Fall 1997 issue

Cyberia now has its own magazine! Cyberia Today informs its readers of important political, economic, and social changes that the Net's newest virtual country undergoes every quarter. The Fall 1997 issue talks of the first four months of Cyberia, or July through October 1997. Contents: A Liberal Society: Does this mean no moral values? A Labor President: Is he really Cyberia's George Washington? A Lax Stock Market: Does this signal a recession? Editor's Note: Help Wanted

Now that the counter-culture and sexual revolutions are overwith, Cyberia is in the post-modern world. With it, liberal philosophies predominate its politics and our society.

Some members of the right are concerned, however. Will we be without moral values? They are a small minority, especially since every politician favors degrees of personal liberties, even in determining their sense of morality. Only time will tell if the Right succeeds in placing Biblical morality on the rest of the country.

A Labor President: Is he really Cyberia's George Washington?

Ken Kerns, a 16-year-old aspiring young politician formed a virtual country in July 1997 in an attempt to provide a better democratic system and a simulation of the political processes.

However, this Founding Father realized that if he wrote a Constitution and published it before anyone else joined Cyberia, it wouldn't be democratic, which was his goal in the first place. So, he left a political system in tact, but with out a Constitution. He then declared himself Interium President up until two months after the upper house was full (18 citizens).

Then, his Internet friends came along, joined Cyberia, and formed the basis of the two major parties: Labor and Conservative. Needless to say, he joined the Labor Party.

Things changed on August 4. He set the date for the first presidential election as October 4. A slowly developing opposition to the left of Labor was also forming under the Liberal Democrats Party, lead by Aron Paul. The upper house, then called the Chamber of Ministers, managed to pass three resolutions, but things got distracting in August, and by September, only policy debates occupied Cyberia.

He signed an executive order that placed a cap on minor parties to make sure that solo clubs and easy labels weren't exploiting the party system. The sparked a month-long debate that infiltrated the upcoming Congressional and Presidential elections.

On October 4, he was elected President with 68% of the popular vote. Hardly a landslide worthy of a Founding Father, like George Washington, it was still a decisive victory (his nearest opponent had 8%) that ensured him that people felt he was a good leader. He then did something unexpected: he disbanded Congress, and then called together a Legislative Council and Constitutional Convention.

He then gave an Inaugural speech explaining the important of these two bodies, and how Cyberia will benefit from the Convention when it completes its work. His political opponents didn't mention the speech, but rather attacked his office, despite the lack of an offending comment from him.

Now, as Cyberia's first President, he has two main tasks ahead of him: to defend his office against political opponents who were upset at their own defeat at his hand in the election, and to defend the country against an onslaught of Fascism.

But does he really have what it takes to be remembered in Cyberia's history as its own George Washington? Only time will tell.

A Lax Stock Market: Does this signal a recession?

The first signs of trouble were the immense economic booms that tripled the Stock Market's value in less than a month. Then, Bava had to increase sales taxes to boost revenues. Finally, Menet fell into a recession caused by bankrupting businesses, stocks falling, and a Socialist Governor who refused to give up the socialistic economy; unemployment hit an all-time high, property values plummetted, and the government began running a deficit.

The Socialist Party collapsed, and the Governor of Menet switched to a Social Democrat, and then a Liberal Democrat. He introduced more than 8,000 shares of Menetian stock, as he called it, adding more gas to the fire of the bull market.

It took less than two weeks for stock prices to collapse, losing 22% of its value. Also, unemployment in Cyberia rose to 8%, and the national government began to accumulate a deficit of more than $7 million.

Some Stock Market experts say, with the financial crisis in Asia, that the CSE could face a bear market for more than a month. Most of them are predicting several hundred points will be lost, causing more than 30% of the stock value to disappear.

Others are optimistic. They insist the Asian crisis will pass, and we will pick up what has already been lost, stablizing between 1500 and 1800 points, unlike the American Stock Market, where it has over 20% growth in stock prices, and continues to push towards 8000 points.

Editor's Note: Help Wanted

Editor Ken Kerns can't do all of this by himself. If you're interested in working for the Cyberia Today magazine, please let him know at thugKen@juno.com.

Copyright 1997. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: This issue was made in October, when there was a plan to continue the Cyberian Times-Union, and make this a quarterly magazine. Since then, the C T-U has dissolved, and the Cyberia Today has become a monthly magazine of news analysis and commentary.