Office of Vice President Duke (vote for The Truth: the new constitution)

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Reelection Announcement

The past few months have been quite the learning experience for me and many of my other new colleagues in the Senate. I've enjoyed debating and learning about Senate procedure, getting to know the Senators, and doing what I can to advance the betterment of Atlasia. I'm here to announce, after some deliberation, that I will be running for reelection in a few weeks. While the current Senate has not been the most active, I have done my part in helping to clean up some of the more shady aspects of Atlasia voting, I voted to lower spending in certain areas, and have stood up for individual rights when I felt it was reasonable to do so.

Election season always has the potential to be a lot of fun, and I hope many of you will use this thread as an avenue to ask questions, voice opinions - whether good or bad - about my performance, and say whatever else you want. Don't be shy. Through this, I hope to better myself as I work to get the privilege of serving you all again for another four months. Let's get to work.

[CatoMinor]

Which of, if any, would you introduce of support in the next session if you get re-elected?

Repeal of HAEV (Depending on outcome of court case)
gradual elimination of the Income Tax
Balanced Budget Amendment
Selling the Pacific Region to Canada
Lowering and flattening taxes on corporations

[President Mitt]

Even though you're the only current candidate in the running, I think I'll probably give my fellow S. Carolinian a preference.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Don't give in to the far right, Duke Maintain your sanity and I wish you the best in your re-election.

[Barnes]

Don't give in to the far right, Duke Maintain your sanity and I wish you the best in your re-election.

I agree with this, Duke. You are my favorite conservative Senator in Atlasia (No offense, Yankee ). I'll definitely give you a preference.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     First-preferenced, man.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Which of, if any, would you introduce of support in the next session if you get re-elected?

I'd love to answer that for you!

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I've long been a supporter of keeping the game as fair as possible. In the past, I've stated that the idea of the HAEV was good, but I was wary of how politics could come in the way when it came to deciding who was cut off the voter rolls and who wasn't. I once said I feared it would become a political free-for-all. Unfortunately, I have seen this fear being practiced, and if it does come up for a revote, I would likely vote to repeal. That said, I did want to give it a chance to prove or disprove itself. That isn't to say that I would not look for other ways to make sure vote stacking and such doesn't occur. I was very bothered by the news that seven voters in the NE Senate election either used proxies or were socks of someone else. That should bother any person in Atlasia, regardless of what party you are in.

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In general, I do favor an income tax, which probably isn't the answer you want to hear, and obviously I can't say I wish to eliminate it entirely. I do favor reductions in the income tax when spending cuts are made to mirror the tax cuts. We, obviously, can't afford to cut away income taxes and continue to spend as we are, which would lead us to bankruptcy. I do strongly favor lowering the business tax significantly though, and I did support cutting the capital gains tax. However, I simply cannot endorse doing away with the income tax entirely. Scaling back the government to accommodate such a move would be reckless, methinks. I would stand against any move to increase taxes, especially on people making less than $250,000, and I don't think the top tax bracket should exceed 40% in any circumstances.

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I absolutely favor a balanced budget when it is feasible. Deficit spending and borrowing trillions from overseas leaves Atlasia in danger of becoming reliant on foreign powers for support, and that's something we need to avoid. It threatens our sovereignty.

Selling the Pacific Region to Canada

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See above. I definitely support any measure to lower business taxes. That's one of the reasons many of our corporations leave our shores for foreign countries. Our business taxes are too high.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

     First-preferenced, man.

Thanks, PiT

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

The Greeks in the Diaspora are proud of our baby boy

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Don't give in to the far right, Duke Maintain your sanity and I wish you the best in your re-election.

I agree with this, Duke. You are my favorite conservative Senator in Atlasia (No offense, Yankee ). I'll definitely give you a preference.

hmmm, enjoy the pending Governorship of John Oxendine.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

First Preference, man

[AndrewTX]

High preference from me

[big bad fab]

Endorsed and first-preferenced !

[MasterJedi]

Also endorsed and first-preferenced! Best candidate in the race.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

New campaign sign. I swear I didn't take the design from John McCain

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Top 3 preferenced

[Barnes]

I like the banner!

[Psychic Octopus]

High preference, either one or two.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Thank you all for the kind words and support.

Also, I still am taking questions if anyone is curious as to where I stand on some other issues, or if you just want to know about the way I think.

[Barnes]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

The environment is obviously an integral part in what makes Atlasia great, and whether you believe in global warming or not, living in a place that has cleaner air and water is something good for all of us, and I think most can agree with that. You're lucky that I live in an area in South Carolina that is very big on protecting our natural environment, and we spend a good deal of time making sure that when we do build homes and businesses, we do it with the environment in mind. I very much support nature's beauty. I support any type of clean energy alternatives we can think of, because that sector is one that can create jobs in the future. Getting out from under the hand of relying on oil is a good thing, and we have the manpower and the technology to do it.

That said, we still have work to do. I have expressed wanting to work to implement a cap and trade system into Atlasia as opposed to the current carbon tax now on the books, but apparently that didn't go over so well in the past. I also would like to give tax breaks and incentives to businesses that can reduce their footprint and become carbon neutral if that is not already in the books (and I'll admit, I haven't checked the current laws). I think incentives like those speak louder than imposing a tax that could hurt our economy further.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there for this country to create a cleaner, safer world less dependent on foreign sources. We just need to tap into that. If we did, I can assure you we could start creating jobs for the better.

[Barnes]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

The environment is obviously an integral part in what makes Atlasia great, and whether you believe in global warming or not, living in a place that has cleaner air and water is something good for all of us, and I think most can agree with that. You're lucky that I live in an area in South Carolina that is very big on protecting our natural environment, and we spend a good deal of time making sure that when we do build homes and businesses, we do it with the environment in mind. I very much support nature's beauty. I support any type of clean energy alternatives we can think of, because that sector is one that can create jobs in the future. Getting out from under the hand of relying on oil is a good thing, and we have the manpower and the technology to do it.

That said, we still have work to do. I have expressed wanting to work to implement a cap and trade system into Atlasia as opposed to the current carbon tax now on the books, but apparently that didn't go over so well in the past. I also would like to give tax breaks and incentives to businesses that can reduce their footprint and become carbon neutral if that is not already in the books (and I'll admit, I haven't checked the current laws). I think incentives like those speak louder than imposing a tax that could hurt our economy further.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there for this country to create a cleaner, safer world less dependent on foreign sources. We just need to tap into that. If we did, I can assure you we could start creating jobs for the better.

Thank you for the well developed answer!

[Badger]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

The environment is obviously an integral part in what makes Atlasia great, and whether you believe in global warming or not, living in a place that has cleaner air and water is something good for all of us, and I think most can agree with that. You're lucky that I live in an area in South Carolina that is very big on protecting our natural environment, and we spend a good deal of time making sure that when we do build homes and businesses, we do it with the environment in mind. I very much support nature's beauty. I support any type of clean energy alternatives we can think of, because that sector is one that can create jobs in the future. Getting out from under the hand of relying on oil is a good thing, and we have the manpower and the technology to do it.

That said, we still have work to do. I have expressed wanting to work to implement a cap and trade system into Atlasia as opposed to the current carbon tax now on the books, but apparently that didn't go over so well in the past. I also would like to give tax breaks and incentives to businesses that can reduce their footprint and become carbon neutral if that is not already in the books (and I'll admit, I haven't checked the current laws). I think incentives like those speak louder than imposing a tax that could hurt our economy further.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there for this country to create a cleaner, safer world less dependent on foreign sources. We just need to tap into that. If we did, I can assure you we could start creating jobs for the better.

Darned tree-hugging liberal socialists.

Seriously though, I'd be willing to consider working with you on a proposal for cap and trade if we're fortunate enough to serve together in the next Senate. The carbon tax was passed before my time and I'm not sure what the purported advantages are compared to harnessing market forces to lessen greenhouse gas emissions.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

The environment is obviously an integral part in what makes Atlasia great, and whether you believe in global warming or not, living in a place that has cleaner air and water is something good for all of us, and I think most can agree with that. You're lucky that I live in an area in South Carolina that is very big on protecting our natural environment, and we spend a good deal of time making sure that when we do build homes and businesses, we do it with the environment in mind. I very much support nature's beauty. I support any type of clean energy alternatives we can think of, because that sector is one that can create jobs in the future. Getting out from under the hand of relying on oil is a good thing, and we have the manpower and the technology to do it.

That said, we still have work to do. I have expressed wanting to work to implement a cap and trade system into Atlasia as opposed to the current carbon tax now on the books, but apparently that didn't go over so well in the past. I also would like to give tax breaks and incentives to businesses that can reduce their footprint and become carbon neutral if that is not already in the books (and I'll admit, I haven't checked the current laws). I think incentives like those speak louder than imposing a tax that could hurt our economy further.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there for this country to create a cleaner, safer world less dependent on foreign sources. We just need to tap into that. If we did, I can assure you we could start creating jobs for the better.

Darned tree-hugging liberal socialists.

Seriously though, I'd be willing to consider working with you on a proposal for cap and trade if we're fortunate enough to serve together in the next Senate. The carbon tax was passed before my time and I'm not sure what the purported advantages are compared to harnessing market forces to lessen greenhouse gas emissions.

If I recall, the carbon tax came up for a vote recently, and I mentioned doing away with it and putting in a cap and trade to no avail.

I would like to work with you in creating one in the next session, if both of us make it through the elections.

[Badger]

What is your position on Environmental regulation? Specifically creating green energy jobs and protecting the natural environment of Atlasia. 

The environment is obviously an integral part in what makes Atlasia great, and whether you believe in global warming or not, living in a place that has cleaner air and water is something good for all of us, and I think most can agree with that. You're lucky that I live in an area in South Carolina that is very big on protecting our natural environment, and we spend a good deal of time making sure that when we do build homes and businesses, we do it with the environment in mind. I very much support nature's beauty. I support any type of clean energy alternatives we can think of, because that sector is one that can create jobs in the future. Getting out from under the hand of relying on oil is a good thing, and we have the manpower and the technology to do it.

That said, we still have work to do. I have expressed wanting to work to implement a cap and trade system into Atlasia as opposed to the current carbon tax now on the books, but apparently that didn't go over so well in the past. I also would like to give tax breaks and incentives to businesses that can reduce their footprint and become carbon neutral if that is not already in the books (and I'll admit, I haven't checked the current laws). I think incentives like those speak louder than imposing a tax that could hurt our economy further.

There is a wealth of opportunities out there for this country to create a cleaner, safer world less dependent on foreign sources. We just need to tap into that. If we did, I can assure you we could start creating jobs for the better.

Darned tree-hugging liberal socialists.

Seriously though, I'd be willing to consider working with you on a proposal for cap and trade if we're fortunate enough to serve together in the next Senate. The carbon tax was passed before my time and I'm not sure what the purported advantages are compared to harnessing market forces to lessen greenhouse gas emissions.

If I recall, the carbon tax came up for a vote recently, and I mentioned doing away with it and putting in a cap and trade to no avail.

I would like to work with you in creating one in the next session, if both of us make it through the elections.

Yeah, IIRC the debate quickly devolved into either keeping the tax or dumping it with no replacement plan. Under those circumstances I supported to keep the tax--for now anyway. Hopefully together we can expand the issues for debate.