A Few Words from the Ministry of Finance

The fine words of our Seneschal were more than a call to arms to Talossans near and far. They were a reminder that even as summer takes its traditionally-slowing toll on Witt, your Government continues to work behind the scenes.

I recently spiffed-up the Ministry of Finance webpage. Though the update was largely cosmetic, it is also meant to serve as a reminder that Project Insufficient Postage is near completion! Despite taking a bit longer than we had hoped, I am pleased to say we are tantalizingly near the production of official Kingdom postage stamps.

You will also note the announcement of the new Project Easy Money, by which we will create a much easier method for the Kingdom to collect money, for party registration fees as well as for ordering stamps, currency, and commemoratives. I hope to see this system ready for use before the end of September.

As always, I welcome your input, suggestions, and questions, and I can be reached at FinanceMinister@KingdomOfTalossa.net.

Danihel Forestal
Minister of Finance
Chairman, Royal Bank & Post

Seneschal's Address to the Nation 8/2/10

Citizens:

I want you to come out of the closet.

Let me explain. It is summer. Humidity and temperatures are high in our fair nation of Talossa and for many citizens-in-exile around the world. And as frequently happens, activity in our country has dipped in response to vacations and activities. We shouldn't let this disappoint us or surprise us - it's a change as regular as the shifts in the seasons themselves. But we must not let ourselves get into the habit.

When an email arrives, sometimes we read it and set it aside. "I'll reply in the morning," we say.

Or we stop checking Wittenberg for a while. "It'll still be there next week and it's quiet now anyway."

Or we get a voicemail and never bother to reply. "It's Talossa, it can't be that important."

Now, there's no requirement to "do Talossa" in order to be Talossan. We are proud to support your right to just be a citizen, requiring no more effort or thought than a "present" vote every other year. Just like in every country, you get to choose how involved you are.

But remember why you joined Talossa. You probably didn't do it because you wanted to just list it on your curriculum vitae. You were probably fascinated by the language, interested in the astonishing history, or amused by the citizenry. In short, you liked doing Talossa.

But even things we like can require effort. So we ignore that email, that message board, that call. Just like a pair of skis can sit in the attic or the chessboard can gather dust in a drawer, so can Talossa be in your mental closet. You love the language, but why bother translating a Dickinson poem into Talossan? Something good might be on television. Or you like politics, but reading the debates on issues just takes too long, and you want to finish your book. Better to just leave the whole Talossa thing up on that shelf in the closet.

No! Get Talossa out of that closet!

Make some Talossan puns!
How did Iusti rise to the head of the party? By typing in all cäps!

Jump-start your province!
I propose that we eliminate the legislature and invest all provincial power in me.

Or just be silly!
Yes, I would like to join the DPD/PDP.

Get Talossa out of your mental closet, and back into your life! You'll remember why you love it so much.

Upcoming Events

Let me state in brief the momentous things we look to: this month we will see the finalization of stamps and the relaunch of the TalossaWare line. Stamps have been a long time coming, and frozen due to legal uncertainties. But the work is done, so we're going to pull the trigger. TalossaWare has also lingered in obscurity, but I for one love my Talossa buttons and want to see a flag available for purchase. We're getting that done, too.

On an unrelated note, I also look forward to the work of the Electoral Investigative Committee, which is scheduled to report in three days on the feasibility of new methods of voting such as IRV. Our voting methods have long been an important issue in Talossa, and some study of how they might be reformed is a valuable thing.

Long live the King, and long live Talossa!

Alexander Davis
Seneschal del Regipäts Talossan