NationStates Jolt Archive

I am of the understanding that dismissing an issue has absolutely no effect. I do not see why this should be so. Dismissing an issue should, in theory, affect the size of the government, because a government that takes a position on every issue would, by necessity, be larger than a government that deals with very few issues.

Any thoughts?

Are there not options whereby the government chooses to do nothing?

(Spoiler-free!)

No, there are no options in which the government does nothing. There are some in which the government does very little, or stops doing something it already is doing (such as outlawing a drug), but there is no option in which you do nothing.

Basically, your government will grow larger if you do something that adds to your tax rate (new programs, revamping education/healthcare/etc. systems, funding military or police forces, building things, etc.), your government as a result will also be added to. That's one of the main things.

You can subsidize the private sector also - I'm fairly sure that every option you have to squish it will also add to your government size, although that's more because all of the current issues that allow that also empower the government.

Taking away certain freedoms and giving the choice to the government (birth restrictions, curfews, etc.) empower the government and as a result make it larger.

These are a few examples. If you think about each option in an issue, you can generally tell which ones will affect the size of your government and how. But dismissing an issue has ABSOLUTELY no effect. However, for some issues that just means they're more likely to pop up again. Like the abortion issue - if you choose to legalise it or ban it, you aren't likely to get it again anytime soon - but if you choose the third option, you ARE likely to get it again. Consequently, that third option will make your government bigger. ;)

I only dismiss issues when I feel the option I would pick is not given. In this situation it would be wrong to do anything else.