Design a new form of government.

[shereads]

Sher,

Since we just got this island I'm thinking it's one no one else wanted.

Actually, there were some aboriginal people. We gave them beads or smallpox or something, and they went away. I don't remember the details.

I like your version better. Remember that for when we write the history books, okay?


Zack: in the game about the island, could you appoint an interim government and postpone the elections indefinitely? That seems like a good option.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

An Athenian-style democracy, minus the philosopher-tyrant and modernizing the attitudes to include women and minorities in the participatory process, should work with the population so small. Like the Athenian system, money will have to be used for infastructure, armament in case of returning aborigonies, and a modest Temple to Poseidon (hey it is an island ).

The Athenian system, thus modified, should balance the needs for law, infrastructure, artisans, freedom, military, and food adequately by deigning no one subsection as ruling class.

Also, I agree that a communistic system might be able to work with such a small group of people, but it'd need to be protected by an Athenian style political system. I would hesitate to advocate using such a system, but it should work as an exercise in economics.

Now, if you want my ideas for fixing the firm institutional problems of our fair country, that's an entirely different deabate.

 

[shereads]

I like your thinking here.

Communism is okay, too, as long as I don't have to share my coconuts or my bathroom or any of my other stuff. You can have some of my sand if you want.

Also: If we do the Athenian bit, can we have the statues left white? I'll bet Athens looked like OpryLand when the statues had painted eyeballs and clothes and stuff. What were they thinking?

An Athenian-style democracy, minus the philosopher-tyrant and modernizing the attitudes to include women and minorities in the participatory process, should work with the population so small. Like the Athenian system, money will have to be used for infastructure, armament in case of returning aborigonies, and a modest Temple to Poseidon (hey it is an island ).

The Athenian system, thus modified, should balance the needs for law, infrastructure, artisans, freedom, military, and food adequately by deigning no one subsection as ruling class.

Also, I agree that a communistic system might be able to work with such a small group of people, but it'd need to be protected by an Athenian style political system. I would hesitate to advocate using such a system, but it should work as an exercise in economics.

Now, if you want my ideas for fixing the firm institutional problems of our fair country, that's an entirely different deabate.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

shereads - This is your chance to show how it works.
sweetnpetite — a democratic comunist government
comp|icity — A obenevolent dictatorship
lewdandlicentious — first and foremost, work on population control .
sweetnpetite — coconuts are free to all.
Weird Harold — I don't think there is such a thing as "a new form of goverment."
Joe Wordsworth — A dictatorship would be most efficient
comp|icity — you'll have a class system...
shereads — If there's a dictatorship, I want a cushy job ... The coconuts are mine.
Pure — well, sher, you've not been reading your Marx lately.
snooper — Oh dear. You should have sorted all this out before you bought the place.
OldnotDead — we just got this island ... no one else wanted.
shereads — were some aboriginal ... gave them beads or smallpox ...I like your version ... for ... the history books ...
Lucifer_Carroll — An Athenian-style democracy, minus the philosopher-tyrant
shereads — Communism is okay, too, as long as I don't have to share my coconuts or my bathroom

I suggest you start off with anarchy. That way the system you finally chose — any system — will be a considerable improvement.

You didn’t really need my suggestion?

You have a sizeable patch of anarchy already sewn.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I suggest you start off with anarchy. That way the system you finally chose — any system — will be a considerable improvement.

You didn’t really need my suggestion?

You have a sizeable patch of anarchy already sewn.

If the AH, got an island, we'd all be screwed.

After the initial schisms over US politics, religion, and position preference, a diplomatic attempt at an orgy would be made and we'd all starve to death a couple of days later, sticky, sweaty, but very well sated.

 

[shereads]

I suggest you start off with anarchy. That way the system you finally chose — any system — will be a considerable improvement.

You didn’t really need my suggestion?

You have a sizeable patch of anarchy already sewn.

<-------------- That. But really.

That was brilliant.

You still can't use my bathroom or share my coconuts without permission, but it was brilliant.

Honest to god, VB. That was the first non-faked laugh I've had all day. I've laughed a few times, but they were office laughs. "Oh, ha ha." This was the kind of laugh that scares my dog when the house is quiet.

You rule.

Really, go ahead. You rule.

 

[shereads]

If the AH, got an island, we'd all be screwed.

After the initial schisms over US politics, religion, and position preference, a diplomatic attempt at an orgy would be made and we'd all starve to death a couple of days later, sticky, sweaty, but very well sated.

There would be an argument about the type of orgy: costumes? drugs? condoms?
Paint by numbers?

Plus, I know who I'd want, and who I wouldn't want to share with.

Yes, the orgy is definitely problematic.

I hope somebody brought a deck of cards.

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

There would be an argument about the type of orgy: costumes? drugs? condoms?
Paint by numbers?

Plus, I know who I'd want, and who I wouldn't want to share with.

Yes, the orgy is definitely problematic.

I hope somebody brought a deck of cards.

Yup....but...er...they're tarot.

We'll still be able to get a good poker game in, though it's bound to cause problems.

(I win...but great misfortune is heading my way)

 

[Seattle Zack]

Shereads, in the game you had several options when it came to elections. You could just cancel them (which pissed off the capitalist faction) and hope your poll numbers were better the next time around in four years or so. If you were only slightly behind, you could fix the election by buying a few votes (but that whiff of voter fraud would tend to turn the intellectual faction against you).

If you had a lot of money, you could pay off the heads of some of the most inflential factions (the religious nuts and the communists were a good choice, since they had the greatest following).

Or you could just delcare martial law, say there was no need for elections at all, pay your soldiers very well and sleep lightly.

Come to think of it, George W (or his campaign advisers) may have played this same game .....

 

[Wildcard Ky]

Build a large fence around my parcel of the island tell the other 99 they can do what ever the hell they want, as long as they leave me alone. They wouldn't give me too much shit, because I'm probably more heavily armed than any puny 20 man army they could muster.

The whole purpose of buying into an island with a small group of people would be to escape from things like governments.