Pfeiffer Ignites Congress

Day 1,387, 09:20 • Published in USA USA • by 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.