#181: Radio Rebels Ruffle Government [Dupeksland; ed:Myrth]
The Issue
The ‘Underground Element’, a newly formed resistance force to the governing party in @@NAME@@, has begun broadcasting anti-government messages over a network of public radio stations.
The Debate
1. “These rebels are harmless,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, political commentator. “In the interests of free speech and democracy, we should allow them to broadcast their messages. There’s nothing wrong with a little criticism of the government – indeed, it could do with some more incentive to perform well.”
The Result: ‘The Anti-Government Hour’ is a popular programme on many of NATION’s radio stations.
Civil Rights +2
Political Freedoms +28
2. “It’d be one thing if it was genuinely insightful criticism,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your personal advisor. “But this is a disgrace! It’s simply fear-mongering and government-bashing. We should shut down these punks before they fill our citizens’ heads full of mistruths. And while we’re at it, there are a few other radio stations that need to smarten up their attitude to the government, too.”
The Result: a spate of enforced closures has left ‘Government FM’ as the nation’s only radio station.
Civil Rights -4
Economy -2
Political Freedoms -9
Taxes +1
3. “Now now, let’s be reasonable about this,” muses @@RANDOMNAME@@, radio chatshow host. “The government should think very carefully before it gets into the business of telling people what they can and can’t say on the air. The solution here is not to ban criticism, but to price radio station licenses at an appropriate level – that is, higher than a rabble of unshaven hippies can afford.”
The Result: NATION’s airwaves are dominated by corporate-backed commercial radio.
Political Freedoms +1
Taxes +1
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#183: Buy A Better Baby? [Sci; ed:Myrth]
The Issue
A top fertility clinic has recently announced a new service allowing parents to create so-called ‘designer babies’.
The Debate
1. “Embryo selection isn’t really genetic engineering in the technical sense,” explains Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@, owner of the Babies-2-Go Clinic. “It’s more like being able to have a dozen abortions per month until you get the foetus you desire. I can’t really see what’s wrong with parents who can afford it being able to eliminate foetuses with undesirable genetic traits – like stupidity.”
The Result: wealthy parents-to-be can select their perfect baby.
Civil Rights +1
Taxes -1
2. “Thou shalt pay for thy sins!” screams @@RANDOMNAME@@, waving a crucifix. “This is just meddling with the sanctity of life. If these children are to be born with horrible defects then it’s God’s will and who are we to question it? This technology must be banned at once!”
The Result: research into ‘designer babies’ is banned.
Civil Rights -4
Taxes +2
3. “This technology shows promise,” muses @@RANDOMNAME@@, minister of health. “But we can’t trust the private sector with the future of our nation’s children. We must place it under strict government regulation, so that we only screen out embryos with serious genetic conditions.”
The Result: government-run screening operations remove embryos with severe genetic disorders.
Economy -1
Taxes +1
4. “This has got me thinkin’,” says General @@RANDOMNAME@@, thumbing through a big folder marked ‘X’. “If this technology lets us reduce genetic defects, then couldn’t it work the other way? We could create ourselves an army of genetically superior soldiers! With our army of Super Soldiers, no nation would dare stand in our way!”
The Result: Zvirici’s army is full of two-metre tall super-soldiers.
Civil Rights -2
Taxes +1
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#184: Compulsory Military Service Under Attack [Randino; ed:Myrth]
The Issue
Concerned mothers and nervous school-leavers are petitioning the government to abolish compulsory military service.
The Debate
1. “Our children are forced to be trained to murder!” protests @@RANDOMNAME@@, chairman of the Parents Against All Things Violent organisation. “For too long now the government has been snatching away our children and training them to become killing machines. This archaic practice must be banned at once! Sure, some of them could end up breaking into cars or terrorising old people, but hey, kids will be kids, right?”
The Result: the military struggles with recruitment.
Civil Rights +4
2. “What a preposterous idea!” scoffs Drill Sergeant @@RANDOMNAME@@. “The youth of @@NAME@@ has never needed the discipline provided by the armed forces more than it does today, and with all those rogue states out there we need all the recruits we can get! If anything, the government should lengthen the required service and drop the minimum age to something more reasonable.”
The Result: children as young as twelve are conscripted into the armed forces.
Civil Rights -1
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#186: Carjacking Concerns [Vortengard; ed:Myrth]
The Issue
Terrified motorists are complaining about the increasing number of hijackings that are taking place outside the big city areas.
The Debate
1. Hijacking victim @@RANDOMNAME@@ wants the government to take action against the road pirates: “Inner-city crime is nothing compared to the brutality these gangs show! They block the roads with trucks or felled trees and hide on the roadside until some poor unsuspecting motorist pulls up. The government must introduce a special police unit to patrol these isolated areas!”
The Results: armed police units patrol the roads late at night.
Taxes +1
Safety +2
Safety from Crime +1
2. “More police isn’t the answer,” retorts @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of research at @@NAME@@’s largest car manufacturer. “This is a job for the private sector! We already have blueprints for cars with bullet-proof armour and mounted machine guns, and, if you’ll pass appropriate legislation, we can have these things on sale in weeks. Let the people defend themselves!”
The Results: citizens drive tank-like vehicles with mounted machine guns.
Automobile Industry +1
Influence +1
3. “This just proves how cars are more trouble than they’re worth.” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, leader of the Transport Worker’s Union. “If the government bans cars and pours more money into public transport, everyone will be much safer and happier! Except from people who live outside major cities, of course – but then, that’s their choice.”
The Results: urban citizens are forced onto public transport while rural citizens ride horses and buggies.
Economy -7
Taxes +3
————————————————————————
#188: Video Games Too Violent, Say Parents [The Stakanian Isles; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
Recently, there has been an enormous commercial success for ‘violent’ video games such as ‘Blood ‘n’ Guts 2: The Revenge’, ‘Tremor’, and ‘Grand Theft Tricycle’. Several parents’ groups have been calling for tougher restrictions on these games.
The Debate
1. “We must outlaw these violent games immediately!” shouts Catherine Gratwick, a member of Mothers Ordered Against Nastiness, “These so-called ‘games’ are desensitising our children to violence and making them more aggressive. Why, just the other day I witnessed my son firing a missile launcher in a videogame and the next day he went out and robbed a bank! He may be thirty-five, but you can’t possibly say it’s a coincidence!”
The Results: Tetris has been banned for its graphic violent content.
Civil Rights -2
Economy -1
Taxes +1
2. “Oh noez!” cries DEATMASTER_69, one of @@NAME@@’s foremost authorities on video games. “That’s stupid! If a child is psychotic, it’s not because they played ‘Hellstorm of Fireblood 3’ or whatever, it’s because their parents were stupid enough to not teach little Johnny the difference between right and wrong and don’t want to take the blame. Just because I like to n00k countries in games doesn’t mean I like to shoot people in real life. That’s false data! So just relax and let the kids play their games, hey?”
The Results: the children of NATION are often remarked upon for their cheery attitude to extreme violence.
Taxes -2
3. “Why not rate games the same way we rate movies?” asks @@RANDOMNAME@@, a spokesperson for the @@NAME@@ Censorship Board. “We could give each game a content rating based on age appropriateness, and add descriptors on the box explaining why the game gets a certain rating. A little funding and we can stop children getting violent video games without affecting all the older ‘gamers’. Everyone will be happy. Except tax payers, I guess.”
The Results: only adults may purchase violent video games.
Economy -8
Taxes +1
4. “The children will manage to get their hands on the games anyway,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a fitness instructor. “Parents can be so ignorant. In my opinion, the only damage these video games are causing is physical: kids are becoming less inclined to exercise, and it doesn’t really matter if they are violent; the result is the same either way. The only way to get bums off seats is to ban all video games. Maybe then we’ll see a difference in the national waistline!”
The Results: students everywhere have been despairing after the recent ban on video games.
Civil Rights -4
Economy -1
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#189: Dangerously Cheesy [Disposablepuppetland; ed:Reploid Productions]
The Issue
The popular daily cartoon strip “Barry the @@ANIMAL@@” has always been highly critical of the political system within @@NAME@@, but in recent weeks the cartoon has depicted the main characters throwing melted cheese at unpopular politicians. Inspired by this, protestors armed with fondue sets stormed a government building, cheesing off several government officials.
The Debate
1. “It’s just a bit of harmless fun!”, says @@RANDOMNAME@@, creator of Barry the @@ANIMAL@@, while spraying your advisors with melted cheddar. “If the government were doing a better job people wouldn’t feel the need to throw cheese at them. We should be free to express our displeasure in any way we choose. Besides, my cartoon books are selling like hot cakes, and that’s got to be good for the economy, right?”
The Result: cheese has become the new icon of political dissent.
Political Freedoms +20
2. “This has got to stop!” insists @@RANDOMNAME@@, head of the censorship board. “I spent 3 hours this morning scraping wensleydale out of my hair! Arrest these lunatics! The protestors and the people responsible for this vile cartoon, throw them all into jail!”
The Result: popular political cartoonists are thrown in jail for inciting dissent.
Civil Rights -1
Political Freedoms -18
3. “Arrrrrgh!” screams lactose-intolerant @@RANDOMNAME@@, a member of the public safety board, as incoming rounds of mature gouda smash the windows and claim the suits of several nearby advisors. “As I’ve been saying for many years now, cheese is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands and should be outlawed. Ban all cheese now, and enforce it!”
The Result: cheese has been labelled a dangerous weapon and banned.
Taxes +1
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#190: Immigrants Import Homeland Rivalries [Rowaria; ed:Reploid Productions]
The Issue
After a series of bloody wars between the nations of Maxtopia and North Bigtopia, fights have broken out in the streets between immigrants in @@NAME@@ who came from the warring nations.
The Debate
1. “Foreigners are a major cause of civil disturbances,” begins @@RANDOMNAME@@, whose opinions form the book ‘101 Arguments FOR Slavery’. “What we should do is make all immigrants, foreigners, and non-native @@NAME@@ folks slaves! I mean, who in @@NAME@@ wouldn’t like a minority slave group to do his bidding? Imagine! People could be bought and sold over the Internet!”
The Result: immigrant Maxtopians are routinely sold on popular internet auction sites.
Civil Rights -5
Taxes -1
2. “I am shocked and appalled at what my colleague is suggesting!” exclaims @@RANDOMNAME@@, President of the Civil Rights Union of @@NAME@@. “Slavery? We should punish these offenders, yes, but send them to rehabilitation centres instead! As for the ethnic squabbles, programs in school should begin to stop these racist attitudes in childhood! All it will take is some slight fortification to the education budget!”
The Result: children are brainwashed at a young age to accept “Love and peace!” as a way of life.
Taxes +1 (in less developed nations +0)
3. A quiet old man stands up to speak. “Now, I may be a quiet old man, but I believe that these ethnic disputes are none of the government’s business. It’s not our war anyway, so it’s not our problem. I’m sure if you leave it alone, it’ll work itself out. Just think of the money that would be saved if the police don’t have to be paid to deal with this!”
The Result: the government’s new ‘Crime Can Fight Itself’ policy appears to be backfiring rather badly.
Taxes -2
4. “It’s not our war? It’s not our war?” cries (in)famous @@NAME@@-born fascist @@RANDOMNAME@@. “Well maybe it’s time it became our war! @@NAME@@ should take a more active, and by ‘active’ I mean ‘hostile’, role in international politics! This ethnic squabbling will be over when the war is over, and WE can end that war and purge the impure! @@SLOGAN@@! Sieg @@NAME@@!”
The Result: a massive campaign is underway to ensure the race of NATION remains pure.
Civil Rights -1
Taxes -1
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#191: Blood Banks Running Dry [Karmanyaka; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
A violent and rather messy stampede of @@ANIMAL@@s during a parade in your honour has brought widespread media attention to the shortage of blood, plasma and platelet donors in @@NAME@@.
The Debate
1. “Blood donation should be compulsory!” argues @@RANDOMNAME@@, a spokesperson for the @@NAME@@ Blood Donors’ Association. “We can’t expect citizens to come flocking to donate blood just out of the goodness of their hearts, so the government should take the matter into its own hands. If we could maybe require healthy citizens to… let’s say… donate blood every three months, we wouldn’t have such a problem with shortages. It’ll require more funding to organise and carry out, yes, but your people are worth it, aren’t they?”
The Result: citizens are forced to donate blood once every three months.
Civil Rights -3
Taxes +1
2. “Don’t listen to that devil worshipper!” preaches @@RANDOMNAME@@, a Jehovah’s Witness. “It isn’t up to us to decide what should be done, it is God, and only God, who decides what someone should do with their blood. I’d rather die clean and go to Heaven, thank you very much! We must heed this Gospel and ban blood donations now! Of course some people will die, but they will be rewarded in the afterlife for obeying His word.”
The Result: blood donations have been banned because of the risk of eternal unrest.
Civil Rights -4
Taxes -1
3. “You’re kidding, right?” burbles anaemic patient @@RANDOMNAME@@ from a hospital bed. “I’m not going to let some closed-minded priest tell me what I can and can’t do with my blood! But I don’t think people should be forced to give blood; they just need incentive, that’s all. Like money. Trust me, any kind of ‘@@CURRENCY@@s For Blood’ scheme will have them almost begging to donate. It’s the only humane way to ensure that people like me are getting the care we need. If you’re worried about funding just get it from those religious nuts… they’re not helping anyone with it.”
The Result: the poor are often seen pale and dizzy after selling their blood to make ends meet.
Civil Rights +6
Public Healthcare +1
Godlessness +1
Religiousness -1
Weather +2
4. “I have an even better idea,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a prison officer. “How about we force every healthy prisoner to donate blood? It’s about time they gave back to society what they’ve taken away in the first place. If we do this we won’t have to beg the law-abiding citizens of @@NAME@@ to take time out of their day to give blood. It’s not like these thugs are really doing anything for us, so missing a pint or three won’t matter, am I right?”
The Result: jails have become colloquially known as ‘vampire houses’.
Civil Rights -2
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#195: Right Of Way Or Wrong Of Way? [Teaberry; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
An increasing number of land owners have been fencing off footpaths which run through or near their property and as a result you have been petitioned by The Rambler’s and Hiker’s Association to allow the ‘right to roam’.
The Debate
1. @@RANDOMNAME@@, a famous hiker of @@NAME@@’s countryside, storms into your office, arms waving dangerously. “These pompous land owners are fencing off hundreds of years of tradition! The public should have right of way by law! It is every man’s right to be able to enjoy the scenic beauty of our native lands and I don’t see why some toffee-nosed prat should be the only person allowed to walk around his hundreds of acres of land when most of us don’t even have one! It’s simply unforgivable! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going for a walk! Wherever I ruddy well like!”
The Result: public footpaths are being slowly eroded by the burgeoning number of ramblers.
Civil Rights +10
2. “It’s trespass, plain and simple,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, wealthy owner of six mansions. “My home is my castle! If these smelly ramblers think they can abuse and defile my land, they should start thinking again! You’ve got to look at this reasonably: where people go, pollution follows. Before I know it I’m going to have litter in my fields, drunken parties in my woods, and more eroded footpaths than I can count! Will they be the ones paying to have it all maintained? Not likely! I say no to this ‘right to roam’ rubbish! This land is mine, and I intend to keep it that way.”
The Result: large areas of NATION are not accessible by the public.
3. “There’s an opportunity in every problem,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, your Minister of Rural Affairs. “And there’s always some sort of compromise. We could simply allocate some government funding to teams of environmental workers to maintain and promote our network of footpaths that anyone may use… for a price. Think of the money we could get from all those hikers and ramblers! Not to mention the tourists, birdwatchers, and hippies! Everybody wins! Except for those who can’t afford the fees, I guess, but you can’t please everyone.”
The Result: all footpaths have tollbooths.
Taxes +1
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#197: Breastfeeding In Public: Innocent Or Indecent? [Bronteland; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
A young mother was recently thrown out of a restaurant in @@NAME@@ for publicly breastfeeding her baby and ‘upsetting the customers’. There are now demands for the government to state their position on the issue.
The Debate
1. “We should have a perfect right to feed our babies where we want and when we want without fear of harassment from anyone,” declares Catherine Gratwick, a likewise young mother. “Why should women hide themselves away just to assuage the silly attitudes of these narrow-minded fogies? It’s totally natural, and much healthier than bottle-feeding for both mother and child so why the fuss? Today, women are afraid to breastfeed in public and the law should be on their side – if not for their benefit, then for that of the children.”
The Result: female newsreaders distract the nation by breastfeeding during broadcast.
Civil Rights +4
2. “I think it’s just wrong, wrong, wrong,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, in reply to an online survey. “These women should cover themselves up and feed their kids away from sight like respectable folk. It’s not like bottles don’t exist! I don’t want to have to look at that sort of thing when I’m having a romantic dinner or going on a nice leisurely walk down the street, you know. It should be a private thing, like other bodily functions that I rather care not to mention.”
The Result: nursing mothers are often arrested for indecent exposure.
Civil Rights -2
Taxes -1
3. “I’m not against mothers breastfeeding in public,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a manager of human resources. “But what I find objectionable is that women could be allowed to breastfeed at the workplace when they should be doing more productive things like, well, working. They can’t do that if they want to entertain and feed their baby at the same time can they? Can you imagine policewomen doing this on the job? Doctors? Politicians? Mark my words, this is a bad path to take and will ultimately be disruptive to the national economy. And my bonus.”
The Result: breastfeeding mothers are replacing smokers to loiter outside the workplace.
Civil Rights +3
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#200: Birds, Bees, And Breeding Teens [Eta Carinae; ed:Sirocco]
The Issue
A study has shown that an increasing proportion of teenagers in @@NAME@@ are falling pregnant.
The Debate
1. “We need comprehensive sex education to be mandatory in all schools,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a teacher while tidying away some diagrams that make your eyes water. “The plain fact is that teenagers will experiment with sexual intercourse despite what society or their parents wish. So I say give these kids free contraceptives, and make them fully aware of the consequences of their actions. Information is what they need, not condemnation. If they ignore it then hey, it’s their own damn fault.”
The Results: schoolchildren have twice-weekly sex education classes.
2. “If you give them contraception it’ll just encourage them to do… terrible things,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a religious parent and member of Moral Minority. “And what’s with giving them so much information? There’s even diagrams for goodness sake! Have they never heard of ‘monkey see, monkey do’? They’ll just go and try it out, mark my words! The solution is simple: girls should be kept at home and away from the monkey house of lustful impetuousness and young males until they are of marriageable age. Teaching teenagers abstinence and chastity is the key, not giving them step-by-step manuals.”
The Results: dark alleys and public toilets are filled with furtive sexual activities among teenagers and unmarried adults.
Taxes +1
3. “However sex education is taught, it is still social engineering and so undermines parental authority,” says conservative newspaper columnist @@RANDOMNAME@@. “My own son learned about something called ‘homosexuality’ the other day! For shame! We all know it should be Adam and Eve, not Adam and… Geoff? Anyway, my point is that sex education should be dropped from schools and instead taught by parents the way they see fit. That way children will get consistent messages and parents, not society, will cop the blame if any of their kids fall pregnant.”
The Results: a study has shown that many parents are too embarrassed to teach their children sex education.
Taxes -1
4. “No-one’s asked me my opinion yet,” says Catherine Gratwick, a teenage mother as she bottle-feeds her baby. “I think it’s perfectly obvious what the cause of teenage pregnancy is – teenage boys! My son’s father is the one that got me into this mess. He’s the one who pressured me into having sex, but all the education is focused on the girls. Teenage fathers should be made responsible for their actions for once and be made to join the military so they can send their wages back to pay for their children’s upkeep. If that’s not a deterrent, then I don’t know what is.”
The Results: teenage fathers are forced to join the army.
Civil Rights -3
5. “I think we’ve missed the fact that maybe this teenage pregnancy phenomenon is not such a bad thing,” says @@RANDOMNAME@@, a famous demographer. “We need the population to grow, we need more people of working age, we need more tax for public services, et cetera. There are plenty of sound demographical reasons why we should be encouraging women to have families. By all means educate them about the dangers, but I don’t think we ought to discourage teenagers from procreating – it’s nature’s way you know.”
The Results: the lowest age at which one can marry has been recently lowered to 12.
Civil Rights +5
Taxes +1
Nationstates Issues 