On Justice and Utility, or: Why all Citizens should receive Supplies

Day 1,687, 11:12 • Published in Netherlands Netherlands • by Broersje


Dear citizens of the eNetherlands,

This is a reaction to Konrad Neumann's article on supplying private Military Units.

I'd like to see a system whereby all citizens of the eNetherlands can request supplies from the government. I will argue that it is not only just, but also useful for the state to supply all citizens.

First of all, my push for general supplies should be seen in the context of the debate about abolishing the generally available state subsidies. If these programmes are to be ended, something equally available should replace them. While state MU's are open to all, I think forcing people to lead their lives in a certain way is a breach of the principle of general availability of state support paid for by general taxes.



Supplying every citizen is the summum of fairness, as every citizen pays taxes. Excluding people because they choose to operate in a Dutch private MU (which, by the way, can only fight for the Netherlands and is thus as vital a part of our military power as any other MU), is discrimination and theft. Our citizens get only MPP's in return for high taxes, which, in my opinion, is not nearly enough.

I think you misrepresent the nature of MU's. MU's are nothing more than a handy way to organize soldiers. The only thing that MU leaders can do is to set orders and make sure people fight in useful battles. There is no mention of a commune system on the eRepublik wiki, nor is there any in-game possibility to create such a commune. Therefore, 'MU' does not equal 'commune'. This fact is reflected in practice, as some MU's have a commune system, and others don't.

As far as I know, of all eight MU's in the eNetherlands, only one still has a commune system (Alpha Unit). In addition, your argument that someone who gets supplies out of a commune has no need of state assistance because they already get supplies is invalid. Everyone has a job, for which they get paid. Some get money, others get goods. A commune system is nothing else than an employer paying his employees in goods. Technically, the fact that the employer employs only people who are members of a specific MU should be considered an irrelevant coincidence. Denying supplies to people because they get their wage paid in goods is an injustice. Everybody who gets supplies in the current system has a paid job, too, and they are eligible for supplies because they get money for their labour, instead of goods. And what do they do with the money? There really is no other sane way to spend it but to buy as many food and weapons as possible.

Now you have two groups of people who have a job and are members of a MU that fights for the Netherlands, but one group gets supplies and the other doesn't. Where is the justice in that? This I call discrimination.

You make a point of the unfairness to state MU members of giving supplies to people in other MU's. I have shown that (1) unfairness is out of the question because everyone pays taxes, and (2) people in private MU's are in the exact same circumstances as those in state MU's, except, of course, for the difference in MU membership.



The overriding point I want to make, however, is one of general benefit to the state and people of the eNetherlands. By making supplies generally available, all citizens can fight more, grow stronger, and be more capable defenders of their homeland. All this can be funded from the taxes paid by all citizens. All citizens pay, all citizens profit.

Kind regards and wishing you the best,