Write my next platform plank, one word at a time!

[tpfkaw]

EDIT:  So all this platform-writing business has been very boring, and not silly enough at all.  It's all much too serious.  So, I will now open the floors to an unprecedented experiment in direct democracy.  Write a good-sized paragraph as my next plank.  When I am elected your next senator, I will introduce legislation to turn it into law.  Have at it!

Part 1: Atlasia's Bloated Regulatory State

Over the past several years, the Atlasian Senate has burdened our industries with hundreds of new rules and regulations.  Many of these regulations are not actually concerned with immediate health or safety needs, but rather in order to supposedly improve the quality of life.  Unfortunately, to improve one's quality of life takes money, and merely passing something into law does not make it so.  By mandating that businesses spend their capital on providing to their workers or to the community what certain senators feel is an idyllic or utopian society, they are redirecting that capital from other, more productive uses, such as research and development, construction of plants and infrastructure, and, most importantly, hiring new workers.  In fact, by forcing additional costs onto Atlasian businesses, it actively causes jobs to be either eliminated or offshored to countries with more favorable regulatory environments.  While we continue to have 12% unemployment, it is no time to be strangling our economic vitality with job-killing regulations.  Therefore, as your next senator, I pledge to work to repeal any and all existing regulations that are either not related to necessary health and safety-related issues, or that could be better handled at a regional level.  Additionally, I will work to institute a moratorium on unnecessary new regulations, so that people and businesses can feel free to invest in our economy without the uncertainty that unfavorable shifts in the regulatory environment will cause them to lose their investment.  It is only new, private investment in Atlasian jobs and the Atlasian economy that can put us on a sustainable path to prosperity.

[tpfkaw]

Part 2:  A rational system of taxation.

I once heard an amusing anecdote about the inefficiencies of Soviet central planning.  In the Soviet Union, there was actually a black market for burned out lightbulbs.  People would save burned out lightbulbs, and sell them.  Why?  Because in order to receive a new lightbulb, you had to turn in a new one.  Due to a misguided regulation (see above), a totally useless item was assigned a value, bought, and sold.  And that brings me to our present tax code.  The Atlasian tax code is riddled with hundreds of loopholes and exclusions, or, if to use nicer terms, "credits" and "deductions."  When a business, or one of the more investment-savvy among us, spends money, they will generally spend it on whatever they consider to be its most profitable (and therefore, from the standpoint of economic growth, efficient) use possible.  While they are not always correct, they are generally so - otherwise we would never have economic growth.  But what tax loopholes and exclusions do is skew the incentives.  Imagine if investing $10000 in a certain thing (say ethanol production) could be expected to yield a loss of $3000.  Nobody in their right minds would make such a terrible investment.  But if there were a credit offering a tax write-off of $5000 for every $10000 invested in ethanol production, it suddenly becomes a profitable investment, to the tune of a nice 20% return.  In this manner, tax loopholes and exclusions create artificial markets similar in origin to the Soviet used lightbulb market detailed above.  Suddenly, investment behaviors which may not only be less profitable than the optimal allocation of capital, but are actively destructive to the economy, are being subsidized through the tax code.  Mind you - most credits and deductions are created with the best of intentions, but they quickly create useless boondoggles - the massive overproduction of ethanol relative to worldwide demand being one.  When I am elected your next Senator, I will end nearly all tax loopholes and exclusions, and compensate by lowering marginal rates for all.

[Sewer]

Can we have examples of regulations you wish to get rid of?

[tpfkaw]

Good question.

Here's one.

"All new non residential developments above a threshold of 1,000sqm will be expected to incorporate renewable energy production equipment to provide at least 10% of predicted energy requirements unless the citing of such equipment for technical reasons makes the development unviable."

Here's two.

"Internet providers shall not charge more or discriminate against any individual if they live in rural, mountain, or low population-density areas."

Here's three.

"Passengers delayed for greater than 4 hours shall be provided food vouchers every 6 hours worth at least $10."

Here's four.

"All energy companies must pay for the electricity of private households and small producers, when it made by wind power, solar cells, biogas, biomass, geothermal and hydro-power, 10 years 90% of the average electricity price who required of them."


These are only some of the most ridiculous ones.

[Sewer]

I don't even understand the fourth one.

[tpfkaw]

Yeah, the wording of that one makes no sense.  I think the idea was that electric utilities would be forced to purchase renewable energy at above-market rates.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Your 19th century lesse fairism makes me giving a 2nd to Vepres instead of you.

[tpfkaw]

Part 3:  Constitutional Governance and Game Reform

Atlasia is not and has never been a unitary state.  Our federal government is not intended to be a top-heavy leviathan imposing its rule on every issue in every corner of the land, but rather to provide a light and uniform set of basic rules for every region to play by.  Far-reaching legislation was never intended to be in the purview of the federal government - it is instead the regions which are intended to provide dynamic governance that can adjust to their own particular goals and needs.  What might be beneficial for one region could be harmful to another, and vice versa.  Furthermore, not only is there a certain degree of both unfairness and undemocratic principles being applied when a policy is forced on a region in contravention of both its needs and interests and its voting patterns, but insult is added to injury if said policy is unconstitutional as well.  As your next Senator, I will work to force the Senate to stand by the constitutionality of its laws by changing the senate rules so that each provision of each law must identify the specific clause of the constitution that gives the Senate power to create such a provision.  This is hardly radical - it is neither legally binding nor prevents the senate from passing a single law - it merely allows citizens to review whether or not they believe the Senate is unconstitutionally usurping power from the regions and the people.  Additionally, I will move to allow each region to, with a two-thirds majority vote of their regional legislature, nullify federal laws or provisions of laws they believe to be unconstitutional, provided they give a specific legal reason why that law is unconstitutional.  This is what's needed to allow for a constitutional government in which each region is empowered to make its decisions for itself, and every Atlasian has more say in how he or she is governed.  By increasing the power of the regional legislatures, the flagging interest in some of our regions will be rejuvenated, and participation will grow accordingly.  The main reason why people are uninterested in regional politics is that regional positions have little bite, and by giving them more teeth, more people will be interested in active participation in the regions.  Whatever your thoughts are regarding this matter, I hope you will give it serious thought, and appreciate the fact that one of my goals is to reduce the power of the very position I'm running for.

[tpfkaw]

Part 4:  Bailouts

One of the most commonly-cited reasons for the recent bailouts of various companies and industries was that companies could not be allowed to fail, because they did not have time to prepare an "orderly bankruptcy."  If that truly is the case, then let's call their bluff.  I propose requiring all Atlasian corporations with market capitalizations exceeding $25 billion to write up "orderly" bankruptcy papers on an annual basis, so that they can quickly enter and exit bankruptcy without any federal assistance.  Alternatively, they could pay an additional 2% surtax on income, which would be collected into a general fund.  This general fund would be used solely for "bailing out" failing businesses which had chosen to pay the surtax, and funds could be released from it solely by a majority vote of the Senate.

[tpfkaw]

So all this platform-writing business has been very boring, and not silly enough at all.  It's all much too serious.  So, I will now open the floors to an unprecedented experiment in direct democracy.  Write a good-sized paragraph as my next plank.  When I am elected your next senator, I will introduce legislation to turn it into law.  Have at it!  (Wait for at least one other person to go before going again).

Part 5: Where I Listen to the People

[Fritz]

Sexual

[minionofmidas]

preferences

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

penile

[Badger]

implant

[hawkeye59]

Papua New Guinean

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Genitalia

[Hash]

Alagoas