The Allied States of Bustos

Charter of the Allied States of Bustos:

1. The Board of Directors shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Company for a redress of grievances.
2. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
3. No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
6. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
7. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty golds, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the Allied States, than according to the rules of the common law.
8. The enumeration in the Charter, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
9. The powers not delegated to the Allied States by the Charter, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
10. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the Allied States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Board of Directors shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Unanimously approved by the Chairperson and Board of Directors of the Allied States of Bustos on July 4, 1733

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With its tenth right, slavery was officially abolished in the Allied States on July 4, 1733.

Government​

The Allied States is a megacorporation that runs Valorium through its' Board of Directors. It holds the monolopy on the law. Most Directors are CEOs of conglomerates that are operating subsidiaries, wholly owned by the Allied States. These conglomerates have subsidiaries of their own, either wholly or partially owned, that help fund and/or run the day to day needs of their Office. Under the leadership of the Chairperson, it is through them, Valorium is governed and managed.

Chairperson of the Board
The Chairperson of the Board of the Allied States is an Office for life. The Office is commonly referred simply as the Chairperson. Until the current Chairperson dies or retires, there are no means of replacing him or her. The Chairperson's authority is absolute as long as he/she retains the majority stake of the company. The pride of the Bustos Family is to maintain the rights of the individual above all else and thus every Chairperson has pursued their Office to that end.

The Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Allied States is an advisory board to the Chairperson. Most members of the Board, that are Directors of an Office, are promoted into Office, from within their respective congolmerates, upon approval of the Chairperson. The remaining Directors are large shareholders or invitees of the Board. They work together with the Chairperson in the decision making processes of the Allied States.

Board of Directors​

Offices of the Allied States of Bustos​

The first Board of Directors consisted of 4 Offices and the Chairperson. The Offices at the time functioned as departments within the Allied States. Over the years, the Allied States made investments and acquisitions while maintaining its Offices. This growth led to the consolidation and delegation of its investments and acquisitions within their related departments. These new responsibilities, along with the growth of their Offices, led to the formation of a subsidiary company for each Office and additional Offices thereafter.

Office of Commerce (OC)
The Office of Commerce (OC) was the treasurer that held the money and paid the bills. Over time as it accumulated large amounts of money so, they established their own vaults and security across the nation. After several failed attempts of robbery at these sites, citizens began to ask to have their money protected in the same locations. This prompted the creation of the Allied States Bank. After establishing branches across the world, it was renamed, the Allied International Bank.

Office of Resources (OR)
The Office of Resources (OR) was the accounting department, collecting rent and profits from investments. With the industrial revolution, the company's infrastructure and buildings, required more than just accounting. It has grown into the largest subsidiary of the Allied States. Commonly regarded by the populace as the foundation of the company, by managing and developing its assets and supporting it's other functions by making sure it collects every cent it's owed. This view gave the Office, Atlas Company as its name.

Office of Defense (OD)
The Office of Defense (OD) as the Allied States Military was the first subsidiary of the Allied States, as it used to be a free company, the Sons of Liberty, that was bought and renamed during the first Board Meeting of the Allied States. It has since grown to include its own Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Strategic Force. The Office of Internal Affairs grew out of this company.

Office of Public Relations (OPR)
The Office of Public Relations (OPR) was the marketing and complaint department for the company. It mostly dealt with its own populace in the beginning. As the company grew, it evolved to include dealing with foreign nations and as a human resource department as well. Known for offering insights into foreign nations, customers, and from within the company, it was named Regional Consulting. The Office of External Affairs grew out of this company.

Office of Internal Affairs (OIA)
The Office of Internal Affairs (OIA) grew into its own company from the OD to focus on internal security. It already had the name, Special Response Security, when it was a branch of the Military. Handling criminals and dispensing justice required a different breed of security so it was separated and formed as its own Office.

Office of External Affairs (OEA)
The Office of External Affairs (OEA) grew into its own Office from the OPR to focus on intelligence. It too already had its own name, Global Strategy Group, when it was a part of Regional Consulting. The sensitive nature of its clandestine operations required special attention and development so it was separated and formed as its own Office.

Office of Education (OE)
The Office of Education (OE) is the last Office to be created. Formed after the Great War, there was a demand for better skilled and educated employees as advances in science and technology was spreading across the world. A specialized education system was needed to meet this demand for the company. Think Through Learning was a private education company that had schools in every state of the Allied States. It was bought and formed as its own Office.

Economy​

Growth of the economy is the main goal of the Allied States in all endeavors, domestic and foreign. With the Allied States, all trade is free trade. Without a strong economy, the Allied States would not be where it is today. As a capitalist, free market, business owners can run their businesses as they see fit. Due to strong competition and desire to make money, very few business survive using discriminatory practices or creating a hostile workplace. Many business people know it is the person's skills that matter, not nationality, race, or gender. However there are still some small businesses that are extremely discriminatory and still turn profit, however their growth is very limited as many customers find such businesses repugnant and do not want to support them.

It is said anything can be bought or sold in the Allied States. The only known thing not for sale in Bustian markets are people. Slavery is viewed as an abhorrent practice and is outlawed under the penalty of death. Many items and services that are illegal in other nations, such as weapons, recreational drugs, gambling, and prostitution, are sold in the open. The Allied States attracts a large amount of foreign investment as a result of its location, skilled workforce, low tax rates, advanced infrastructure and zero-tolerance against corruption.

The economy is based on the gold standard. Alan Greenspan, one of the most famous Bustian economists in its history, wrote an essay titled Gold and Economic Freedom which has been the basis for following and keeping the gold standard.

Industries
Leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, natural gas, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, arms, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, lumber, mining

Imports
Agricultural products, industrial supplies (uranium), natural resources (gold), capital goods (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), and consumer goods (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys).

Exports
Natural Resources:
Petroleum, natural gas, coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, timber

Agricultural Products:
Wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton, beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, fish, forest products, exotic animals

Finished Goods:
Agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn), industrial supplies (organic chemicals, crude oil), capital goods (transistors, aircraft, aerospace, and motor vehicle parts and equipment, computers, telecommunications equipment, military hardware, nuclear equipment, steel, superalloys), consumer goods (automobiles, medical and recreational pharmaceuticals)

Foreign Relations & Trade​

Foreign Relations
The Allied States seeks to build relationships and expand its business dealings to become bigger and more powerful. Whether this be investing in foreign businesses/nations, creating a defense alliance, trade agreements, or liberating a fallen nation, each endeavor is projected in costs and profits. As a general rule, they adopt the "Leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" policy. Diplomatic immunity is not granted to anyone from any nation. The Allied States does not expect to receive diplomatic immunity for any of their diplomatic representatives in return, for no one is above the law.

Trade
Trade barriers have never been instituted by the Allied States. Such barriers would only be implemented against a nation that poses a threat to national sovereignty or regional stability. Bustian exports are not considered illegal and thus are sold openly. The Allied States hold no responsibility for private persons bringing in Bustian exports considered illegal in foreign markets.

Arms and Pharmaceuticals in the Global Marketplace
Arms and pharmaceuticals are two, infamous exports of the Allied States. The open and free marketplace draws many individuals, organizations, and governments to the Allied States. To avoid directly assisting in the international black market, these exports must be bought inside the Allied States. This allows the Allied States to retain plausible deniability. The Allied States does not bring any restricted goods for sale to foreign markets unless bought, approved, and/or requested by the foreign government to do so. Otherwise the buyer, either himself or a representative, has to pay for the goods while inside Allied States territory and is responsible for bringing them back to their home country, whether legal or not. Their legality and no shipping and handling costs, makes for these exports to come cheap, especially when bought in bulk.

Some foreign nations have expressed resentment of these markets and, in particular, their blind eye when dealing with known criminal organizations. To help further placate foreign governments, the Allied States conducted a campaign at shipping centers, ports, and border crossings with public service announcements, advertisements, and posting of permanent signs. The goal of the campaign was to remind all travelers and shippers of items commonly considered illegal in foreign countries. The only effect seen from this campaign was the decreased frequency of accidental smuggling.

The Allied States has often expressed respect for the sovereignty of foreign nations and stated it does not advocate nor encourage smuggling of restricted goods.

Blacklisted Nations:
Sadakoyama (Espionage)
Nebula (Supporter of Sadakoyama)
Xentherida (Supporter of Sadakoyama)

Law & Order
​

Civil freedoms are very highly regarded. This has led many laws to have either been abolished or to never come into effect. Drugs laws, prostitution laws, weapon laws, gambling laws, traffic laws, even business and environmental regulations are nonexistent. The decriminalization has allowed for time, money, and manpower to focus on crimes that violates those civil freedoms. The allowance of the citizen's right to bear arms have empowered the people to defend their property and lives from criminals. A criminal is more likely to be shot and killed by his/her potential victim(s) than the police.
Conviction of a capital crime warrants a public execution within a week. The execution is always televised to national and local media. Capital crimes include, but are not limited to, murder, kidnapping, rape, slavery, and assault.

Conviction of a non-capital crime warrants physical punishment and/or labor in various industries within prisons for a certain period of time. Non-capital crimes include, but are not limited to, theft, destruction or defacing of property, resisting arrest, invasion of privacy, and harassment.

A convict loses all freedoms and rights entitled by the Allied States for duration of punishment.

Geograhpy​

The Allied States of Bustos covers about 248,330 square kilometers. A small portion of its far northeastern border is shared with Hermaes. It's northwestern border is shared with New Seki. The remainder of the northern border touches unclaimed territory. Nearly 65% of its border is coastal, touching ZZZ sea to the east and ZZZ sea to the west with the Strait of Ghosts in between. The Lancerian Empire sits on the other side of the strait. It possesses a wide variety of landscapes.

Climate

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Environment

Forests account for 28% of Allied States' land area, comprising more than 140 species of trees. There are two national parks and seven state parks for the preservation and education of each of the parks unique landscapes and heritage.

Military​

As the goal of any military is to defend the nation, it is the stance of the Allied States to defend its people, their allies, and its assets. It is not the stance of the Allied States to go to war without provocation. The Allied States Military, technically, is a conglomerate of mercenaries. It comprises of the Allied States Army, Allied States Navy, Allied States Air Force, Allied States Marines and Allied States Strategic Force. These "mercenaries" are mostly Bustians with a desire to serve their nation. Some become career soldiers and some just serve for a tour of six to seven years (includes the "Hades Twelve"). They have been known to accept foreign mercenaries into its ranks.

In addition, the military offers many job training programs that are taught to soldiers for their service in the military. These skills are useful and highly regarded outside of the military in many different areas of the job market.

The high regard of personal civil rights has extended into a certain patriotic fervor amongst the people to protect their rights from outside aggression. They also view their lives as morally correct and any trampling of individual rights to live as they please as evil. Along with the right to bear arms, there is an unofficial militia amongst the populace, majority of members being ex-military and ex-police. In case of invasion, they can support Bustian troops and form resistance cells in enemy occupied territory.

The signature of the Allied States Military is the use of the XM8 Rifle across its branches. In an exclusive military contract with Conglomerate of Arms Manufacturing, the Allied States military receives military hardware and software at discounted prices.