Pfeiffer Ignites Congress
Gnilraps
Department of Politics
Day 1,388 of the New World
8 September 2011
Last updated - 1030 eRep
Henry Arundel Stirs Congress To Possible Conflict of Interest Debate
In the opening hours of the Alexander_Auctoritas Administration, the temperature has begun to rise in Congress over the jointly held roles of Cromstar.
Cromstar is currently serving the following political offices:
Federalist Party Political Director
Congressman from Pennsylvania
Speaker of the House
Chief of Staff
Federal Elections Coordinator (FEC)
I have highlighted two of those roles because they are at the heart of the issue raised by Pfeiffer (aka Henry Arundel).
Pfeiffer contends that as a high-ranking Administrator in the Executive Branch, Cromstar's role as the highest-ranking Administrator in the Legislative Branch creates a Conflict of Interest (CoI)... or vice-versa.
Says Pfeiffer, "Vesting that much authority in a single person is scary, and could lead to potential conflict." He indicates the following potential CoI's: "running the cabinet/freezing funding/Speakers role as Congressional watchdog on SCI...".
Pfeiffer's post in the Public Proceedings area of the Congressional Forum Boards sparked debate that had already begun when he raised the question on the Senate IRC floor.
Congresspeople began lining up on both sides of the question.
As congressman from Virginia, I posted the following: "...Congress has laws governing how to view this situation. If they become unhappy with the current SoH's performance for any reason, impeachment (of SoH) may begin. If Congress decides that the SoH is not compromised in his duties then impeachment either never comes to a vote or fails."
My point is that Congress has developed a Constitutional procedure to protect itself from any CoI that might develop, and the Executive (PoTUS) has the power to fire the CoS for any reason. In other words, as of this time, there is no reason to press an issue like this, and if a reason arises there are already mechanics in place to protect the sanctity of both Legislative and Executive Branches of Government.
Among those Congresspeople agreeing with Pfeiffer so far are:
Artela, "To hold both jobs at the same time is a clear case of a conflict of interests."
And at least two others who posted their comments in the private IRC room, so they will neither be named nor quoted herein.
Congresspeople disagreeing with Pfeiffer so far are:
Gnilraps, "I see no reason for a Vote of No Confidence at this time."
Leroy Combs, "In a normal term there is little to no interaction between the COS and the SoH so I still fail to see the problem..."
Oblige, "Cromstar would have to be the POTUS himself to have to be removed from his position as SoH."
xDavidx, "The positions may have a conflict of interest at some point if a unique circumstance arises, but so do 15 to 20 other positions with regards to the SoH... In my opinion thisis as an over reaction at best."
Max King, "We have nothing to say the Speaker of the House can't also be the Chief of Staff."
yume shinnyuusha, "I do not see a conflict..."
Three Congresspeople (Gnilraps, S0beit, Chris Hartman) specifically expressed their desire to hear from Cromstar on the question, and this morning they found what they were looking for.
Cromstar posted a detailed post that enumerates the powers of each position in question. He wrote:
"Let's examine the duties and powers of these two posts then. First, as SoH, I have the following duties:
Keep order on the Congress IRC channels
Keep order on the Congress forums
Serve as a liaison between Congress and other government and political bodies
Close votes and properly tally their results
Uphold and maintain the rule of law
To these ends, I have the following powers/privileges bestowed on me:
Ownership of the Congress IRC channels
Moderation powers on the Congress forums and control of the relevant member groups
Access to certain areas, such as the White House and Economic Council
The weight and authority of my post as Speaker to encourage and precipitate Congressional actions
The random powers bestowed upon the SoH by the Code (appoint deputies, start certian procedures,etc)
What I do not have the power or authority to do includes: overruling the laws passed by Congress, indiscriminate moderation of the Congress forums, forcing legislation through Congress that is unwanted, etc. Any of the authority I have as Speaker can be overruled by the Congress as a whole (or the forum admins in the case of moderating). I have no unchecked power except the weight my position may bring to my opinions and actions, which I only have so long as I hold the position.
As CoS, I have the following duties:
Maintaining the order of the White House both internally (private channels, boards, and documents) and in its external edifices (wikis, public boards, channels, and documents, and in-game)
Tracking, reviewing, and enforcing activity on the part of Department and Program heads
Reviewing feedback regarding Executive programs that has not been handled at the Department/Program level
Maintaining documents as order by the POTUS for the purposes he outlines
To these ends, I have the following powers:
Mod powers on Executive forums
Admin powers on Executive channels
Authority to authorize access to certain documents as directed by the President
Contact information for A^2 in the event of emergencies
What I cannot do includes: firing or hiring people without the President's permission, any modding of IRC or forums in excess of what is necessary to keep order and maintain the rules approved by the President, rule the nation, make executive decisions (except possibly in the case of emergencies when I'm the only executive staff member online and their is not time to wait), give orders to Department/Program heads, etc."
President A^2 posted saying, "I have limited Cromstar's role as CoS this month to coraling Department heads..."
and
"There are a few resolutions here, as I see it:
1. Cromstar reseigns as my CoS.
2. Cromstar reseigns as SoH.
3. Cromstar does neither and nothing bad happens.
4. Cromstar does neither and something bad does happen."
Pfeiffer was careful to point out that he is not seeking to attack Cromstar personally saying, "I have worked with, been friends with, and liked Cromstar for years now. He's a good guy, and I trust him to do either job well. Simply put, nobody should do both of those jobs at the same time, no matter who they are."
The discussion is just getting under way. It is taking place in the public area of Congressional activity, so anyone with a forum account can follow its progress. You can follow it here: Potential Exec/Legislative Conflicts of Interest.
A preemptive note to those who like to criticize these affairs as "Role Playing" and "having no place in eRepublik": the Citizens of eUSA have generally agreed to rely on a variety of out-of-game agreements (a constitution and code, Party Forums, Military communities, IRC rooms) to help govern how we organize ourselves to play ingame. Dismissing it as "Role Playing" may be accurate but it is irrelevant. To at least some extent we Citizens of eUSA have agreed to augment our eRep gaming experience with these additional extra-game functions.
16 Shells endorses:
New Publisher PencilPal and his Poor Man's Blanket
The National Broadcast System
Department of Defense Orders
The WHPR
eNPR
The Treasure Map
Positive Thinking
The Congressional Record in the Flaming Press.
Allied War Report
and getting your butt into a military unit.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled clicking
LT Gnilraps, USAF Special Forces Alpha Company 1st Platoon.
Comments
first
Technically speaking, it is a Conflict of Interest, since it's the head of the Legislation basically debating himself on what to do. Should a conflict between the Congressional proceedings and the Executive come up, Cromstar would be put in the odd place of needing to side with both, which he cannot do.
Pfeiffer has valid a point imo.
I have no doubt that Cromstar can serve in both roles and give each their appropriate due.
If Congress has an issue, then I would think they would have addressed it back when the SoH role and rules was last looked at.
We have always had people serving in the executive, congress, and even the military (when it was recognized as an equal branch) simultaneously. With the exceptions of POTUS/SoH/CJCS, I dont recall anyone ever requiring the roles to be handled by seperate people.
If you want to get real life persnickety, all Congressional people in the executive should give up one or the other. Also anyone in the USAF or any militia should probably not serve in Congress, or recuse themselves from any funding votes.
Certainly being Secretary of Media and serving as Speaker of the House simultaneously could also fall into this basket. It does sound like a slippery slope.
too boring; didn't read
sorry pizza. I'll dumb it down a bit next time.
Congress is the butthole of politics. In both real life and on this virtual world.
Would read again.
This is not the first time someone has raised a "Conflict of Interest" discussion. The last time we had it was when someone claimed Congressmen who owned businesses shouldn't discuss tax policies because there was a "conflict of interest," particularly in raising Import Tax to prevent cheaper foreign goods. While that discussion is different, the argument against it can be applied here.
Basically, there are only so many people who devote extra time to performing government functions and many of those people take on multiple roles (Congress, Executive, Military/Militia). With few people able to fill those roles, we must allow people to take multiple roles regardless of interest. If there is concern over someone's interest jeopardizing the function of government, then it is fairly easy to remove the individual from those created position, though we are all working towards the strengthening of our nation.
o_O
I started to write something that would be a regret later. Let me just say that this was a non-issue until Henry brought it up. Consider the source and make it a non-issue again before we spend the next two months drawing lines in the sand and shit gets ugly. We don't need another JCSgate (a sly metaphor for the Nixon/Watergate affair) to cause division and mistrust.
@Pizza The Mutt, go crawl back under your rock until it's time for the Congressional elections.
why am I not surprised 😁
I agree w/ Pfeiffer.
Holding positions in both the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch creates a Conflict of Interest and should never be allowed.
How the hell did my name become Mr. Peanuts? Jk, great article and it's great to have a mention. Only a huge 'hole would take offense when being done a huge favor.
As to the subject of the article, I don't believe holding both opinions is bad in itself. There isn't likely to be a conflict of interest. The only question is whether or not he can handle the workload. If his performance in either role falters, then we should remove him. Until then, I see no problem.
Crommy can do both jobs and more. He's FM!
FM = F'ing Magic
I agree with Dill, this is a Non-Issue thats being manufactured by pfieffer to be an issue. I see no CoI in this at all considering Cromstar's ability.
I'd urge people to ask why someone as manipulative as Pfieffer is trying to poke his head into congressional affairs. I'm betting its a lot more than just removing conflicts of interest.
I think its a valid point that's at least worth discussing. It's not that someone can't be in the exec and legislative branches at once, its that someone holding these particular positions that is worth discussing. Those positions at times have been at odds with each other over the specific interests of their respective branches, and it would be an odd dynamic if that were to occur in this administration.
damn its hot in here
lol
Some are just not happy unless they are stirring the pot.
How did PtH know this was "too boring" if he didn't read it?
Dish, you should be focusing on your epic-war against Ireland. Or, as the rest of us describe it, the Little League World Series.
Thanks for keeping us posted ginlraps! Very well written as norm.
Voted. Great insight and very interesting read.
Who has the time to fill all those roles effectively?
If Cromstar can then more power to him.
Conflict of interest....ahhhh maybe but I say let's live on the edge!
Cromstar's a RockStar!
and of course - Voted Gnilraps! Still loving you paper.
Cromstar has it all downpacked imo.
Let him have it.
Wall of Text me No read
this is kinda stupid and pointless imo
To point out something that might be overlooked?
It's not about Cromstar it's about the jobs and for future problems. Part of the job of congress is to fix problems that might happen before they in the future like the reason a SoH must resign from office if he becomes president? The reason is it's to much power for one person (no matter who) to have.
CoS is a very powerful position now compered to the past so a discussion/debate should be had about this.
Technically Chromstar can thank me for starting the issue up and getting the rage going.
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/you-have-no-freedom-1851488/1/20
Sorry Fitisin, I know this concept might be hard for you to understand with all the important things you've done in Erepublik, but it actually is possible to read foreign media while clicking the fight button. I'm surprised it takes someone who's been elected President 7 times, including twice in your country, to tell you that though seeing as you're all "experienced" and all that.
Or, as those of us who actually do things in Erepublik like to call it, the peanut gallery.
Chromstar is a great guy and he's doing excellent job but Pfeiffer has a good point.
- What a role playing xD Come on, this is a GAME !
- Fifer, log out and do favor to whole eUSA community.
Watching pfeiffer here and some other games. That dude seems to complain and stir schitte just for the sake of seeing his own name appeaar onscreen.
he's complain about the other guy if he had to write a dialogue in notepad.