University Records: Essays on Politics (Public Information)

[University Of Cambridge]

University of Cambridge press

Date: 7/08/824 A.S.

Subject: Politics in the Modern Age

Politics and Systems of Governance

Written for the University of Cambridge's Sociology library by Professor Alfred Steiner
This essay is public information to be read at leisure. It remains the Intellectual property of the author and the University. Please reference accordingly.

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Introduction to the Great Houses

Politics has played a major role in human culture and lifestyle for over three thousand years, during this time, various systems of government and ideology have come and gone. This essay is not an attempt to find out which is better or worse, it is simple an attempt to identify and examine the current types of governance one can find in Sirius today. The great Houses, it should be noted, will not be the sole source of information. Various other groups, many of whom are fully independent of the houses, employ a variety of governance systems and it is necessary that we examine these systems in the same way as the Houses.

Liberty

The house of Liberty is the oldest house in Sirius. It's population is large and it is often considered to be the center of culture throughout the houses. It is home to some of the largest and most successful corporations, Liberty itself has the largest GDP of all the houses, twice that of Bretonia, 2.5 times that of Kusari and 3.8 times that of Rheinland. However, like every society throughout history, it is not without it's problems. Income inequality is vast, the prison population is larger (per capita) than any other House, healthcare is often unaffordable for most, crime and addiction run rife through it's society. The causes of this somewhat sorry state of affairs are many and there is no single cause for which all of Liberty's problems can be placed upon.

However, one may identify a primary cause, in it's system of government. Almost since it's founding, Liberty has employed a pro capitalist approach. Given that the sleeper ship Liberty found itself in the most desirable position following it's flight from Sol, this is hardly surprising. In its early years, Liberty expanded and prospered economically, vast mineral deposits and mineral rich asteroid fields were abundant in the area which is now the center of Liberty. Yet over the years, this extraordinary economic growth has slowed considerably, due in no small part to the most accessible mineral deposits running dry. This, coupled with the infamous 'Texas incident', a series of Wars, the Rheinlandic nationalization of the trade lanes and a rapid increase in shipping raids, has led to a downturn in economic prosperity and, unsurprisingly, an increase in unemployment and crime.

Liberty's minimum wage has traditionally been low, especially when compared to the other great houses. In it's early years, this was not considered a problem as economic growth usually meant that employment was high and living costs were reasonable. Frims and corporations paid their employees well as they had the means to do so, and saw it as a way of securing a future source of employment. No one wishes to employ a sick workforce after all. However, in the current age, Liberty's fortunes are far from prosperous. Economic downturns have left thousands unemployed and millions living below the poverty line on substandard minimum wage without the ability to rise above it. Liberty still enjoys its position as the most economically rich house, however without a change in policy and with the current conflict with Gallia bearing down on Liberty, It is clear that nothing good will come of the current system if it does not change with the times.

When looking at the system of government however, Liberty employs a Federal presidential constitutional Republic, where each planet is represented in both the Liberty Senate and in the Liberty House of Representatives. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives make up what is known as the Congress of Liberty, where the Senate forms the 'Upper chamber'' and the House of Representatives forms the ''Lower Chamber''. Each planet is entitled to Six senators (all of which are elected by popular vote) and, as a minimum, four Representative (although more are possible) which are also elected by popular vote. The highest political and military post is the Office of the President of the Republic of Liberty. All Liberty Citizens who currently live in Liberty and are over the age of eighteen years are eligible to vote in all Liberty Elections. The systems that currently make up the realm of Liberty are:

-New York (Capital)
-Colorado
-Californa
-Texas
-Ontario (Dependency)
-Alberta (Dependency)
-Virgina
-Pennsylvania (Territory/Protectorate)

All systems are, in some way, shape or form, represented in the Liberty Government. Most systems have a governor who retain sovereign police power, are not subordinate to the federal authorities except by laws provided by the enumerated powers section of the federal constitution, and serve as the political and ceremonial head of the system that they are elected to. All Governors are voted in by popular vote and serve set term lengths, often they belong to established political parties. All planets and systems hold a number of 'points' that hold value in the Electoral College which in turn directly affects the outcome of the Liberty Presidential elections.

The governing document of Liberty is the Liberty constitution which is, in point of fact, the ancient document called 'The Constitution of the United States of America'. This document, aside from having major historical importance, outlines the rights and Liberty's of all Citizens of the House of Liberty. This includes but is not limited to:

-The Right to free speech
-The Right to bear arms
-The Right to protest
-The Right to remain silent
-The Right to Freedom of worship
-The Right to Liberty
-The Right to life
-The Right to the pursuit of Happiness
-The Right to a trial by jury.
-The Right to run for elected office.
-The Right to apply for federal employment.

The Liberty Legal system is based around this and other documents and the common phrase 'pleading the fifth' is derived from the fifth amendment (the right to remain silent). One may observe that the Liberty Constitution is so entrenched in the Libertonian Psyche that any perceived threat or encroachment on the Constitution (which is considered more or less the living embodiment of 'Liberty') is met with stiff opposition. To outsiders, the Liberty political system is confusing and considered archaic by outside observers, such observations are usually ignored by most Libertonians who find that the system works well for them.

All Libertonian Citizens have the right to serve in the Liberty Navy, Liberty Security Force or the Liberty police and most veterans and active members are treated quite well by the general population, with discounts at general stores, shopping centers and monetary benefits, and applications to the Navy and Army remain high, especially in the Liberty Navy secondary fleet.

Liberty also has a history of abundance and, in some case, overindulgence. Food quality remains some of the unhealthiest in Sirius but is cheap and easily accessible, with some of the most successful inter-house fast food chains beginning in Liberty, for example Sunbucks. Liberty healthcare remains a controversial topic, as most Libertonian citizens cannot afford full health insurance, as such some of the most basic diseases are still common in most of Libertonian society. Attempts to create a new socialist style of healthcare insurance have been met with strong opposition, with many commentators pointing out the vast expenses in healthcare.

All in all, Liberty remains a bastion of capitalism and Culture in Sirius, yet it is not without it's problems and, with war ever encroaching on Liberty's borders, the Future of Liberty's economy and way of life remain under threat, perhaps more so than at any other point in it's 800 year history. The recent tensions in Rheinland and the strain of supporting Bretonia is beginning to leave cracks in the Liberty system, Crime and corruption remain high in Liberty and, with a mass draft of all able bodied citizens looking more likely by the day, the question of: What kind of Liberty will be left behind after the war? remains.

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