:
[ ] Dallasfan65
[ ] Write-in: __________

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

[1] Dallasfan65

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

[1] Dallasfan65

[redcommander]

Dallasfan65

[President Mitt]

1. Dallasfan
2. Write In: Fred

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Well, everyone has voted, and I'd like to thank the Assembly for selecting me as their Speaker. I can only hope I will live up to the task.



First bill:

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Sponsor: Rep. Dallasfan65

The question is whether the bill should be considered?

The ayes have it.

Debate on this bill will continue until at least Tuesday, April 27th, 11:35 PM unless the debate period is extended or shortened in accordance with the SOAP.

The Sponsor, Dallasfan65, has the floor.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

The rationale for this bill, I feel, is rather simple.

As a rule of thumb we shouldn't be spending more money than we take in - barring some extreme circumstance, in which case, if the voters of our region felt that way, we would be allowed to.

[Badger]

The rationale for this bill, I feel, is rather simple.

As a rule of thumb we shouldn't be spending more money than we take in - barring some extreme circumstance, in which case, if the voters of our region felt that way, we would be allowed to.

California is in some of the worst financial doo-doo in the nation largely in part to exactly such a restriction.

Why on earth should raising taxes require a super majority as opposed to a simple majority? IMHO, majority rule democracy > tax increases.

Incidentally, for the sake of budget planning and simple consistency, does this mean tax cuts will likewise require a 2/3 majority as well?

[Marokai Backbeat]

The rationale for this bill, I feel, is rather simple.

As a rule of thumb we shouldn't be spending more money than we take in - barring some extreme circumstance, in which case, if the voters of our region felt that way, we would be allowed to.

There are much easier ways of accomplishing that than mandating 2/3rds in a referendum and Assembly support for nearly anything spending or tax related.

Three examples come to mind. One being what Badger cited, another being Colorado post-Taxpayer Bill of Rights, another being the state of Texas' social safety net because of balanced budget requirements. People need to stop being so ideological about these things and focus on what actually works instead, and there are very easy ways to observably know such proposals are ridiculous.

California is undergoing a budget crisis. Colorado post-TABOR had serious problems that plague them to this day because of the days where they suffered a serious lack of revenue and spending flexibility. Texas has the worst healthcare and some of the worst education in the nation, among other things, and it's not because of them there illegals.

There has to come a point where people recognize there are certain issues that aren't decided on opinion or guesses. This isn't an issue where you can get good or bad results based on how strongly you believe in it. These issues are empirical. You can see them. The results have been recorded. It's not about opinion vs. opinion. This issue isn't about someone taking an opinion of theoretical physics, this is about people arguing over what color the sky is, when all you have to do is take a look at the sky to know.

Everyone do your research before making such silly decisions. Is that too much to ask? Less decisions based on ideological purity and more based on the reality of society-running.

[President Mitt]

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I oppose this bill. The State of California is one of the worst financial crises in the country largely in part leaving such important things up to the voters. I also don't see any merit at all requiring a supermajority in the Assembly to raise taxes, especially when revenue is needed. We shouldn't leave budgetary matters up to the voters, it could, and I fear, would turn into a disaster.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

The rationale for this bill, I feel, is rather simple.

As a rule of thumb we shouldn't be spending more money than we take in - barring some extreme circumstance, in which case, if the voters of our region felt that way, we would be allowed to.

California is in some of the worst financial doo-doo in the nation largely in part to exactly such a restriction.

Why on earth should raising taxes require a super majority as opposed to a simple majority? IMHO, majority rule democracy > tax increases.

Incidentally, for the sake of budget planning and simple consistency, does this mean tax cuts will likewise require a 2/3 majority as well?

That is a good idea, and I will amend my bill to read as such.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I oppose this bill. The State of California is one of the worst financial crises in the country largely in part leaving such important things up to the voters. I also don't see any merit at all requiring a supermajority in the Assembly to raise taxes, especially when revenue is needed. We shouldn't leave budgetary matters up to the voters, it could, and I fear, would turn into a disaster.

If the revenue was needed in such dire circumstances, would we not, or future assemblies, come together and vote for a tax increase?

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

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The bill is amended to read as such.

I motion shortening debate to 24 hours.

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

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The bill is amended to read as such.

I motion shortening debate to 24 hours.

I second this motion.

[redcommander]

I also support the motion.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Since we have achieved a majority, debate has been shortened until Monday, April 26th, 11:35 PM.

To those Assemblymen whom are online right now, I urge you to stay on a few more minutes to make the vote.

(I was looking at my clock, Day Light Savings, when posting this, so take that into account. It will still be in a few minutes.)

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

We will now begin a vote on the Sensible Budget Amendment.

Voting will continue for 24 hours, or until all Representatives have voted.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Aye.

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

Aye