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Civic Mirror Government Leader Resigns

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Tropjiians, an 8th grade civics class at Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee under the leadership of instructor Warren Bezuidenhout, signing onto the CM were treated with a shock Monday, April 5th as they read the posting President Molly Vogel left on the CM Discussion Forums:

People of Tropiji,

I regret to inform you that I, Molly Vogel, am resigning. I believe that our country was not being governed well under my authority, due to the fact that the general population did not listen to a word I said. Respect is key to authority, and authority is what keeps the general public safe and keeps people from dying. Respect was absent whenever I attempted to call attention to the class. If I cannot keep your attention, I am not fit to be your president. What you must understand is that for this game to work, we must work together. This means that we should not go behind other’s backs and make secret deals if it could affect the country as a whole. We must work together for the greater good. I know that this is just a quote, but “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Those people who have power must realize that in order for our country to succeed, they must think about the whole of the country, not just themselves, or even their friends.

I am resigning because I cannot run this simulation well. We need a leader who can. We need a president who will keep the people’s attention and make wise decisions without having to yell to be heard.


Frankly, I am just not cut out to run the country, nor do I want to anymore. I grossly underestimated how hard it was to be the president. Also, on my personal account, I am not profiting at all because I’m spending all my time being the government, which means I could get a bad grade. Especially if I can’t complete my personal agenda because, once again, I’m too busy trying to be the government and trade with people, when on my normal account, I’m not trading at all. I cannot run the government and my account at the same time using two computers. It’s simply too much for me.


So, with a heavy heart, I resign my presidency. When we next elect a leader, I encourage the people to choose wisely. Do not choose a person who will flake out like I have. I also encourage the candidates to make sure that they really want to be the president. I know that I did, but after a while, I simply didn’t want to have to deal with trying to run a country who does not listen to the leader they elected, no matter if it is a simulated country or not.


Sincerely,

Molly Vogel

How will Tropjiians respond to Ms. Vogel’s decision? Stay tuned!

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Civic Mirror Country Hexatopia Considers New Bills

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Should a government be able to decide how private land is used within a country? It seems when it comes to individual propety rights versus those of the government, the one thing Hexatopians, a Grade 10 Civics class of Ms. Cheryl Payne-Stevens at The Woodlands School in Mississauga, ON, can agree upon is the passion they feel for their country.   Citizen Afshan began the discussion through his post:

“1) Health, education and food hexes must be owned by the government. If the government does not own these hexes, the owners must sell them to the government for 1/3 of what they paid.

2) If anyone wants to build up their hexes they have to get permission from the government.

3) Taxes will be as follows (this is like an income tax): 0-3000 no tax
3001-5000 10%
5001+ 15%

4) The government can propose bills at any time.

^
Citizens of Hexetopia, is this really how we want our country run!? Will we stand for THIS?! What is this!? Isn’t the government supposed to have our best interests at heart (<.< ) not deceit us and take away our hexes/money….

What are your thoughts on the bills!? |:
Have your voice heard before its too late!”

MP Jodi-Ann tried to help Citizen Afshan see the positive side of the bills,

“like afshan its just the food and education hex, BE HAPPY its not all hexes, so i do not know what is the problem. Plus taxes are fine also BE HAPPY we are not making taxes reallly high. the rest are ok”

Afshan’s response was short but clear,

“Listen Jodi-Ann! >:(
The Hexatopians are NOT happy. We will NOT be happy. We CAN not be happy. We can’t stand for this injustice. 😐
You’re taking away the hexes for which citizens paid thousands of dollars, they paid a great deal of money and you’re just going to step in and YANK it AWAY from them for one THIRD of the original price?!
How is it fair?! We CAN make a change and i promise you: we WILL… or we’ll die trying.”

MP Jodi-Ann showed what she truly thought of her constituents in her respons,

“Have fun trying afshan, have fun with that, like the citizens are still gonna make something off of this in the long run anyway sooo shhhhh”

The next few posts are arguments between Jodi-Ann and Afshan.   Afshan sides with the individual: the government should have bought the hexes in the beginning rather then buying them for one third of what they are worth.  Jodi-Ann argues that the government could not afford the hexes so they have to force people to sell them for below market value and relies on the idea of individualism in their country. 

Having read this argument, Citizen Richard responds with his own ideas based on the Canadian government,

“I think there is some confusion as to what happens to the taxes and money collected by the government. ALL OF THE MONEY GOES BACK THROUGH BENEFITS TO CITIZENS- the government simply re-distributes wealth from the rich to the poor, so that there is more equality.

What is fair? Is fair allowing several businesspeople collecting the money of everybody, because they had more money in the auction so they were able to purchase better hexes? No. Fair is everybody receiving the same resources. The members of government must pay taxes just as citizens do, and they do not get additional benefits. They do not spend government money on themselves, they spend money on the citizens.

As to why the government did not purchase hexes in the auction, this has already been explained. The government did not start off with enough money to buy all the hexes it thought were needed to equitably run the country, so it bought what it could- the power plant. Then, after the earnings doubling, it used all its money to re-buy hexes.

The country was NOT ‘ripped off’ from the government re-buying hexes. Since the program automatically increases money in the country to 100 000 after the auction, if nobody had spent any money and the government had acquired the hexes after, then people would still have the same amount of money they started out with. Therefore, money in the country is still at 100 000, although some people have more money and some have hexes.

The government realizes that there are imbalances in the money people own, and that is why taxes were supposed to be higher for those with higher incomes- to help balance out the situation. The same concept is in place in Canada and the US- Canadian income tax rates for anybody earning over 100 00 a year (which is upper middle class) is taxed over 40% of their base income. This is a LOT more than what the government proposed- a real government would have laughed at the meager 15% that was proposed for rich citizens. “

Afshan was able to end with the last word, however,

“But we won’t give up. This is OUR country. That half-of-the government WILL listen to us.
Stay strong Hexatopian.”

It is clear that there is miscommunication between those in the government who think they are doing what is best for Hexatopians and citizens who feel they are not getting a fair shake.  Will the government be able to make their case, or will citizens like Afshan win out? 

 

 

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Civic Mirror Country War Update

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Towards the end of February The Civic Mirror Trenches featured an article about the war that the CM country Dinoland declared on fellow countries NFPC and Graceland, all students belonging to Instructor Ryan Niman at Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (http://www.civicmirror.com/blog/?p=1244)  It was clear that although the countries would attempt a Peace Summit in order to reach an agreement, peace would be difficult for the countries to achieve.  When last we checked in on the countries war loomed on the horizon.

This situation was an interesting one.  How do countries fight a war on The Civic Mirror?  What would end the war?  Could these countries come to an agreement without resorting to war?  Luckily, the government of DInoland recorded the war itself as well as the results of the war in their forum.  Now, for the first time, this rendering of history will be made public from which anyone in the Civic Mirror community can read and learn in order to make the lives of the citizens in CM countries more successful.

Luckily few “casualties” were sustained and the three countries were able to come to an agreement in the end.  How will these kinds of situations be resolved in the Civic Mirror Future?  Will Civic Mirror experiences become more “international” in the future, or was this situation completely original and out of the ordinary?  Keep reading The Civic Mirror Trenches to find out!

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Civic Mirror Country Debate Over Healthcare Hex

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Civic Mirror

A governments budget is both difficult to plan and incredibly important.  There are many citizens who depend on a balanced budget to live happier, healthier lives but it is also impossible for a government to pay for absolutely everything.  As many citizens from around the world can now attest to, some programs that benefit the general public must be sacrificed for the good of the economic health of the country.  The citizens of Ania, an eighth grade Civics class from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, recently found themselves with just those kinds of decisions.

The discussion began with this question:

“What do you think should be added to the government budget?”

Citizen Stephen was the first to put his two cents in,

“Helloooo~

My opinion on the government budget (This is my own opinion, I am not representing DYMS right now) is that the government should put an extra $150 from the Health Insurance payment and put the remaining $200 into reserve.”

President Ava responded,

“Hello everyone,
I know that health care is an important part of Ania’s sucess but the owner’s of the health insurance hex have refused the money that the government offered them, so there will be no part of the government’s budget going into health insurance (i’m just letting you guys know this because some of you wanted a bigger portion of the budget being spent on health care.) If you have any questions/concerns of or pertaining to health insurance I suggest you take it up with the owner of the hex. I greatly value each and everyone of your ideas for the budget and hope to see more!!
Thanks,
Ava Chafin (president)”

Much like the debates going on within the government of the United States, there are some citizens that would enjoy the benefits of government run health hex while others see the private sector doing a better job. Healthcare is certainly an important topic in Ania, but is it the only topic that is important enough to be decided? This budget discussion is still a new one, it will be enlightening to see how it plays out.  Until then…

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Establishment of Bank in Civic Mirror Country

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Senator Adam O, a citizen of Dinoland, a 9th grade humanities class in Mountlake Terrace High School, has founded a bank.  In explanation Senator Adam wrote,

“I have started, under the terms of Executive Order #1, a bank called Dinoland Bank. My purpose is to ensure economic stabilty and activity by keeping money moving through the country.
Dinoland Bank is willing to give loans of any reasonable amount to business owners and private citizens, with an interest rate of 5-10%, depending on the circumstances.
For businesses who have trouble getting rid of those last few units, I will buy them in bulk for a good price and resell them competitively to those who need or want them.
I will also accept investments and deposits. People who send me such transactions will get appreciable interest and can rest assured that my investments are good, and their money will not be lost.”

There was an immediate response from worried citizens of Dinoland.  Citizen Seth was one of the first to raise concern,

“Are you a robot? it would explain a lot….
I only got to say one thing: don’t go into an economic downfall, Obama’s already got enough on his hands, and he doesn’t want to deal with an internet version of his crisis.”

CEO of DinolandBank and Dinoland Senator Adam replied in confidence,

“I will not create an economic crisis. Read the bank’s wiki, and you’ll see how I will actually prevent a recession”

Throughout history banks have both helped people to keep money safe as well as to lose their money.  It will be interesting to see what affect this bank will haveon the Dinoland economy.

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Civic Mirror Country Eutopia Becoming Less and Less Utopian

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Eutopians seem to be growing out of their Utopian existence and into something else entirely. On March 2, 2010 an announcement was published for all of the Eutopia citizens:

“This is a message from your Prime Minister:
There have been some forum topics that have come to my attention and I would like to clear some things up. For one, anybody considering siding with the people that have directly threatened the LIFE of your Prime Minister should think twice. I have never threatened anyone’s well being and this person will be sued A.S.A.P.. I suggest that for the better nature of this country, you listen to what I have to say. There are obviously going to be problems, and we cannot deny the fact that not everyone can be rich. The only thing we can do is try to distribute necessities as well as we can and THAT is why we have the e/i hex. If the people of Eutopia! somehow decide to take me from the government, I say good luck to you, because you won’t see any help from me in any form. I am trying to help you and if what you decide is to throw that back in my face, then you better not ask for my help in ANY way, shape or form. Just like Mr.Ross, YOU teach me how to treat you.

Thank you.

—
Stephanie.C
Prime Minister, Eutopia!”

It took less then two hours for the first citizens to respond.  The first was Citizen Amandip.S:

“We teach you how to treat us. You’re the PM of Eutopia! you need to get involved with wats going on in out country. how can we not ask you for any HELP, your the PM of this country. if you didnt want to help us, then way did you become the PM, let someone who acually cares about our country and wants to help others and improve our country. your just gonna help your “LITTLE” party of people, you don’t care about us. more than 50% of the citizens are homeless and hungry, i’ve asked atleast about 3 times for an EI unit for my family, luckly i asked you guys once more and if you said no 1 of my family member would have died. so YOU NEED TO HELP PEOPLE, CAUSE NOW YOUR SHOWING US HOW YOU SHOULD BE TREATED….right now there are 63% of the citizens saying they want to change the government and the 37% that are saying no are from your party, BUT YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN YOUR PARTY, SO THAT MEANS THAT PEOPLE IN YOUR PARTY ALSO WANT A CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT.”

Citizen Summit.G continued the conversation:

“We don’t need your help, and don’t try getting the peoples trust back because you messed up and now, its ovaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa smiley for :D“

Prime Minister Stephanie.C defended herself:

“Are you kidding me? Everything I’ve ever done was to help our country and I feel really bad for you guys not being able to accept that because of your own greedy wants.”

To which Citizen Amandip responded:

“Our own greedy needs, what r our needs, that we wanted to buy something that we wanted to make some money and survive in the environment u have created. i bet you cuz some people arnt in houses or have food that one of their family member has died. And what have u done to help our country, before you said im not gonna help, but now ur saying i have helped a lot, the only thing u probably did to help noting because u have set these “laws” that disable people from doing what they want. the rule that really bugged me was the forum one cuz tell me wat is illumanati or how r they gonna kill people in the game, and how is it a harm for them to wright forums, forums are for people to present their ideas and say wat ever they want. Before i thought we didn’t need a change in government but now i see THAT WE NEED A CHANGE IN OUR GOVERNMENT UNLESS THEY TAKE AN ACTION THAT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE TO SOME EXTEND.”

Citizen Gavin pressed the issue even further with a significant historical comparision:

“Dont get to comfortable as PM. There will be change coming soon. This country is going to be a people’s country not Nazi Eutopia.”

Personally effected by the situation, Citizen Amardeep even threatens the existing government,

“your not a good Prime Minister and don’t try acting like one. Your trying to act like the good guy but you don’t care about the people. You stole my e/i hex and now I am going to sue.”

Citizen Inderpreet gets the last word in, though for some it is beyond meaningful,

“Dont trust the government”

This is obviously a hot topic in the country of Eutopia, a country who has seen leadership problems in the past.  Will they be able to get past them this time or are they destined to be ruled by dictators and despots?  How terrible is PM Stephanie?  Are the citizens complaining because things are not going well for them, in other words, would they hate any leader they had?  Only time will be able to competely answer these questions.

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Environmental Peril in Civic Mirror Country

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Much like other governments from around the world, the citizens of Graceland, a class from Mountlake Terrace High School in Washington State, have realized that their environment can and may be in danger. Although it is important to earn a living and keep the country working economically, it is easy to abuse the land Gracelandians share causing irrepuable damage. Gracelandians seem to be in an uproar about recent land development and through the guidance of their instructor, are discussing possible action to fix the problem. According to Instructor Ryan Niman:

“What should we do with the hex being developed? Why? These are the options I’ve heard:

* Let Nathan decide – he owns it!
* Let the President decide – she’s in charge!
* Make a Power Plant
* Don’t make a PowerPlant – another one is already being developed
* Make a farm, insurance company, school, or something else

So, how should this be decided? What should it be? Why?”

Representative GraceG begins the discussion,

“I think that Nathan should decide on what he wants that hex to be. Because he owns that hex, and he bought it. So I don’t think its really fair to him that we are telling him what to make it.”

AdamO, a citizen from nearby Dinoland shares his point of view on the subject,

“Pardon me for invading your forum, but I have a thought on this. Nathan owns the hex, correct? If he owns the hex, it is his property to decide what to do with. True, the government could seize it so they could decide, but it should not be up to the president. The president is not in a legal position to dictate what somebody should do with their property.”

Interestingly, it seems all of the citizens agree Nathan should be able to decide, but what happens when he makes a decision the citizens disagree with?  What will they do when his decisions affect their own families?

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Civic Mirror Country Declares War!

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Civic Mirror

In what seems to be a Civic Mirror first, the country Dinoland, a Ninth Grade English class from Mountlake Terrace High School has declared war. On Friday Febuary 5, 2010, the Dinoland government made this declaration:

“Attention, citizens of Dinoland and the people of the NFPC and Graceland! Dinoland, during today’s government event, declared war on the NFPC and Graceland. This is to root out corruption and immorality in their said governments and to prove Dinoland’s might. We may be small, we may be poor, but we are a country of faithful citizens and good human beings, and we ARE mighty enough to clean up the wrongs of those countries around us.”

Stunned by this declaration, Citizen VincentM responded,

“So our dinoland has voted (5/5 for house and 3/3 for senators I may add) to go to war eh? Well, as a citizen of dinoland, I want to know why?!?! What purpose dose it serve? I know that the answer was corruption in the two countries, but if the problem is corruption, then were is it, show me evidence! If you, the government, can’t tell me why, then you are telling me that you voted on something for no reason!?!? I want answers, and good answers at that not “for fun”! Also, if you can’t give me a satisfy answer, then the government don’t care about what laws it pass, then that’s all the more respond not to have a dictatorship. Respond to this as soon as possible!”

Certainly there is, at the very least, great unrest between the citizens within these Global Powers. Members of the Dinoland Government responded publicly,

“Vince, our sources within Graceland have insider information on a corrupt congressperson who keeps messing stuff up. And there is a grudge between certain members of our gov’t and certain members of the NFPC. We do too care about the laws we pass- every one of them benefits the people, which you would realize if you actually read them. And the dictatorship idea is dead. And about that: one person doesn’t necessarily represent a whole organization, and vice versa.”

Not easily persuaded Citizen Vincent replied,

“Government, if your source of corruption was a guy on there government messing things up, everyone has a person messing up things! This guy just got elected, and he is probable working on his hidden agenda, and it is there problem, not ours! How annoying is it, to declare war, FOR THE MISTAKES OF ONE PERSON!!! It there problem, It them who should solve it!
“…there is a grudge between certain members of our gov’t and certain members of the NFPC…” So what? You don’t need to wage war in order to settle this, why not does something more logical, like find out why you have a dispute, and come up with a solution….
“…the dictatorship idea is dead. And about that: one person doesn’t necessarily represent a whole organization, and vice versa.” Thank you for ending that idea and everyone who thinks that dictatorship is a good idea; well, how? How is this a good idea, I want to know? It best to have every man and every women represent them self. Personally, I think we should not have a government at all, just the people, but this is the word of one person, and the government would never vote for this, who wants to lose power.
Disclaimer: all quotes are from the government, which I am not part of, and are only used to support some of my points.”

While Vincent and memebers of the government/citizens of Dinoland verbally duke it out, the readers of the forum may have been caught off guard by Senator BrennanD of Graceland,

“Hello I am a Citizen of Graceland and I would like to simply open up discussion between our two country’s I would like it if a representative of your country (I would prefer adam) would meet me in Mr.Nimans classroom after school when it is convenient. I would also like to invite Vincent since he seems to also have a opposing opinion on this war as well. I will be in Nimans (Instructor Ryan Niman) class both before and after school if anyone would like to discuss this matter further. Looking forward to a lively discussion.”

The offered meeting to determine peace is accepted by Citizen VincentM in his reply,

I would be honred to meet represents’ from Graceland, however, pleus don’t bring Adam. I will come myself, you may choose who the other person is. If Thursday, February 25, 2010 before or during (depending how long it goes) tutorial. If you and another (preferable your president) where to come, we can work out a deal. My land’s president is Torn, FYI. Please respond so that we can put this whole matter behind us, because this is pointless”

Will the countries go to “war?” How is war fought in the Civic Mirror? What will the consequences of this meeting be and can these countries put their differences behind them? We will have to wait and see…

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Civic Mirror Country Eden Works to Construct Own Perfect Land

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Civic Mirror

The citizens of Eden, a class from Hudson High School in Hudson, Massachusetts, are working to create laws that will better their country and (hopefully) give some citizens more well being points.  In order to help Edensians write these bills, their Instructor Ken High posted this assignment,

“As citizens or government representatives, it is your job to pass laws and policies that will help you gain Well Being points or fulfill Hidden Agenda goals. Therefore, each of you must persuade the government by proposing at least one bill that you want to be passed as a law. Your classmates can then comment on your proposal and engage in a discussion before the lawmaking session tomorrow.”

In response, Edensians came up with many useful ideas.   Each citizen had different goals in mind, however, when creating these laws.  Citizen Trevor wanted to be sure the president as the head of the government did not hold too much power,

“Any property bought by the government should be used for the government. Not for the president to use for his own purpose. What ever the government spends the money one, its only for governmental use.”

Citizen Shannon responded with,

“Why would we have the government use the property they bought for the government it should be used for the people so that they have what they need to survive. I think you are saying this because you are a reprisentive and think that you should get special treatment because of it.”

“I propose that we make a law saying that anything bought by the government should be used for the well been of the people.

I also propose that we pass a law to keep the government from seasing and buying any citicen ouned land.”

While her fellow citizens worry about individual versus government rights, Citizen Rachel felt it was just as important to protect the environment,

“I think that a law should be passed to keep a certain amount of wilderness hexes from being developed on. For instance, only one wilderness hex per year. This will help ensure that we still have enough wilderness hexes to keep our well-being points high and the citizens happy.”

In a third vein,Citizen Melissag wanted to ensure the economy had boundaries as well,

“I think that agoodlaw that should be passed is one that allows a cap unit prices.That way if someone wants to buy a food unit they do not have to pay $400 for one because that is ridiculous and based on what else every person has to buy like health care, power, education, security etc. having a food unit or any one of those other “necessary” units cost too much is not right. The price of units should be affordable but obviously not too low, so no one is making money.”

Edensians have a lot of interesting ideas for their country.  It is obvious that Edensians care deeply about their country as well as their own self interests, however, it seems as though there is an underlying current of mistrust as well.  While citizens can suggest as many laws as they like, at the end of the day, they must trust that the government officials they have elected will represent them.  Will the government live up to these expectations or make choices to fulfill their own self-interests?  Only time will tell….

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Citizens of Civic Mirror Country Leafland Explore Budgeting

Posted on February 16, 2010 by Civic Mirror

Every organization must find a way to pay for expenses, the same holds true for countries.  There are a lot of programs and general upkeep that must be financed, and a system has to exist to determine where and how funds are collected and dispursed.  The citizens of Leafland, a Humanities class at Learning By Design High School in Haysville, KS, spent time learning about this process and have now determined the importance in using that knowledge as a citizen.  Lead by instructor, Angela Quiram the citizens began with this question, ”

“Why should a citizen of a country know the budgeting process and what can he/she do about the process if he/she agrees or disagrees with it? Use examples/support from what you learned today in your answer.”

Representative LaurenW began the discussion with a feeling that citizens should be informed,

“A citizen of a country should know the budgeting process because if they know who to go to first then they can let them know what should change and what should stay the same. I first started looking at the budget and what I thought should be spent, and what was actually spent surprised me. I think the budget should have been spent more on education than some of the others that the money was spent on. Besides we should have a say in the budget because we are the ones that pay for the budget. They need to talk to us first.”

Citizen KathleenF feels that knowledge is important for citizens to form their own opinions,

“Its important to know about budgeting in our community so we can use our money wisely. If the people don’t know much about whats going on then they should try learning more about whats going on in the county. If someone doesn’t like the way the money is being handled then they should take their issues to congress and work on getting their ideas out there.”

President StuartL also feels that to have an opinion, citizens need to be informed,

“I think that that everyone should know about the budget because it gives people more of an understanding of what is going on in the government so that people can speak up if they don’t like what the money is being spent on.”

The way a government uses money can be a difficult process to understand.  The citizens of Leafland, however, believe that it is important for the average citizen to know how money is raised, spent and why in order to be able to participate in goverment.  How will Leaflanders use this newfound knowledge within their own country?

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