Trecu ceva vreme...

Tarabostes Decides:

An Archaeological Altercation
Government Acts
The Issue
During the construction of a new Hyper-Mega-Ultra-Super Mall, construction workers have unearthed what appears to be an ancient temple. A furious debate has arisen between those who wish to preserve it, and those who need their retail therapy.

The Debate
"This is the perfect opportunity to learn more of our nation's history!" says Professor Freddy Longfellow, head of the archaeological department of the Tarabostes History Museum. "All building work must be halted immediately so that my team can study this remarkable piece of our nation's past. To bury these ruins under some concrete eyesore would be criminal!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

"It's all very nice to get to know some more about our past," argues foreman Konrad Winters. "But that's just the thing! It's the past! We must think of the future. If you allow those decrepit fossils to take over this place, you put at risk the future of our economy! Today it's archaeological digs, tomorrow it's 'preservation of the environment'. Just let me bulldoze the worthless pile of rubble and bury it under a few hundred tonnes of concrete."

"Behold, the hour has arrived! The Holy Temple of Firefury Amahira has been unearthed!" proclaims Yon-Zhauryg v'Klot, leader of the Cult of the Undead Sabertooth-tiger. "This land is sacred, and must not be befouled by these corporations! No-one but the enlightened children of Firefury must be allowed to venture inside our rediscovered sanctuary, where we will perform the required rituals to please the Great Goddess and prevent Her from unleashing Her wrath upon the world."

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 1.

Minorities Demand Representation in TV Soaps
Government Acts
The Issue
Tarabostes's TV soaps--famous around the region--have come under fire for their lack of ethnic diversity.

The Debate
"Every night my family and I sit down to watch 'The Brash and the Backstabbing'," says Roxanne Jefferson. "But where are the Liliputians like myself? Where are the Bigtopians? The Marche Noirians? People from those cultures can be just as brash and backstabbing, but we never see them on the screen. The government must act to remove this silent apartheid from our TV screens."

"Those Liliputians don't know how good they have it," says Calvin du Pont, spokesperson for the Tasmanians Against Ethnic Stereotyping. "Tasmanians are on television all the time, but always in crude, stereotypical roles. The answer is not to enforce ethnic quotas, but to award government prizes for the positive portrayal of minorities. That'll work better, and be cheaper, too."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

"The government should do what now?" says TV studio executive Charles Falopian. "You've got to be kidding. We make soaps here, not documentaries. I should be able to put whichever characters I want into my shows. Quotas! Government prizes! God save me! Hasn't the government got anything better to do? Why don't they just back off and let society work out these things on its own?"

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 2.

Two Parties For Too Long?
Government Acts
The Issue
Representatives of several minor political parties have joined their voices to object to stiff ballot access requirements.

The Debate
"Two-party politics is squeezing the life out of democracy in Tarabostes," laments May Winters, leader of the Pragmatic Radical Party. "The Liberal Conservatives and Progressive Traditionalists have a monopoly on public policy - or duopoly, whatever you want to call it. The point is that there's hardly any difference between them, and their chokehold on the electoral process lets hacks and crooks stay in office forever. Ballot access rules must be loosened so we can give the voters a truly democratic choice."

"People are afraid to support 'third' parties because they're afraid of seeing the 'bad guys' get elected," says Samuel Dodinas, a ballot stastician. "But if we changed the system to allow preferential voting, where you can have your votes divvied up among your other candidates if your favourite doesn't recieve a certain number of votes, then that wouldn't be a problem. Then you could let as many parties as you wanted into the game. Deserving candidates wouldn't be harmed - they'd win! Maybe a few radicals would get through, but that just proves what a great system it is!"

"What ever happened to 'one man, one vote'?" asks Bill Chicago, chairperson of the Liberal Conservative National Committee. "Changing the rules will just let all sorts of crackpots clog up the ballot and overwhelm voters with names they don't recognise - this will draw attention and support away from legitimate candidates! How do you expect the nation to function properly if the government doesn't have public support? Oh, and by the way, the Liberal Conservative Party presents a VERY clear alternative to the destructive agenda of the Progressive Traditionalists, and I'll wallop anyone who says otherwise."

"Opposition parties are such a bother," muses Bianca Gutenberg, your chief of staff. "If we allowed as many of them to be politicians as those fools in the Pragmatic Radical Party want, it would be very hard on the tax payers - and our own position in power. If we re-wrote the election rules so that a party had to reapply for recognition every time it failed to win a certain number of votes, we could knock our opposition out of the ring for good! Hey, the voters have spoken, and they asked for us. I think that just about settles it, don't you?"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 4.

Violent Violetists Demand Blood!
Government Acts
The Issue
Members of a new weird religious cult, called the Order of Violet, ask for the government to appease their mighty god by offering Her a sacrifice of the human variety.

The Debate
"What have we got to lose?" says religious freedoms advocate Falala Summers. "Just cut up a few homeless folk - it appeases this group's bloodthirsty Goddess, gets rid of unsightly bums that drain welfare, and everybody goes home happy."

"We must go much further than a few beggars!" argues the overzealous High Member of the Order of Violet, Samuel O'Bannon. "You must pass a law that everyone’s first born child must be slaughtered, on live TV if possible. Think of the viewing figures!"

"You aren't going to listen to these whackjob Violetists, are you?" comments Larry Christmas while leading a prayer group. "Human sacrifices! Surely we're too civilized to permit such barbaric practices! These lunatic fringe groups should be outlawed, their leaders should be executed!"

"Who's being a lunatic?" retorts Peggy Gutenberg of the Tarabostes Humanitarian Society. "I agree that these practices ought to be outlawed, but instead of sinking to the same level of these fanatics and killing our fellow people, why not simply start a re-education program? Even the worst person can be rehabilitated into a useful member of society, with enough time, care, and lots and lots of funding!"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 4.

Tarabostes - Without Cars, Going Nowhere Fast
Government Acts
The Issue
Ever since the government banned automobiles, furious soccer moms and commuters have been petitioning the government to revoke the ban, citing any number of troubles people have had without their cars.

The Debate
"The government was being utterly stupid in banning cars, especially at the whim of a bunch of nutjob, tree-hugging bicyclists!" cries Jean-Paul Longbottom, CEO of Coo' Stuff, Inc. "My workers are constantly late, they don't work as much because they have to leave early to walk or bike home... leaving this ban in place will only murder the economy!"

"Well, it's extremely difficult to drive my son to and from school and his after-school sports," comments soccer mom Jazz du Pont. "But I don't want my boy inhaling all those icky fumes. I say bring back cars, but put some effort into finding cleaner fuels and the like! Who cares if it costs a small fortune?"
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.

"What do they know?" whispers a strange woman clad all in green. "You ought to clamp down on these protesters. Without cars, the people are much easier for you to control, are they not?"

The Government Position
The government has indicated its intention to follow the recommendations of Option 2.