Effective Governance

Day 1,161, 20:09 • Published in USA USA • by Chris Stanwick

Over the last two years, I have watched the size of the eUnited States government grow larger and larger with each subsequent president. There are Department Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, UnderSecretaries, Assistants, Bureau Chiefs, Office Directors, Official Advisers, Grand Viziers...the list goes on and on. When most citizens see the Cabinet listing, the first thing that comes to their mind is, "What do all those people do?" That is an excellent question, and I will attempt to explain in this article while giving my own opinions as to what an effective Cabinet should look like.



There are three branches of the eUnited States government, the Executive, Congress, and the Military. The Executive is headed by the President, Congress by the Speaker of the House, and the Military by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Under the current eUS Constitution, the Speaker does not have to be an elected member of Congress, meaning that technically, the only elected head of government is the President, although the Speaker is elected by the elected Congress members.

I have classified every government position into five categories.

Elected Officials

1) President - Head of the Executive branch and chief representative of the eUnited States in the world arena. In the bounds of game mechanics, the president controls the nation's foreign policy.

2) Congress - Elected representatives from each region, game mechanics delegates fiscal policy to the Congress.

Advisory Officials

1) Secretary of State (MoFA) - The Secretary of State is the President's chief adviser on foreign affairs issues. This official should have extensive experience with other nations and be well versed in the political situations of both allies and enemies.

2) Secretary of Defense - The Secretary of Defense is the President's chief adviser on military strategy. This official should preferably be a retired military strategist, possibly a former military Chief of Staff.

3) Secretary of Economics - The Secretary of Economics is the President and Congress' chief adviser on economic and fiscal policy. This official should fully understand and know how to manipulate the economic module for financial gain.

4) Joint Chiefs Chair - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff not only heads the military branch, but also advises the President on military preparedness and strategy.



Action Officials

1) Secretary of Education - The Secretary of Education churns out informative tutorials and provides mentoring for new citizens. This official needs to be dedicated to the job and remain active or be replaced.

2) Secretary of Social Services - The Secretary of Social Services can have many names, but they provide food and mentoring to new citizens to encourage retention. Much like the Secretary of Education, this official needs to be extremely active or be replaced so that new citizens continue to be serviced.

3) Speaker of the House - The Speaker of the House moderates Congressional discussion and upholds Congressional procedure. This official should remain active enough to ensure that off-site discussions and votes are conducted before laws are proposed in-game.

4) Quartermasters - Quartermasters are the workhorses of the military, distributing weapons and other supplies to soldiers as needed. Like the other officials in the Active category, Quartermasters need to be active and ready to distribute at a moments notice during fierce battles.

Patronage Positions

*These positions require little to no work and are awarded to supporters for prestige value.

1) Any other Department Secretaries
2) Any Deputy Secretaries
3) Any UnderSecretaries
4) Vice President
5) Ambassadors
6) Military Officers below General grade
7) Congressional Committee Chairs
😎 Press Secretary

Technically, these offices are superficial. There is not really enough actual work to support every member of the government, but these positions are still important to boost the esteem and self-worth of political supporters.

Other Positions

These officials do not fit in one of the other categories, as their duties are ever changing, but real.

1) Chief of Staff - The right hand and spokesperson of the President. This official should be a trusted friend who is very active, more active than the president in fact, and serves as the go-to guy when the President is unavailable. This person is someone the president feels comfortable leaving in charge when not online.

2) Official and Unofficial Advisers - These folks are experienced experts in various fields that the President trusts to give advice when needed. They will at times be asked to perform certain tasks, making them active officials, but will primarily serve as advisers.

3) Project Directors - These officials are tasked to head specific projects, whether temporary or permanent. Their duties are created along with the project and they are responsible for its successful completion or continuance. Their activity level depends on the task at hand.



I know that this is a lot to read, and many of you won't read it at all, but it is a good look at the duties of current government officials. Notice that many have a title, but no apparent job description? Those are your patronage office holders, being awarded for supporting the President. Pay special attention to the officials in the other categories, especially the active officials, because these are the truly dedicated public servants who spend many hours of their own time for the betterment of others. Take a moment to thank them for the job they do.

This article's secondary purpose is to outline how an effective, minimalist, game mechanics based government would be organized. Take away the patronage jobs and you are left with the actual meat and potatoes of the government, the people who actually have a job to do. This is how I would organize my own Cabinet and run the government if I were President. Wouldn't you?

-Chris Stanwick