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Coat of Arms
Leadership
Mr. Elijah Domine, President-Executive of the Cavan Federation
Mr. Rowan Bittner, Comptroller of Federal Revenue
Madam Stevie Vega, Attorney General of Liberty
Mr. Joshua Titkemeyer, Secretary of the Armed Forces
Madam Allison Lakis, Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Motto
"In Liberty We Trust"
Government Type:
Federalist Constitutional Libertarian Republic
Head of State: President-Executive
Legislature: National Parliament, bicameral
Judiciary: High Court of Cavan, appellate
Ideology
The Federation of Cavan prides itself on having a self-sustaining country while also protecting and promoting the individual liberties of its people. Cavanians particularly pride themselves in being the first nation to successfully implement the purest form of workable libertarianism into a viable and efficient government, capable of outpacing other countries while achieving equilibrium between authority and freedom.
Cavanian ideology ranks Liberty as a top priority in which all individuals are free over their own lives and not expected or forced to forfeit their values. Individual rights are essential for the development of a peaceful society and that freedom can be realized. Every individual has the inherent right to participate in law-abiding peaceful activities that impose no burden upon the rights of others. Indeed, Cavan is a nation where people are free to follow their dreams without needing to engage in an existential battle between government bureacracy and happiness. Cavan is supportive of any nation, no matter the size, that follows in the footsteps and seeks the illuminating flame of liberty in to create a better and more harmonious world. Despite Cavan's commitment to general neutrality, all Cavanians have had to sacrifice for their freedoms and understand that every government should grant their peoples the right to life, liberty, and property.
Foreign Policy
Cavanians advocate for the personal liberties of all individuals, but also recognize that peace cannot be achieved without the deterrence of force. Cavan and its people by default strive to remain neutral in foreign conflicts that don't directly threaten the State, People, or Assets of the Federation. Rather than distancing itself from other nations, Cavan aims to remove any possibility of unnecessary conflict, prioritize its own citizens' freedoms, and avoid infringing upon the personal and sovereign rights of other global citizenry. Cavan's belief in a powerful standing military for the sole protection of the above mission coincides with a history of military prowess which Cavanian liberty-lovers exercise with restraint. Citizens of Cavan are in no way forced to serve in any military effort, since conscription is constitutionally limited and the Armed Forces utilize the advantages of private military contracting conglomerates. Cavan refuses to commit to binding, active alliances but is motivated to craft and participate in trade expeditions. Tourism to our wonderful and beloved nation is prized, highly encouraged, and awe-inspiring for the visitors who are welcomed and encouraged to visit at any time.
Social Contract
The government’s ability to function is a keystone of the Cavanian Lockean social contract - however, not at the expense of Cavanians' personal liberties. No individual of Cavan is forced into any societal role or involuntarily indebted to surrender any personal property. The Cavanian government creatively raises revenue through alternative methods and relationships with corporations rather than the mandatory implementation of any income or payroll tax system. Government funding is provided by other means, including but not limited to; corporate and business level taxes, state level contracts, charitable donations, and so forth. Government spending is also drastically reduced by placing the creation and maintenance of public goods as the responsibility of individual communities, while incentivizing corporations to fulfil their role in the social contract by providing the best option. Furthermore, the slashing of government bureaucracy eliminates even more government spending. As a necessity of the Federation's existence, taxes may be extended to finance self-defense efforts during war or other unforeseen emergencies.
Personal Liberty
The protection of personal liberty is the top priority of the Cavanian government and as its guiding objective, it will fight to defend the personal liberties of every man, woman, and child. Every individual has the right to protect themselves from violations of personal liberty from fellow citizens, the government, or foreign elements through personal possession of weaponry. Cavanians, unlike many other free societies, have a deep understanding of the importance of the personal responsibility that accompanies great freedoms. As a determined, and at sometimes stubborn people, this aspect of personal liberty is treasured. One might say that Cavanians would rather freely learn the lessons of life "the hard way" on their own than be coerced into regimes that impose upon their right to choose their fate.
Each emancipated individual is entitled to many protected freedoms, not the least of which include freedom of press, speech, assembly, religion, and voting. Ideological debates surrounding issues like healthcare, abortion, euthanasia that often plague other free societies are left to individuals in Cavan. In this manner, the dispensation of accurate information is much sought-after by Cavanians as they seek to make personal decisions in the spheres of health, religion, education, occupation, and so on. While specific protections for groups considered disadvantaged by some do not exist under Cavan's brand of libertarianism, the same commitment to protecting the extreme freedoms for all transcends intersectional perspectives and discrimination based off of sex, gender, ethnicity, age, wealth, or disability is near-universally recognized as a violation of personal liberties in Cavan. 'Equality in liberty' is the mantra of many.
Unique from many ideologies that espouse key natural freedoms is the adherence and constitutional expression of the complete right to privacy. Camera and audio surveillance is predominantly used on personal and commercial property, and government surveillance on the public is strictly prohibited outside of its explicit duties and in accordance with legal liberties. Individual personal digital property (including intellectual property) is protected in Cavan and the collection and sale of said data by any entity must be clearly presented and consented to.
Prior legal emancipation of Cavanians at the age of 18, parents and legal guardian are expected to protect the consent of minors. Just as voting is a liberty fully unlocked by legal emancipation, Cavanian ideology allows for the restriction of some services and products until one reaches the age of 18 - however this is usually limited to the more universally accepted dangers to minors. Since physical autonomy is central to Cavanian liberty, the use of substances - harmful or not - is not limited by the government, but the prioritization of access to truthful and ethical information in exercising liberties has popularized the requirement to require the disclosure of possible side effects or harm of a wide variety of products. The occupation of an individual is not limited by the government unless said occupation causes direct harm to others.
Free Market
The economy of Cavan is a largely open and free market, self regulated in many areas. The Cavanian government and constitution restrains the government from interfering in the markets without certain exceptional justifications, allowing individuals and businesses to achieve and maintain a socioeconomic equilibrium and creating a competitive environment for businesses that provides top-tier products at maximum efficiency to consumers. As is found in most areas, the most common government intervention permitted by ideology and law is when personal liberties are threatened. Intellectual property is protected by mechanisms established in conjunction with the government and economic participants, actively working to prevent copyright-violating recreations or theft of patents - it is fundamental that patents and intellectual property are protected in Cavan, as it is a major indicator of economic reliability of the Federation. Except in a few areas, there are hardly any regulations requiring government-issued licenses or any other restrictions put in place for firms. The majority of economic disputes are entrusted to the individual firms and markets to assess, while the government places enormous emphasis on consensual contractual integrity and usually does not participate in disputes until contractual violations are brought to the judicial system. It is believed that if a firm is acting against the interest of the public in mind, it is the public who will push for change - as it is the public who is reserved that right, not the government.
In the case that any of these ideals are violated, the people of Cavan have faced greater hardship in the past and are equipped to rectify infringements of their rights, regardless of the oppressor.
Scholarly Anecdotes & Sources:
Libertarian. (2020, October 2). Platform. Libertarian Party. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.lp.org/platform
New Zealand. (2021). Your human rights. New Zealand Now. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/live-in-new-zealand/safety/your-human-rights#:~:text=New%20Zealand%20has%20a%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20that,rights%205%20criminal%20procedure%20rights%206%20justice%20rights
Created by: Comptroller of Federal Revenue Rowan Bittner
People and Culture
Cavanians are a liberty-minded people, proud of their religious & ethnic diversity. As a simple people, a majority of them lacking in extravagant lifestyles, they value work ethic and personal responsibility. In their business practices, Cavanians are shrewd capitalists but not necessarily greedy or lustful.
The tight-knit community bonds between Cavanians, and the societal emphasis placed in debate & reasoning of ideas was a necessary condition for Cavanians to unite and declare independence. Having endured the hardships of revolution, Cavanians often look down upon idealistic peoples who have not faced significant adversity, perceiving them as naive and utopian.
Despite this worldview, a significant number of Cavanians admire the Amurians and suggest that their cause against the Khulnan and Kurgan invasions was a noble one.
Cavanians widely consider Redentorians their cultural brothers and many view their fate as a shared one - some even call for welcoming Redento as a member of the Cavan Federation, but this opinion has few advocates as most recognize that Redento’s right to self-determination reigns supreme.
Despite the revolutionary war against Donethal and Dacca, Cavanians balance a pride in independence from government-imposed morality with a recognition of shared history with Daccans.
Cavanians are wary of Donethal’s absolutist regime and recognize that future conflict with the theocracy may lay beyond the horizon, particularly as Cavanians believe that the Holy City should be controlled by whomever can be trusted to preserve its religious openness of worship
Cavanians generally take a pragmatic approach to the world, subscribing to an semi-opportunistic neutral worldview and prioritizing defense of the homeland and their liberties above all. At the end of the day, Cavanians want to avoid international conflict when possible and stubbornly speak with disdain about international bodies that they view as opponents of personal liberty.
Created by: President-Executive Elijah Domine
Regime Structure
The government of the Federation of Cavan is a federalist constitutional libertarian republic. The federal level of government manages national & international matters, while regional governments are charged with managing local matters outside of the scope of federal power. There are currently five Cavani regions; Origo (in the east on the border with Dacca and home to the Power Syndicate), Pietas (in the west on the border with Donethal & Redento, home to the Sanctity Syndicate), Mercatura (in the south, home to the Coastal Syndicate and the city of Naas), Ager (central region which is home to the Oasis Syndicate), and Oppida Prima (a small region created solely for housing the capital city of Carrick). The citizens of each region elect their own regional governor, regional legislature members, representatives to the federal legislature, and other officials in accordance with national constitutionally-afforded powers and regional constitutions and laws (1).
Cavan’s constitution - known officially as the Constitution of the Cavan Federation - was written after the Federation officially won its independence from foreign powers. The preamble reads, “We, the Sons and Daughters of Cavan, hereby consecrate this Constitution of the Cavan Federation in order to maintain a national framework of order and harmony, in our pursuit of personal liberties and freedoms, and for the establishment and defense of our homeland and progeny” (2).
As previously mentioned, the constitution separates national and regional governments into a federalist system of powers and designates enumerated powers for each. Federally enumerated powers found in Cavan’s constitution include the ability to impose and collect taxes on entities, oversee domestic and international economic regulations, create & maintain the nation’s military, maintain national currencies or set a standard national currency, borrow money on behalf of the nation, regulate and protect intellectual property, declare war and peace, enforce recognized constitutional international agreements (although binding alliances require passage of national referendum), control immigration, and induct additional regions consisting of new territory to the Federation, among others. While the constitution allows the federal government to establish laws for the furtherment of enumerated powers, it strictly prohibits the exercise of powers which are not delegated to it by the constitution. Powers not enumerated to the federal government are reserved for the regions, who are permitted to craft their own laws that abide by the constitution but are prohibited from conflicting with constitutional and federal law (3).
The constitution establishes three branches of federal government - the National Parliament (legislature), the High Court (judiciary), and the Office of the Executive (led by the President-Executive of Cavan). It also establishes the Articles of Liberty, which outline specific rights of Cavanian citizens which are protected by the full force of the constitution (3).
Protections exist against non-consensual government occupation of private property unless afforded by the law, unreasonable searches and seizures, warrants lacking court-ordained probable cause, secret courts affecting civilian citizens, double jeopardy, self-incrimination in court, overbearing punishments (including fines and bail), the application of capital punishment, and involuntary servitude except for conscription or as punishment for a crime (3).
Other explicit rights include the protected freedoms of speech, religion, press, privacy, peaceful assembly, pursuit of just compensation against the government, unhindered weapon ownership to resist tyranny, formation of regulated militias, due process, right to an unbiased jury of peers, right to a swift and public trial, just compensation for private property conscripted for public use, unabridged and fair voting (balanced with reasonable government authentication powers), and freedom from federal interference in all matters not related to the constitutional duties of the federal government or the protection of others’ constitutional rights. The constitution declares rights not specifically protected or claimed by Cavan’s laws belong to the people (3).
Amendments to the Constitution of the Cavan Federation are enabled with ⅔ approval of each Cavani region and house of the federal legislature, and can originate in the regions by achieving unanimous ⅔ approval, or in the federal legislature with ¾ approval in each house. Since the formation of this constitution, six amendments have been successfully passed and ratified. The 1st Amendment to the Cavan Constitution limits the government’s power to borrow money and tender debt to war-time or emergencies declared by a ⅔ majority of both houses of Parliament and approved by the President-Executive. Approved debt or deficit measures require an accompanying repayment plan in order to enter effect. Peacetime non-emergency budget deficits are prohibited.
The 2nd Amendment prohibits the federal personal income tax - as well as various other taxes such as the estate tax - except in times of war. The government is permitted to levy corporate income taxes, corporate gross receipts taxes, sales tax, import and export taxes, noninvasive tolls, fines that do not circumvent the administration of justice, and raise funds through a donation trust or lottery (4). The 3rd Amendment permits the government to participate as an equal member of the free market, but is limited to investments, grants, and other measures supportive of creating new businesses. The government is prohibited from leveraging its authority in economic investment, wholly purchasing businesses, or being a majority shareholder in any business entity. The government is required to distance itself from direct management of free market assets with the establishment of independent trust managers or similar measures who in practice are overseen by elements of the Department of Liberty, Department of Enterprise, and the judiciary. Ethics investigators actively review and file suits against instances of business investments that limit the government’s ability to exercise constitutional duties.
The 4th Amendment specifies the limits of the government’s power to conscript, which is reserved only for wartime, or other emergencies that threaten the existence of the Federation - declared by ⅔ approval of both houses of Parliament and executive approval, or a simple majority public referendum and executive approval. The 5th Amendment retains the national power of currency while permitting the federal government to regulate and recognize private currencies. Lastly, the 6th Amendment prohibits Parliamentary raises from being instituted by Parliament itself. They must instead pass a national referendum.
The legislative branch of the federal government is a bicameral body composed of lawmakers from varying political parties. There are few governmental regulations on political parties aside from ethics laws. While two parties often dominate the legislature, a two-party system is not ingrained into the election system - episodes of Cavanian history have seen three- and four-party power dynamics in Parliament.
Lobbying of federal officials (lawmakers included) is strictly illegal, however corporations are permitted to provide insight and unsolicited advice to Parliament through the National Corporate Advisory Panel (NCAP), which accepts delegates from any corporation above a certain size threshold who has been based in the Cavan Federation for at least 5 years. Smaller businesses who have always been based in Cavan can similarly voice their opinion through the National Enterprise Advisory Collective (NEAC). These bodies serve to dissuade illegal lobbying activities and corruption - strict rules of conduct and verification surround these panels in order to maintain the safety and security of national governance.
The upper house of National Parliament is called the Senate of Representatives and currently consists of 125 Senators; Origo, Pietas, Mercatura, and Ager each elect 30 Senators and - being a smaller district which exists mainly to allow for the protections of capital residents - Oppida Prima elects 5. The lower house of the National Parliament is called the Common House of Public Shareholders (abbreviated by many as CHOPS) and consists of 420 lawmakers known as Publicans. Origo, Pietas, Mercatura, and Ager each elect 100 Publicans to represent their regions, while Oppida Prima is granted the power to elect 20 of its own (1).
The Senate of Representatives is presided over by the Deputy President-Executive of the Cavan Federation and members serve 6 year terms which are staggered with ½ up for election every 3 years. Publicans in the Common House are presided over by the President-Shareholder of the Common House, who is elected by the house members. All Publicans serve 3 year terms, and there are no codified term limits for either chamber. All lawmakers are barred from trading or investing in the market while in office, and for 10 years after leaving office. Violations of these ethics laws are considered despicable instances of insider trading and are punished accordingly.
Parliament is granted most of the express powers affixed to the federal government in the constitution, including power over spending, power to declare war and peace, and pass laws defining the parameters of its constitutional duties. One notable power of Parliament is the power of the lower house to send executive or judicial officials (including the President-Executive) to Senatorial Review with the passage of ⅔ majority. Senatorial Review takes place in the higher house and is the process whereby the Senate determines whether or not to remove officials from office by ⅔ majority vote. The Senate of Representatives is also responsible for confirming or denying certain officials appointed by the President-Executive to their office.
All federal officials are required to swear to an oath of office which is as follows: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Cavan Federation and Articles of Liberty against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: Upon the honor of my ancestors I do so swear, and upon the honor of my descendants I do so pledge.”
The Office of the Executive is led by the President-Executive of the Cavan Federation. The second in line of succession is the Deputy President-Executive of the Cavan Federation. The President-Executive is responsible for faithful enforcement of federal law, conducting diplomacy on behalf of Cavan, signing or vetoing passed by the National Parliament, appointing executive officials and judges, leading the military of Cavan as the civilian Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, granting pardons and commutations, among other duties and powers. The President-Executive may also convene or adjourn the National Parliament.
The President-Executive is elected every 6 years by regional delegate (electoral college) system generally reflecting popular vote, has no codified term limits, and must have been born in Cavan. Under the President-Executive’s command is a cabinet of 8 main officials which includes: the Secretary of the Armed Forces (civilian leader of the Department of the Armed Forces), the Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Department of Foreign Affairs), the Comptroller of Federal Revenue (Department of Federal Revenue), the Attorney General of Liberty (Department of Liberty), Secretary of Supply (Department of Supply), Secretary of Enterprise (Department of Enterprise), Secretary of Security (Department of Security), and Director of the Concustodio (Concustodio, Cavan’s main intelligence agency). Each department and agency is overseen by an Auditor General who is independently appointed and serves to prevent conflicts of interest and corruption. Federal law mandates that the creation of new government agencies and departments requires approval of both houses, the executive, and passage of referendum.
The Department of the Armed Forces maintains a highly trained volunteer force, significantly augmented by the most competitive military contracting groups. The Department of Federal Revenue is responsible for managing monetary policy and federal reserves of it. Currencies used in Cavan include the Cavan dollar (which is the official national currency, representative and backed 100% by the gold standard), FederationCoin (a central bank digital currency pegged to the Cavan dollar which has anonymity measures built into federal law), and other various decentralized blockchain (5) cryptocurrencies which are authorized for official national use by the Office of Decentralization (an agency of the Department of Federal Revenue) based on the stability or volatility. The Office of Decentralization also provides assistance to increase resiliency of decentralized networks and protections of FederationCoin users.
The Department of Liberty is the legal arm of the government, which is legally committed to impartiality and independence from the Office of the Executive. It represents the federal government in court as a plaintiff and defendant. Since privately managed prisons are legal in Cavan, the Department of Liberty is responsible for overseeing the administration of licenses to private prison corporations, who are required to adhere to strict standards to humaneness and rehabilitation. Despite this, the government does retain control of its own federal and military prisons (6).
The Department of Supply is responsible for the government’s acquisition of physical stockpiles, and on matters such as energy management. The Department of Enterprise is responsible for partnering with the free market to provide solutions to national problems as well as overseeing federal government business investments. The Department of Security oversees federal and regional policing power, and issues such as border security. The Concustodio is Cavan’s foreign intelligence agency and works to mitigate threats to Cavanians and Cavanian interests abroad.
Cavan’s judiciary is composed of an appellate system, with appointments originating from the Office of the Executive. The High Court of Cavan reigns supreme in the Cavan Federation, seating 7 life-appointed judges and serving as the last possible line of litigation for legal disputes. Below the High Court resides a system of Federal Appeals Courts, who receive appeals from the Federal Trial Courts. Alongside the Federal Appeals Courts sit the Federal Commerce Court, Federal Corruption Court, and military tribunal courts.
The current President-Executive of the Cavan Federation is Elijah Domine. His administration is composed of prominent Cavanian figures, including Allison Lakis (Secretary of Foreign Affairs), Joshua Titkemeyer (Secretary of the Armed Forces), Stevie Vega (Attorney General of Liberty), and Rowan Bittner (Comptroller of Federal Revenue).
Scholarly Anecdotes
(1) The federalist representative system seen in the United States is very similar and allows for greater separations of power, and checks and balances that benefit the longevity of personal freedom.
(2) Almost every modern country has some form of a written or unwritten constitution, and many of them serve to protect the powers of the people or the officials that represent them.
(3) The implementation of enumerated powers from the American model of government highlights the libertarian ideals and influence of Locke, who advocated for protection of property rights and argued that the government existed to protect inherent natural rights, rather than possessing the ability to grant rights at its discretion. This idea is seen repeatedly in the overrall structure of Cavan's government, as controlling the government's imposition upon natural rights of the people remains a dominant theme and also coincides with the protections of property, the pursuit of property, and focusing on the government's role in our social contract. The government's main compromises with absolute liberty (or anarchy according to Hobbesian philosophy) exist to preserve the order and authority of government, which, again, in turn exists to protect the rights of the people.
(4) In addition to a plethora of other libertarian ideals espoused in this regime, the abolishment of the personal income tax has seen real-life manifestation in countries like Monaco, the Bahamas, and most notably, the United Arab Emirates.
(5) The protections of decentralization offered by cryptocurrency has been a development lauded by some governments and shunned by others, but the measures it allows against government infringement fits the libertarian ideology well. In 2021, El Salvador passed the Bitcoin Law, which recognizes Bitcoin as a legal currency. Conversely, China launched its digital currency in 2022 but lacks the liberty-based protections included in our regime.
(6) The US operates a small share of private prisons, however the Biden Administration suspended renewal of contracts in 2021.
Created by: President-Executive Elijah Domine
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