NationStates Jolt Archive

Exerpt From The Forge Financial Report

Over the past few months, we have seen things go from bad to worse in our fledgling nation. Hundreds of small and medium sized businesses which thrived a year ago are today being forced to close shop. Larger corporations are being forced to downsize, putting thousands out of work. Our unemployment rate has soured over the past 11 months, from 1% to 11%. It is estimated that some two million people are out of the job. We have a trade deficit of some 10 billion credits, and we have seen the value of our currency decreased to a seventh of its original value. Our government, in a desperate scramble for additional funds, has raised our annual income tax from a comfortable 11% to an outrageous 21%.
We must now admit to ourselves that the Dominion is in a state of deep recession. Now is the time for the government to step up and account for their blatant missmanagement of our economy. Why, good Directoress? Why have we fallen so low?

Due to public outcry, The Directoress Alitsia de Viennois has issued this statement:

My fellow citizens of the Universalist Totality. It is true what is being said. Our Dominion has regretably slid into recession. I implore you, however, not to panic. This is a temporary condition, and I can assure you that the situation will be remedied. It is difficult in such hard times for the common man to trust his government. I ask you to steel yourselves, and give me your trust. Over the past three years, we have poured billions into a comprehensive social safety net, as we have acertained that the welfare of our citizens takes priority over the economic growth of our nation. Today we live in a nation where no man will starve, or ever be homeless, where the people need not fear for their safety, or for the safety of their possessions, where every young man and woman may go to university and attain an education, without worrying about outrageous tutition fees and overly expensive books. We have created a model of society unrivaled in the history of mankind, the kind of society that we have all dreamed of for so long. This does obviously have its reprecutions. Our fragile economy has not yet caught up to that which we demand of it. We have made radical changes, and yes, the economy suffers. This is not a long term situation. Already, I and my cabinet are hard at work creating new jobs and bringing in foreign investors. We have created a great thing. Give me your trust, and help me see it through to the end. Thank you for your attention.

http://images.snapfish.com/33%3B47%3C4323232%7Ffp64%3Dwp%3E232%3B%3D77%3A%3D893%3DXROQDF%3E2323597%3B2%3C649wp1lsi

Alitsia de Viennois, Directoress

Unfortunatly, this was too little for a substantial part of the population. They cried out for new leadership, and finally, The Directoress was forced to call an election. The oppistion within the National Assembly rallied into one unified camp, which they duely named the Forge Conservative Coalition (FCC). The group elected Senator Dimitri Draconia as their leader, and he gave his own address to the nation soon after:

Our great Universalist Assembly has suffered through three years of neglect. The current administration has managed to destroy our economy, destroy our job security, destroy our currency. And what solution have they found to our pressing problems? A 10% tax hike. Our money buys us less and less, and the government is taking more and more. This situation must stop. I appeal to the citizens of the Dominion to stand up for themselves, and demand change. Vote for the FCC, and we will give you prosperity. If we are elected to government, we shall end this recession, and in short time put the D.U.T. on the road to becoming an economic powerhouse. This safety net which we are all forced to enjoy will no longer be necessary. All citizens will have jobs that pay well. We will not bleed you to death with outrageous taxes. We will give you back your financial freedom. The 42 billion credits that are currently being poured into welfare and relief programs will be redirected to small and medium businesses, to outward investment, to economic growth. Vote for the FCC, my friends. Do not be fooled into giving up your right to prosperity. Vote for the FCC, and we will take away your woes, and make you once again proud to be Universalists.

http://images.snapfish.com/33%3B5864723232%7Ffp63%3Dwp%3E232%3B%3D77%3A%3D893%3DXROQDF%3E23235%3A74%3A537%3Bwp1lsi

Dimitri Draconia, Chairman of the FCC

OK Folks, Please Cast Your Votes! Any comments are welcomed.

bump for votes

OOC

21% tax rate? Ours is above 60%!

OOC

21% tax rate? Ours is above 60%!

Communist. :D

Announcement from the Central Authority
The Colony of Social Progressionists firmly announces its support for the government of Alitsia de Viennois whos policies have reflected a compassionate and logical effort to better society.
I, the First Minister, can only conclude that the FCC is the result of desperate corporate efforts within the Universalist Totality to benefit themselves rather than the people as a whole in the face of your nation's recession.
We hope that you nations does not stray from the path it has walked to date.
Good Journey.

The Dominion of Kanuckistan does not offically involve itself with the internal affairs of forgine nations.

However, in light of this economic depression, Government officals have begun taking action to help facilitate the import of Universalist Totality goods despite Kanuckistan's notoriously draconian border policies, especially in these times of war.

With a frighteningly powerful economy and a population more than a hundred times greater than Universalist Totality, it's hopes that these small measures will translate into a real, tangible improvment in this friendly nation's lot.


OOC:
Nice having friends with huge domestic markets, eh?

Our imports are cheifly luxaries and entertainment, BTW.

bump for more votes (sorry guys, I don't have time to reply to your messages right now, I'm kind of busy, but be sure I'll respond later tonight or tomorrow morning.)

To Alexander Mangan of The Colony of Social Progressionists

Dear sir,
I and my cabinet would like to sincerely thank you for your moral support during this election. We seem to share a common outlook as to how a nation should be governed, we seem to have the same ideals and vision of society. We would be honored to call you and your people friends of the Dominion. I therefore ask that you consider an exchange of ambassadors between our two nations, and the establishment of permanent diplomatic ties between us. I await your reply. God be with you.

AdV.

To The Central Authority of Kanuckistan

My dear friends,
Once again, you have proven yourselves to be invaluable allies. I thank you wholeheartedly for opening your markets to our export goods, the boost to our fragile economy has been absolutely phenomanal. With this gesture, you have given us the means to rise up from the recession which we must currently suffer. How will we ever repay you for all that you have done for us?

Our main export to your territory is currently precious stones, both in their finished and crude states. We do have an overubandance of these things here on Forge, and I must say that our Jewelers' Guild, though small, is perhaps one of the finest throughout the galaxy. If this situation is agreeable with you, than we shall continue our current pattern of export. If not, please advise. I await your input. God be with you, my good friends.

Yours,

AdV.

ooc: Should I add you to my list of trade partners?

A small update

The economic situation in the D.U.T appears to be slowly stabilizing, and Alitsia's government has recently provided its citizens with a 4% tax cut.

To Alexander Mangan of The Colony of Social Progressionists

Dear sir,
I and my cabinet would like to sincerely thank you for your moral support during this election. We seem to share a common outlook as to how a nation should be governed, we seem to have the same ideals and vision of society. We would be honored to call you and your people friends of the Dominion. I therefore ask that you consider an exchange of ambassadors between our two nations, and the establishment of permanent diplomatic ties between us. I await your reply. God be with you.

AdV.

Reply from the First Minister

The Colony of Social Progressionists is proud to call the Totality friend. An ambassador has been dispatched from our home on Ganymede to the planet Forge.
We welcome your ambassador in due course.

Official Guardean Statement: Ministry of Commerce | Ministry of Foreign Relations

The Sovereign Monarchy of Frostguarde would like to encourage the current administration of the Directoress Alitsia de Viennois with a proposition for future trade between our nations.

Vast population and heavy development in our great nation has led to a scarcity in raw materials for our vast manufacturing sectors and factories. We would be pleased to purchase lumber or any other raw capital goods your fair planet of Forge could offer us. While most of our goods are produced domestically, we could also make use luxury products that may be native only to Forge.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations would also seek to call Universalist Totality a friend and ally and would be eager to exchange ambassadors in an effort to help end Frostguarde's era of self-isolation. They Ministry would also like to offer apologies for not contacting your nation when we first learned of your existence.

We wish you well and hope you will consider our proposition, signed:
Celia White, Vice Ministress of Commerce | Diego Washington, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations

[OOC: Wouldn't you know that the normal ministers are both out of the country when I want to use them?]

There are two things that the FFC could do to sort out your nation's economy.

Monetarism
Inflation needs to be kept low and stable, and so you should set an inflation target range. We have a target range of 1 to 3% (Although it is currently about 3.1434%). To control inflation you need to restrict money supply, and so you need to control it's demand. This is done through raising and lowering interest rates in order to control the cost of borrowing money.

Supply Side Economics
In order to increase the real GDP per head in your nation you need to increase the supply of goods and services in your economy. To get to the basics, the factors of production are: 1) Land, 2) Labor, 3) Capital, and 4) Enterprise. For Land, there is probably a limited amount of land and natural resouces in your nation anyway, so you should not bother with land policies. For Labor, you need to create a labor market situation where it is easy for companies to hire an fire workers, and so you should abolish any labor regulations such as the minimum wage and the maximum working week. For Capital, you could introduce a government bond system where the goverment gives out loans to businesses so that they can invest in capital resources. For Enterprise, you should make it look attractive for people to start up businesses and so create jobs. This means you should keep the top rate of tax low and you should offer tax incentives to new businesses. You could also improve standards in education. This would involve the introduction of league tables and the partial marketisation of the school system, involving the introduction of variable school fees up to a certain level.

Magdalen Helena Thatcher, Prime Minister

Reply from the First Minister

The Colony of Social Progressionists is proud to call the Totality friend. An ambassador has been dispatched from our home on Ganymede to the planet Forge.
We welcome your ambassador in due course.

ooc:I've add you to my international relations list. If you're interested in an overview of the D.U.T's relations, just follow the link in my sig. ;)

To Celia White and Diego Washington of Frostguarde, Greetings and Salutations

I thank you very much for contacting us. We would be pleased to exchange ambassadors with your fine nation, and hope that this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between our two nations.
We are also pleased to inform you that the D.U.T. will begin the immediate export of raw resources and precious metals to Frostguarde. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope to hear from you soon.

AdV.

There are two things that the FFC could do to sort out your nation's economy.

Monetarism
Inflation needs to be kept low and stable, and so you should set an inflation target range. We have a target range of 1 to 3% (Although it is currently about 3.1434%). To control inflation you need to restrict money supply, and so you need to control it's demand. This is done through raising and lowering interest rates in order to control the cost of borrowing money.

Supply Side Economics
In order to increase the real GDP per head in your nation you need to increase the supply of goods and services in your economy. To get to the basics, the factors of production are: 1) Land, 2) Labor, 3) Capital, and 4) Enterprise. For Land, there is probably a limited amount of land and natural resouces in your nation anyway, so you should not bother with land policies. For Labor, you need to create a labor market situation where it is easy for companies to hire an fire workers, and so you should abolish any labor regulations such as the minimum wage and the maximum working week. For Capital, you could introduce a government bond system where the goverment gives out loans to businesses so that they can invest in capital resources. For Enterprise, you should make it look attractive for people to start up businesses and so create jobs. This means you should keep the top rate of tax low and you should offer tax incentives to new businesses. You could also improve standards in education. This would involve the introduction of league tables and the partial marketisation of the school system, involving the introduction of variable school fees up to a certain level.

Magdalen Helena Thatcher, Prime Minister

ooc: Whom are you addressing?

ooc: Whom are you addressing?

I am addressing your nation, about what the opposition could do if they got into power.

ooc: Should I add you to my list of trade partners?

OOC:
Sure.

Reminds me; I've been meaning to compose a list of general imposts/exports and stick it in a storefront thread.

To Celia White and Diego Washington of Frostguarde, Greetings and Salutations

I thank you very much for contacting us. We would be pleased to exchange ambassadors with your fine nation, and hope that this marks the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between our two nations.
We are also pleased to inform you that the D.U.T. will begin the immediate export of raw resources and precious metals to Frostguarde. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope to hear from you soon.

AdV.

Frostguarde thanks you for your business and friendship. God willing, perhaps our two nations will one day be great allies. As you read this, we have sent an ambassador from our homeworld to Forge. She is a skilled diplomat and should represent us well on your planet. Her name is Amy Laura Kroth.

- Diego Washington, Foreign Relations

I am addressing your nation, about what the opposition could do if they got into power.

You're addressing my nation over the heads of my government? That's interesting.......not to mention highly illegal. Are you trying to start a war?

Votes please? I was hoping for at least 20. :(

As the polls on Forge closed, and the votes were counted, it became clear that the Directoress had swept the elections. When the votes were all counted, and final results were officialy announced, Alitisia de Viennois had won the election by an amazing 75% of votes cast. The FCC had been badly beaten, the people's faith in their Directoress affirmed. Alitsia gave the following short address to the nation from her election headquarters in Salvation:

My fellow Universalists, thank you!
Today, you have said no to the Conservative conspirators who would tear down all that we have built over the past few years. Today you have said yes to an elightened vision of society and government which had brought us all here in the first place. By your votes, the Universalist way of life will be preserved. Already, we are slowly working our way out of the recession which the opposition used as their excuse to disrupt our system. It is only a matter of time before our economy adjusts to our way of life, and begins to flourish once again. To ease the burden in these difficult times, I have reduced your annual tax by 4%. I have also finalized export agreements with the nations of Kanuckistan and Frostguarde. We shall continue to grow, and we shall prosper. Thank you, my friends, my neighbors, my fellow Universalists, for putting your faith in me! Let us go forward now, together, and build this nation which we all love and cherish. God be with you all!

No member of the FCC was available for comment.