We are working on a brand new version of the game! If you want to stay informed, read our blog and register for our mailing list.
Bill: Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746
Details
Submitted by[?]: Alliance Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This bill proposes to change the allocation of funds in the budget. It requires more than half of the legislature to vote yes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: January 4747
Description[?]:
| This Bill is to put on record in Parliament's archives the spending levels before the EDH/LDP coalition government increased them. The "proposed" budget is actually identical to what it is at the time of creating this Bill - though will change immediately of course on the new government's Bill. Importantly, this Bill seeks to capture evidence of what the pre-EDH/LDP budget was paying for - particularly in terms of Health Care and Education. This achieves two purposes: 1. It avoids governments being able to continue to increase budgets (why do so many love spending other people's money so extravagantly?) without a corresponding change in policy which justifies it. 2. It enables the Alliance to reverse the imminent increases without having to justify itself by changing laws in order to justify the "cuts". They will not be cuts if the same policies at the time of this Bill remain unchanged along with the level of expenditure which supported those policies. |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Policy of the government concerning the funding of abortions
Old value:: The government provides funding for abortions.
Current: The government only funds abortions for medical emergencies.
Proposed: The government provides abortion funding only for low-income earners.
Article 2
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning biological and chemical weaponry.
Old value:: The nation reserves the right to develop, construct and store biological and chemical weapons.
Current: The nation reserves the right to develop, construct and store biological and chemical weapons.
Proposed: The nation shall never purchase, produce, or store biological or chemical weaponry, for military purposes. Research and development of the technology is permitted.
Article 3
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning the use of chemical and biological weaponry in warfare.
Old value:: The nation reserves the right to use chemical or biological weapons in warfare for any reason.
Current: The nation shall never use chemical or biological weapons in warfare unless another nation uses them first.
Proposed: The nation shall never use chemical or biological weapons in warfare unless another nation uses them first.
Article 4
Proposal[?] to change Civil defence is the government's policy on providing shelters to be used in the event of attacks on major cities, mainly nuclear attacks and bombing.
Old value:: The government builds and maintains a network of shelters across the nation.
Current: The government builds and maintains a network of shelters across the nation.
Proposed: Local authorities are responsible for building and maintaining shelters.
Article 5
Proposal[?] to change The research and development of pharmaceutical drugs.
Old value:: The government subsidizes research and development of prescription drugs and regulates their prices.
Current: The government neither subsidizes research and development of drugs nor regulates their prices.
Proposed: The government subsidizes research and development of prescription drugs but does not regulate their prices.
Article 6
Proposal[?] to change The age until which students, if education were to be compulsary, are required to be educated (limited between 16 and 21).
Old value:: 16
Current: 18
Proposed: 18
Article 7
Proposal[?] to change Health care policy.
Old value:: There is a free public health care system and a small number of private clinics, which are heavily regulated to ensure they treat their patients well and provide good care.
Current: Health care is private, but the government subsidises the cost of it for all citizens.
Proposed: There is a public health care system, but private clinics are allowed.
Article 8
Proposal[?] to change Higher education institutions.
Old value:: The government maintains a system of universities, vocational schools, and colleges nationwide.
Current: The government maintains a system of universities nationwide.
Proposed: The government leaves the development and funding of vocational schools and colleges up to local governments.
Article 9
Proposal[?] to change Higher education tuition policy.
Old value:: The government fully subsidizes tuition.
Current: The government subsidizes higher education tuition to a certain amount, the rest is covered by the individual students. This includes scholarship programs.
Proposed: The government subsidizes tuition only for students from families classified as low-income or poor.
Article 10
Proposal[?] to change National service.
Old value:: All adults upon completion of schooling can be required in times of war to serve a term in the military.
Current: All adults upon completion of schooling can be required in times of war to serve a term in the military.
Proposed: All adults upon completion of schooling must serve either a term in the military or a lesser paid term of civilian national service, at their option.
Article 11
Proposal[?] to change National military policy.
Old value:: The nation retains a full time, professional army, navy and air force.
Current: The nation retains a full time, professional army, navy and air force.
Proposed: The nation retains a part time, professional army, navy and air force as part of a reserve group.
Article 12
Proposal[?] to change The government's policy concerning the use of nuclear weaponry in warfare.
Old value:: The nation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in warfare for any reason.
Current: The nation shall never use nuclear weapons in warfare unless another nation uses them first.
Proposed: The nation reserves the right to nuclear weapons in retaliation to a nuclear, chemical or biological attack.
Article 13
Proposal[?] to change The policy with respect to nuclear weaponry.
Old value:: The nation reserves the right to develop, produce and store nuclear arms.
Current: The nation shall never develop, produce or store nuclear weaponry.
Proposed: The nation shall never develop or produce nuclear weaponry but is permitted to allow allied nations to use its territory to store nuclear weapons or conduct nuclear weapons research.
Article 14
Proposal[?] to change Pharmaceutical drugs policy.
Old value:: The government pays partially for all citizens' pharmaceutical drugs, and pays entirely for those of low income citizens.
Current: The government subsidises the cost of pharmaceutical drugs for people on low incomes.
Proposed: The government supplies free pharmaceutical drugs to those on low incomes.
Article 15
Proposal[?] to change Pre-school education.
Old value:: The government maintains a system of free publically owned nurseries alongside heavily regulated private establishments.
Current: The government leaves development of nurseries to the private sector.
Proposed: Pre-school education is private, but the government covers the schoolcosts of poor families.
Article 16
Proposal[?] to change The education system.
Old value:: There is a free public education system alongside private schools.
Current: There is a free public education system alongside private schools.
Proposed: There is a free public education system and a small number of private schools, which are heavily regulated to ensure they teach adequate skills and information.
Article 17
| Ministry | Current Budget | Old Budget | Propesed Budget |
| Head of Government | 2,000,000,000 MRD | 50,000,000 MRD | 50,000,000 MRD |
| Foreign Affairs | 15,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD |
| Internal Affairs | 40,000,000,000 MRD | 23,500,000,000 MRD | 23,500,000,000 MRD |
| Finance | 5,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD |
| Defence | 30,000,000,000 MRD | 40,000,000,000 MRD | 40,000,000,000 MRD |
| Justice | 20,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD | 20,000,000,000 MRD |
| Infrastructure and Transport | 80,000,000,000 MRD | 78,500,000,000 MRD | 78,500,000,000 MRD |
| Health and Social Services | 250,000,000,000 MRD | 130,000,000,000 MRD | 130,000,000,000 MRD |
| Education and Culture | 150,000,000,000 MRD | 70,000,000,000 MRD | 70,000,000,000 MRD |
| Science and Technology | 15,000,000,000 MRD | 19,000,000,000 MRD | 19,000,000,000 MRD |
| Food and Agriculture | 20,000,000,000 MRD | 23,500,000,000 MRD | 23,500,000,000 MRD |
| Environment and Tourism | 10,000,000,000 MRD | 3,500,000,000 MRD | 3,500,000,000 MRD |
| Trade and Industry | 10,000,000,000 MRD | 39,000,000,000 MRD | 39,000,000,000 MRD |
| Total | 647,000,000,000 MRD | 487,050,000,000 MRD | 487,050,000,000 MRD |
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 10:21:41, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Alliance Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The final Article captures the expenditure levels as they were as of May 4746. The other Articles serve one purpose only - to capture what the "OLD" policies were. Regardless of what the "CURRENT" policy states when this Bill is reviewed retrospectively, the "OLD" values indicate quite clearly and unequivocally what the levels of expenditure in May 4746 was paying for - particularly in its totally free Health Service and Education System (fully funded from nursery to further education level) |
| Date | 11:03:27, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Liberal Democratic Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | These articles should’ve been proposed when the budget was passed. |
| Date | 11:26:27, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Beluzia Renewal Party (BRP) | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The Alliance would ask the Prime Minister to remind Parliament that they have an obligation to listen to the debate before responding to points made - in this as in many other recent incidences missing the point of those previous contributions. The Alliance asks why it finds itself regularly having to re-state what has already been made quite clear - just because it was self-evident that some other parties had not bothered to listen the first (and sometimes subsequent) time round. In the time-honoured phrase - "WATCH MY LIPS" ... (repeated verbatim from the speech immediately preceding the LDP's "contribution")... "The final Article captures the expenditure levels as they were as of May 4746. The other Articles serve one purpose only - to capture what the "OLD" policies were. Regardless of what the "CURRENT" policy states when this Bill is reviewed retrospectively, the "OLD" values indicate quite clearly and unequivocally what the levels of expenditure in May 4746 was paying for - particularly in its totally free Health Service and Education System (fully funded from nursery to further education level)" It is not difficult, Prime Minister! |
| Date | 11:30:17, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Alliance Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The Alliance would ask the Prime Minister to remind Parliament that they have an obligation to listen to the debate before responding to points made - in this as in many other recent incidences missing the point of those previous contributions. The Alliance asks why it finds itself regularly having to re-state what has already been made quite clear - just because it was self-evident that some other parties had not bothered to listen the first (and sometimes subsequent) time round. In the time-honoured phrase - "WATCH MY LIPS" ... (repeated verbatim from the speech immediately preceding the LDP's "contribution")... "The final Article captures the expenditure levels as they were as of May 4746. The other Articles serve one purpose only - to capture what the "OLD" policies were. Regardless of what the "CURRENT" policy states when this Bill is reviewed retrospectively, the "OLD" values indicate quite clearly and unequivocally what the levels of expenditure in May 4746 was paying for - particularly in its totally free Health Service and Education System (fully funded from nursery to further education level)" It is not difficult, Prime Minister! |
| Date | 13:25:39, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Liberal Democratic Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The prime. minister is the leader of the EDH, not the liberal party. Something the alliance would know if they payed more attention to parliamentary proceedings. These proposals if the bill is passed, will go into law. And they are not part of the coalitions legislative agenda, at least not in this form. Therefore why on earth would we wish to vote I favour of this bill? The increases in spending proposed by the finance minister, are perfectly realistic and reasonable, and fully costed by the tax revenue generated. The new taxes are not especially high in relation to other nations in Terra. They are not unreasonable. And therefore if the revenue generated justifies it, then we are within our full right as a government to initiate such spending, in line with the projects we will be proposing; AS WAS STATED IN THE BUDGET PROPOSAL. We have been clear this isn't a case of simply spending more on the same; we have a legislative plan. The alliance is not in anyway, the political influencer of this legislative parliament that they think they are. It is not their place to try and impose themselves onto the governments ability to increase spending, and increase it because of a legislative agenda! They were voted out (again), we were voted in. This bill will simply not pass. And for good reason, because the alliance party and their frmercoalition partners have the smallest influence in the chamber, as a reflection of the public opinion of their service. This means they have less than a minority mandate for this bill. We will reiterate: We are increasing spending, in advance of our legislative plan. Would the minority party of opposition please be patient, and accept that it is for the government to make decisions on matters of finance. Not for the opposition. We have a mandate to, they simply do not. |
| Date | 14:39:37, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Alliance Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The Alliance was appealing to the Prime Minister as the "Speaker" of Parliament - which part of parliamentary proceedings are the LDP following? And still the LDP fail to see the point: The Alliance does not care about this Bill PASSING - it actually prefers the current policies to the ones being "proposed". For the third time.... The purpose of the Bill is PURELY (once it is in the archives) so that it can be referred back to and to match the expenditure budget of May 4746 to the major laws existing at that time. The Articles are in place SOLELY so that the currently existing policies are clearly visible and captured at the point of this Bill being presented to Parliament. OOC I hope the Prime Minister does not regret entering into coalition with the LDP if its leader displays the same ineptitude in grasping basic communication in the way displayed in this debate - and in numerous previous debates! |
| Date | 19:54:16, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Liberal Democratic Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | In over words, this bill is pointless |
| Date | 20:42:39, April 25, 2020 CET | From | Alliance Party | To | Debating the Budget Expenditure Levels of May 4746 |
| Message | The fact that this Bill will be in the archives, whether passed or not, will not be "pointless" when the Alliance resurrects it to revert spending levels back to what they are now whilst arguing that these levels were sufficient in May 4746 to fund a fully free health service and free nursery, schooling and further education for everyone. More pointless was the LDP's waste Parliament's debating chamber raising points against issues which weren't there because they failed to listen carefully enough to what was being said. |
subscribe to this discussion - unsubscribe
Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||
| yes |
Total Seats: 61 | |||
| no | Total Seats: 191 | |||
| abstain | Total Seats: 113 |
| Random fact: Real-life quotations may be used in Particracy, but the real-life speaker or author should always be referenced in an OOC (out-of-character) note alongside the quotation. |
| Random quote: "Because democracy is not a spectator sport." - 2004 Democratic campaign slogan |