#216 The Minervaland People's Convention

Today’s activity

• Review “your nation.” (5 min)
• Select a committee: Politics, Law & Justice, Economy, and Human Welfare (20 min).
  • Examine each issue per group.
• Committee of the whole (20 min)
  • Each group’s conclusions should be reviewed by the full group.
  • In practice, we are best served by focusing on one issue per group.

Your nation

Welcome to Minervaland! You have been selected to serve as part of the Constitutional Convention following a political crisis. In accordance with Rawls’ principles of the “veil of ignorance,” you bring no social identity with you to this Convention.

Oh, so a few facts you should know about Minervaland:

• Geography: Minervaland is an island is located in maritime Southeast Asia. It is about 1,000 square kilometers (about 385 square miles), which is a little smaller than Rhode Island, a little bigger than Puerto Rico, or about one-third bigger than Singapore.
  
  
• History: Britain colonized your island at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The successful port attracted many immigrants from China and India during this time. Your nation was granted independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. English remains the main language of the island, though Chinese is widely spoken.
  
  
• Demographics: About 7 million people call Minervaland home. That is roughly the population of Hong Kong or Massachusetts. The largest portion of your people practice Buddhism (70%), with minority religions including Christianity (10%), Hinduism (10%), and a variety of indigenous or folk religions (about 10%). The ethnic composition of your nation is Chinese (60%), Indigenous (25%), Indian (10%), and European (5%). About 10% of Minervans are immigrants. The largest source of immigrants is China and ethnic Chinese from Thailand and Malaysia.
  
  
• Economics: Your country is fairly well developed, with a GDP per capita is 40,000 U.S. Dollars, which by one measure makes Minervaland the 24th most developed nation—behind New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates, and ahead of Japan and Italy. At the same time, wealth distribution in your country is highly unequal, like that of postcolonial countries in Latin America and Asia that have embraced free markets and minimal government intervention. The wealthiest Minervans are of European and Chinese descent. Indians are solidly middle class. Indigenous Minervans struggle with the highest levels of poverty.

I. Politics Committee

P1. How is power distributed in Minervaland?

• Autocracy.
• Oligarchy.
• Democracy.
• Other:

P2. How do citizens participate in the government of Minervaland?

• They participate in regular open elections, participate in town halls, and frequently petition national leaders.
• They participate in semi-open elections, and may occasionally petition national leaders.
• Elections are formalities only, but leaders frequently engage the public informally.
• Citizens’ duty is to obey their leaders.
• Other:

P3. How should political speech by regulated in Minervaland?

• All political speech should be allowed.
• Most political speech should be allowed, except for hate speech or advocacy of illegal acts.
• Most political speech should be allowed, except for libelous or untrue statements.
• Some political speech should be allowed. Statements that denigrate or impede the work of the central government should be banned.
• No critical political speech should be allowed. Citizens should be silent except to express gratitude to their rulers.
• Other:

P4. Should peaceful assembly be permitted?

• Yes.
• Yes, but the state should engage in prior review of each event on the basis of public safety.
• Yes, but the state should engage in prior review of each event, and deny permits to those critical of the state.
• No.
• Other:

P5. Does Minervaland have an official religion? If so, which?

• Yes, the state will support the religion (____________), and all citizens are required to follow it.
• Yes, the state will support a religion (____________), but citizens are not required to follow it.
• No.

II. Law & Justice Committee

L1. How long can a citizen be held in detention by authorities before being formally charged with a crime?

• 0 days.
• 10 days.
• 30 days.
• 90 days.
• Indefinitely.
• Other:

L2. When is torture permitted in Minervaland?

• According to police discretion.
• Only in extreme cases as needed for national security.
• Never.
• Other:

L3. When one is accused of a crime, one is . . .

• Assumed to be innocent until convicted of a crime.
• Assumed to be a danger to society until cleared of a crime.
• Other:

L4. Who reviews most legal cases in Minerva?

• A jury of randomly-selected citizens.
• A jury of highly educated citizens (those who have at least completed one college degree).
• A tribunal of judges.
• A single judge.
• Other:

L5. When are trials held in secret?

• Always.
• When the case is politically sensitive in nature.
• When in the interest of national security.
• Never.

III. Economy Committee

E1. How will property be treated in Minervaland?

• All property is owned privately by individuals, and will be protected absolutely with minimal taxation.
• Most property is owned privately by individuals, and is subject to low levels of flat taxation (all citizens pay the same rate).
• Most property is owned privately by individuals, and is subject to high levels of progressive taxation (the poor pay little; the wealthy pay significantly more).
• All property is owned collectively by the people of Minervaland.
• Other:

E2. When can property be seized from individuals?

• Any time the state deems it appropriate.
• When that property is needed for public purposes like infrastructure (e.g. a road).
• After conviction of a crime in which the defendant owes money to the state or victims.
• Never.
• Other:

E3. Employment is:

• The sole responsibility of the individual.
• Guaranteed by the state.
• Other:

E4. Vacations should be provided:

• With pay to all employees.
• Without pay to all employees.
• At the discretion of the employer.
• Other:

IV. Human Welfare Committee

H1. Should Minervaland guarantee a basic income for its citizens?

• Yes, the state should distribute up to $1,000 per month to all citizens.
• Yes, the state should distribute up to $1,000 per month to citizens in poverty or above the age of 65.
• Yes, the state should distribute up to $500 per month to all citizens over the age of 65.
• Yes, the state should distribute up to $500 per month to citizens over the age of 65 who are suffering from poverty.
• No.
• Other:

H2. How should healthcare be provided in Minervaland?

• All Minervans are entitled to high quality, cost-free healthcare. All clinics and hospitals are run by the state.
• All Minervans are entitled to state health insurance. Clinics and hospitals operate independently.
• Poor and elderly Minervans are eligible for state health insurance. All others purchase health insurance on the private market. Clinics and hospitals operate independently.
• Healthcare is a personal responsibility. The state does not interfere.
• Other:

H3. How should childcare be provided?

• The state directly runs daycares free of charge for all Minervans.
• The state provides a full tax break the cost of daycare for all Minervans.
• The state provides a small tax relief for the cost of daycare for all Minervans.
• One parent is incentivised to stay home and take care of their child(ren).
• Daycare is a personal responsibility of parents. The state will not interfere.
• Other:

H4. How should the state support education in Minervaland?

• All Minervans are entitled to high quality, cost-free education from Pre-K through to their university education. All educational institutions are run by the state.
• All Minervans are entitled to free K-12 education. Quality varies by locality based on the ability of the community to support good schools.
• All Minervans are entitled to primary education (K-6) with minimal fees. Quality of education in public schools is usually below that of private institutions.
• Education is the personal responsibility of parents. The state will not interfere.
• Other:

H5. How will elderly Minervans be cared for?

• All Minervans are entitled to high quality, cost-free elderly care. All such institutions are run by the state.
• The state provides elderly care to the poor, to veterans, and to disabled Minervans. For everyone else, elderly care is a personal responsibility that may or may not be subsidized by basic income.
• Elderly care is the responsibility of children of the elderly. The state prosecutes children who leave their elderly parents unattended.
• Elderly care is the personal responsibility of individuals. The state will not interfere.
• Other: