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Bill: Infrastructure Reform Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: Libertarian Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: December 4019
Description[?]:
| To privatize and improve our infrastructure system. Rep. Trevor Roberts, Deputy Leader LP |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Government policy on airports.
Old value:: The government has some involvement in the ownership and operation of airports, but leaves a role for the private sector too.
Current: The government has some involvement in the ownership and operation of airports, but leaves a role for the private sector too.
Proposed: The government leaves airports entirely to the private sector.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change Eminent Domain.
Old value:: The government may seize private property for vital government works.
Current: The government may seize private property for vital government works.
Proposed: The government may not seize private property.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change Government policy on energy generation.
Old value:: Private and public power stations exist side-by-side.
Current: Private and public power stations exist side-by-side.
Proposed: Private power stations provide energy for the entire power grid.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning the post office
Old value:: There is a nationalised post office agency. Private post offices are allowed to exist but the services provided by them are regulated.
Current: There is a nationalised post office agency. Private post offices are allowed to exist but the services provided by them are regulated.
Proposed: Only private post agencies exist, and the services they provide are unregulated.
Article 5
Proposal[?] to change Funding of public transport (where applicable).
Old value:: Public transport is partially subsidised with the remainder "user-pays".
Current: Public transport is fully subsidised by the government.
Proposed: Public transport is fully user-pays.
Article 6
Proposal[?] to change Train Operating Companies (TOC).
Old value:: The State owns and operates a national TOC, alongside private TOCs.
Current: The State owns and operates a national TOC, alongside private TOCs.
Proposed: Private companies operate TOCs throughout the country.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 21:37:46, April 25, 2016 CET | From | Great Rutania party | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | Mr speaker, we will support this bill as it provides an opportunity for the rich to get richer and the poor richer also. This is not just a deal for the people at the top but it is also a good deal for the workers. Thank you Guest speaker (filling in for Micheal Rights). |
| Date | 12:52:46, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Green Party of Rutania | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | Mr. Speaker, How in this world does it allow the poor to get richer? It will leave workers open to exploitation from the private sector - with its concern only being for profit, not workers' rights. Furthermore, it will privatise key areas meaning that the costs of these services will skyrocket. How on Terra do the Libertarians and GRP think that by privatising postal services and train providers that they will suddenly become cheaper to use? Utter nonsense. Also, the fact that the GRP claim that this will help poor and working people is laughable because this bill aims to take away partially subsidised public transport. How will this help them in any way? This will mean more expenses in travelling or getting to work and many poor and working-class people rely on these services. In short, this bill is an utter disgrace. It is completely ideology-driven and will have no benefits for anyone but already wealthy investors. - Rep. Ross D. George (Ardinia), Green Party Leader |
| Date | 16:44:25, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | Mr. Speaker, It seems the Green Party should to their homework on how competition drives down the costs of services and goods. Rep. Trevor Roberts, Deputy Leader LP |
| Date | 20:07:40, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Green Party of Rutania | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | OOC: C'mon, deep down we all know that argument is a fallacy. The price of everything in the UK has risen sharply since all the essential services were privatised. Compare rail fares in the UK with rail prices in European countries that have public train operators, for example. |
| Date | 23:02:42, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Great Rutania party | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | OOC: that is not true, I travel on British trains regularly. Compared to a French train, there is a price difference, slightly more for France. |
| Date | 23:10:40, April 26, 2016 CET | From | Great Rutania party | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | Mr speaker, I defend Micheal Rights for his case, the government (particularly a left one) will try to exploit the workers, for example the radical nationalisation the left proposes will need lots of money, yes Rutania is rich, but not as rich as to build lots of identical boring flats and pay workers a good salary. It is simple, a private company does not need to build and manta in other services. A TOC will prioritise trains and nothing else, this leaves the poor people who are working for the state to now be employed by regulated private companies which are never above the law, unlike the government. This puts jobs in safe hands and secures jobs. Thank you Nigel Red representative, Khodor |
| Date | 01:17:21, April 27, 2016 CET | From | Green Party of Rutania | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | OOC: UK rail fares are the highest in Europe. I don't know what rail line you use but I can fly to most European capitals and back for less than it cost for me to travel by train and back from the city in which I study to my hometown. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/uk/why-are-uk-rail-fares-so-expensive-9678640.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/england-has-the-priciest-train-tickets-in-europe-8434671.html http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jan/02/british-commuters-rail-travel-europeans Some pretty revealing graphs (France actually has one of the cheapest services): https://fullfact.org/news/do-uk-commuters-pay-highest-rail-fares-europe/ |
| Date | 11:24:00, April 27, 2016 CET | From | Libertarian Party | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | OOC: I am not quite aware of the British situation concerning pricy train tickets. What I can read from the article is that their isn't real competition, that's why commuters see the prices go up not down. Also what I can read is that the system in the UK is unnecessarily complicated. So the UK is only ONE example of something that has failed, mostly because they do it the wrong way not the right way. |
| Date | 12:07:27, April 27, 2016 CET | From | Green Party of Rutania | To | Debating the Infrastructure Reform Act |
| Message | OOC: There's a vast number of operators in this country. Stop making excuses - privatisation has failed badly. Public systems are much cheaper. The NHS is another example of being much better and much more cost effective compared to countries with private health systems (especially America's). |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 159 | ||||
| no |
Total Seats: 263 | ||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 78 |
| Random fact: In Culturally Protected nations, special care must be taken to ensure realism is maintained when role-playing a government controlled by an ethnic and/or religious minority. If it is to be supposed that this government is supported by a majority of the population, then this should be plausibly and sufficiently role-played. The burden of proof is on the player or players role-playing such a regime to demonstrate that it is being done realistically |
| Random quote: "I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born." - Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, 22 September 1980 |