The National Weekly Atlasian

[opebo]

Where did Lewis go?

[Ebowed]

Where did Lewis go?

He's just on vacation.

[SPC]

A poll to see who won the District 2 Debate can be found here

[Hash]

I'd like to complain to the NWA since my question was not asked to the candidates.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I'd like to complain to the NWA since my question was not asked to the candidates.

CONSPIRACY

In all seriousness, I'd like to again thank the paper for sponsoring the debate

[SPC]

Commentary: Who won the District 2 Debate? The Fiscal Conservative.
by South Park Conservative

08 August 2007-Many of you may wonder who we at the National Weekly Atlasian feel won the District 2 Debate. In our minds, the winner of the debate was none other than fiscal conservatism. All four of the candidates stood up for the Atlasian taxpayer when they answered their questions. Mr. Moderate proposed a plan that would allow us to increase revenue without raising taxes. AndrewCT, while vague in his answers, stood up for lower taxes and less spending. Ernest and DWTL also defended fiscal conservatism by defending their support of tax cuts and free trade, respectively. But, of the four candidates, who do we feel defended fiscal conservatism the best? We at the National Weekly Atlasian would have to say that Mr. Moderate was the likely winner of the debate. His lottery plan would allow us to cut taxes while still increasing revenue, his health care plan would give Atlasians a choice regarding health care, and he stated that he would never raise taxes without seeing what we a currently spending money on. If you wish to tell us who won the debate, please take the survey that we provided above.


We at the National Weekly Atlasian would like to hold interviews with candidates in between debates. If you wish to participate in an interview, please PM editor-in-chief South Park Conservative and we will hold it. Thank you.

[Hash]

I'd like to complain to the NWA since my question was not asked to the candidates.

[SPC]

I'd like to complain to the NWA since my question was not asked to the candidates.

As was said at the top of the question submission thread, the questiosn asked were chosen by the maderator. We ran out of time to answer your question, so I am sorry.

[SPC]

Exclusive Interview with DWTL
by South Park Conservative

09 August 2007-Today, I held an interview with Senator DWTL. He is currently the incumbent in a four-way senate race. Here is a transcript of the interview:


SPC: You are up for reelection this month. What do you think about your reelection chances?

DWTL: Well, if you would have asked me about a month ago if I ever thought I would be re-elected, I would say no.  But even with my strong challengers I still believe in the district I am if I mobilize my base I have as good a chance as anyone to win this race.  However, what I am glad about in my race is the fact I would not be disappointed to see either Mr. Moderate or Ernest as my new senator, they both would do a wonderful job.

SPC: How do you think you did in the debate a couple days ago?

DWTL: Well, I have to disagree with the decision made by the paper and say I was the winner of the debate.  The simple fact is the other candidates talked about plans they have and wish to accomplish, I was able to tout the things I have actually accomplished and unpopular votes I have made in the name of fiscal conservatism like voting against the Darfur Divestment Bill.  However, my opponents performed well as well and as the paper stated fiscal conservatism was the real champion.

SPC: What is the most important issue currently facing you in the Senate right now?

DWTL: The most important issue facing the senate right now has to be forum affairs.  Nothing else we do in the senate has as big an impact on the game as forum affairs.  Sure its nice to pass things like legalizing drugs and tax cuts, but the things people really see at work and get them motivated are forum affairs.  That is why those issues have their own spot in the senate agenda and why it is important that we debate them.

SPC: Who do you think will win the Republican primary? You or AndrewCT?

DWTL: Either way if it is only the district or it is all Republicans my sense based on people I have talked to is that I will handily win the primary.  The Republican party is a rather conservative party which gives me an edge as well as the fact I am a more electable candidate given my opponents and my experience.  So far the only disapporval I've had on that front is Gporter telling me I wasn't nice and he probably won't vote for me.

SPC: If you could change one thing about your Senate tenure so far, what would it be?

DWTL: That's the easiest question you have asked all day.  I would not have engaged in some of the personal quarrels that happened earlier in my term.  They seemed to have created this negative stigma around me that is undeserved.  People like to point the finger and see I am ruining the senate, but record speaks to the contrary.  For example, I receive a lot mroe heat than Senator Rob who seems to skate by.  However, Rob is never there to debate, introduce legislation, or contribute anything but an extra vote however Ebowed voted.  I think the only reason for the dislike of me is the fact that I am an in your face person.  I just needed to learn to take it down a notch in the senate.

DWTL: Thanks again for your time and allowing this interview.

SPC: Thank you for coming to the interview.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Gporter will be very suprised to know that being from Tennessee, he couldn't even if he wanted to!

[DownWithTheLeft]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Gporter will be very suprised to know that being from Tennessee, he couldn't even if he wanted to!

I was referring to the Republican primary, which is supposed to be nationwide

[SPC]

Exclusive Interview with Mr. Moderate
by South Park Conservative

09 August 2007- Today, I held an interview with Senate candidate Mr. Moderate. He is one of the four candidates in the District 2 Senate race. Here is the transcript of the interview:


SPC: Why are you running for Senate?

MOD: If you'd excuse the cliché, because I think I can make a difference?  Because I want to be a champion of the people?  Because it's a great way to keep me from getting bored at work?

Look, there are a lot of good people in the Senate, but a huge chunk of those currently serving have been around since 2004, with the balance having been around since 2005.  Now, experience is certainly a terrific thing to have, but the Senate needs some new blood every now and then—imagine a U.S. Senate divided between 50 Senator Byrds and 50 Senator Thurmonds.

The Senate seems to have put forward quite an effort to get new people interested in Atlasia recently, and that's part of why I stepped up.  We need a bloc of veterans to keep the course steady, but we also need some fresh ideas to shake things up and keep things interesting.


SPC: How do you think you did in the debate a couple nights ago?

MOD: I think I put in a pretty strong performance.  I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to fit in answers to the last two questions before the debate ended and the thread was locked, but I think I got across a good idea of what my priorities are for the next Senate.

And as for my favorite cheeses, I'm unable to resist a fresh mozzarella (especially on Bruschetta—I'm an Italian boy at heart) or fresh grated parmesean (no Kraft, please).  And there's always a place in my kitchen for a little bit of Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle, which is amazing on top of fresh pasta or homemade pizza.  (A little bit of romano goes a long way.)

SPC: Which of your opponents do you have the most respect for?

MOD: You know, that's a tough question, because I have respect for all my opponents.  First of all, I think AndrewCT has a lot of potential as a rising star inside the Republican Party—he was just unlucky enough to draw an unprecedented number of strong opponents.  And I know Sen. DWTL gets a lot of hell (and in many cases, rightfully so) over the quality of his bills—I mean, just a few days ago, he sponsored an unconstitutional attempt to outlaw labor unions.  But he's also been incredibly responsive to his constituents, more so than most senators.  And he certainly adds a layer of unpredictability that makes the Senate interesting.

But to me, former Sen. Ernest stands out as a thoughtful legislator.  Now, we have our philosophical disagreements—I think the hallmark piece of legislation from the last Senate, the Carbon Tax Bill, is a disasterous, regressive timebomb that will cripple the lowest income bracket (and do little to curb pollution amongst the high income, Hummer driving set).  And I know he disagrees with my plans to put together a national lottery to benefit education and create a federal insurance pool for small business.

Still, while he hasn't shyed away from hiking taxes, he has done a heck of a lot to cut back a lot of unnecessary layers of government, and I respect that.  No matter what the outcome of this election, I hope we can work together to identify more wasteful spending, fix the tax code, and move this behemoth of a government forward towards a balanced budget.

SPC: A major part of your campaign is your health care plan. How would your plan be different than the current health care system?

MOD: Well, I know there are a lot of calls for a nationalized health care system right now, but before the Senate can even consider that, I strongly feel we need to get our fiscal house in order.  So my plan doesn't go anywhere near as far as that.  But it does expand the offer of health coverage to millions of Atlasians and Atlasian businesses at rates lower than they'd be able to get otherwise.

Approach the issue like you're a small business: you want to offer health care coverage to your employees, but a firm with just, say, three employees has virtually no bargaining power with an HMO or PPO.  Or worse yet, as an "independent contractor," someone who's self employed often has no options.

My plan takes the largest insurance program in the nation—that covering federal employees—and opens it up to small businesses through the SBA.  And best of all, the federal government will use its power as the largest insurance program in the nation to negotiate with these companies providing coverage and tell them, "look, we've got the potential to give you hundreds of thousands, even millions of new enrollees—let's see what kind of rate structure we can work out so we save money and you guys can make some."

Massachusetts had great success on a statewide level with negotiating lower rates for its citizens.  I think we can do something similar here in Atlasia.

Now, obviously, I don't expect a massive plunge in rates, but I expect to see some decrease—we won't know how much until we start the negotiation process.  But the great news is that because the government pays so much to insure its employees—we're talking tens of billions here—that even the most microscopic of rate cuts could save us hundreds of millions of dollars every year on the policies that the government is already paying for.

Small businesses win, their employees win, the government wins, and even the health insurance companies win to a point.  And the plan has a circuit breaker provision, which means that the financial risk to the government is essentially nil.

It's not a perfect solution, and it doesn't address all the problems with health care in the country, but it's a good start.

SPC: You got into a fight with Ernest over the Carbon Tax Act in the debate. Would you have a plan for reducing carbon emmisions, and, if so, what would it be?

MOD: Unfortunately, the 20th Senate was asleep at the switch on this one.  Sen. DWTL just rolled over for this thing, and the conservative bloc just stood by.  No one questioned the financial impact or asked how this would affect the average family in the debate thread—people just thought "oh, I'm for the environment, let's do this thing."

You know, like I said before, I respect Ernest, but I think he just got things very wrong in this bill.  It's not as if people living below the poverty line don't want to help the environment—if we could all afford to be driving hybrid cars, they'd be outselling their less-efficient counterparts by now.  But if a 1987 Oldsmobile is all you can afford, then a 1987 Oldsmobile is all you can afford, you know?  Making it more expensive to drive that Oldsmobile may help the environment by making it unaffordable for that family to drive, but without a car, how do they get to work?  How do they take their family to the park to enjoy that environment we're trying to protect?

I'm a huge opponent of regressive taxes, and that's what the carbon tax is.  A family that makes just $20,000 a year could wind up paying more than a family making $150,000 a year, just because the latter can afford a new natural gas water heater and a new Prius.  How is that fair?

I'd have preferred instead to see a very agressive push to raise CAFE standards for Detroit combined, perhaps, an environmental impact tax on new, non-hybrid SUV vehicles—with the proceeds dedicated toward new mass transit projects—to encourage a more environmentally friendly public sector.

A carbon tax makes a lot more sense on the industrial/commercial side, so I think we can work with that.  I would have preferred a carbon trading system, but with some slight modifications, a carbon tax could be the "next-best thing."  We should be taxing excessive CO2 pollution, not every single molecule.

In the meantime, I feel one of the most pressing issues facing the next Senate will be defusing the timebomb, at least as it applies to those already in rough financial shape.  Based on 6 billion tons of CO2 emissions in 2005, the treasury is going to see an influx of about $30 billion in the first year.  In the debate, Ernest seemed to indicate this would best be used to pay down the budget deficit, but that'd simply break the backs of the poor.

I would assume there aren't enough votes in the Senate to repeal the tax entirely, but I'm sure I can work with the Senate to return a large chunk of that $30 billion to the lower- and middle-class taxpayers who the Carbon Tax would absolutely cripple.  And that tax relief needs to be passed ASAP.

[SPC]

Post-Debate Poll Results
by South Park Conservative

09 August 2007-Here are the results of the post-debate poll:

1. Who won the District 2 Debate?
Mr Moderate 33% (3)
Ernest 11% (1)
DWTL 11% (1)
AndrewCT 44% (4)

2. Who lost the District 2 Debate?
Mr. Moderate 0% (0)
Ernest 22% (2)
DWTL 33% (3)
AndrewCT 44% (4)

These results would come to a similar conclusion that the editor of this newspaper did. If you were to subtract the totals of winning the debate from those of losing the debate, you get this:

Mr. Moderate: +33
Ernest: -11
DWTL: -22
AndrewCT: 0

Thus, it would seem that this poll would indicate that Mr. Moderate won the debate, as we had said. However, this poll would also indicate that Mr. Moderate was also the outright winner of the debate, with no other candidate having a positive score. Of course, this poll has a margin of error of 11%, but that even still wouldn't factor in Mr. Moderate's sucess. Also noteworthy from the poll is AndrewCT's divisiveness. Only one of the nine respondents surveyed put AndrewCT's debate performance at something other than first or last. This poll would also be bad news for incumbent DWTL. According to this poll, he lost the debate.

[Sam Spade]

I think you should rename your paper Atlasian Weekly.  I keep getting it confused with Colin's old outfit, the National Atlasian...

[SPC]

I think you should rename your paper Atlasian Weekly.  I keep getting it confused with Colin's old outfit, the National Atlasian...

Well, the only reason I names this National Weekly Atlasian is because I feared copyright infringement. Maybe I will rename it after our secret plan to buyout another news station is complete.

[AndrewTX]

Tremendous, it appears I both won, and lost the debate!  I'm so loved!...and hated!

[SPC]

Analysis on Senatorial Races
by South Park Conservative

16 August 2007- In our recent poll, we asked respondents who they were supporting in their senatorial races. Here are the results:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

This poll would indicate that the most vulnerable incumbents can be fond in Districts 1 and 2. However, it should be noted that in District 1, the amount of SLA members were underpolled, meaning that Senator EarlAW may not be in as bad shape as this poll portrays him to be.
   In District 2, it is clear that Mr. Moderate is the frontrunner, but this race will most likely have more than one round. While Mr. Moderate is favored to win, there is still a contest over who gets to face off against Mr. Moderate in the final round. Although Ernest, Senator DWTL, and AndrewCT are all tied in this poll, I would guess that AndrewCT will be the one who makes it to the final round, due to the amount of Republicans in District 2.
   District 3 is probably a tossup. This race is likely to be focused on two main issues: AIDS and poverty. Both incumbent PBrunsel and challenger Afleitch find there issues to be very important, bt they have different solutions for them. I give the slighest edge to PBrunsel, due to his popularity.
   Senator BrandonH is favored in District 4. Due to this District's bastion of conservatism, support of school choice, and high Life & Liberty Party membership, I find it hard to see the Jesus Christ Party's BaconKing pulling off an upset.
   District 5 should be the easiest, given that Senator Ebowed's sole opponent, King, dropped out of the race.

Here is my rankings of the Senate races, based on the probability that the incumbent wins reelection:
District 2 20%
District 1 40%
District 3 55%
District 4 65%
District 5 95%

[Bacon King]

woohoo! two votes!

[afleitch]

District 3 is probably a tossup. This race is likely to be focused on two main issues: AIDS and Africa. Both incumbent PBrunsel and challenger Afleitch find there issues to be very important, bt they have different solutions for them. I give the slighest edge to PBrunsel, due to his popularity.

I beg to differ.

AIDS is an important issue, but the other main issue is poverty. The difference being I am concentrating on poverty in Atlasia, not Africa.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

   In District 2, it is clear that Mr. Moderate is the frontrunner, but this race will most likely have more than one round. While Mr. Moderate is favored to win, there is still a contest over who gets to face off against Mr. Moderate in the final round. Although Ernest, Senator DWTL, and AndrewCT are all tied in this poll, I would guess that AndrewCT will be the one who makes it to the final round, due to the amount of Republicans in District 2.

I wouldn't have guessed so from the outset, but two consecutive polls kinda have shown that AndrewCT is in a great position by default.  (Even though Ernest, DWTL, and myself have all been outworking him.)

[SPC]

   In District 2, it is clear that Mr. Moderate is the frontrunner, but this race will most likely have more than one round. While Mr. Moderate is favored to win, there is still a contest over who gets to face off against Mr. Moderate in the final round. Although Ernest, Senator DWTL, and AndrewCT are all tied in this poll, I would guess that AndrewCT will be the one who makes it to the final round, due to the amount of Republicans in District 2.

I wouldn't have guessed so from the outset, but two consecutive polls kinda have shown that AndrewCT is in a great position by default.  (Even though Ernest, DWTL, and myself have all been outworking him.)

It's also pretty ironic, considering that I initially thought it would come down to Ernest and DWTL.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

    In District 2, it is clear that Mr. Moderate is the frontrunner, but this race will most likely have more than one round. While Mr. Moderate is favored to win, there is still a contest over who gets to face off against Mr. Moderate in the final round. Although Ernest, Senator DWTL, and AndrewCT are all tied in this poll, I would guess that AndrewCT will be the one who makes it to the final round, due to the amount of Republicans in District 2.

I wouldn't have guessed so from the outset, but two consecutive polls kinda have shown that AndrewCT is in a great position by default.  (Even though Ernest, DWTL, and myself have all been outworking him.)

It's also pretty ironic, considering that I initially thought it would come down to Ernest and DWTL.

Ah, the power of hard work and ideas!

[DownWithTheLeft]

   In District 2, it is clear that Mr. Moderate is the frontrunner, but this race will most likely have more than one round. While Mr. Moderate is favored to win, there is still a contest over who gets to face off against Mr. Moderate in the final round. Although Ernest, Senator DWTL, and AndrewCT are all tied in this poll, I would guess that AndrewCT will be the one who makes it to the final round, due to the amount of Republicans in District 2.

I wouldn't have guessed so from the outset, but two consecutive polls kinda have shown that AndrewCT is in a great position by default.  (Even though Ernest, DWTL, and myself have all been outworking him.)

It's also pretty ironic, considering that I initially thought it would come down to Ernest and DWTL.

SPC, all that suggests is what I presumed in the first place, it will come down to myself and Mr. Moderate, I think you need to dig deeper and find out who the Republicans are supporting in the race.

[bullmoose88]

ABDWTL

[SPC]

ABDWTL

?