Meet the US Government: A Guide to the inner workings of Power

Day 783, 06:07 • Published in USA Australia • by Aeros

They are always there, those people who post articles telling you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. They offer you free moving tickets out of the wasteland, make lulz proposals that spam our events board every 23rd day of the month and push the attack button on some other countries territory. These people are the men and women of the United States Government. I have noticed however, in many articles and shouts that the vast majority of US citizens have no clue how the US Government works in eRepublik, nor do they know how they could conceivably get into the government if they wanted too. As I myself have made only one half hearted attempt a congress several months ago, I am not a major player in Government, but I do have the added benefit of being a candid observer. This article shall be your guide to the how the USG functions in the New World.


OVERVIEW

Unlike in RL, the US does not have a Constitution that lays out all the structures of the USA, though Congress does have its own internal Constitution. As consequence, the USG grew up ad hoc over the years to the form it presently is in. There are nominally three branches of Government in the eUSA.

1. The Executive Branch, covering the President, his Cabinet and the Government Agencies
2. The Congressional Branch, covering the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office and other Congressional organization and departments
3. The Military, covering the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Chiefs, Military Branches and Divisions.


The Executive Branch





The US Presidency is a highly important job for a player to want to take on, as they are responsible for managing the country. During peace time, this usually means transferring money sent by Congress to the various Government Agencies and Military Service Branches in a timely manner. The President also has to make sure those Agencies are doing their job with the money sent. For example, the Welcoming Committee needs to use the money to make sure noobs get moving tickets out of the wasteland. The President also serves as chief diplomat, appointing ambassadors and the Secretary of State. He will have to come on at weird times now and then to accommodate another President who lives in a different time zone. Additionally, the President is “Brainstormer in Chief”, and is responsible for helping come up with ideas to make the eUSA a better place. During War, the President is the guy who gets to “Push the Button” and declare attacks. In this situation, Presidential activity requirements become huge. Failing at meeting war activity requirements could very well lead to a clash with the Military branch, which could endanger the Presidents reelection prospects considering the number of votes the Military represents (over 500). As you can see, being President of the USA is not a cake walk and should only be undertaken by a player with a high degree of activity.

To that end, all presidential candidates are vetted by the Steering Committees of the major Political Parties. These committees then choose a likely candidate and present them for a primary vote among the parties active members, usually on IRC or on the Party Forums. This is where claims of the USA being an Oligarchy come from. Because of the activity requirements of being President, the Steering Committees will only choose someone they know as a candidate, and the active members of the party will likewise support well known individuals. Inevitably, this pretty much guarantees John Q. Two Clicker will not make it past the Primary phase a secure the nomination of a major political party. If you are still interested in trying for the prize, then you have to become active in the community. This does not mean be active for just a few weeks leading up to Election Day. People have to see you around consistently for a long time before you will have a chance at winning a Presidential Election.


CONGRESS





Congress is the least observed branch of Government, and this often greatly affects the egos of those involved. The President often clashes with individual members of Congress because some Senators want to know things they really don’t need to know; while the Military often chooses not to respond to individual queries, or even acknowledge they happened. The reason for this is principally based on how Congressmen are elected. In truth, the two Congressmen who matter are the representatives of Florida and California, as these require an actual election to gain their seat. All the other Senators represent empty wasteland states where they are most likely elected by single digit majorities or even their own vote because they ran unopposed. Naturally, the President does not want to deal with an angsty Senator who was elected by his own vote, and the Military does not either. This is often a source of deep disappointment for brand new Senators, who get elected only to realize they are one face among many.

As a body, the Congress has its powers based solely on the mechanics of eRepublik, and that in and of itself is a very good consolation prize. They can set taxation, fund the Executive and the Military and agree to declare war and set alliances, as well as remove the President from office. You will note that often all votes are unanimous. This is because Congress conducts its debates on IRC and on their forums out of the public eye in order to avoid politically damaging themselves, as what happened when I wrote a scathing article about one of their debates over military funding. Frankly, I do not agree with this, but that is how things are. Congress is able to set their own procedural rules, and you can read them here: http://eusforum.com/index.php/topic,15187.0.html. While this lays out Congressional procedural rules, there have been some grumblings that they are only followed when Congress feels like it, and they can be frequently edited at the will of whoever happens to be in charge in any one election cycle. The truth is, there really is no method of enforcement outside of shunning a recalcitrant Senator and making sure he is not elected to another term.

Congressional elections are the biggest power of the Political parties, and it is they who organize the victories and make sure certain individuals are always elected. Unlike the presidency, Congress IS an Oligarchy. There are some Senators for Life who are guaranteed their seats because all the Political Parties agree they are too useful to lose an election to some random citizen. To that end, the candidates Party pays for, or encourages votes to be steered to the chosen state election, while the opposing parties either do not front a candidate to run against the individual, or else pick some random guy who (though he does not realize it, and is probably never told) is already destined to lose because his own party will not be sending any votes his way. This is a mixed bag, as it is highly undemocratic. However, the Congress does need experienced citizens in it, or else runs the risk of being taken over by individuals with no knowledge of how the world works. On the flip side, the US has so much territory that the Political Party’s often have a hard time filling all the slots, and often encourage new players to try and run for Senate. Just don’t run against the President of the Senate!


THE MILITARY





Believe it or not, the US Military is (though not officially), a branch of the US Government. Presidents come and go, and so do Congressmen, but the Military is always present. The Military is responsible for all things war related, from planning operations to coordinating with allied forces. Unlike in the other branches where you are elected, The Military uses merit based promotion. You start at the bottom, and if you do good, you rise to the top. The Commander of the US Military is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (The CJCS). He can tell all the other branches what to do, where to do it, and when to do it. The CJCS is chosen by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and represent this body as a whole. The JCS are the commanders of the various US Military Branches. As they are the ones who choose the CJCS, they are also the only ones who can remove him or her from office. It is a common misconception that the US President has authority over the CJCS and the JCS. In truth, the President has limited or no authority over who the CJCS is, or what the JCS decides to do. Often you will see a CJCS in charge of the military through the terms of numerous Presidents. The Military likes this, as it provides continuity to the force structure. It’s not commonly known to the public, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is arguably the most powerful citizen in the entire government structure of the United States. While he or she does not have any mechanical authority, like acquiring money or pushing the attack button, he is responsible for driving military operations which make up the largest aspect of eRepublik. The fact that the CJCS is not elected and can stay in service as long as the JCS (who themselves are not elected) wish simply adds to the stability of the position. The CJCS is also commanding the largest block of active citizens in the US, and could if he ever chose to (and it has never happened thank god) swing an election.

Many will read this and think it’s abhorrent that the Military has so much authority. In truth though, it’s hardly a situation unique to the United States. eRepublik is driven by war, so it is natural that over time the Military Branch would establish itself as a major force. It is also important to remember that the President can change every month, while mission planning can run for several months along with the wars we are fighting. As consequence, playing musical chairs with the JCS will end up hurting the military, and outraging lower ranked officers in the Army with their own eyes on a JCS seat. It would not be fair for individuals who started as Privates and rose to the top to be replaced by a political appointee. We in the USA are also lucky to have a Military that remains apolitical. In Russia, you have a Military that point blank refuses to obey the elected government, and goes around doing its own thing, even creating opposing Political Parties. In this respect, the US Military is far superior. There was an incident when a rogue soldier PTO’d a Political Party with the help of his unit, and was promptly shut down by the JCS. In the USA, the Military is focused on war, not politics. Even so, War is the biggest factor of what makes eRepublik interesting, and the US Military consequently has a much bigger impact on Government policies then it may have in real life.

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I hope this guide was useful for you! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a PM. Remember, this is all based on my own observations, so there might be a few small errors. But I cannot fix them if you don’t point them out! If you too wish to become “one of the elite” as I have heard it described, it’s really very simple.


HOW TO BECOME AN ELITE CITIZEN

1. Realize the term “Elite Citizen” means “Active Citizen”.
2. Join the Military – http://eusforum.com/index.php/topic,10544.0.html
3. If you don’t want to do Military service, run for Congress by checking in with a top 5 political parties Forum, found on their Wiki Page.
4. Hang out on the eUS forums: http://eusforum.com
5. Visit our IRC on Rizon.net channel #usa-chat and #eUS.