Office of ZuWo

[Senator Clarence]

Give em hell!

[Communists For McCain]

And I thank Mechaman, 20RP12 and PiT for their endorsements "on probation". I hope I am not going to say too many stupid things to lose your support!

I have to say that you're doing a pretty horrible job on that front.

The foreign policy entry was good.  I don't agree 100% with it but it sure as hell wasn't stupid.

If that makes any sense.

[Secretary Polnut]

I think you're a good Representative, but your aggressive and potentially antagonistic foreign policy... and what I expect to be in your social policy agenda, leads me to the position of, I wish you the best of luck, but cannot support your candidacy.

[Senator Ben]

Interesting foreign policy.  No endorsement (at least now), but I wish you the best of luck.

[ZuWo]

Thank you all for your responses. I am aware that the more specific my platform becomes, the more firm people's opinions about me and my campaign will become, which will result in me both winning and losing some people's support. However, I'd rather lose an election because people have actually taken a close look at my stances and decided that they cannot fully support them than lead a campaign by trying to disguise and mitigate my real opinions in order to appeal to as many voters as possible. I therefore thank you for your critical assessment of my points of view.

This campaign shall offer full transparency to all voters. People deserve full transparency before voting in an election!

[Yelnoc]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

[ZuWo]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

This is a very valid question. I think including every single expenditure delegated to the states in the individual regional budgets would be excellent, but it's probably not feasible since it would make the creation of a budget even more complex and time-consuming. However, go ahead if you feel the IDS can do it and prove me wrong, that would be impressive!
No, what I wanted to get across with my comment on the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" was that it would have been neat if the Senate had stated explicitly who has to compensate for this 5% reduction in federal money - I basically repeated the question raised by GM shua in the Senate debate thread.

And thank you for your statement on my foreign policy platform!

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

If elected, which, if any, of Polnut's legislation will you be repealing?

[shua]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

There's no mandate for the regions to do it.  It's just that the Feds aren't paying for that 5%, and the Senate neither knows nor cares who they're passing the bill to. I'm glad ZuWo is paying attention to this issue and bringing it up in his campaign. Really we need to clarify the role of National Healthcare in Atlasia, but the Senate just made it more confusing.

[ZuWo]

If elected, which, if any, of Polnut's legislation will you be repealing?

I've just looked through all the bills that have been passed under the Polnut presidency and have come to the conclusion that it is the "Right to Treatment Act" that I would try to have repealed as President.

Here's the link to the debate:

http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=141937.0

I take issue with the consitutionality of this bill because it imposes too excessive restrictions on the regions, a concern which I mentioned to President Polnut in a PM at the time the bill was being debated. While I respect the President's ultimate decision to sign the bill into law, I still disagree.

Another bill I would like to see modified is the "Tax Code Bill". Although I agree with the general direction President Polnut has taken on taxes, I would try to go even further and lower taxes to a larger extent. I am going to reveal details on my vision of the "Tax Code Bill" at a later stage, but I can already say that I favor Senator Jbrase's proposal to the current tax code.

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

Would you favor reforming the Vice Presidency so that the Vice President is elected separately from the President and empowering the Vice President to have the authority to introduce legislation for debate and vote by the Senate?

Or do you have your own ideas on reform of the Vice Presidency, if so, what are they, or do you want to see the status quo continue in this regard?

[Yelnoc]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

There's no mandate for the regions to do it.  It's just that the Feds aren't paying for that 5%, and the Senate neither knows nor cares who they're passing the bill to. I'm glad ZuWo is paying attention to this issue and bringing it up in his campaign. Really we need to clarify the role of National Healthcare in Atlasia, but the Senate just made it more confusing.

What is that 5% supposed to cover?  And can you link me to the relevant statute?  I'm not exactly sure what law it is we are talking about?

[ZuWo]

Would you favor reforming the Vice Presidency so that the Vice President is elected separately from the President and empowering the Vice President to have the authority to introduce legislation for debate and vote by the Senate?

Or do you have your own ideas on reform of the Vice Presidency, if so, what are they, or do you want to see the status quo continue in this regard?

I am supportive of Senator Kalwejt's "Separate Elections Amendment", which was unfortunately rejected by the Senate. Atlasia is still a game that is centered around elections, so having more elections only adds to the fun of the game. Also, a separate election of the Vice President could result in very interesting scenarios. Imagine, for instance, a situation where we have a left-wing President and a right-wing Vice President who has been elected by the Atlasian people and what would happen in the case of a tie in the Senate. Such a scenario would make governing for the President a bit more delicate but would also lead to more exciting situations.

Thus, I do not support the status quo. However, I am not quite sure whether a Vice President should be empowered to introduce legislation for debate in the Senate. This may in fact be unnecessary since even in the current situation all a Vice President has to do is to work together with at least one Senator and make this Senator introduce a particular bill on his behalf.

[ZuWo]

A public statement on the future of the ZuWo presidential campaign is scheduled for 4 PM Eastern time today

[ZuWo]

Official Announcement of Presidential Candidacy

Dear citizens of Atlasia,

Encouraged and thrilled by numerous endorsements and positive responses to my announcement to form an exploratory committee for President, I have decided to seek the presidency of Atlasia. If there is a primary in the RPP, I will campaign for my party’s nomination.

I am convinced that Atlasia needs a President who is willing to connect with citizens, is active, ready to work with people all across the political spectrum and has a vision to move our country forward. I believe that I am ready and able to do this and am highly motivated to serve Atlasia with great humility. 

I will continue to update my platform in the upcoming weeks. Questions and comments are always welcome.

Interested in Being my Running Mate?

If it has always been your dream to be Vice President of Atlasia, you share my excitement for the game, are motivated to work hard for the country, open-minded on the issue of game reform and simply want to have fun, then you are welcome to contact me; your party affiliation does not play an important role. It will take me some time to make a definite decision, so I am looking forward to get to know you and discuss certain political issues with you.

Sincerely,

ZuWo

[Senator Clarence]

Go ZuWo!!!

[shua]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

There's no mandate for the regions to do it.  It's just that the Feds aren't paying for that 5%, and the Senate neither knows nor cares who they're passing the bill to. I'm glad ZuWo is paying attention to this issue and bringing it up in his campaign. Really we need to clarify the role of National Healthcare in Atlasia, but the Senate just made it more confusing.

What is that 5% supposed to cover?  And can you link me to the relevant statute?  I'm not exactly sure what law it is we are talking about?

http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=145074.0

[LINCOLN REPUBLICAN]

Congratulations ZuWo on your decision to seek the Presidency.  Best of luck to you.

I have another question.

Regarding who you will ultimately want to be your Vice Presidential running mate, and should you be successful in becoming the nominee of the RPP, do you believe it would be advantageous to yourself and to Atlasia for you to have a Vice President who is not in the RPP, providing a more balanced ticket?

[ZuWo]

Congratulations ZuWo on your decision to seek the Presidency.  Best of luck to you.

I have another question.

Regarding who you will ultimately want to be your Vice Presidential running mate, and should you be successful in becoming the nominee of the RPP, do you believe it would be advantageous to yourself and to Atlasia for you to have a Vice President who is not in the RPP, providing a more balanced ticket?

Thank you for your kind response!

The most important about my running mate is not his party affiliation. In general, I would be very happy about a vice-presidential candidate who shares some of my convictions, so whether he is a member of the RPP or another party or an independent doesn't really matter. I want a running mate who, as I stated above, promises activity, wants to do a good job for the game, is open-minded on game-reform issues and has fun with Atlasia. Of course, it is better to have a running mate who doesn't have views that are the exact opposite of my views on major issues, but that's why I said I am planning to discuss a couple of details with people who are interested in the job.

Regarding your more general question whether it would be an advantage to Atlasia as a whole if I picked a non-RPP running mate: Again, I hope this will not play a major role. People should not vote for me or refuse to vote for me because my running mate is or is not in the RPP. They should look at the ticket and decide for themselves whether they trust these two guys enough to hand them over the office of President and Vice President. That's it.

Also keep in mind that with the impending dissolution votes in the RPP and the JCP many things remain unclear. For instance, no one knows whether these parties will still exist in the foreseeable future, and if the RPP and the JCP indeed vanish, things will become highly unpredictable anyway. That's why I think it's still too early to say what impact my choice of a running mate and my running mate's party affiliation could have. But I understand very well that you as an independent are interested in this question, and I hope to be able to give you a clearer answer at a later stage.

[ZuWo]

Go ZuWo!!!

Thank you! If only there were a Secretary of Defense cabinet post in Atlasia, you would get it. (And since I can't ruin my hypothetical chances for SoFE Ben's vote, I can't appoint you for that job, either )

[Californian Tony]

I'm not endorsing you because I find your platform highly repulsive. However, I still wish you good luck. You're a nice guy and a dedicated poster, and will certainly be a formidable candidate for the right.

[ZuWo]

I'm not endorsing you because I find your platform highly repulsive. However, I still wish you good luck. You're a nice guy and a dedicated poster, and will certainly be a formidable candidate for the right.

Thank you very much!

You know, an endorsement from a socialist (in the European sense) would have been uncanny anyway. The fact that you wish me luck but do not endorse me shows me that I'm on the right track.

[ZuWo]

In the next days, I will announce my running mate. This will become a strong, cross-regional ticket. Stay tuned!

[MOPolitico]

I haven't said this yet (mostly because I shouldn't have to), but endorsed .

[Senator Ben]

Thank you! If only there were a Secretary of Defense cabinet post in Atlasia, you would get it. (And since I can't ruin my hypothetical chances for SoFE Ben's vote, I can't appoint you for that job, either )

Feel free to make him Secretary of Federal Elections - I'm the SoEA