Marokai/Purple State Platform Extravaganza!

[Marokai Backbeat]

Hello Atlasia.

Amidst all the campaigning, tickets say time and time again that they have a platform but they're just working on it, or we'll see the full platform in due time. Well we actually have a platform now. Not later.

The platform itself is the full breadth of our ideas as they stand. Throughout the campaign, small details will change, and new ideas will be added, and when that is the case, this thread and our campaign thread will be updated with them.

Now, without further ado..

(Post 1: Game Reform
Post 2: Domestic/Economic Policy
Post 3: Domestic/Economic Policy Continued, Improving Foreign Affairs, Closing Statements.)

Game Reform

• A More Active Senate.

There are two major problems with the Senate as it stands. One; elections for senators largely hinge on personality, not new ideas, and in-party challenges are far and few between. Our ticket supports the implementation of a five-session consecutive limit on Senators. This equals out to a grand total of 10 months or two and a half terms (for those elected in a special election) in office before the Senators must step down for one or two sessions before running for election again.

A more active Senate requires, more voices to be heard, and this is why an 10-month (2.5 term) consecutive limit is essential. It allows more individuals to be cycled into the Senate, and given a chance. The time to step up and actually make the tough changes begins with the election of the Marokai/Purple State ticket. If senators facing term limits want to continue to participate meaningfully in the game, they are able to by running for office in their region or seeking a Cabinet position. This ensures that their experience is shared beyond the confines of the Senate. Too often senators reject Cabinet offers or dismiss regional activity because of their standing in the Senate. That is bad for the game.

Two, a Marokai/Purple State Administration will reform and streamline the rules of the Senate, making sure that debate is full and active, not a small group of senators participating while the rest watch from the sideline. This means spelling out a code of conduct for senators, outlining what level of activity is expected by their peers.

• A Senate That Functions Better.

There is another problem with the Senate lately: it has difficult actually running itself. This problem must end and will end under a Marokai/Purple State Administration. That is why Purple State, if elected to be my Vice President, has made the following promise:

I would also like to announce that if elected as your Vice President, I will keep the Senate running under my powers as President of the Senate. This means that I will not only cast tie-breaking votes, the minimum amount of work, but I will model Bacon King during his time as Vice President: an extremely active VP starting threads for legislation, opening and closing votes and making sure the trains run on time.

This assures the body will continue to function as it should, and under our previous 10-month (2.5 term) consecutive limit proposal, assuages any worries that it will continue to simply muddle along. We are committed to a strong and active Senate, and we will do all within our power to make it happen.

• "Game Advisors."

As I said earlier in the Campaign thread, the load on the Game Moderator has become obscene. Though I believe it to be an incredible advantage, if not an outright necessity, to have an active and consistently updating GM, that is not always possible as the demands of the real world will always distract people from the job. Therefore, we propose the following:

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.

• Deregistration.

The Marokai/Purple State ticket supports formal implementation of the process known as "deregistration" with efforts made to make sure that it is done carefully and doesn't cause serious conflict with any elections or court action. We support the act proposed recently in the Senate by Senator Lief to this effect, and should it fail, we will make further efforts during our Administration to implement a deregistration process.

• Executive Legislative Agendas for Future Administrations.

This ticket believes strongly in executive legislative agendas, allowing Administrations to be more active in legislating, and proposing things on their own. The Lief Administration did a very good job of proposing ideas and working with Senators, as was the Purple State Administration that I served in.

That's why, if we are elected, a Marokai/Purple State Administration will push for an "Executive" slot in the Senate legislative que, allowing for instant and unfiltered legislative proposals from the President and Vice President. The act of simply allowing for a formal delivery system for a legislative agenda from the executive will, we hope, establish precedent that will be followed by all Administrations to follow, for introducing a formal legislative agenda on behalf of the White House.

• Empowering Regions in Regional Senate Elections.

In December of 2009, there was a proposed Amendment that I supported in theory, that would have allowed regions to changes the means of election in their regional Senate elections. There were, however, major flaws: the Amendment did not have clear enough safeguards to prevent against abuse or poisoning democracy by altering vote requirements or candidacy rules.

A Marokai/Purple State Administration will reintroduce this central idea, with more stringent protections to make sure that the elections remain fair, and open to all, while still adding a unique flavor to each individual region's Senate election. It will empower regions to spice up their Senate elections, changing the drab predictability of regional Senate elections while having the power remain firmly in regional hands.

• Enforcing Question Time.

During the Purple State Administration, I authored the "Regular Question Time Made Interesting Act" which would allow for a monthly venue for informative and amusing back and forth between the White House and the public. A Marokai/Purple State Administration will enforce these schedules, asking the Secretary of Internal Affairs to open these threads on time each month. We strongly believe in the principle behind this Act, and we believe we can make it work.

• Misc. Improvements:

We will make the Deputy Secretary of Forum Affairs an "unofficial" game position with the same authority it holds now. This will ensure that current officials with experience running elections are able to help the Secretary of Federal Elections and Registrar General without giving up the ability to hold a more meaningful office.

We strongly support altering the Consolidated Criminal Justice Act to allow for "the Mint Exception;" situations where those who seek to take on a new identity in Atlasia will not be punished for honestly failing to de-register their previous identity, (should de-registration pass) or waiting for their previous identity to expire.

We strongly support and will propose new efforts to continue Wiki consolidation started under the previous Purple State/Marokai Administration, to make the Wiki more easy to navigate and easy to read.

We will propose transfering the authority over the Introduction to Atlasia Thread from random civilian appointments to the authority of the Registrar General.

We will encourage and work to create more small efforts designed to better integrate new members into the game and keep their attention:

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,

[Marokai Backbeat]

Domestic/Economic Policy

• Effective Use of the SEDZI Act.

As Vice President, I authored the Social & Economic Development Zone Improvement Act, a landmark piece of legislation that can vastly improve the economic and structural future of poor and underdeveloped communities and areas all across Atlasia. There are incredible benefits to the declaration of a SEDZ:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

For the most effective implementation of this Act, however, requires cooperation on both Regional and Federal ends, and the direction given by the Regional Governments of Atlasia.

A Marokai/Purple State Administration will immediately push for Regional Governments to seek out locations for the declaration of a SEDZ, and with the assistance of the GM (and hopefully, Game Advisors!) we can establish and fully fund new Social & Economic Development Zones across the country. It's time to use this underrated piece of economic law!

• Abolishing Wait Times for Assistance.

These are tough times for many Atlasians. Many people out there need housing assistance or assistance from the Home Energy Assistance Administration (which I created as a Senator) and simply do not have time to wait.

Expansions of assistance are very good and appreciated, but a critical part of what we must do is make sure all that are need assistance can obtain it in a timely manner. That is why a Marokai/Purple State Administration will abolish wait times and daily limits on public assistance programs such as housing vouchers and the HEAA. It is immoral for any civilized nation to deny help to those who are fully qualified to receive it. These programs are meant to help people, and it's time we do just that. We promise that if you can get it, you will get it.

• Fair Student Loan Interest Rates.

While there has been much talk of work on education in this campaign by other candidates, as Senator, I created the "Bureau of Student Finance" with the Student Loan Reformation Act which takes student loan subsidies away from private banks, administers student loans directly from the federal government, and saves money for everyone.

Student loans are a critical part of the requirements for higher education, and if elected, a Marokai/Purple State Administration will establish an official, low, across-the-board interest rate for federal student loans that will make repaying those student loans as painless as possible.

• Credit Card Regulation & Consumer Protection.

Purple State and I have long been advocates of consumer protection. As Senator, I authored the Fair Interest Rates Act which banned "payday loan" lending and instituted a cap on credit card interest rates, and Purple State authored the Worker's Bill of Rights Act.

But now, it is time for much more widespread efforts to protect the individual consumer. The abuses of credit card companies still goes unchecked, and it is time we correct that as has been done in the real world. We promise, if elected, to propose a new set of necessary and effective credit card regulations with the following provisions as mere examples of what we intend:

• Requires card companies give cardholders 45 days notice of any interest rate increases.
• Gives cardholders the right to cancel their card and pay off their existing balance at the existing interest rate and repayment schedule if an interest rate increase is imposed; gives cardholders three billing cycles after the rate increase to decline these new terms.
• Gives cardholders time to pay their bills by requiring card companies to mail billing statements 21 calendar days before the due date.
• Requires that payments made before 5 p.m. EST on the due date are considered timely.
• Requires the due date to fall on the same day each month. If the fixed due date normally falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal banking holiday, then the due date shall be pushed to the next business day after the date. This measure prohibits due dates to fall on a weekend or holiday.
• Directs card companies to provide on every statement, a phone and internet address that a cardholder can access for payoff balances.
• Prohibits card companies from charging late fees when a cardholder presents proof of mailing payment not less than 7 days before the due date.
• Requires card companies to offer consumers the option of having a fixed credit limit that cannot be exceeded.
• Prevents card companies from charging over-the-limit fees on a cardholder with a fixed credit limit.
• A credit card cannot be issued to someone under age 21, unless they have a co-signer (who is 21 or over), or can provide proof of a means to repay.
• Prohibits retailers from setting expiration dates less than 5 years after the card is purchased.
• Prohibits retailers from charging dormancy, inactivity, and service fees unless the card has not been used for at least 12 months. If fees are charged after this period, the details of such fees must be clearly established on the card, but retailers cannot assess more than one fee per month under any circumstances.

• Taxes & the Deficit.

As the author of the current personal income tax rates, I believe strongly in protecting them as they stand, and believe Atlasians are sufficiently taxed.

I will ask the Game Moderator to assess our current levels of military spending and deficit, and seek to make responsible cuts when most efficient, but we must not sacrifice economic growth for budget cuts. I believe the budget is in respectable shape, and due in part to my past taxation efforts, will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.

From the GM’s Desk: Legislation Analysis
Fiscal Responsibility Bill: This legislation, sponsored by Senator Marokai Blue (JCP), seeks to streamline and restructure Atlasian income tax brackets.

The current bill would create new brackets for individual's income above $367,700, $1 million and $2.5 million, respectively. This would equate with a tax rate increase for the higher brackets and a tax rate decrease for the lowest brackets, with most rates remaining the same.

Previous estimates by the Office of the GM calculated between $250 billion and $600 billion in gained revenue as a result of these changes. Given the overall nature of marginal income tax, as well as the relative revenue gained through individual, rather than corporate, income taxes, the office is now prepared to predict a total revenue in-flow of $500 billion as a result of the new taxation brackets.

This would greatly help in reducing the budget deficit over the coming years. In conjunction with eventual spending cuts and other tax reforms, the Atlasian budget could reach neutrality in two years and bring the debt to zero shortly after a ten year time horizon.

[Marokai Backbeat]

• Boosting the Automotive Industries of Atlasia.

Firstly, upon taking office, I will ask the GM to assess the current state of the auto industry as a whole, as well as the automotive industry native to Atlasia. We believe that we can easily improve the auto industry and the economy more broadly, at the same time.

That is why a Marokai/Purple State Administration will propose a sensible "Cash for Clunkers" program, designed to improve the environment, the automotive industry, and the economy all at the same time. By giving tax credits to those who own older and more environmentally unfriendly vehicles, we can encourage people to buy newer, more environmentally friendly cars, and stimulate the economy. (It has been a proven success in the real world, and we can replicate that here.)

• Misc. Policies:

We will submit a proposal to grant a 100% tax deduction for small businesses that invest in new equipment, or replacement equipment, which will allow businesses to modernize their equipment and improve their ability to compete.

We strongly support the "Consumer Convenience in Pricing Act" proposed by Senator Lief, which will give consumers full knowledge on the price of their goods by including taxes in the price tag.

Upon taking office, my Administration will ask the Game Moderator for assessments on the current progress and impact of the Green Power Act, the Green Homes Act, and the Atlasia Clean Energy Act, and will make any effort to speed the progress and fill in any gaps of the legislation.

Improving Foreign Policy

• General Foreign Policy Outlook.

I have always believed that we should handle foreign policy with the coolest of heads, and I believe I am the most tempered when it comes to foreign affairs and foreign entanglements among the candidates. I elaborated slightly on my feelings in general on foreign affairs in the Presidential debate:

I've always favored a more tempered foreign policy. Both extreme isolation and extreme intervention are insane and unrealistic, and get us in more trouble than good. I believe it's best as a general rule to leave nations to their own affairs as long as they don't put others in danger beyond it's borders, but these things are a very touchy issue, and foreign affairs, to me, should be handled on a case by case basis and a careful and calm mind. Military action should always be a last resort, no doubt about it.

I do not believe it is in Atlasia's best interest to be the policeman of the world, nor do I believe we are capable of such a feat without laying waste to our finances at home. I believe that defense is just that. Defense. For international concerns, we should certainly take action when the situation demands it, but we should do so in concert with other nations.

• Improving Attention to Foreign Affairs.

The Secretary of External Affairs is a woefully underappreciated office, as is foreign affairs in general, and this ticket believes we should give much more attention to foreign matters in this game.

With the Game Advisors proposal, one of the Advisors and the Game Moderator could easily direct a portion of their work solely on foreign affairs, giving much more attention to foreign goings-on and forcing Atlasia and the world to respond with much greater focus.

We believe strongly that foreign affairs are an unused resource that can be used to get more and more people interest in the game, beyond just game reform changes and domestic policy proposals, and we have the persistence to make it happen.

Closing Remarks

This ticket is committed to a stronger Atlasia and every way, and we believe that in this platform, we have laid down merely our starting point for moving Atlasia forward. We will continue to have even more proposals as the campaign moves forward, and define those laid out here even further.

A Marokai/Purple State Administration would be among the most active and qualified in history, rivaled in past accomplishments by no others. Countless times throughout the construction of this platform, I came across many incidents where I had dealt with a portion of that issue in the past with other legislation. Can other tickets boast the same? We believe that alone makes us supremely qualified to handle the issues that plague the game.

As this campaign moves forward, we will continue to come up with new proposals, and define those we've already made, and we look forward to as much debate as possible with the other candidates. During this campaign, you should always keep asking yourself, "Which candidate is the most well versed?" "Is my candidate the one with the biggest history of dealing with Atlasia's issues?" "What candidate has the clearest proposals and most demonstrated ability to write legislation meant to address Atlasia's problems?". We believe, in all those questions, we come out on top.

We will work hard. For you.

Support Marokai Blue/Purple State, for Atlasia.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This is what should be getting attention during a Presidential election, gentlemen.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I'm not, naturally Tmthforu's presidential bid supporter, but I'm pretty sure during this campaign he never use any kind of a negative campaign. So what the hell is going on?

More simply that he's avoided getting knee deep in policy debates. I wouldn't personally say "negative campaigning" from Tmth, but I do think he focuses a bit too much on the personality aspect of the campaign and too little on the other.