Sci
| |
| Flag of Sci | |
| Motto: "Knowledge is freedom." | |
| N/A | |
| Region | Oblivion |
|---|---|
| Capital | Darwin |
| Official Language(s) | Lenge Scien, English |
| Leader | (oligarchy) |
| Population | N/A |
| Currency | Util (SCU) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Meritocracy of Sci (sometimes Technocracy of Sci) is an elitist nation which pursues scientific research and limited humanitarian aims. A conservative, pacifist government holds in check a relatively activist population. It has a free market economy which has been undermined by socialist welfare policies. It is notable for its low crime and the high levels of health and education among its citizens.
Sci is considered a world benchmark for civil rights, but has a lackluster economy and little political participation by the masses.
Contents
Government
The "Meritocracy" of Sci is a constitutional oligarchy with limited powers. All residents (Sci does not distinguish between citizens and non-citizen residents) are eligible to participate in government, but only upon completion of strict education and testing requirements relevant to the bureau of interest.
Governors
Sci government consists of multiple ministeries or bureaus with clearly-defined areas of responsibility. Additionally, each bureau has equivalent posts for different parts of the day, so that the government need never sleep. (The potential for sleep-debt-related mistakes is taken very seriously in Sci.) The most an powerful is Education, which sets entrance requirements for the various posts, followed by State, which settles disputes among the bureaus as well as reviewing laws for constitutionality and consistency. Exterior is responsible for foreign relations and defense. Interior manages most of the law of the land. Science handles the distribution of any funds beyond those used by other bureaus (note that Sci's constitution requires the government to operate with a balanced budget).
- Diurnal Minister of Education: Rebecca Hofstadter
- Nocturnal Minister of Education: Immanuel Watson
- Over-Minister of State: Thucydides Sugre
- Diurnal Minister of the Exterior: John Williams
- Nocturnal Minister of the Exterior: Kimberly Fitt
- Diurnal Minister of the Interior: Patricia Friedman
- Nocturnal Minister of the Interior: Sophie Sigurdst
- Diurnal Minister of Science and the Arts: Sigmund Hamish
- Nocturnal Minister of Science and the Arts: William Singer
Legal Rights
Sci's constitution guarantees two very broad and interconnected rights:
'Equality under the law' prohibits the government from discriminating among its citizens, with exceptions for differences which are materially relevant to a given law: a program may selectively benefit citizens with special needs or citizens which can be benefited at a cheaper (per head) rate than others; it may also selectively employ citizens with specific aptitudes. This right subsumes many traditional rights as the right to own property.
'Freedom of contract' is somewhat misnamed: it prohibits government interference (other than monitoring) in any private affairs (activities whose direct impacts are solely felt by consenting adults; adulthood in Sci is measured by passing of a psychological examination and is normally reached between the ages of 12 and 30). As such, it subsumes parts of traditional rights to assembly, speech, religious exercise, and others.
Other rights not found in the constitution but still enjoying some legal protection include freedom of communication, the right to a free education (education is noncompulsory but guaranteed free of charge to anyone who can show capacity to learn; since government participation is in most cases tied to education level, this represents an important concession toward democracy), right to basic subsistence, and various poorly-defined "heritage" rights involving access to, or possibly just existence of, public domain resources.
The press does not enjoy any special protection beyond what is covered by freedom of communication. The government runs its own very popularpress corps, and is estimated to control 43% of the media consumed by viewers.
Taxation and other Revenue Sources
Sci's tax system is moderately regressive except at the lowest income levels. Residents pay a flat income tax of 25%; however, all residents receive stamps which are redeemable for minimum subsistance needs: food and shelter.
The government also collects revenue from a "pollution tax", a "contract stamp" which must be payed on contracts for them to be legally enforceable, and user fees for various services.
The government holds the controversial view that, when any animal (including humans) dies in Sci, its corpse belongs to the government. With humans, this policy is used to support compulsary organ donation, which organs the government then sells for profit, as well as dna samples and autopsies as part of various long-running government-supported scientific studies. With animals, combined with some import barriers, this has allowed the government to impose a nearly vegetarian diet on its citizens.
There are no tariffs on imports, although meat products and many weapons are banned from being imported, possessed, or sold.
People
- Population: 200 million in 2001
- Median age (not including infants): 44.9 years
- Life expectancy at age 1: 84 years
Note: people are not counted, nor given any legal rights, until they demonstrate minimal communication ability. The government collects but does not publicize information on infant mortality and infanticide rates.
Religion
Sci was originally founded as an atheist state. However, it has actively welcomed religious refugees from other countries, and now contains a substantial theist minority.
2001 census: religious affiliation:
- Atheist - 63%
- "none" - 41%
- Humanist - 22%
- Theist - 21%
- Jewish - 9%
- Christian - 5%
- Deist - 4%
- "Other" - 3%
- "Agnostic" - 12%
- Mystical - 4%
Ethnicity and Language
Data on ethnicity are not available. Sci's population is generally of Northern European descent.
Sci has an official language which is artificial, called Lenge Scien, which has been introduced with only limited success despite being used widely in computing. English, however, is spoken universally.
2001 census: immigration status:
- Native Born - 59%
- Immigrant - 28%
- Temporary Resident - 13%
2001 census: primary language:
- English - 82%
- Lenge Scien - 6%
- German - 3%
- Dutch - 1%
- French - 1%
- Pinyin - 1%
- Russian - 1%
- "other" - 5%
Economy
Social decisions have left Sci with a mediocre economy due to high nonemployment rates: single-income households are the norm. Nevertheless, its economy is high-tech. It is a world leader in biotechnology.
The Scien Util (SCU) has had very poor performance in the past few years, and currently trades at a rate of about four Utils per Euro or three Utils per U.S. Dollar.
International Trade
Sci is a net exporter of pharmaceuticals, electronics and office equipment, chemicals, aerospace, and information services.
Sci is a net importer of manufactured goods, textiles, and fuels. It operates at a trade deficit.
Sci is neither a debter nor a creditor nation. It has been known to trade foreign aid for rights to gather scientific data and specimins from other nations; outright gifts are rare.
Energy and Agriculture
Sci is a petroleum importer. What reserves it has are locked beneath federally-protected wilderness. A government-backed initiative for transition to nuclear power has been gathering momentum, however. Electric and hybrid gas-electric vehicles have become common after the placement of heavy taxes on automotive fumes. Sci is a party to the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and expects to exceed its goals under that agreement by 2012.
Agricultural products include wheat, soybeans, fruits, and forest products. The government particularly favors fruit production, having a long-running propaganda campaign encouraging consumers to plant and harvest fruit trees instead of other landscaping decisions. Although Sci produces very few domestic dairy products, it does import dairy goods for processing into cheese and yogurt, much of which is then re-exported. Desideria, a washed-rind cheese with a relatively tangy flavor familiar to gourmets around the world, comes exclusively from Sci, as do the Blue Sweet apple and various other specialty foods.
Transnational Issues and Disputes
Biological warfare. Sci has refused entry to U.N. weapons inspectors and has occasionally threatened that "dire consequences" would result from any invasion. It does not have a standing military, so these threats--true or not--are an important part of its defense system.
Extradition. Sci refuses to sign extradition treaties. Under Scien law, nobody may be sent to trial in a foreign state unless it is first demonstrated that the law he is accused of breaking, as well as the management of his trial and potential punishment, are all consistent with the strident rules on rights guaranteed by Scien law. The situation is exarcerbated by Sci's extremely lax border patrol and immigration requirements; Sci has been accused of harboring terrorists.
Intellectual property. The Sci government considers all "soft" goods that were on the market at least two years ago but which are no longer on the market, as well as "soft" goods which have been on the market for at least thirty years, to be in the public domain; it provides free access to many such goods on government-run websites. This has upset many countries with tougher standards.
Trade. Some nations have argued that Sci's guarantee of a minimum income for all, regardless of employment status, amounts to a labor subsidy. Sci has pointed out that many nations offer some form of social welfare, such as government-funded health care, and that this practice is accepted. The W.T.O. has consistently found in Sci's favor on these issues.
Illicit drugs. Sci is a source of synthetic drugs. It is a minor transshipment point for opiates and cocaine. Sci has also been accused of distributing contraceptives and other medical goods through its embassies in countries where they are illegal.
