State of the Union VII

Written by: Arnold Ogamon, Major Executive, Chief Attorney, Senior Executive

Released: May 6, 2012

**Universal Triumvirate State of the Union VII**
Honorable dignitaries of the Executive Branch, mindful representatives of the Administration, Supreme Justices of the court, formidable friends of the union, and righteous citizens of the Triumvirate - it is my distinct privilege to deliver your State of the Union once again. The last several moths have been rich with historical events and incredible feats. We've persevered through our darkest hour, developed our own unique economic system, and utilized the resources available to us in an unprecedented way. The Universal Triumvirate has proven once again that we are capable of overcoming any challenge, no matter how desperate the situation may seem. So with that in mind, I ask you to listen as I present the address.

Perhaps the biggest and most important thing to happen in the last few months is the release of our economy. For this, I must decree, we owe a great debt to Stavrok, the father of the system. He has singlehandedly carved himself a place in history equal to that of John Hamilton. Stavrok is a founding Executive at heart, and he has demonstrated that with this achievement. Although creating the system was a difficult process that look a lot of effort and time, we have prevailed and the system functions beautifully. All that is left is to see it grow. I have consulted heavily with Stavrok in writing this and he offers his advice for how yo make your stake and success in the Triumvirate: start a business! It's easy to do, you're entitled to a wiki page for it, and you can gain credibility by participating in the TTI. There are plans in the work for the implementation of government bonds managed by the Department of the Treasury and government projects. Businesses with a service to offer the Triumvirate in general, doing everything from designing imagery, to recruiting, and even doing defense and security work can expect to be paid high amounts by the government if the Executive Branch votes to spend money on extensive projects. There is great opportunity in the future, utilize the opportunities provided and take part in the market!

I'm about to begin a custom that will last for a long time; as the State of the Union follows almost immediately after each new session of the Administrative Branch begins, I expect that in the future the State of the Union will have a significant portion devoted to discussion about the session for the trimester. I will start this by announcing that longtime Triumvirate member Nremni has been selected as the first Speaker of the Administration and that Andrew Mearl has been chosen as the Deputy Speaker. I look forward to working closely with each of them in order to promptly pass legislation and get the will of all heard. The Administrative branch has already begin contributing by approving an amendment that establishes several new Executive positions.

The time since January has been full of both tragedies and great achievements. Days after my last State of the Union address, the Triumvirate was attacked by Countdown and the Executive Branch fell out of communication. Most of us already know the story but I feel that it is so grant to remember that it should be retold here in memory of the bravery demonstrated. Ascencia and I were unable to convene with the emergency Executive Branch meeting that Ehtya set up and, being one of the only one of us able to speak and think reasonably, Ascencia asked me to declare myself incapacitated and to devolve the powers of Major Executive temporarily to Minor Executive Ehtya. Ehtya valiantly served his union and challenged Countdown to a match of chess, where if Ehtya won, Countdown would leave the Triumvirate alone; but if Countdown won, Ehtya would leave the Triumvirate forever and Countdown would continue his offensive against the Triumvirate. By the near end of the match Countdown had all but defeated Ehtya and Ehtya declared "Eventually everyone, even I, will fall, but the Triumvirate never will". A long wait ensued and then, in a shocking and historical moment, Countdown resigned the match and conceded victory to Ehtya, wishing him and the Triumvirate well. This Countdown Crisis dominated most of February but during March the Executive Branch resumed normal activity and began passing many new laws. Ehtya's Executive Ethics Act and Stavrok's Triumvirate Trade Index Act dominated our agenda, but Red's resignation disrupted the Executive Branch for several days. In April, Ehtya and I composed the GUARD Act, which grants the Major Executive additional powers in an emergency as a direct reaction to the Countdown Crisis. We also passed a more comprehensive rule set for information confidentiality, an amendment to the Constitution defining treason, and a law giving intellectual property owners rights to their products.

Several days ago, right before the opening of the trimester, something occurred that I did not expect to be speaking about today but I feel is important to mention nonetheless. My fellow Executive, Stavrok, and I had been engaged in an argument involving an election cycle for my position: the Major Executive. A few nights ago Stavrok and I reached a compromise; that every trimester, two weeks before the next trimester opens, there shall be an election for the Major Executive and Minor Executive. The requirements will remain the same but the process has been changed. A special election will be held on May 26, in 20 days in order to adjust the Triumvirate to this new election cycle. I assure you now that I do intend to continue my role in office through at least this year and I have no plans to retire from any position any time soon. I do expect to meet some harsh competition, perhaps in this election, perhaps in later ones, but I don't mind, competition is healthy. Zerouh designed the Executive Branch to be very competitive so I believe this new method serves Zerouh's ideal and may improve the political culture in the Triumvirate.

A second part of this compromise included the implementation of several major adjustments to the Executive Branch. The Head of Education position has been created and it will manage certification services and public education measures. The Head of Finance position, an indispensable part of the Executive Branch, has been split into two positions in order to improve efficiency and add more to how the Executive Branch makes decision. The Head of the Treasury and the Head of Commerce and Industry were the two positions added in replacement of the Head of Finance, and Stavrok has been swiftly moved to his new office as Head of Commerce and Industry. The Head of the Treasury will be maintaining the new Department of the Treasury and handling government spending measures. The Head of Commerce and Industry on the other hand will be assisting and monitoring private sector commerce by doing things such as the management of the TTI, negotiating for the government in private sector projects, and keeping financial law enforced. Another position, the Head of Law Enforcement, has been added with their own department as well. In order to clarify between the Department of Law and Department of Law Enforcement the Department of Law has been renamed the Department of Justice. With these additions the Executive Branch will expand to ten members, and if all goes well productivity will increase dramatically.

During the summer I will be proposing a number of new policies and priorities for the Executive Branch to consider. Without a doubt our economy will be the main focus but it is important we address other functions and duties. There are currently no plans to expand the economy in terms of further coinage of tri but it is possible that if the need arises we may initiate tri expansion programs. A high priority for the Executive Branch will be a law that encourages recruitment by government funds going to those who bring in members. Historical record pages on the wiki will be something I work on as well, providing record pages for election history. The long awaited Rules of Civil and Differed Inquiry Procedure and more effort going into further education services are also things you can expect. We have made and passed so many new laws that a lot of our business during the next trimester will be cleaning up any legislative holes and streamlining all of our laws and structure. It truly seems as though we may be entering a new era, one out of this previous period of transition and instead into something new entirely.

One last thing I'd like to mention before I conclude: Isolationism. The word itself invokes thought of political theory. In our early days, long before I joined this assembly, Zerouh upheld a doctrine of interventionism, a doctrine where he proudly declared that the Triumvirate would not stand for injustice anywhere and that the Union would step in and defend those who have been oppressed. After a series of international conflicts, Zerouh retracted this stance and transformed the Triumvirate into an isolated Union. Since he has left office I have maintained a continuance of this ideal by prioritizing our own interests, for I believe, as perhaps he did, that observing and holding to our own priorities will indirectly help others around us as well. This is something much of the Executive Branch disagrees with me on, and my critics address this "fault" in my policies often. I do not believe this is a fault however, I believe it to be political philosophy. It is a great thing about our Union that we can disagree and yet accomplish so much; everyone has disagreed with everyone else at one point or another. This makes us stronger because we complement each other and provide criticism that makes our ending product so much better.

As always, I want to thank everyone for standing by the Triumvirate and keeping our way alive. We're coming up on our third year, and I know that even after I'm gone, after Ehtya, Stavrok, and Ascencia are done, that we will still be far from the end of our reign.

-*Major Arnold Ogamon, Chief Attorney, Senior Executive*