Can there be peace?

Even discarding Fleabite's artistic manner and nostalgic approach, it can hardly be ignored that there is a very real concern here. I'm sure you are a benevolent King, but a King nonetheless. And I suspect you are dismayed when the populace of this wonderful creation of yours are so distraught. You Lindens have strived to give us everything we could want in a world, update after update, as it was within your power to do so. But I believe, as does Flea and do her compatriots, that it is now time for us to govern ourselves.

But how to go about this dramatic shift? One shouldn't be fooled into equating the /necessity/ of this change with the /ease/ of such a change. Here is how I propose it to be done:

A group may declare itself INDEPENDANT if it has the following:
1. A constitution simply outlining upon review a rational and effective model of self-governance.
2. Elected officials and a system of democratic election for electing and impeaching those officials.

(This is a hard task for any self-governing community, and will take time and effort. But I think it is necessary before handing over the reigns of leadership)

The following characteristics are to be evident of an INDEPENDANT group:

1. Initial land fees and object fees will still apply.
2. Taxes for objects and land will not go to the Lindens. They will instead be given to the group fund.
3. Records of tax collection and dispursion will be public.

Some problems deserve attention:

1. Voting booths are calculated over the entire world. If a group is to be independant, this is hardly in the spirit of independance. I see solutions:
1.a. leave voting booths as they are
1.b. disallow voting booths for independant groups
1.c. arrange a seperate pool for the independant group

2. Some people are very much satisfied with the current means of government and don't want to bring this element into their playing experience. I respect that. By no means should this be a mandatory world-wide scheme. Those who want to stay in the King's land and pay the King's taxes without representation should be allowed to do so by default. This will be a grand experiment with risks and possible rewards not everyone will be interested in.

3. Stipend! Can such a community in good conscience indulge in socialism with those not so committed? This may be a bitter pill to swallow, but the stipend for group members may need to be eliminated. To those of you looking on, this may assuage your fears that someone is demanding something for nothing! No taxation, but no stipend is more than fair in my opinion!

4. Linden intervention. It doesn't seem fair to have people in an independant group who do not pay taxes to the King depend on the King's men (and women!) when policing is needed. However, in some cases it's no longer a matter of GAMING, but a matter of Terms of Service. In cases where there is direct abuse of the TOS, the Lindens must do their job. Community matters, like zoning and so forth, should be dealt within the independant group.

In addition to the questions and comments arising from these suggestions, I have a further concern! There are two possible criteria for membership in a self-governing community: groups, and sims. Problems arise with each:

1. Groups. What's to keep people from simply evading taxes by joining a group as a tax shelter? In real life, there is a sense of land cohesion within a nation. Can a physically dispersed community operate as an independant body?

2. Sims. Let's say I wanted Tan to become a (PG, Independant) sim. I and my compatriots draft a constitution, elect officials, etc. But what about my neighbors? They may not to play this way. Will they have to 'cope' with the decision? That doesn't seem fair. Maybe this would have to be done with a brand-new sim. But an 'independance' themed sim would be fantastic. (Can Americana obtain a consensus within members of the whole sim to make it an 'independance' sim?)

OK. So it seems to me, at least, that self-governance must occur at some point. Otherwise Flea will stop building! As will I, and many of her friends. We demand independance! We demand the right to police our own streets, to collect our own taxes, to distribute our own grants! The only question in my mind is 'How to go about it?' Well, Lindens, what do you think? Can you accomodate us? There are many of us who will put full effort into making this a reality, and I am one of them!

LOL

What you independance and revolutionists fail to remember is that IT IS THE LINDENS IDEA TO HAVE YOU BE SELF GOVERNED.

It sounds like you've never read the Community Standards very closely.

check the section on Self Governance, and read about the proposed tools for 1.1. 1.1 will be a large step towards self governance but they are taking it slow so that it doesn't fail, WHICH IS VERY WISE.

so what are you fighting for again? Something they said they would give you from the beginning......


JV

Your friends are begging you.
Stop by in world and talk to one of the revolutionaries before you really make an idiot out of yourself.
We are not fighting the Lindens, remember.
We are after King George. The Mad Fat king that stuffs his face with false ideals and promises while shoving liberty into ours.

Crow

Yes Jon .....Please come and see one of us , we really need to talk !

Send me a PM, I had been losing interest slowly and not having enough time to log in anyways, but coming back to an Americana full of fire and tea crates really made it so I dont' wanna log in for a while.

I'll just go negative with my land that supports americana and deal with the mess when i feel like logging on.

JV

sent you a pm Jon ....hope you understand my ramblings