I was that for about two days. Not sure how but not much makes sense in this game. I'm back to NYT Democracy, even though my three tiered alignment stayed exactly the same.

I posted this in our region as well.....


How the hell did The Empire of Thawmus end up being #2 for Religion?

We don't even have an institutionalized religion!

Is everyone else an atheist state, or what???

One of today's issues...

The Issue
As crime rates rise, some in the community are calling for increased policing.

The Debate
"Just the other day, I got mugged in the broad daylight!" says ruffian Beth King. "And the ironic thing is I had just stuck up this other guy. When muggers are getting mugged, even I have to admit that crime has gotten out of control. We do need more police."



"The solution to crime is not more police!" says noted sociologist and occasional crime novelist Gregory Chicago. "Studies repeatedly show that crime is caused by poverty and poor education. Increase government spending in these areas, and crime will fall! Maybe not overnight, but it will happen."


"Yeah, good luck with that," says conservative leader and gun enthusiast Hack Bush. "Look, we do need more police, that's clear. But that's not enough. We need real punishments: sentences that will act as a genuine deterrent to people considering a life of crime. Like public floggings."

We Bartonellans are a hardy breed. Our punishments reflect that. So Speaks Big Chief JK.

I'm divided on the graffiti issue.

See, I'm oddly proud of crime being non-existent in my nation as well as there being no prisons (I'm guessing the two are related. ) so making it a jailable offense to vandalize might ruin that. The thing is I don't particularly like the idea of a bunch of property being defaced and vandalized.

Mind you, it would help if the "pro-graffiti" arguement didn't point out the greatness of the "racial expletives."

Near as I can tell, the idiot savants in Bjorkina Faso are going to stumble their way to world supremacy through a combination of random social initiatives, a bizarre embrace of the death penalty, and the totemic worship of whatever inanimate objects happen to catch their eyes. Django-Reinhardt has nothing going for it but vast tracts of rainforest...

#1 in Soda Sales! Yay!

This'll be interesting. Compassion and logistics clash here. I already know where this one is heading...2's not an option though.
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After several bloody conflicts in nearby regions, a stream of asylum-seekers and refugees has been spotted heading for Scordrag's shores.
The Debate

1. "Some of these people have endured terrible hardships to reach our borders," says International Red Cross spokesperson Roger Bush. "We must welcome these unfortunates with open arms. Let the world see that Scordrag does not turn its back on those in need!"
[Accept]

2. "These grasping freeloaders will swamp our culture and traditions!" argues talk-radio host Clint Jong-Il. "First they want welfare, next thing you know they're taking our jobs -- and you know they won't bother to learn our language. I say charity begins at home -- and this isn't their home. This is the world's problem, not ours."
[Accept]

3. Economics Professor Randy Gutenberg offers an alternative. "There is no question that we have to help those who reach out to us in their darkest hour. But on the other hand, we cannot help everybody. So let's just take the ones who are willing to keep our streets clean and our drains flowing in return for a subsistence wage."
[Accept]

That's definitely one of the better balanced issues I've seen.

It really is, I actually have to think for more than 2 seconds on it.

Dorothy Terwilliger lies immobilized in a hospital bed, unable to move. She has end-stage cancer, and wishes to end her struggle against death. However, laws prevent her doctors from obeying her wishes.

The Debate
Dorothy and her family are campaigning for a "Dying with Dignity" bill, to change this situation. She implores the government to legalize euthanasia.



"I understand this is a very difficult time for these people," says freelance medical writer Hope Mombota. "But the solution is not to let our medical system slide down the slippery slope of killing people in pain. We must cure, not kill. This is not the right time for euthanasia."




"I agree, but go further: there is never a right time for euthanasia," says Bishop Clint du Pont. "The lives we lead are given to us by the grace of God, and he decides when they end. It is not for us to question God's divine purpose, no matter how odd or screwed-up it may seem."

Big Chief JK is a caring leader, and desires to cure his people, and shall only smite them when they turn from the true path our ancestors set before us.

The Issue
After a recent survey discovered that nearly 40% of all citizens in Saralto are single, there has been an increasingly loud call for the legalisation of prostitution.

The Debate
"I just can't get a girl no matter what I do," laments acne-afflicted nerd, Sue-Ann Silk. "If the cops would just look the other way about prostitution, it'd make my life much easier. Yeah, I'd be risking all sorts of diseases, but it's my body isn't it?"
[Accept]


"We can't allow this to happen!" protests Dr. Al Steele, senior pathologist of Saralto's largest hospital. "Prostitution is a dangerous business and must remain illegal! People need to be more aware of the consequences that could follow like the risk of contracting HIV, chlamydia, or even syphilis. I say we get some funding for a large awareness programme on sexually transmitted diseases and maybe then people will act responsibly between the covers. It'll be expensive sure, but well worth it."
[Accept]


"Not so fast now!" interjects daring entrepreneur, Calvin Rifkin. "Why don't we just have the prostitution industry run by the government? By letting the government regulate prostitution, Saralto can force any patrons to undergo tests for diseases, make prostitutes have regular medical check-ups and pay a portion of their profits to the government. Of course we'd still have to put more policemen on the streets to keep illegal brothels from popping up and make sure the hospitals are equipped to handle the extra workload, but you can always raise taxes to account for that."
[Accept]

As an owner of a long-time family corporation this one is actually fairly interesting:

The Issue
Thousands of business men and women have taken to the streets in protest of their working conditions and pay. "It's not fair that we can't have a union," says Calvin Clinton, VP of Sales at SlothCorp. "Just because we make six figures doesn't mean we don't deserve overtime too! It's high time that the lower classes come to appreciate our hard efforts."

The Debate
Melbourne Hamilton, secretary of commerce, recommends you ignore these commies. "Free enterprise means not having to succumb to unions, and the world has enough unions already."
[Accept]


Sue-Ann Clinton, secretary of labor, advises you to adjust laws to allow white-collar unions. "It only makes sense that all of the workers in our nation have equal opportunity to benefit from the advantages of collective bargaining."
[Accept]


"Get these people out of the street!" advises Zeke Li, local police chief. "They're blocking traffic, and making it impossible for the common man to drive to the megamall!"
[Accept]


Finally, Right Reverend Buffy Love proclaims, "The downtrodden are suffering at the hands of the MAN, and these wealthy upper shelf vice presidents are asking to make the rich richer and the poor poorer! The only reason the common worker needs a union is to be able to fight against the oppression of these slave drivers! It's ludicrous that these greedy scrooges are asking for even MORE money! Send them packing and raise taxes on the wealthy to bring more equality to our nation!"
[Accept]


The last one -almost- has me except for the bit about raising taxes on the rich. If it had just been a case of "No, the CEO's can't have a union" that would be one thing but taxing them further just seems a tad...vindictive?

We're not eating our national animal. Let's see what loony toon description I'll get tommorow.

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

1. "The fact is, the dolphin population is out of control," says Beef-Based Agriculture spokesperson Konrad Winters. "We have to do something about them anyway, so why not market them as tasty snacks? We could have dolphin kebabs, dolphin pies, dolphin-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 dolphin over-population," says random passer-by Sue-Ann Gutenberg, "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 Al Jones. "If anyone needs to be culled, it's us humans. The dolphins were here first, remember? We need to take this as a sign to get our industry--agriculture in particular--to back off. The dolphin is part of what makes Scordrag a great nation!"

Economy's going to suffer most likely.

The Issue
Last night the respected tabloid TV show "60 Minutes" ran a report on Bartonella's rising divorce rate. What is happening to the nuclear family?

The Debate
"There's a simple solution," says Pastor Felix, of the Catholic Church. "Divorce should be illegal. 'For better or worse,' anyone remember how that goes? We should return to the good old days, when you got married for life and stuck by your partner no matter how much of a drunken, abusive, adulterating disappointment they turned out to be."


John Black, author of the hit book, 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Some Whole Other Place,' has a simpler solution. "If couples would just call each other 'darling' once in a while, there would be far fewer relationship breakdowns. A little affection is all it takes. So the government should make it mandatory: call your spouse 'darling' at least once a day, or face a fine."



"There's a simple way to boost the marriage rate," says gay rights activist Samuel Jones. "Abolish those arcane laws that discriminate against same-sex marriages. It's obscene to treat people differently because of their sexual preference. Besides, everyone knows gay relationships are more stable than straight ones."

You will love your spouse in Bartonella, or Big Chief JK will personally come down and kick your ###!