In the Republic of Ruritania,
policy stands matter!
Each party in Ruritania is required to prepare
a Party Manifesto and present it to the people of the country through this
webpage. This year's elections revolve around some interesting and controversial
issues. Some issues (1-7) are issues which go to the heart of the direction
which Ruritania will take economically and socially for the next few decades.
Issues 8-10 are important, but parties may choose to highlight or downplay
these issues for tactical reasons. There may also be an issue which a party
feels addresses the needs of their constituents and/or goes to the core
of their reason for existence.
All parties must choose an issue position and
develop a stand on some issues. The issue position is a number that serves
as an indicator of the party's willingness to advocate government action
(involvement/ intervention) in a particular policy area. The higher the
number, the greater the acceptance of government involvement. In tax policy,
the higher the number, the greater the overall tax burden.
There are some requirements
and some options.
Every party:
1) must choose a
position and develop a stand on Issues 1 through 7;
2) must choose a
position on at least 1 of Issues 8 through 10 (although parties are free
to develop stands on all issues);
3) may identify an
issue (discussed in The Ruritania Times or on Ruritania WebTalk that is
of special interest to them), #10
Thus each party will have
to develop between 9 and 11 policy stands!!
For every issue identified by the party, the party must develop
a description of their position. The description can be no longer than
one-page, single-spaced and
be sent to Dr. Ahern over the e-mail system as an
attachment.
(Click on the issue to access more information about it)
Parties should try to balance their tax stand with the total value of their positions
on all issues identified by the party although are under no obligation to do so.
