NationStates Jolt Archive

HIFEX NEWS AGENCY: MYRLE, SCHULTARIA PRIME (15:22 SCT)


-Available for international release...


Economists Incensed with the Federal Government's Prospects to Proceed with the "Free Trade for Free Nations Act" in Light of Recent Economic Disparities

With the CHIMDEX Stock Exchange still under a two week trading moratorium and a fervent National Assembly ready to impose a new tariff law known as the "Free Trade for Free Nations" Act, many leading economists of the Schultarian state have expressed worry that the restrictions in foreign goods, services, and potential aid capital imposed by this new legislation will only serve to undermine the future health of the Schultarian economy. Although the leaders of Schultaria Prime: Directors Covey, Haarvekord, and Schultz, are still in deep negotiations with close allies concerning the capacity and longevity of aid required to bring the nation's agricultural industry back to its feet, leading economists are lambasting the three heads of state for their inaction to prevent what has been called a "sacrifice the [majority] of the Schultarian marketplace" by a bevy of economic experts. "In a time when we as a state need the most help from foreign producers to help our society's industry, the National Assembly has taken a great strides to insure that indiscriminate injury is inflicted on the entire population," stated Professor Georg Donnelly, an associate Professor of International Trade Policy for the University of Schultaria Prime - Edgen, "While it is understandable that precedence for agricultural support must be taken, it does not stand to reason that this tariff legislation should even be considered, let alone pass, in an economic situation such as the one we're experiencing."

Bill NASDC 116-391, otherwise known colloquially as the "Free Trade for Free Nations" Act, represents the legislative consolidation and culmination of a rather significant humanitarian-based tariff and export policy that has been developed in Schultaria Prime over the last fifty years. Though Schultarian export law has always given precedent to give trade preferences to nations of generally good standing in regards to civil and political freedoms, this most recent act represents a consolidation of all previously issued bills, articles, laws, and the like into a singular and far more aggressive piece of omnibus legislation. Citing the concerns that investment in foreign companies and importation of foreign equipment that originates in nations with less than desirable human rights records only serves to preserve long standing repressive practices, this act would forbid the importation of foreign items, financiering of state funds into international ventures, and sale of any Schultarian goods, universally and without question, to any state charged with inflicting gross civil injustices to its people.

At an emergency meeting of The Schultarian Bankers and Investors Guild, the Permian International Financialist Association of Myrle, a series of leading experts on Schultaria Prime's fiscal management, tax codes, and customs policy issued a joint statement to the federal government arguing for immediate reciprocity for all economic damages that could be incurred as a result of this significant policy change. The over three thousand page report, in a brief summary offered by the Association's Board of Directors, outlined the specific and immediate consequences that this legislation could have on the nation once open market trading resumes in less than eleven days. Using major statistical economic models provided by the Central Treasury Department as well as the Designwerks Internationale Investment Cooperative, the collection of nearly two hundred separately authored papers attempted to show that the restrictions imposed by the National Assembly's newest tariff acts would provide a complete and irreversible change to the technologically dependent Schultarian economy.

However, despite a dearth of plentiful expert opposition to the National Assembly's newest piece of import legislation, press releases from the Central Directorate of Schultaria Prime have either downplayed the act's implications or been completely silent on the issue. In a press release issued by the Central Directorate's media chief, Walsom Ponyeagin, he acknowledged that the Directors share "considerable sympathies" for the concerns of the economists and institutions who oppose the legislation, but refused to comment as to whether or not the heads of the Schultarian state openly support this act.

Office of the Central Directorate: Schultaria Prime, Schultaria Prime

The fire had changed Central Director Schultz, and anyone who could steel themselves for a glimpse of his face could see it as he made his daily rounds with a speed and stony single-mindedness unusual for a man of his advanced age. After the emergency conference of allied nations Elliot began to hide himself behind the massive oaken walls of his office, seldom leaving the confines of his workplace whenever he didn’t have any appointments. Although he still went out and had his daily lunches with Schultaria’s fellow Directors and the Speaker of the Assembly, they too became heavily shortened and without much fanfare. Often, he would be the first to leave, immediately returning to his office not to be seen until the earliest hours of the following morning. Although the seclusion was largely self-imposed, it certainly wasn’t a constant enough occurrence to completely distance himself from the outside world; however, his normally gregarious self had taken way to a man of a slightly more calculating demeanor.

Schultaria’s destruction had made the Central Director anxious, more self critical, and angrier with a tinge of doubt. He had always led the nation with a certain amount of deliberate caution, but his actions had began to grow increasingly tentative after the six party talks only a month earlier. Such timidity was also destroying what little health the Director could pull together after a month of nothing but solid debates of financing Schultaria’s food shortages and restructuring the nation’s agricultural policy. Enhanced by a lifetime of pouring over limitless books and reports, Elliot's body posture had begun to decline much like his father near the end of his term in office forty years earlier. His back, hunched ever slightly, began to show the wear of a man consumed by worry; whether the concerns were about the nation's citizens or his own faults soon became a hot subject amongst his subordinates. Normally, his consumption with the affairs of work and family life left him with little time to the leisurely pursuits of his former professorship, but for the last two weeks Elliot had enough time to make some extremely unusual checkout requests from the National Archives, or at least that’s what the reporters from Hifex were saying in the national papers. Of course, only a few people paid any attention to the stories.

Most of the nation’s attention was fixated on a very rare occurrence: Bread lines in Tarannu.

Meanwhile the Central Director paced about his office, chest deep in hundreds of old and new tomes that could put most History departments in the world to shame. Wandering without any specific purpose, picking up books at random, Elliot’s thoughts became frustrated, ”Nothing! Nothing in these four thousand years of history has ever been as bad as this God-damned fire, and there’s sweet little I can do about it now. And to throw it all to hell, the damned Assembly wants this act passed before the beginning of the New Year recess! If it passes, three-quarters of the nations currently giving us aid might rescind their offers, and if I object, then I fall into conflict with the Sacred Architects. I need guidance on this, and not just yes men from the damned Treasury Department.”

Pulling out his data pad and a stylus, he drafted a general note for Head of State, bureaucrat, policy expert, and diplomat connected in some small way to the Schultarian government.

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-To all Officials and Governments with a Vested Interest in the Economics and Policies of Schultaria Prime,

First of all, I would like to extend my personal thanks to those of you who have offered and honored their commitments of financial and physical support to the Schultarian nation in perhaps one of the worst crises in our recorded history. Without your support it was estimated (with an almost certain clarity from members within our Department of Agriculture) that some two hundred and thirty million Schultarian citizens might not live to see the first day of spring, but that shall hopefully not be the case thanks to your more than generous material and financial support.

However, as some of you have probably been paying attention to the affairs of our government, Schultaria Prime is on the verge of passing a powerful and comprehensive economic policy of some significance to many nations with close ties to us. Should it pass, there might be considerable impetus to rescind all offers of aid from nations who, by our nation’s official definitions, possess environments of civil and political rights that would be deemed unacceptable to satisfy the basic conditions of a democratic-capable state. As Head of State, I’m sure that you can probably appreciate or at least sympathize with the political quandary now facing in my office; as the leader of a socially liberal and politically transparent society, I am urged by the citizenry and the National Assembly to pass this legislation with the utmost haste, but doing so might sacrifice hundreds of millions of metric tons of food and fuel aid necessary for the Schultarian people to survive until our Agricultural infrastructure is revived.

As such, I am offering a face to face diplomacy session for representatives of all nations with an avid concern for this legislation to be held in Schultaria Prime in a minimum of one month from the issuance of this letter. If you would like to attend, than I will insure that our government will fulfill all possible accommodations as soon as physically possible. However, if you are unable to commit to a person-to-person meeting but still would like to voice an opinion on this impending legislation, I would enjoy having your responses personally delivered to my office for my perusal. If you even have the smallest of direct economic connections with Schultaria Prime especially during our time of agricultural crisis, I urge you to at least offer your opinion.”

I thank you for your time,
-Central Director Elliot Schultz

I'm just going to BUMP this thread to see if anyone has any interest in replying. Otherwise I'll cast it back down into the forum's depths.