Nation/Union of Christian States

The Constitutional Republic of the Union of Christian States The Christian States
Motto: One Nation, Under Christ
Capital		Beaumont
Largest city		Houston
Official languages		none at federal level
Recognised national languages		English (de facto)
Demonym		Christian Unionist
Government		Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic
-	President	Leonardo Blackstone (R)
-	Vice President	Thomas Allen (R)
-	Speaker of the House	Mitchell Rosenburg (L)
Legislature		Congress
-	Upper house	Senate
-	Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence
-	Christian Independence War with the United States	2012
-	Constitutional Raticifation	2012
-	Recognized by United States	2013
-	Region	League of Christian Nations
Population
-	2014 estimate	125,674,902
GDP (PPP)		2014 estimate
-	Total	C$415.7 billion
-	Per capita	C$104.91
HDI (2014)		0.9173 very high
Currency		Christian Dollar (CD) (C$)
Time zone		UTC-5 to 7
Date format		dd ˘ mm ˘ yyyy
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+1
ISO 3166 code		UCS
Internet TLD		.cs, .ucs

The Constitutional Republic of Union of Christian States is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by President Blackstone with a fair hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 125 million love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it is mainly concerned with Religion & Spirituality, although Law & Order and Education are secondary priorities. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Beaumont. The average income tax rate is 23%, but much higher for the wealthy. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Information Technology industry, followed by Woodchip Exports and Pizza Delivery.

Administrative districts are increasingly defined by their taste in housing architecture, Union of Christian States' children are widely acknowledged as the most foul-mouthed in the region, the art of conversation has been rediscovered, and police conduct weekly raids looking for contraband cheeseburgers. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is crippling. Union of Christian States's national animal is the Hawk, which is also the nation's favorite main course, its national religion is Christianity, and its currency is the Christian Dollar.

Demographics

Language

English]] (American English) is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.C.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2040, about 90 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home. Spanish]]spoken by 12% of the population at home, is the second most common language and the most widely taught second language. Some Unionists advocate making English the country's official language, as it is in at least nine states.

While neither has an official language, New Mexico has laws providing for the use of both English and Spanish, as Louisiana does for English and French]]Many jurisdictions with large numbers of non-English speakers produce government materials, especially voting information, in the most commonly spoken languages in those jurisdictions.

Religion

The U.C.S. Constitution provides for free exercise of religion and forbids Congress from passing laws banning its establishment. Christianity is by far the most common religion practiced in the U.C.S., but other religions are followed, too. In a 2013 survey, 56% of Christian Unionists said that religion played a "very important role in their lives", a far higher figure than that of any other wealthy nation. In a 2012 Gallup poll 42% of Christian Unionists said that they attended church weekly or almost weekly; the figures ranged from a low of 33% in New Mexico to a high of 73% in Mississippi. As with other Western countries, the U.C.S. is becoming less religious. Irreligion is growing slowly among Christian Unionists under 30. Polls show that overall Christian Unionist confidence in organized religion is declining, and that younger Americans in particular are becoming increasingly irreligious.

According to a 2014 survey, 83% of adults identified themselves as Christian, down from 86.4% in 2012. Protestant denominations accounted for 58%, while Roman Catholicism, at 22%, was the largest individual denomination. The total reporting non-Christian religions in 2013 was 6%, up from 4% in 2007. Other religions include Judaism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), Islam (0.6%), Hinduism (0.4%), and Unitarian Universalism (0.3%). The survey also reported that 19.6% of Christian Unionists described themselves as agnostic, atheist or simply having no religion, up from 8.2% in 1990. There are also Baha'i, Sikh, Jain, Shinto, Confucian, Taoist, Druid, Native American, Wiccan, humanist and deist communities.

Protestantism is the largest group of religions in the Christian States, with Baptists being the largest Protestant sect, and the Southern Baptist Convention being the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. About 19 percent of Protestants are Evangelical, while 15 percent are mainline and 8 percent belong to a traditionally Black church. Roman Catholicism in the U.C.S. has its origin in the Spanish and French colonization of the Americas, and later grew due to Irish, Italian, Polish, German and Hispanic immigration. There is no state where the majority of the population is Catholic. Lutheranism in the U.C.S. has its origin in immigration from Northern Europe.

The Bible Belt is an informal term for a region in the North America containing most of the U.C.S. in which socially conservative evangelical Protestantism is a significant part of the culture and Christian church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's average.

Family structure

In 2007, 58% of Unionists age 18 and over were married, 6% were widowed, 10% were divorced, and 25% had never been married. Women now work mostly outside the home and receive a majority of bachelor's degrees.

The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate, 79.8 per 1,000 women, is the highest among OECD nations. Between 2012 and 2014, the highest teenage birth rate was in Mississippi, and the lowest in Florida. Abortion is legal throughout the U.C.S., with laws varring by state, mostly only if the mothers life is threatened. In 2011, the average age at first birth was 25.6 and 40.7% of births were to unmarried women. The total fertility rate (TFR) was estimated for 2013 at 2.06 births per woman. Adoption in the United States is common and relatively easy from a legal point of view (compared to other Western countries).

Same-sex marriage is illegal nationwide, though some states allow for civil unions. Polygamy is illegal throughout the U.C.S. Although Cousin marriages are illegal in most states, they are legal in two states, Arkansas and Alabama. Some states have some restrictions or exceptions for cousin marriages and/or recognize such marriages performed out-of-state.

Government and politics

The Christian States is one of the world's youngest federations. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.C.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document. In the Christian federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district.

The federal government is composed of three branches:

• Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.
• Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law (subject to Congressional override), and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval) and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
• Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.

The House of Representatives has 300 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states by population every tenth year. The Senate has 26 members with each state having two senators, elected at-large to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year. The president serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The president is elected by direct vote. The Supreme Court, led by the Christian States Chief Justice, has nine members, who serve for life.

The state governments are structured in roughly similar fashion. The governor (chief executive) of each state is directly elected. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.

The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. Article One protects the right to the "great writ" of habeas corpus. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review and any law ruled by the courts to be in violation of the Constitution is voided.

Political divisions

The Christian States is a federal union of 14 states. Texas was an independent republic in the 1800's . The states have the right to unilaterally secede from the union by supermajority of a popular vote.

Parties and elections

The Christian States has operated under a two-party system for all of its history. For elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since formation of the nation, the major parties have been the Libertarian Party and the Republican Party. The third-largest political party is the Democratic Party. Within American political culture, the Republican Party is considered right or conservative]] and the Libertarian Party is considered center. The winner of the 2044 presidential elections, Rebublican Leonardo Blackstone, is the 4th U.C.S. president. In the 37th Christian States States Congress, the House of Representatives is controlled by the Libertarian Party, while the Republican Party has control of the Senate. The Senate currently consists of 16 Republicans, two independents, and eight Libertarians.

Foreign relations

The Christian States has an established structure of foreign relations. It is a permanent member of the League of Christian Nations Security Council, and Galveston is home to the League of Christian Nations Headquarters. many countries have embassies in Beaumont, and some have consulates around the country. Likewise, many nations host Christian States diplomatic missions.

Crime and law enforcement

Law enforcement in the Christian States is primarily the responsibility of local police and county sheriff's departments, with state police providing broader services. Federal agencies such as the Christian Investigations Bureau (CIB) and the U.C.S. Marshals Service have specialized duties. At the federal level and in almost every state, jurisprudence operates on a common law system. State courts conduct most criminal trials; federal courts handle certain designated crimes as well as certain appeals from the state criminal courts. Plea bargaining in the Christian States is very common; the vast majority of criminal cases in the country are settled by plea bargain rather than jury trial. In 2042 there were 4.5 murders per 100,000 persons in the Christian States, a 54% decline from the modern peak of 10.2 in 1980(for the former United States). Capital punishment is sanctioned in the Christian States for certain federal and military crimes, and used in all states.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Personal transportation is dominated by automobiles, which operate on a network of eight million roads. About 40% of personal vehicles are vans, SUVs, or light trucks. The average Unionist adult (accounting for all drivers and non-drivers) spends 55 minutes driving every day, traveling 29 mi. Mass transit accounts for 9% of total U.C.S. work trips. While transport of goods by rail is extensive, relatively few people use rail to travel, though ridership on SouthRail, the largest intercity passenger rail system, grew by almost 37% between 2036 and 2044. Also, light rail development has increased in recent years. Bicycle usage for work commutes is minimal.

The civil airline industry is entirely privately owned and has been largely deregulated, while most major airports are publicly owned. The three largest airlines in the world by passengers carried are U.C.S.-based; American Airlines is number one after its 2013 acquisition of US Airways. Of the world's 30 busiest passenger airports, Four are in the Christian States, including the busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Christian Airlines is the nation's flag carrier, based in Beaumont.

Energy

The Christian States energy market is 17,000 terawatt hours per year. Energy consumption per capita is 7.8 tons of oil equivalent per year, the 10th highest rate in the world. In 2012, 40% of this energy came from petroleum, 23% from coal, and 22% from natural gas. The remainder was supplied by nuclear power and renewable energy sources.

Military

The president holds the title of commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces and appoints its leaders, the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Christian States Department of Defense administers the armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. In 2013, the armed forces had 1.1 million personnel on active duty. The Reserves and National Guard brought the total number of troops to 2 million. The Department of Defense also employed about 700,000 civilians, not including contractors.

Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime through the Selective Service System. Christian States forces can be rapidly deployed by the Air Force's large fleet of transport aircraft, the Navy's 10 active aircraft carriers, and Marine Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific fleets. The military operates 165 bases and facilities abroad, and maintains deployments greater than 100 active duty personnel in 15 foreign countries.

The military budget of the Christian States in 2043 was more than $254 billion. The proposed base Department of Defense budget for 2044, $233 billion.