Marokai Blue/Purple State for Atlasia, Campaign HQ

[tmthforu94]

I really don't see why you didn't just shoot Mint a pm advising him to de-register quickly, or he'd be banned. I know you were ordered by Fritz, but I think it would have been fine if you would have at least waited more than 3 minutes to give Mint a chance to de-register. Would of saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Tmth, dear.. People can't de-register.

He could have done what NiK did, though, to be able to stay on without being prosecuted.

If I recall correctly, NiK had lost access to his original account. Mint voluntarily changed his account.

You know the one person who seems to not actually care about this issue? Mint himself. He's already been pardoned apparently (although I personally think that's inopportune timing) so move on and stop looking for something to try and distract people with.

I'm not trying to distract people, I was making a simple inquiry. I would have posted this yesterday in the actual court case thread, but you locked it as I was typing the message.

[Purple State]

I really don't see why you didn't just shoot Mint a pm advising him to de-register quickly, or he'd be banned. I know you were ordered by Fritz, but I think it would have been fine if you would have at least waited more than 3 minutes to give Mint a chance to de-register. Would of saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Tmth, dear.. People can't de-register.

He could have done what NiK did, though, to be able to stay on without being prosecuted.

If I recall correctly, NiK had lost access to his original account. Mint voluntarily changed his account.

You know the one person who seems to not actually care about this issue? Mint himself. He's already been pardoned apparently (although I personally think that's inopportune timing) so move on and stop looking for something to try and distract people with.

I'm not trying to distract people, I was making a simple inquiry. I would have posted this yesterday in the actual court case thread, but you locked it as I was typing the message.

Stop it. You thought you caught Marokai, but really you just made a mistake.

You thought Mint could de-register, but he couldn't. Instead, Marokai and I are proposing that people be allowed to do that to avoid exactly this situation.

You thought Mint could do what NiK did, but he couldn't because NiK was locked out of his account while Mint was not.

At the end of the day, Attorney General Marokai did his job and prosecuted a violation of the law. And President Fritz, rightly in our opinion, pardoned Mint under a provision Marokai and I successfully pushed for in the Constitutional Convention.

I don't see how exactly you can turn this into a winning political issue, but I guess you will keep trying.

[tmthforu94]

I really don't see why you didn't just shoot Mint a pm advising him to de-register quickly, or he'd be banned. I know you were ordered by Fritz, but I think it would have been fine if you would have at least waited more than 3 minutes to give Mint a chance to de-register. Would of saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Tmth, dear.. People can't de-register.

He could have done what NiK did, though, to be able to stay on without being prosecuted.

If I recall correctly, NiK had lost access to his original account. Mint voluntarily changed his account.

You know the one person who seems to not actually care about this issue? Mint himself. He's already been pardoned apparently (although I personally think that's inopportune timing) so move on and stop looking for something to try and distract people with.

I'm not trying to distract people, I was making a simple inquiry. I would have posted this yesterday in the actual court case thread, but you locked it as I was typing the message.

Stop it. You thought you caught Marokai, but really you just made a mistake.

You thought Mint could de-register, but he couldn't. Instead, Marokai and I are proposing that people be allowed to do that to avoid exactly this situation.

You thought Mint could do what NiK did, but he couldn't because NiK was locked out of his account while Mint was not.

At the end of the day, Attorney General Marokai did his job and prosecuted a violation of the law. And President Fritz, rightly in our opinion, pardoned Mint under a provision Marokai and I successfully pushed for in the Constitutional Convention.

I don't see how exactly you can turn this into a winning political issue, but I guess you will keep trying.

Marokai didn't want Mint to be pardoned until after the election. That's certainly concerning to me, as to others. With my OP, I wasn't trying to "make an issue out of it".  While I am a Presidential candidate, I am also a citizen, and Marokai is a public official. So I have every right to question him.

[Purple State]

I really don't see why you didn't just shoot Mint a pm advising him to de-register quickly, or he'd be banned. I know you were ordered by Fritz, but I think it would have been fine if you would have at least waited more than 3 minutes to give Mint a chance to de-register. Would of saved a lot of people a lot of time.

Tmth, dear.. People can't de-register.

He could have done what NiK did, though, to be able to stay on without being prosecuted.

If I recall correctly, NiK had lost access to his original account. Mint voluntarily changed his account.

You know the one person who seems to not actually care about this issue? Mint himself. He's already been pardoned apparently (although I personally think that's inopportune timing) so move on and stop looking for something to try and distract people with.

I'm not trying to distract people, I was making a simple inquiry. I would have posted this yesterday in the actual court case thread, but you locked it as I was typing the message.

Stop it. You thought you caught Marokai, but really you just made a mistake.

You thought Mint could de-register, but he couldn't. Instead, Marokai and I are proposing that people be allowed to do that to avoid exactly this situation.

You thought Mint could do what NiK did, but he couldn't because NiK was locked out of his account while Mint was not.

At the end of the day, Attorney General Marokai did his job and prosecuted a violation of the law. And President Fritz, rightly in our opinion, pardoned Mint under a provision Marokai and I successfully pushed for in the Constitutional Convention.

I don't see how exactly you can turn this into a winning political issue, but I guess you will keep trying.

Marokai didn't want Mint to be pardoned until after the election. That's certainly concerning to me, as to others. With my OP, I wasn't trying to "make an issue out of it".  While I am a Presidential candidate, I am also a citizen, and Marokai is a public official. So I have every right to question him.

You have every right to question a public official, but at least try not to be ignorant of the facts while doing so. It was as though you didn't realize de-registration isn't allowed, or the reasoning behind NiK's vindication and Mint's prosecution, respectively.

[Purple State]

Clarifying a point from the presidential debate

So as not to butt in while the presidential candidates are debating... Oakvale said this on the second page:

<snip>

In keeping with his second point, which I agree with, on regions combatting unemployment on a more local level, I've made a couple of efforts to address the situation in my own region - the most notable being a regional hiring incentives initiative when President Purple State vetoed - IIRC - a national bill with similar aims.

<snip>

The bolded part is only partially true. As President, I did initially veto hiring incentive legislation due to concerns that the bill left unacceptable room for fraud and abuse. The bill was also quite costly and did not include adequate revenue-raising provisions.

However, just two weeks later I signed a much stronger (and paid for) version of the Hiring Incentives Act that accounted for my previous concerns. I was pleased that the Senate, then-Vice President Marokai and I could work through my earlier concerns to pass a law that was much better for Atlasia.

EDIT: I should also note that while candidates may want to strengthen the provisions of that law, the current level of hiring incentives don't expire until August of 2011.

[Purple State]

I'm glad to see my comments on welcoming new members in the vice presidential debate resonating beyond that single thread.

Here is what I said:

So we will be encouraging better "new member orientation" programs, like improving the "Introduction to Atlasia" thread and promoting a mentor program for new citizens, but we don't intend to make offsite (or even onsite) recruitment a part of our administration.

So far Tmth has already gotten on board, showing that efforts to make Atlasia more welcoming to new members is not a partisan or political issue, even if there are still disagreements about recruiting.

I think we can all agree that regardless of your views on recruiting, it is unacceptable to treat new members with derision or hatred before they even have a chance to prove themselves. I know when I first stumbled into Atlasia it was only with the help and mentorship of Peter, Inks, Al, Afleitch and countless others that I was able to really feel comfortable getting involved and taking an active role.

So let's commit to help new players along by being mentors and helpers, not haters.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Hey folks. Go check out our awesome platform.

All questions and comments welcome!

[Purple State]

I will be on a leave of absence starting now through January 20. I planned it perfectly so as to cause the lease inconvenience possible, of course.

Play nice in the meantime and *hughughug* y'all.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

How can we trust in PS if he takes two week leave of absences like this? At a time of war no less? What's going to happen to Marokai during these rough days?? The horror!

[Marokai Backbeat]

How can we trust in PS if he takes two week leave of absences like this? At a time of war no less? What's going to happen to Marokai during these rough days?? The horror!

I'm lost without my other half.

[Badger]

Making the Game Moderator more effective.

Having an effective Game Moderator has become a necessity in Atlasia as of late. Spoiled by Purple State's effective tenure as GM, we've become used to getting constant reports on employment, population, poverty, debt and revenue, news reports, evaluations of policy proposals, and more.

There is, however, a common problem since Purple State's departure from that office: the load on the individual has become too great to bear alone. Badger has done a very respectable job at handling the responsibilities, but more can always be done, and when Al was briefly GM, there was great difficulty in handling it alone. And that is understandable, it's a heavy load.

That's why I believe it is time for the implementation of "Game Advisors." Two GM "assistants", if you will, that assist and periodically perform the duties of GM themselves when the Game Moderator himself is unable to do so. This will allow people who do not want to or are not able to do the entirety of the duties themselves, to still participate in running the game. Considered the "Junior Game Advisor" and "Senior Game Advisor", these two individuals will be directed by the Game Moderator himself.

For example, the Game Moderator himself could divide duties between himself and the two Game Advisors, by allowing the Junior Game Advisor to handle foreign affairs, the Senior Game Advisor to handle Economic Affairs, and the GM himself handles Misc. news stories and legislative analysis. Such a division of duties, or any combination thereof, could allow a much lighter load shared by the three. By sharing the burden, I believe it is possible for much more effective and frequent updates from the office of the GM.

Badger has done a very good job, all things considered, of being Game Moderator. But more and more help could always be used.

And of course, I'm happy that something I scribbled down in notepad 4 months ago or so and circulated privately a few times, has finally become so openly accepted by the other two major nominees:

(In a PM to Fritz, Bgwah, and Kalwejt, after Fritz privately asked for ideas on proposals in the October campaign, I sent this as part of the partial platform I drafted for myself (screenshot if someone wants absolute proof) before I backed out of the race officially.)

Abolish Secretary of Internal Affairs and possibly create two new positions entitled "Game Advisors" or something like that. Consider them "Junior" and "Senior" advisors that could take over in the even of the GM leaving or being unable to perform his duties. Let them all work together to post.

Everyone coming around to the general idea of more GMs is a very welcome thing indeed.

I actually have some views on this that are somewhat similar, but with some important distinctions. I would actually support keeping the offices of SoIA and SoEA, but that they be endowed with the authority as "assistant GM" for domestic and foreign affairs respectively under the authority of the GM. There are numerous advantages to such a role such as increasing the power of these under used offices, allowing greater delegation of GM duties, and allowing some actual impact on policy (again, subject to GM veto) by changes in the executive branch.

I've actually done that informally with Hash and Dr. Cynic, and its worked out pretty well thus far.

I would oppose, however, having entirely separate domestic and foreign affairs GMs. There is simply too much interaction and causality between the two to have to create a two headed beast trying to create "reality". The ongoing (well, temporarily suspended for the holidays at Hash's request, and then the last week due to some sadness in my home) Chinese financing crisis is a perfect example. Is that domestic or foreign? It clearly falls in both categories. Yes, maybe two GM's can work together on such a project, but the final call on what's happening in the world should fall to one GM, preferably with two able assistants serving as SoIA and SoEA.

[afleitch]

I would change your campaign banner if I were you. It's easily pastiched

[Antonio the Sixth]

I would change your campaign banner if I were you. It's easily pastiched

Not true. And the pic is copyrighted for Sewer.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I actually have some views on this that are somewhat similar, but with some important distinctions. I would actually support keeping the offices of SoIA and SoEA, but that they be endowed with the authority as "assistant GM" for domestic and foreign affairs respectively under the authority of the GM. There are numerous advantages to such a role such as increasing the power of these under used offices, allowing greater delegation of GM duties, and allowing some actual impact on policy (again, subject to GM veto) by changes in the executive branch.

I've actually done that informally with Hash and Dr. Cynic, and its worked out pretty well thus far.

I would oppose, however, having entirely separate domestic and foreign affairs GMs. There is simply too much interaction and causality between the two to have to create a two headed beast trying to create "reality". The ongoing (well, temporarily suspended for the holidays at Hash's request, and then the last week due to some sadness in my home) Chinese financing crisis is a perfect example. Is that domestic or foreign? It clearly falls in both categories. Yes, maybe two GM's can work together on such a project, but the final call on what's happening in the world should fall to one GM, preferably with two able assistants serving as SoIA and SoEA.

That could be worked out that way if it turned out it would be the best way to do it, there just needs to be some way to set those responsibilities in stone. That's part of the reason my proposal was simply "Game Advisors" instead of blanket commitments for new Game Moderators entirely, the goal was never to give competing GMs, but merely to give people, if necessary existing offices if people have no problem with the idea, power to formally advise and assist the GM. Something needs to lighten the load, while still making it a team. Whatever you think would work best under the current proposals, is what we should do, as ultimately, you're the person affected by these ideas the most.

[Badger]

I actually have some views on this that are somewhat similar, but with some important distinctions. I would actually support keeping the offices of SoIA and SoEA, but that they be endowed with the authority as "assistant GM" for domestic and foreign affairs respectively under the authority of the GM. There are numerous advantages to such a role such as increasing the power of these under used offices, allowing greater delegation of GM duties, and allowing some actual impact on policy (again, subject to GM veto) by changes in the executive branch.

I've actually done that informally with Hash and Dr. Cynic, and its worked out pretty well thus far.

I would oppose, however, having entirely separate domestic and foreign affairs GMs. There is simply too much interaction and causality between the two to have to create a two headed beast trying to create "reality". The ongoing (well, temporarily suspended for the holidays at Hash's request, and then the last week due to some sadness in my home) Chinese financing crisis is a perfect example. Is that domestic or foreign? It clearly falls in both categories. Yes, maybe two GM's can work together on such a project, but the final call on what's happening in the world should fall to one GM, preferably with two able assistants serving as SoIA and SoEA.

That could be worked out that way if it turned out it would be the best way to do it, there just needs to be some way to set those responsibilities in stone. That's part of the reason my proposal was simply "Game Advisers" instead of blanket commitments for new Game Moderators entirely, the goal was never to give competing GMs, but merely to give people, if necessary existing offices if people have no problem with the idea, power to formally advise and assist the GM. Something needs to lighten the load, while still making it a team. Whatever you think would work best under the current proposals, is what we should do, as ultimately, you're the person affected by these ideas the most.

I think we're actually on the same page here, Marokai, and at most merely differing over semantics.

I share your vision of what two assistant GMs/game advisers can do, as well as the need for them. My view is if we're going to formally create these roles then they would be best assigned to the SoIA and SoEA. Better to expand the role and responsibilities of two underutilized jobs rather than creating two more new offices, and it also allows a more clearly drawn division of labor between domestic and foreign matters than simply two general adviser positions.

[Јas]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

I think it was probably a good thing for him to withdraw if he didn't feel he was definitely up to the task. As others said in the confirmation thread, it's probably the most important job in the game, terms of just keeping things running at all, so it matters that the person feel ready and qualified. I hope he remains interested in future jobs as time goes on and continues to gain experience.

As for what I would do if faced with openings, as I would be sure to at some point or another, I would ask interested individuals to PM me if they wanted the job. I wouldn't reject anyone that didn't PM me though. I'd seek out some of my personal choices for the positions and see if they're interested, and if so, I'd compare them to those that actually applied.

But that confirmation hearing is an interesting example of what more confirmation hearings should be like. You need to know if the nominees are up to the task, and the only way to do that is present them with questions and scenarios and ask how they would act in them. Taft4prez felt he couldn't perform up to the task, and withdrew himself. If people hadn't questioned him, it's possible he would've been confirmed, and we could've had a major crisis on our hands. That's exactly why we have those hearings in the first place and more of them should have those tough questions.

I also believe, of course, in the situation of absolutely no one willing or able to serve in the position and/or everyone in the SoFE and DoFA positions missing in action, the President has a last-resort authority to open a voting booth on their own, and given that emergency scenario, I would do so as best I could. I'd have to double check the constitution and election statute, though, since the last time that issue ever came up, we had a differently Constitution!

[Јas]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

I think it was probably a good thing for him to withdraw if he didn't feel he was definitely up to the task. As others said in the confirmation thread, it's probably the most important job in the game, terms of just keeping things running at all, so it matters that the person feel ready and qualified. I hope he remains interested in future jobs as time goes on and continues to gain experience.

As for what I would do if faced with openings, as I would be sure to at some point or another, I would ask interested individuals to PM me if they wanted the job. I wouldn't reject anyone that didn't PM me though. I'd seek out some of my personal choices for the positions and see if they're interested, and if so, I'd compare them to those that actually applied.

But that confirmation hearing is an interesting example of what more confirmation hearings should be like. You need to know if the nominees are up to the task, and the only way to do that is present them with questions and scenarios and ask how they would act in them. Taft4prez felt he couldn't perform up to the task, and withdrew himself. If people hadn't questioned him, it's possible he would've been confirmed, and we could've had a major crisis on our hands. That's exactly why we have those hearings in the first place and more of them should have those tough questions.

I also believe, of course, in the situation of absolutely no one willing or able to serve in the position and/or everyone in the SoFE and DoFA positions missing in action, the President has a last-resort authority to open a voting booth on their own, and given that emergency scenario, I would do so as best I could. I'd have to double check the constitution and election statute, though, since the last time that issue ever came up, we had a differently Constitution!

Thanks for that.
Just for the record though, it was the President, not Taft4Prez, who withdrew the nomination.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

I think it was probably a good thing for him to withdraw if he didn't feel he was definitely up to the task. As others said in the confirmation thread, it's probably the most important job in the game, terms of just keeping things running at all, so it matters that the person feel ready and qualified. I hope he remains interested in future jobs as time goes on and continues to gain experience.

As for what I would do if faced with openings, as I would be sure to at some point or another, I would ask interested individuals to PM me if they wanted the job. I wouldn't reject anyone that didn't PM me though. I'd seek out some of my personal choices for the positions and see if they're interested, and if so, I'd compare them to those that actually applied.

But that confirmation hearing is an interesting example of what more confirmation hearings should be like. You need to know if the nominees are up to the task, and the only way to do that is present them with questions and scenarios and ask how they would act in them. Taft4prez felt he couldn't perform up to the task, and withdrew himself. If people hadn't questioned him, it's possible he would've been confirmed, and we could've had a major crisis on our hands. That's exactly why we have those hearings in the first place and more of them should have those tough questions.

I also believe, of course, in the situation of absolutely no one willing or able to serve in the position and/or everyone in the SoFE and DoFA positions missing in action, the President has a last-resort authority to open a voting booth on their own, and given that emergency scenario, I would do so as best I could. I'd have to double check the constitution and election statute, though, since the last time that issue ever came up, we had a differently Constitution!

Thanks for that.
Just for the record though, it was the President, not Taft4Prez, who withdrew the nomination.

He first withdrew himself, then retracted that.  So we opened a vote, then people questioned the vote because they thought Fritz withdrew the nomination... but he didn't.. but then he did, in the middle of the vote.

If you can get all that... you are a better man that me.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Understandable confusion, then.

[Purple State]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

I think it was probably a good thing for him to withdraw if he didn't feel he was definitely up to the task. As others said in the confirmation thread, it's probably the most important job in the game, terms of just keeping things running at all, so it matters that the person feel ready and qualified. I hope he remains interested in future jobs as time goes on and continues to gain experience.

As for what I would do if faced with openings, as I would be sure to at some point or another, I would ask interested individuals to PM me if they wanted the job. I wouldn't reject anyone that didn't PM me though. I'd seek out some of my personal choices for the positions and see if they're interested, and if so, I'd compare them to those that actually applied.

But that confirmation hearing is an interesting example of what more confirmation hearings should be like. You need to know if the nominees are up to the task, and the only way to do that is present them with questions and scenarios and ask how they would act in them. Taft4prez felt he couldn't perform up to the task, and withdrew himself. If people hadn't questioned him, it's possible he would've been confirmed, and we could've had a major crisis on our hands. That's exactly why we have those hearings in the first place and more of them should have those tough questions.

I also believe, of course, in the situation of absolutely no one willing or able to serve in the position and/or everyone in the SoFE and DoFA positions missing in action, the President has a last-resort authority to open a voting booth on their own, and given that emergency scenario, I would do so as best I could. I'd have to double check the constitution and election statute, though, since the last time that issue ever came up, we had a differently Constitution!

I would just like to expand slightly on this answer if I may:

Let me start by saying that I hope that T4P will make a great SoFE down the road if he remains committed and engaged in Atlasia, but the last thing we should do is put him in the spotlight before he is ready. It would be a shame to see someone with such promise crash and burn because we overburdened him.

Our best bet may be to allow T4P to stay on as deputy and have Fritz count the votes, as he has expressed a willingness to do. It would be hasty and risky, in my opinion, to push for T4P's confirmation when both he lacks experience and our president is a former Registrar General. While Fritz may not have been responsible for tallying votes as RG, his length of service to the game and work in the Department of Forum Affairs is reassuring.

[Purple State]

Questions? Why, Yes...

Alright, so things are getting boring in this race. To mix things up a bit, Marokai and I are going to give you all a taste of something we started under our administration and plan to refine if we are elected: Question Time (QT).

So here is the plan: In one week's time (let's call it for Sunday, January 30 at noon EST) we will open a QT thread for questions from the public. From there we will answer every question, regardless of its nature, as honestly (or wittily, depends on my mood) as possible. This will last for at least 24 hours, or longer if the questions keep flowing. If you are unavailable that day and want to get your questions answered, feel free to send me a PM with any questions you have and we will intersperse those in the slower moments of QT. Follow ups will be encouraged.

Let the fun begin.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I thank all of the UDL members who voted for me in the primary for selecting me as the United Democratic Left's candidate officially.

But that was the easy part (which is scary, frankly) compared to what's left to come. We have an entire campaign left to finish, and hopefully we can get back to the serious stuff, the things that matter.

A question time, as Purple State and I have decided to do, is the perfect way to kick off the second stage of our campaign.

It is my sincere hope, of course, that we in the UDL and all left-wingers that desire a serious Administration running purely for Atlasia's sake, can unite strongly behind our ticket and support all responsible left-wingers elsewhere.

Anyway, I don't want to waste everyone's time with silly speeches. I'm not very good at those. Thank you all again, and I look forward to finishing out this campaign with no obstacles left in the way.

[The Artist Formerly Known As and Now Again Known As Ogis]

Congratulations on winning the primary. We can finally unite behind one candidate. We must stand United and live up to our party's name. Tally ho!

[Purple State]

Congratulations on winning the primary. We can finally unite behind one candidate. We must stand United and live up to our party's name. Tally ho!

Thank you and Ben for stepping up and voluntarily withdrawing from the race. It's rare in this game for people to stick to their word.