Southern Taijitu Founder Demands Semi-Autonomy

[Eluvatar]

Politicians from a distant and obscure part of Taijitu Founder have been calling for the government to split Taijitu Founder into various semi-autonomous regions, each with an elected council to govern their designated area.

The Debate
1. "The government is too centralised," complains rural villager, Lois McMaster Bujold. "We get these big-city politicians making rulings that affect our way of life, when they have absolutely no idea what our way of life is! One of them even suggested that farmers should be banned from picking crops in case they disturbed the local wildlife! What we need are various councils to govern their own part of Taijitu Founder, giving us the chance to have our say on laws affecting our area. It'll bring politics to the people! Of course this will require the implementation of a council tax to fund it all, but if that's the cost of more political freedom, then so be it!"

2. "Councils? Are you mad?" gasps political commentator, Erendis Bespaecasi. "Most of the politicians we already have earn very large sums each year - and you want to employ even more?! We must not listen to the whims of some dangerous separatist movement; next they'll be wanting independence! I suggest we keep the government in one place where we can keep an eye on it and stop creating more jobs for over-paid politicians. Heck, why not trim off the ones we don't need while we're at it and give some leeway to the taxpayers? Anyway, if we allowed places like West Taijitu Founder to make decisions for themselves, they would soon be introducing laws allowing them to marry their cousins or something - you know what they're like..."

3. "These people are obviously power-hungry lunatics," whispers Oke Sanyrva, one of your innumerable advisors. "They're simply trying to loosen your grip on the nation! Let's just send anyone who opposes your absolute rule to the gallows and ban elections. We hardly need them when you always know what to do! There may be some protest, but we can just lower taxes and they'll be as happy as clams."

[Gulliver]

Hm, how implicitly big is Taijitu Founder?

[Eluvatar]

Its hard-nosed, hard-working, intelligent population of 2.594 billion hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

... Very big.

[Eluvatar]

For a polity of such immense size, I definitely support federalism.

[McMasterdonia]

To me it sounds as though it is advocate more councils or county government, rather than state government. Which i am definitely opposed to. My experience is that local governments at that level are at best inefficient, and usually have more extensive corruption than state or federal governments.

[Eluvatar]

But have you compared them to the level of corruption at the same level of government in areas without elected municipal governance?

[McMasterdonia]

I'm not understanding the question.

[Eluvatar]

You can't assume that appointed officials won't be corrupt.

[Gulliver]

I wouldn't know where to begin to get that comparison, which is a shame because it's rather key to answering this question. Of course, when in doubt dismiss.