_Pastel_Ghost_'s Election Thread

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

_Pastel_Ghost_ for MP: Full Manifesto​

About me:​

I have been active on BC for over a year now, having joined back in May 2020. During my time, I have managed to form a successful company, taken almost every uni exam and have worked for 4 Government Departments. I have seen so many players join. Unfortunately, many have left, including a lot of new players who felt they could not find a clear way of starting. I have been a member of staff now for 6 months as a helper, and I feel I know and understand the BC community very well.

Why Have I Chosen to run?​

I feel like I have good ideas that will be beneficial for both government and players, especially for new players and owners of smaller businesses. I feel there needs to be some proper change in certain areas such as government buildings and services, especially in economic areas, and wish to use my role to hold our government to a high standard and hopefully for them to take on my suggestions positively.

I believe the government can do more when it comes to helping player retention and should step up and improve the services that new players are presented with on their tours, such as the government mall and apartments. A lot is out of date in my opinion, and I feel puts new players off the server all together as empty, dark and abandoned looking buildings make our entire city look abandoned.

I plan to be an active member of parliament, and provide both new bills, amendments to bills I feel could be improved upon for the benefit of our players and to engage in important debates with fellow members.

Short Term Goals as MP​

Lobby for a remodel of Government Mall in Capital City

What benefits do our community receive from our current government mall? The occasional trip for a player head? The Mall is completely out of touch with the current players of BC and in no way is attractive to the very people it should benefit most- new players. Rent prices are too high and off-putting to those trying to find a spot to start their business, with spaces left abandoned and dark by their previous renters. No effort has been made towards the upkeep of the Mall, and it remains a sad place to walk through.


This mall could easily thrive again with a couple of minor improvements to the shop spaces and their rent prices. Lighting is an issue in the mall shops, and décor is slightly outdated compared to some of the most recently built government buildings, like the DoCR building and the Gun Building. The mall is in a fantastic area, and the government should be taking the opportunity to make it a hotspot again in the community. It is something I will passionately lobby for as an MP.

Advocate for the Department of Economy to improve the Government Shop

Full sell chests and barriered-off farm shops show the outdated reality of the government shop. The old entrepreneur shops still lie abandoned on the 4th floor of government mall. Along with a remodel of the mall should come an updated government shop that once again can benefit our new players. New players struggle in their first few hours to communicate with other players and find jobs. Not all want to talk on company discords or may feel uncomfortable trusting these interactions with people they don’t know. I want to advocate for basic sell shops, at low prices, for new players to make some money to start their own journeys forming a business. It would increase footfall in the mall of the very people the mall will thrive off of. It would encourage these players to rent their own spaces in the mall and increase its activity.

I will suggest sell shops to be set up such that only people with the ‘new player’ tag can access. I do also believe that the new player tag should be increased to a duration of six hours to fall in line with the minimum playtime for a gun permit. I feel this is also the average amount of time it takes a player to become fully aware of everything BC has to offer.

This is not something that parliament can vote on, and the Department of Economy has jurisdiction over the shop, however, as MP, I will advocate to the department for this and I wish to engage in discussion with the Economy minister so my suggestions are considered. I believe they would be a positive for both citizens and the Government itself.

Rotational Shop for In-Demand Items

Shortages of certain items happen. Prices spike, shops struggle to keep in stock and eventually items, most recently iron, is not on the market. The government shop already sells items like bricks, quartz and sea lanterns, which in my opinion works very well, and could be extended slightly to provide more in demand items that can change on a monthly basis depending on demand.

This demand can be gauged from a regular player survey on what items they would like to see being sold. The fear of this drawing attention away from smaller businesses can be completely taken away by a much higher buying price than the average prices you see across BC, the same as how the current items being sold have been priced.

Again, this is not something that parliament can vote on, and falls under jurisdiction of the DoE, but I will use my parliamentary role to again lobby for this and wish to have discussions with the Department of Economy about it.

Long Term Goal- Setting up a Department of Education​

(Edit: I had no idea there used to be one.. it was well before my time I guess! But I still believe in my goal as it's different to what I've learned about the previous department)

In real life, I am very passionate about education, and I know there are a number of players who really enjoy the university part of BC. I would love to see the educational aspect of our server become something so much more than reading a forum post and taking an exam. I believe we need more interaction and interesting ways in which exams are studied for and taken.

Eventually, I would like to propose that the Department of Education is set up, completely separate from the Department of Economy, to provide a deeper player experience educationally compared to the one we have currently. There is a lot to this proposal, and I would be happy to take specific questions on it in future, but I know that the ideas I have for this are extensive and would take a huge amount of effort to implement. I would like to work towards this proposal with at least one other MP who shares my interest in this to hopefully provide something that is reasonable and shows off the benefits that I truly see in setting this department up.

I would love there to be a teaching profession on BC- a kind of role for the experienced player, where they would have broad a knowledge of all exam professions. I would love to see interactive classes, even ones that don’t particularly correlate with an exam job. I’m thinking about potion classes, writing classes- opportunities for players to show off some of their passions to others through learning. I really hope that this is something I could bring to the table as I feel so strongly about it.

Laws I Would Vote For/Against:​

In summary, I would class myself as someone on the side of smaller players over large corporations. I do not support the recent bill of taxing player shops, as larger companies can work around it through discord orders, whereas small, start-ups cannot. I believe there are alternatives to this, and I will bring them up to parliament when I believe I have a feasible way of implementing them. I support the current gun control laws that have been put in place for the new plugin. I will vote against any law that wishes to change that if that law means a potential threat to citizens in city areas, meaning a loosening of such controls would be the wrong way forward.


Thanks for reading. If you made it here you must be really into this election and I commend you for it. I hope you consider voting for me for MP this term.

 

[_cookiez]

Over the past few months I have thought about how the mall could be updated, most importantly, how the government shop needs to be re-designed so that it can be fully functioning again for our new players.

Can you elaborate more on this idea

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Can you elaborate more on this idea

Yes, so I could probably write a whole essay about this so I'll try and keep it as a summary.

So, currently, government shop is only useful for some expensive player heads. We have full sell chests for ores at incorrect prices and a farmer shop completely cut off, and it has been for the entire time I've been on the server. I have an idea specifically for how these sell shops can be introduced for the benefit of new players.

It would work sort of on the same basis as how the old economy shops worked, but obviously at lower prices so the government balance isn't tanked. Only players with the 'new player' tag would be able to access these areas, so that 'bigger' players aren't able to abuse it. These would be sell shops for crops and ores as before, and possibly introducing logs as an option- basic items that new players should be able to work at finding on their own without the need for major player interaction at the beginning of their play experience on BC.

I think this, along with a reduction on rent prices in the mall, could gain it some great activity, especially as we move into the summer time and expect a high volume of new players. Hopefully it would also make it less of a sad place to walk through.

 

[_cookiez]

Yes, so I could probably write a whole essay about this so I'll try and keep it as a summary.

So, currently, government shop is only useful for some expensive player heads. We have full sell chests for ores at incorrect prices and a farmer shop completely cut off, and it has been for the entire time I've been on the server. I have an idea specifically for how these sell shops can be introduced for the benefit of new players.

It would work sort of on the same basis as how the old economy shops worked, but obviously at lower prices so the government balance isn't tanked. Only players with the 'new player' tag would be able to access these areas, so that 'bigger' players aren't able to abuse it. These would be sell shops for crops and ores as before, and possibly introducing logs as an option- basic items that new players should be able to work at finding on their own without the need for major player interaction at the beginning of their play experience on BC.

I think this, along with a reduction on rent prices in the mall, could gain it some great activity, especially as we move into the summer time and expect a high volume of new players. Hopefully it would also make it less of a sad place to walk through.

amazing points and ideas. best of luck :D

 

[Zzz_King]

Good Luck Holly!

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Aww thank you!!

 

[kailabeann]

hey holly, happy to see you running. i have a few questions about your campaign.

1. your ideas both fall directly under DoE jurisdiction and not Parliament's. what exactly would your contribution be as an MP to make these ideas happen?

2. you outlined that only those with the "New Player" tag could access a revamped version of the government shop. a player only has the tag for 2 hours. do you think that's enough time for them to see any benefits? what happens after 2 hours when their initial source of income is revoked; won't that just further frustrate them?

Another point I'd like to propose is for the department of economy to look into government shops for more items, such as iron etc, to be sold by the government when there is a clear shortage and demand for these items. The economy has been on a down-trend for sometime, and the government balance has slowly started to drain.

3. according to DoE's data, the government balance has actually been on a steady increase since the e-shops were closed and prices of most goods have remained steady for several months. what are you basing these claims on?

4. regarding the shop, how would a shortage be determined? generally, the DoE takes the position of non-compete with player-ran business which is why these shops were closed in the first place. as a supporter of small businesses, wouldn't you agree the government selling demanded items is in fact bad for small businesses?

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Thanks Kaila for your questions they bring up some good points.

The first point, I definitely have to do more detailed planning on as I'm aware my plans are DoE and not necessarily parliament. They are not points that can be put into a bill, but my plan was to use my role to at least put these suggestions somewhere, and regardless of whether I become an MP or not I still feel like they are suggestions I would propose to the DoE if I could.

As to your second point, I believe that the new player tag should be longer play time regardless. I strongly believe the new player tag should be in line with the minimum play time for guns (6 hours) as I feel also that is a good amount of play time to get a good feel for the server and make enough money to get a good start. It's something I will bring up to the relevant body regardless.

You're right with the third point. I made a mistake with using knowledge of the government balance before I took a break from BC. As the owner of a business that sells a large range of items, I have definitely noticed sharp drops in prices of items, such as ores, logs and certain building that have seen a sizeable decline. Some, most recently iron for example, are just about impossible to get as shops sell out at high prices in mere minutes, if they're restocked at all.

The government shop doesn't need to sell items at a competitive price, and an appropriate price to ensure this can be found with a quick survey of multiple player shops across the server. (I'm sure there would be an alternative with a survey that could be done but I don't think this would get accurate findings). The government shop has always sold its items at prices much higher to encourage buying from player shops, which can be the same for new items.

On your last point, these shops could rotate monthly, with an opinion poll asking players which items they believe are in very high demand and could be useful to have available. With prices kept high, it should not be a threat to small businesses.

Thanks for your questions. (Hopefully it all makes sense it's 4am here)
Summary:
-I'll suggest it to DoE regardless of a successful election or not
-I think the new player tag time is too short
-Gov can sell items at a high price as it does with its other items currently
-Player interaction with a survey to rotate the in demand items would mean the right items are being offered

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

I should add, I think my main priority in terms of being a Member of Parliament, would be to focus advocating for a revamp of government mall as a whole.

I do take issue as well with seeing abandoned shops that haven't been cleared out there for months. It is an issue across the entire server, but I feel looks particularly bad when it's in a government run building.

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Also, I plan to release my full manifesto in the next coming days, where I will also go into detail on each of the points I have made here, and give a broader view of what I would like to being to parliament, as I have been quite specific here.

 

[kailabeann]

thanks for your reply! i appreciate it. best of luck with your campaign.

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Hi everyone, I have now replaced my campaign thread with my full, detailed manifesto to include all of the details in my initial thread and to hopefully fully address all parts of what I would like to achieve as a member of parliament. Thanks to all your questions so far. I look forward to some more debates!

 

[SlimeEmperor]

Great campaign post! I have a few questions for you:

1) It seems that multiple of your ideas are in the DoE’s jurisdiction. While you can, as you stated, lobby DoE while in Parliament, why do you think you’re best suited to approach these issues from the position of being an MP rather than by becoming an Economy Secretary, where you’d have arguably more influence over the core ideas presented in your campaign post?

2) You described yourself as a people over corporations type of politician, but gave few examples of legislation you would support to promote this viewpoint. What other legislation might you suggest to level the playing ground between working players/small businesses and large corporations?

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Thank you for your questions Slime.

On your first point, you're right that based off what I've written it would appear I would be suited to the economy secretary role, but it honestly has never appealed to me. I don't really want to come into a department that I don't personally like structurally-wise, and my long-term proposal links more with being a member of parliament and if I were successful with it, I feel that contribution would be greater than any I could make as an economy secretary at the moment. Certain parts of my proposals, such as extending the new-player time and are things which, to the best of my knowledge, need to be discussed in parliament first as DoE does not have Jurisdiction there.

For your second point, one bill I have considered working towards editing the requirements for player to keep plots in the capital city. A number of big players who have been quite inactive seem to only come online sometimes to keep their plots or rented areas, hindering the chances of newer players ever getting an opportunity to get their own plots and allow the capital buildings to become more active in certain areas, especially further from the spawn area. I feel inactive players must be held into account through the upkeep of their plots more. Eyesore reports are already in place, but I believe big players who allow their buildings to be abandoned inside should also be reported, and explain what their intentions are for that plot. This would be more work for property inspectors, and perhaps give them more opportunities to do their jobs, which I feel has become quite rare for them these days due to current plot rules.

In terms of tax bills, I will be strongly against any additional tax or chest shop tax increases. I believe they are high enough and in no way benefit smaller businesses. My suggestions to the DoE in terms of selling in-demand items would be a boost to the government balance, and my hope was that through this we could see reductions in the tax again, to maybe a level of 5% which I believe is fairer.

Company registration is no longer a requirement due to the E-shop, however, I would propose that registration is re-instated for larger companies. I believe that companies with a large employee count (15+) should be monitored closely in terms of employee contracts and wellbeing. Employees should be aware of their rights, and companies that are not paying their employees at least minimum wage should be held to account. For this to be successful, there would most likely need to be some incentive for CEO's to disclose this information. If CEO's are found to be breaking the law with contracts, then there should be some form of compensation directly from the company to those employees.

 

[GoodMorning9]

Thank you for your questions Slime.
For your second point, one bill I have considered working towards editing the requirements for player to keep plots in the capital city. A number of big players who have been quite inactive seem to only come online sometimes to keep their plots or rented areas, hindering the chances of newer players ever getting an opportunity to get their own plots and allow the capital buildings to become more active in certain areas, especially further from the spawn area.

I agree, though there are inactive players who own plots near spawn too, so I wouldn't support making it area specific, but overall this is a great idea.

 

[_Pastel_Ghost_]

Yea there isn't really any area that this isn't an issue.

 

[GoodMorning9]

Ya
Good luck on Your Campaign!