Noticulator Entry
Notes from the constant running log of the Circumgyratory Spooling Noticulator-MK2 in attractive black. The quality of the penmanship, and thus the pen used in question, are both high. All running log entries in the noticulator start with a date and then entered one per ruled line by number and time.
There are winners and losers in any large, urban environment. Some percentage of the population, through either their action or circumstance, will fall out of the normal flow of the economy and find themselves on the outside. How big the group of losers is, how steep that fall-off from normal participating in the economy, and the ability to return is all based on available social systems. The idea is to keep this percentage rather small through fiscal and civic public policy but there has always been slums in the Dredge regardless of whose time or when.
Recently (in the last two years), the city has faced physical devastation by way of invasion and attack from without. This upends much of the normal system and leaves those who had means without. For a certain percentage, the caste system promptly kicked in and those who had House support found themselves swiftly rebuilt. A member of the Chantris mercentile class whose holdings were destroyed by the Portafada were fully rebuilt by House Chantris and returned to full productivity. It made economical sense for the Houses to rebuild their sources of capital and get those holdings functional again.
But what to do with those not so lucky or without a House safety net? One can impress them into service, and certainly some are, but I am unclear how well that works for foreign nationals, women, children, the sick and the old. The same stands for impressment into service for the Crown: that assumes the Crown has money to provide for those impressed into service. Rebuilding and reconstruction continues, but those are House contracts and generally go to (new) House members on construction. It solves the problem to an extent; those with active skills can find positions in construction when building infrastructure and those who were displaced but can re-enter society at a lower level but at a maintainable level.
But what to do about the women and children, the infirm and sick, those who cannot take advantage of the work and fallen in society due to war and Invasion? Without being able to provide for governmental social services, I tend to lean as a solution toward charitable works, and that is what is currently in effect: orphanages, charities, soup kitchens and the like paid for out of pocket from the very wealthy and civic-minded who feel they have something to give. I look to the Church for the center of liberal civic works. This has been working thus far, and I do not see any reason to change this particular civic policy. The idea is to understand that the Government is in an interesting position of being unable to provide social services to the lowest members of society at the moment and hope for the best out of those who are at the highest strata.
... anyway. My thoughts and opinion on this subject for the day.
There are winners and losers in any large, urban environment. Some percentage of the population, through either their action or circumstance, will fall out of the normal flow of the economy and find themselves on the outside. How big the group of losers is, how steep that fall-off from normal participating in the economy, and the ability to return is all based on available social systems. The idea is to keep this percentage rather small through fiscal and civic public policy but there has always been slums in the Dredge regardless of whose time or when.
Recently (in the last two years), the city has faced physical devastation by way of invasion and attack from without. This upends much of the normal system and leaves those who had means without. For a certain percentage, the caste system promptly kicked in and those who had House support found themselves swiftly rebuilt. A member of the Chantris mercentile class whose holdings were destroyed by the Portafada were fully rebuilt by House Chantris and returned to full productivity. It made economical sense for the Houses to rebuild their sources of capital and get those holdings functional again.
But what to do with those not so lucky or without a House safety net? One can impress them into service, and certainly some are, but I am unclear how well that works for foreign nationals, women, children, the sick and the old. The same stands for impressment into service for the Crown: that assumes the Crown has money to provide for those impressed into service. Rebuilding and reconstruction continues, but those are House contracts and generally go to (new) House members on construction. It solves the problem to an extent; those with active skills can find positions in construction when building infrastructure and those who were displaced but can re-enter society at a lower level but at a maintainable level.
But what to do about the women and children, the infirm and sick, those who cannot take advantage of the work and fallen in society due to war and Invasion? Without being able to provide for governmental social services, I tend to lean as a solution toward charitable works, and that is what is currently in effect: orphanages, charities, soup kitchens and the like paid for out of pocket from the very wealthy and civic-minded who feel they have something to give. I look to the Church for the center of liberal civic works. This has been working thus far, and I do not see any reason to change this particular civic policy. The idea is to understand that the Government is in an interesting position of being unable to provide social services to the lowest members of society at the moment and hope for the best out of those who are at the highest strata.
... anyway. My thoughts and opinion on this subject for the day.