Talk Elections

Following the model that worked in the Mideast and Northeast regions, I am opening this Q&A session for the candidates.

Here is the first set:

1. Why are you running for the Senate? What can you do to improve the quality of Senate debates?

2. What is your ideology and how does it impact your decision-making? What will your top policy priorities be during your term, if elected?

3. What is your opinion of the current Senate session's work (legislation, activity, and debates)?

1. To continue the defense of labor and working class against corporate interests.
2. Social democracy, with a goal of eventually achieving democratic socialism. That means protection of the safety net, and goal of eventual non-private ownership. That means promotion of public ownership, trade and industrial unions, and worker's co-operatives.
3. Negative, after wide public support for game reform, we still have senate mostly supporting the conservative election methods based on regions and arbitrary land divides, where true public representation cannot be achieved. Instead the effort was redirected to an attempted court pack. Also we have some neocons trying to stage an attack on Iran. The biggest issue is that there hasn't been any meaningful pro-labor reform in the current Senate.

I would like to begin the debate by extending my thanks to President Napoleon for agreeing to host today's political forum, and my fellow candidates for agreeing to participate. Now, to answer the first slate of questions:

1. The reasoning behind my decision to run is twofold: first, I believe the Senate will give me a greater opportunity to actively serve my region than my current post has allowed me. Second, I believe Atlasia deserves an independent voice in legislature, willing to govern from the center and unafraid to vote across party lines where it suits the good of the nature. That is what I believe I can bring to the debate: that centrist, independent voice.

2. I like to think of my ideology as something along the lines of independent, moderate libertarianism. At heart, my beliefs are in personal freedom and fiscal restraint, but I know the necessity of government, and recognize where laws and restrictions and spending are needed. Should I be elected, I intend to make my primary issues those of:
A) The economy, and freeing up money through cutting back upon and streamlining military spending;
B) Education, through moves to further fund schooling and encourage a high, enjoyable standard of learning;
C) Agriculture, through investing in the promotion and defense of organic farming.

3. I believe the Senate is doing their job admirably and effectively as it is, but believe they could benefit from some new ideas. In addition, I would like to offer my vehement condemnation of those seeking war with Iran.

Thanks for doing this, Napoleon.


Why am I running? Why not! Atlasia is something I've, for better or worse, grown rather attached to over the years. I think I've shown myself a capable nerd in this game, and I mainly want to be in the Senate to serve as a pestering for the important causes and keeping the Senate relatively honest, rather than participating in the squabbles. I like detail and focus, and I don't like to dither and debate issues for weeks and weeks on end. If there's an issue, I like to tackle it, and move on.


I consider myself a Democratic Socialist, but my ideology has never really been the thing that's guided me in my Atlasian life. I support efforts to reduce the burden on poor people, support public ownership of certain essentials within reason, and defend union rights, but beyond that, I tend to focus more on Atlasian-specific issues. Game reform causes, electoral reform, that sort of thing.

Aside from game reform issues, I'd like to rewrite a lot of general things, like our basic criminal statute, school flexibility, rewriting our general agricultural policy, re-evaluating our trading partners, and reintroducing greater public alternatives in electricity generation.


"Meh" to "negative". I don't really like committees, and haven't invested the time to figure out how they even work, though it shouldn't take too long. Too much time has been invested passing rather insignificant Amendments or trying to dick around with the Supreme Court for apparently no other reason than "just cuz". This proposal (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155661.msg3346963#msg3346963) was pretty depressing, as Redalgo's concerns wouldn't taken to account the way they should've been, and The Protection of Legal Regional Functions (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155409.0) was just sort of pointless.

In general I think that this Senate hasn't really tried bringing themselves together to discuss bigger issues than their pet causes. The flurry of Amendments that don't really matter, or are outright silly (like the Supreme Court stuff) make it seem like the Senators aren't really communicating with each other to do anything. There need to be more lightning rods in the Senate's consideration that actually grab most Senators' attention.

First, let me say it’s an honour to be running against so many high-calibre candidates. I really appreciate everyone giving me a shot and hearing me out over the course of the campaign. I look forward to continuing the process.


Primarily, I’m running for this job because I believe the senate could really benefit from some new blood. I’ve witnessed great discussion in the senate over the last few weeks, a lot of it facilitated by the Midwest’s newest senator, Redalgo. While I don’t agree with him politically, he’s proof that gambling on new voices can breathe life into tiring institutions. I bring a skillset to the table that I think would similarly serve this end.

I’m not a bill-writing-extraordinaire, but what I do provide is thoughtful discussion to the legislative process. My forte involves investigating the details of bills and making sure no concern is left unaddressed. A good guiding question is this: Will the provision achieve what it’s been set out to achieve? It’s with this process that I try to be a consensus-builder, not a partisan ideologue.


I consider myself to be a conservative and communitarian. It’s our job to fight for the best interests of communities—to preserve the foundational family unit, to foster pragmatic change, and to make sure individuals have the freedom to succeed.

In that regard, I think it’s important to strengthen our defenses at home and our diplomacy abroad. I’d also be interested in re-evaluating Atlasia’s foreign aid commitments—our system should prioritize countries with better human rights records, and we need to make sure aid actually gets to the people who need it. Domestically, we ought to be looking at some serious tax breaks for small businesses. I’ve also considered drafting something of a “Regional Bill of Rights" to guarantee regions autonomy over certain policy areas like education.

Game reform: It doesn’t need to be extensive, but clarifying the role of the game moderator is something the senate should look into. For example, I believe it’s no one but the GM’s duty to dictate the actions of foreign governments. As a diplomat, the SoEA should lobby the GM towards the administration’s foreign policy objectives.

I hope to go into a bit more detail on these objectives over the course of my campaign. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157486.0)


I’m fairly new to Atlasia, so I don’t have much to compare the current senate to. Policy-wise, I admired the co-operative debate on the Power to Parents Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156283.0), but I think issues like this need to be left to the regions. I also wish more senators would at least acknowledge the threat posed by President Ahmadinejad to our Israeli allies. The situation in Iran is extremely troublesome, and I’ve made some pretty detailed comments about it here. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157486.msg3385863#msg3385863) Even if you disagree with me, I hope you can appreciate my thought-process.

I'm running for Senate in an attempt to be a fresh voice to add to the current group of Senators, as well as be the token libertarian on the Senate. Plus, I've been commenting on the Senate while serving in the IDS Legislature; it'd be nice to be able to vote and propose amendments and fully contribute to the shaping of bills beyond just discussion. As for the quality of Senate debates, I think that I can represent a group broader than just myself, that I can represent the libertarians and regional-rights supporters, people who aren't represented in great number in the current Senate; that would let me bring the interests of a key component of Atlasian society to the table and be able to negotiate to get things done.

My ideology is classical liberalism with a focus on social tolerance and foreign non-interventionism (I'm more moderate economically), but I try not to keep my ideology from overriding practical necessities just for the sake of ideological purity. If I do win election, my primary issue would be foreign policy (including our trade relations with other nations). In particular, I'd like to specifically address our relations with Iran; I applaud the Vice President's progress on our relations with Iran and would like to do more to attempt to promote peace between our nations.

I have a relatively high opinion of the current Senate session, although there's always room for improvement; I like the introduction of committees and think they're good for allowing the most interested Senators to focus on specific topics. I also applaud the passage of the Treaty Ratification Amendment (an issue that came up during my tenure as SoEA; good to see it resolved), the Less Than HONORable Service Preclusion of Benefits Act, and the Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment (may this issue finally be laid to rest). I agree with Marokai, however, when he said that we do need to try to tackle the big issues; I think that Clarence's upcoming resolution with Iran will bring one of those issues up for discussion, and there's many more that are worthy of discussion.

1. I'm somewhere in that spot between "newcomer" and "veteran". But in my year or so in Atlasia, I've served as governor of the nation's largest region; though my record may not be perfect, I worked with left and right to ban mountaintop mining, to reform the tax code, and to extend civil liberties. Though I am no centrist, I have a philosophy to stick to your principles when you can, but also be willing to reach out and find solutions that help everyone.

2. As vice-chairman of the Labor Party, I represent a social-democratic viewpoint. Capitalism and socialism at their extremes are both detrimental, but that a mix of the best ideals of both, a society where private ownership is present but regulated and essential services are provided by the government but where private business is the driving force of growth, is the ideal for Atlasia. But as a member of the Labor Party, I fundamentally believe that the driving grassroots force, and one of the most important foundations in modern society, is the labor union. Ideally, labor and management should negotiate on equal footing for the ideal balance of workers' interests and business interests.

3. My perusal of Senate debates suggest that it has become unacceptably violent. Though not fully partisan, the viciousness of debates in the Senate is unacceptable; both Senators and the President hold fault, though I am sure that we can all have healthy debate. Take my time as Governor of the Northeast; overall, we had healthy debate and made progress as a region.

1. I am running for the Senate in order to further the message of Mustafinism-Komovism. This would improve the quality of Senate debates by refocusing them in a more productive manner.

2. My ideology is, as mentioned, Mustafinism-Komovism. All decisions are made through the lens of said ideology; as a member of the National Movement "Aliya Mustafina", my sole priority shall be the advancement of the Mustafinist-Komovist movement.

3. The work of the current Senate is obviously beside the point.

What are the principles of Mustafinism-Komovism?

Please count on my participation later on....have just gotten back home and will be settling in and unpacking after church

1. I am running for Senate to provide a strong voice for Mustafinism-Komovism. The inclusion and representation of Mustafinism-Komovism in the Senate will significantly improve the Senate, by refocusing Senatorial debates on the issues which matter. My reading of Mustafinism-Komovism

2. My ideology is Mustafinism-Komovism, and my decisions are made solely through the lenses of Mustafinism-Komovism. As Senator, my priorities would be advancing the principles of Mustafinism-Komovism. Besides this, I would seek the root out of the disease of Serious Posters in the Senate and Atlasia who want to treat this game as vry srs business. This would include the mandatory use of animated gifs in all Senate debates and the inclusion of illustrative picture and gifs in all legislation. Furthermore, my personal legislative agenda would include a very serious campaign against bullying in school, which will be called #Mziray-Morgan2012 and which will become as viral on the Facebook as the very serious #kony2012 campaign.

I will happily present my full platform upon request.

3. The Senate's work?
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First off, I'd like to thank President Napoleon for organizing and moderating this discussion, each of the other candidates for participating, and all Atlasian citizens who take the time to read our remarks. :)


I'm running for the Senate because I've decided to participate in Atlasia again, the Senate is my favorite part of the game by far, and I believe that my knowledge, expertise, and experience will allow me to be a considerable asset to the Senate- and Atlasia as a whole.

I can improve the quality of  the Senate with the incredibly active and pragmatic approach I take towards participation and debate. I will always do my own independent research before voting; in the past I can remember spending hours at a time crafting responses for my fellow Senators to read. I'm also willing to set prior hostility and ideological differences aside to work with any of my colleagues on any legislation that I think will improve our nation. For example, I once worked alongside DownWithDaLeft, writing several amendments to his original bill (and also taking several passages from an earlier unsuccessful bill written by then-Senator Ebowed), to pass the first major easing of drug laws in Atlasian history. In addition, I once even partnered with the infamous Libertas (at the height of his "eye roll at everything" stage, no less), playing an instrumental role in retooling his "Break the Chains Act" which helps the Atlasian economy by providing unprecedented support for the creation of small businesses.


While I prefer not to give myself a label, I believe my ideology can be considered "social liberal," "radical," or maybe "left-libertarian"; I prefer not to use such terms because I'd rather allow my actions and words speak for themselves, instead of forcing others to assume and guess the extent a given label actually matches my own personal ideology. Ultimately, I am relatively pragmatic in governance; the only guiding principles that really impact my decision-making are:

A. If there's a problem, fix in the most efficient way possible.
B. If a policy can be improved, change it so it's better.
C. Don't hesitate to suggest massive reforms when they're needed, but note that incremental improvements are preferable to stagnation when the status quo is too heavily entrenched for the ideal solution to be implemented.
D. One's freedom from government intrusion into one's personal life should be sacrosanct if they're not doing anything that hurts another.

At this time I have no policy goals of my own, but I pledge to give my full attention to any request a constituent sends to me, to cooperate with my fellow Senators to improve their legislation, and introduce my own bills in any area where I see that the Senate is not adequately addressing a problem.


I'm curious about the Committee structure and cautious regarding its long term viability, but if they become a long-term fixture I think there are several ways they could be better integrated into the current rule structure of the Senate. I also believe the Senate could be more active, but I don't know if it's objectively a problem, or it just seems that way to me right now because it doesn't have any of my excessively long posts spamming up the debate. :P

Napoleon- thank you for hosting this Q&A...

1- I am running for Senate to continue the wonderful experience I have had in the Senate and to continue to represent my ideology. As every one knows- yourself especially- debates in which I participate can become mighty heated... but we end these debates with respect and undeerstanding. I believe I have respectfully but firmly argued my point of view and want to continue to have these fantastic discussions

2- My ideology impacts every bill I propose and debate on...I am a moderate Republican in the "real world but am on the right side of the spectrum on this board so my ideology often butts heads with many others. I aim to be a pragmatist- I know that I will not be able to achieve exactly what I want according to my views so I seek compromise. An example is the consription issue...I was pleased to vote for the recent compromise amendment even though I made clear over the course of months that I don't believe any limits should be placed on our ability to reinstate the draft. However, Scott and others on the left came from one end and I and others on the right came from the other...we met in the middle (due to Scott's amendment) and we reached a consensus. I will never refrain from voicing my opinions... what you see is what you get, but I will also never refrain from compromising with willing partners on the other side of the political spectrum

As for my priorities- national security remains a top priority. I do not want there to be a misconception here- I am NOT nor is any one I know pressing for war, my resolution simply gives Napoleon and his successors the ability to initiate conflict should the need arise. I believe Iran on the other hand IS pressing for war and we must be prepared. I will tell you that I've run out of ammunition for my educational reform initatives after many attempts so that issue will take a backseat. Overall-I do not have a problem finding issues to champion and you can expect more legislation which leads to interesting debate from me if I am lucky to be reelected

3- I am biased but believe this was an outstanding session...Senators such as Ben, Scott, and Redalgo have made it a true joy to discuss these issues. While some may say that there is a haphazard choice of issues before the Senate- I disagree. This is a fantasy board and we can discuss every issue under the sun...the debates have been interesting and at times heated, but we have come together and compromised and I am proud to say that I have participated in this work this sesion

If I may, I'd like to ask each candidate where they stand on crime and what they think should be done to prevent future shootings like the ones we've been seeing in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Texas.  Do you support any new gun control legislation or right-to-carry laws?  Should we put more police on the streets and impose harsher penalties for crimes?  Should law enforcement focus more on punishment or rehabilitation for criminals?  How can we assist local communities in combating crime while respecting civil liberties?

First- I think only a fool would look at this wave of violence and not ask questions as to "why"....I've tried to contemplate the answer myself. I believe we need to do the following- we need an assault weapons ban and a national right to concealed carry. There is no reason I should be permitted to purchase a functioning M16 or riot gear- we are at no risk of descending into anarchy. At the same time, I believe having responsible, licensed gun owners carrying will increase the chance of heroism intervening to stop a horrendous crime. Criminals don't follow gun laws, so when a citizen could not carry a revolver onto Virginia Tech's campus- it gave the shooter an advantage. We must allow citizens the right to carry and must be swift in placing a ban on the purchase of functioning assault weapons

I think I could support an assault weapons ban, as well as bans on possession of firearms by people convicted of felonies (or violent misdemeanors), people who are mentally unstable, non-Atlasian citizens, minors, and those who use certain drugs which could induce mental effects (such as hallucinations). I'd also favor a requirement of much more stringent background checks on people who want to buy large numbers of guns or ammunition. I'd also support a full ban on armor-piercing/teflon-coated bullets. Like Senator Clarence said, I also support a nationwide concealed-carry plan and legalization of carrying firearms on school campuses.

Here are some more questions:

1. What are your areas of expertise? Do you have knowledge on particular issues that would be unique within the Senate?

2. Would you aspire to serve on any of the established Committees? Do you think there are additional Committees worth creating? Do you feel committees have or can enhance the work of the Senate?

3. What measures would you support to stimulate the economy?

4.

I'd say my areas of expertise are foreign policy and national security, but that's an area that also belongs to current Senator Ben and candidate Hashemite, among others. As such, I'd aspire to serve on (wow, what a surprise :P) the National Security Committee. I think there's room for another few committees (Health/Education/Housing/Urban Affairs/Transportation, Agriculture/Environment, Banking/Finance/Budget/Labor), but the current ones we have are reasonable. I think they can certainly enhance the work of the Senate by giving a few dedicated Senators the ability to craft excellent legislation, instead of it being everybody involved in everything for the entire time.

As for stimulating the economy, I'd favor additional free trade agreements, as well as reductions in taxation and spending (which I talked about in detail in my campaign thread). Asides from reducing the size of government, I don't think there's that much in the way of government action that we should take; we're progressing towards a better economy, and although it may be a rather sluggish journey, progress we are.

Crime, including these tragic shootings, can be likened to a weed. You can trim that weed  by putting more and better-trained police on the streets or by putting speedometers on the sides of roads. But you'll never get that weed out unless you yank it out by the roots. As Senator, I will work to address what I feel is the root cause of crime; poverty. Unlike the austerity measures of the past administrations, I will work to use our extra funds on helping the underprivileged in Atlasian society; not only a strong safety net but increased funding to job training programs, as well as economic stimuli.

1. I am most motivated by the rights of the Union. I most of all want to re-implement the pre-1947 state of closed-shop agreements; both "right-to-work" and "open shop" (effectively the same) declaw the unions to placate business interests.

2. I have yet to follow specific committees; I intend to make decisions after/if I have been elected. I will likely aim towards financial or judiciary-related committees.

3. As I already stated, we need to follow the proven success of Kenyesian theory and increase spending on health care, infrastructure, and education. Senator Scott's proposal of roof-painting, while a start, is far too miniscule to be more than a minor help. I look forward to working with him and other Senators in creating a much larger stimulus.

1.
As someone who comes from a farming family, lives in a region of the country with a heavy economic emphasis on farming and ranching, and is an avid organic gardener himself, I feel confident in pegging agriculture as my widest area of expertise. Thus, naturally, I personally feel my best committee would be one dedicated to agriculture; however, as such a committee has yet to be created, I would be happy to serve on the National Security Committee. I believe my grasp of defense and foreign policy would be strong enough to suit.

As to what committees we might create, I feel the Senate would by far benefit most from a Senatorial committee on finance and the economy, as well as Joyce's suggestion of a hybrid committee for agriculture/interior/the environment.


My plan would be to cut as much of a slab out of military spending as we possibly could while still maintaining a ready armed forces, and then redirect the freed-up funds toward funding education(and the job opportunities within), promoting cheaper and cleaner alternate energy to reduce and (hopefully) eventually remove our dependency on oil imports, and empowering small business.

In addition, I endorse cutting taxes for the lower and middle classes of Atlasia, as well as our small businesses, while compensating through taxing our most massive corporations, such as the oil industry. They have literally billions of dollars to spare, and can bear the burden far more readily than the average citizen.


In the wake of the recent influx of shootings we've witnessed, my position on tragedies like these and their impact on gun control remains as it always has been: that there is no amount of legislature we can pass that will stop murderers and maniacs from committing violent crime. We can restrict the purchase of weapon modifications such as extended magazines, and we can enforce strengthened background checks - both measures I would certainly at least consider supporting - but we will never be completely able to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, no matter how far we cut into the liberties of law-abiding citizens.

I wholly believe in concealed carry laws for upstanding civilians, to put in place at least a chance of shootings such as these being ended much earlier in the future. I support education on firearms and how to operate them safely. Where the police are concerned, I endorse supporting them, and giving them better training and equipment; and where convicts are concerned, I believe we should strengthen our focus on rehabilitation for those capable of it - those involved in drugs and alcohol, nonviolent thieves, et cetera - while dealing with repeat, unrepentant violent criminals as we always have: institutionalizing them, or putting them behind bars for suited lengths of time.

If I may add a word on gun control: No matter your belief on the issue, a real discussion on the status of firearms in this nation is long overdue. I consider myself relatively moderate on the issue. Those without a violent criminal history and without serious mental illness should be able to purchase a firearm (with a waiting period that applies to both gun shops and gun shows). Concealed carry should be legal, but should require a license. Assault weapons, being useless for hunting or self-defense, and holding only the purpose of killing people, should be banned from civilian use with the exception of vintage military equipment. However, I would oppose a ban on any other firearms.

Thanks for the questions, Mr. President.


I’m currently studying human geography with an emphasis on urban issues, so I’d say that’s my biggest strength. While urban issues mostly fall to the regions, almost every piece of federal legislation has lasting impacts on our cities. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much talk about these impacts in the senate. As a communitarian and urban geographer, I’d be very mindful of how our bills would affect metropolitan areas. I understand the balance between government and enterprise that helps shape dynamic, safe, and prosperous cities.

Also, I’m eager to expand my horizons, as I’ve already done over the course of this campaign. I’ll do whatever research is necessary to contribute to debate.


I’ll answer the last question first: From what I’ve seen, I think the committee system has the potential to elevate the quality of discussion in the senate. However, I’m a bit concerned that partisanship could derail the purpose of committees. Being in the right-wing minority, I think it’s unfortunate that someone with the life experience of Senator clarence would be excluded from a committee like the National Security Committee because of political disagreements. If committees are to serve the best interests of Atlasia, would a diverse panel not be more appropriate?

As it stands, I would enjoy serving on a committee like the National Security Committee. To correlate with my own interests, I’d also welcome the creation of an Urban Affairs Committee (covering housing, development, transportation, and public works issues).


The first thing we’ve got to do is cut taxes across the board. Specifically (but not exclusively), I think it’s reprehensible that we are robbing some Atlasians of 50% of their income. The effects of lower taxes would be two-fold: For one, we’d be giving more money back to our citizens to buy goods and services (which would create jobs and provide the government with more corporate tax revenues); secondly, our higher-income job-creators would be free to invest more money in business. I could also go on and on about the carbon tax, but I’ll leave my opinion on that to your imagination. ;)

Second, we’ve got to continue sending a clear signal to the world that we are fiscally responsible. In that regard, I think the Saving Over Spending Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155453.msg3351088#msg3351088) is a positive step forward. I understand that spending cuts need to go hand-in-hand with my favoured tax cuts… By eliminating frivolous expenditures like the Atlasian National Broadcaster, I’m confident we’ll be able to sustain lower tax rates. A record of stability will show entrepreneurs that Atlasia is a safe place to do business. Manufacturing jobs can return to this country.

There’s one more thing I want to touch on here: The Corporate Clean Energy Credit. It’s a good idea, and we need to expand on it. Maybe I’ll be departing from my party on this one, but I really think we should be offering tax credits to businesses that market green technologies. These incentives will keep prices down, grow the market, create jobs, and help the environment.


The events of the last couple months have been devastating. The men who committed these senseless crimes were determined, and I believe they would have found a way to commit similar atrocities even without firearms. That being said, it’s becoming more and more clear that we’ve got to be performing background checks on people who purchase firearms. People with a history of mental illness should not be carrying guns.

The Aurora shootings inspired a copy-cat shootings. Thus, in dealing with criminals, our justice system must appreciate the role it plays in deterring our citizens from committing crimes. Punishments must be severe—we’ve got to be sending the message that we will not tolerate these types of violent acts. The regions can address the question of policing.

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Phenomenal response.

Since my post came before his, I'll assume the kiss was for me and graciously accept. ;)

From a completely unbiased perspective, I'd say that Xahar is winning the debate as of now.

1. I am going to spend my next term protecting Atlasian democracy. It has lately come under attack in an attempted court pack. I will also continue to explore options for electing members to legislative bodies that truly represent the diverse viewpoints of Atlasian citizens. The current IRV system is heavily biased to electing centrist candidates. Also regional representation violates one man one vote.
2. I currently serve on the Judiciary committee, I will work on creating a labor committee, to follow up on the legislation that I recently introduced that deals with FoxConn plants and overseas labor.
3. The Atlasian economy needs a new infrastructure that will be up to 21st century standards.
4. There should be a referendum for Atlasian people to decide. There should be more services available for mentally ill and we should work as a culture on removing stigmatization of seeking treatment.

I'd also like to say that I will work on creating a nationalized public upper education system that doesn't burden graduates and their parents with debt. It's very unfair for college education to be un-affordable for poorer graduates where it's almost necessary for social mobility in today's society.

Seatown, can you expand on what infrastructure improvements would get us to meet 21st century standards?

Sjoyce, could you offer any specific countries that you would like to see free trade agreements negotiated with?

Snowstalker, how do you plan to fund your "much larger stimulus" and do you have any specific proposals?

Remember, though, that I am Chairman of the Committee, and I'm known for being pretty right wing when it comes to foreign policy.  I think you read too much into the vote, and, if I remember, he was competing with Andrew, a fellow conservative, for the last spot.

That's fair. I do agree with a lot of your foreign policy views, so things aren't all bad. Still, my example is an indicator of potential partisanship that could develop down the line.

There should be some sort of minimum party representation rule on the committees. Perhaps slots could be reserved for one candidate from every party represented in the senate. If a senator is the only member of his party serving in the senate, that senator should have the right to refuse membership. To make sure that one senator would not be on every committee, we could limit the number of committees any individual senator can serve on. I'd be open to exploring other options too, but there's got to be a better way to represent our constituents.

I don't think there's any need for partisan requirements.  The first three committees were done in a non-partisan way, and I wouldn't want to interfere with that.

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree then. :)

Every session is different, and I think the Atlasian people deserve more than to have to trust that politicians will be non-partisan.

Game reform being my area of expertise pretty much goes without saying, I think. For better or worse it's the issue I've dedicated most of my time to in and out of office. Other people have plenty of knowledge on game reform, I'm sure, but I doubt others have a zeal that matches mine when it comes to it.


I suppose I would. I certainly don't have anything against the idea. I truthfully look forward to just learning how the damn things work. :P For a change, it's exciting to look forward to experiencing something new, rather than knowing things are the same rote old things.

I'm a firm committee skeptic, I never found them necessary, but they're established functions of the Senate now, and I intend on applying the skepticism into making sure they work as efficiently as possible. Do I think they can improve the business of the Senate? I still feel like that remains to be seen, to be honest. I think they can improve the quality of debate, at the risk of slowing down the overall rate of business.

I think implementing partisan quotas on committees would be a big mistake, though.


Social & Economic Development Zone law (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Social_%26_Economic_Development_Zone_Improvement_Act) (something I rewrote wholecloth when I was Vice President) has gone a bit ignored, unfortunately. Especially unfortunate because of how much of a bugger they were to get passed in the Senate in the first place. Were I in the Senate I'd very much like to work on SEDZ recommendations to and from the regional governments. Implementing them is a tricky process that was never really fully figured out in the "game" sense.

More direct and clear implementation of those Zones would be something to figure out, I think. Also tinkering with one of the restrictions that I disliked having to write in the first place, but that can be figured out in the legislating process if I'm actually elected.

We could also probably extend some of the credit loosening legislation (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Expansion_of_Emergency_Credit_Access_Act) we haven't followed up on in a couple years, and renewing some of the old programs from the 2009 Recovery Act.


I think a sensible omnibus gun safety law is in order, to be honest. Closing gun show loopholes, enacting restrictions on clip sizes, cracking down on waiting time enforcement, tighter background checks, restricting the carrying of firearms into bars, supermarkets, publicly owned lands and buildings. Not really major stuff or anything that restricts the fundamental underlying right to responsible gun ownership.

Secondary to that though is making sure we have adequate mental health facilities and that we reduce the stigma to seeking even basic mental health treatment. Reducing the damage and potential scenes of disaster is one thing; preventing them before they occur is even more important.

1- As a veteran and a small business owner for many years, I believe I have insight into veterans issues, national defense, and what is best for the sole proprietor- the backbone of our economy. Having put children thru school... I also have insight into this issue which is one reason I have been committed to education reform

2- I ran for the National Security Committee and was not elected but plan to run again if there is an opening... I believe they can enhance the work of the Senate and hope they are given due respect

3- I believe much deference must be given to the small business owner...a generation ago, a man or woman could make a better living by learning a trade then going to college. Not every one is cut out for a university environment but expanding vocational training is critical. I was a homebuilder and didn't hold a college degree....I picked up construction in the Navy which taught me more then I would've learnt in a classroom. The trend now seems to be to give every one a degree... well now to stand out a student has to get more degrees on top of a Bachelors which to me makes no sense. The student loan crisis is because every one feels the need to go to college... teach folks a trade, they end up making money before they are 20 with much less debt. Give them an environment where their small business can thrive and you've got yourself a success story

4- I've answered this above

The fact that we have a balanced budget in these tough economic times is indication that we should be spending more on getting Atlasians to work in good jobs. These would include various road and bridge repair projects, greater investments into high-speed rail, and programs much like the New-Deal era CCC to clean up the streets and our environment. Federal funds to education and health care should also be increased. Yes, the debt will increase, and we will most likely no longer have a balanced budget. However, I feel that increasing GDP and lowering unemployment is more important at this time.

It's more of a desire to go back through the wiki, digging up years-old statutes, to make a comprehensive list of the nations we currently have free trade agreements with and the terms and conditions attached to such. Once I do that, I'd look at which nations we could benefit from having a free trade agreement with, and which nations we should perhaps revoke our free trade agreement with (ie: they've recently committed severe human rights abuses).

I'd like to expand on this...

It is very confusing to me and others where this fantasy board becomes dinstinct from the real world... if in the real world Israel attacks Iran, is that taken into account here? My opinion is we ought to consider a blank slate whereby all laws and events become as they are in the real world

I think Hashemite posted guidelines on this (possibly while he was SoEA?), but I can't find them for the life of me.

()

Bump.

I can't speak for other candidates, but I'd be happy to accept questions from the audience.

I'd take any questions as well.

What is the single most important issue in Atlasia today?  How will you address this issue?

Well there are quite a few, most people have probably heard the story about the collapsing bridge, right? I plan to create a commission that will study which infrastructure projects are feasible. We should take a look at port improvements, freight rail improvements/expansion, and finally renovations of existing systems. This will include building a railroad from Alaska to continental US(via Yukon) and a tunnel under Bering strait. Also we should consider creating a high speed rail network, with a hub in Clevland, OH, that would connect Midwest and Northeast, and allow well over half of us citizens to travel to half of urban centers in one day. Other smaller segments would be considered to built in Florida, California PNW and Texas. My main concern with this is that it will be a project that will end-up subsidizing the rich.
I also want to replicate a nationwide urban growth boundary like in Oregon, to make it easier for municipalities to maintain services, and preserve rural land.

The election has started so I willno longer be asking questions, though what other people choose to do is up to them. :)

Atlasia has already created an expanisve high speed rail network.

Liberal Senate candidate Franzl initially got it started (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/The_High_Speed_Rail_Act), and I, as a Senator, greatly expanded upon it (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Transportation_Infrastructure_Investment_Act).

I don't think this involves Cleveland, OH as a hub, that will require additional expansion.