Rio Blanco
Republic of Rio Blanco (en) República de Río Blanco (es) Nookniicii (arp) Repubblica di Rio Blanco (it) Rzeczpospolita Biała Rzeka (pl) Rioblankishe Republik (ymd) | |
|---|---|
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Motto: Virtute et Constantia (Latin) By courage and firmness Tenéí'eihí' (Arapaho) We are strong | |
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Location of Rio Blanco inside the United States Location of Rio Blanco inside the United States | |
| Capital | Denver (39.76185, -104.881105) |
| Official languages |
English (national) Federally recognized languages |
| Demonym(s) | Rioblancoan(s) |
| Government | Federal presidential Republic |
| Bill Stanmourne (P) | |
| Jay Biedrzycki (P) | |
| Wayne Petkovich (P) | |
| Legislature | Parliament of Rio Blanco |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Independence from the United States | |
• Declared | August 1, 1876 |
| Area | |
• Total | 473,948 km2 (182,992 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2016 estimate | 7,785,256 |
• Density | 16.43/km2 (42.6/sq mi) |
| Currency | Rioblancoan dollar (RBD) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Rio Blanco Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 |
| Date format | DD-MM-YYYY |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +1 |
| Internet TLD | .rb |
The Republic of Rio Blanco[3], commonly called Rio Blanco (/ˈriːoʊ ˈblænkoʊ/ or /ˈriːoʊ ˈblɑːnkoʊ/) (Northern Arapaho: Nookniicii (lit. "white river"); IPA: /noknit͡ʃi/) is a sovereign state, situated on the Western region of North America. Most of the territory is located within the Rocky Mountains range. It is entirely surrounded by the United States of America and it is landlocked. The capital and largest city is Denver, while other important cities are Springs, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Pueblo, Cheyenne and Pocatello. The area is 473,948 km2 (54th, between Cameroon and Papua New Guinea). The population is 7,785,256 (100th, between Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong).
Etymology
The name Rio Blanco (Spanish for "white river") comes from the White River, tributary of the Green River, which passes through Eastern Salt Lake and Western Moffat.
History
Establishment
The area now known as Rio Blanco was part of the Republic of Texas, Alta California (later California Republic) and several territories of the United States.
The Colorado Territory was created in 1861, following an Organic Act, with William Gilpin being appointed as Governor. It was created by taking land from the territories of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and New Mexico.
The admission to the United States was regarded as fairly imminent, but territorial ambitions for statehood were thwarted in 1865 by a veto issued by President Andrew Johnson, which started a wave of dissatisfaction among the top officials, which wanted the territory to effectively join the United States. Montrose Garner then threatened President Johnson that if he did not grant Colorado statehood, the territory would secede from the United States and form an independent nation. For the United States, that would have been grounds for a Coloradoan-American War with real weapons. Instead, a series of diplomatic conflicts had begun, lasting from 1866 to 1876, when the Colorado Territory ceased to exist and the Republic of Rio Blanco formally seceded from the United States.
The conflicts were put to an end in 1876, by the Treaty of Springfield, which would recognize the independence of Rio Blanco from the US, but would also bar the newborn nation from interfering with American affairs for 99 years; Rio Blanco would also allow the United States Army to pass through the national territory (in case of emergency) and the management of mails and post offices within the territory would be up to the United States Post Office Department (later USPS; currently managed by RBPost) for 99 years. The treaty was signed by Edwin (independentist faction), his brother Grant Lanceton (unionist faction) and President Ulysses S. Grant.
A new Constitution (written by Edwin Lanceton, Garner, Bergmann and Vynn) was then formulated and ratified by a group of fifty men, called the Major Councillors
Rio Blanco, originally composed of four states (El Paso, Moffat, Ouray and Yuma), had the number of the states risen to ten, with the last state being Sioux, formed in 1894.
Conflict with the Northern States
The establishment of Rio Blanco was not received well by some, especially inhabitants of the northern states of Uinta, Baynice and the northern part of the state of Yuma (later Sioux). The three states then seceded in 1891 and formed the Honookee Republic (from the Northern Arapaho word ho'nookee, meaning "rock"), based in Cheyenne and with the Northerners' Front at the lead. The main reason for separation from Rio Blanco was the "neglect of the states by Denver".
Rio Blanco did not recognize the separatist republic and requested help from the United States, thus starting the Rioblancoan Civil War. After three months of conflict, the Honokee Republic surrendered and the claimed territory was returned to Rio Blanco. However, still to this day, the Northie spirit has not faded away, especially in Baynice and Sioux.
Early immigration
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Rio Blanco saw an influx of immigrants; initially, Jews, Netherlanders and Italians settled in Rio Blanco, followed by Georgians, Poles, Greeks and several other groups coming from Eastern Europe and the former Russian Empire. These waves of immigration brought up the need to rework the naturalization process, which was open only to American citizens who settled and/or worked in Rio Blanco. That changed in 1918, when President Timothy Van Oyle passed the Naturalization Act, thus granting naturalization for immigrants who had been living continuously for at least ten years in Rioblancoan territory and switching from jus sanguinis to universal jus soli, in order to ease the integration of children of immigrants to the Rioblancoan society. That act, however, did not contemplate the American Natives who were living in Rio Blanco; an amendment in 1931 (American Natives Act) was passed, thus establishing the two Indian Reservations of Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (Rioblancoan sector) and Uintah and Ouray (which includes small parts of the U.S. State of Utah), as well as giving full voting rights for natives and ending discrimination against them.
This thick wave of immigration led the Rioblancoan government not to join World War One, besides aiding the United States by sending combat medics.
Inter-war and post-war
In 1932, the Government also established the National Highways, starting with the N1, the N2, the N3 and the N4. In 1952, they were followed by the State Routes, with the first ones being the Yuma SR1 and the Salt Lake SR1 (plus SR11).
A little Rioblancoan intervention could be seen during World War II, as the nation sent troops in Europe. The nation participated in the Korean War only for the final year before the Korean Armistice Agreement; President Jonas Munstell declared total neutrality addressing the issue, while his successor Alfred Giannizzari ordered the expedition of medical support to the US and allies. Because of little intervention in the last war and total neutrality in the Cold War, Rio Blanco suffered the Second Red Scare only vaguely. While the existing Social Assembly and Communist Party were highly discredited (almost forcing the Communists to dissolve during the period), Rio Blanco guaranteed that the government would not ban the two parties. Lolyalty oaths were required for all national and state officials and employees; while the practice was abolished nationwide in 1962, Salt Lake is the only state which still requires such oaths. During Bruce Carlson's therm, Rio Blanco briefly enacted a law similar to the McCarran Internal Security Act, which required Communist and Nazi/Fascist organizations to register to the Extreme or otherwise Potentially Dangerous Organizations Log (XPDOL). Because of the low level of impact of the Red Scare within the Rioblancoan society, the Scare began declining in 1954 and saw its demise in 1962, when the XPDOL was suppressed and loyalty oaths were abolished.
During the 1950's and 1960's, Rio Blanco saw an increase of aviation and aerospace companies, such as Ball Aerospace & Technologies, as well as Boeing and Lockheed opening branches in the national territory.
Modern times
In 1975, as the American 99-year administration of the postal service within national territory came to an end, Rio Blanco founded the Department of Postal Services, which would later become RBPost. The Department existed for 9 years, before it was abolished and split into several companies (such as RBPost and RioParcel, Rioblancoan branch of UPS, and BlancEx, subsidiary of FedEx).
One year later, the Government accepted a proposal by President DiLeo, officially switching from the measurement system used in the U.S. to the Metric (SI) System; the conversion took five years and schools were required to teach the metric system along with the U.S. one. While largely appreciated by the Progressives, some conservative state employees refused to cooperate and saw the law as "an attack to the Rioblancoan values", announcing the Measure Day, which took place in Cheyenne (BN), on 15 October 1976. Some years later, the employees largely abandoned their anti-metric feeling, but some Conservatives still opposed that law.
In 1981, an alleged law (later turned out to be a hoax) started the Honeybee revolt, temporarily paralizing the tourism in Rio Blanco, especially in the state of Salt Lake. The Salt Lake independentist sentiment went back to activity after a long period of hiatus; the revolt temporarily paralyzed tourism in the state of Salt Lake and in Rio Blanco in general, with flights to and from Salt Lake City being either delayed or cancelled altogether. This, along with two other scandals, preluded the removal from office of President Lawrence Radigan. The early resignation started a period of internal instability among the Progressives and the Conservatives, with party switches within members and voters alike, further developing the ideologies that were previously hinted. This period began to wane when President Russell Gamkrelidze and Robert Johnson, President of the Progressive Party, formed the Memorable Coalition in 1987, in order for both parties (and politics over all) to regain the lost credibility. The Coalition lasted for 13 years and was put to an end when Darryl Colston was elected President.
During the time of the Memorable Coalition and after, Rio Blanco grew dramatically in technology and electric equipment, with Denver, Loveland, Springs and Pike Fountain (EP) becoming the four main electrotechnical hubs in the country. Relevant companies include Aleph Objects, Hach, IMPERIAL-Newton Corp, Leitner-Poma, UQM Technologies and Value Plastics. Another important growth was seen in bicycle manufacturing, with Moots Cycles and Yamaguchi Bicycles being among the paramount companies in the nation.
In 1998, under President Frank Chambers, Rio Blanco legalized cultivation and possession of cannabis for medical purposes and decriminalized the possession up to 7.5 grams (0.26 oz) for personal consumption.
Three years later, under President Darryl Colston, the Chicago Pact was signed, abolishing border checks at the signatories' common borders, thus allowing Rioblancoan citizens to enter American territory (and vice versa) without passing through established checkpoints and harmonizing the visa policy of the two nations. Another important bill passed under his tenure, although contested by the Conservatives, was the Tachikawa-Ruotsalainen Act (from Las Mesas Representatives Ann Tachikawa, Progressive, and Peter Ruotsalainen, Green), which legalized same-sex marriages nationwide, overriding state regulations. The bill made such marriages legal in Baynice, El Paso, Salt Lake and Sioux.
Statewide healthcare was first introduced in the Denver Capital District in 2008 by then-Governor Bill Stanmourne; other states soon followed, with Baynice being the last state to adopt statewide healthcare. Upon election to the Presidential post, Stanmourne and Representative William Hickman (P-El Paso) introduced a bill that would found the Rio Blanco Healthcare Service (RBHS) and regulate national healthcare; after three years of discussion and protest by the Conservatives, the bill was passed, officially introducing national healthcare in Rio Blanco.
Following the Language Act, approved on 29 August 2016, English, Spanish and Northern Arapaho were made official languages in 2016; extended protection was implemented to other local languages, Italian, Polish and Yuma German, as well.
Referendum
On 14 December of the same year, Stanmourne announced that a constitutional referendum would be held on 7 May 2017; citizens and members of Parliament were asked if they wished for these amendments, listed separately:
- Establish a nonpartisan committee to create representational districts based on the population of the states (thus changing the number of Representatives and abandoning the direct county-representative link adopted in 1904);
- Modify the powers of the two chambers: the House of Representatives will make bills or approve popular bills that have reached 100,000 signatures; the ones concerning the national government and economic decisions will have to be approved by the Senate as well, while those about other matters will only require at least 2/3 of the votes from the Representatives that are present in the session;
- Introduce a clause which gives the right to the Chancellor to expel and make inelegible for eight years Senators or Representatives who haven't participated in four sessions in a row, except for two conditions:
- the Congressmen concerned declare absence ahead of the sessions to the Chancellor, who will then approve or reject the declarations;
- said Congressmen are in a clear state of inability.
- Reduce the number of Senators from 51 (five per state, one for the DCD) to 22 (two per state and the DCD).
- An additional, statewide question concerning state issues.
- For the residents in the Denver Capital District, Stanmourne and Senator William Coss (P-DCD) stated that an additional question concerning whether the District should become a state would be added. The name of the possible state will be determined with another popular vote.
- Residents in the Salt Lake counties of Cache, Rich, Summit, Daggett, Wasatch, Santa Catarina and Uintah, as well as Franklin County (Uinta) were asked if they want to secede and form a state called Ute.
Stanmourne also stated that if passed, the clauses about the modification of power of the two houses, the clause of ejection and the statehood proposals would be effective immediately, while those about representational districts and the reduction of senators would be first applied in the 2020 presidential and House elections and in the 2018 Senate election, respectively.
| Question (people) | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Representational districts | 58.3% | 41.7% |
| Modification of power | 53.1% | 46.9% |
| Clause of ejection | 65.2% | 34.8% |
| Reduction of Senators | 71.8% | 28.2% |
| Statehood for DCD (DCD voters only) | 87.6% | 12.4% |
| Statehood for Ute (SL+Franklin Co., UI voters only) | 29.1% | 70.9% |
| Question (members of Parliament) | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Representational districts | 91 | 60 |
| Modification of power | 79 | 72 |
| Clause of ejection | 89 | 62 |
| Reduction of Senators | 100 | 51 |
| Statehood for DCD (DCD MPs only) | 8 | 1 |
| Statehood for Ute (SL+Franklin Co., UI MPs only) | 5 | 18 |
Since the DCD statehood passed, another vote was held in the District on 14 May, asking voters to choose the name for the newly-formed state; the name that emerged victorious was Cherry Creek, after the homonymous tributary of the Colorado river.
Government
Rio Blanco is a federal presidential republic, subdivided into 11 states, which are further divided into 100 counties.
President
The President of Rio Blanco is the country's head of state and head of government, as well as the highest-ranking official in Rio Blanco. The powers generally used by the President include approving or rejecting measures that have passed the Parliament, pardoning people, appointing the Vice President, the Executives of the Department, the Chief Justice and the ambassadors, as well as nominating the Chancellor-Elect.
The President is elected every leap year, directly by the people; even though a President can be re-elected indefinitely, he/she usually does not stay in office for more than eight years.
Vice President
The Vice President of Rio Blanco is the second-highest-ranking official in the presidential line of succession of Rio Blanco, after the President. The Vice President serves a caretaker presidential role, activated when the President is dead, removed from office by the Parliament, or otherwise unavailable.
The Vice President is appointed by the President; because of that, the Vice President often belongs to the same party as the President.
Chancellor
The Chancellor of Rio Blanco is the third-highest-ranking official in the presidential line of succession of Rio Blanco, after the President and the Vice President; he/she is also the President of the Parliament. The main power used by the Chancellor is to sign bills into law along with the President; without the Chancellor's signature, the bill is sent back to either the House or the Senate, depending on the issue.
The Chancellor is appointed by the President on 1 August of a leap year; four days later, the Chancellor-Appointed will go through a secret intraparliamentary election, in which the candidate must reach at least 76 votes. In case the Chancellor-Appointed fails to reach the quorum, another election will be held, with the least voted candidate being eliminated from the race.
Parliament
The Parliament is the bicameral legislature of Rio Blanco, divided into the Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). The Parliament is led by the Chancellor. The Senate is composed of 51 members, 5 for each state plus one from the DCD; the Senate is elected with a two-year difference from the presidential and House elections. The House of Representatives is composed of 100 members, each coming from every county/neighborhood of Rio Blanco, who are elected in coincidence with the President.
The Parliament also functions as a check on the President's authority; keeping a majority in the Parliament is fundamental to be able to govern effectively. The Parliament has the power to remove the President from office, through a secret intraparliamentary vote, in which at least 76 votes must be in favor of the removal from office for it to take place.
Two weeks before the Senate and House elections, the Parliament is declared evacuated, with all Members of Parliament being placed on a three-week hiatus from House activity until 2 August. New bills will not be accepted during this break, while pending bills will be valued by an emergency committee consisting of the President, the Vice President, the Chancellor, the Secretary whose Department covers an issue mentioned by the bill, the Leader of the Shadow Cabinet, the Shadow equivalent of the Secretary of the Department and the Chancellors and Leaders of Opposition of the Senate and the House.
Current cabinet
Template:RioblancoanGovernment
Administrative subdivisions
Rio Blanco is divided into states, which are divided into counties. Counties are further divided into townships, which are usually created for statistical purposes, but may elect an assembly (townships encompassing part of big cities do so). Counties with just one incorporated community (such as Oneida County, Uinta) do not contemplate the formation of townships.
| Name | Code | Capital | Date of establishment | Area (km2/sq mi) | Population (2014) | Origin of name | Creation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Baynice.svg Baynice | BN | Cheyenne | 1890 | 49,826 km2 (19,238 sq mi) | 170,629 | from Arapaho Béi'i'éíniiciihéhe' | Separation from Moffat |
| File:Flag of Cherry Creek.png Cherry Creek | CC | Denver | 1878 (as the DCD) 2017 |
10,978 km2 (4,239 sq mi) | 2,712,413 | City of Denver | Separation from Yuma |
| File:Flag of El Paso.svg El Paso | EP | Springs | 1876 | 40,218 km2 (15,528 sq mi) | 1,249,628 | Spanish name for Ute Pass | One of the original Four States. |
| File:Flag of Las Mesas.svg Las Mesas | LM | Grand Junction | 1883 | 37,301 km2 (14,402 sq mi) | 292,748 | Mesas around the area | Separation from Ouray |
| File:Flag of Moffat.svg Moffat | MO | Lauquhardt | 1876 | 51,447 km2 (19,864 sq mi) | 508,804 | David Moffat | One of the original Four States. |
| File:Flag of Ouray.svg Ouray | OU | Ouray | 1876 | 30,239 km2 (11,675 sq mi) | 113,322 | Chief Ouray | One of the original Four States. |
| File:Flag of Sawatch.svg Sawatch | SA | Cañon City | 1893 | 35,652 km2 (13,765 sq mi) | 98,374 | English name for Saguache Creek | Separation from Ouray and El Paso |
| File:Flag of Salt Lake.svg Salt Lake | SL | Salt Lake City | 1885 | 48,381 km2 (18,680 sq mi) | 2,320,431 | Great Salt Lake | Separation from Uinta |
 Sioux
|
SX | Scottsbluff | 1894 | 36,927 km2 (14,258 sq mi) | 87,789 | Sioux tribe | Separation from Yuma |
| File:Flag of Uinta.svg Uinta | UI | Pocatello | 1882 | 69,005 km2 (26,643 sq mi) | 225,083 | Uinta Mountains | Separation from Moffat |
| File:Flag of Yuma.svg Yuma | YM | Felsdorf | 1876 | 31,060 km2 (11,990 sq mi) | 350,215 | Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation | One of the original Four States. |
Demographics
Population
The population is not consistent throughout the nation and tends to live in the most populated cities.
The capital and largest city is Denver, while the other fourteen most populated cities of the nation are Springs, Aurora, Salt Lake City, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Thornton, West Valley City, Arvada, Provo, Westminster, Pueblo, Centennial, Boulder and West Jordan. 2,977,370 people (38.2% of the total population) live in these cities.
Language
While English, Spanish, Northern Arapaho and Colorado River Numic are the official languages of Rio Blanco, most affairs are conducted in English, with occasional Spanish translation offered. English is spoken as a first language by 84.9% of the population, with other languages being spoken by 15.1% of the population, including Spanish (accounting 10.5% of the population), German (0.8%) and French (0.5%).[4]
Schools are required to teach English and Spanish, with optional secondary courses available for Northern Arapaho, Colorado River Numic, Italian, Polish, German and French.
Religion
Major religious affiliations of the people of Rio Blanco are 64% Christian, of whom there are 43% Protestants, 11% Roman Catholics, and 10% Latter Day Saint/Mormon; 2% Jews, 1% Muslim, 1% Buddhist and 0.5% Hindu. The religiously unaffiliated make up 25% of the population.
| Affiliation | % of Rioblancoan population | |
|---|---|---|
| Christians | 64 | |
| Protestants | 43 | |
| Catholics | 11 | |
| LDS | 10 | |
| Unaffiliated | 25 | |
| Jewish | 2 | |
| Muslim | 1 | |
| Buddhist | 1 | |
| Hindus | 0.5 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Notes
- ↑ Only the first twelve lines are usually played.
- ↑ While the two songs have equal status, Where the Columbines Grow is preferred during formal occasions.
- ↑ Other names include United States of the White River and Union of the Rio Blanco.
- ↑ http://www.city-data.com/states/Colorado-Languages.html