The National Weekly Atlasian

[afleitch]

I still have questions of the scores' validity.

I still have questions over yours

Could you respond to what I've asked? You've rated PBrunsel against other Senators and you've endorsed him based on that rating, yet you've not rated his opponent in that race. Considering that you are endorsing candidates over other candidates, and not over other Senators, then the system on which you have based senate race endorsements is flawed.

This isn't a 'sour grapes' thing, if I rank below PBrunsel then fine, I've been rated below other candidates in endorsments in the past but I was never ranked (and then a comparison made) in the first place and the same may be true of other candidates in other races.

[SPC]

I still have questions of the scores' validity.

I still have questions over yours

Could you respond to what I've asked? You've rated PBrunsel against other Senators and you've endorsed him based on that rating, yet you've not rated his opponent in that race. Considering that you are endorsing candidates over other candidates, and not over other Senators, then the system on which you have based senate race endorsements is flawed.

This isn't a 'sour grapes' thing, if I rank below PBrunsel then fine, I've been rated below other candidates in endorsments in the past but I was never ranked (and then a comparison made) in the first place and the same may be true of other candidates in other races.

Well, the endorsements were not entirely made in correlation with the candidates' scores, For example, the National Weekly Atlasian was prepaed to endorse Ernest before he was appointed SoEA despite DWTL's high ratings. No offense intended, the free-market solutions on poverty, AIDS, and school choice proposed by PBrunsel sounded better to us than your solutions. I respect your criticism, however, and feel it is good for any society to be critical of the press.

[afleitch]

Well, the endorsements were not entirely made in correlation with the candidates' scores,

You should have made that clear in the report- afterall you did say It is with these report cards that the National Weekly Atlasian delivers their endorsements:

No offense intended, the free-market solutions on poverty, AIDS, and school choice proposed by PBrunsel sounded better to us than your solutions.

If you want 'free market' solutions to poverty then surely my tax cut proposals for individuals and small businesses as opposed to increases in welfare should strike a chord should it not? And I'm also in support of school vouchers in principle but wont back it till I see what's in the bill. And my HIV/AIDS policy is pretty much the same as the policy under the UK's Conservative/Thatcher administration of the late 80's. I hold free market positions on all three points you've just made

If your support for PBrunsel is simply personal then come out and say so.

[SPC]

Well, the endorsements were not entirely made in correlation with the candidates' scores,

You should have made that clear in the report- afterall you did say It is with these report cards that the National Weekly Atlasian delivers their endorsements:

No offense intended, the free-market solutions on poverty, AIDS, and school choice proposed by PBrunsel sounded better to us than your solutions.

If you want 'free market' solutions to poverty then surely my tax cut proposals for individuals and small businesses as opposed to increases in welfare should strike a chord should it not? And I'm also in support of school vouchers in principle but wont back it till I see what's in the bill. And my HIV/AIDS policy is pretty much the same as the policy under the UK's Conservative/Thatcher administration of the late 80's. I hold free market positions on all three points you've just made

If your support for PBrunsel is simply personal then come out and say so.

My endorsement of PBrunsel is nothing against you personally. I simply agree more with PBrunsel than with you. Like I said before, you cynicism of the media is appreciated, and you would be more than welcome to become a writer for the National Weekly Atlasian.

[afleitch]

Just for the record this wasn't personal I was simply standing my ground on the campaign Your readers will now know your endorsements were partially based on personal preference  and that as a rsult, the article I took objection to was in fact 'dodgy journalism'.

Now if only we had a press complaints authority.....

[SPC]

Another Withdrawal in District 2
by South Park Conservative

23 August 2007 - The night before the election, Senator DWTL unofficially withdrew from the senatorial race. He had run a lackluster campaign form the start, and the four-way race only decreased his chances.
   Interesting about the withdrawal, DWTL decided to endorse frontrunner Mr. Moderate rather than fellow Republican AndrewCT. This may be due to AndrewCT's primary opposition to DWTL.
   With that said, DWTL and Ernest's withdrawal makes it almost certain that this race is Mr. Moderate's to lose. Given how well Mr. Moderate has done in recent polling, a defeat in tomorrow's elections would be devastating to his political career.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

With that said, DWTL and Ernest's withdrawal makes it almost certain that this race is Mr. Moderate's to lose. Given how well Mr. Moderate has done in recent polling, a defeat in tomorrow's elections would be devastating to his political career.

Lord, no pressure though.

[SPC]

Commentary: "Pro-Life" Caucus Not Very Pro-Life?
by South Park Conservative

24 August 2007 - Over the last few days Ebowed and I have gotten into a feud over the former's "pro-life" caucus, and whether it actually stood for pro-life principles. Here is the caucus's official platform:

Welcome!  Today I am announcing the formation of the Pro-Life Caucus.  Our main objective is to support goals that protect and nurture a culture of life in Atlasia.  Our goals are as follows:
1.) Universal Health Care:  It is a moral imperative that every Atlasian, young or old, poor or rich, has equal access to the finest quality of health care.  We support a not-for-profit system where all health services will be covered, including preventative treatment.
2.) Open Borders:  We support the right of anyone who seeks a better life for themselves and their family to join Atlasia free of the hurdles and hassles of the bureaucratic immigration process.  We oppose deporting undocumented immigrants and object to the idea that any human being is "illegal."
3.) Culture of Executions:  The use of capital punishment on criminals guilty of certain crimes is nothing less than a moral travesty.  We will seek the complete abolition, in every Region, of the death penalty for every crime.
4.) Life-Saving Abortions:  We will support the right of a pregnant woman whose life or health is threatened by her pregnancy to seek an abortion, if she so wishes.
5.) Fair Treatment:  Any person, suspected or convicted of being a threat to Atlasian interests in some way, deserves the respect and dignity of anyone else, including the right not to be tortured.
6.) Rational Response to Epidemics:  The HIV/AIDS crisis calls for us to support condom distribution programs, to decrease the rates of sexually transmitted infections among sexually active persons, and needle exchange programs, to decrease the rates of HIV and Hepatitis B infections among intravenous drug users.
7.) Life-Saving Research:  We support government funding of scientific and medical research in order to help aid our understanding of life-threatening diseases and to develop cures for them.
8.) Preserving Our Planet:  The Pro-Life Caucus supports measures designed to protect the environment and its inhabitants from destruction by humans.  We support efforts to combat human-caused global warming including the carbon tax, the phase-out of incandescant light bulbs, and measures to encourage use of energy-efficient technologies.

   The first plank isn't pro-life at all. Rather than allow people who can afford quality health care to purchase it, this plank would require that everyone have government-run health care. Considering ow the government handled hurricane relief two years ago, I doubt the government would run health care any better.   
   The second plank seems to ignore the issue of illegal immigrants receiving taxpayer-funded benefits. It is easy to be "pro-life" at someone else's expense.
   The fourth plank would seem unnecesary, as nobody in their right mind would prevent a woman from getting an abortion if she would die otherwise. If this was Ebowed's true intent, to only provide abortions to woman with health risks, he could have also put opposing murder in his plank as well. I suspect that this plank is just a codeword for abortions on demand, not a very pro-life position.
   The sixth and seventh planks are nothing more than subsidies for special interests at the taxypayers' expense. Imagine if that individual taxpayer's money would have otherwise been used to purchase a life-saving operation.
   The eighth plank seems to be big-government solutions to protecting our environment, while completely ignoring the Tragedy of the Commons and the most obvious two-word solution to pretecting the environment: property rights.
   The third and fifth planks seem to be he only genuinely pro-life positions. However, with only 25% of the "Pro-Life" Caucus's positions being actually pro-life¹, this organization would seem to be more of an organization promoting socialism than a truly pro-life caucus.

¹ Not to mention the fact that the caucus's founder, Ebowed, was the only senator to vote for going to war against America.

[Ebowed]

Considering ow the government handled hurricane relief two years ago, I doubt the government would run health care any better.

The Atlasian government handled Katrina better than the real-life U.S. government did.

Imagine if that individual taxpayer's money would have otherwise been used to purchase a life-saving operation.

Oh yeah, the 2 cents of someone's taxes towards saving someone from using an HIV-infected needle will really help them pay for that heart bypass surgery.

No one should have to "purchase" a life-saving operation, in any event.

Not to mention the fact that the caucus's founder, Ebowed, was the only senator to vote for going to war against America.[/tt]

This is so intellectually dishonest.

Sam Spade introduced the amendment to include an invasion, to which Sens. Spade, DWDL, Brandon H, Phil, and PBrunsel voted in favor.  Sens. Ebowed, Rob, Lewis, and Al against.

I, Senator Ebowed, introduced an amendment to remove a declaration of war from the resolution.  I was the only vote in favor.  [Other liberals were absent]  Sens. Spade, EarlAW, Brandon H, and DWDL voted Nay.

I was also one of only two votes against cloture on the final version which included an invasion.

My vote in favor of the final, mishandled version, as I have already explained, was entirely symbollic.

[SPC]

Imagine if that individual taxpayer's money would have otherwise been used to purchase a life-saving operation.

Oh yeah, the 2 cents of someone's taxes towards saving someone from using an HIV-infected needle will really help them pay for that heart bypass surgery.

No one should have to "purchase" a life-saving operation, in any event.

Well, they should have the option to purchase a life-sacing operation if they want to insure high-quality. Though we would all life to live in a world where everything was fre, the truth is that economics doesn't work that way and that an economic incentive is usually necessary to insure higher quality.

[Ebowed]

Well, they should have the option to purchase a life-sacing operation if they want to insure high-quality.

They have that option at the expense of other people being denied access to essential medical care on the basis of economic status.

[SPC]

Well, they should have the option to purchase a life-sacing operation if they want to insure high-quality.

They have that option at the expense of other people being denied access to essential medical care on the basis of economic status.

Well, if medical insurance didn't cover everything and it wasn't government funded, the prices would be lower. And even if theycouldn't afford it then, the person could always go to a charity hospital.

[SPC]

UPDATE: Senators EarlAW, BrandonH, and Ebowed have been reelected. Mr. Moderate won Senator DWTL's seat and District 3 is headed to a run-off.

[HappyWarrior]

This is an invitation to a press conference being held by Mideast Gubernatorial candidate HappyWarrior.  I will be open to questions.  I would be pleased if someone could come as representation from you're paper.  Thank you and I hope I see you in attendence.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

UPDATE: Senators EarlAW, BrandonH, and Ebowed have been reelected. Mr. Moderate won Senator DWTL's seat, and District 3 is too close to call.

No offense, but isn't a bit premature to call races before the polls close?

[SPC]

UPDATE: Senators EarlAW, BrandonH, and Ebowed have been reelected. Mr. Moderate won Senator DWTL's seat, and District 3 is too close to call.

No offense, but isn't a bit premature to call races before the polls close?

Well, given the way the votes are going, it seems impossible for EarlAW, you, BrandonH, or Ebowed to lose.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

UPDATE: Senators EarlAW, BrandonH, and Ebowed have been reelected. Mr. Moderate won Senator DWTL's seat, and District 3 is too close to call.

No offense, but isn't a bit premature to call races before the polls close?

Well, given the way the votes are going, it seems impossible for EarlAW, you, BrandonH, or Ebowed to lose.

Traditionally, the Dilfer voters are usually the last to show up at the polls.

[SPC]

Mr. Moderate, EarlAW claim victory; District 3 Headed to Runoff
by South Park Conservative

27 August 2007 - Well, the elections finally happened, and the results surprised many. EarlAW pulled an upset against Verily in District 1, and Mr. Moderate won District 2, as expected. Ebowed and BrandonH both won reelection in their respective districts, to the surprise of no one.
   Perhaps the most interesting senate election of this cycle was the Battle of the Former Presidents in District 3. Whie PBrunsel was thought to be favored to win reelection, as the results came in, it appeared as though Aflietch would win an upset. Due to a last-minute vote by Governor ilikeverin, the end result was a tie, that would be headed to a run-off next weekend.
   Whoever wins the run-off next weekend, this election signifies a significant leftward trend in Atlasia. As of this election, the current makeup of the senate is 5-5, with onservatives and liberals having equal control in the Senate. However, the results of the elections will have the Senate makeup being 6-3, with an additional vote going for whoever wins the runoff.

[afleitch]

If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority, allowing some of Senator Ebowed's extremer proposals, such as illegalizing lightbulbs and providing socialized health care, to pass.

Oh what a load of crap. Seriously, I've had enough of this. I'm not a member of any bloc, I've certainly not ran as a liberal and for somneone who organised the District 3 debate you don't seem to have read a bloody word of anything I had to say!

I embarrased this rag before and I'm prepared to do it again. Point out where I said I would support socialised healthcare or 'extreme' proposals.

-composure-

[SPC]

If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority, allowing some of Senator Ebowed's extremer proposals, such as illegalizing lightbulbs and providing socialized health care, to pass.

Oh what a load of crap. Seriously, I've had enough of this. I'm not a member of any bloc, I've certainly not ran as a liberal and for somneone who organised the District 3 debate you don't seem to have read a bloody word of anything I had to say!

I embarrased this rag before and I'm prepared to do it again. Point out where I said I would support socialised healthcare or 'extreme' proposals.

-composure-

I'm sorry about that. However, the liberal bloc would still have a 6-3-1 majority, no matter which way you vote.

[Hash]

If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority, allowing some of Senator Ebowed's extremer proposals, such as illegalizing lightbulbs and providing socialized health care, to pass.

Oh what a load of crap. Seriously, I've had enough of this. I'm not a member of any bloc, I've certainly not ran as a liberal and for somneone who organised the District 3 debate you don't seem to have read a bloody word of anything I had to say!

I embarrased this rag before and I'm prepared to do it again. Point out where I said I would support socialised healthcare or 'extreme' proposals.

-composure-

[afleitch]

If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority, allowing some of Senator Ebowed's extremer proposals, such as illegalizing lightbulbs and providing socialized health care, to pass.

Oh what a load of crap. Seriously, I've had enough of this. I'm not a member of any bloc, I've certainly not ran as a liberal and for somneone who organised the District 3 debate you don't seem to have read a bloody word of anything I had to say!

I embarrased this rag before and I'm prepared to do it again. Point out where I said I would support socialised healthcare or 'extreme' proposals.

-composure-

I'm sorry about that. However, the liberal bloc would still have a 6-3-1 majority, no matter which way you vote.

Then why say it? You said - 'If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority' when if I don't win it still has a majority? By association you made it appear that I would be part of a liberal bloc that would vote in favour of the measures you outlined. I'm asking you for a retraction.

[SPC]

National Weekly Atlasian Complaints Center

Due to some complaints that former President and Senate candidate Aflietch has made against our newspaper, we have decided to open a press complaints center. We at the National Weekly Atlasian apoligize to President Aflietch for some mistakes we have made in our articles, and would like to point out that, as we are understaffed (having only one active journalist), it is hard to rid our stories of personal biases. The National Weekly Atlasian invites the former President to join our staff in the event that he loses he Senate election, as we like his character and his willingness to stand up to media bias, even if we disagree.

[SPC]

If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority, allowing some of Senator Ebowed's extremer proposals, such as illegalizing lightbulbs and providing socialized health care, to pass.

Oh what a load of crap. Seriously, I've had enough of this. I'm not a member of any bloc, I've certainly not ran as a liberal and for somneone who organised the District 3 debate you don't seem to have read a bloody word of anything I had to say!

I embarrased this rag before and I'm prepared to do it again. Point out where I said I would support socialised healthcare or 'extreme' proposals.

-composure-

I'm sorry about that. However, the liberal bloc would still have a 6-3-1 majority, no matter which way you vote.

Then why say it? You said - 'If Aflietch wins the runoff next weekend, then the liberal bloc will possess a veto-proof majority' when if I don't win it still has a majority? By association you made it appear that I would be part of a liberal bloc that would vote in favour of the measures you outlined. I'm asking you for a retraction.

I have retracted the statement. Sorry for the inconveniece.

[afleitch]

it is hard to rid our stories of personal biases.

I don't mind bias at all, it's out and out lies I don't like. Thank you for your apology.