Lulz Proposals - I Thought We Settled That

Day 953, 11:40 • Published in Canada New Zealand • by SledDog

I see that some of of our honorable members of Congress have decided to make Lulz Proposals legal again. Oh wait, they`re not calling them Lulz Proposals, they`re calling them "Experience Proposals."

Here's how "Experience Proposals" work. As you may know, you get two experience points every time you vote. Of course Congress members vote a lot. In fact, to misquote the Witch in Shrek, "they're the votingest little buggers you ever did see." It's part of the job and the reward for doing the job is getting more experience points than other people. What, you didn't think people went into Congress for the money did you?!

So here's what "Experience Proposals" do. At the end of the Congressional term there are inevitably people who haven't used both of the two in-game law proposals that they are permitted to make. So, in the last couple of days of the term they feel the need to make nonsensical propsosals, "for the Lulz" (hence the term Lulz Proposals). The most popular or these are Tax "changes" - Change the Income Tax on Iron from 50% to 50% (just as an example) - in short a change that doesn't really change anything. It used to be that Congress was inundated by these "non-change changes" at the end of every term. Because there is no debate on these measures, Congress members were required to vote against the measures.

During the October 2009 session of Congress, in which I was a member, we banned them. Why? Well there were a variety of reasons, and if you want you can read the debate at this link:
http://ecanada.cc/forums/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=2523&hilit=for+the+lulz
For me, the big issue and what led me to vote for the ban was a concern that real legislation was being held up by the Lulz Proposals. I had that concern because it had happened to me. I had shepherded a real tax change to increase the Import Tax on Food from 40% to 60% through Congress, and had received permission to propose it in-game the day before the election at the end of September. However when I went to propose the bill I was unable to do so because there was a bill proposed that would "increase" the Import Tax on Food from 40% to 40%, and you cannot have two motions in the same category up for vote at the same time. Taking advise from the Speaker I reproposed the legislation on Election Day and it duly passed. Happy ending right? No Harm no foul? Well not quite. It seems that because I used a proposal on Election Day, and members of the outgoing and incoming Congress were able to vote on it, it was counted as a proposal for the new session, so I was only able to propose one bill in the next session.

There were a lot reasons for banning Lulz Proposals. They made Congress look silly, and they interfered with getting actual work done were among the big ones as were the problems of trying to regulate them and actually making sure that no harm was done. For me, Lulz Proposals, or Experience Proposals or whatever pretty name you want to dress them up in are a nuisance that that aren't worth the time that it takes to deal with them. Keep them banned.