Confirmation Hearing: Afleitch for SOIA [at final vote]

[Bacon King]

Senators, please discuss the merits of the nominee here.

[Bacon King]

Afleitch, you've had spurts of inactivity in the pass. Will you remain active in this position? In addition, do you have any specific plans for this office?

[Dallasfan65]

Just some questions (Although perhaps a bit redundant with BK,)

What do you envision the SoIA to be, and what will you do differently than your predecessors?

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AFLEITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What is your opinion of the office of SoIA?

What do you plan to do as SoIA?

What will do to the "office" of SoIA?

What do you want done to the office of SoIA?

How is Scotland these days?

[afleitch]

Senators, I have been interwebless for a while now Should get rectified soon. Will answer these questions on a work break today!

[afleitch]

Afleitch, you've had spurts of inactivity in the pass. Will you remain active in this position? In addition, do you have any specific plans for this office?

I will remain active in this position. It's something that appeals to me as I enjoy wading through legislation and the effects of legislation on employment, welfare etc. The only 'teeth' I can have are those given to me by the President

Just some questions (Although perhaps a bit redundant with BK,)

What do you envision the SoIA to be, and what will you do differently than your predecessors?

The SOIA was a post I lobbied for, so hopefully it can become what I hoped it would be. The President has asked me to review policy, particularly on employment which I am happy to do. While I cannot seperate my own fiscal right of centre approach to domestic policy from policy making, I have a track record of a progressive response to big issues over welfare. The President wants people back to work whether they are those affected by the recession or those who have been out of work and unnoticed for years. I want unemployment down. I want long term sick down. Hopefully some good papers and some good policy can come from that.


And finally.

What is your opinion of the office of SoIA? - Could be a bit bigger, only room for one desk.

What do you plan to do as SoIA? - See above...wait no above again.

What will do to the "office" of SoIA? - Knock through into the water closet next door

What do you want done to the office of SoIA? - New curtains

How is Scotland these days? - Wet

[Bacon King]

Senators, there is now a final vote on the confirmation of this nominee. Please vote aye, nay, or abstain.

[Bacon King]

Aye

[Badger]

Afleitch, if you don't mind answering this question as the vote proceeds:

What role to you envision/want for the SoIA in the budget process? I realize the budget process itself is still unsettled, but surely you can give a reasonably specific idea of how active/passive a role you would like to play, and doing what exactly?

[Dallasfan65]

Aye.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Afleitch, if you don't mind answering this question as the vote proceeds:

What role to you envision/want for the SoIA in the budget process? I realize the budget process itself is still unsettled, but surely you can give a reasonably specific idea of how active/passive a role you would like to play, and doing what exactly?

This is definately something I am interested in hereing. And for the record, only the last question was a joke, Mr. Leitch. The others were meant to "extract" in a free response manner your "vision" and "idea" of what the SoIA is and should be doing. By "office" I meant the position or institution.


When the budget process is completed, I will be sure to appropriate a old shack in _________ (insert any place where a scotsman wouldn't want to be) for your physical office.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

In fact you have angered me so, I just have to vote AYE as a punishment.



AYE

[afleitch]

Afleitch, if you don't mind answering this question as the vote proceeds:

What role to you envision/want for the SoIA in the budget process? I realize the budget process itself is still unsettled, but surely you can give a reasonably specific idea of how active/passive a role you would like to play, and doing what exactly?

That's quite a tough question actually. While I have no qualms at all in aiding the Budget Process through reporting on expenditure, it should never becomes to exessive and wide so that it is all that we are charged with doing. Ultimately the Senate is charged with making laws. As SOIA, my mandate comes from the President. If I can aid the Senate in anyway then I shall. I would be willing to assist in budgeting the cost of past laws in my time in office and allow the Senate or another committee to focus on new laws and amendments to existing laws. I costed a few bills when in the Senate so I'm happy to do so.

[Badger]

Afleitch, if you don't mind answering this question as the vote proceeds:

What role to you envision/want for the SoIA in the budget process? I realize the budget process itself is still unsettled, but surely you can give a reasonably specific idea of how active/passive a role you would like to play, and doing what exactly?

That's quite a tough question actually. While I have no qualms at all in aiding the Budget Process through reporting on expenditure, it should never becomes to excessive and wide so that it is all that we are charged with doing. Ultimately the Senate is charged with making laws. As SOIA, my mandate comes from the President. If I can aid the Senate in anyway then I shall. I would be willing to assist in budgeting the cost of past laws in my time in office and allow the Senate or another committee to focus on new laws and amendments to existing laws. I costed a few bills when in the Senate so I'm happy to do so.

That's encouraging, Afleitch. Hopefully you won't have to do much in terms of pricing the effects of past laws as the Budget Process Committee should address most of that. FWIW, let me give you my overview and hopes for what the SoIA can do in this role:

The SoIA is the President's top adviser and implementer of domestic policy. The budget is obviously a crucial, arguably even paramount, expression of a president's economic agenda. The budget process will take a fair bit of work to maintain and prepare. The SoIA has long been criticized as a do-nothing office. See the kismet at work here?

Obviously as SoIA you'd take your cue on policy from the President. If the already-busy president wants to wholly immerse himself in the details of budget negotiations, that's his prerogative. That said, hopefully the president would use the SoIA as their point man in coordinating a budget with the Senate and GM. Although the Senate constitutionally has the responsibility to introduce and pass a budget to the president's desk, the SoIA could by informal tradition be expected to prepare the initial detailed budget proposal (under the president's direction, of course) based on the numbers provided by the GM at the beginning of a presidential term. Such proposal would almost certainly be amended and reworked with counter-proposals by the Senate, but the SoIA would still be invaluable if charged with the duty of 'getting the budget ball rolling'.

Think of it as expanding the SoIA's role as the Atlasian equivalent of OMB.

[Badger]

Oh, and also:

AYE.

Good luck!

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

This is pitiful, you will deny this distinguished individual confirmation because of your own laziness and incompetence. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!

[Proud Lieberal from Northeast]

Go vote people, because I feel lonely without our favorite Tory in the cabinet.

[Hans-im-Glück]

AYE

[Big DaddyTX]

Aye

[Prez Duke]

Aye

[President Marokai]

Afleitch is hereby confirmed as SoIA.