Legislative Legwork
An Opinion Piece
Written by Kuramia
Recently I posted the following in a discussion of the Panda's Pen Senate Poll Analysis for the term of Spring 2016:
Of course, Notolecta instantly refuted this with his own statement:
It was a combination of Notolecta's post and Marnip encouraging me to write an opinion piece on whether a Senator is required to have more knowledge of Europeian laws and legal matters now than in the past that I feel I must postulate, in opposition to my earlier statement, that no, it is not a requirement. Anyone, with the right tools, can become a Senator even in this age of Europeia, in which the laws are mostly established and mostly functional, becoming far more technical in nature.
What are the right tools to be knowledgeable in the Senate? I began asking myself this question when I became elected as Citizens' Assembly (CA) Chair in August of 2015. I had barely entered the region, immediately delving into the legal arena with no prior knowledge or skill of law except for a Business Law class in college. I didn't even have a working knowledge of how the American government system worked, let alone how Europeia worked. I had read the laws, the Constitution, even some great articles such as A Good Senator and How to Write a Senate Platform. Still I was a "noob" in every sense of the word.
I had previously engaged in legislative discussion in the CA, postulating my own opinions on legal matters, on my own sense of right or wrong, attempting to do my own research on the current laws, and even asking questions of the proposed amendments and articles, including looking up definitions to some of the Latin continued therein. At that time, the Constitutional Convention was on-going to review our Constitution and discuss changes. I believe the Convention was the biggest motivator for me. It prompted me to think about the law in terms of the region and its own unique culture. It forced me to decide, right then and there, what was important for me to learn and how to learn it. Eventually that is why I ran for CA Chair. I wanted to make changes that would matter to the region, that would matter to the CA, and that would matter to the people. I wanted my understanding to be broadened on how the region worked legislatively.
So I would respond to my earlier question: one of the most important tools in the Senate is drive. There simply must be a passion - an ambition - no matter how subtle, to do something, to act. That is the first step. You must decide that you have a voice, and then that it is needed and deserving of being heard. Then you simply raise that voice and act.
While that is the first and most important tool, the second goes just a bit behind it. As CA Chair, one of the first things I tackled was the Line of Succession (LoS) Act for the region. There was debate on it needing reviewed and worked on to a point where contention would no longer be an issue, and people could rest assured that should the President and Vice President become unavailable, the next in line for the Executive would be someone the people wanted. Researching this took a lot of time. I had to hunt for the old debate on the LoS, ask people involved questions, and come up with a plan of discussion and how it should go for the CA. When I posted the discussion, I had an outline of not only the current LoS and what it meant, but what the last debate on it had concerned. It was that research that leads us to our second tool.
You can raise your voice all you want, but without a direction for that voice, without a solid foundation built on at least the desire to learn and grow with the region, that voice becomes merely a cacophony. As President Trinnien, World Assembly Delegate Mousebumples, ex-Senators Drecq and Common Sense Politics, and many others have stated repeatedly, that solid foundation is built on asking questions. No, you don't necessarily have to ask someone else the questions. In fact, I like to do my own research from my own questions, before I go to a leader or elder of the region. Finding such a person is easily done. Chat on Skype, join discussions on the forums, or just poke someone through the private messaging center. I have yet to run into any one person who refused to help me when I requested it, and everyone has a wealth of information at their disposal, even if it's just pointing you to people you can talk to about subjects.
As Trinnien has stated in his 113 Days: Musings of a Freshman Senator article, you do not have to be a legal whiz. You and I don't have to understand every nuance of the law. Knowing the basics is extremely important, so yes, you should know the Senate Protocol Act and the Ordinances of the CA, but if you want to write your own law about something that you feel is concerning to Europeia, you can do it without fear of it being too "basic". You can state your idea and form your legislation in the most simple way possible and have ones more versed in law or just more experienced aid you in your concepts and wording.
When it comes to the laws being discussed now, you can ask the questions that really confuse you. You can take the time to do your research and come back asking if you've got the concepts correct. I've done much the same researching and writing articles about things I knew nothing about. I think anyone is capable of doing it with only the will and the drive to grow and learn. So while you might become lost in the maze of legislation, don't let that preclude you from becoming a part of something that deserves you as much as you deserve it. Don't let it scare you away from the Senate.
Remember that what the people of Europeia have shown, poll after poll, is that they love activity. Even those that they've admitted are a little wet behind the ears on Europeian law are considered for reelection. The only way you can lose is to join and never say a word.
Or, and allow me to be cliche here, the only way you can lose is to not run at all.
