NationStates Jolt Archive

Confederal Chamber of Deputies

“The honourable deputy for Wintermore is recognized.” said Cahana Edulbehram, President of the Chamber of Deputies, as she looked towards the section of the Chamber delegated to the Progressive Democratic Party where Abigail Kennedy had risen from her seat. Two or three other deputies from various parties who had also risen resumed their own seats. They would have to wait. “For what purpose does the honourable deputy rise?”

“In exercise of the right of initiative.” Kennedy said.

“Without objection.” Edulbehram said, giving only the cursory of glances around the Chamber to see if there were in fact any objections. Most of the deputies were, in fact, working in the committees, the party caucuses or their own offices or meeting with other legislators, public officials, constituents or interest groups. Only a few dozen, scattered about the Chamber, were now about to listen to Mrs. Kennedy’s new bill.

Kennedy took her copy of the bill to one of the podiums near the front of the chamber, but still facing the President, and began to read. “First Confederal Assembly of the Resurgent Dream at the first session, begun and held in the city of New Amsterdam on the first of May two thousand and seven, an act, to enhance the quality of travel within between the Confederal Members, to protect the national infrastructure and to better ensure the safety and rights of all travelers on the Confederal Expressway System. Be it enacted by the Senate and by the Chamber of Deputies of the Confederated Peoples…”

Kennedy continued to read the bill in full. Its provisions included classifying the use of a Confederal Expressway to commit a Member or Confederal offense as in and of itself a Confederal offense and creating penalties for said offense, creating a Confederal Expressway Patrol to enforce Confederal and local laws on the Confederal Expressway System in cooperation with local law enforcement and a number of technical restrictions and regulations designed to prevent traffic accidents on the Confederal Expressway System. However, the most controversial item of the bill was one designed to prevent drunk driving related accidents resulting from people underage by the laws of one Member driving to a Member with a lower minimum age of alcohol consumption in order to obtain alcohol and then driving home drunk. The bill would make the creation of new Confederal Expressways within any Member’s territory and any Member’s receipt of Confederal transportation subsidies conditional upon the adoption of eighteen as the minimum age of alcohol consumption. This would likely force a universal minimum age of alcohol consumption throughout the Confederated Peoples, a radical change from the current situation where some Members had no minimum age at all and others had a minimum age as high as twenty-six with most Members having a minimum age of either eighteen or twenty-one.

After the bill had been read in full, Edulbehram said “Subject to revision as the business of the Chamber demands, the second reading and vote on general principles is scheduled for tomorrow, the seventeenth of June, at 2:45 PM. Provided that the general principles of the bill are affirmed by this Chamber, jurisdiction shall belong to the Standing Committee on Transportation. Without objection?” After another quick glance about the room, Edulbehram said “The honourable deputy will please file the bill with the Secretary of the Chamber.”

Confederal Chamber of Deputies

“The honourable deputy for Wintermore is recognized.” Edulbehram was once more saying although this time she was looking at Vladimir Bronshtein, sitting with the Conservative Democrats. “For what purpose does the honourable deputy rise?”

“To submit to this Chamber a proposed resolution recognizing the primacy of the parents in the upbringing of children. It was submitted to the Secretary yesterday and I believe that…” Bronshtein paused and shuffled a few papers. “Yes, it is Document 2 in the packet the Secretary has provided for today’s business.”

“The honourable deputy moves that Document 2 be passed as a resolution by this Chamber. Is there a second?” Edulbehram prompted.

“Second.” said Catherine Brodsky as she also rose from her seat near Bronshtein’s.

“The resolution has been moved and seconded.” Edulbehram noted. “I will allow two speakers for the resolution and two against and allot five minutes time for each speaker unless the discussion should make clear that the matter requires more extensive debate. Do I have two speakers for the resolution?” Bronshtein and Brodsky stood up along with a handful of other deputies. “The honourable deputies for Wintermore, Mr. Bronshtein and Ms. Brodsky. Do I have two speakers against?” Again, a number of deputies stood. “The honourable deputy for Aldensylvania, Mr. Kruschev, and the honourable deputy for Gandara, Mr. Madison.” Edulbehram decided, selecting one Democrat and one Liberal. “Mr. Bronshtein is now recognized.”

“Thank you, Madam President.” Bronshtein began. “I have submitted this resolution because I think that mothers and fathers have the most important jobs in the Confederated Peoples. Only a strong family can adequately prepare a boy or girl to become a man or woman in an increasingly dangerous world and I believe that many of the problems we are having in our society today are linked to a weakening of Confederal families and a tendency to place responsibility for children on social workers, educators, television, Caer Gawen, anyone but their parents. The family is the ultimate building block of society. It is recognized as such in the Declaration of Rights contained in our constitution. Article 15, Paragraph 16, Clause 3 of the Confederal Constitution states, quite explicitly, that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and by the state. Paragraph 25, Clause 2 states that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special protection. Paragraph 26, Clause 3 states that parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. This is all part of our most fundamental, our foundational, document. It is part of our highest law and it is included in that section of our Constitution containing, not instruments of governance and authority, but fundamental freedoms. The family is seen by our Constitution, not as some oppressive structure of authority or as some collection of people who happen to be related by blood but as integral and foundational to our individual liberties. I think that we tend to get away from that understanding in the daily business of legislating for a large, modern democratic state and that this resolution will help us to remember those principles and will serve as a sign of this Chamber’s support to the billions of hard-working but struggling Confederal parents out there. I reserve the balance of my time.”

((OOC: Just for the record, a lot of people are saying they are most satisfied with the performance of parties which have not yet appeared in the thread. I think people are just reading the names.))

cont. from above

“The honourable deputy for Aldensylvania is recognized.” Edulbehram said.

Pavolachi Kruschev rose. “Madam President, distinguished colleagues, this resolution, on the face of it, is meaningless. It is not a law. It has no binding effect of any kind. It has no more meaning than if we passed a resolution saying that we enjoyed peacock pie. This, in and of itself, is not unusual for this Chamber. We have certainly passed our share of resolutions merely expressing our appreciation for something or other. However, in every case, it has been for something specific enough to be meaningful. We passed a resolution, for example, expressing our appreciation for the Youth Civic Association of Ada for cleaning up all the litter dirtying the public parks of that city. We passed a resolution commemorating the founding of the city of Narich. However, this resolution is not one of those. It is general to the point of having no real meaning. The premise, that parenting is important, is so basic and so universally shared, that Mr. Bronshtein might as well introduce a resolution appreciating love or honour or justice or duty. The sentiment is, of course, shared by most of this Chamber. In fact, it is nearly universally shared and for that very reason, affirming it cannot be a meaningful act. And affirming it is not really what Mr. Bronshtein has in mind. What he seeks to do is to detract from the real social problems this country is facing with regard to youth and children by substituting meaningless platitudes for real policies. This resolution seeks to replace and to undermine policies considered by this Chamber and by the parliaments of the Members seeking to increase access to daycare, to increase women’s economic participation, to decrease domestic violence and to improve the quality of education. When Mr. Bronshtein says he appreciates parents, he means he relies on parents. And when he says he relies on parents, he means he isn’t willing to give working parents the help they need and deserve. I reserve the balance of my time.”

“The honourable deputy for Wintermore is recognized.” Edulbehram now said.

Catherine Brodsky stood. “Madam President, honourable deputies, I have, unfortunately, not yet had the opportunity to begin a family. However, that does not prevent me from recognizing that everything positive I have achieved in my life comes from the strength that my family gave me. I didn’t get my values from social programs or from the mass media and I certainly didn’t get them from our political leaders.” Brodsky paused and gave a small smile as one or two of the deputies couldn’t help chuckling some at their own expense. “I got them from my mother and my father. My mother was always there for us. She worked hard to make our lives easier and to keep the household running. My father was out there working long hours to make sure that the family had enough to live on. And both of my parents lived their lives according to the bedrock principles on which our society is built: Faith, family, country, integrity and hard work.”