Drafting a Two-Tier Citizenship System

**Diamat** · February 27, 2014, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Aquila Praefortis

There could be potential problem if the Consilium de Civitate is dissolved. Several people who want the CdeC disbanded want this to happen because they feel the CdeC puts much higher standards for current citizen applications. If the Consilium de Civitate is abolished, logically these people want citizens to vote with lower standards in mind. Then every time citizens lower the standard for what we think of as a higher-tiered citizens (senators or patricians) the purpose of our lower-tiered citizen rank would become less relevant.

If that were to happen, then yes, this draft would be irrelevant. However, I do not think abolishing CdeC would change much. Citizens woulds still try to keep their club rather restricted. That's in the nature of citizenship. If CdeC is abolished, we can wait and see what happens before formally proposing this. If I'm wrong and citizens are indeed admitted much more easily, then there will be no need for this proposal. If I'm right and citizenship will eventually stagnate again, then anyone can revive this draft and formally propose it.

**pacifism** · March 03, 2014, 09:51 PM

The vote of abolishing the Consilium de Civitate is now underway. From my viewpoint, it seems like it will be close whether or not the abolitionists can achieve the necessary two-thirds majority of non-abstaining votes. Should they fail to get this majority, when do we plan to propose this system to the Curia?

Originally Posted by Diamat

Technically, the citizen rank would still be exclusive. It's all a matter of naming, really. Whether we call it this or that, there will be a high-rank and a low-rank. Nevertheless, both ranks are official members of the Curia, possessing voting rights. Hence, calling them both citizens seems natural. This is why I like the idea of calling the high-rank "Senators," since senators even in Rome were an elevated citizen.

Thus I propose the following naming scheme:
-Senator/Senators: the senate was the aristocratic branch of Roman government; senator, etymologically speaking, is related to the word "senior"
-Eques/Equites: a Roman class lower than senators but nevertheless citizens; they were knights who, unlike senators, could engage in business

I am fine with these specific titles. Perhaps we can establish all the ranks here and if they have badges. Would we have Eques, Senator, Citizen, Artifex, and Civitate badges? Do Eques get badges? If they get a badge, should Eques be able to have Citizen badges, or are they restricted to an Eques badge? Will we replace Citizen with Senator? We should further establish this whole rank-badge thing concisely for our draft of two-tiered citizenship.

If you so desire, I say that Eques only gets an Eques badge, and the current Citizen rank we have now be replaced with Senator. Senator could then be diversified to Artifex, Civitate, and Senator (unless the bill of making there only be one kind of citizen and no artifex or civitate passes. In which case, we would just have Senator).

**Diamat** · March 11, 2014, 10:45 PM

For now, I think it's best to docket this draft, pending a later revival. If the abolishing of CdeC won't bring satisfactory changes, then this can be proposed as a solution. And since so many people seem to be quite confident that things are about to change, this wouldn't pass anyway. Let's first see how the new 100-man CdeC performs.

**Ishan** · March 12, 2014, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by Diamat

Let's first see how the new 100-man CdeC performs.

**Diamat** · March 12, 2014, 12:53 PM

You're right Ishan. There's no way 100 members would actually participate. An exaggeration on my part. Apologies.

**Shankbot de Bodemloze** · March 12, 2014, 01:37 PM

There will be probably be around an average of 12.

**PikeStance** · March 12, 2014, 07:20 PM

I can sympathized when organizations go in a different directions than you had hoped, this attitude is not at all productive. Your energies would be better served working within the current structure to ensure its success rather than hope for its demise.

**Diamat** · March 12, 2014, 07:57 PM

lol, if you've noticed, I am working within the new structure, nor have I at any point suggested its demise. I am, however, critical, as is well within my rights as citizen. And such criticism is meant to warn that our work has just begun, and that we should not get comfortable again, because it could indeed happen: the new framework could indeed simply restore what has already been. Truly, I consider the recent reform to be a mere cosmetic change. It is up to the active engagement of the citizenry to actually change anything.