A few things to think about.. in layman terms...

I'm still without internet at home, but I promise I'm reading everything in the Neualt forum from work as I get a chance. Over the past week, I've seen a lot of frustration, and I think a large part of this frustration is coming from our newer citizens, and some from those who have been around the project a while, but not since the beginning. So I just wanted to take a few minutes to put out my thoughts on a few things, and I hope maybe it will help with some of the frustration. Also, as a member of the RA, it is partly my service role to promote the city. It is much easier to promote the city if people understand what we are all about.

One bit of frustration I see is in citizens trying to understand our Government. Those who may be banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why the wording, the checks and balances, and the branches just do not seem like a democracy, can give your poor heads a rest! You are *not* crazy. The Neualtenburg Government is *not* a Democracy. It is not even really a Social Democracy (though it was founded on one).

In a nutshell, the Government is a mixture of many different types of governments that the founding citizens created together. The goal in mind was to create a new type of government that would work well in an online environment. So if it doesn't seem like any government you have seen before, it is simply because it isn't.

This Government is in place, and it *is* working. However, one of the long term goals for the project is to see other sims attached to Neualtenburg that will establish their own types of government. One could be a democracy, another could be a monarchy, and so on. The possibilities are endless. Some in the current Neualt city and government may move over to one of the other sims one day. It would not be much different than moving to a different country in RL.

Another great thing about Neualt is that you do *not* have to be a part of the government to be a citizen. Some citizens may join the project simply to create things. That is why the guild exists. And *anyone* can join the guild. The RA is elected, the SC is appointed, but you can be a member of the guild almost the minute you create your first prim in Neault. The guild is where our creators who don't like messing with politics can go. And you don't even have to do that. You can be a citizen and just do your own thing. As long as you abide by our Constitution and Laws, you are free to just relax and enjoy the city in your own way. Of course it would be great if you at least voted when the RA terms come up for re-elections, but even that is your right to do or not to do.

So not every citizen has to be involved with the government, but I do think it would be neat to do some classes from time to time that will help new citizens better understand (and in more layman terms) how our city, government, and project work and what our on-going goals are.

There are some of my thoughts for what they are worth!

Thank you for that easy-to-read posting, Pendari. I've been absent from the forum precisely because politics was giving me a huge headache.

I'd very much like to return to my original objective in taking part in Neualt which was to help create and maintain a land with the old Bavaria theme. Since I'm thinking seriously about moving to an island I offer my new land in advance as an adjunct for an experiment in absolute monarchy. I shall be the Queen, of course, and I shall expect presents.

Well as Ulrika pointed out (I think it was her), there are lots of folks who use the "D" word and essentially mean different things by it.

A part of the original impetus for my posts was based on the idea that we were suposed to be what people might refer to as a "freely elected democratic government" and previous to my posts I heard folks saying that this was the case. So it's interesting to hear you say that we aren't. I dont really think we are either in that the unelected branches kind of sit "on top" of the elected part by virtue of the veto IMO.

In the structure as I now see it, the RA acts almost like a kind of "city management" team like a group of city councilors and do not hold any power beyond that. Soooo... that is actually fine, it's just not how I was thinking it was designed to be at the time. I am actually interested in all kinds of government from a stricly academic kind of point of view, so the impression that some might have got that I was a true blue American Style Democrat or whatever and wanting to change everything is not entirely true, although I do favour a government with more control for the elected body as I have said.

If folks agree with me maybe some day that will change, if not then it won't. Not a huge deal, but I would not be honest or true to my own convictions if I did not bring it up. I dont like "yes men" and nodding "agree-ers" myself, so I always expect that others dont either. In person I find I am much more agreeable in that i seem to be afraid of folks not liking me or something, but on the forums you can always expect me to speak my mind, and I rarely give up on an argument.

I was mostly worried about the very real potential (as I saw it), for just a few unelected individuals to basically control the Government given the current structure, and NO, I am *not* saying that anyone is doing that now or has any plans to do so, and it's *not* a personal attack on any current members and so forth, it's was just a hypothetical argument based on how I saw the structure. I also thought that if we advertise that we are "creating a virtual government" and some RL political scientist came along and looked at it, they might not view it in as serious light as it deserves. I want it to be a serious *real* government that actually operates in a virtual world as I think most others do as well.


I am pretty much happy with the Government as it exists, with the exception of thinking that the veto in it's current form is not necessary, and (technically), makes the democratic, elected branch (the RA) much less powerful than the other two. Again, my opinion only, but a considered one based on the facts as I see them.

I don't know about classes, but I would certainly be interested in producing explanatory materials in regards our Government sytem as I think I have a bit of a talent for producing that sort of explanatory material (you might not think so from all the confusion I generated perhaps ), and would also still like to be involved in "tightening up" the language in the founding documents if anyone ever agrees with me that it might be necessary.

I strongly disagree with the assertion that the democratically elected branch of the government is the weakest. It is the only branch that has the ability to create laws and budgets. It has a tremendous amount of power. So much so, that the other branches have a veto to keep this power in check in case a law or budget is unfair, unjust, or unwise. (Democracies do bad things more often than one would think they would.)

Note that this same balance exists will all the other branches as well. Everyone keeps everyone in check. This was specifically designed to prevent the abuse that's so common in virtual governments.

~Ulrika~

In my own opinion, "democracy" is a bit of shell game; it no more guarantees a just society - or even one I'd consider livable - than any other form of government. What's important, to my mind, is that the government remain responsible to the citizens that comprise it, through means short of open revolt.

Being something of a rational anarchist at heart and a minarchist in practice, I also prefer it if said government has as many brakes on its power as possible; I prefer King Log to King Stork. Thus, the fact that the SC and the Guild have significant veto power doesn't bother me; I'd be more bothered if they didn't.

But most importantly: as opposed to RL governments, we all choose to join Neualtenburg, or not to; if you (generic you) didn't give the laws a good look before joining, nobody's fault but your own.

I dunno.
Perhaps I exaggerate for emphasis then, or something.
Too hot to argue about it anyway.

.