Office of ZuWo

[Jayhawker]

Your record in Atlasia is, unfortunately, not the best when it comes to the question whether or not you tell the truth all the time. In fact, as I know from first-hand experience plenty of Atlasians are disgruntled with your behavior both in the past and the present, but I guess you know that better than myself. That's why the question I asked above still stands.

Also, the fact remains that you only criticized my amendments to the budget several days after I had introduced them, and you still refuse to state what concrete budget cuts you would like to make. As long as you don't do that, you are not a credible critic of the current budget proposals.

Okay. If there are so many Atlasians disgruntled with my behavior, I'll be waiting for them to come out during this campaign. Once again, please take this campaign of negativity and division elsewhere - This isn't about improving the Mideast for you, this is just about trying to smear your opponent so you can get another term. That's not what this election is about by any means.

If you would read the PM I just sent you, you would be able to see what we're thinking about doing. My offer still stands - feel free to respond to that PM whenever, and I'll be happy to work with you on coming up with solutions for our region's budget.

[Is JCL in mushy sappy love]

To both of you:

I consider you both valuable allies. This budget issue is important and it needs to be solved before the next election. I've taken a look at this and I can't support it as it stands now for two reasons. One is the five cent increase in the beer tax. I don't do tax increases. Second this budget is 32 billion in the red. What we all need to understand regardless of party is the people want a budget passed. If all government spending takes a 15 percent cut there is a chance we can balance the books and have no tax increases.

I fought the Polnut budget for those same reasons. While I ran for the Senate I proposed targeted spending cuts to reduce the debt and balance the budget. Though I lost some of the cuts were used though on a smaller level.

So for the sake of getting this balanced (without a tax increase) lets come up with a plan together.

[ZuWo]

The only case of "negativity and division" that has appeared in this campaign was when you supported the negative and divisive "Marriage Revenge Act" before you suddenly decided to change your opinion.

I will work on improving the budget with anyone who is serious about it. If you criticize a concrete amendment to the budget, I invite you to step forward and say what you would like to do differently. For instance, since you are considering cutting several programs by 15% and want to cut healthcare spending you can as well say so now and ask the people of the Mideast for their opinion on this idea. Even if you haven't focused on the details yet, it's only fair if the people of the Mideast are informed about your approach at this point.

To both of you:

I consider you both valuable allies. This budget issue is important and it needs to be solved before the next election. I've taken a look at this and I can't support it as it stands now for two reasons. One is the five cent increase in the beer tax. I don't do tax increases. Second this budget is 32 billion in the red. What we all need to understand regardless of party is the people want a budget passed. If all government spending takes a 15 percent cut there is a chance we can balance the books and have no tax increases.

I fought the Polnut budget for those same reasons. While I ran for the Senate I proposed targeted spending cuts to reduce the debt and balance the budget. Though I lost some of the cuts were used though on a smaller level.

So for the sake of getting this balanced (without a tax increase) lets come up with a plan together.

JCL, I will work with you on an improved budget with pleasure.

[Jayhawker]

The only case of "negativity and division" that has appeared in this campaign was when you supported the negative and divisive "Marriage Revenge Act"

Oh my...

For instance, since you are considering cutting several programs by 15% and want to cut healthcare spending you can as well say so now and ask the people of the Mideast for their opinion on this idea. Even if you haven't focused on the details yet, it's only fair if the people of the Mideast are informed about your approach at this point.

Once again, I'm trying to have a serious discussion with you about fixing our budget, and you're just sticking to trying to make this about political gain and more attacks. The Mideast people deserve better than this charade. Those are some idea's JCL currently have on the table - we're just preparing a comprehensive plan to introduce all at once, rather than piece by piece, which could take much longer.

So for the sake of getting this balanced (without a tax increase) lets come up with a plan together.

I've been saying this all along. We just need to get ZuWo on board!

[ZuWo]

Don't lecture me on trying to make something about "political gain" since you are the expert in this area. You are the one criticizing the current amendments to the budget without showing the people what your plan is. I do not want to discuss the budget mainly behind the scenes, I want the process of developing our first regional budget in the history of Atlasia to be a transparent thing. It's the members of the Assembly who vote on the budget and have to voice their opinions. Also, the people deserve to know what's going on, so the biggest part of the debate on the budget must be held in the "Mideast Budget 2012" thread. After all, this is what you said about developing the budget:

The more brains the better!

[ZuWo]

My plans for my second term as Mideast Governor

In short, my second term as Mideast Governor will be very similar to my current term. I will continue to be a Governor who communicates with the citizens of the Mideast through various channels, such as for example the question time sessions and the monthly newsletter. Moreover, I will introduce a couple of bills to the Assembly. Concretely, I will have a close look at the statute page on the wiki and make sure that redundant acts are repealed. Additionally, I will seek to draft legislation on issues concerning the economy, education and administrative affairs. This way, I will ensure that there is ongoing political debate even in times when not very much is happening in the Assembly.
In addition, the wiki will remain an important priority of mine. Indeed, I will try to make sure that the relevant wiki pages are kept up to date. I will also play an active role in the newly founded C.A.R.E., the Conference of Atlasian Regional Executives, and work closely with the other Governors in order to give the Atlasian regions an effective platform and an opportunity to have more influence on what's happening in Atlasia.

Furthermore, I will continue to be a Governor who stands for the interests of the entire region rather than an officeholder who is loyal to himself alone. Indeed, I am a conservative who regards the ability to compromise as a positive value. That's why I will always be open to suggestions from all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. I have demonstrated my openness when I appointed Franzl to the Mideast Superior Court, took into consideration various ideas from other people during the debate of the "Mideast Sex Crime Statute" and during the budget debate, where I have tried to find the best and not the most ideological solutions for the region. Therefore, it's not surprising that I have been endorsed by members of all major national parties.

Finally, I would like to stress that I will emphasize values such as consistency, reliability and credibility in my second term. I say what I think and I think what I say. I am willing to listen to people with diverse ideologies before I make a decision because very often the best answer to most problems is a pragmatic answer and not an answer rooted in ideology. At the same time, however, once I have made up my mind on a particular issue I will defend my point of view rather than change my opinion several times - I care more about credibility and reliability than doing what is the most popular thing to do depending on the office I am running for. With me in the Governor's mansion you have someone who values honesty and accountability. While I am certainly not flawless, I only have the best intentions for the region.

Thank you for your attention and have a nice day!

Governor ZuWo

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Four more months!  Four more months!

[ZuWo]

Four more months!  Four more months!

I'm glad we agree on this issue, Oldiesfreak!

[ZuWo]

Support for "Torture Isn't Nice Initiative" and "Condemnation of Condemnable Behavior Act"

I have decided to support the "Torture Isn't Nice Initiative" and the "Condemnation of Condemnable Behavior Act" and would like to offer a brief explanation for my decision:

Firstly, I believe that a modern government should not use torture (or other physical forms of punishment such as the death penalty, which is not mentioned in the initiative but is an even more drastic form of punishment by the government) when dealing with prisoners. Torture is inhumane and uncivilized and should therefore be opposed.

Secondly, I oppose strategic registration and so I support this initiative. While I am aware that we can't ban this practice - it's very hard to prove whether someone would be guilty of strategic registration even if it were illegal - an official statement by the Atlasian government can be helpful in preventing further cases of strategic registration. In fact, strategic registration poisons the political climate in Atlasia as it leads to distrust and resentment between the parties, so we should take a stance against it.

I am still uncertain about some of the other initiatives and might sign them at a later point though I need to see more arguments in favor of them.

[Jerseyrules]

Governor, what would you say to a Lincoln-Douglas style debate with your challenger?  No moderator, just one timekeeper.

[ZuWo]

More on the economy, jobs and taxes

My opponent has laid out a platform in which he briefly summarized his main political priorities. While this is generally commendable, there are a couple of points which seem problematic and implausible to me. I want to briefly point out what these points are and how my plan differs on these issues.

First of all, my opponent expressed his wish to have a balanced budget. This is my goal as well so I'm glad this is an issue we can agree on. However, my opponent's plans don't end here. In fact, Tmthforu94 also plans to pass an infrastructure jobs bill, has promised to implement infrastructure projects, wants to distribute more money to our regional schools and calls for a cut in corporate tax rates.

All in all, we see the promise of a (nearly) balanced budget, (dozens of) billions in new spending (investing in the infrastructure and schools to bring down unemployment to 5% costs a lot), a cut in corporate taxes, which is only partly balanced with a new tax on online goods, while my opponent is cautious about making cuts that hurt the middle class ...

I have never been a Governor of unfulfillable promises. Indeed, my style of governing and my political priorities are rooted in a sense of realism. If I were Mitt Romney or lived in an alternative universe I could maybe promise you the same as my opponent - a balanced budget with tax cuts and more money to spend on infrastructure and educational projects without making cuts to the budget that hurt the middle class - but I prefer to be realistic. Clearly, given the current state of the budget there is no room for tax cuts. Additionally, considering the problems of our economy and the economic situation all around the world I regard it as irresponsible and unfair to suggest to the citizens of the Mideast that the unemployment can be reduced to 5% in such a short period of time. Moreover, I can't promise you to spend dozens of billions for an effective stimulus package - an "infrastructure jobs bill" is just that, a stimulus package by the government - and more money for schools when I am compelled to reduce the deficit. All I can promise you with a clear conscience is that I will continue to fight against unnecessary regulations for businesses such as the federal bill restricting the maximum number of working hours. Furthermore, I will keep looking into the budget and try to find programs that can be cut. However, since both GM shua and former Governor A-Bob, the father of the Mideast budget so to speak, already indicated that most government programs are on the brink of being underfunded in the current budget proposal, we should not expect too much from this approach. In fact, my main two priorites regarding the budget are the attempt to do away with certain tax breaks and reducing the deficit by establishing a regional lottery if the Assembly decides to pass the bill which deals with the regional lottery.

I don't want to promise you things that I can't keep. Raising high expectations in times of economic distress is not the path I choose to pursue. My administration will work on infrastructure programs and seek cooperation with other regional governments should I be elected to a second term, but only insofar as it is responsible with regards to our budget.

Vote for me, vote for fiscal and economic realism.

[ZuWo]

I would also like to express my support for the Shut Yo Face Act, for the reasons which Jbrase stated in a post in the debate thread:

I thought I'd just pop in to say I support this bill. Imagine the following, you are sitting in your office and trying to process through your paperwork, but a crap load of it is just random notes saying "Hello!" or "Welcome!" making your job tougher.

This is not attacking free speech but simply making Homely's job easier. They can still welcome them, but not in that thread. Homely himself has asked people to welcome them somewhere else, only for the EXACT SAME PEOPLE to ignore his requests and do it again. And the then Homely kindly repeats his request, and then the same people ignore him again. This is not attacking free speech as no one is entitled to what equated to written terrorism of the the Register General's office.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Firstly, I believe that a modern government should not use torture (or other physical forms of punishment such as the death penalty, which is not mentioned in the initiative but is an even more drastic form of punishment by the government) when dealing with prisoners. Torture is inhumane and uncivilized and should therefore be opposed.

The death penalty isn't mentioned mostly because TJ has an amendment in the queue to ban it, so a law would be redundant. It does prohibit fake executions though.

[ZuWo]

Firstly, I believe that a modern government should not use torture (or other physical forms of punishment such as the death penalty, which is not mentioned in the initiative but is an even more drastic form of punishment by the government) when dealing with prisoners. Torture is inhumane and uncivilized and should therefore be opposed.

The death penalty isn't mentioned mostly because TJ has an amendment in the queue to ban it, so a law would be redundant. It does prohibit fake executions though.

I didn't mean to say that the death penalty should be included in the text of the initiative, I merely wanted to state that I oppose the death penalty just like I oppose any kind of torture. The initiative is just fine the way it is.

[TJ in Wisco]

Actually putting the death penalty on the initiative would be redundant because the initiative would constitute a statute ban of the death penalty, which is already in effect anyway not because it would achieve the same thing as an amendment that has not yet passed. My amendment is a constitutional ban, which would prevent a future statute change from legalizing the death penalty.

The death penalty has become a political issue in the Mideast gubernatorial race not because either candidate supports it but because of a set of misstatements and a mistaken post that cast some confusion of each candidate's position. So yes, the Governor has need to make sure his position is clear in the eyes of the public.

[ZuWo]

Updated Official Endorsement List

Former Mideast Governor A-Bob
Senator HagridoftheDeep
Senator and Whig Party chairman Clarence
Speaker of the IDS House Jbrase
Former Northeast Governor Snowstalker
Whig Party vice chairman Supersonic
Northeast Governor Averroës Nix
IDS Judicial Overlord Pingvin
Northeast Representative Jerseyrules

[pillage the village, trash the scene]

Judicial, not Justice. Fix it, please!

[ZuWo]

Judicial, not Justice. Fix it, please!

Done!

[Senator Napoleon]

Snowstalker was never Chairman of the Labor Party.

[ZuWo]

Snowstalker was never Chairman of the Labor Party.

Oops, I'll change that into "future chairman of the Labor Party" then, and add Cathcon who I forgot to mention and who will be SoEA in a few days.

Updated Official Endorsement List

Former Mideast Governor A-Bob
Senator HagridoftheDeep
Senator and Whig Party chairman Clarence
Speaker of the IDS House Jbrase
Former Northeast Governor Snowstalker
Whig Party vice chairman Supersonic
Northeast Governor Averroës Nix
IDS Judicial Overlord Pingvin
Northeast Representative Jerseyrules
Secretary of External Affairs Cathcon
Mideast Assemblyman Oldiesfreak1854

[Oldiesfreak1854]

I endorse you.  I think you've done a good job, and although I like Tmth, you probably are closer to my views and my vision for the Mideast region.

[ZuWo]

I endorse you.  I think you've done a good job, and although I like Tmth, you probably are closer to my views and my vision for the Mideast region.

Thanks a lot, Oldiesfreak! One more person to add to my list.

[CathKhan]

I don't think I ever publicly endorsed you, but I suppose I'll let it slide.

[A-Bob]

"Four more months!" -Former Governor A-Bob

[ZuWo]

I don't think I ever publicly endorsed you, but I suppose I'll let it slide.

The Governor.

In response to A-Bob's endorsement:

**Applause** I was sorta scared you'd be announcing, thus splitting potential votes even more. Not that you'd be a bad candidate or anything...

I considered these public statements an endorsement. However, if you want to have your name removed from the list, just say so.