PM: Vouchers to be abolished, organizations to be co-ops

ROSEWOOD – The Prime Minister has announced plans to abolish the Kingdom’s signature labor vouchers, which were named as a replacement for money in the October 2013 constitution. This will entail the passage of a second amendment to what is termed by some the “Socialist Constitution.”

This announcement comes amid a series of major modifications of previously-announced economic policy, including the decision that all economic organizations are to be governed as cooperatives. King Adam, the economy minister, is apparently the catalyst behind these sudden policy reversals, arguing in a cabinet meeting that these altered measures are more democratic and consistent with socialist principles.

Labor vouchers, which have existed primarily in the realm of theory, are a non-circulating means of compensating workers, whose earned credit is deleted, rather than transferred, upon making a purchase. Although ordered to replace money in the Third Constitution, ratified last November, it was only this month that the Ministry for the Economy began planning in detail their implementation.

Foreign observers have speculated in the past that Überstadt may have been the first micronation to fully transition from a capitalist economy to a socialist one via legislation, and now Prince Aaron’s government says it is attempting to make a complete transition to an economy free from any semblance of wage labor.

The decision to make all primary economic actors cooperatives, rather than the previously proposed mix of state-owned companies and private cooperatives, is closely related to the voucher proposal. Cooperatives are to be divided into public and private, with all citizens being members of the public cooperatives and participating in their governance through Parliament. King Adam stated that this will guarantee an economy “by, of, and for all our citizens, and not merely those who possess the time to acquire vouchers.”

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Independence Day celebrated

Independence Day was celebrated today, commemorating four years since the foundation of Überstadt. The festivities were centered in Rosewood, the national capital and location of the Royal Residency.

The main celebrations were held in the evening, beginning with a special dinner of the newly-devised national dish, called “cycen” after the Old English word for “chicken.” Patriotic and otherwise festive music was then played in the public gathering areas as dessert was served. King Adam vowed at the table that the Kingdom would last for decades.

Following the meal, the King and Prince Aaron, both in military uniform, signed a document issuing a formal pardon to Kyra D., the early Überstadti citizen who was convicted of resisting arrest after being subjected to politically-motivated prosecution in April 2010.

As evening wore down, the national anthem, Our Day of Glory, and the Internationale were sung, followed by a 21-gun salute.

Rosewood was well-decorated for the events. The Western Isle was flown outside the Royal Residency from sunrise to sunset on a pole specially constructed for the occasion. The otherwise poor weather provided a strong breeze, keeping the flag unfurled throughout the whole period. The Residency itself was adorned with blue and green lights.

The Independence Spire, in the eastern region of Rosewood, was decorated with flowers and fir boughs. The wooden obelisk was erected one year ago for the state’s third anniversary.

This occasion has also produced what is anticipated to form the beginning installation in what will one day form an Überstadti national epic. “The Song of Foundation” is a poem in alliterative verse written to narrate the pre-Überstadti history of the Kingdom’s territories, as well as the foundation process itself.

Tonight’s events formed the largest celebration of Independence Day since the day of foundation, when the original constitution was signed by twelve founders in 2010.

King’s College to launch rocket missions

The King’s College, a private academic institution led by King Adam, has announced that it will begin during the month of March the development of small, domestically-manufactured rockets that are to be used for canopy research in the woodland of Rosewood.

Because the rockets will not require significant amounts of power to launch experiments into the treetops, they will be powered by a simple reaction between acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate.

Several years ago, residents of what is now the Überstadti capital experienced several failed attempts at launching similar vehicles into trees, with one exploding on the launch pad. The King says that such problems will be avoided during this project through more careful use of science.

“Our earlier private attempts at tree rocketry were not informed by principles of chemistry or engineering,” he reported. “The proper application of such principles by our scholars, along with quality experimentation to improve the accuracy of the rockets, should lead to success.”

A number of projects are being devised to learn more about life and climatic conditions in Überstadt’s tall trees. King Adam conceded, however, that larger expenditures on more powerful rockets may prove necessary for more comprehensive research in the future.

“We will deal with that when the time comes. For now, we simply wish to put a rocket in a tree and retrieve it in one piece by May Day.”