A bill to ban non governmental officials from voting threads

[Platypus]

Is very much needed. Only senators and the VP would be allowed to post whilst a vote is in progress, and only people invited by a senator or a governmental official are allowed to post during a debate. There'd have to be a way that people could still express opinions, however (although it wouldn't be too difficult to get a senatorial invitation).

[??????????]

Is very much needed. Only senators and the VP would be allowed to post whilst a vote is in progress, and only people invited by a senator or a governmental official are allowed to post during a debate. There'd have to be a way that people could still express opinions, however (although it wouldn't be too difficult to get a senatorial invitation).

I definately agree with this. Maybe we can start a locked thread in which the public can add their opinion to a named bill?

[A18]

Dumb idea. What is the point to being a Citizen in this game if you can't even post your opinions?

[Peter]

I definately agree with this. Maybe we can start a locked thread in which the public can add their opinion to a named bill?

You probably mean a stickied thread since a locked thread would be as helpful as a poke in the eye.

For the record, this is an excellent idea. So I should probably get off this thread.

[??????????]

Dumb idea. What is the point to being a Citizen in this game if you can't even post your opinions?

Well we would have a link to the current bills at the start of the thread and the citizens could give their opinions of the bills at hand.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'll introduce the bill now if you want

[Platypus]

Obviously that isn't the bill, bttw, but as long as it keeps the same message, I'll be happy.

[Bono]

Is very much needed. Only senators and the VP would be allowed to post whilst a vote is in progress, and only people invited by a senator or a governmental official are allowed to post during a debate. There'd have to be a way that people could still express opinions, however (although it wouldn't be too difficult to get a senatorial invitation).

I agree, if we also inclue them prohibited from presenting bills in public.

[PBrunsel]

The President should be allowed to speak as well in a Senate debate.

[Platypus]

Is very much needed. Only senators and the VP would be allowed to post whilst a vote is in progress, and only people invited by a senator or a governmental official are allowed to post during a debate. There'd have to be a way that people could still express opinions, however (although it wouldn't be too difficult to get a senatorial invitation).

I agree, if we also inclue them prohibited from presenting bills in public.

I think people should be able to present bills, but maybe there should be a single, seperate thread for that and senators can choose whether to endorse any of the legislation proposed in that thread?

PB-yes, but not whilst a vote is in progress would be my preference; only those who can vote (and the VP) should be allowed to post during a vote.

[J. J.]

I'm not even sure if I can participate in this, but can the "debate thread" be locked to permit only members with debate right to participate?

Another option would be to have the chair reply by quoting the offending message and say "the posting is out of order as the poster is not a member?"

[Platypus]

or it could have voting priveledge detterents-as with real criminals, Atlasian criminals could miss 1, 2, 3 elections or something.

[Schmitz in 1972]

I don't like this bill, it's like banning the public from viewing Congressional debates on the balcony. Citiizens posting encourages participation in democracy IMO. We should be very thankful that Atlasia is populated by people who care about what's going on in the government unlike America

[KEmperor]

I don't like this bill, it's like banning the public from viewing Congressional debates on the balcony. Citiizens posting encourages participation in democracy IMO. We should be very thankful that Atlasia is populated by people who care about what's going on in the government unlike America

I'm all for participation, but do we let every joe blow walk onto the floor of the Senate and participate in the debate?  That would be a better analogy.

[Gabu]

I don't like this bill, it's like banning the public from viewing Congressional debates on the balcony. Citiizens posting encourages participation in democracy IMO. We should be very thankful that Atlasia is populated by people who care about what's going on in the government unlike America

I'm all for participation, but do we let every joe blow walk onto the floor of the Senate and participate in the debate?

Why not?  Many citizens have valuable input.  It'd be inconvenient for them and would serve no purpose other than to mimic reality for the sake of mimicking reality to not allow them to post in Senate topics.

[Sam Spade]

I don't like this bill, it's like banning the public from viewing Congressional debates on the balcony. Citiizens posting encourages participation in democracy IMO. We should be very thankful that Atlasia is populated by people who care about what's going on in the government unlike America

I'm all for participation, but do we let every joe blow walk onto the floor of the Senate and participate in the debate?  That would be a better analogy.

Why not?  After all, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then (and then the squirrel explodes with vigor and decisiveness).

And when you look at the threads here in fantasy government, its not like they're exactly cluttered with useless crap anyway (much less useful posts).

I just dislike the Senate trying to separate themselves from being able to back up their policies.

[Alcon]

Perhaps there could be some sort of rule regulating that senators make their posts in bold, and regular members in plain, unformatted text, using italics for emphasis?

[Gabu]

Perhaps there could be some sort of rule regulating that senators make their posts in bold, and regular members in plain, unformatted text, using italics for emphasis?

If a senator makes a sizeable post, reading something that looks like the senator is shouting the whole time might get a little tedious.

I don't think that we need to change a thing, myself.  Things are fine the way they are.

[Siege40]

Keeping the citizens out of the legislative process is a terrible idea, I oppose this whole heartedly.

Siege

[Colin]

Keeping the citizens out of the legislative process is a terrible idea, I oppose this whole heartedly.

Siege

Thank you Senator.