The Commonwealth Chronicle

[MostGloriousLeader]

National Population Census

The national census has been conducted and its findings published by the Census Bureau.  The growth indicated is in part to an increased birth rate and larger than normal immigration levels.  With the census complete, the process of re-apportioning the House of Representatives according to the new population data has begun.

 

[MostGloriousLeader]

Peace

Today the Senate has ratified the American Commonwealth-Laurentienne Union Treaty of Peace "ushering in a new era of peace and stability" as stated by President Marston.  In addition to this, Congress has passed the American Reconstruction Act, providing large amounts of funding and resources towards rebuilding the damage done during the war.  This includes measures to assist the Laurentienne Union with recovery from the war as well with $100 billion in direct funds, aid and services, along with an additional $400 billion in subsidized low interest loans; with the only stipulation being that the funds may not be used for military related spending.  Commonwealth citizens will also be provided with some $300 billion in direct aid and assistance or low interest loans.  Provisions in the bill also include extra funding for the administration of the new Mexican/Central American protectorate.

[MostGloriousLeader]

Recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Commonwealth-Laurentienne war have progressed well and the areas of Acadia located along the St. Lawrence have greatly recovered with concentrated reconstruction efforts and assistance from the federal government.  Leslie Strauser, the governor of Acadia, has praised President Marston and the federal government for its swift and decisive action in evacuating areas at risk before the outbreak of hostilities and its successful efforts at rebuilding the areas devastated by the fighting.  As the rubble was swept, stacked, cleared and hauled away a sense of normalcy would begin to return to the Commonwealth residents along the border.

[MostGloriousLeader]

Greenland Prospers

With its recent population explosion and rapid economic growth, Greenland has become one of the quickest developing areas of the Commonwealth.  The transformation from a sparsely populated and undeveloped territory to a thriving hub of economic activity has been rapid.  Large level initiatives and funding from the federal government had laid down the path for greater economic development.  The Coastal Highway Program has provided the island with a high capacity highway system spanning from the eastern cities and towns, down south and then to population centers in the east.  In addition to this, government sponsored mineral and energy exploration has yielded excellent results with large mineral deposits and oil reserves being discovered and opened up to extraction. 

 

One of the driving forces behind the economic success is the fact that subsidized construction of hydroelectric power plants has lead to an abundance of clean and cheap electricity.  In turn this has spurred the development of additional industries.  This goes hand in hand with the prevalence of environmentalism among the population and environmental laws are among the most stringent in the nation.  Generally hailed as a model of environmentalism, power is provided entirely via hydroelectric plants, clean and high tech industries are dominant, and over 90% of the population drive electric or hybrid-electric automobiles, the latter point being of great interest to proponents of implementing such technologies on a large scale in the Commonwealth proper. 

 

With a population that has just tipped over one million people, the desire to have formal representation in Congress and the benefits of statehood has reached a high point. The Greenland territorial government has held a popular referendum for statehood which has passed with over 82% of votes cast in favor of statehood and Congress has unanimously approved the application making Greenland the newest state of the Commonwealth.

[MostGloriousLeader]

Renovating the Capitol

With Congressional representation reapportionment looming the decision has been made to expand the Capitol Building to allow room for up to 600 representatives in line with prospective increases in the amount of representatives elected to Congress due to population growth.  The new reapportionment sets the proportion of citizens to representatives to a ratio of one representative to 800,000 people, depending on the state.  In determining any remainders in population the policy remains that populations will be rounded up if at half or more and rounded down if at less than half.  It is estimated that after the next census there could be roughly 500 total representatives in Congress.  The Senate Chamber will also be modestly increased in size to accommodate possible growth and to maintain the building's aesthetics. 

[MostGloriousLeader]

After less than an hour of deliberation, the Commonwealth Senate has announced the ratification of the "Special Relationship Treaty" agreed upon by the Commonwealth and Avalon in an entirely unanimous vote in favor of the treaty.

[MostGloriousLeader]

The Drug Debate

A new initiative by several congressmen and senators is pushing for the decriminalization, or even the legalization, of controlled substances.  Public support and opinion is high on both sides of the issue.  Proponents of decriminalization and legalization point to the large and rising cost of anti-drug policies and operations as ineffective and wasteful.  While most Americans favor some measure of legalization, there is heavy debate as to what extent.  As the debate starts there is no doubt that supporters and interest groups for multiple viewpoints will make their voices prominent and visible.

[MostGloriousLeader]

20XX Presidential Election

Currently serving out his fifth term as President of the American Commonwealth, President Marston has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in a sixth term.  In his announcement he stated "I am proud to have been the leader of this great country and I am truly thankful that my fellow citizens have seen fit to elect me to lead for not one, not two, not three or four but FIVE terms as President!  I am truly humbled by their faith in me and while I have decided not to run for a fifth term I truly believe that in my time in office I have fulfilled my obligations to the voters and to the country.  I am both joyous and sad to make this announcement but I have no doubt that greater things are in store for the Commonwealth and the path to greatness requires new blood.  And so I must declare that this will be my last time I will serve you as your President". 

 

The announcement came as a surprise to both Democrats and Republicans as both parties have begun to scramble to find the best available candidates for a presidential run.  In his last three elections President Marston ran virtually unopposed by serious opposition and won huge landslides resulting in a relatively tame political environment.  Now with Marston retiring, political experts have predicted a revitalization of national politics in the lead up to the next Presidential Election.

[MostGloriousLeader]

Fusion Power

Today scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have announced the successful activation of a commercially viable fusion reactor design.  This marks the first time a North American nation has achieved viable fusion power on its own and makes the American Commonwealth one of the few nations in the world to fully develop such technology on its own.  It is anticipated that this will lead to a large shift in the nation's energy production policies towards the mass development of commercial fusion power plants.

[Evangeline Anovilis]

Public

 

"The Association of Faraway People in Faraway Exile wants to point out that the Faraway predecessor state Quebec had fusion power at a time when the Commonwealth was still a few states at the East Coast. We thus demand this statement to be corrected, so as to reflect the truth that the American Commonwealth is only the latest North American state to have achieved viable fusion power, not the first one."

-Helena de Grenville, Chairwoman of the AFPFE

 

Private

 

"Once more the Commonwealth shows its arrogance and ignorance towards the achievements of the Canadian neighbours. But what was to be expected?", Helena pondered, as she frowned upon the statement made by the Commonwealth media.