Canopus constitution

Proposal for the Constitution of Canopus

Preamble: We, the people of the State of Canopus, being citizens who fall under the law of the Jefferson Confederacy, and grateful for the rights we have therefore inherited, do Establish this Constitution to Protect Ourselves and Expand our Rights as necessary.

Article I-Governmental Structure

Section I:

The Constitution of the Jefferson Confederacy is the Supreme Law of the Land.

Section II:

The Head of State, the Minister, shall have the power to pass legislation. He shall be the Head of the City Militia.

Section III:

The Minister shall be chosen by a majority of Electors. Every 2 months, a referendum will be held for all citizens to decide if the Minister is performing adequately. If the majority of citizens are not satisfied with the Minister’s service, the Electors shall choose a new Minister.

Section IV:

The Electors shall have the power to repeal law, and to elect a new Minister after a referendum in which the majority of citizens voice their discontent with the current Minister.

Section V:

The Electors shall be all citizens who are present at a legislative meeting. This section of the constitution must be repealed and replaced with a voting system once the number of Electors at each meeting reaches an unwieldy number.

Section VI:

Legislative meetings must be publicly announced twenty-four hours before they take place in order for any actions passed during the meeting to be official. A Head of Meeting, who will have the power to initiate a vote, shall be elected by majority at the beginning of every meeting.

Section VII:

One week before a meeting of the Nation’s Councilors is to occur, the Minister must elect a Councilor to represent Canopus. The Electors, at an announced meeting, will have the power to veto this decision, in which case they must elect a new councilor.

Article II-Powers of the People

Section I:

Though power of legislation is vested in the Minister, and Electors reserve the power to Repeal the Minister’s actions, Citizens shall preserve the rights of (a)Referendum and (b)Initiative.

Section II:

Any act, law, or bill subject to referendum shall not take effect until ten days after the passing of said act, law, or bill.

Section III:

All legislation shall be publicly available to all citizens of the Jefferson Confederacy.

Article III-Rights of the People

Section I:

No law shall be passed which discriminates based on race, religion, species, political views, wealth, or other unfair criteria.

Section II:

Murder within Canopus shall be punished with Pearling. Theft shall be punished with a fine. Murder or theft within other states of the Confederacy shall be subject only to their laws (i.e., if they are to be punished for murder with a fine, and they enter Canopus, they are not to be punished with pearling). However, citizens of Canopus must assist in administering this punishment if the accused enters Canopus.

Section III:

Any reasonable rights not declared here or in the Constitution of the Jefferson Confederacy are not to be denied.

Article IIII-Other Governmental Powers

Section I:

There shall be a city treasury which will serve as funding for the government. Individuals who contribute regularly to the city treasury shall receive a return on their investment proportional to the amount they invested.

Section II:

The State of Canopus shall have the right to remove or edit structures it deems detrimental to the aesthetic appeal of the city, as long as it is not an incomplete construction which is clearly being worked on.