Political Issues in the United States of Quentin

Political Issues in the United States of Quentin are major national political issues in the United States of Quentin related to numerous different contemporary topics. They are the most discussed and debated issues in Quentinian politics today, and cover a wide range of topics, including healthcare, national security, composition of states, justice, law enforcement, and rights. The three main Quentinian political parties, the Mild RePublican Party, Fundamentalist Party, and Environmentalist Party, as well as the minor Freelance Party, hold many different stances on these issues, and the issues below are generally the highest priority in the nation today.

Substances

Alcohol

See also: Alcohol Clarification Acts, Alcohol Laws of the United States of Quentin

Alcohol is legal as a federal law in the United States of Quentin because of the Alcohol Clarification Acts of the 1970's. However, the federal government has also imposed alcohol taxes in all states, which are generally lower than those of drugs and tobacco taxes. The Fundamentalist Party is the only party currently opposed to those taxes, and believes that the taxes should be abolished completely. The Freelance Party and parts of the Mild RePublican party believe taxes should be handled by each state, although they should be required, and the Environmentalist Party believes taxes should be kept completely federal, or raised to the level of drugs.

Drugs

The only states in which nearly all drugs are legal are the Chip Area and Multi-Logan State. Other states ban nearly all other drugs, including medical marijuana.

Taxes

Legalization in Other States

Legality in Federal Territories

The Fundamentalist and Freelance parties support the legality of drugs in federal territories, which is currently the case, however Mild RePublicans believe that territories should be allowed to decide whether they want to legalize drugs to whatever extent. Environmentalists currently support federal legislation banning drugs in every state but the CA and MLS, including territories.

Tobacco

Tobacco use, including smoking, chewing, and sniffing, is currently legal in the United States of Quentin. It is not protected by any federal laws, however, like alcohol is, and there are currently taxes on the product.

Taxes

Taxes are currently decided on a statewide basis. Only the Chip Area has no taxes on tobacco. This has caused heightened controversy, as tobacco is legal in other states, and issues have arisen when citizens buy the cheap tobacco in the CA, and transport it elsewhere for sale or use at a lower price. Currently, all parties support having the Chip Area adopt some sort of tobacco tax, however to varying degrees. The Mild RePublican party supports a federal, all-encompassing tax on the product, while the Fundamentalist and Environmentalist parties support a federal action forcing the Chip Area to adopt a state tax.

Legal Status of Tobacco and Drugs

Currently, tobacco is not considered a recreational drug or substance under Quentinian federal law, except concerning the operations of the Department of Health. If tobacco's legal status was changed to that of a recreational drug, then it would become illegal in all states except the CA, Multi-Logan State, and all federal territories. The Mild RePublican Party believes legal status should not be changed, and supports taxes and state decisions on the legality of the substance. The Environmentalist Party supports federal action on the substance, whether it is in decreeing the Chip Area must have its own state tax, or banning the substance in some states, and the Fundamentalist Party currently supports the same federal action on state tax, but that the federal government should not classify it as a drug and that it should create a federal action protecting the substance in all states as a tradition and legal.

Citizen Rights

LGBTQ Rights

Main article: LGBT Rights in the United States of Quentin

The number of LGBTQ people in the United States of Quentin has risen dramatically over the past 20 years or so. The United States of Quentin currently protects many rights for all people, including anti-discrimination, marriage, and surrogacy and adoption. The extent of protections in the economy and legal status of LGBTQ people, however, is debated.

Employment

Currently, employers are legally allowed to hire anyone, for any reason, under the Freedom of Employment Act of 1884. This means that all employers are legally allowed to not hire an LGBTQ person for any reason. The First Amendment to that employment act, passed in 1907, says that mistreatment, lack of pay, or discrimination while employed or in the process of firing is illegal, however. The Environmentalist Party is the main proponent for changing this law in general, and especially for LGBTQ people. The Mild RePublican and Fundamentalist parties currently believe in upholding the current laws.

The Allian Christian Church is currently at the center of the employment debate, as its mistreatment of LGBTQ employees has become public in numerous past incidents.

Legal Status

All federal, state, and local services currently only recognize that there are two legal genders, male and female, however all records also allow for a chosen gender section to be added, in addition to the birth gender which must be listed. Environmentalists are the major proponents of changing this provision, to allow for any gender the citizen wishes to list, while opponents say this would cause harm to medical records and instigate other confusion.

Abortion

Currently abortion in the United States of Quentin is illegal under federal law, with the Act of Population Protection in 1967 banning abortion under any circumstances. Since then, there have been some revisions, as the 1998 Abortion Necessity Act allows abortions in the cases of any danger to the health of the mother or child, and all states include state laws allowing abortion in circumstances of underage rape. However, under law these are the only allowable circumstances for abortion, with a third-degree murder charge being enforced against the perpetrator(s) if there is no good cause. The issue is not as heavily debated in the USQ as in other nations, as many groups view abortion as the killing of a person, which these groups argue should always be illegal under any moral or political code unless necessitated by health or crimes against humanity. Supporters of abortion include some members of the Environmentalist Party and the majority of the Globalist Party, however attempts to change abortion legislation in the country have not gained much traction.

Megaconn Regulations

Advertising

Net Neutrality

Age Restrictions

Foreign Issues

Paladinia

Immigration

Cooperation and Relations

Foreign Policy on the Zwakazi Continent

Berlinsavis

As the Nista Federation's rise as a world power has continued, foreign policy on the Zwakazi continent has shifted dramatically. Currently, debates over whether the territory could become a state, or whether the military could begin larger operations in the territory have been raised. The Berlinsavis Stabilization and Unification Bill in 2014 would have given billions of dollars in federal funding to the island, to develop its infrastructure, as well as set up numerous government operations there including those of the military. The bill did not pass, however continued attempts to develop the island for strategic purposes have continued. The current Mild RePublican Party stance is that of developing the infrastructure, not basing military there, and possibly accepting it as a state if it so wishes, and that military bases should not be increased in neighboring nations. The Fundamentalist Party believes funding should be reduced, as it believes existing infrastructure is already sufficient, however military should be based there, much as it is in the Kade Islands. The Environmentalist Party believes in higher spending on infrastructure, healthcare, and education, and believes military presence should not be increased, and military should be stationed more in Xevenia and the Iridium Coast.

Nista Federation

Trade tariffs have been a minor option in dealing with the rise of the Nista Federation as a world power, and the trade imbalance that currently exists. Other debated options include expanded military presence, and the increase in foreign investing in Xevenia, to compete with Nista.

Allies and Enemy Nations

All four major parties currently support increasing ties with Xevenia, the Iridium Coast, and New Sketherlands. The Fundamentalist, Environmentalist, and Freelance parties do not support increasing ties with the Zwakazi Alliance, while the Mild RePublican Party does. Parts of the Mild RePublican party and Fundamentalist party have supported past plans for military stationing in Carkhia, and public declarations against the Fourth Laborer Socialist Republic. Details about the so-called 2017 Quentinian Propaganda Coup arose in 2019, and are limited, however some parts of the Mild RePublican and Fundamentalist parties have expressed interest and support for the partially classified QUID plan.

Ravensonia

National Security

Greater Association

Foreign Trade Groups

Northern Union Partnership

Southern Zwakazi Partnership

States and Territories

Addition of New States

See main article: States of the United States of Quentin § Possibilities of New States

Berlinsavis

Kade Islands

21st Amendment

Politics

Both current major political issues focus on the composition of the Quentinian Congress. Both issues are opposed by the Mild RePublicans, but supported by the other two parties. Current President Kyle Lovestington has been unwilling to break party lines to support the two amendments focusing on these legislative compositions, and thus neither amendment has been able to be passed. The upcoming 2022 Quentinian Presidential Election is expected to be a major decider for the fate of these amendments.

House of Bureaucrats Composition

Currently, there is a major movement in government to pass an amendment regarding the composition of the House of Bureaucrats, or more specifically, an amendment to shorten the period of time taken in between decisions on the composition of the House of Bureaucrats. Currently, both the Fundamentalist and Environmentalist parties both support the passage of this amendment, reducing the time taken from 20 years to ten years, or seven as proposed by some Environmentalists. The Mild RePublican Party currently does not support such an amendment, and favors keeping the current 20-year period.

House of Representatives Composition

Currently, there is a major movement in government to pass an amendment regarding the composition of the House of Representatives, with the Fundamentalist and Environmentalist parties both supporting passage of an amendment, and the Mild RePublican Party standing opposed to it. Currently, there are two representatives allocated to each state, however due to increasing population and diversity in the country, many supporters of an amendment say that two representatives are simply not enough, even when taking into account the House of Bureaucrats. Proposals for four delegates from each state all the way up to 20 delegates from each state have been proposed, however six is the generally agreed upon compromise, having been approved in the passage of the proposed amendment twice, in 2018 and 2019. Neither proposal was approved by the House of Representatives, though.

Healthcare

Government Provided

Insurance

Facility Support

Economy

Taxes

Wealth Taxes

Public Service Taxes

Some Mild RePublicans say that healthcare taxes are just like taxes that would come with government-provided free healthcare.

Budget Balance

Strategic Defense Spending

Trade Imbalances