I believe this may be a good time for me to delurk for good. I have been following this thread from the start, may as well start participating.
You know, I don't believe that the votes for both issues should have to be cast separately, especially since both decisions are related. There's actually 6 possible outcomes here so, for instance, this should probably be made a possible legal vote:
CA
BB
CB
BA
AB
AA
Also, I hope I'm not out of order if I say that's my vote. The reform is badly needed, or in the long term the Venerable Respublica risks falling behind both technologically and economically, and that only helps the xeno. On the other hand too broad a reform at once WILL anger the zealous Marianites, possibly leading to utter collapse (and it's not like good intentions haven't lead to a catastrophically crippled the Codexian goverment before). Actually, any reform would probably do that, but there's a variable degree to that. Sacrificing short term gain for long term is all well and good, unless it kills you, so we should probably hold back on total reform right now. Lets have a look at those options:
BB - The reintegrated commos have started getting a proper economy going in the Respublica. So long as we don't kill that outright, the option to make a total reform should still be available at a later date. On the other hand, this opportunity to get a bit of tolerance back into the society is pretty unique. Also, AIs. Stomping down on the remnants of FAITH would probably involve destroying the last remaining ones for good (unless that already happened, we could use a word on that). Predicted backslash against the state - moderate to high, but we should be able to handle that. It's already something of a gamble, but it could pay off very much.
CA - This is the other "limited sweeping reform" option. Reforming the economy is also ultimately a neccesity, but like I said before, it should still be possible at a later date, so it's a lower priority. Still, if it were to be done now, it probably shouldn't be coupled with an extreme social change, as the support toward the emerging middle class will be seen as betreyal by the zealous Marianites. Predicted backslash against the state against the state - similar to BB.
CB - This is the real gambler option. Both the risks and potential rewards are very high. Predicted backslash against the state - ridiculous, we may not be able to handle it, but if it does it would probably be worth it.
BA - The "small, incremental reform" option. It's much safer than the previous ones, but obviously also leads to smaller potential rewards. Predicted backslash against the state - low to moderate.
AA - The "preserve the status quo" option. While there would be backslash from the emerging middle class, it would most likely be smaller than the one from the zealous, and ultimately it would lead to greater stability - at the cost of the technology and the economy. Basically, we'd be using our time to make sure things don't actually get better (or worse). Predicted backslash against the state - low.
AB - This one is just schisophrenic. Here we're both showing the general populace how to deal with those not strictly conforming to the current Marianite ideal, AND we'd be letting such people into our society without the state doing anything about it. The internal stability would be shot to hell. Predicted backslash against the state - moderate.
On the other hand, if this mode of voting is illegal, my vote is:
1: BCA
2: BA
EDIT: Flip flop.
1: CBA
2: AB