[PASSED] Individual Working Freedoms II

[No TV and No Beer]

Texas Department of WA Affairs

On behalf of the Bestest Region in NationStates, Texas, we congratulate our former Secretary of WA Affairs on this legislative achievement, his first in five years. We are pleased to inform this chamber that our Regional Delegate, NewTexas, cast his 36 votes IN FAVOR of this worthy resolution.

No TV and No Beer
Texas Secretary of WA Affairs

[Gruenberg]

FWIW, the last time I successfully passed a resolution was March 2009!

Thanks to all for the support, and to the new national sovereignty movement for demonstrating where their priorities truly lie.

[Bears Armed]

FWIW, the last time I successfully passed a resolution was March 2009!

Good grief! Without checking I'd have thought two or three years ago, at the most...
Congratulations, anyhows.

[Jakuso]

Well, then why bother passing laws which are pointless an do nothing? They are simply a waste of ambassadors' time. Nevertheless we are voting against this because it's going to introduce a few laws that we don't want to see introduced. We want our own businesses to make decisions without them being blinded in what they can do by WA resolutions. Yakus has had a proud tradition of equality and rights in the workplace and with or without this resolution in place, that tradition shall continue.

OOC: role playing how I want to does not make me stupid; if anything it makes me just a bit more "original" than the norm. And that's good in my opinion.

OOC: No, but refusing to play by the established rules and demanding that everybody accommodate your own set and pouting when somebody calls you out on it sends an equally strong message. Mostly that you are systematically unable to effectively play a multiplayer game. When you decide to stop throwing fistfuls of sand at others, let me know. Until then...

IC: "Well, I am out of spoons. If I wanted to tolerate this many tantrums in a professional setting, I'd have been a middle school teacher."

Bell walks over to the Jakusan representative, hefting a sloshingly full bucket. With an almost inaudible grunt, he swings the bucket up into his off hand and hurls the contents in a beautiful arc right on top of the offending delegate. As the strange liquid drips down the Jakusan representative, soaking into the little crevasses and nooks, Bell allows the bucket to clatter to the floor, and the label "ACME-BRAND INVISIBLE INK" can be seen emblazoned on the side.
By the time he makes it back into the seat, the Invisible Ink has already begun to dry, making the offending ambassador impossible to see (at least for Bell), and, in a strange quirk of ACME-brand techno-wonder, completely inaudible as well.
"Much better. Shall we get back to it?"

I'm sorry, but isn't that a bit uncalled for? I hereby nominate you ambassador to do the ice bucket challenge, but with my own personal twist: why don't you try the boiling water mixed with sugar challenge! It's telly fun!

[Jakuso]

OOC: No, but refusing to play by the established rules and demanding that everybody accommodate your own set and pouting when somebody calls you out on it sends an equally strong message. Mostly that you are systematically unable to effectively play a multiplayer game. When you decide to stop throwing fistfuls of sand at others, let me know. Until then...

IC: "Well, I am out of spoons. If I wanted to tolerate this many tantrums in a professional setting, I'd have been a middle school teacher."

Bell walks over to the Jakusan representative, hefting a sloshingly full bucket. With an almost inaudible grunt, he swings the bucket up into his off hand and hurls the contents in a beautiful arc right on top of the offending delegate. As the strange liquid drips down the Jakusan representative, soaking into the little crevasses and nooks, Bell allows the bucket to clatter to the floor, and the label "ACME-BRAND INVISIBLE INK" can be seen emblazoned on the side.
By the time he makes it back into the seat, the Invisible Ink has already begun to dry, making the offending ambassador impossible to see (at least for Bell), and, in a strange quirk of ACME-brand techno-wonder, completely inaudible as well.
"Much better. Shall we get back to it?"

I'm sorry, but isn't that a bit uncalled for? I hereby nominate you ambassador to do the ice bucket challenge, but with my own personal twist: why don't you try the boiling water mixed with sugar challenge! It's really fun!

Anyhow, it's too bad to see this has passed. Guess it's up to the boys and girls back home to change a couple of things here and there to even this out, we'll be back to normal in no time!

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC:

since you didn't quite get the message, Jakuso, I've blocked you. I can't see your posts without deliberately trying to. I suspected you'd miss this, thus the post. As I said before, neither of us wants me to share my full opinion, so, in the interests of decency, I've elected to ignore you. As I've also said before, when you find yourself capable of playing a multi-player game, I'll be happy to reverse this. Until then, you'll have to relegate direct communication with me to Telegrams.

To the rest of the players: terribly sorry for the buzzkill. Congrats on this passing, Gruen.

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Pardon my saying so, but this "debate" should probably have been converted into a pie fight pages ago.

IC: What a shame this has ended. Just when we were starting to have fun! Well, I for one am not willing to give up this simply unforgettable moment in these halls to memory just yet. And just to show you all how much we appreciate you sharing this time with us, we have prepared a special treat to share with you!

[Looks back -- seeing Ace and Rico, disguised as bakers, have rolled in several carts full of pies -- and picks up a large lemon meringue.]

Oh, Jakuso, I think this one's yours.

[Flings pastry at Yakusan deputy, only it misses its target by a fraction of an inch, and continues to sail through the air and splat the Defwan ambassador square in the face.]

...Oops!

Jimmy Baca
Ambassador at Large

[Defwa]

Pardon my saying so, but this "debate" should probably have been converted into a pie fight pages ago.

IC: What a shame this has ended. Just when we were starting to have fun! Well, I for one am not willing to give up this simply unforgettable moment in these halls to memory just yet. And just to show you all how much we appreciate you sharing this time with us, we have prepared a special treat to share with you!

[Looks back -- seeing Ace and Rico, disguised as bakers, have rolled in several carts full of pies -- and picks up a large lemon meringue.]

Oh, Jakuso, I think this one's yours.

[Flings pastry at Yakusan deputy, only it misses its target by a fraction of an inch, and continues to sail through the air and splat the Defwan ambassador square in the face.]

...Oops!

Jimmy Baca
Ambassador at Large

"It I hadn't missed lunch, you'd be dead right now.
Also, I do quite like lemon."

After sampling some, "In deference to the victorious, instead of reconviening our discussion on excluding non complying nations from the benefits of this assembly here, I invite any who desire to continue discussing the topic to meet in room 40b (aka Space Junk Is Bad).
I will join you after I figure out how to get merengue out of silk."

[Jakuso]

OOC:

since you didn't quite get the message, Jakuso, I've blocked you. I can't see your posts without deliberately trying to. I suspected you'd miss this, thus the post. As I said before, neither of us wants me to share my full opinion, so, in the interests of decency, I've elected to ignore you. As I've also said before, when you find yourself capable of playing a multi-player game, I'll be happy to reverse this. Until then, you'll have to relegate direct communication with me to Telegrams.

To the rest of the players: terribly sorry for the buzzkill. Congrats on this passing, Gruen.

Well I just want to say that these are the words of someone who isn't brave enough to face me in this council. Sure, ignore me, you'll be doing us a favour, but do consider your own maturity in your boycott of the voice of Yakus in this council. I can't see much progress on your part if you're going to just downright blank me. But like I said you're doing me a favour; I no longer have to put up with your tit-for-tat comments on everything I say.

[Defwa]

OOC:

since you didn't quite get the message, Jakuso, I've blocked you. I can't see your posts without deliberately trying to. I suspected you'd miss this, thus the post. As I said before, neither of us wants me to share my full opinion, so, in the interests of decency, I've elected to ignore you. As I've also said before, when you find yourself capable of playing a multi-player game, I'll be happy to reverse this. Until then, you'll have to relegate direct communication with me to Telegrams.

To the rest of the players: terribly sorry for the buzzkill. Congrats on this passing, Gruen.

Well I just want to say that these are the words of someone who isn't brave enough to face me in this council. Sure, ignore me, you'll be doing us a favour, but do consider your own maturity in your boycott of the voice of Yakus in this council. I can't see much progress on your part if you're going to just downright blank me. But like I said you're doing me a favour; I no longer have to put up with your tit-for-tat comments on everything I say.

OOC: tit for tat is what debate is. Its your failure to provide any sort of real response that has resulted in your being ignored. No one takes you seriously. You can't just make some wildly inaccurate statement and expect everyone else to just go along with it and pat your back. They're going to contradict you, correct you

[Jakuso]

Well I just want to say that these are the words of someone who isn't brave enough to face me in this council. Sure, ignore me, you'll be doing us a favour, but do consider your own maturity in your boycott of the voice of Yakus in this council. I can't see much progress on your part if you're going to just downright blank me. But like I said you're doing me a favour; I no longer have to put up with your tit-for-tat comments on everything I say.

OOC: tit for tat is what debate is. Its your failure to provide any sort of real response that has resulted in your being ignored. No one takes you seriously. You can't just make some wildly inaccurate statement and expect everyone else to just go along with it and pat your back. They're going to contradict you, correct you

When I said tit-for-tat, I meant his sometimes rude comments on my input. To be fair, I could choose not to take you or anyone else seriously, but is that the action of a respected WA delegate? I think not.

[Defwa]

OOC: tit for tat is what debate is. Its your failure to provide any sort of real response that has resulted in your being ignored. No one takes you seriously. You can't just make some wildly inaccurate statement and expect everyone else to just go along with it and pat your back. They're going to contradict you, correct you

When I said tit-for-tat, I meant his sometimes rude comments on my input. To be fair, I could choose not to take you or anyone else seriously, but is that the action of a respected WA delegate? I think not.

You've already made a habit of showing a complete disregard for everyone else here. So I'm glad that you're now aware of how that wears away at your reputation.

[Jakuso]

When I said tit-for-tat, I meant his sometimes rude comments on my input. To be fair, I could choose not to take you or anyone else seriously, but is that the action of a respected WA delegate? I think not.

You've already made a habit of showing a complete disregard for everyone else here. So I'm glad that you're now aware of how that wears away at your reputation.

I... I... What? Oh nevermind I give up. You're just bringing up things that are off topic. This resolution has passed, sadly and yeah I'm sure we'll have to change our laws to follow it. But anyway, until the next time, I'm going back to the Yakusan Foreign Ministry, and to my party, the People's Voice. We have a General Election to prepare for. And we're destined for great things! Yes... Great things!

[Ardoki]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

[Separatist Peoples]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

"Compliance is mandatory in the WA, ambassador. Not as if this is a restrictive law to comply with...simply justify your laws with any reason and you're compliant."

[Ardoki]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

"Compliance is mandatory in the WA, ambassador. Not as if this is a restrictive law to comply with...simply justify your laws with any reason and you're compliant."

"We like trade unions, the minimum wage, heath and safety standards, child labour laws, etc. We don't want our living standard to decline."

[Applebania]

"Compliance is mandatory in the WA, ambassador. Not as if this is a restrictive law to comply with...simply justify your laws with any reason and you're compliant."

"We like trade unions, the minimum wage, heath and safety standards, child labour laws, etc. We don't want our living standard to decline."

"You can keep those in place with this resolution in effect. This is simply a blocker resolution for people trying to force a standardised workweek down the WA's collective throats."

[Jakuso]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

Ardoki, I do admire what you've said here. But unluckily, the self-appointed WA preachers are going to tell you otherwise. Now why can't national sovereignty and nationstate democracy take some precedent over WA legislation? Well they'll say that "by joining the WA, we have lost our sovereignty and are no longer a fully independent country". Sadly, that is the way.

[Omigodtheykilledkenny]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

For God's sake, there's nothing to "abide by"; it's all just meaningless fluff willfully put up and voted upon in order to prevent the WA from taking any substantive action on workweeks. I don't know if I can even begin to fathom the complete and total (inadvertent) irony and self-contradiction of the opposition here: they are anti-sovereigntists, stunned to their fluffy cores that the WA would "assault" labor rights, purporting to be sovereigntists, by claiming the invalid right to defy legislation that is completely sovereigntist in intent and effect, and doesn't even assault labor in the first place. In effect, they're defying their parents by staying out past a curfew the parents didn't impose to begin with. We shudder to think what the outcome of such petulant diplomacy would breed, and as such strongly urge all nations who have to deal with these countries to be preparing themselves for all-out war, for steadfastly refusing to threaten them in any way whatsoever.

[Defwa]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

Ardoki, I do admire what you've said here. But unluckily, the self-appointed WA preachers are going to tell you otherwise. Now why can't national sovereignty and nationstate democracy take some precedent over WA legislation? Well they'll say that "by joining the WA, we have lost our sovereignty and are no longer a fully independent country". Sadly, that is the way.

damn us and our facts

[Sierra Lyricalia]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

Ardoki, I do admire what you've said here. But unluckily, the self-appointed WA preachers are going to tell you otherwise. Now why can't national sovereignty and nationstate democracy take some precedent over WA legislation? Well they'll say that "by joining the WA, we have lost our sovereignty and are no longer a fully independent country". Sadly, that is the way.

OOC: This thread is fast becoming the exact wrong place for this discussion, but this bears mentioning (and may not hve been quite explicitly stated in these terms): since your WA member nation's political and economic statistics actually change when a resolution is passed, there is literally no way to claim that you are going to outright ignore a resolution. It is because of this that it is considered poor form, poor sportsmanship, and rude to insist (after warnings like this one and like the ones others have tried to give you) that your nation is ignoring the resolution, full stop. Part of the fun of the WA is coming up with "creative compliance," some scheme of internal legalisms whereby you are technically in compliance with WA law but your citizens barely notice. Claiming total and overt noncompliance while retaining membership is distracting, unimaginative, needlessly combative, crass, rude, and boring.

IC: Sorry, ambassador, but mourning the loss of national sovereignty in the context of this resolution is ludicrous. There is no more national sovereigntist bill that I have personally ever seen pass. It renders almost nothing out of bounds in the area of labor regulation except further international interference. If opposition to it remains this insipid, it'll be on the books forever. If you have real argument against it, the repeal chamber is thataway.

Steph sits down and motions to some poor intern.

"Another Caucasian, Gary."

She sighs.

"Friends like these, huh, Gary?"

[Normlpeople]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

For God's sake, there's nothing to "abide by"; it's all just meaningless fluff willfully put up and voted upon in order to prevent the WA from taking any substantive action on workweeks. I don't know if I can even begin to fathom the complete and total (inadvertent) irony and self-contradiction of the opposition here: they are anti-sovereigntists, stunned to their fluffy cores that the WA would "assault" labor rights, purporting to be sovereigntists, by claiming the invalid right to defy legislation that is completely sovereigntist in intent and effect, and doesn't even assault labor in the first place. In effect, they're defying their parents by staying out past a curfew the parents didn't impose to begin with. We shudder to think what the outcome of such petulant diplomacy would breed, and as such strongly urge all nations who have to deal with these countries to be preparing themselves for all-out war, for steadfastly refusing to threaten them in any way whatsoever.

Clover nods in agreement with he Kennyite ambassador "I agree. This might be the least intrusive piece of legislation I've seen passed in my time here. Perhaps the other ambassadors could benefit from their legal scholars explaining that this changes very little in thier nations?"

OOC: To the 'I won't comply' crowd. I was the same entering this forum. I got the same welcome. Your choice is simple, continue that road and be ignored, or play ball, which is much more fun. Remember, there are loopholes in every resolution if you look hard enough.

[District XIV]

"Compliance is mandatory in the WA, ambassador. Not as if this is a restrictive law to comply with...simply justify your laws with any reason and you're compliant."

"We like trade unions, the minimum wage, heath and safety standards, child labour laws, etc. We don't want our living standard to decline."

“Apparently you didn't read the law, nor do you actually understand WA compliance in general.”

[Iron Felix]

Though I am technically a member of the WA. I shall not be abiding by this law at all, as Ardokian laws come before WA laws in my country.

For God's sake, there's nothing to "abide by"; it's all just meaningless fluff willfully put up and voted upon in order to prevent the WA from taking any substantive action on workweeks. I don't know if I can even begin to fathom the complete and total (inadvertent) irony and self-contradiction of the opposition here: they are anti-sovereigntists, stunned to their fluffy cores that the WA would "assault" labor rights, purporting to be sovereigntists, by claiming the invalid right to defy legislation that is completely sovereigntist in intent and effect, and doesn't even assault labor in the first place. In effect, they're defying their parents by staying out past a curfew the parents didn't impose to begin with. We shudder to think what the outcome of such petulant diplomacy would breed, and as such strongly urge all nations who have to deal with these countries to be preparing themselves for all-out war, for steadfastly refusing to threaten them in any way whatsoever.

OOC: My GOD there seems to be a lot of abject stupidity in the WA these days. Ardoki. you should be embarrassed.

IC: Felix walks over to the Kennyite ambassador.

"Comrade, perhaps this will calm your nerves, It is vodka kept in a deep freeze underneath Lenin's tomb......until recently, when I stored it in an ice cave lined with the carcasses of WA Gnomes."

Felix offers the bottle to the Kennyite ambassador

[Jakuso]

Ardoki, I do admire what you've said here. But unluckily, the self-appointed WA preachers are going to tell you otherwise. Now why can't national sovereignty and nationstate democracy take some precedent over WA legislation? Well they'll say that "by joining the WA, we have lost our sovereignty and are no longer a fully independent country". Sadly, that is the way.

OOC: This thread is fast becoming the exact wrong place for this discussion, but this bears mentioning (and may not hve been quite explicitly stated in these terms): since your WA member nation's political and economic statistics actually change when a resolution is passed, there is literally no way to claim that you are going to outright ignore a resolution. It is because of this that it is considered poor form, poor sportsmanship, and rude to insist (after warnings like this one and like the ones others have tried to give you) that your nation is ignoring the resolution, full stop. Part of the fun of the WA is coming up with "creative compliance," some scheme of internal legalisms whereby you are technically in compliance with WA law but your citizens barely notice. Claiming total and overt noncompliance while retaining membership is distracting, unimaginative, needlessly combative, crass, rude, and boring.

IC: Sorry, ambassador, but mourning the loss of national sovereignty in the context of this resolution is ludicrous. There is no more national sovereigntist bill that I have personally ever seen pass. It renders almost nothing out of bounds in the area of labor regulation except further international interference. If opposition to it remains this insipid, it'll be on the books forever. If you have real argument against it, the repeal chamber is thataway.

Steph sits down and motions to some poor intern.

"Another Caucasian, Gary."

She sighs.

"Friends like these, huh, Gary?"

OOC: It's an OOC RPing thing. I would have thought that people would have spotted that.

IC: If this is a national sovereigntist resolution, then why is the WA legislating it? The members of this council, well some of them, keep telling me time and time again something which I'm already well aware of. Yes! I know that joining the WA was an act of surrendering our sovereignty, but guess what, it wasn't my decision! No, the Yakusan Federal Government decided to jump right into world affairs at the deep end and put us in a situation, sort of, by not reading the whole membership contract first. And yes, right now, we're on a bit of a sticky wicket here. Now don't get me wrong, I support the humanitarian and equality and pro-democracy acts that this organisation promotes, but some of these resolutions are a bit... irrelevant. The reason countries have governments is so that they can pass their own laws! There are matters of national sovereignty, then there are matters of international importance, which is where the WA comes in. But in recent times I have noticed that the WA is involving itself far too deeply in national politics! Nationstate democracy is a force which should prevail over the powers of the WA in a country's national matters and that's how, many sceptisists will agree, it should be!