**this is a preliminary guide subject to revision [h3]Intro[/h3] [b]Congratulations[/b], you are a citizen of the [b]Galactic Republic[/b]! You enjoy all of the protections of the law the Republic affords, as well as its privileges, which includes the rights to vote and to run for office. Now let’s say you’ve had enough of being a bystander, watching from the sidelines as corrupt politicians haggle over bills that don’t serve your planet, and you think you can do better. You want to run for office! That’s great! First thing’s first, you need to pick a team. Political parties are political entities that exist in almost every government, galactic and planetary, across the galaxy. They tell a lot of people a lot of things about you. Many would-be constituents and potential voters will cast their votes for you just because they see you're on the same side they are, and many will vote against you just because they're on the other side. Further, they secure you he funding and support of the party and its members. Other politicians on your side of the aisle will rally to your cause, and the donations and appropriations will pay for media buy-ins, commercials, rallies, events, and more. Membership with one of the primary parties is the base of most politicians' careers. Of course, if you were thinking that running as an independent because you don't want a political party to speak for you when you're perfectly capable of speaking for yourself, that's also perfectly feasible and I wish you all the luck in your world on that likely doomed venture. But if I have so eloquently convinced you of the value of political party membership, let's introduce you to the parties themselves. [h3]The Core and the Rim[/h3] The two primary political parties in the galaxy are the Core Faction and the Rim Faction. Contrary to their names, the scope of their representation is not necessarily limited to their namesakes. Over the centuries, the values of the Core and Rim have changed, broadened, and become universally applicable political platforms on any world in the Republic. While worlds outside the Core Regions of the galaxy may be more likely to lean Rim, and core worlds may be more likely to lean Core, every democratically elected congress on every world in the Republic has some variation on these two parties vying for power, both on the planetary and galactic governmental levels. The [b]Core Faction[/b] is the more conservative of the two primary parties and it is, as the name may suggest, the predominant political party in the Galactic Core. With a focus on strong central government, a belief in a staunchly unified republic, and a policy of promoting strong military spending and force projection, border security, industry, and corporate interests, the Core Faction is the faction of the rich, the powerful, and the believers in a secure galaxy and free market capitalism. This is not to say that this party is solely for those who feel greed is good. The Core Faction is a strong proponent of universally available, standardized education based on the best and most effective teaching principles developed in the Core. The Core Faction works tirelessly on legislation promoting effective and accessible healthcare, fostering entrepreneurship and small business development, empowering law enforcement to charge and prosecute organized crime and slavery in every corner of the galaxy, and developing strong healthcare and social policies to tackle spice abuse. Perhaps most importantly, the Core Faction and its membership are firm believers in a unilateral approach to foreign affairs that approaches the looming shadow of the Republic’s evil twin, the Sith Empire, as an equal in galactic politics, and intends to maintain the status quo between the two states through strong military policies and force projection. In a nutshell, the Core Faction pursues policies that create a strong, secure, and effective government for every planet in the Republic. The [b]Rim Faction[/b] is the more liberal of the two, with the biggest difference separating the Core from the Rim being the Rim Faction’s stance on individual, planetary, and sector rights. The Rim Faction agrees that the Galactic Republic is a single, unified federal republic, but they place specific emphasis on the word “federal.” The Rim Faction pursues and promotes legislation and policies that further the ability of individual planets to govern themselves. This commitment to self-governance covers education, law enforcement, healthcare, industry, election law, and even interplanetary commerce, among other subjects. The Rim Faction further advocates for legislation supporting migrants, immigrants, and alien inclusion policies in both private and government employment and seeks to address inequity between species across the galaxy. The Rim is also a consistent advocate for lower federal taxation on worlds, especially those planets of the Outer Rim on which the burden of taxation often falls the hardest, higher taxation on corporate entities, liberalized labor laws, and for legislation promoting planetary development across those worlds outside the galactic core. Finally, an important distinction between the Rim and the Core is the Rim’s bilateral approach to foreign policy. In this new era of the Cold War, the Rim Faction believes that the way forward lies through peaceful, diplomatic communication and cooperation with the Sith Empire and the other independent states of the galaxy, and favors policies that stabilize or reduce military spending in favor of humanitarian outreach and cross-borders communication initiatives. That’s so much stuff, you might say, and you’d be right! Few politicians line up exactly with their party’s stances on every issue, but your membership of one party or another suggests to your peers, generally, where you stand. But that’s not the only way to communicate that. Caucuses are another great way to figure out where you and the politicians around you stand in the galaxy, with much more specificity and particularity than a broad, overarching party membership allows. [h3]What are Caucuses?[/h3] Good question! I look forward to telling you when I update this guide! [h3](Being) On Committees[/h3] [b]Committees and Subcommittees of the Galactic Senate[/b] Agriculture & Nutrition Biotechnology & Research Commodities Livestock Foreign Agriculture Nutrition & Oversight Appropriations Appropriations & Budget Reform Armed Services Planetary Forces Military Intelligence Military Oversight Navy & Force Projection Personnel Strategic Readiness Banking & Finance Community Development Institutions Investor Protection & Capital Markets Interplanetary Security & Monetary Policy Species Inclusion Budget Census Commerce Communications & Technology Consumer Protection & Commerce Health Economics Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Coreworlds Mineral Resources Outworlds Mineral Resources National Parks & Public Lands Waters, Oceans, Wildlife Entrepreneurship & Small Businesses Contracts Capital Access Rim World Development Ethics Exploration First Contact Continuing Exploration Wild Space Initiatives Foreign Relations Imperial Relations & Treaties Migration & Immigration Sovereign Interplanetary Relations Foreign States Health & Education Homeworlds Security House & Urban Affairs Ecumenopoli Intelligence Judiciary Antitrust & Commercial Law Citizenship & Immigration Liberties Homeworlds Security Labor & Pensions Library Oversight & Reform Rules & Administration Science & Technology Energy Development Hyperspace & Astronautics Research & Development Taxation Entitlements Transportation & Infrastructure Astrogation Aerospace & Planetary Transportation Veteran’s Affairs