South Nashville
| |
| The Official Flag of Nashville | |
| Motto: "Any displaced peoples, anywhere in the world, will always be welcome in South Nashville." | |
| National Anthem: "God Save the South" | |
| Region | Wysteria |
|---|---|
| Capital | South Nashville Station |
| Largest city | Brentwood |
| Official Language(s) | English, Southern English |
| Government | Liberal Democracy |
| - Ambassador of the Commonwealth | John Xavier III of South Nashville Station |
| - Governor of the Commonwealth | Daniel Ayansh of Fed Res |
| - Speaker of the Senate/Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth | Henry C. Wilder of New Hamilton |
| - Speaker of the House | Alphonso Avalace, Jr. of South Nashville Station |
| - Attorney-General of the Commonwealth | M. B. Thompson of Nashville |
| Population | 100 million |
| Currency | Tallent |
| Timezone | GMT-5 |
| - Summer (DST) | GMT-5 |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Commonwealth of South Nashville and Brentwood, or simply South Nashville, is a nation located in the Southern hemisphere of Wysteria. It is the largest nation on the Shaharazia continent. The capital is South Nashville Station and the largest city is Brentwood.
It is a liberal democracy with a generally free market economic policy. Its currency is the Tallent.
Constitution
The South Nashville Constitution guarantees the protection of life, liberty, and property. The constitution is not one document, but rather a series of arrangements that have evolved over time to govern the nation. Included in it are the Cumberland Charta, Tennessee Agreement, Shore Amendment, Bill of Rights, Constitution of South Nashville and Brentwood and subsequent amendments, court decisions, treaties, and UN Resolutions.
There are four independent branches of government: legislative, executive, judiciary, and monetary.
Legislative
The legislative branch is composed of a bicameral legislature made up of a House and Senate. The House is composed of 99 Represenatives who are elected from single-member districts and serve two-year terms. Each district has roughly the same number of people. At the beginning of each session the House elects a Speaker who is third in line to become Governor.
The Senate is composed of 24 members who are elected to six-year terms and divided into three staggered classes. Each region elects 3 Senators. The Senate also elects a Speaker who also serves as Lt. Governor and is second in line to become Governor. In the event of a tie, the Speaker casts the tie-breaking vote. This allows for the rare occasion of the Speaker voting twice on a bill.
The Congress also has the power to over ride the Governor's veto with a 2/3 vote in the House and 50%+1 (13 votes) in the Senate.
Executive
Executive power is vested in a Governor, with an Attorney-General acting as the chief law enforcement and anti-corruption officer. The Governor serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, however he cannot send the military into another country without the approval of both the Ambassador and Congress. The Governor is popularly elected nationwide to a four-year term for a maximum 2 terms. Similarly, the Attorney-General is popularly elected nationwide to a two-year term for a maximum of 5 terms. The Attorney-General is also fourth in line to become Governor after the Speakers of the Senate and House, respectively.
The Governor appoints four Cabinet level positions established by the Constitution. These include the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Defense, and Energy and the appointments are subject to confirmation by the entire Congress. There are also lesser Cabinet positions such as Education, Immigration, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, etc. that the Governor appoints and are not subject to confirmation. The Governor is also responsible for appointing Supreme Court Justices who are subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The Governor and Attorney-General were not initially term limited, but one of the reforms pushed during the Jacksonian Revolution that was ultimately successful were term limits for the executive.
Judicial
The judicial branch is composed of a Supreme Court made up of nine Justices. It is the court of last resort in South Nashville. The Court elects the Chief Justice from amongst its members every session. Justices are appointed to lifetime tenures by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The Chief Justice is also fifth in line to become Governor.
The first Supreme Court was assigned the monumental task of hearing appeals from regional courts and finding consensus among the regional courts. Over time, its duties have expanded to include resolving disputes between regions and ruling on Congressional legislation.
Historically, the Court reflected a regional balance with at least one justice hailing from every region. However; the Jacksonian Revolution the early 20th century moved the Court towards a more ideological makeup.
Monetary
The monetary branch is composed of the Central Bank led by a President. The bank is charged with protecting the integrity of the currency, the Tallent, and monitoring monetary policy, much like the Federal Reserve of the United States. The President is appointed to a six-year term by the Secretary of the Treasury and is subject to approval by the Governor and confirmation by the Senate.
Ambassador
The Office of the Ambassador is the office that represents South Nashville in the United Nations. He is also the lead negotiator in any diplomatic talks and is responsible for appointing Ambassadors to various nations. He has the authority to declare war, subject to approval by the Governor and Congress. He is popularly elected nationwide to a three-year term. If an Ambassador dies while serving in office an election must be held within 90 days to elect someone to finish the remainder of his term. Potential candidates are nominated by members of Congress and then voted on by the entire Congress. They require an affirmative vote of at least 1/3 of the entire Congress to make the ballot. The top two candidates then face off in the general election.
The Ambassador position, upon its creation, required an affirmative vote of 2/3 vote of the entire Congress to be elected. The first Ambassador, Adam Marion of Nashville, enjoyed generally unanimous support from Congress serving 8 consecutive terms until his death. With no clear successor and no candidate able to achieve a 2/3 majority, the Ambassador position remained vacant for an entire session. This constitutional crisis led to the passage of the first Constitutional Amendment introduced by Senator Marcel Rivacosta of South Nashville Station. It passed in a popular referendum and established the current electoral process. After South Nashville's admittance to the United Nations, it was once again amended to its current form.
The Ambassador has his own office in the Capitol. While technically not having any constitutional authority to do so, Ambassadors have historically used their popular authority to exercise considerable influence over domestic politics. The current Ambassador is John Xavier III of South Nashville Station.
Amendment
For legislation to be considered part of the Constitution, it must be proposed as a General Amendment by two Senators from the same region. It must then be approved by 3/4 of the regional Congressional delegations and then ratified by 3/4 of the regional governments. This practice dates back to the adoption of the Shore Amendment and Constitution of South Nashville and Brentwood during the Constitutional Era.
Political Subdivisions
The nation is divided into 8 historic regions, each with its own unique identity. They are Canton, Brentwood, Tennessee, Cumberland, Jackson, Fogle, Marion, and Young-Dunn. Regions vary in size and each is represented by three Senators. Each region has a "home city" that serves as the seat of the regional government. In every region except Canton, it is the largest city of the region.
Each regional government is determined by its individual charter and has authority over many local functions including education, health care, and housing. The rules of each Assembly are determined by its individual charter. Interestingly, seven of the eight regions have unicameral assemblies and only 3 have further subdivisions.
History
- Main article(s): History of South Nashville
Summary of full history forthcoming...
South Nashville Banking Failure and Depression
During the Great Rail Era, the South Nashville government was forced to borrow heavily to finance construction of the railroad network. As a result, the Central Bank of South Nashville's specie reserve was under increasing pressure and a run on the bank was feared. The President of the Central Bank, Richard Bluspan of Brentwood, announced that the Central Bank of South Nashville was going to suspend convertibility of the tallent. This resulted in an expansion of the money supply and a wave of establishment of private banks, both large and small, across the nation. As increasing lines of credit became available to the average consumer, home ownership and rate of borrowing hit an all-time high.
Additionally, the completion of the railroad had also exponentially increased the value of land adjacent to the track. Because investors were all but guaranteed easy access to credit, massive speculation in land and internal improvement projects by large scale investors began. Combined with the new home construction and the increasing money supply, post-Great Rail Era economic boom began that lasted for nearly a decade.
However, the boom would prove to be unsustainable. Because of the expanding money supply, there was such a large supply of investment capital available which led investors to mistakenly believed that society's time preference had decreased. As inflation gripped the tallent and its real value began to decrease, the market began to correct itself and the economy slid into a recession.
Concurrently, newly appointed President of the Central Bank, A. Frank Bernes of South Nashville Station, decided he was going to return convertibility to the tallent; to the very vocal objection of outgoing President of the Central Bank Richard Bluspan. Bernes severely contracted the money supply, and the tallent experienced rapid deflation. As convertibility returned, there were runs on banks across the nation and lines that stretched around blocks were not uncommon sites in the home cities.
This only served to exacerbate an already dire economic situation. Improvement projects and home construction ceased. Real wages dropped and homeowners and investors were left unable to service their debts. The rate of bank failure and personal bankruptcies increased ten-fold.
As the recession dragged on, former President of the Central Bank Richard Bluspan announced his intention to run for Governor. Incumbent Governor James Carterson of Davidson, the man who had appointed Bernes, chose not to seek reelection.
Bluspan's chief opponent in the general election was Senator Jay Dee of South Nashville Station. During the election, Bluspan spent more time attacking Bernes than he did Dee, whom he blamed the "Great Recession" on and pledged to serve one term and get the economy back on track. Bluspan won easily, declaring at his inauguration, "One day, when we look back on this, we'll see a struggling nation who turned panic into hope."
Governor Bluspan moved quickly. He fired Bernes and appointed Henry Johnson of Brentwood as Secretary of the Treasury who appointed A.P. Volker of Brentwood as President of the Central Bank. The Bank once again suspended convertibility of the tallent and moved to a fiat money system and floating exchange rate regime. This brought deflation under control and stabilized the tallent.
Bluspan, with the help of Senator Robert Kofe of Brentwood, then passed the South Nashville Deposit Insurance Corporation (SNDIC) which guaranteed deposits in banks by individual investors. This served to restore confidence in the integrity of the tallent and spurred new wave of private investment. By the end of Bluspan's term, real wages began to once again increase. And by the beginning of the Cartesian Praetoria Common War, South Nashville's economy had returned to its pre-depression levels.
Major Cities
Brentwood
Brentwood is the largest city in South Nashville. It's a thriving metropolis and the major center of commerce in the nation. It exhibits strong characteristics of both a rail town and a harbor town. It has been compared to both Boston and Atlanta.
It is also home to the military base Ft. Campbell. An early foundation of the city, it has served various military purposes including as an army base, naval base, and today in its current function as a joint army and air force base, home to the 101st Airborne. It has had several locations around the city, moving as the city continued to outgrow its limits.
Brentwood is the home city of the Brentwood Tri-City Region which includes Marion and New Hamilton anchored by the Brentwood Bay area. The bay is rich in fishing and has long been the engine of growth for the region.
South Nashville Station
For much of it's history South Nashville Station was a town defined and anchored by the flagship university of the nation, the University of South Nashville. It is the home city of the Jackson region and the seat of government, home to the Capitol, Governor's House, Ambassador’s Mansion, the Supreme Court of South Nashville, the Central Bank of South Nashville, the University of South Nashville, and all international embassies.
Founded by settlers from Nashville led by William Xavier, they followed the Cumberland River to its terminus establishing the city where the "river meet the 'cean," in the area now known as the Southern Lowlands at the spot where the Cumberland meets the Gulf of Shaharazia. It has been compared to other river delta cities such as New Orleans. Since the Cartesian Praetoria Common War it has become a popular destination for emigrants, notably refugees displaced from various wars across the world.
The region and its leaders have historically been champions of immigration, and South Nashville Station has developed one of the most distinct and eclectic mixed cultures in the world. Widely regarded as the cultural center of the nation, it is known for its rich tradition in music and arts. It is the birthplace of blues, jazz, rap, and a jam band scene that incorporates the wide range styles of music and instruments brought by immigrants from all over the world. Its residents also tend to have distinct accents, despite it being such a cosmopolitan city.
Fed Res
Known to most as the birthplace of the plague, Fed Res is the home city of the Young-Dunn Region. It is considered a sister city to the Brentwood Tri-City Region cities and is the third largest city in the nation.
First established by settlers from Brentwood in the generation after Ft. Hamilton, it was to play a first line of defense role for Brentwood like Ft. Hamilton. However, its settlers early on took advantage of commerce. While it's rocky shores made for poor fishing, it was able to focus on shipbuilding industries, which became the foundation of its early economy. With the completion of the Brentwood Regional Railroad, the agricultural sector began to develop rapidly and still a staple of the economy. Following the Fed Res Plague, the shipbuilding industries were replaced by banking and financial industries.
Nashville
A quaint and sprawling city, Nashville bears a striking resemblance to its namesake.
Historic and Smaller Cities
Canton/Canton Lake
Canton Lake, referred to by most as simply Canton, is a small town located between Nashville and South Nashville Station. Canton technically refers to the entire Canton Region encompassing the lake, river, mountains, and forest. Canton Lake is both the official name of the city and the lake itself, and it is the home city of the Canton region.
It was established during the Constitutional Era by the Canton Corporation who was contracted by the Congress to exttract resources from the mountains.
Davidson
Davidson is the home city of the Marion region and is known as the birthplace of bluegrass music. It was founded by Lt. Col. Robert Davidson of Ft. Tennessee who established the town under the orders of Governor-General James Notingshaw to extract the resources from the Cumberland mountain range.
Davidson's Gap
Davidson's Gap was an early mining town located in the Shaharazia desert that has been abandoned since the mine's collapse. It is now a national historical landmark and one of the best preserved ghost towns on the continent.
East Argonne
East Argonne was the very first refugee city, established during the Cartesian-Preatoria Common War. It is the fifth largest city in the nation and the largest city in the Canton Region. It is considered a sister city of South Nashville Station.
As refugees fled their homes to escape Cartesian-Praetoria Common War, an impromptu camp sprung up on the route between Argonne in Cartesian Praetoria and South Nashville Station, the intended destination for most refugees. The camp quickly became the destination as many refugees preferred to stay close so they could return home after the war.
After Governor Andy Jackson's famous declaration, the camp quickly evolved into a formal city as federal money flowed to the region to develop local infrastructure and consolidate local authority. As the war drug on and the quality of life in East Argonne increased, many refugees began to call East Argonne home. The camp became East Argonne and is still today the most popular destination for immigrants, consistently having the highest immigration rate of any city in the nation.
Fogledonia
Fogledonia is a small, cozy resort town located at the northern tip of the nation known for it's slower pace of life more akin to its neighbors to the South. Established nearly ten millenia ago, it spent much of its history as a subsistence fishing village; however, recently tourism has become its main source of revenue. It is known for it's temperate weather, averaging 76 degrees most of the year. It was one of the first cities founded on the entire continent, and predates the development of nations. However, it has largely remained isolated from both the world and national politics.
Ft. Tennessee
Ft. Tennessee is the largest city in the Tennessee region. It is home to the Nashville Military Institute, the oldest and premier military college in South Nashville. It is also the site of the South Nashville Bullion Depository.
It has generally been represented by current or former high-ranking military officers in Congress and all of its Senators have been military men. They generally keep a low profile in Congress and have only produced one Speaker of the Senate, four Attorney-Generals, and one Governor.
Marion
A rail town, Marion is often referred to as the town "built from scratch." During the Great Rail Era, at the intersection of the North, West, and South Lines on the Brentwood Regional Railroad, Ambassador Adam Marion Station was established. As a town began to develop around the station people began referring to it simply as Marion. It is notable for its lighthouse, an odd feature for an inland city.
It serves as an important hub between the cities of Davidson, Fed Res, and Brentwood. With a diversity of goods being moved through the city at any given time, a large transport industry emerged which is among one of the top in the world today.
New Hamilton
Once known as Ft. Hamilton, New Hamilton was first established by settlers from Brentwood. Increasingly concerned about security, Brentwood set out to protect themselves and establish an early line of defense. Established where the cliffs meet the beach, Ft. Hamilton provided good periphery in all directions.
During the Great Rail Era, its location would provide ideal for facilitating commerce. The first city to have a rail built to it from Brentwood, it's rich farmland made it the primary source of agriculture for Brentwood. It was also during this era that the city changed its name from "Ft. Hamilton" to "New Hamilton".
West Fed
West Fed was one of the first of many boomtowns that sprung up along the railroad during the Great Rail Era. After the West line was completed to Marion, many residents continued West for the better opportunities. A few years later, the devastating Fed Res plague wiped out most of the remaining residents and the town aptly earned its ghost town title. While not as well preserved as Davidson's Gap, it is a national landmark.
