Kalistani Major History

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The Finances of the House Ananto

Finances are a tricky subject when talking about the Monarchy. Most people who discuss abolition of the monarchy do so from a position that paying a royal family to live in the lap of luxury is immoral. However, we provide this information to counter at least that critique.

It is considered very rude to discuss money directly with the Sovereign. The Sovereign, as such, is the expression of will. Money and cost of something is beneath a person who's word is in fact law. It is for others to consider something so base as money.

That said, it is important to note that the entire institution of the Monarchy is covered by public money: There is currently a line item in the National Budget for Head of State, meaning the Monarchy as an institution. This money covers the operation of all official offices, including the Sovereign's Staff, as well as staff and salaries for all Nobles who fill Administrative Roles in the name of the Sovereign and in the Government of duchies, counties, free cities and baronies. This also includes all personal staff for the Sovereign, including everyone from cooks, pilots, groundskeepers, and security personnel. The Monarchy is one of the largest public jobs programs in Kalistan outside the NSP.

All property used by the Sovereign are owned by House Ananto. The Sovereign is officially forbidden from accepting gifts of any kind, though donations to the House Ananto's various charity funds are welcome, as long as those gifts are anonymous. Any gifts presented to the Sovereign will be auctioned off. The thinking is that gifts are actually thinly disguised bribes. The Sovereign may make gifts however to others.

The Sovereign is paid a salary of ₭1 annually from the National Budget. Other members of Royalty, unless they receive salaries for performing Administrative functions in the Nobility, receive no public money whatsoever. All money to support the Royalty, including the Sovereign, outside the National Budget is provided by the House Ananto, which, since the restoration of the Monarchy, has functioned as a sort of living trust. The Sovereign covers all expenses out of the Trust, as well as maintaining a very generous line of personal credit with very enviable repayment terms (as in no repayment, since the money legally belongs entirely to the Sovereign.) This dual situation, next to nothing from the public coffers and an unlimited access to money from House Ananto, makes the Sovereign simultaneously the lowest paid public servant, and one of the wealthiest people in Terra.

All members of the Royal Family, including spouses, receive regular grants from House Ananto. The grants are relatively modest compared to the extravagance of many royal families, but all allow them to live well without needing to work. In exchange, senior members of the Royal Family are considered agents of House Ananto and are expected to utilize their time in civic activity, holding fundraisers, carrying out philanthropy, etc. A member can abdicate their role and in doing so will end both the civic expectation and the support from House Ananto. They will be entitled to maintain their title and public prestige, but will no longer receive Ananto money, nor will be expected to involve themselves publicly. Many of the junior members often maintain homes in other nations.

The Head of House Ananto is always the current Sovereign. The Sovereign usually appoints a member of the Ananto Family to administer House finances and affairs, and in this case, the business of House Ananto has been run by Duke Victor Ananto-Martin, brother of the Former Empress and Uncle to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto.

The Manager is expected to carry out a fiduciary responsibility to invest the money and manage the assets of the House Ananto for the benefit of the wellbeing and growth of the funds and assets of the House Ananto. The House Ananto is therefore the wealthiest privately held corporation in Kalistan, and it is believed that the net annual income of House Annanto is more than ₭25 Billion, though House Ananto's finances are inaccessible to the public.

Liberties in Kalistan

Kalistan remains a free nation that charishes civil liberties. However, the difference between the liberty in Kalistan and that which exists in a liberal state is that all liberty comes from the fiat of the Sovereign. Hence, there are some important modifications that need to be noted.

Free Speech, Assembly, Petition, and the Press- With regard to these liberties, there is a legal prohibition against lying in public, organizing an anti-monarchist or pro-fascist political party or organization, or actively seeking to foment civil disorder. Kalistan is a one-Party state, and that political party exists to ratify the will of the Sovereign. Civil Society is still free as long as civil action is within the law requiring honesty and peace. The right to petition the Government for redress of grievance is absolute, and courts are semi-independent from the Monarchy, making them freer than in authoritarian states, but not as partisan as they are in liberal states. Freedom of the Press is absolute, as long as printed materials are honest and not personally slanderous of public persons. It is customary to follow etiquette when discussing the Sovereign and the Nobility. All citizens have the right to vote in any election, regardless of where their home is, or what their criminal status is.

Freedom of Property- The Dual Economy still exists in Kalistan, meaning that the State maintains strong monopolies in specific sectors, and all competition there is squashed. The Private Sector however, still has rights to its property and contracts are protected and enforced in Kalistan, though the nation does have a history of expropriation from time to time. Again, as long as all laws concerning workplace safety, unions and the environment are followed, and monopolies are not violated, the Government tries to foster business profitability in Kalistan.

Criminal Justice- Kalistan does not maintain penitentiaries. They instead maintain a prison colony off the coast of Odufaray where only the most dangerous criminals, who cannot be rehabilitated, are housed. On the island, they remain at complete liberty, and govern themselves. They own their own homes, raise their own food, and are offered self governance. They are not taxed. For the most part, jails exist to hold those awaiting trial who cannot be trusted to stand trial on their own, or to temporarily segregate those disrupting social order from the rest of the society. Jury trials are guaranteed for almost all cases, and defense is publicly funded for all criminal trials, though private lawyers who work in the interest of the client may also be retained. Courts are, by law, impartial and disinterested, and tend to err on the side of the defendant far more often than the State when the evidence is in doubt. Sentences are light, aimed at restoring the social order in the society rather than seeking punitive or retributive results, and confinement is neither capricious, not political in its nature. The purpose of the court system is to primarily adjudicate disagreements under the law, with the least amount of punishment possible for violations of the law. Kalsitan does not extradite Kalistani citizens to foreign states under any circumstances. Capital punishment is outlawed in Kalistan,

Non-Interference in personal life- The only person completely at liberty is the Sovereign, who is considered absolute. Outside of this, citizens of Kalistan are free to live their lives as they wish, with as little state intervention into their personal affairs as possible. The overriding interest of the state is to maintain public order and promote a good, prosperous, and educated life. It is certainly not to promote the interests of business over people, or the wealthy and powerful over everyone else. All government decisions are transparent and may be challenged by individuals, and people are at liberty to decide for themselves how they wish to live their lives. People have the freedom to marry who they like, to use standard medical practices of abortion and euthanasia on demand, to consume whatever intoxicant they like, to own as many firearms as they like, to start whatever business that they like and etc. In exchange, they are required to fulfill all civic responsibilities, such as paying taxes when owed, performing National Service, and retiring at the National retirement age.

The position of foreigners in Kalistan- Kalistan is a nation of immigrants and refugees. As such, immigrants are welcomed. For those seeking to move to Kalistan, citizenship is easy to obtain, often involves making a public statement at a local police station that indeed they are a citizen, and obtaining a publicly identifiable number. At this point, the person is considered naturalized and are entitled to all rights and privileges of the Society. Those who do not wish to become naturalized in this fashion will face some hurdles with regard to finding employment or living. They will not be able to access services that are offered free or at reduced price to Kalistani Citizens. The idea is that the State can provide things to those who are citizens, but without a public declaration of citizenship, there is no difference between a foreigner and a transient. So all those seeking to spend any time in Kalistan and have no intention of retuning to their home country are encouraged to become a citizen.

The Sovereign is bound to protect the rights and privileges of Kalistani Citizens, both at home and abroad, even to the point of completely ignoring the rights and privileges of other nations of their citizens. The Sovereign is the physical embodiment and the voice of the entire Anantonese Nation and body of Kalistani Citizens, and will always support the interests of this nation and its people first.

This concludes the primer on Etiquette in the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. We hope it was useful to you.