One of the small, functional priorities of my service in the upcoming Cosa is to enable groups of citizens to create their own lively groups based on interests and affinity. All healthy cultures are based on the positive interaction of such subcultural activity.
Below you'll find a proposal for a procedure by which civic groups and non-governmental organization can request the creation of a dedicated, top-level discussion board on the Wittenberg.
Some may observe that such can be accomplished by making a request of the right person, assuming you know who that is, assuming they think it's a good idea, and assuming they choose to. While this type of ad hoc system works so long as good and diligent folks are at the switch, good government doesn't rely on such happenstance; it relies on good process, just laws, and vigilance.
Having a fair, objective, transparent process from the outset guards against arbitrary and obtuse decision making and self-dealing. It's mere existence and good practice enhances trust in the Crown and the Government.
In the name of good government, I'd like to suggest the following, very loosely based on the rules for student organization creation at the colleges and universities I have worked for in my past.
Proposed
The Wittenberg Public Use Act
WHEREAS the cultural health of the Kingdom of Talossa can be understood as the level of activity generated on the Wittenberg, specifically the level of non-political and non-governmental activity;
AND WHEREAS the most valuable actual property of the Kingdom of Talossa is the Wittenberg, and it is held in a public trust by the Crown and Government of the Kingdom of Talossa individual, active non-governmental organizations should have regular and transparently regulated access to the utility of the board;
BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts in Ziu assembled as follows:
1. Definitions
1.1. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) shall be defined as a non-profit group that functions independently of the government of the Kingdom of Talossa or any political unit thereof. NGOs will serve cultural, humanitarian, civil rights, or fraternal functions and will not participate in partisan politics.
1.2. The Wittenberg is the legal national online forum for Talossa.
2. Goal
2.1. To create publicly accessible, top level discussion boards for non-governmental organizations in the Kingdom of Talossa.
3. Process
3.1. To be granted a top-level discussion board, an online application form must be completed and submitted to the Minister of Culture. The form must ask for:
3.1.1. Name of the Organization
3.1.2. Proposed Title of the Board, which must reflect the true name of the organization
3.1.3. A fifty-word statement on the purpose of the organization, which cannot be at odds with any guarantee of civil rights to kingdom citizens.
3.1.4. A list of five Talossa citizens who are members of the organization and are willing to confirm their membership to the Ministry of Culture.
3.1.5. A commitment to run the organization in a democratic fashion and to accept any citizen of the Kingdom of Talosaa as member of the organization, and apply all membership standards, such as membership fees, to all persons, equally.
3.1.6. Having affirmed the information contained in the application, the Minister of Culture or their designated plenipotentiary must direct the responsible officer of the Kingdom's government or civil service to create said top-level discussion board on the Wittenberg.
4. Review and Revocation
4.1. On July 1 and December 1 of each year the Minister of Culture or their designated plenipotentiary must review the level of activity in each NGO discussion board. If the average activity is less than four posts per month in the period since the most recent such review, the NGO board in question will be archived and removed from the main page. The board may be restored to public access on the main page by using the application process defined in section three of this act.
Below you'll find a proposal for a procedure by which civic groups and non-governmental organization can request the creation of a dedicated, top-level discussion board on the Wittenberg.
Some may observe that such can be accomplished by making a request of the right person, assuming you know who that is, assuming they think it's a good idea, and assuming they choose to. While this type of ad hoc system works so long as good and diligent folks are at the switch, good government doesn't rely on such happenstance; it relies on good process, just laws, and vigilance.
Having a fair, objective, transparent process from the outset guards against arbitrary and obtuse decision making and self-dealing. It's mere existence and good practice enhances trust in the Crown and the Government.
In the name of good government, I'd like to suggest the following, very loosely based on the rules for student organization creation at the colleges and universities I have worked for in my past.
Proposed
The Wittenberg Public Use Act
WHEREAS the cultural health of the Kingdom of Talossa can be understood as the level of activity generated on the Wittenberg, specifically the level of non-political and non-governmental activity;
AND WHEREAS the most valuable actual property of the Kingdom of Talossa is the Wittenberg, and it is held in a public trust by the Crown and Government of the Kingdom of Talossa individual, active non-governmental organizations should have regular and transparently regulated access to the utility of the board;
BE IT ENACTED by the King, Cosa and Senäts in Ziu assembled as follows:
1. Definitions
1.1. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) shall be defined as a non-profit group that functions independently of the government of the Kingdom of Talossa or any political unit thereof. NGOs will serve cultural, humanitarian, civil rights, or fraternal functions and will not participate in partisan politics.
1.2. The Wittenberg is the legal national online forum for Talossa.
2. Goal
2.1. To create publicly accessible, top level discussion boards for non-governmental organizations in the Kingdom of Talossa.
3. Process
3.1. To be granted a top-level discussion board, an online application form must be completed and submitted to the Minister of Culture. The form must ask for:
3.1.1. Name of the Organization
3.1.2. Proposed Title of the Board, which must reflect the true name of the organization
3.1.3. A fifty-word statement on the purpose of the organization, which cannot be at odds with any guarantee of civil rights to kingdom citizens.
3.1.4. A list of five Talossa citizens who are members of the organization and are willing to confirm their membership to the Ministry of Culture.
3.1.5. A commitment to run the organization in a democratic fashion and to accept any citizen of the Kingdom of Talosaa as member of the organization, and apply all membership standards, such as membership fees, to all persons, equally.
3.1.6. Having affirmed the information contained in the application, the Minister of Culture or their designated plenipotentiary must direct the responsible officer of the Kingdom's government or civil service to create said top-level discussion board on the Wittenberg.
4. Review and Revocation
4.1. On July 1 and December 1 of each year the Minister of Culture or their designated plenipotentiary must review the level of activity in each NGO discussion board. If the average activity is less than four posts per month in the period since the most recent such review, the NGO board in question will be archived and removed from the main page. The board may be restored to public access on the main page by using the application process defined in section three of this act.