Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pmHi
I got some questions here for all those running.
1) What do you think are the 3 best qualities about yourself (they do not have to linked to your role as Keeper)
Thanks for the questions. My three best qualities? That's actually a tough one, but I'll take a stab at it.
1. Loyalty: I know this may seem odd from someone who has switched gameplay alignments multiple times and who has just recently been pardoned of a treason conviction, but I'm actually an intensely loyal person. The distinction to be made is that I tend to prioritize loyalty to actual people over loyalty to abstract concepts and institutions.
2. Determination: Although this can sometimes manifest itself in stubbornness, I think my determination is one of my best qualities. I don't give up easily and, once I set goals, I'm driven to accomplish them.
3. Intelligence: To be clear, I don't consider myself more intelligent than others, as there are many NationStates players who are as intelligent or more intelligent than I am. I think intelligence is an important quality in many of us and is why NationStates can be so much fun, at its best.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm2) Who would you say was the best Keeper and why?
I would have to go with Treize Dreizehn. He was the first Keeper and shaped the office into what it is today, as well as having a huge impact on our laws. He was, as I was, involved in the drafting of the State Code and most laws on the books.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm3) Under what circumstances would you deny an applicant entry into the Deshret
I would deny an applicant if I believed them to be a compelling threat to the Deshret's security -- i.e., if I had good reason to believe they might leak from the private halls, for example. Otherwise I would be unlikely to deny an applicant already approved for citizenship. The Deshret can start a vote on any applicant the Keeper accepts, as well, so to me I think the Keeper denying applicants should be very rare, even with controversial applicants, because the Deshret can override an acceptance as well.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm4) How many terms do you want to serve if you are elected?
Hard to say. I would be open to two terms, potentially, but no more than that. It's entirely possible I would only be interested in serving one term.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm5) What will you do differently (if anything) that other Keeper's haven't done
I think there's been a lack of promoting the Deshret and trying to encourage people to discuss and vote, and that's one thing I would like to do differently. I'll note that Treize actually excelled at this when he was Keeper, so it isn't something no other Keeper has done, but it's been lacking for quite some time.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm6) What are your opinions of a citizen-based and an elected legislature? Can you list the pros and cons of each?
I think the biggest pro of an elected legislature is that it can encourage more competitiveness, which can lead to greater activity and participation in order to get elected. The obvious con is that fewer people can have voting participation in regional decision making. Conversely, the biggest pro of a citizen legislature is that everyone -- or, in our case, everyone who applies -- can participate and have a vote on regional decisions. The drawback, I think, is that it sometimes encourages complacency and doesn't maximize the potential for activity, because that competitive factor isn't there.
On the whole, I think for Osiris the better option is a citizen legislature. Osiris once had an elected legislature, and it was incredibly inactive, didn't encourage greater activity and participation, and turned into an old boys' club with little room for newcomers. Generally speaking, the fewer people who have had a role in regional decision making in Osiris, the greater the turmoil has been in Osiris as various factions struggle to control elite institutions of power. While I think elected legislatures may work fine for some other regions -- and right now Balder's Storting seems to be doing great, and I congratulate them on that -- I don't think that is the right choice for Osiris. So I would oppose an elected legislature here, and if anything I would like to see enfranchisement expanded so that citizens are automatically enrolled in the Deshret upon becoming citizens.
I would also note one important difference between Osiris and Balder: Balder has a constitutional Monarch-Delegate who does not serve as a frequently elected head of government, which reduces the likelihood that increased politicking, and increased political conflict, will transform into a regional conflict in which the Delegate overthrows the government and initiates a coup. We lack such a system here, and I would argue that such a system may be necessary to offset the potential conflict and instability that a more politicized legislature might introduce. In short, I don't think it would be responsible to introduce an elected legislature without introducing further measures to guarantee in-game stability in the event of greater political conflict, in the form of a unifying and apolitical head of state serving as Delegate. I don't think Osiris would favor that approach, and I'm not saying we should pursue it, I'm just saying I see it an essential component of making a more politicized legislature work.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm7) How many Curators will you be having in your term and how will you manage them? Will you assign individual curators specific roles?
I'll have two or three. I'm not sure I will assign them specific roles, so much as find out what they are interested in doing as Curators and let them go ahead and do that, while ensuring that nobody is bumping into each other trying to do the same thing at the same time. So, I'd be sure Curators are organized, but I want to give them free reign to do what they're interested in doing, and not micromanage them.
I should note that I'll be appointing Curators primarily to give others a chance for greater involvement, and to provide training and experience to potential future Keepers, and not because I intend to be less active myself.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pm8) Do you think that the Voter Registry is still useful? If not, why and what would you do instead?
It's useful in the sense that, if promptly updated, it helps the Keeper track who has missed votes, and it can help citizens ensure they're meeting membership requirements if they actually look at the registry.
That said, I think our system for maintaining Deshret membership is flawed, difficult to track, and inefficient. I think we would be better off switching to a simple minimum monthly posting requirement, anywhere on the forum, than trying to track votes in the Deshret and keep up with who has missed votes. I will be proposing that change to the Deshret soon.
I would also favor eventually broadening the Deshret to include all citizens, which would eliminate Deshret activity requirements and make Deshret membership contingent upon simply maintaining citizenship. But that is a much bigger change, one that will require ample discussion, and one that the Deshret ultimately may not be interested in making. So, for now, I'm more interested in changing our activity requirements, which is a simpler and more reasonable goal.
Andrew wrote:Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:45 pmGood luck
Thank you, and thanks again for the great questions!
