Still not king.

Oh, I admit it's been a good year:



We've crushed the legal system. We've destroyed our intelligence community. We've ended foreign aid and prohibited alcohol - those were our first actions this year. We've swung the employer-worker balance entirely over to employers - we've even permitted child labour!

And we have a black market. We have tax evaders. We have class warfare and riots.

But we don't. Have. The hate.



Our number one haters are the Liberals and Socialists, but there are still too many reasons for them to like us. Look at these plots!




We're halfway through our term. If we don't shape up, we're going to be voted out - an ignominious end indeed! I'd much rather be killed.




Solve it.

hS FC

Oh, and there's some people we need to deal with. Let me know.

Alcohol is out. The legal system is out. Guns are in. Foreign aid is out. Any nonsense which provides 'rights' for 'workers' is out, smashed, and gone. The Socialists and the Liberals will be lining up to take us out.

Good! Your hate has made you... powerful!

hS FC

Honorable First Consul,

I would not heed the numbers too much, sir. No doubt the feckless false media has distorted this government's actions. I have it on excellent authority that we are loathed in many quarters.

Now then, as to plans. First, we must swing labor laws in favor of the corporations. Letting them work their employees for hours on end will no doubt push people to the breaking point. Then, we should pass both a plastic bag tax and a junk food tax. Hit the people who can afford it the least right where it hurts: in their wallets.

119 percent of the ministry stands behind you, First Consul.

PoorCynic, MoFS

If you're going for the socialists, cut all government spending that increases employment. The more people can't find work, the angrier those socialists will get. Of note are state schools. If they're receiving anything but the bare minimum, they haven't been cut enough. Also cut legal and foreign aid, which will irritate the socialists, but won't make the Capitalists happy. If you want to irritate the Capitalists, increase all the taxes, not just the income tax, and increase limited automated trade, then state pensions, and then child benefits, in that order. Those all have people who benefit from them, unfortunately, but we can't offend everybody.

...you wanted Cackling Evil not Corporate Evil. We can help.

1) Take away the booze. Total Prohibition.
2) Make the death penalty all but mandatory in all cases
3) More guns.
4) Take away all socialist programs. Child care, maternity leave, everything.

The Liberals and socialists hate us, so let's give them something to really hate us for.

-Phobos, Monster of Sinister Hates (for good reason)

Housekeeping first: the Minister for Surprisingly Important Things has taken a leave of absence. I'm sure the lack of his counsel will be noticed.

Folks, I've gotta tell you, we were able to do everything we agreed on. Bank bonuses? Limited. Alcohol tax? Raised. Drugs? Legalised and taxed. Cuts? Made, mostly in road building (which will cut car use, and improve our environment).

Now, some of you may have heard the damning news reports back in the first quarter - the ones that ignored the strike we'd just put an end to, and focussed on the way our credit rating had just been downgraded yet again. And yes, it's true that our policies led to a brain drain on our country, and rampant drug addiction. But we've been countering those!

We've reduced the luxury goods tax to half the brain drain. We've boosted the health system to counter the drug issue. We've helped out the environment with a recycling initiative, and we've even found the funds to increase police presence. Heck, this last quarter, we won a major aerospace contract! Check out these beauties:










Yes, you read that right: we are on course to win this election! Keep it up, folks, we're doing great.

Now, I admit, there are still problems. The brain drain has killed our economy back off:



(Though our technological backwater status is about to go away, helping with that.)

And the capitalist terrorists named after cake are coming for us:



But our policies are working! Our people like us... slightly more than average! Stay the course, loyal ministers.




PM hS

((Democracy 3! The game for anyone who ever looked at their workday and thought "needs more spreadsheets!".))

It looks like DisStat, ICAff, and SuImThi are all in favour of raising the alcohol tax, and using the money to fund our efforts. There's also a 2:1 agreement that we need to make cuts, though not in our areas of interest; I'll see if there's anything unpopular that we can slash.

Distressing Statistics has proposed giving tax breaks to foreign investors. Surprisingly Important Things suggests legalising and taxing some drugs.

Unfortunately there is no agreement yet on the banking bonuses; unless someone else can comment, I'll have to make the decision myself.

PM hS

((About three hours to go))

... I think we need either an alcohol tax, or a tobacco tax. We can't allow our popularity to be shaken too much, and those are unpopular measures, so, even though we need the money, both is out of the question. However, an increase in one or another tax might be a good idea. I am afraid I believe we must also cut spending in some areas. They cannot be ones that we have focused on improving, nor can they be ones that reduce the value of the situations we are currently dealing with, however, so it must be selected carefully. It also should be an unpopular measure, as I believe reducing it will increase our popularity, however, that is, in my opinion, the least of our worries.

Well, there's not much suprisingly important stuff going on. However, we do have a bit of an obvious problem. We need money, and cutting spending would be a bad idea, not to mention unpopular.

So, I propose raising the tobacco tax (we do have an asthma problem, I think, and I'm pretty sure fewer cigarettes means less asthma), raising alcohol taxes, and, if we can do it without spending too much political capital or making everyone angry, legalize some drugs and tax the heck out of them.

Prime Minister,

It appears that the economy, both at home and across the entire globe, is in latrina. Given the direness of the situation, it may be time to make some harsh cuts to existing programs so as to bolster our GDP. We might possibly pass tax breaks for foreign investors? It is also for this reason that I argue we should not restrict banking bonuses. While this may strike some as odious, we must provide at least some corporate-centric incentives.

There are also multiple issues with crime and criminality in our fair nation. Organized crime, uncontrolled public drunkenness, lynch mobs—the entire situation is a dire one. Once again, I encourage us to—at the very least—increase the alcohol tax. Possibly even the drinking age. Eliminating the alcohol problem may also help alleviate some of our economic issues. It may not be popular, but neither is all the vomit in the gutters.

Yours respectfully,
PoorCynic, MoDS

It was a good year for Silly Hats. We've finally run through our fez surplus from the Matt Smith years, so it's all Tricornes, Jesters' Caps, and Mitres from here on in.

On the policy side of things, the ministers of N-P Comms, ICA, Tech Adv, and Distressing Stats have some good ideas. I support most of their proposals.

I will say that Distressing Stats has it wrong with the Alcohol Tax. Everyone likes alcohol, and we want to make that pivotal Everyone group happy.

Another thing that Everyone likes is low rent. I have heard from sources that the rent is...let me get this right..."Too damn high"? Perhaps some rent control would be appropriate? That might even help the economy if people have more money in their pockets. Everyone likes having more money in their pockets.

-Phobos, MoSH

I feel we should concentrate our efforts on groups who don't already hate us. Courting the middle may isolate some of our supporters and would be more difficult than getting indifferent groups to support us.

In real life, the elderly always vote in absolute droves, so a Winter Fuel Allowance might be a good idea. However, we do need to balance the books. I'd look into raising taxes on high earners and capital gains/inheritances of large amounts (if that's possible ingame), while also maybe pushing a Plastic Bag Tax as well to get the greenies on side. Additionally, it might be a good idea to get some Micro-Generation Grants going in a limited capacity - again, this is something that'll get the greenies on side, of which we appear to have several. The PPC's economy appears to be in the toilet, though; we need to increase government revenues through a small stimulus package, possibly involving quantitative easing.

I still want the Ministry of Non-Propaganda Communications, though. =]