[h=5]The Issue[/h] As Vandoosa continues to grow, so too does its government. The number of politicians needed to administrate and legislate the country is rapidly surpassing the Houses of Parliament's capacity with ministers often requiring periscopes to see the House Speaker. Some are suggesting a new building be built in another city - a city which would then be designated as the capital city of Vandoosa.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"I would like to make a humble recommendation for my own proud jurisdiction," says Gregory Will, mayor of one of Vandoosa's major cities. "It would be an honour for our city to be host to the seat of power! If it will seal the deal, you can change the name if you like..."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"Hah! Capital city indeed!" shouts Brian Yeats, a fervent anarchist, spilling leaflets all over the floor. "What's wrong with being free as the wind? Do you really think one city could possibly represent a whole country? Its people? I've had enough of the man trying to screw us down all the time! Say NO to a national capital!"
"I can accept and even approve of having a capital city," says Margaret Leach, a military strategist. "But we'd be putting all our eggs in one basket if we choose somewhere too vulnerable! Believe me, capitals always get the brunt of the enemy attack because of their political and economic importance. We should put aside a few billion Ceks and build our capital city underground. They'll never bomb us there!"
"I've got an idea," says theme park tycoon, Lindsay Tew. "My company will happily sponsor the new establishment and cover all costs - as long as it's made to our specifications. We've already got plans drawn up to put a roller coaster straight through the House of Commons! A cafe, some kiosks for ice cream... maybe even a water slide or two in the lobby! It'll be one part legislative seat of government, one part family-fun theme park! Tourists will flock from around the globe!"
"What's wrong with the old building?" asks Abraham Bush, a noted disestablishmentarian. "We don't need some kind of fancy capital city just to make the bigwig ministers feel important! If there's no room, then fire politicians until there IS room. Have you never heard of doing more with less?"
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.
Ohhh snaps. Here it is. The one we'd all love to see in real life...
Increasing reports of child abuse and neglect in The Silver Winter has prompted local pressure groups to call for 'parental licences'.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"You need a licence to keep Dire Wolfs or drive a car," points out local current affairs commentator, Xu Bush. "So why should just any random idiot get to be a mother or father? It just doesn't make sense! If all potential parents had to pass tests to prove they're responsible enough, I'm sure you'd find that it would help decrease the level of child abuse, and increase proper discipline in the home."
"This is madness!" screams Ryan Wong. "You can't deny perfectly good people the right to bring life into this world! Dire Wolfs manage it easily enough, and you can't tell me they've got more responsibility than your average upstanding citizen of The Silver Winter! The government should keep out of such matters - I've always said social workers and welfare was a drain on the budget. Yes, there will be some sad cases of neglect, but shouldn't we be giving parents the benefit of the doubt?"
"The answer to this problem is patently obvious," says Britney Utopia, your minister of Social Welfare. "The government simply needs to give more funding to the welfare department so that we can recruit more social workers to carry out regular checks on parents and judge whether or not they're doing a good job of looking after their children. It'll be expensive, but at least it's a damn sight fairer than licensing parents."
This Star Wars fan has a good point.. Vandoosa must build a death star!
[h=3]Government Acts[/h] [h=5]The Issue[/h] The various branches of Vandoosa's military brought their budget petitions to your attention and, as usual, they are all asking for widespread increases over the rest of the military departments.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"Clearly the army requires the greatest increase in funds this year," says Field Marshal Sarah Plath. "After all, wars were never won by air or sea and in this dangerous world we must be able to protect the interests of Vandoosa. Currently our men get hand-me-down weapons, rations I wouldn't feed a pig - the army is increasingly looking like a bad career option and we can't have that. If we're going to get recruits, we need more funding to support our brave lads in their duty."
"Hah! It's the Navy who needs the money, mate," says Grand Admiral Wil Rubin. "The army and the police forces can protect us domestically, but can they protect us from having our foreign trade cut off? Can they protect us from terrorists and pirates? How are the soldiers going to get to the enemy's borders? Swim? I think not. Fund us, the Navy, the true protectors of Vandoosa!"
"Despite the statements of my colleagues," says Naki Clinton, Marshal of the Air Force. "The Air Force requires more money than these men playing around with boats. We are increasingly seeing terrorists taking to the air, and more ships or guns are not going to stop that. Our people will only be safe when the Air Force has the power it needs to defend us - and for that we need more funding and more government support for industries geared towards the development of new aircraft."
"You're all thinking too small!" exclaims Rochelle Trax, an avid Star Wars fan. "What we need is more research into the possibilities of space weapons! Big laser cannon and satellites with complete annihilation power! And cool spaceships! Boom! Rat-a-tata! Bang! Bang! It'll be expensive, sure, but think of the power! THE POWER!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"It's simply not good enough!" wails Virginia Barry, the Minister of Defence. "It's not about the money - it's the manpower. Not enough people by far are signing up! All we seem to be getting nowadays are drunks and people who volunteered for a dare. The current conscription laws need to be either more strictly enforced or drastically rewritten. What I propose is a universal draft: everyone capable of pulling a trigger should become a part of the Army, Navy or Air Force. Only in this way can we ensure the dominance of Vandoosa in the region."
"The military is a stain on the peace-loving nature of our nation!" cries Brian King, while sporting a Rastafarian hat. "People should be allowed to choose what they do for a living! Conscription is wrong and I don't see why our tax Ceks should go to such a despicable cause! The money should be going to more important places - like our pockets!"
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 4.
After several bloody conflicts in nearby regions, a stream of asylum-seekers and refugees has been spotted heading for The Silver Winter's shores.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"Some of these people have endured terrible hardships to reach our borders," says International Red Cross spokesperson Buy Summers. "We must welcome these unfortunates with open arms. Let the world see that The Silver Winter does not turn its back on those in need!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"These grasping freeloaders will swamp our culture and traditions!" argues talk-radio host Roxanne Brown. "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."
Economics Professor Roger Goethe 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."
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.
[h=5]Isabellas brother is evil.. 3 times he has come up with deliciously evil ideas now..
The Issue[/h] A group of concerned parishioners and soccer moms has petitioned the government of Vandoosa to outlaw heavy metal music, which they fear is a bad influence on youngsters.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"Heavy metal music is a plague in our good nation and its God-fearing people!" argues local priest and easy listening advocate Evan Steele. "Just the other day, I heard a song by some group called Hell's Irate Puppies with a sinful quantity of bass and drum... oh, and there were probably some lines about killing parents, too, I'd imagine! It's vital that we ban this music, and remove this terrible influence from our children's lives! Think of the children!"
"Whoa, man... what's with the, like, censorship and stuff?" asks Colin Broadside, scruffy-haired bassist of the popular speed metal band The Destroyinators. "You can't, like, censor the music, man. That's how we express ourselves! Every bass beat is me baring my soul! Every howl is me complainin' about how my parents tried to kick me out of their basement! Besides, what's wrong with Satan? He's just misunderstood anyway. I say promote the arts, man!"
"You know, this heavy metal issue has me thinking," says Alexei Cheswick, your brother, over your weekly game of cribbage. "If these long-haired freaks want to put out their devil-worshipping metal, why don't we let them? Of course, we'll put a little subliminal propaganda into every song... after all, don't these guys owe their freedom of expression to you?"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 3.
I'm just glad that I don't have the highest crime rate in the nation of Iwaku! Granted I may be the third most crime ridden country, but at least I am not the worst! XD
I am disappointed that only 2% of my citizen deaths are from capital punishment...
Looks like the Olympics are on us this time! Now everyone can visit and enjoy our government run society!
[h=5]The Issue[/h] Enthusiastic sports fans have been petitioning the government all week to apply for the much-coveted honour of hosting the next Regional Olympics. While most citizens are excited at the prospect of a Glorious Nations of Iwaku-wide competition in their own country, some have expressed reservations about the enormous expense hosting would incur.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"WAHAAAAY!" screams Lauren Wong, captain of Serico's premier division ballroom dancing team. "Finally, a chance to show the world exactly how great I am! Everybody's always complaining that Vandoosa never does well in sports and you know why? It's because we're never in front of the home crowd, that's why! We're going to need a great big stadium! No! TWO stadiums! WHOOP! OL-YM-PICS! OL-YM-PICS!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"Oh great," mutters Peter Dodinas, spokesperson for the Angry Taxpayer Society. "That's all we need, more things to pour money into for no obvious reason. Surely it would be easier to just let another country host the Olympics and keep the cash? Then maybe it could go to something useful, like, I don't know... my wallet?"
"We'd be missing an amazing opportunity if we pass this up," says Rochelle Utopia, your Minister of Sports. "But we've got to be in it to win! Simply building new stadia won't be enough, we need to be funding new sports centres and hiring the best coaches for our entrants! You could put more money into public facilities too, like gyms or something. Then no one can accuse you of wasting everyone's tax Ceks, ha ha. Ha."
"There's nothing like a feat of strength to please the dull-witted masses, is there?" sighs Violet Barry, flipping through 'One Hundred Gambits for Advanced Go Players'. "It's so boring. Why can't more intellectual pursuits be given the spotlight, like chess or debating matches? Ban organised sports and make our dreams come true! I think you'll find it comes at a far lower price than the populist Olympics ever will."
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.
[h=5]The Issue[/h] Several underground organisations in Vandoosa have recently been spreading discontent throughout the populace about not being able to vote.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"We demand the power to rule the country the way we want!" cries Beth Li while being dragged before you in chains. "Too long have you and your dictatorial government been allowed to control our lives! The right to vote in a fair and free election is all we crave! You can take our lives, but you'll never take our souls! Elections for Vandoosa!"
"If you'll take my advice, we should just send these crazies down to the dungeons," murmurs Aaron Neumann, one of your political advisors. "If we let them spread this propaganda we'll soon have a revolution on our hands! We should crack down on these groups, and ban non-governmental political organisations to keep the people from getting too frisky with their pitchforks."
"There's no need to be quite so dramatic," assures Charles de Castro, your minister of Silly Walks as he pinwheels past. "We could let them have their way a little, just to keep them happy, you know? We could give them the right to vote, but not the right to run for office. Then we could just pick out the candidates we wanted and they could choose! We've been doing this for years, we don't want some uppity new bloke trying to tell us what to do."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 3.
Wanted to pick option 1... but everyone won't know what they are doing! they might hurt themselves!
Increasing reports of child abuse and neglect in SuperiorCat has prompted local pressure groups to call for 'parental licences'.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"You need a licence to keep house cats or drive a car," points out local current affairs commentator, Lauren Bronte. "So why should just any random idiot get to be a mother or father? It just doesn't make sense! If all potential parents had to pass tests to prove they're responsible enough, I'm sure you'd find that it would help decrease the level of child abuse, and increase proper discipline in the home."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"This is madness!" screams Buy de Groot. "You can't deny perfectly good people the right to bring life into this world! house cats manage it easily enough, and you can't tell me they've got more responsibility than your average upstanding citizen of SuperiorCat! The government should keep out of such matters - I've always said social workers and welfare was a drain on the budget. Yes, there will be some sad cases of neglect, but shouldn't we be giving parents the benefit of the doubt?"
"The answer to this problem is patently obvious," says Imogen O'Bannon, your minister of Social Welfare. "The government simply needs to give more funding to the welfare department so that we can recruit more social workers to carry out regular checks on parents and judge whether or not they're doing a good job of looking after their children. It'll be expensive, but at least it's a damn sight fairer than licensing parents."
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.
This should help keep my citizens from being the dumbest around.
Really tempted by option 1 and 4... but will go with 3.. As long as our retired general gets into power we still win!
[h=5]The Issue[/h] A coup in a neighbouring country has seen a mercenary force led by retired Vandoosaian general Daniel Sato take charge of the peaceful backwater, purging the opposition and suppressing freedoms. Despite the new leader making a dubious promise to hold elections, the government in exile is demanding that Vandoosa take action.
[h=5]The Debate[/h]
"THIS IS A DISGRACE," bellows Brigadier General Erica McKay, scattering plastic soldiers over the floor. "This traitor must be overthrown! Gather together our forces and sweep the tyrant from power. While we're at it, Vandoosa could do with some more tanks - you never know when the next coup might be."
Lara Hamilton, a junior official, puts down "Diplomacy for Dummies" and pipes up. "The best method of solving problems is talking. Send the new regime a strongly worded letter of protest and encourage them to negotiate. On a similar note, perhaps you could take your spouse out for a meal tonight. You've been spending far too much time sorting out this nation's issues lately."
Noted realist and tabloid columnist Roxanne Harishchandra disagrees. "We should give this new regime a chance. After all, they now control a sizeable economy, and they need weapons - we could offer to recognise the new government if they agreed to buy arms from us. Also, I couldn't help but notice some protesters outside your office. We wouldn't want a coup happening here - everyone would feel safer if they were moved on."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
"I don't see what the problem is," a voice strangely like your own whispers in your ear. Your twin, standing far too close for comfort, continues, "this has given me a great idea - why not just declare yourself supreme leader of Vandoosa? After all, the people do love you so very much."
[h=5]The Government Position[/h] The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 3.
Vandoosa