Rules. Each student will be assigned to a distinct delegation representing a region. Within that regional delegation each delegate has a vote. The majority controls the vote for that region. Each region has a single vote at the convention. The United Nations has appointed your instructor to act as a neutral presiding officer for the convention. You have all agreed to abide by his parliamentary rulings in this effort to form a new nation. "Robert's Rules of Order" will be followed. As few as 3 regions constitute a quorum that is able to do meet and make decisions. On all votes a majority of 3 is needed to pass a motion.

Task. To meet and draft a constitution that creates a structure of central government and distributes power within that structure.

Background. The year is 2092 and Baltakia is literally out of this world. It is located on a nearby planet (only 3 light years away) that has a climate much like that of the earth. The 5 regions are what grew up around the 5 original colonies settled by people from earth. All 1 million people in these regions are located on the single continent on the planet, but each region has a different climate and geography and economy.  All share the same currency, use the metric system, and all speak a common language. (See map below.)

     1. Alpha Region. Small in physical size, Alpha has the largest population and the largest city (300,000) and the largest overall population (400,000). It also has the largest spaceport and is the center of trade, finance, and the arts. Culturally, it is a mixture or religions and ethnic groups. Because of this there is a strong tradition of religious freedom and tolerance for all kinds of lifestyles and a strict separation between church and state. While it wants a strong central government to ease trade and finance across the regions, it wants to make sure that the other regions do not use the central government to drain away its wealth through high taxes. 

     2. Beta Region. Beta is a large region of small farming towns, but has a fairly small overall population (150,000). It provides over half the food for the planet. It has only a small spaceport. Ethnically it is very fundamentalist and Protestant in religion with most of its people from the American South. Free trade is important in both exporting its food products and in importing less costly manufactured products. Its people are strongly religious and want strong laws that will promote religious beliefs like anti-gay marriage and Christian prayer in all public schools across the nation, as well as provisions that allow for public tax support for religious schools.

     3. Epsilon Region. Epsilon is the industrial region. It is dominated by two industrial cities of over 100,000 each and an overall population of 300,000. Settled by colonists from urban areas in the Northeast U.S. and Europe, it is predominately Catholic, strongly unionized, and wants national tariffs to keep out cheap goods from earth so that their industry can thrive. Wages are low because it has a hard time in competing, so it looks forward to the financial support that can come from wealthier regions to help provide for education and social services.

     4. Gamma Region. Gamma is the resort center for the planet. It has the second largest spaceport because of all the visitors, nearly a million each year from other parts of the planet and from earth who come for its wonderful climate, beautiful scenery, and outdoor activities. However, it has a tiny resident population of only 50,000 people who have mainly eastern religions and culture (Hindus, Moslems, and Buddhists). It has no income tax or sales tax for year round residents and produces all its government income on hotel and resort taxes and wants to keep things that way. While a central government will make travel to the region easier, it fears that a loss of autonomy could endanger its unique eastern culture and financial autonomy -- it wants to reserve as much power as possible within the regional governments. 

     5. Kappa Region. This other small region of 100,000 is a mining region that contains 90% of the raw materials on the planet. It is very English in nature, being settled by miners from British Wales and mostly Anglican in religion. Like Gamma, it has no income taxes. It is able to finance its government from excise taxes on raw materials exported to other regions. It sees opportunity from a national government to attract investments to produce its own industries. On the other hand, it already has its own government funded health care system and a very generous social security system, neither of which it wants to lose.