Rational Self Interest

Rational Self Interest

Flag of Rational Self Interest
Motto: "One for One and All for All"
No Map Available Yet
Region	The Rejected Realms
Capital	Kivilor Pesu
Official Language(s)	Imzreth
Leader	President Lamorv Liozom
Population	Vast
Currency	Tax Unit
NS Sunset XML

The Meritocracy of Rational Self Interest is a large, peaceful, and notoriously libertine democracy, where heroin is sold in vending machines and "morning after" pills are handed out to twelve year olds. Only young children and tourists commonly wear clothing in public; formal attire consists of body piercings and tattoos - and often a gun belt. Every citizen receives training in law enforcment before earning the right to work full time or to vote, and any adult can enforce the law or make an arrest. City streets bristle with shotguns, rifles, pistols, and even machine guns and rocket launchers. Private prosecutors bring charges against miscreants in the hope of earning a conviction bounty; those few who are convicted of serious crimes perish on pay-per-view Justice Television every Friday night, to the accompaniment of the pounding rhythm and obscene lyrics of the national anthem.

The Meritocracy's billions inhabit seven major islands, a peninsula with a short mainland border, and thousands of smaller islands. There are also thousands of uninhabited islands which do not have a water supply. Located in the tropics, most of the uncleared land is jungle or swamp, and the interior of most of the islands is mountainous, with scores of live volcanoes. Most of the population is concentrated near the shores and is heavily urbanized. Large sections of the interior are owned by the federal government and reserved from development. Some are still inhabited by primitive tribes, which are not allowed to possess anything made of metal or plastic - otherwise, they make their own laws. Hundreds of smaller islands, while nominally under federal law, have little contact with the outside world and manage their affairs as they please.

By far the largest city of the Meritocracy is Temzocali; other important cities include Bofolso, Tylojouo, Kivilor Pesu, Nomero, and Fyoro Ryncyl.

Government

The Rational government has three branches, but they are not divided along the lines of legislative, executive, and judicial as in many tripartite governments. The National Assembly possesses supreme authority in all three areas, subject only to the voters and the Auditors, except that the Directors of Elections and Judicial Administration, and the Advocate General (who are responsible for ensuring that the Assembly delegates are fairly elected and that they obey such few laws as exist to restrain corruption) are not subject to the Assembly's orders.

The National Assembly enacts laws, makes appointments to major offices, and can override a jury verdict or countermand an executive order. However, all actions of the Assembly require a three-fifths majority. There are one hundred Delegates, but many of them cast more than one vote - the total number of votes is 333. The National Assembly is divided into several segments, which have different rules for election although they all deliberate and vote together as a single body. The largest segment is the Popular Assembly, with fifty members and two hundred votes which are assigned in proportion to the popular votes each received in the latest Allocation.

No elections are held for the Popular Assembly; voters register their vote for whomever they wish to represent them and may re-register at any time (for a fee). Most voters register with a Proxy who casts their vote on their behalf in all elections and referenda, and may also transfer it to a Popular Delegate, if the Proxy him or herself is not qualified, or chooses not, to take a seat. Every month, votes in the Popular Assembly are reallocated based on current vote registrations, and every year, the seats themselves are reconsidered, with the top fifty vote recipients taking the seats. By the twelfth Allocation every year, several Delegates have always been reduced to zero votes due to some scandal or other, or to failing to release a hit single.

Monthly Allocations mean that the Popular Assembly is extremely responsive to the public mood. Proxy voting tends to favor personalities over parties because getting on a ballot is no barrier and people can "vote" for anyone they want. Campaigning can be on any scale; many small-time proxy politicians hold only a few hundreds or thousands of votes, which they may transfer in turn to more powerful proxies if the terms of the original registration allow it. Votes are routinely sold by everyone from ordinary voters to National Delegates, which is perfectly legal if done publicly. Vote buying is a national institution, governed by detailed rules. Fame and money are easy routes to political success; the Popular Assembly consists mostly of celebrities and corporate lackeys with loose party affiliations. The current 35 year-old Chairman of the National Assembly owes his position to a phenomenal dodgeball career and a fistfight on the Assembly floor, while the leading Delegate, with fifteen votes, is a former porn actress and tv news anchor, barely thirty years old.

The Insular Assembly consists of fifteen Delegates, one from each territory (most of the territories are islands, hence the name). These Delegates have from one to six votes each, for a total of forty. They are elected according to rules made by the territorial governments, which vary from instant run-off popular election for a one year term, to appointment to an indefinite term by the territorial President. Another fifteen Delegate seats with forty total votes are sold each year by sealed-bid auction; these make up the Mercantile Assembly. The staid Insular and Mercantile Delegates provide some dignity and sanity to what otherwise often resembles a street festival.

The remaining twenty Delegates are elected by various special constituencies; they have a total of fifty-three votes.