A citizen starts off with an idea. He/she goes to the Poll Booth to post their idea in a petition. Other citizens read, maybe discuss, and then vote on the petition. If a petition gets at least 125 votes, it becomes an actual Poll and goes into the official vote box. This time, citizens go to the vote box to decide on this and other petitions that became Polls. The Polls with the most votes will be taken into consideration by City Hall, and may even affect Whyville.

Of course this is a great idea, but nowadays, are the petitions really worth it?

Recently, I came to City Hall to look at some of the current petitions. The petition sheet has a looong line of people who would like to change Whyville in some particular way. Sure, there are some very good petitions here and there, but almost half of them are just... well, see for yourself.

Today I want to show you some common petitions that just shouldn't be on the petition sheet. What have we got?

1,000 Clams a Day! -- Yes, yes... This is our most common petition. Of course, everyone here wants some fast cash, but did you??ever look at the facts? Here are some things you may want to consider before voting for or posting a petition like this:

Sure, everyone wants to get into Club Why. A great place, you can organize parties, get a special card, and even have a special chat room which only members can chat in. But if everyone joined Club Why, what would be the point in having a special club? Another reason that 1,000 clams a day is just too much: If everyone got this much money every day, everyone could afford anything, and you couldn't learn the true value of saving up those clams to get that oh-so-pretty shirt you've been wanting all month. If you would like to raise your salary, why not try some of the games?

Please don't post this petition, because City Hall will NOT grant it.?? Ever.

Expiring Parts!!! -- This is another common petition. Actually, I do agree (*gasp!*), it would be nice if parts didn't??expire... but do you even know why they started expiring in the first place? It's because the parts took up SO much space on the servers, that there was no place to put them! Parts expire to save room on Whyville. These petitions might someday be taken into consideration if Whyville gets a LOT more space, but until that time, why not get a Why-Pass to help matters?

1,000 Clams To First 20 People Who Sign! -- You can be sure that this petition will NOT be taken into consideration, because this was not a true vote -- people only voted for the clams!?? Editor's Note: And who ever actually gives out clams or has been given clams for such a waste-of-space petition?

Open The Mall!!! -- Of COURSE everyone wants the mall to open, but it's not opening.... *Sigh*, you're thinking. How long have I waited for the mall to open? And all they have is a food court! Well, be patient, my friend! You can be sure that the Whyville workers ARE working on the mall, and it should be updated pretty soon.?? New petitions probably won't make it go any faster.

Akbar On Vacation! -- Yup, Akbar, the lazy bum! On vacation again! The only reason this happens is because of you guys! Yes, you! So many people are making face parts that Akbar has to close for a while to actually LOOK at the parts people have made.

Swearing Should Be Allowed! -- What?! It is NOT acceptable to swear! Web site or real life!

City Hall Messages Won't Go Away! -- Actually, I've posted this petition myself before I found out why these messages won't go away. First of all, you CAN delete them, but they go into another box. Second -- these messages are like your bank statements, like documents that prove that something has been done, like clams sent, or a face part received. Don't worry! Each one will go away by itself after 30 days.

Disco For Everyone! -- Tired of waiting for the Disco to open? Yes, so is everyone else that isn't in Club Why! The disco is a great place for "friends only." It's a great opportunity to meet all your friends at once! So, if you want to be able to go to the disco DURING parties, why not get into Club Why and organize one?

We Need A Church for Weddings! -- Well, I'm not sure if City Hall approves of this, but I'm sure parents wouldn't! I'm against Virtual Dating, but of course, that's up to you. To find out more about Virtual Dating, check out XKaileeX 's article in this week's Times.

Get Rid of Noobs! -- I was absolutely SHOCKED when I saw this petition! This is HORRIBLE! To all you "old" Whyvillians out there, remember you were a newbie once, too! Don't you remember how this felt? How would you know about these "noobs" without even talking to them? They may be wonderful people! Do not be prejudiced, and DO NOT POST THIS PETITION!

More Plots! -- Trust me, Whyville is working on this. Plots take up a lot of space, so if you don't know when to get plots, try Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. This is when new plots are available.

These are just some of the petitions that should not be on the sheet. If you see a petition like this, try Why-Mailing this person.?? If you see something that's really terrible, as in it's offensive sexually or racially or something like that, you can use the tool on the petition sheet to 911 report it.

Now, on a positive note, why not try to make a petition of your own? There are many ideas out there, and yours just might be the one that works!

Good luck!

doggie316