Federation GalNet news and analysis (at 31-Dec-3300)

Story Arc:

The high burden of welfare and the increasing costs of the military have led Federation President Halsey to announce an increase in taxation for the new year. Long held to be a problem due to the imbalance between frontier worlds and the core systems, this has plunged the President's popularity to a new low.

The frontier system of Sanna has already called for secession from the Federation in a powerful speech made by Congressman Marcus Albertson. Retaining the taxes and forfeiting the vote in Federal Congress has attracted a firm response and a Federation battle cruiser will shortly be deployed to help retain Sanna's membership of the Federation. Shadow President Hudson sympathised with Sanna, and pointedly called for lower taxes, welfare and bureaucracy.

Analysis:

The tensions within the centralised government of the Federation have stepped to the fore again. Individual systems that do not feel connected to the core worlds will watch Sanna with interest, wondering if they dare pursue the same desire to secede from the Federation.

They should look first to the independent worlds or the loose collective known as the Alliance to see what there costs would be. The local taxes no longer paid to the Federation would have to go towards local defence forces, local bureaucracy, and local business investment, otherwise the system would fall into decline as feudal or anarchy states.

Sanna has already attracted the attention of a Federation battleship, certainly not the return of taxpayer credits that they were looking for.

The Shadow President has given, if not tacit for support and encouragement for Sanna, then at least a used the events to advance his own agenda. One that would still be in place, no doubt, regardless of where the issues played out at Sanna fall. The call for conscription for the young to address the welfare and Onionhead issues of the day still remains un-costed, and does not take into account the young and strong members of the Federation that contribute and do not place a burden.

If the platform set out by the Shadow President advances further then he might well find the conscripted are sent to frontier worlds to hold the Federation together.

Link: GalNet news archive