SR - Principality Work Mirage (long but important)

[Lee Cavett]

Casey&Coni wrote:
> 
> Dieterich hier,   (skip down past the quotes for the new stuff if you'd
> like)
(snip) 
> Sir Lyonel and Melody bantered-
> 
> >Lyonel aisai.
> >
> >Melody says:
> >
> >>Ok, my two cents on the principality--simply a pragmatic one from a
> basically
> >>lazy soul.  From someone who loves my job (chronicler) but hates the
> >paperwork
> >>(reports) I can't help but seeing the creation of a principality as
> another
> >>layer of (needless?) beauracracy (sp? --it's just too early for me to
> spell).
> >>Couldn't we just work on fully utilizing the system we have?
> 
> **here Lyonel said some good stuff that I agree with and will get back to
> later**
> ... but then he said this...
> 
> >Will the Principality be more work than a region?  Certainly.
> 
> **and then he said some more stuff to support it**
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Okay, gang, this is where our views depart... I heard a few people saying
> the same thing at the meeting in Tempio- "... so much more *work*...
> bureaucracy... red tape... yadda yadda yadda".
> 
> What a bunch of hooie.
> 
> There are exactly two offices out of the current *eight* that will be
> affected at _all_ : the chronicler and the herald.
> 
> The chronicler, rather than just keeping track of what groups within the
> region are publishing will have to publish a newsletter at least
> bi-annually.  Pug stated something to the effect of "... but I think we all
> agree that we'd want it to be monthly..." .  Sorry to repeat a theme, but
> don't speak for *me* on that issue, Pug; I neither proscribe to that point
> of view nor do I take it as given that 'we all' subscribe to it.  

Well, Deiterich, I'd like to put in my vote for a more-than-semiannual
newsletter. Just out of curiosity, how do you expect to keep the
populace informed about those Principality events you think will be so
much fun? Telepathy? Email? Not everyone is online, you know, and if
any of the folks I know are telepaths, they aren't letting _me_ know.
>So twice a
> year, at minimum, we have to put out a newsletter.  I chatted up former
> kingdom chronicler, Baron Theodoric, about it and he said it would be about
> as difficult as publishing the flyer for a good event...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

> possibly less as
> the subscription could hardly be a great deal higher than 219... our current
> paying headcount.

Hmmm. Seems to me you are making the assumption that the proposed
principality borders will be the ones _you_ want. Kind of
exclusionary.

(snip)
 
> Now the office of the currently regional herald vs. the proposed
> Principality herald...

I would suggest, dear Ritter, that next timme you want to make
generalizations about an office, you contact the officer involved and
find out what it is they do.

> What is all that 'new work'?  Well, the regional herald already reviews
> every submission that comes through from the region,

No, she doesn't.

> so there's no new work
> in submissions.  And we already have field heralds and court heralds 

And damned hard to find good ones, too. Plus the new Prince and
Princess would, more likely than not, want a personal herald to travel
with them, distinct from the Principality herald, who would then have
the unenviable job of chasing after this person to make sure the court
reports were filled out and kept track of. (Are you listening, Jason?
:)  )

> at each event 

of which you propose to add at least four

> to perform their tasks so there's no new work there.  We'd have to
> have heraldry and names submissions for 'all those Principality arms and
> awards'... wait a second- that's only about 10 submissions

How many awards are you planning on? The kingdom is already too
obsessed with cookies, now you want to add more?

> and only once

Until a Coronet wants to make new ones.....
 
> so that can't be it.  Lessee... that leaves us with the Order of Precedence
> (AIIIEEEE!!)
> 
> Now wait a minute... what would we need to do with the OP... exactly?
> 
> Somebody would obviously have to wade through the Kingdom OP and take out
> all the names of folks who live here... once. 

So, you're planning to not keep track of kingdom awards after the
principality is formed?

> Okay... I already heard a volunteer to do that from Tempio.

Gee. I wish this person had been so public-spirited when Zodiacus was
looking for deputies.

>  Then, once a month or so, somebody would
> have to add in all the awards given to our folks.  Gosh, that just doesn't
> sound so bad, now does it? 

Try doing it. After you chase down the local heralds and Coronet
heralds who don't send in court reports, then figure out who all these
people are, since many of them don't have registered names, and the
reports that you _do_ get are invariably misspelled, then try to put a
timely report in the nearly non-existent newsletter (six month's worth
of awards, by your scheme), then do all the corrections when irate
people call to say "My name is misspelled!" or "Why isn't my local
branch non-armigerous award listed?" (again, six month's worth, under
your newsletter scheme), I think you may change your opinion. I'm sure
Jonathan and Clarissa would be quite happy to hear the cavalier way
you dismiss the effort they have put in.

> Let's say we have 219 paid and another 200 unpaid but playing... 

Again, using your borders.

>we'll go high and say that they each get an award a
> year... that's roughly 400 entries per year or 33.333 per month.  It's an
> important enough job that it might even be a good idea to assign it to one
> specific person thus adding *just one position* to our roster of officers.

Might be a good idea? Read: necessary. Oh, and by the way, did you
ever wonder who will take care of making the achievement and court
scrolls for all those awards you want to add? They don't color
themselves you know. 

By the way, Mistress Rose Cathan, the new Sable Scroll (713/523-3780),
tells me that we are dangerously low on all kinds of award scrolls. If
you can color between the lines, please contact her and help out!
 
> Our current officers have to report already, so there's no work added there.
> The reeve 

Treasurer is the period term.

> still takes care of the books and audits so there's no work added
> there. 

Sigh. There'll be pie in the sky by and by.....  I explained this to
someone else once in a different situation. The Southern (or any)
Region, as an organized entity recognized by the SCA Inc., DOES NOT
EXIST. The Regional system is a purely internal construct, erected by
the kingdom to help the Great Officers spread out a nearly intolerable
workload. The Region, as itself, cannot register names or armory, have
a checking account, or do any of a number of other things that
branches (including kingdoms and principalities) do. In case I'm not
making myself clear here, the regional Treasurer would abruptly be
catapulted from an administrative assistant to a comptroller, with
checking account, financial committee, tax reports to the IRS, etc. It
_is_ a lot more work.

> The chirurgeon won't have any higher levels of boo-boos to report.

No, just a few more events to report them at, and the necessity of
keeping track of certs (though I don't know if they do that at the
regional level now). As an aside, how many principality-level events
are you planning to have? Two Coronet Tourneys, two investitures.
Fine. Planning on a principality-level A&S? How about a Titled Bard
competition? a Warlord tourney? And of course, no one from the
principality would ever want to go to those types of events outside
the principality. For those who say what a great group identity we
have it is noteworthy that we have not had a true regional event in
the two years I've been up here. But I digress.

> The seneschal still makes everybody play nice and keeps track of the law.

And becomes legal representative, with the attendant paperwork, of a
new entity, rather than an administrative assistant.

> The A&S minister still... still... (what does the regional minister of A&S
> do?)... ahhh, keeps track of the group A&S reporting.  

Again, a principality A&S minister would be called on to organize
and/or sanction principality-level A&S events - unless, of course, you
plan not to have any, and if that's the case, why is this supposed to
be fun for non-fighters, again?

>The hospitaller still
> hospitals.  The marshall still keeps track of warrants.... OH MY GOSH...
> ALMOST NOTHING CHANGES!!!

I, unlike some, will leave the answers to these assertions to those
with more experience in the offices.

> except...
> 
> and here I borrow from my brother Lyonels apt wording...
> 
> >Yes, Melody, we could just work on fully utilizing the system we have, but
> >what would it accomplish?  Would it provide us the entertainment of
> >Principality events? 

No, just regional ones.

> >Would it provide us the additional pomp of
> >Principality arms, coronets, courts, and guards? 

No, it would not provide a shiny distraction from the fact that two
baronies within 90 miles of each other have no more in common than two
baronies at opposite ends of the kingdom.

> > Would it allow us the
> >opportunities of forging new traditions, composing new songs, creating new
> >ceremonies, and strengthening the delicate bonds we already have with our
> >nearer neighbors?

YES, by the Gods! If you want an example of a region that plays
together and does all those things, take a look at the Northern
Region! They have a regular warlord tourney, they form a unit at war,
and everyone in every branch knows all the dirty little details of
everyone else's internal politics - and occasionally meddles in them!
THAT'S  a group identity!
 
> And we get to give younger fighters the shot at being Prince before they
> tear off and try and do the King fling thing. 

Ahh, now we come to the only real reason.

> And we get a proving ground for officers, too. 

Got one. The Regional system. (If properly utilized.)

> And the Crown gets to have a really neat *Royal* set of
> representatives down here. 

There are more Royal Peers, Barons, and Baronesses around here than
you can shake (or swing) a stick at. Any member of those groups can be
deputized by the Crown to give out any award short of a Peerage - and
those _still_ have to be given by the Crown, even in a principality!

> And, and, and....
> 
> Okay, so for a sum investment of perhaps *one* extra office 

I count three heralds alone, plus any deputies required by the other
officers.

> and a minimum of
> *two* newsletters, 

plus telepathy

> we actually get all of the stuff in the paragraph above?
> We actually get the pride and rewards that come with doing the work we're
> already doing??  Wow.

You could have the pride and awards, if the work was already being
done. It isn't.

> Slap me around and call me 'Frenchy' if I'm not in on this one.
> 
> Ritter Fr... errr... Dieterich


Donal O Dochartaigh
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