NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_proposal1/match=transparency

Being a young nation situated in a recently discovered region, Fornicationalia was proud of the honor of being designated the regional UN delegate. Seeking to better humanity's lot, our delegates sprung into action with superlatively youthful vim and vigor, combing our minds and regional sewage pipes for progressive new ideas to turn into UN proposals. A junior assistant to senior seasonal intern in charge of public nosepicking has come up with the ridiculous idea of Government Transparency -- and was laughed off of his soapbox; surely such an illustrous organization as UN had long ago considered such a critical step in furtherance (yes, it's "furtherance", not "furtherment") of democracy...

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that such was not the case -- that no UN resolution had ever addressed the need for open operation of the national governments! Without delay, we conscripted a team of trained rhesus monkeys on crack to draft the proposal, submitting it to UN posthaste via Llama Express.

This being a critical measure for furthering democracy and combatting corruption worldwide, we implore all freedom-minded UN delegates to approve this proposal for vote. We also offer a free Inflatable Sex Sheep to any delegate who does extend his or her approval on this most important matter... <click> hehehe, as a small token of thanks and an underhanded mean of corrupting the sexual morals of the UN constituency... Ooops, is the microphone still on? TURN IT OFF, YOU BLITHERING IDIOT! %&@*#No carrier

Oh come on, people, everyone is whining about badly written or irrelevant proposals, and yet nobody is willing to even comment on something that's actually meaningful?..

And I didn't even use a single "WHEREAS"...

I know the feeling-I worked hard on TBA and got input from lots of folks...somehow you want to see lots of discussion and 50 approvals in the first day-LOL.

Be patient.

I am merely dismayed that there is a lot of discussions -- about the fscking hippos... Wouldn't one's opposition to the hippo menace be best expressed by pushing through a significant proposal?..

Anyway, I will wait, and thanks for your encouragement. I will be calm and peaceful. I will frolick with my inflatable sheep through the hills of the mother country... <sigh>

LOL-you might have got further with an offer of bobble-head hippo dolls...

Sorry, we don't grow any natively. I could try to import a few, but I don't know how good a currency my Stern Looks are...

Fornicationalia,

There is such a thing as TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY you know...
Giving too much power to uneducated twits to pry into and annoy educated goverment staff is a stupid idea.

Goverments need not always be transparent in order to run and serve their citizens effectively :!: .

There is such a thing as TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY you know...
Giving too much power to uneducated twits to pry into and annoy educated goverment staff is a stupid idea.Father Knows Best, eh?..

Goverments need not always be transparent in order to run and serve their citizens effectively :!: .So we are supposed to just trust the government to do the right thing? 'cuz they are like our parents unto us -- loving, caring, and with a cane thinner than a thumb?..

Government transparency is a great way to promote accountability, and thus democracy. It is antithetical to corruption, which is a Good Thing (tm) (being antithetical, not corruption).

Do you like corruption, Cynus? Are you an evil nation which doesn't care about OUR CHILDREN?

Ouch. I would be hesitant to call someone "Evil," Fornicationalia. The hard truth is that the general population can easily get worked up over non-issues. If there is too much democracy, then legislation will all be based around these "hot" topics instead of some other things that are more important but more dull.

Ouch. I would be hesitant to call someone "Evil," Fornicationalia.Whyever not? Not caring about OUR CHILDREN is the epitome of evility and villainousityness!

The hard truth is that the general population can easily get worked up over non-issues.Indeed it can. Them's the breaks of having a democracy. As Churchill said, democracy is a terrible system, except for all others... but the cure for the flaws of democracy is more democracy -- better education, more voter participation, more active involvemernt in the governmental process. Enlightened dictatorship simply doesn't work, no matter how much people pine for wise infallible daddy to step in and kiss all the booboos away.

If there is too much democracy, then legislation will all be based around these "hot" topics instead of some other things that are more important but more dull.Who said anything about there being too much democracy? My proposal does not address the question of how voting is performed or how the legislature functions; it's purely about public knowledge of the governmental process. My proposal would not make legislators beholden to their electorate any more than they already are -- but it would let the electorate be more informed about their legislators' actions, thus giving the voters power to make an informed decision (as opposed to voting based on what a candidate promises rather than what she does, for example).

You are basically arguing from the 'benevolent dictator' perspective -- the government knows what's best, all this oversight will merely get in the way of doing The Right Thing(tm). The problem in the real world (ever heard of that weird place?) is that the benevolent dictatorships never stay benevolent for very long, and governments not subject to the public's oversight tend to revert to the natural state of any organization -- self-preservation and the amassing of power; which is why accountability is critical. It takes constant effort to keep democracy functional, and public informedness is a critical aspect of this effort.

It is the counterbalance to corruption -- public informedness is what makes real accountability possible.

We support transparency in government, which fits neatly with our prevailing public practice of nudity.

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