Political Literature by Boops Margo

[yaaaaay]

The Price of a Voice: Voting Privileges, Funding Public Coffers, and Falafels

You are reading a work written by B. Margo who, in the interest of sating the Marquis Charles de Savary's appetite for political discourse and winning his patronly proposal, shall answer the question proposed by an unknown bellow-speaker: what should be the Price of a Voice?

Using the power of mathematics and financial analytics, I shall argue that the current price of a Voice (five thousand dinari) is a fair price that fulfills its purposes.

First, a clarifying premise: a Voice is the privilege to vote for Legates and, therefore, on the policies they propose for Ephia's Well. However, a Voice is also, just as importantly, a tax payment made to the Well's public coffers which in turns funds various things ranging from the wages of Accorded members to the management of property, logistics of water distribution, and so on. Buying a Voice is not just a self-serving act to increase one's influence in the political arena, it is also an act of funding our home and community.

And while the Well's coffers being dependent on fee-based revenue systems has its disadvantages, considering the limited labour hours of the busy scribes and the Well's population of roughly two thousand individuals, switching to an income-taxed revenue system is not likely to improve the Well's financial health in terms numerics of consistency.

So, the question becomes: is the current rate of Voice purchases enough to keep the Well's budget solvent and the basic services funded?

To answer this, a minimum baseline must be defined. While extremely pessimistic or optimistic (depending on who you ask), if we assume that the Well's continuation as a peaceful community is based on the basic needs of its populace being met and therefore not being incentivized to resort to criminal activity, then that baseline is the populace avoiding starvation and having, at minimum, a reliable source of food.

A serving of falafel, purchased from Chef Xu Yin, the most pre-eminent falafel chef in all of the Souk, costs 6 dinari. One person buying a voice for five thousand dinari is equivalent to a person eating for 833 days. Even more food could be bought and people fed if this calculation took into consideration cheaper bread.

And while the mathematics thus far accounts for just one person purchasing a Voice, new refugees arrive in the Well on a daily basis. The thirty-seven voters who voted in the last election alone theoretically funded thirty thousand, eight hundred and twenty one days worth of falafels or enough food for everyone in the Well for half a month. This generated revenue from Voice fees can be roughly estimated over time, combined with the Well's other revenue sources, and considering the Well's steady growth due to its position as the receiver of refugees from throughout the disc, one can conclude that the current five thousand dinari price for a Voice is adequate and does not require adjustment.

It should also be kept in mind that there are advantages to the price of the Voice being neither too inexpensive nor too expensive. If it is inexpensive, there will be a negative impact on the Well's coffers such that it would not be able to fund the basic needs of the population. Too expensive and people would be disincentivized from purchasing a Voice and paying into the Well's coffers.

The average adventuring caravaneer can make five thousand dinari in approximately one or two months. Much faster should fortune favour them and they come across a series of rich monsters to slay. The average labourer, while having a lower but less volatile income stream, can make the same amount in roughly two to three times the number of months.

Investing and risking one's time for one to six months is a fair price for a Voice, especially when one remembers that the dinari is paid back into the Well and its people.

This concludes "The Price of a Voice: Voting Privileges, Funding Public Coffers, and Falafels" by B. Margo. The author eagerly invites any interested in providing comments, questions, or criticisms to B. Margo at the Krak des Roses.

[yaaaaay]

The Sixteenth Law

The latest Assembly saw a member of the Rose taking the podium to suggest that the sixteenth law be repealed. It was argued that since, in that very same Assembly, a janissary attempted to enforce the law but failed resulting in their brief submission and embarrassment, it was a useless law.

Two points of consideration:

First: Failure to enforce a law is an argument for stronger enforcement of the law, not for weakening or removal of the law. If a law should be removed simply because enforcing it is difficult, then it validates the removal of all laws because, in one situation or another, enforcing them would or might be difficult.

Second: All who have a voice or a Voice is capable of using it to express themselves. And they can and should do so: in a forum, in informal meetings, over the bellows, on paper, at nearly any time where people can gather and discuss and debate. But the Assembly is a place for decision making, not debate. When people walk into the voting booth, they are not subjected to the speeches of everyone and anyone who wishes to influence them one last time. The voting booth is the place where one makes a decision; the Assembly is where the Legates make a decision on the laws.

This author (B. Margo) wishes to thank and congratulate the Legates for making the wise decision to decline repealing the law and keeping it upon the Stele.

[yaaaaay]

The Adventuring Caravaneer: Workers Amongst Workers

Recently, representatives from both the White and Gold League have spoken about the Adventuring Caravaneer in ways that imply that they are a sub-class of worker different from, better than, or even "above" others in the worker class. This is, simply, a false divide that does not acknowledge that Ephia's Well is an interconnected community of people who have every reason to cooperate.

* * *

Mister Guivarch of the White League recently said that workers such as miners, chefs, writers, and potters are second-class to the "adventurer-mercantile complex". Implying that Caravaneers somehow hold the other workers hostage.

This is wrong! The truth of the matter is, everyone holds everyone else hostage. And while this is a generally negative perspective of the social contract, it can be overcome through the positive spirit of cooperation! In a society that allows for the division of labour through specialized education and training, it becomes impossible for one individual to do everything they need to survive.

A farmer can grow food but they cannot create the farming tools. A toolsmith can create tools but they cannot grow food. Through cooperation, both of these workers enter a symbiotic relationship that is positive for both parties.

The same is true of the Caravaneer. They clear the kobolds from the mines so miners can mine. They stop the bandits from praying on the farmlands so farmers can farm. They keep the lions away from the roads so everyone can move to and from. And, in turn, the Caravaneer depends on other workers for food, supplies, and rest.

* * *

Legate Alriyh of the League recently spoke about former-Magistrate-Recluta Boots: "Though his past was full of brutality, who among you from the wastes cannot say you have done the same? That you do not regularly go out and pillage and kill for treasure? The things you did in the wastes to survive?"

The Legates words here have a vile implication! We live in a hostile desert surrounded by hostile monsters! Lumping the Caravaneer with them is ridiculous! There is no valid comparison to be made between the Caravaneer and the melek, the orc, the goblin, the monster. Neither is there a comparison to be made to the bandit, the robber, the murderer, the criminal. All criminals have the right to attempt rehabilitation but those who refuse to do so are metaphorical monsters for reveling in monstrous behaviour and deserve no kindness from us.

Caravaneers go out into the desert to bring something back to the Well. They go out in the Well's defense, to guarantee its safety, and to nurture its growth! There is nothing monstrous or criminal about that!

* * *

In conclusion:

All work that contributes to Ephia's Well is work. All workers that contribute to the Well's success are workers. Let us not pit one worker against another, let us not falsely believe that workers can be ordered in a hierarchy of importance! Let us not think that any of us can stand alone if our fellow brothers and sisters are allowed to fall!

Let us, instead, unite in the positive spirit of cooperation!

This concludes "The Adventuring Caravaneer: Workers Amongst Workers" by B. Margo. The author eagerly invites any interested in providing comments, questions, or criticisms to B. Margo at the Krak des Roses.

[yaaaaay]

The Chalice: A Noble Quest for More

Recently, a musing bellow-maker asked politicians (would be and otherwise) whether the finding Chalice was something to be ambitious about, if it was a worthwhile quest of importance for the people of Ephia's Well.

Yes. It is.

We live in dire times: the disc is a mess of apocalyptic ash. The world is in a state none of us wish to live in. It is an era of fantastical destruction, of a dying disc. But hoping that it can be saved is not less a fantasy. Even if the Chalice is a myth, even if the Chalice does not exist, the drive for survival and hope is something with holding onto in and of itself.

If the Chalice is not out there, we will at least find out what is out there. Supplies, materials, knowledge, people, other settlements, possible allies, threats-in-waiting, Each of these are things the Well needs to know about.

Every time a caravaneer steps outside the gates of the Well, they take a chance on finding something worthwhile and important. Exploration is experimentation, exploration is the quest for answers whatever it may be. It is a way to practice hope. It is a way to make our lives and this world worth living.

This concludes "The Chalice: A Noble Quest for More" by B. Margo. The author eagerly invites any interested in providing comments, questions, or criticisms to B. Margo at the Krak des Roses.

[yaaaaay]

Heart

Heart.

A few people have spoken of it recently and how the election is a contest to determine the Heart of the Well. I'm trying to run in that contest so let me tell you about me.

I'm B. Margo. I'm a wizard. I study the Weave to understand and shape it. The study is a science: it is examining the variables and functions so an end result can be hypothesized, tested, and performed.

This approach can be used with more than just magic though. I take the same approach when I look at Ephia's Well and its people. And through careful thought and reason, I see a community with not just a strong heart but a sharp mind.

I see a heart that beats steady. Tempered by the reason of mind to avoid burning itself out in a sudden flash. The Well survives not because we will always make the right choice, the best choice, the choice that lets us sleep easy at night.

The Well survives because the mind is willing to make the choices that keeps the heart living into tomorrow. Sometimes the science doesn't give us an array of options where we can pick out the one best answer among them all. Sometimes we are simply given fuel. And a spark of heat. And the end result will always be a fire.

But with a sharp mind we can make the cold nights war. We can make the blacksmith fires and the metal-working engines run hot. We can keep the monsters at bay.

If you see the same as I do, if you want the same thing, find me and help me fund my Voice and my campaign for Candidate of the Purple League.

Live and drink my friends.

[yaaaaay]

Three Key Platform: Two Threats and a Long Term Plan

I am B. Margo, seeking the candidacy of the Purple League, and should I become Legate, I will focus on the following three key issues:

1) Countering the Qa'im-Banafsi threat

Qa'im has violently taken the border fortress of Korumak. They have pulled Banafsi into their fold through words or force. Unless Qa'im makes a sudden change of heart, war is on the horizon: it is not likely that it is just a mere fortress Qa'im desires.

To counter this new threat, I will organize and support scouting and reconnaissance operations, ideally composed of both Accorded factions and volunteer corps. Wars are won on the strategic maps just as much on the battlefield and making moves on paper with good intelligence will be key to our success in the upcoming conflict.

Furthermore, I will liaise with Baz'eel to determine and keep in mind the Sultanate's plans and strategy. Baz'eel is our best ally in the Great Desert and working in tandem with them is the sort of force multiplier that can make up for our weaknesses.

2) Neutralizing the Gutter Beast

While most of you might think the search for a solution for the Gutter Beast has been stalled, this is only the case if you take the words of Legate Qari Alriyh at face value. A few precursory questions reveals that Legate Alriyh's claims that the astronomers are holding the solution as a bargaining chip are grossly overstated.

Should I replace Legate Alriyh I will work to mend the wounded relationship between the Pyramid and the Astronomers. The Astronomers have a plan to imprison the beast while the final means to slay it are developed. It is a plan that should be reviewed as soon as possible and, if sound, placed into motion even sooner with the support of the other Accorded Factions and any other willing volunteers within the Well.

3) Intensified Housing Projects Within the Gates and Beneath the Shade

Ephia's Well is one of the few bastions of civilization in the Ash Desert. It should be the most welcoming of them. The Well's population has swelled due to the influx of refugees and it is not likely the constant trickle will stop any time soon.

The workers who recently helped clear away the sand ash that penetrated the Shade need not return to idleness but can instead put their skill and labour to housing projects within the Well.

Any who make it to the Well should be welcomed here and able to access basic but decent accommodations. We are an oasis in the desert and we should be a place where any good soul can find succor and flourish. The more flowers we tend, the less weeds we will contend with. A refugee finding hope and purpose in the Well is one less bandit on the road, one less soldier for our enemies, one less aimless soul to fall victim to brookery.

Furthermore

It should be stated for clarity's sake that the three-key platform is not the end-all and be-all of who I would be as a Legate. There are numerous day-to-day issues affecting the Well that will need to be attended to. And new issues arise everyday. While keeping in mind my key-three platform, anyone considering me should also consider what I have said in person, what I have said over the bellows, and all of my other literature available for perusal.

But who am I, in summary? A sharp mind so the heart can live into tomorrow!

[yaaaaay]

Ten Promises to the People: Analysis, Praise, But More Importantly, Criticism

The Analysis: Introduction

The White League's most prolific piece of literature is a detailed platform document that is well and clearly written. It plainly states ten goals as promises to the people of Ephia's Well should Domhnall Guivarch be elected to a Legate seat.

The substance of the literature--the platform promises themselves, however, do not rise up to match the quality of the writing and, instead, either a) restates the plain virtues of good governance (which every and any politician promises and should adhere to out of the mere principle of being a public servant) or b) overpromises impractical changes which greatly risks potentially destabilizing changes.

The Praise

Firstly, I shall quickly list the promises which I absolutely agree with and to which I have no criticism to offer:

2) The organization of public works labour
3) The funding of public welfare/charities
5) The protection of the religious institutions of the eight spokes of the Wheel
9) The auditing of the Palatial Pyramid's finances

However, the above four promises merely fall under the category of "overall good governance". Any government that truly serves the people would adhere to these basic defaults. Promising these things to the people of Ephia's Well is like promising air to anyone with lungs: entirely unnecessary yet depriving them would be recourse for revolt.

The Mild Criticism

Second, the promises with some minor problems that could be improved with more careful thought:

4) The regulation of the Hall of Jurisprudence

The Palatial Pyramid should offer a free and competent public defender.

However, the requirement for licenses for all prosecutors and defenders is excessive and the Scribes are already greatly strained managing the licenses currently under their purview. There is nothing stopping a prosecutor or defender from advertising their services and there is nothing stopping their history, record, and reputations from being known.

Furthermore, should the accused have a reasonable personal preference for a specific defender to act on their behalf, that should take precedence over any other defender being appointed as their defender.

6) The absolute prohibition of slavery

Ephia's Well should follow suit in Baz'eel's current anti-slavery laws and prohibit the buying and selling of people within its walls but an absolute prohibition will have a negative impact on the purpose of governance.

Therefore, two "exceptions" should be noted: a) representatives/ambassadors of other city-states should be excepted as to not impede diplomatic communication with the states they represent and b) people of Ephia's Well convicted and sentenced to forced conscriptions are noted as people carrying out a sentence, not enslaved.

10) The provision of bottled water

This is simply unnecessary. Water is already publicly available from spouts and springs, such as the one in Hasheema's Hope. The bottle aspect is a convenience of which there is no shortage of as adventuring caravaneers frequently gather and collect bottles from outside the Well.

The Criticism

Thirdly, I shall address the promises with critical issues that would have a negative effect on the overall governance of the Well:

1) Free citizenship for and enfranchisement to the people

Firstly, the fee paid for a Voice serves as a key source of revenue for the Well. Without it, many of the other promises made would not be able to be funded.

Secondly, if the fee for a Voice is a barrier to enfranchisement that does not stop ignoble cutthroats, how is lowering that fee going to prevent those same cutthroats from participating in civic life? How is a bandit needing to rob zero dinari instead of a higher amount to obtain a Voice a better scenario?

While participation in civic life is not equal to all people, all people still have a voice with which they can voice their displeasure or their praise. There is nothing stopping anyone from speaking their mind in the plaza or the Krak. There is a base floor of participation allowed to all people and expecting people to work and invest in Ephia's Well in a materially recognizable way to earn further means of participation is fair.

7) The reformation of Assembly procedure

I agree, on a general level, that the current Assembly procedure could benefit from reform. However, I disagree on the direction of the reform that the White League promises. Simply put: free time for deliberation and debate allows for filibustering, thus paralyzing a government from fulfilling its purpose.

Instead, I propose that the process Legate Marcellus Seanus recently made us of is formally adopted: a "Forum" for spoken and written deliberation and debate, recorded so that all ideas and responses may be reviewed and referenced; followed by the formal "Assembly" where the final statements are made and final decisions are voted on.

Procedure should make governance easier, not harder.

8) The empowerment of the Assembly

My criticism of this promise is similar to my criticism of the seventh promise though on a greater scale: this promise slows down the process of governance by an extreme degree.

One unique characteristic of the Asterabadian democratic experiment that seems to be often overlooked is that democracy is more efficient and effective when it is representative. Why elect leaders when you then debate and deliberate the decisions those very same leaders make? Why put a leader in power to then disempower them?

Just as an army has a general leading its way, Ephia's Well has the Legates at its lead. The obvious difference, however, is that the Legates are chosen by you. When you vote for a Legate, it should be because they have demonstrated to be intelligent individuals that align with your values. When you give a Legate a mandate, it should be because you trust them to make the right decision when it comes to the details and minutiae of the small, everyday decisions. You should not vote for someone you think incapable of leading intelligently, justly, confidently. If the person you voted in proves to be a poor choice, then learn from the consequences and vote for someone else in the next election.

The Analysis: Conclusion

I regard the White League with some admiration. It is clear that the majority of people who flock to it do so out of genuinely believed passions and ideals. But the heart needs to beat into tomorrow and it must be guided there by a sharp mind. The White League has heart but compromises on mind.

Idealism means nothing when the practical threats of the day exert a constant state of desperation. Idealism means nothing when the desire for freedom paradoxically becomes a prison.

For those who wish to do good in the world, to uplift your fellows, know that there is an alternative.

A practical, reasonable, and even-handed alternative: I am B. Margo and I am seeking candidacy in the Purple League. If you find my criticism here intelligent and thoughtful, if you find my ideas compelling, please consider donating to and supporting my campaign.

[yaaaaay]

B. Margo's Third Key Platform: The Improved Gate of Sand Development Project

As part of B. Margo's Three Key Platform, presented here is the Third Key: the Improved Gate of Sand Development Project!

(Thanks to Balladeer Narwen Alendiel for the original beautiful work of art and cartography!)

Map Legend:

• Red Xs - Major Obstructions to be Removed
• Blue - Walls and Gate
• Orange Oblongs - Guard Towers
• Green Areas - Residential Buildings
• Purple Areas - Rental Properties with Market Stalls

The goal of this project is three fold:

1) Improve the defensive state of the Gate of Sands
2) Provide additional zero-to-low cost housing for current and future refugees within defended areas
3) Expand commercial property opportunities for would-be entrepreneurs and craftspeople

Key and major details for this project include (but is not limited to):

Defensive Walls:

• To be manned and guarded similar to the Gate of Coin
• Staged construction: begin with wooden palisades/gate to provide a defensive perimeter as soon as possible, then upgrade to brick/stone
• Guard towers to provide sight light lines, fortified defensive positions, places for guards to rest between shifts, shelter from ash storms
• The current large gate will be kept and converted into the Interior Gate of Sand
• The Outer Gate of Sand should be of equal or greater strength and quality as the Interior Gate of Sand

Residential Housing:

• Ideally, multi-story buildings to maximize population density and land-use efficiency
• Staged construction: begin with tents to provide shelter within the defensive perimeter as soon as possible, then replace with wooden structures, then upgrade to brick/stone
• Clear and easily accessible causeways towards the plaza for increases safety and efficiency in case of emergency evacuation situations such as melek attacks or ash storms during Shade unavailability
• At least one (preferably two) Well Water spring/fountain to be accessible centrally among all residential buildings

Rental Properties:

• Provides multi-use characteristic to the project to prevent ghettoization, giving residents local access to food, goods, services
• Provides opportunity to fledgling businesses/craftspeople with smaller/low cost market area
• Staged construction: begin with wooden market stalls, then wooden structures, then upgrade to brick/stone

The Shade:

• Extended out to reach and protect the walls
• Alternative: if extending the Shade is not possible, encompass the Gate of Sand with stone/brick walls and ceilings in construction similar to the Krak des Ross
• Further alternative: if the above alternative is not possible, all buildings (guard towers, residential buildings, etc.) will be constructed to be capable of being individually sealed and isolated to prevent ash incursion

Funding and Related Economic Matters:

• Labourers will be paid a reasonable wage, added benefit of dinari circulating back into the Well's wider economy
• Reoccuring fees for all Well managed properties will be increased by 10%
• For the next one to three allotments, changes will be adjusted/frozen in a range of -10% to 0%, depending on the current needs of the Well, freed up funds will go towards funding the Project

Estimated Timeline and Milestones (completion time):

• Month one: Wooden palisade and gate, Residential tents
• Month two: Wooden guard towers, wooden market stalls
• Month three: All obstructions cleared
• Month five: Wooden residential structures/commercial properties
• Month ten: Stone/brick walls and guard towers
• Month twelve: Stone/brick residential structures/commercial properties
• Beyond: Continued improvements

In conclusion:

Is this plan ambitious? Yes.
Is this plan going to take a great amount of time? Yes.
Is this plan going to be expensive? Yes.

But is it all worthwhile? YES!

Ephia's Well has stood for years and it will continue to stand going into the future for many more years to come! We should invest in our defenses! We should invest in our homes! We should invest in our future!

If you think and want the same, spread the word, talk to friends and families to convince them to vote for me, B. Margo. And if you want to help further, find me to help fund my campaign. A sharp mind so the heart can live into tomorrow!

//Original map created by Crump!

[yaaaaay]

A Question of Leadership and Forethought

A question:

How many times has Domhnall ran for a Legate's seat now? How long has he been part of the White League?

How many times has he and will he be part of the helm of a League that he constantly drives into rocky shore or muddy swamp to lose again and again? Between run and loss, what has he done differently? Has he improved where he was weak? Changed tactics? Developed new policy?

No. All he does is go on and on with undefined and vague phrases like "progress" and "populism" and "sacred cause" and "righteous rule". Domhnall paints himself a man of change but he's been doing the same thing every day of every week of every month. He doesn't learn. He doesn't adapt.

Being "a" change is entirely different than being "capable" of change! With war on the horizon, the Well needs the flexibility of a cavalry unit on the battlefield, to charge here or flank there to maximize efficiency, to do the most damage at the most critical time. Is this something Domhnall offers?

No. He's been spouting the same high-minded but blind-to-reality philosophical cloud chasing mottos since he joined the White League months ago. If he is this rigid and brittle while merely campaigning, why would he not display the same weakness and stubborn bone headedness as a Legate?

Me, on the the other hand, I've spent hours, days even, working on a plan.

A plan about rocks. And STONE. And BRICKS.

I've been planning where to put ONE rock. And ANOTHER on top of it. And more on top of THOSE. I've planned an ENTIRE WALL. And I intend on BUILDING THAT WALL. A wall foundational to the improvement of the ENTIRE WELL!

And if it all comes crumbling down? If things change and the plan fails? I'll come up with another. My plans for the Gate of Sand Improvement Project already has backup plans upon backup plans, contingencies upon contingencies. I'm the person who will come up with the plans and the better plans if need be!

So vote for me! I'm B. Margo and I'm the sharp mind that will see the heart LIVE into tomorrow!