Property Tax is Established!

Citizens of Room 27 Vote for More Taxes, Bank Bailouts

by Mr. DeMaris

     Today, a majority of class legislators passed a law creating new taxes to pay off government debt incurred by bailing out the failed First Blue Bank of the Helen S. Dunn School.  The institution, which had lent more money than it could afford, shut down when student concerns about access to money led to a run on the bank that drained its funds.  After several days without access to their bank accounts, and unable to do anything but watch their income swallowed by massive debt, students agreed that their comfort and security was more important than immediate fiscal responsibility, and proposed new legislation authorizing the Government of Room 27 to bail out the bank in return for higher taxes to pay off that investment.

     As a result, government officials have imposed a property tax on each individual in the classroom.  Students must now pay for the right to sit in their chair and use their desk, even though that chair and desk has been theirs since the beginning of the school year.  Many students expressed dissatisfaction with this decision, but their voices were overwhelmed by the majority, who insist that it is a worthwhile trade.

     We must wait to see what the long-term impacts of this decision will be.

New Tax Established

Income Tax Begins in Room 27

by Mr. DeMaris

     A controversial bill was passed today by the legislature of Room 27, and signed into law by Mr. DeMaris.  Law 18 establishes a 5% income tax on all classroom paychecks to provide compensation for the creation of new jobs in the room.

     In an effort to maintain fiscal responsibility and keep the government from sliding into debt, Legislators Hunter, Jayton, Kyle, and Chris pushed for the development of this new tax to prevent the ballooning prices of candy and other necessities in the classroom store.  By agreeing to this law, Hunter says, you can make sure the room stays clean and people still get to work.

     Others, however, take a different view of the matter.  Greg believes that any income tax is a bad idea, and money earned should go into the worker's pocket, not to the government.  "I'm not signing that," he said.

     Still, the majority of the class agree that this new law will help boost the economy by building up new economic opportunities for those currently unemployed.  Says Hunter, who just got his first job today, "If you pay me well, I'll want to keep working."  And that, in this reporter's opinion, is good for everyone.  Whether or not this optimism will play out in the long run, we will simply have to wait and see.

Does Anybody Really Win?

Courtroom Drama Concludes with Moderate Decision
by Mr. DeMaris
Tuesday, March 4, 2014

     After the outrage over the scam perpetrated by four citizen of Room 27 last week, today's court decision left many people dissatisfied, but many parties on both sides seemed content with the ruling.  The arguments for and against the legality and ethics of the scheme took over an hour, and after deliberating for more than half an hour, the court handed down a decision that neither party should have the money involved.

     In an unexpected ruling, the court dismissed the charges of misusing study hall time, disrespecting opinions, and causing outbursts leveled by the prosecution against the defendants.  According to the law as it stands, causing outbursts is not illegal, but participating therein may be; the court chose not to press charges against the class as a whole for the outburst they created after discovering the effects of the plot.  The court agreed, to an extent, with the defense's argument that the law stating "Everyone is responsible for their own materials" (Article IV, Section 6) means individuals are responsible for their own money, not just classwork, but extended that to apply to the defendants as well.  Just as the plaintiffs should have been more careful with their signatures, so too the defendants should have been more responsible with their clever plans.  Thanks to the charges of bullying leveled under Law 8, the official definition of bullying was established as "to use intimidating, disturbing, or superior language or behavior to disrupt another person's composure."  The court struggled to decide whether or not the inherently deceptive practices of the four conspirators constituted bullying, but certainly agreed that it was unethical.

     In sum, the real victim was the classroom order, and the true perpetrator was Kyle, who masterminded the plot and used his position as notary to build confidence in his victims.  Therefore, the court decided to take back the $212 in question from the conspirators and place it, instead, in the party fund, where it could benefit the class as a whole.  Scarlet, who admitted to bullying behavior while under oath, was given a $10 fine.  In addition, the court leveled $80 in fines to numerous people in the room for distracting and speaking out of turn during the proceedings.

     It is the opinion of this reporter that the real winner in this case was the government of Room 27, which built up more power with its new laws making fine print in the classroom illegal (see here for the current laws), and took $90 from the citizens.  Hopefully, this will serve as a deterrent for future conspiracies, but for right now it has only broken the trust of some citizens in the lawmaking ability of the notary and his allies.

Court Date Set

Fortune on the Line as Court Date Looms
by Mr. DeMaris
Monday, March 3, 2014

     The four men responsible for the recent financial tsunami in Room 27 are going to court tomorrow, March 4, 2014, on charges of theft, misrepresentation, and unethical conduct, among others.  Kyle, Hunter, Jayton, and Chris will defend themselves, as they have not secured a lawyer; Kyle will stand as their representative.  Scarlet has offered to represent the prosecution; her solid track record suggests she may do well.

     The results of the case will be published soon.

Newsflash! Scam, Scheme, or Success?

Scam or Success?  Four Local Men Successfully Amass a Fortune

by Mr. DeMaris
Thursday, February 27, 2014

     A shockwave blasted through Room 27's financial department on Thursday, carrying with it the amassed fortunes of the richest citizens in the room.  Local notary Kyle, along with co-conspirators Jayton, Hunter, and Chris, successfully took over $200 from the pockets of their classmates and deposited it squarely into their bank accounts.

     "It was mostly my idea," admits Kyle, the Notary Public for Room 27.  "It worked out pretty well, too."

     Several days ago, in what this reporter assumes was a dry run of this latest and greatest scheme, Kyle and Jayton successfully tricked several classmates into paying for candy.  Hiding behind his authority as Notary, and playing off the greed, ambition, hopes, and dreams of his classmates, Kyle drafted a contract promising a "chance" to win a math homework pass, with only one promised winner.

First Blue Bank of the Helen S Dunn School

     The First Blue Bank of the Helen S Dunn School is now in operation! Thanks to an amendment to the Class Constitution, available here, the teacher now has the ability to create and maintain a class bank, where students can earn blue bucks for their on-time homework, and can get a sense of how money operates in the real world. As of right now, students earn a base pay of $1.00 per on-time assignment, and a base fee of $1.00 per late or missing assignment.

First Blue Bank of the Helen S Dunn School

“Your money is safe with us.”

Hours of Operation, Room 27 Branch:

            Monday          7:30 AM         -           8:00 AM

                                    1:00 PM         -           1:30 PM

            Tuesday          7:30 AM         -           8:00 AM

                                    9:30 AM         -           9:59 AM

            Wednesday    7:30 AM         -           8:00 AM

                                    12:00 PM       -           1:00 PM

            Thursday        7:30 AM         -           8:00 AM

                                    9:30 AM         -           9:59 AM

            Friday             7:30 AM         -           8:00 AM

                                    12:00 PM       -           12:30 PM

Constitutional Justification:

“The teacher shall have the power to coin or print money; regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin or money; fix the standard of weights and measures; and establish and operate banks.  The teacher shall also have the power to provide compensation for work done by students, and the power to lay and collect taxes, fines, and fees.  All taxes, fines, fees, and compensation will be uniform throughout the class.”

Client Rights:

1.     Clients may engage in banking during regular hours of operation, or “banking hours.”

2.     Clients have full access to the funds in their accounts (“money”) during banking hours, and may withdraw or deposit money as they see fit.

3.     Clients have the right to know for what purposes their moneys are being spent.

Bank Rights:

1.     The First Blue Bank of the Helen S Dunn School (“bank” or “the bank”) has the right to restrict client access to banking hours.

2.     The bank may provide interest-bearing accounts, and has the right to regulate interest levels as it sees fit.

3.     Deposit accounts will receive no interest.

4.     The bank may charge clients with reasonable fines for overdrawing on their accounts,

5.     The bank reserves the right to invest in whatever businesses, ventures, or institutions it deems worthy of investment.

6.     The bank may update this list of rights after due notice to its clients.

The Law of the Land

     Today, the eighth grade passed an amendment allowing them to create laws instead of just amendments to the Constitution!  Click here to read the class Constitution.  This means that they can create rules and regulations with only a majority of present votes, not a full 3/4 of the class.  As their laws develop, I will update this page to reflect the current law code.


Law 1:  No one may be made fun of based on their external features, unless permitted by the victim.
     Passed 7-5, October 22, 2013.

Law 2:  The 8th Graders are able, with our Rory bucks, to buy homework passes for around 35-40 dollars.
     Passed 13-0, November 18, 2013.

Law 3:  The majority of our eighth grade class agree to create the law that we have a separate savings account for buying a party at $601.  Each student may donate his or her own dollars to pay for the party at their own minimum or maximum.  No one may take back money donated for the party.
     Passed 12-0, November 19, 2013.

Law 4:  If a student is to steal any amount of Rory dollars, the thief shall give the money back along with four (4) extra Rory dollars.
     Passed 13-1, November 21, 2013

Law 5:  If any crimes shall be committed in or out of class, such as theft, stop and think, or greater, there will be a record kept in that person's name and the teacher can deny them jobs.
     Passed 11-3, November 21, 2013

Law 6:  Any and all thievery will be punishable by up to $5 Rory cash.  The thief must pay said amount to the victim, but may not exceed $5.  The victim may also decide not to fine the thief.
     Passed 8-5, November 21, 2013

Law 7:  All jobs will be established by the banker.  Minimum wage for the classroom will be $1 weekly.  The maximum wage will be chosen by the banker.
     Passed 14-0, November 22, 2013

Law 8:  Any and all bullying will not be tolerated, including insults and rude remarks; they may be punishable by fine or stop and think.  If someone is to be sued for bullying, the defendant may choose the amount due for the severity, but it may not exceed $10.
     Passed 8-6, December 3, 2013

Law 9:  Students can be sued for turning off others' laptops without their permission.  The maximum shall be $6.
     Passed 12-2, December 3, 2013

Law 10:  Students can deposit money at any time, but have to wait for bank openings for withdrawals.
     Passed 15-0, December 4, 2013

Law 11:  Students get one piece of free candy per day.
     Passed 16-0, December 10, 2013 - Veto overridden by total vote

Law 12:  Students may make contracts with other students.  The contract may only include a deal with Rory dollars (ex. borrowing money).  The contract has to have the signatures notarized.  If the contract is broken the lawsuit is optional.
     Passed 13-0, January 30, 2014

Law 13:  If Mr. DeMaris is corrected on a mistake, the banker must pay $2 - $5 to the party fund.  The amount will be decided by the severity of his mistake.  Any ELA mistakes he makes, such as grammar, spelling, etc., will immediately be $5 because he is the ELA teacher.
     Passed 12-3, February 24, 2014

Law 14:  For Mr. DeMaris' mistakes, all ELA mistakes will be $5 and any others will be $2 to the party fund.
     Passed 9-6, February 24, 2014

Law 15:  No fine print will be legal in our classroom.
     Passed 8-7, March 4, 2014

Law 16:  If the class has a good week, Mr. DeMaris puts $5 into the party fund.  By a good week, we mean a good majority of us behave well.
     Passed 8-7, March 4, 2014

Law 17:  The eighth grade class is able to sue others for violence for up to $10.
     Passed 13-3, March 20, 2014

Law 18:  In Room 27 a 5% job tax shall be deducted from all paychecks.  Income tax returns can happen at the end of each month.
     Passed 10-5, May 2, 2014

Law 19:  The minimum wage shall be moved from one dollar to three dollars per week.
     Passed 8-7, May 2, 2014

Law 20:  There shall be a new job that cleans the desks and refills the Germ-X bottle, and it will have the responsibility to clean off all objects on the desk and tops of shelves, and clean them with Germ-X.
     Passed 8-7, May 2, 2014

Law 21:  The government has permission to bail the bank out, resulting in new taxes.
     Passed 8-6, May 12, 2014