Netherlands is Dead
Aries Prime
The latest immigration article got me thinking about our country and how it has changed from something I believe was fun with plenty of war and activity to something that is now dull, unwilling to take action, and dead. Below I will do my best to outline the areas I feel we are too conservative in, unwilling to take any action, are overregulated, and what steps we can take to improve our situation.
Immigration
Immigration seems to be the hot topic, and I do have a few short points to make.
1. We are in no danger of a PTO.
Simply put we have 0 PTO threat at the moment. The only reason it would be viable to clench down on immigration is when there is a PTO threat. There isn’t one at all.
2. Losing any divisions in the competition is our fault
Seriously, our largest and most coordinated MU, DAF, is losing in two divisions because of our lack of activity. In both divisions we are being beat out by one or two players in the entire division. We cannot blame them for this, but only ourselves.
3. The MU in question fights for Netherlands
This MU has fought for us heavily in the past and continues to fight for us when we ask, so why are we going to punish them for winning a few divisions in the competition? They are fighting hard for their own battles and it appears we are being sore losers because of it. We need to shake it off and grow up.
Congress
Our congress is in the business of overregulation and extreme oversight. Nothing is passed without multiple checks and balances and significant debate. Normally this would be a good sign, but unfortunately it has drained all progress to a slow drip. We are now so invested in triple checking our plans and refusing to pass laws and programs that nothing actually gets done.
Since May 31st we have had 20 votes. Of those 20 votes, 6 have been duplicate votes because of wording or other minor errors. Effectively this leaves us with 14 real votes since June.
When we break down those 14 votes based on content, we find that 6 of those were voting on a Chairman of Congress or Deputy Chairman of Congress. Another 1 vote was on a medal ceremony. When we remove those we are left with 7 actual votes of content.
Out of those 7 votes we find that 2 were on oversight, Mr. Wonka as MoFA and Training Contracts, 2 were law changes, deputy keykeeper law and blacklisting law, and 3 were on treaties or alliance membership.
Of the actual 2 laws congress voted on, neither was passed. On the 2 oversight issues, Training Contracts were blocked until a better solution was proposed. Of the three alliance membership and treaty votes, all three passed.
Here are the facts: Congress has passed 0 new laws since the end of May. Congress has blocked 1 program and passed 1 oversight allowing a foreigner as MoFA. Congress has approved 3 bills on alliances and treaties.
My opinion at this point should be clear, not only do we not allow anything, but we hardly seem to generate new ideas either. If you look at the debate section you will find that many new ideas are posted and debated but few are actually voted on because A. they are to inform congress of a new program or plan so it isn’t blocked through oversight or B. they are flat out rejected and never revisited or improved upon. Your congress simply refuses to act and overregulates everything it does act upon.
War & Country Goals
War is a critical part of this game, arguably the most important aspect a country can partake in. Our country actively refuses to be a part of the war community.
Personally, I am bored of our country because we never act. We haven’t had a war in months, we refuse to sign MPPs, we don’t use our AS options, and we don’t spend money. What’s worse is that it is painfully obvious that our country lacks a common goal to keep us active.
My solution is very simple. We need to come up with a war or create another substantial country goal that will stimulate everyone. The war approach leaves us with three options. 1. We can war Poland. 2. We can war Norway. 3. We can AS an enemy country.
Our first option is fairly unpopular and most agree that they will not do it. Although I don’t particularly like the option myself, I would be interested in any kind of stimulation at this point.
Our second option is the most feasible, but the most predictable and boring. We have warred Norway before and it eventually boils down to us getting bored and giving up. It is a ping-pong war that cannot be won by us but will give us a certain about of enjoyment and pride for a long period of time. The other issue is our Asteria sympathetic crowd or Pro-Norway crowd. They make it more difficult for us to sustain a war with Norway, but it is still probably our most effective route for war.
Our third option is to AS an enemy country. This is our most exciting option and our riskiest. The benefits of this option are very high. We will throw ourselves up on the international board, we will garner a huge boost in activity, we could manage to hold certain regions for a substantial amount of time, and we will strengthen our ties with allies if coordinated properly. The downside is the possibility of failure and loss of our funds. It is a move that will take a very strong leader and a coordinated effort, but it is very possible and our most exciting route.
At this point I feel the need to express my preference for option three. I am losing interest in this country and I know I am not alone. From my perspective we need to make a big play to keep things going or I simply won’t be interested in sticking around anymore. The benefits of pulling off an AS will be huge for our tiny community and it is something we have never done before. I strongly suggest we give it a go. I also would like to point out that funding is not an issue. We have the funds and a huge reserve of funds for moments exactly like this. Our unwillingness to act has made us quite possibly the richest country per capita, and I am not exaggerating.
Why not run for CP?
Normally I would run for CP because I believe, just like Gandhi did, that you must be the change you want to see. I desperately want to see us get some action because I love this eCountry. I have dedicated almost my entire eLife to it. I want it to grow and prosper and I feel very strongly that we need to follow the war path to make this happen.
Unfortunately I cannot run for CP because I do not have time. I am a masters student now and my full focus will be on my degree. The only way I would consider running is if I had a very effective vCP and team that could run the government without me. This is quite possible considering it is how I ran things in the past, but it would require some preparation and solid commitments from friends.
Because of this I am asking for someone to step up in the upcoming election and to incorporate the changes I have outlined. We need to see some real change in this country before it goes dry. We need to see congress stop overregulating and actually pass laws. We need to see more programs and ideas being voted on and implemented. We need to see a real war. Most importantly, we need a national goal to keep us going.
Your loyal patriot,
Aries Prime
Comments
I love this eCountry, and a change is exactly what we need!
I can probably tell you that someone in our community has plans to run for next month and he has somewhat the same ideas as yours Aries! At the moment, I truly support your ideas Aries. And indeed we need a little change if I may say so!
"1. We are in no danger of a PTO."
Yet.
I had 150 accounts banned on Christmas night 2011 because of these loose immigration policies.
De gelegenheid maakt de dief.
You just love to keep bringing this up. XD
Sure thing you little spijk incarnate.
I bring it up when I need to remind people that a PTO can easily occur.
in 2011.. LOL
lets not live in fear of the very very distant past...
any action would be welcome at this point!!
The ones you got bannen were multi's. No immigrants.
oh... read and weap e(U)NL history for the other three to four times times it where immigrants. It's the reason e(U)NL started and ended.
My opinion on the possibilities for war:
Option 1 simply would be retarded. Months of hard work thrown away for a fleeting moment of excitement. It's foolish and would clearly end in defeat unless someone can get us a few thousand more players in the next few weeks.
As for option 2, I am personally OK with this. They are attacking a fellow NSPP country as is eSweden and eFinland.
For option 3, which countries would you consider as a viable target for an airstrike? Airstrikes are very costly and I would prefer it to be used on a successful mission rather than one that is doomed from the start just because people want to click a button a few more times. So, yes, I would consider it but only after having discussed the potential target and what exactly we would hope to gain from the strike.
Be careful. Gandhi got shot.
MY friend we should establish ˝The House of Lords˝ in Netherlands.
Agreed.
But we need the King too 😃
Garmr is our King, didn't you know that ? 😛
Tss I'm the king haven't you seen my name 😛
Careful with that.... We already have a house of lords 🙂
We have no king \o/
Maybe the exodus of all Dutch players to other countries is a problem. But just think, all those people had a reason to move away.. You all should use Kordakism again 😛
We certainly do seem to have more players leave then join or stay. Clearly that is an issue, but what would you suggest to reverse that?
There are many ways to achieve more citizens. First one is trying to get back all citizens which are currenlty in other nations. Show them respect and give them a goal within our community.
That brings me to the next step: creation of goals. What can you achieve if there are no goals to compare your results with?
During my CP term I did send every new citizen a message and offered them help. I messaged them every few days to keep record of this and keep them interested and motivated.
In my opinion last CP's were terrible. They preferred to bow down like slaves to others. eNL have been fighting hard resistance for years and yeah that was some good stuff! We need a enemy we can put all our blame on to unite our people.
Use this resistance feeling for nationalism. Use this nationalism to inspire other people. Let those other people join our country and erepublik.
Our history is full with heroes who did not give up, even while the enemy was a 100 times bitter. And if we are not able to defeat them, well let's give them a very hard time so we can be defeated with our heads up and full with pride!
I'm just guessing his "fix" for that issue would be for him to be CP again...
Let's face it, that is why players like Kordak, MdR, et al. moved to begin with - because they lost politically; the majority of the public no longer supported them and so they ran off to sulk in other countries and blame everyone for not electing them as they see it as their "right" to govern the eNetherlands.
Yes, bring back citizens like MdR that took eNL money and fought AGAINST eNL. Just forget about all the bad things they've done to the country because their egos were bruised. I'm sure that is a fantastic idea.
No you are wrong, people like you made me move away from MY own country. Who is the one that thinks he is smart, while doing nothing except whining and who is the one that really is trying to find a solution.. And never every compare me with anyone else again, generalisation is a sign of weakness isn't it? We are are real Dutch people who have been part of the community much longer than you did. No problem with that, I see you as equal, but when you start to talk like this I will have to say something about it.
"Let's face it, that is why players like Kordak, MdR, et al. moved to begin with - because they lost politically; the majority of the public no longer supported them and so they ran off to sulk in other countries and blame everyone for not electing them as they see it as their "right" to govern the eNetherlands."
x2
"Yes, bring back citizens like MdR that took eNL money and fought AGAINST eNL. Just forget about all the bad things they've done to the country because their egos were bruised. I'm sure that is a fantastic idea."
x2
"During my CP term I did send every new citizen a message and offered them help. I messaged them every few days to keep record of this and keep them interested and motivated."
That's what the Minister of of Coaching & Recruitment is suppose to be doing and as far as I know currently is being done by that minister contacting new citizens. But I do like your idea of keeping records and keeping contact with them. Something that should be implemented.
"In my opinion last CP's were terrible. They preferred to bow down like slaves to others. eNL have been fighting hard resistance for years and yeah that was some good stuff! We need a enemy we can put all our blame on to unite our people.
Our history is full with heroes who did not give up, even while the enemy was a 100 times bitter. And if we are not able to defeat them, well let's give them a very hard time so we can be defeated with our heads up and full with pride!"
There is a difference between bowing down and working together with said country as allies. Fighting doesn't work, we did that and we were wiped for almost 2 years. You can be proud and head up high with pride but that won't help a damn if we're wiped, no congress elections etc. Being wiped and no congress elections is also a reason for people to leave because they get discouraged actually.
Right, don't "generalise" when it was you that appointed MdR to YOUR cabinet. YOU were the one who moved away because YOU lost an election. YOU have not proposed ANY solution except whining for yourself and offering meaningless platitudes speaking of nationalism and pretending you're the King. Oh, but don't let those facts keep your from spreading more bullshit. 🙂
You, you, you. Hate spreading propaganda from someone with a low personality. Didn't I just propose a solution in my second comment here? Besides of that it seems like you take the King stuff way more serious than I ever did. The King stuff was to creat some fun articles and make a better community. People like you destroyed the Dutch community. It is funny to see that your response is so weak, it makes me laugh.
You made yourself king because you like making yourself feel important, that much has been clear. You have a bit of a god complex Kordak 😉
I absolutely love your split personalities, I mean it is the only logical explanation for how you can go from being prejudice in one sentence to implying you respect someone in the next.
It is also the only explanation for how you think you've earned a right to talk about other peoples CP terms, while still refusing to take responsibility for the disaster that was your management of your own cabinet, FYI I'm talking about how your MoFA ran wild and wrote a check he couldn't cash with a merc group. So really until you accept your fault in that scandal, you have no right to talk about anyone.
So you speak about split personalities. I already noticed that you often use terms that you would normally only see in a mental hospital. From that info I assume you should have experience with it, must be anger problems and narcism. Didn't I took responsibility in the mercenary scandal? I did what the congress asked from me and I fired MdR as soon I figured out what happend. I responded at the situation in a correct way.
Or I have an education that includes a psychology class. Maybe you should try to educate yourself a bit more before you try to insult me with terms you can't even spell.
Fail again Kordak, you're the one who has narcissism problems, after all you're the one who declares himself a King, when really you're just the punch line to a lazy joke.
Don't talk about me, I'm not the one who has to use double-talk to hide what I mean, that's you., "My VCP was inactive" why don't you tell the truth, boy, you never asked me to do a thing all month, So all you got to back up that claim is "he didn't reply to the mass messages enough."
Beware of those who take a psychology class and think that makes them eligible to judge other people's psyche. That is like thinking a first aid course qualifies one as a doctor.
It's a reasonable assumption, into a person who in one sentence talks about the "true dutch" and then in the next claims he views lancer as an equal.
It's a sign of a disturbed mind, that or the person is completely full of it.
No, you didn't propose a solution. Not at all. All you did was say how "terrible" the recent CPs have been and called for a renewal in nationalism. That isn't a detailed or though-out solution in the slightest. You didn't actually propose ANYTHING. As I said, all you did was speak in platitudes. Perhaps you do not know what the word "platitudes" means?
It's funny how personally you take my comments. You seem angry someone has challenged your comments. This is why, in my opinion, you were not and still would not be a good CP. You don't seem to be able to handle any ounce of criticism.
It seems "King" Kordak prefers to have everyone kiss his butt all day...
Who is the one who took my opinion so personal 🙂 During my term I gave many people a chance to prove themselves in government. A good father does not monitor every move their kids make, a good father will help them to get up when they fall. You know that my government was very open and really had contact with the people. Don't take me wrong, I am not only speaking about myself. I had good people who did a lot of work, I was just the manager setting goals. My only problem at the time were MdR and my VCP who wan't active.
So you admit that your policy was to allow members of your government like MdR to abuse their power and cost the state thousands and thousands of country currency. 😛 To me, that isn't being a leader. There is a difference between mentoring young players as a "father figure" and allowing experienced, well-known players like MdR to run wild and create such scandals.
You seem to have a very romanticised view of what your term was like. I was in your government if you do not remember. Honestly, it was not as great as you think it was. Basically nothing was accomplished during your term. In fact, several presidents after you had to clean up the mess caused by you and your government. I do not see where you are getting the idea that your government was so successful.
Besides of the Meecenary Scandal it was a good term. At the time we had a babyboom, we had war (which activated many players) new SCI protocols and a very transparant government. I shares everything with congress and the people that I could share. And yes I do remember having you in my team and I have no regrets. I should have made you MoFA and MdR SS, that is one mistake that I am willing to admit. Who says that I didn't feel responsible for the mercenary scandal? I paid all my money I got to the state. And before that during my term I already financed the entire war with personal money and weapons. The only mess was created by my MoFA who made decisions he had no authority for. How can anyone expect that from someone who has been CP for so long? I did my best to clean it.
Made dead by the recent politics.
Kept dead by the current MoF and congress who are denying every single player a daily income of 200-300 cc by not using game mechanisms in place...
Could you elaborate or point to a thread to support your view?
Ofc I could. But as every single proposal I made to improve matters have been blocked by congress or stripped down by which it in effect doesn't work any more that's rather useless. And as I'm no part of finance in any form (MoF/MG/Audit chamber) and other players seem to know it all way better why would I even bother any more and get frustrated every time by the incompetent part of gov/congress?
I could ofc for the greater good of the average player but I've done my share for the moment and am sick and tired of the incompetent part of gov/congress. I have better things to do with my time and stepped down from the large activity in eRep...
I&W has one possible ˝new˝ candidate for CP. He was not CP before and he did great job at his previous functions. But let's wait to see will he accept I&W support and decide to candidate for President.
We can also attack one of our other neighbors Belgium or the UK, heck i don't care as long as we have something to fight for. We don't need our regions for congress, we don't need our regions for bonuses, so let's make some fun.
Good point on the UK and Belgium possibility as I neglected to mention it. Of course that one is the most unlikely of the options.
Well we've done poland, we've done Norway, we've done some airstrikes. It's time for a change 😉
Belgium and eUK are allies, attacking them it would only be a training war and still not a real war. Also small sidenote that we do not border Belgium so Belgium isn't even an option. Having a war just for the sake of having a war is kinda stupid. Rather help allies then fight in some stupid war for no reason. Helping allies actually helps eNL, some war about nothing does not. It's just selfish because people want TP medals.
Do we actually have any allies? Or do you call Poland an ally? the country that owns 2 of our regions.
Government told us in march we could join aurora, half a year later still nothing. Maybe it's time to forget aurora and our "allies"in it.
You probably have missed something because last month we did ditch aurora and went pro Sirius
Missed that indeed. But what's the difference? none of this countries care about us and even our suppressor is in it.
Still no wars, no more than 2 regions and a inactive Netherlands.
Attacking eBelgium is the only sensible thing to do. Plato has set the resource so that eBelgium is great for us! It's exactly what we need. As a great player of us once sai😛 we need to force the Union upon them, and many of them will join us. Also listen to great players like Kordak and Weekstrom. Putting Weekstrom aside from his MoF job was a grave mistake. I remember his plans for making us all rich, and they were great. Yet some forces in eNL hated him, only because they didn't understand his plans.
V+S, for the balls to put this all to question. o7
We don't even border Belgium and they are an ally you suggest AS'ing an ally? Sounds like a (to be honest) moronic plan and a waste of money seeing it would cost a shitload of money