Winter 2016

Winter 2016 Was the first seasons the Simulation was active. While there were no military happenings, it was still an active and productive season, with 28 turn submissions.

Politics
Lansing, Michigan (Evan Margiotta), has reported the winner of the 2016 Gubernatorial race to fill the interim position left by Rick Snyder, and it is tremendously clear that Fmr. Lieutenant Governor and Interim Governor Brian Calley (Republican) has pulled away with a landmark victory, finishing 36% over his rival, Mike Duggan, Democratic Mayor of Detroit. Michigan will now experience an extra 2 Idea generation per season due to Calley’s interest and success in the medical and scientific fields.

Diplomacy
Statements from Richmond, Virginia (Kobe Rogers) seek to inform other states that Virginia aims to expand their trade and alliances.

Projects
Reports from Madison, the capital of Wisconsin (Cade Bruce) tell us of a wall that has been erected along the Minnesota shoreline of Lake Saint Croix-the lake that divides the two states very near the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolis area. Wisconsinites appear concerned over what appears to be an unprovoked construction of a border wall, but Minnesotan officials insist that the wall, which still allows free movement of all vehicles on Interstate 94, is harmless and purely a precautionary mechanism in these unique times. Portland, Maine (Nathan Johnson) has seen a huge boost in population over the past few months, with officials citing the city’s new lenient laws for incoming businesses and favorable in-migration policy. While previously growing at about 3% per year, the growth of the city now seems to be stable at around 10%, earning the city “boomtown” status. It is now represented on the map with a circle due to its growing population and importance in the state of Maine and the Northeast as a whole. Michigan (Evan Margiotta) has instated a new government media campaign highlighting the efficacy of the Michigan government in helping serve the well-being of its citizens, while corporations put their people’s lives at risk, as seen in the Flint Crisis. This, combined with the recent announcing of a Universal Health Care package by the health-conscious Republican Governor Brian Calley have helped raise state happiness and build a trust in the government, while the old auto corporations that left the state are met with even greater disdain. In other news, the state built its first Research and Development Lab. New York (Trevor Weyman) recently completed a new mine in the northern parts of the state with the hopes of increasing commodity production on a seasonal basis. New York also built a Catholic Church in Albany. Happiness is reported to have risen there as a result. Gary, Indiana (Ian Trowbridge), once a desolate town of poverty and decay has seen a huge boost in population and production, obtaining “boomtown” status after Indiana restarted the city’s old manufacturing sector, and creating more opportunity for the citizens there. This has helped increase the state’s GDP, and revitalize one of the worst areas in the former US. Pierre, South Dakota, (Gary Liu), has become a bustling national capital with the expansion of industry and population taking place there, as well as government infrastructure. This has caused the city to achieve “boomtown” status. Camden, New Jersey, (Ava Floyd), has reinvigorated its older and more impoverished neighborhoods, building industry and education, as well as making the city more attractive to move to, leading to a large population boom. This has caused the city to achieve “boomtown” status. California, (Pablo Magana), constructed a mine in the northern provinces of the state to boost commodity production.

Legislation
Oklahoma (Raychel Johnson) voted over the legalization of recreational marijuana. The vastly Republican senate surprised many by only narrowly shooting down the bill on a vote of 22 for, 26 against (45%/55%). Oklahoma can reconsider this legislation beginning Winter 2017. Oklahoma (Raychel Johnson) also voted over legislation that combined 5 counties within the eastern part of the state to become a large modern Native American reservation under the name “Sequoyah.” The legislation itself was rather vague, and due to the fact that the majority of the people in these stipulated provinces were non-Native American, and would likely be moved, the Senate shot down the bill in a decisive 0-48 vote. Massachusetts (Sameer Mohamed) this season put the option out to voters to vote on the legalization of commercial marijuana in the state. In a vote of 53% for and 47% against, marijuana has officially been commercially legalized within the state. New Mexico, (Reed Elliott), attempted to pass two pieces of legislation through their state court system, both of which failed spectacularly. The first of which was in the form of a law that required registration with the Christian church (any denomination) in the state, which failed 2-40 in the senate. The second law followed a similar path, aiming to replace the Supreme Court of New Mexico with a Catholic Court that ruled on law based on adherence to Catholicism. This also failed marvelously, 1-41. Iowa, (Mason Galliver), looked to pass legislation through the state senate that aimed to make vaccines required for all newborn babies within the state. With a larger than anticipated failure of 10-40 votes in the state Senate, we talked to the Iowa Senate majority leader, Pam Jochum (D), who stated that “the current system of vaccination we have is sufficient in that it requires vaccines for all newborns except for those with religious and medical exemptions,” furthering that “this bill will violate on religious liberties for some families, and possibly cause harms to newborns that have medical reasons not to be vaccinated.” Texas, (Hussam Djadi), passed down the ability for municipalities to decide upon the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana as opposed to the state. Three major Texas cities voted on this law, with Austin legalizing the substance with a 59%/41% margin, Dallas narrowly failing due to large suburban turnout with a 48%/52% margin, and Houston passing the law with a 55%/45% margin. Local happiness has remained constant due to the near halfway split on the topic. South Dakota, (Gary Liu), voted on a law that would lower the statewide voting age to 16 from 18. The vote was split almost smoothly down party lines, with a 9-26 vote striking it down. Republicans, the majority in the senate, cited fears that the vote was politically motivated by Democrats given the tendency for youth voters to be much farther left than older voters. New Jersey, (Ava Floyd), had a statewide vote in the New Jersey legislature to legalize marijuana within the state. The Senate voted 25-15 in favor of legalization. In another vote in the state legislature, the decriminalization of prostitution for prostitutes was debated, and narrowly failed 17-23. Alabama, (Kaleb Obregon), held a vote in its senate to heavily restrict the right to vote on a racial basis. The already segregated Senate voted a resounding 31-4 in favor. Nebraska, (Lukas Facile), passed legislation to promote investment and infrastructure in rural parts of the state. As a result, we’ve seen more people in Nebraska relocating to rural areas for opportunity.

Detected Espionage
Maine (Nathan Johnson) attempted to steal whatever tech secrets was thought to be had in New York (Trevor Weyman) but had ultimately failed to steal anything. Nevada (Isaac Martin) had successfully committed a cyber hack against California (Pablo Magana) but was detected.

Miscellaneous
The government of Maine (Nathan Johnson) emphasizes their relations to moose, their state animal. Michigan’s (Evan Margiotta) Office of Foreign Affairs released a sarcastic statement implying that their continental counterparts are unintelligent. As of this report, there has been no backlash, signaling widespread agreement.