Official World Factbook
General
Official Name: The Democratic Republic of Carnestown
Shorthand Name: Carnestown
Motto: Live Free or Die
Official Languages: none (de facto English)
Demonym: Carnestonian
Population: 8.6 million
Government
Official Name: Democratic Republic of Carnestown
Shorthand: Carnestown
Government Type: Constitutional republic
Capital City: Carnestown
Largest Cities by Size: Carnestown (pop 2,400,000), Port James (pop 1,600,000), Myersville(pop 800,000)
Administrative Divisions: 9 Federal Districts
Holidays: Christmas, New Year's Day, Election Day (August 10), Constitution Day (October 27), Armistice Day (November 11)
Suffrage: All citizens over 18 may vote
Legal System: All trials go to District Courts, appealed to Supreme Court.
Executive Branch
President
Vice President
Department of Defense
Department of Justice
Department of Education
Department of Business
Department of Health
Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of the Environment
Department of the Interior
The president and vice-president are voted in by a nationwide popular vote every four years and may serve one term. The president resides in the Presidential Residence and the Executive branch meets in the Federal Capitol. The current president is Eric Peterson of the Progressive Party, elected August 10, 2006.
Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch is a unicameral body made up of the Legislature of Carnestown. The Legislature consists of 100 representatives, apportioned by population throughout the nine districts. Each representative is elected to a 2-year term with no term limits. Currently, the Progressive Party has a majority in the Legislature, with 56 representatives, while the Conservative Party has 42 and the Libertarian Party has the remaining two seats. The Legislature meets in the Federal Capitol.
Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the nation, and determines whether laws adhere to the Constitution of Carnestown or not. To get to the Supreme Court, trials must go through the District Court, be appealed to the Regional Appellate Court (Eastern Region, consisting of four districts, and Western Region, consisting of five districts), and then be appealed to the Supreme Court. Justices on the Supreme Court are appointed by the President and must be approved by the Legislature. The Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building, shown below.
Law
Gun Control: Handguns, shotguns, and semi-automatic rifles are allowed with no felony convictions and a Weapon Ownership License. A psychological examination and gun safety course is required for a Weapon Collector's License, which allows ownership of full-automatic rifles.
Gay Marriage: Legal
Abortion: Legal
Marijuana: Must be 18
Tobacco: Must be 18
Alcohol: Must be 18
Driving: 18 with driver's license; 16 for learner's permit
Healthcare: Free government health insurance available to all citizens, legislature in place to prevent companies from denying care based on preexisting conditions
Gambling: All over 18 may gamble in casinos and online
Religion: No recognized religion, citizens may believe or not believe in any God(s) they choose
History
Carnestown was discovered in 1862 when merchant James Carneson and his crew became lost during a tropical depression. Ending up about a hundred miles out from their intended location, the crew spotted land and landed to find an unpopulated tropical island. One of the crew named the island after Mark the Evangelist, and the crew set about exploring the island. Carneson decided to place a mark on the spot where they landed, and the crew departed to travel on to England, their intended destination.
A few months later, Carneson, his family, and his crew left their home to find the island he had recently discovered. Landing in the natural harbor now known as Port James, Carneson and his family landed and headed south to find the spot he had previously marked out. Here, Carneson decided to set up camp, a small village he called Carnestown. Carneson ruled as the patriarch of his own society. Almost a year later, a group of shipwrecked sailors arrived, and decided to integrate into the society of the Carneson family. At this point, Carneson, his crew, and the sailors traveled to Port James to travel to the United States and announce their discovery to the world. When Carneson returned, he brought with him hundreds of settlers who came to live in the tropical paradise of Carnestown. Unfortunately for them, Carneson ruled with an iron fist, and refused to let anyone leave his paradise.
The settlers of Carnestown lived in constant fear until June 3, 1897. On that day, James Carneson died. The settlers debated what to do, until it was finally decided that all would return to the United States and abandon the “paradise” that the island offered, never to discuss the island again. A few families disagreed and stayed on the island to explore, later settling the towns of Myersville and Reef City.
James Carneson Jr. became a campaign director for the Republican Party in 1904, then for the Progressive Party in 1912. When the Progressives lost, Carneson was heartbroken, but felt that he and fellow Progressives could create their own government to espouse their beliefs. Carneson knew just the place. He and other downtrodden Progressives left for Carnestown in late 1914. In 1916, the Carnestonian Constitution was completed by Carneson and several other Progressive founders, a masterpiece of civil liberties. In 1918, the first elections were held, with the only potential candidates coming from the Progressive Party of Carnestown. Unfortunately, Carneson died within a year of becoming the first President, and the following Progressive government banned opposing parties in a national referendum (upheld in a Supreme Court case that led to an anarchist who attempted to run against a Progressive being publicly executed) and ruled in a near-dictatorship for twelve years, when the oppressed people rose up against the government in the Carnestonian Revolution.
In June 1930, a group of poor farmers from Swamptown decided to rise up against the government. The Swamptown Five, as they are known, began smuggling World War I era rifles to Carnestown's oppressed citizens. Unfortunately, the Swamptown Five were caught one night as they were unloading weapons from their boat. The Five were made an example of and hung in the Carnestown Square for treason.
It was this act that set off the Revolution. The anti-government citizens rioted and fought the underfunded police force throughout the streets, eventually reaching the Carnestown Capitol Building and forcing the government to surrender. The terms included repealing all amendments added to the Constitution by the Progressive government, an immediate resignation by all members of the government, and elections on August 10th. The leaders of the rebellion formed the Opposition Party of Carnestown and won all but two seats of the Legislature.
The Opposition ruled near unopposed until World War II. As the country was split over strategy, the Progressives steadily gained seats in the Legislature until finally winning the Presidency in 1942. In 1944, the Progressives gained a majority in the Legislature for the first time in 14 years. In 1947, the Opposition Party officially changed their name to the Conservative Party of Carnestown, running with a platform of social and economic conservatism. The Progressives dominated Carnestonian politics during the civil rights years of the '50s and '60s, but the Conservatives came back during the '70s, '80s and early '90s to improve the national defense during a time of turmoil. The Progressives have come back into power recently and pushed an agenda of improved civil rights and tougher laws regarding antitrust and consumer protection, while the Conservatives are strictly against this. Carnestown today is a strong republic following the original Constitution with a lively political environment.
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