Old Freedonia

Old Freedonia is a very large and older nation with citizens primarily of Caucasian ethnicity who follow mixed religions. Its technology is first rate and its citizens marvel at the astonishing advancements within their nation. Its citizens pay moderately high tax rates and they are somewhat unhappy in their work environments as a result. The citizens of Old Freedonia work diligently to produce Wine and Cattle as resources for their nation. The Old Freedonian government is structured as a democracy. There are three government branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. However, unlike most truely democratic nations, the executive branch holds a bit more power than the other two branches. A more in depth look at the government of Old Freedonia can be seen below.

The Head of State and Commander in Chief is Rufus T. Firefly, Adolph Arthur Marx is his Vice President.

History before the Firefly Administration
Under Construction

First Half of the Firefly Administration
The government of the United Republic of Old Freedonia was suffering from an emergency. It went bankrupt through mismanagement and was on the verge of revolution. The country's richest dowager millionairess, the wide and widowed benefactress Mrs. Gloria Teasdale offered $20 million to sponsor and support the cash-poor government, but only if it was placed under new leadership: Rufus T. Firefly. The matter was taken up by the Old Freedonian High Court, and on the seventh day of the trial, Rufus T. Firefly was elected as the 19th President of Old Freedonia. The Sylvanian ambassador, Ambassador Trentino, feared Firefly's influence because it has averted a revolution in Old Freedonia. At Firefly's coronation gala, Ambassador, and rival suitor, Trentino schemed to win Mrs. Teasdale's hand in marriage by wooing the rich heiress (with the ultimate goal of annexing Old Freedonia to Sylvania).

In neighboring Sylvania, Ambassador Trentino has schemed against Firefly (who has suddenly become popular) once more by hiring two spies to shadow and "disgrace him and discredit him with the people." Enter hot dog and peanut vendor Chicolini and Pinky, the mute chauffeur for the president, who report to Trentino to carry out the subterfuge. Aiding Trentino's spy efforts to infiltrate into the Old Freedonian government, Firefly called foreign spy Chicolini away from his peanut stand and offered to appoint him to his Cabinet as his Secretary of War. Pinky and Chicolini both managed to attain government jobs for their spy efforts. Governmental relations between Old Freedonia and Sylvania are governed by the tense relationship between Firefly and Ambassador Trentino and their rivalry for Mrs. Teasdale. In an attempt to get Trentino thrown out of Old Freedonia, Firefly went to Mrs. Teasdale's tea party to insult the foreign ambassador. Trentino believed Firefly's conduct inexcusable, and angrily walked away, while insulting him: "You Swine...You Worm...You Upstart!" The third insult provoked President Firefly to slap him with his gloves. Trentino thought the incident may have plunged the two countries into war. On the verge of war, Firefly brought his plans for war to Mrs. Teasdale for safe-keeping. Chicolini was arrested while trying to steal the very same plans. During Chicolini's trial Sylvanian troops landed on Old Freedonia's soil. During the end of the battle, Old Freedonia finally emerges victorious and the war is won when Trentino rams the door and then gets his head stuck in the door of the Old Freedonian headquarters. Captured, he is pelted with apples until he surrenders. Victory is ours! Both Pinky and Chicolini defected over to Old Freedonia during the battle.

Note- Old Freedonia's war with Sylvania was NOT on Planet Bob

Second Half of the Firefly Administration
Under Construction

Location
Old Freedonia, for the most part, is located on the Allegheny Plateau, more generally in  Appalachia. Its capital, Sylvania, is located where the confluence of the Allegheny River and  Monongahela River form the  Ohio River. Many of the city's neighborhoods, particularly south of the Monongahela, are deeply sloped, making Sylvania one of the hilliest cities in Old Freedonia.



Culture
In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen and nonprofit organizations donated millions to create educational and cultural institutions. As a result, Old Freedonia is rich in art and culture. An example of Freedonian culture is sited below:

In music, the Sylvanian Symphony Orchestra performs in Marx Hall. Old Freedonia, on the whole, stresses refined musical culture. Classical music (operas, ect.) is a very large music industry, although a cult following of rock music is coming up close behind. A culture war between more classical positioned men and women and "rockers" has been going on for what seems like years.

Museums include the Margaret Dumont Museum and the Freedonian Museum of Art. The Sylvanian Museum of Natural History has extensive dinosaur collections and many Ancient Worlds wings. The Sylvanian Science Center is technology oriented, and is credited with having the best technological advancements on display, although that is debatable. History and science oriented museums are usually given government grants, while more art oriented museums rely on donations from the population. Rufus T. Firefly has kept clear of questions on the "Art-Science debate".

The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are the Freedonian Library of Sylvania and the University of Huxley's University Library System.

In theater, the Huxley Playhouse of Howard Park University has four resident companies of professional actors.

The major city Darwin houses the country's National Aviary. The Fine Conservatory & Botanical Gardens features a Victorian-style greenhouse.

Government
The current government is a constitution-based federal republic with a strong democratic tradition. There are three branches of the government: executive, legislative, judicial. The president of the United Republic of Old Freedonia is the head of state of Old Freedonia. Under the Old Freedonian Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Executive Branch

 * Chief of state: President Rufus T. Firefly (since 20 March 2006); Vice President Adolph Arthur Marx (since 20 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
 * Head of government: President Rufus T. Firefly (since 20 March 2006); Vice President Adolph Arthur Marx (since 20 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
 * Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
 * Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms

Legislative Branch
Bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (500 seats; one-third are renewed every two years) and the House of Masters (300 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two year terms) The Senate's breakdown consists of the six largest political parties in Old Freedonia.
 * Freedonian Democratic Party- 275 Seats
 * Freedonian Centrist Organization- 100 Seats
 * Freedonian Socialist Movement- 75 Seats
 * Freedonian Republican Branch Party- 25 Seats
 * Freedonian Monarchic Society- 15 Seats
 * The Freedonian National Socialist Party- 10 Seats

Judicial Branch
Old Freedonian Court of Lords (highest court of appeal, its 10 Justices are appointed for life); Old Freedonian High Court, Old Freedonian District Courts, Old Freedonian Court of Appeals, and the Old Freedonian Commons Court

Old Freedonia's Name

 * Conventional long form- The United Republic of Old Freedonia
 * Conventional short form- Freedonia
 * Abbreviation- OF

President Firefly's Cabinet
Cabinet:
 * Head of State- President Rufus T. Firefly
 * Commander and Cheif- President Rufus T. Firefly
 * Vice President- Vice President Adolph Arthur "Harpo" Marx
 * Firefly Press Secretary- Press Secretary Hugo Z. Hackenbush
 * Head of Secret Police- Deputy Minister of the Freedonian Knights (Secret Police) Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx
 * Deputy of Propoganda- Minister of Propaganda Max Bialystock
 * Foreign Affairs- Minister of Foreign Affairs Esteban Colberto
 * Internal Affairs- Minister of Internal Affairs Herbert Marx
 * Information- Minister of Information Milton "Gummo" Marx
 * Finance- Minister of Finance Count Harvey de Monet
 * Defense- Defense Minister Leonard "Chicolini" Marx
 * Justice- President Rufus T. Firefly
 * Transportation- (no specific title) Pinky
 * Health- Dr. Moe Howard & Dr. Larry Fine & Dr. Curly Howard
 * Education- Dr. Fredrick Fronkensteen
 * Technology- Gov. of Technology William J. Le Petomane
 * Enviroment- Minister of Enviroment Denis Colin Leary
 * Industry- Minister of Industry Hedley Lamarr
 * Homeland Security- Minister of Homeland Security Stephen Colbert
 * Religion- Rabbi Melech Tuckman

Rufus T. Firefly's most trusted Ministers are as followed:
 * Adolph Arthur Marx
 * Julius Henry Marx
 * Leonard Marx
 * Fredrick Fronkensteen
 * Denis Colin Leary
 * Hedley Lamarr
 * Stephen Colbert
 * Melech Tuckman

All cabinet members are Jewish, except for Esteban Colberto, Harvey de Monet, Denis Colin Leary, and Stephen Colbert.

National Holidays

 * October 2nd- Birthday of the President
 * November 17th- the day Old Freedonia formed
 * March 20th- the day Old Freedonia was introduced to Planet Bob
 * July 7th- Festival to celebrate Old Freedonia's victory over its rival Sylvania
 * April 16- The day Old Freedonia officially became apart of the Global Alliance community.

Flags: Past and Present
Under Construction

Nationality
noun: Freedonians adjective: Freedonian

Population
The population of Old Freedonia is a little over 2000. Current events has changed the population count favorably and unfavorably. On the whole, Old Freedonia is still a viewed as a small nation, by its government and the international community. The people do live quite well, due to the technological marvels the government has researched and the resources the people use happily. Recently, the government has placed a plan to grow the population count for a wider range of "improvements" for the nation.

Ethnicity and Race
Most Freedonians are Caucasian, although there are minorities. The only population increase is natural birth, as the government instituted a strict, efficient closed border policy. There are no forms of immigration in the country, however the illegal immigrant does manage to come through every so often. Many are captured by the Freedonian Knights (or in other words the Secret Police), but few do manage to live in Old Freedonia.

Religion
There is no specific religion in Old Freedonia; there is a mix of religions, but no national religion. The nation did once have Voodoo as its national religion, but a bill passed by the Senate proposed that Voodoo be taken off the national religion roster. The Voodoo terrorist attacks of 4-18-06 and 5-1-06 heavily influenced this decision. That and a new Senate.

The religion breakdown in Old Freedonia is Jewish 50%, Christian 30% (Lutheran 15%, Protestant 8.3%, 6.7 Roman Catholic), Voodoo 11%, Confucianism 9%. Although, Judaism has the overall higher lead, the Government will remain with a no-national-religion stance. Voodoo has also taken a heavy hit in numbers once religious persecution from the populace began around 5-7-06; the government formally apologized for the obvious civil rights crimes.

The Minister of Religion, Melech Tuckman, has endorsed having no national religion. "The people must go to God, not forced. He wouldn't want that." Minister Tuckman said.

Language
Old Freedonia has three official languages: English, German, and Hebrew. Most of the population speaks German and English, while official documents are written in Hebrew. Although it isn't a official language, French is spoken quite often as well.

Economy
The Freedonian government takes a very big anti-big business stance in economics. The economy status of Old Freedonia is best described as mediocre. It isn't bad but its far from perfect. Although there are huge strides taking place to up the revenue, especially with the formation of Old Freedonia's first bank. The First National Bank of Old Freedonia was opened recently (5-15-06), and has greatly influenced the economy.

Improvements
On May 12th, 2006, the Old Freedonian government purchased the nation's very first improvement, a bank. This economic wonder was the First National Bank of Old Freedonia, which was opened to the public on May 15th, 2006. The government has stated that it was purchased before due date, which assured the people that the economy was improving fast. The government will implement a second economical improvement soon, although the public still does not know which it will be. The government assures this is for safety reasons. No doubt the two terrorist attacks were in the government's mind when they were thinking of keeping the information top secret. There are rumors out that the new improvement will be a harbor, since all seaports have been shut down and enforced by the military.

The government has expressed interest in buying a church, which of course will be a synagogue for the Jewish population and the Jewish leaders (only four cabinet members are not Jewish).

Join the Army and See the Navy!
The military in Old Freedonia consists of four branches: the Army, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, and the Freedonian Knights; all are administered by the Minister of Defense.

The combined Old Freedonia Armed Forces (OFAF) comprises 649 personnel on active duty so far. Service in the military is voluntary, though conscription may occur in times of war when more troops are needed at the front. Besides that, the government keeps most of the information on the OFAF secretive. Release of information, no matter how big or how small, will give immediate punishments that are not limited to the death penalty.

International and National Issues
Besides Trade Agreements and the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization, Old Freedonia has little interaction with other nations.

Recent International News
None

Recent National News

 * 4-18-06: A terrorist attack in the center of Sylvania kills many citizens and military personal. Minister Julius Marx, head of the Freedonian Knights, searched for those responsible. 5 Voodoo fanatics were responsible, sentenced to life in prison.
 * 4-27-06: Old Freeodnia's crop output recently surged. Several ministers’s had the crops destroyed in order to keep from flooding the market. Population happiness was reduced while income increased by 10 marks.
 * 5-1-06: A terrorist attack in the center of Sylvania killing many citizens and government officials. Minister Julius Marx searched for those responsible again. A underground Voodoo cult was responsible, 90 sentenced to life in prison. 23 sentenced to death. 12 sentenced to 25-30 years in prison.
 * 5-16-06: An unexpected drop in the price of oil per barrel has surprised Old Freedonia. The President bought surplus oil and released it directly to the public. Population happiness skyrocketed.

Alliances
On March 22nd Freedonia put in an application to get into the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization. GATO accepted Old Freedonia's application and Old Freedonia has been a proud GATO member ever since. Hail the Global Alliance!