[CP] Remove the Lure

Day 2,261, 13:12 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by Bhane

I was planning on proposing a bold financial policy revamp this term. I was waiting for the admin to finally return the second half of the robbery in 2012, but that has yet to happen. I countered every reason the admin gave to avoid his responsibility. He painted himself into a corner, and reached the point where he has no choice but to actually provide customer service. Rather than man-up and face facts, he lashed out with threats. He disregarded every fact he had previously acknowledged in the same ticket, and threatened me with a ban for "abusing the ticket system." I have made a new ticket, and it is still ignored over a week later. Seanan has made his big article on a massive state-funded commune system. I know the people who love socialist rhetoric are probably giddy at the thought. Seanan's article is a proposal for a new expansive government spending program, so I felt it was time to push the publish button on this article I had prepared.



Ever since RtK made it public how much has been saved in the bank orgs, mouths have been watering. People that love to spend other people's money have tried different tactics at getting to eIreland's nest egg. A few people have mailed me about "funding" this or that pet project, to start draining our wealth. I have seen multiple proposals (like RtK's idea) about new ideas to spend through the cash.

One thing I know about creating these systems where unearned money starts flowing through people's hands, is that it always leads to corruption. A supplier may overcharge their actual cost. A distributor may distribute a little extra to themselves and friends. An organizer may give in to nepotism, setting up buddies in the system, and disenfranchising other deserving patriots. A receiver may not use the supplies as intended, or even outright resell them for personal gain. At the time, these small bonuses are self-justified, considering how much the player feels they contributed to the nation. The player may be completely well-intention, using the extra benefit for "the good of the country." You know what they say; the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Those are just some examples, there are countless other opportunities for corruption to find a foothold in these systems. The larger it becomes, the more opportunities there are to bleed the system.

I don't believe for a moment that the people proposing the initial plans have nefarious intentions. Unfortunately, large systems get twisted from the inside, and most people aren't even aware of it happening. Before long, the various small leaks all add up to one big drain, funneling state money to the insiders. Most of these insiders won't even recognize it as corruption, as it is just part of the system that they are operating for the good of the country. It's easy to be blinded by one's own rhetoric.



I don't think we should create a system that needs massive funds gathered from the whole population, and would eventually be funneled to just those involved in the system. Ongoing expenses would have to be funded by the taxpayer money that is in the bank. The bulk of those moneys come from people not involved in communes. Communes hand out supplies, and thus all taxes on the value of the items are avoided. This means the ongoing system would be paid mostly by the people who do not receive the direct benefits.

I propose we get rid of the lure to corruption. We get rid of the nest egg. For years most communes have operated in a completely self-sufficient manner. I want to return to a very successful system we had in eIreland for over a year. Allow all the MUs to return to self-sufficiency. The can be responsible for their own communes, if they wish to operate one. The taxes should be kept at their minimal levels, I think the current 2/3/5% rates for work and VAT are plenty to fund a few key MPPs each month.

With the current bank balance, we would distribute that out to the active population. This should be weighted by how long they have been eIrish citizen's since long-time citizens have contributed more over time. Players with a month under their belt may get 1 share, while players for a year might get 4, and players with two years may get 6, and so on. The details are something we can work out after gathering a census. Players who choose to be members of communes can always voluntarily give their portion to their group. Just think of the massive infusion it would be to all the citizens, to get a chunk payment for investing in their profile of TGs or WaM companies. I definitely think one exception should be made, a stipend should be set aside for BootCamp, to help the new players.

We operated on this minimum-tax, no-bank-balance for over a year. During this time there were ZERO bank thefts, because there was no balance to steal. With no money flowing through the state, unscrupulous players did not seek office to gain access to the system (like SAWC did). There was no lure for corruption. We could be confident that players only sought office to serve the people of eIreland. We can return to this age of idealism in our politics, instead of factions fighting over a pot of gold.



Right now, we have to guard against any potential threats. We need to maintain super-trustworthy CPs, in order to avoid the next great robbery. A scoundrel will just take the money. A naive soul will be talked into allowing more people "access" to the bank for the sake of transparency, or to double-check/verify funds. As soon as more than one person has access, we are on the path to the next great theft.

If we get rid of the temptation of the bank, we can have some of the kinds of CPs that a few people have called for. The "for the lulz" CP that will airstrike a random country and start a rivalry, or charge blindly into a foe that will get us wiped. Some players consider irresponsible CPs to be more fun for the country. If there is no opportunity for a massive theft, then we can have an irresponsible CP, and only risk our reputation.

Now let the rabble rousing commence. The nation can consider my massive change, or Seanan's massive change, or someone else may make a viable option, or we can keep things the way they are. Right now the bank balance is a protected capital fund. It is used to fuel MM returns, and those moneys are spent on the IA subsidy. After a LOT of discussion and debate, the country may want to vote on a direction.

Thank you for your time,
Bhane