Posted May 11, 2014
==== Overview ====
Civil Rights: Excellent (71)
Economy: Reasonable (28) [-6]
Political Freedoms: Excellent (72)
The Free Land of Gogan is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Doctor Marcin with a fair hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 2.303 billion are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it devotes most of its attentions to Education, with areas such as Religion & Spirituality and Defence receiving almost no funds by comparison. The average income tax rate is 67%, and even higher for the wealthy. A large private sector is dominated by the Book Publishing industry.
The military frequently holds bake sales to raise funds, the nation is constantly threatened with invasion but at least homosexuality in the military isn't a problem, anti-government web sites are springing up, and the study of medicine is popular throughout Gogan. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gogan's national animal is the Goglodyte, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Gog.
Gogan is ranked 4,596th in The North Pacific and 108,674th in the world for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring -4 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.
==== Issues ====
19 hours ago: Following new legislation in Gogan, the study of medicine is popular throughout Gogan.
The overview has been updated following the last decisions made.
Two Parties For Too Long? (issue 349)
Representatives of several minor political parties have joined their voices to object to stiff ballot access requirements.
1. "Two-party politics is squeezing the life out of democracy in Gogan," laments Johann Spirit, 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."
2. "People are afraid to support 'third' parties because they're afraid of seeing the 'bad guys' get elected," says Britney Nagasawa, a ballot statistician. "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 receive 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!"
3. "What ever happened to 'one man, one vote'?" asks Jake O, 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."
4. "Opposition parties are such a bother," muses Freddy McKay, 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?"
==== Public announcement ====
Civil Rights: Excellent (71)
Economy: Reasonable (28) [-6]
Political Freedoms: Excellent (72)
The Free Land of Gogan is a massive, genial nation, ruled by Doctor Marcin with a fair hand, and notable for its museums and concert halls. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 2.303 billion are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it devotes most of its attentions to Education, with areas such as Religion & Spirituality and Defence receiving almost no funds by comparison. The average income tax rate is 67%, and even higher for the wealthy. A large private sector is dominated by the Book Publishing industry.
The military frequently holds bake sales to raise funds, the nation is constantly threatened with invasion but at least homosexuality in the military isn't a problem, anti-government web sites are springing up, and the study of medicine is popular throughout Gogan. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Gogan's national animal is the Goglodyte, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the Gog.
Gogan is ranked 4,596th in The North Pacific and 108,674th in the world for Largest Cheese Export Sector, scoring -4 on the Mozzarella Productivity Index.
==== Issues ====
19 hours ago: Following new legislation in Gogan, the study of medicine is popular throughout Gogan.
The overview has been updated following the last decisions made.
Two Parties For Too Long? (issue 349)
Representatives of several minor political parties have joined their voices to object to stiff ballot access requirements.
1. "Two-party politics is squeezing the life out of democracy in Gogan," laments Johann Spirit, 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."
2. "People are afraid to support 'third' parties because they're afraid of seeing the 'bad guys' get elected," says Britney Nagasawa, a ballot statistician. "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 receive 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!"
3. "What ever happened to 'one man, one vote'?" asks Jake O, 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."
4. "Opposition parties are such a bother," muses Freddy McKay, 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?"
==== Public announcement ====
Post edited May 11, 2014 by MGT
