Local Office of IDS Emperor Scott - Salisbury, NC (Back in Business)

[Maxwell]

There has been a recent bit of Pro-Drug War legislation in the form of Ben's "Make Cocaine Legal Again" bill. What is your stand on his bill, and would you continue the Senate's seemingly backwards lurch or would you try to keep Atlas drug law as is? If neither, what would you do about the issue, if you have an outline of how you would handle it?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

There has been a recent bit of Pro-Drug War legislation in the form of Ben's "Make Cocaine Legal Again" bill. What is your stand on his bill, and would you continue the Senate's seemingly backwards lurch or would you try to keep Atlas drug law as is? If neither, what would you do about the issue, if you have an outline of how you would handle it?

Thank you for your question.

I have never, nor would I ever, encourage the use of cocaine or other hard drugs.  At the same time, however, I feel that there exists a strict moral boundary between where the government ought to intervene, and where it should not.  That being said, while I do not support the legalization of cocaine or other drugs that have been known to damage lives in practically inconceivable ways, I do not believe that criminalizing abusers is the solution.

We need to craft an effective, moral-based drug policy that gets people the help they need and cracks down on those who make a living off the suffering of others.  I am open to supporting Senator Ben's bill provided that it is amended to help - not criminalize - those suffering from drug abuse.  We need to hold parents accountable and keep our nation's children safe from the dangers of addiction by encouraging personal responsibility and treating drug addiction like the disease it is.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Any other questions?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Just for the sake of conversation, here are the policy planks I shared on the last page.  These are some of the issues I would place at the top of my agenda if elected to the Atlasian Senate, so I encourage as much conversation as possible.

I would like to announce some ideas I've been floating around which I hope to incorporate into my legislative agenda if elected to the Senate.  I will be more than happy to discuss the pros and cons with policy-makers and citizens alike.

• Re-examining our ethanol policy. A study conducted by an Iowa professor found that allowing the tax credit, tariff, and EPA mandate requiring refiners to purchase cellulosic biofuel (despite the fact the next-generation fuel is not commercially available) has resulted in higher production costs for corn and ethanol, and that this cost has been passed on to consumers.  While I support investing in new fuel technologies, I feel that the economy - especially those who cannot easily afford food - will benefit in the long-run if food prices are kept low as possible.  I would like to introduce a bill that will allow the Senate to engage in a thorough discussion and examination of our ethanol policy.
• Expanding the farm reinvestment program.  As Governor, I signed a bill that awards small farmers based on how they invest and innovate their farm.  While recent polling has shown that the public is divided on this issue, I believe our national farm policy can be improved by assisting these farmers in developing their towns and businesses.

And lastly...

• Education.  Most Atlasians agree that the regions should primarily be in charge of maintaining their schools; and to a great extent, I share this sentiment.  However, my philosophy that education can best be improved nationwide through cooperation, rather than competition.  Parents can and should be able to determine which schools their children go to, but it is the government's job to ensure that each student has the best opportunity to succeed, regardless of race, income, or background.  We need to grant waivers to regions wishing to move on from burdensome standardized testing, which have proven detrimental to teachers and students alike.  In doing so, we will grant regions the kind of independence that they need, so that they may develop the best possible model for their students.
  

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Also, I still await volunteers for the interim seat.  If you have even the slightest bit of interest in serving in the Assembly, please let me know or declare your candidacy for the special election.

[Maxwell]

Also, I still await volunteers for the interim seat.  If you have even the slightest bit of interest in serving in the Assembly, please let me know or declare your candidacy for the special election.

I think you should PM Poirot and EarlAW, at least Poirot seems to want to govern.

And you might have to fill another seat, Matt just got upgraded.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Also, I still await volunteers for the interim seat.  If you have even the slightest bit of interest in serving in the Assembly, please let me know or declare your candidacy for the special election.

I think you should PM Poirot and EarlAW, at least Poirot seems to want to govern.

And you might have to fill another seat, Matt just got upgraded.

Crap, you're right.

Thanks.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

I will be giving a full speech on my drug abuse stance later today.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Thank you for being here, my friends.  Thank you for giving me the chance to speak to you today.

Recently, there has been an uproar in the Atlasian Senate over our drug policy.  Our senator, Averroes Nix, recently introduced a law that would withdraw Atlasian support from various international treaties which pledge the support of participating countries toward fighting drugs and drug-related crime.  The senator surmised that because we have already legalized numerous drugs which go in violation of these treaties, that we should withdraw from them and, if necessary, develop a new treaty that corresponds more with our policies.  Shortly afterward, two senators introduced legislation which outlaws some hard drugs and delegates to regions decision power over others.

Though I prefer that my campaign not be defined by divisive social issues, this has become an important issue lately, and I would like to make my stance on these issues perfectly clear, for the knowledge of my constituents.

Now, thousands of men and women have destroyed their lives because of illicit drug use.  Many of them were victims of an unfortunate, often economically disadvantaged environment.  Others are victims of depression, and many resort to drugs for the innocent purpose of giving themselves a purpose.  This is often due to broken homes, personal tragedies, what-have-you.  So, what is drug addiction?  Simply put, it is a complex brain disease.  It is characterized by frequent cravings, almost always uncontrollable.

And though I recognize the importance of keeping personal liberty in balance, I do not support the legal status of hard drugs.  However, there are areas that put me at odds with the strictly anti-drug side in this debate.

While I recognize the harm that drugs can cause, I realize that in the past, government has contributed little to significantly reverse that harm.  Indeed, the Drug War has placed a substantial cost on our world.  It has inspired violence, it has broken communities, and it has destroyed lives - especially those of minorities.

The answer, my friends, is not to re-criminalize drug use.  It's not to put drug abusers in the same presence as murderers and rapists.  No.  The answer is to provide them the help they need.  And frankly, that's the only thing the conversation should be about: helping people.  Learning from the mistakes of people and learning from the mistakes of many nations.  And change must begin on the corner of every street.

That is why I'm saying, if I am elected to the Senate this June, I will oppose any reform of our drug policy without protections for the helpless.  It is my belief that our criminal justice system ought not to produce more criminals, but more doctors, lawyers, teachers, parents, and people who have the potential to make our world a better place to live in.  It is my belief that government should work more with localities, churches, schools, and parents to determine the ingredients for a successful society.  We will do it.  And we will do it with a full understanding of what our problem is.  It's time for us to prove we can do something to help these individuals and communities, and the answer is simple: rehabilitation, not criminalization.

Rehabilitation, not criminalization.

Thank you, and I look forward to working on this issue and more if I am elected to the Senate this June.

[Sopranos Republican]

Wow, great speech Governor, I completely agree! I feel that hard drugs shouldn't be legal, but that we shouldn't  punish those who break the law by using them, we should get them the help they need and deserve, and the ones we should be prosecuting are the people who sell these drugs, not those who use them. 

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Thank you, Senators.

Right now, I would like to express my intention to introduce a federal version of the Northeast crime bill if elected to the Senate.

[Kitteh]

каково ваше мнение асексуальный транссексуалы виктимология?

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

I oppose victimizing anyone for their sexual orientation or gender, and I support hate crime laws that protect members of the LGBTA community.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

I just remembered that I'd forgotten to re-endorse you when you decided to pursue the Senate seat, so I'll take care of that now: Endorsed.

Thank you for your support, Senator.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Buffalo, New York

Thank you all for being here.

My friends, as you know, our inland waterways and rivers are the backbone of our trade network.  They carry the equivalent of about 51 million truck trips each year.  They bring in millions of revenue to our nation each month.  Their development was a bold step forward for our economy.  Yet, they have not been upgraded in over fifty years.

Research shows that more than half the locks are over fifty years old.  Indeed, barges are stopped each day with unscheduled delays, preventing goods from getting to market and driving up costs.  Such is the case with the St. Lawrence Seaway that connects our trade network to Canada, bringing thousands of jobs to the Northeast Region, as well as the Mideast.

This issue has been overlooked for far too long.  Projects to repair and replace aging locks take decades to get approved, and the government has done nothing to solve this problem.  And indeed, it's not just the Northeast that takes the loss for our failure to make the improvements.  In the United States, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced legislation last year to address shortfalls in our port and waterway infrastructure by increasing commercial user fees for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, which would help the Chickamauga Lock in his state.  By widening this lock, more cargo could be transported, and more money would be brought into the US.

The time is now.  We must upgrade our infrastructure to the 21st century so that we can meet the challenges we face.  As Governor, I will continue to work with Senator Nix (who first addressed this problem), the President, Prime Minister Harper, and regional executives on this important issue, and it will be one of the very first things I will work on as your senator this year.

Thank you, everyone.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Unionville, Pennsylvania

Thank you all for being here, thank you to the Rural Community Alliance for having me, and thank you to the great state of Pennsylvania.

I don't have to tell you all how critical agriculture is to towns like Unionville.  The farmer is, the way I've always seen it, an unappreciated member of our society.  The farmer has gotten his country through good times and bad times, from times of economic prosperity to times of economic bust.  Why, were it not for the farmer, none of us would be living here today.  And I think I speak for all the people of our nation when I say thank you for all you've done for your fellow countrymen.

But the life of a farmer, as no one would have predicted half a century ago, is much more difficult than it was back in the old days.  In today's world, there are no national borders.  We have to learn new skills and do the heavy lifting on our own terms.  Farmers have to work harder for less money.  And the cost of food continues to rise.

So what can the government do to reverse this trend?  For one, we can expand the agriculture reinvestment program we passed in the Northeast into a national policy- which could not have passed without the help of this organization.  We're going to provide money to each region looking to help its farmers, and they will be given complete control over how to manage the grants on one condition: that not a single benefit goes to huge mega-farms, but to the small working family farms that this organization fights so hard for each year.

In addition to that, we must re-examine our ethanol policy.  The 45-cents-per-gallon federal subsidy provided to ethanol blenders and the 54-cents-per-gallon tariff levied on foreign ethanol imports have come to be maligned as examples of government waste and protectionism.  As someone who worked as a farmer before I got into Northeast politics, I understand how important subsidies are to people who work in the agriculture industry.  But we need to understand that the current policy on this isn't working.  It hasn't lowered food prices, and there are countless people in this nation alone who go without food because of it.

My hope is that if I am elected to the Senate this June, we can have a thorough conversation about this policy.  We need to consider repealing the EPA mandate that requires ethanol to be blended into gasoline every year at increasingly greater amounts, but we must continue to find alternative ways to invest in environmentally friendly, cost-efficient energy resources.

I assure you this: the current ethanol policy is bad for the poor, and that includes farmers.  The time is now for us to end corporate welfare, and help the common man in doing so.

Thank you for listening.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Press Release

Statement on Supreme Court Debacle

Currently, Atlasians and members of the Senate are considering whether to impeach the three incumbent Supreme Court justices.  This is in light of a recent event, in which only one judge gave input on the latest Supreme Court battle.  Given that neither judge has executed their duties beyond the granting of certiorari, I have decided to support the impeachment of all justices for when they come to a Senate vote.  I see the position of Supreme Court Justice as one that is underused, and so the failure of these justices to substantially contribute to this rare case prompts their immediate removal from their posts.

In addition, I will support the legislation recently introduced by Senator Kalwejt in its current form, which would limit the time that confirmed justices may enjoy on the court.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

I will be announcing my federal plan for education reform some time tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you have any questions whatsoever, please don't hesitate to ask.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Auburn, Maine

Good evening, everybody.

Education, I believe, is among the best ways government can better a society.  Be it through training employees, preventing crime, mobilizing families and individuals out of poverty, or allowing students to see the true genius they possess, education has always been at the forefront of those achievements.

But around the time I ran to be your governor, I discovered there were serious flaws with the current way of doing things in the United States and Atlasia.  The way we assess teachers and students is measured by an inaccurate and repetitious system of tests, and this inevitably has forced teachers to not teach by traditional standards of learning, but to the tests themselves.  Instead of life skills, students are taught to focus on repetition of simple, isolated skills which are often forgotten about the day after these tests are assigned.

Schools in poor communities are especially broken.  Gifted students born under unfortunate circumstances are more likely to drop out and less likely to realize their potential than those who come from privileged backgrounds.  Wealthy parents have access to a variety of resources they utilize to advance their children's education, while the rest of us are left with, to put it bluntly, plain luck.  Now, I have no objections to students of wealthy parents getting the education they need, but we need to understand that opportunity for all students is integral to the progress of a society.

Now, here is my plan.

As governor, I requested and was granted a waiver from all federally mandated standardized tests.  As I began taking the steps to overhaul education in the Northeast, I put an end to all regularly assigned tests in the Northeast and replaced them with one, simple assessment that measures student achievement at age sixteen.

Regional autonomy is important, and that's why I will fight for the next education reform bill to include waivers from federal standardized tests.

I will work to ensure that the next education bill focuses chiefly on improving the educational experience, raising teacher expectations as well as salaries, and giving students all the resources they need to be healthy and successful.

I will federalize our Helping Educators Help All Students Act, which expands access to mental health to students in disadvantaged communities, in harmony with the principles established in the Northeast Education Improvement and Modernization Act of 2013.

At the same time, I promise to only support reforms that keep summer vacation at its current length, because childhood comes and goes, and once college ends, few of us will be able to enjoy what we did every year as kids.  It is integral to the mental and physical health of children that they get as much out of their youth as they can get, and the reforms we pass should reflect this basic truth.

In concurrence with our Constitutional right to practice religion freely, I will support every student's right to pray as they wish, provided that said prayers are non-teacher led and non-disruptive to the learning process.

Lastly, I will support bringing recess back to middle schools and high schools, even if it requires an extended school day to achieve.

And these are just a few of the proposals I will cover as your next senator.  As always, I encourage an open dialogue on how we can best improve education for Atlasia as we did here in the Northeast, and I will answer any question a constituent asks me.

Thank you so much.

[Donerail]

Endorsed (except the summer bit). Good to see people standing up and presenting a plan for education.

[Napoleon]

I'm a little shocked that you're willing to support the impeachment of three tenured and knowledgeable justices that have been involved in private deliberations on what is undeniably the most trivial court case in Atlasian history. While their work has been slow on this case, it has not impacted anything in a significant manner. I've always found a politicization of the Court (even if its politicization is largely based on the personal motivations of a few unnamed individuals and nothing more) to be something to be avoided.

I know Ben and Marokai don't like anyone on the Court, and they made that perfectly clear over the years, but what about the Vice President's inactivity delaying the Senate business and causing delays for committees and all that? I don't see impeachment being discussed there, where the actual game functions are being impacted in a meaningful way. I'm not suggesting that we should impeach the Vice President, I think this slip up is entirely forgivable, but in the context of flinging around impeachment proceedings, why start with the harmless Supreme Court? It just doesn't make sense to me. What are your thoughts Governor?

Anyway, I don't have anything bad to say about the veep, I just want to emphasize my personal opinion that the impeachment of the Justices is unfair and baseless, especially when considered in the context if Atlasia's day to day operations. When the Court needs to be timely, they always have been (Tweed vs DoFE for example).

[Marokai Backbeat]

Yes, I imagine attempting to boil down anything I say on the matter of the Supreme Court to a weird personal crusade would be an effective way at sticking your fingers in your ears and ignoring any legitimate criticism there is to make.

Of course, it doesn't much jive with the truth. I've been trying to nudge people away from going after Ebowed, and there is literally no personal grudge I have against Opebo, of all people, so I can't imagine how I'm being portrayed as trying to "get" him. If anything it's been incredibly controversial of me to do so within my own party, as Opebo is a known Labor member with a significant personal cult following.

It always amuses me how it is so difficult, almost impossible for some people to comprehend the idea that I would simply.. brace yourselves.. do what I think is the right thing to do. People see this as some sort of quaint little notion, "Oho, sure! Doing what you think is best for everyone! Who does that!" but it's the truth. I've been one of the most honest and straightforward people you'll ever know around here, willing to stick my neck out on unpopular ideas, distance myself from schemes I dislike, call people out publicly, buck my own "team" on a regular basis, and when I actually rant and rave against something, be it inactivity, skeezy recruiting drives, or vote scheming in smoky back rooms, I will not just rant and rave against it, I will support efforts to do something about it; much unlike a few people around here.

Do you have any idea how widespread discontent with the Court is right now? It goes beyond "lol Marokai and Bgwah fought that one time two and ahalf years ago." A bunch of people have been pulling their hair out about it for the last month. And when have I ever bothered going after Bgwah lately anyway? He's totally off my radar, to be frank with you; despite him posting things like hoping "I die like the scum I am" or something like that, and then quickly editing it out. I've never said stuff like that here, and never will say stuff like that, because I don't care about these dumbass feuds. Hell, it would've been easier for me to just ignore this whole thing and focus on getting the remaining legislation I want to implement passed before my term ends in a couple months. But I said I would support turning the heat up on the Court, so I stuck to that.

The people who see this game as some sort of slugfest tend to view my actions through that lens. But if you do, you're mistaken. And should re-evaluate what you're really here for.

My apologies to Scott for taking up room in his thread.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Napoleon, I already explained, I think, pretty articulately why I think the justices should be impeached.  Supreme Court justices currently have the most trivial role out of all of us, and I think the very least they can do is acknowledge their positions publicly by participating in cases when the occasion arises.  I'm aware that Ebowed said the case was being discussed privately, but unfortunately, that's not helpful to the rest of us.  If the Senate doesn't impeach, it would be giving the OK to a recurring problem in this game.

I assure you, I do not support the removal of the justices for personal reasons.  I've been long against that kind of politics.  And in fact, I rather like opebo, but I don't approve of his inactivity as Supreme Court Justice.  As the President said, there are legitimate criticisms to be addressed here.  My stance is not in the context of some personal crusade, and I don't want to be brought into one, either.

And it's no problem, Marokai.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Northeasterners, the We Need More Political Parties Amendment is currently up for a vote.  I strongly encourage our citizens to vote in favor of this amendment for increased diversity in the party system.

[Napoleon]

Napoleon, I already explained, I think, pretty articulately why I think the justices should be impeached.  Supreme Court justices currently have the most trivial role out of all of us, and I think the very least they can do is acknowledge their positions publicly by participating in cases when the occasion arises.  I'm aware that Ebowed said the case was being discussed privately, but unfortunately, that's not helpful to the rest of us.  If the Senate doesn't impeach, it would be giving the OK to a recurring problem in this game.

I assure you, I do not support the removal of the justices for personal reasons.  I've been long against that kind of politics.  And in fact, I rather like opebo, but I don't approve of his inactivity as Supreme Court Justice.  As the President said, there are legitimate criticisms to be addressed here.  My stance is not in the context of some personal crusade, and I don't want to be brought into one, either.

And it's no problem, Marokai.

In what other Court cases were discussions among the Justices made public? You're literally saying that we should impeach the Justices because a long standing precedent of private deliberations "isn't very helpful". That's a gross misuse of the impeachment procedure.

Meanwhile, the Senate's work is delayed and we are voting on committees that should have been dealt with two weeks ago and not a peep out of anyone. That office, too, is criticized for its perceived triviality and yet its most important task was muffed completely. Is that worthy of impeachment?

And I ask what this recurring problem in the game is. The Supreme Court, in its current composition, has been swift in reaching decisions where time was of the essence. Do you have any examples otherwise that show this is recurring?