Office/Senate Campaign HQ of Northeast Governor Scott [Campaign Finance Reform]

[Governor Scott]

Welcome.

[Governor Scott]

Legislative Record

Legislation Sponsored

• The Fair Compliance Amendment
• The Atlasian Mountaintop Removal Ban Act
• Saving Over Spending Act of 2012
• Care For Homeless Pets Act of 2012
• The Vice Presidential Reform Amendment of 2012
• Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment of 2012
• Senate Committee on the Judiciary Creation Resolution
• Jobs Now Act of 2012
• Equal Rights Amendment

Legislation Supported

• Homeowners Protection Act
• Comprehensive Protection of Nuclear Power Act
• The Atlasian National Broadcaster Bill
• Primary System Introduction Act
• Access for Afghan Women Act of 2012
• Atlasian Arts Advocation Act of 2012
• The New Atlasian Healthcare Act

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[Governor Scott]

Statement on proposal of 'The Atlasian Mountaintop Removal Ban Act'

In keeping up with my campaign promise, I have proposed a national ban on the practice of mountaintop removal mining, taken from an earlier version of this bill that I authored as a Northeast Representative.  This particular procedure, as many of us know, is unlike traditional mining in that it involves removing the coal seams by fully removing the overbearing layer atop them, thereby exposing the seams from above.  Studies have shown that this style of mining negatively impacts the health of our environment and those who live nearby these mining sites.  When a significant portion of mountain is destroyed through this process, those areas see hunting and fishing activities vanish.  Because this is mostly done by machines and not human labor, the jobs market does not benefit from this in any way.

I urge the Senate to consider this proposal and put the needs of Appalachian residents first.

[Governor Scott]

Hello, everyone.  I wanted to inform you all of a bill I have been working on.

Recently, I have been researching education in other countries and comparing those policies to the ones in our country.  As of now, countries such as Finland, South Korea, and Singapore are world superpowers in education, and our nation- I fear- is far behind in comparison with them.  Today, it has never been more obvious: education in Atlasia must be reformed, and it must be reformed dramatically.  To help solve this problem, I have began crafting legislation that borrows many of the same educational principles followed by other countries and applies them here.

But I realize that the education problem is far too large for one senator to solve.  This is why I am asking for input from Atlasians nationwide- senators, governors, representatives, but most importantly, the constituents themselves.  I am encouraging all who are reading this to share ideas and voice your opinion on the bill I am drafting.  All ideas will be considered.

To introduce my proposal, I would like to lay out some key elements of my bill-

• Less competition, more cooperation
• A system designed to help students on their individual needs instead of blanket assessment
• An end to frequent standardized testing: no more "teaching to the test"
• Teacher accountability
• Putting the individual schools in charge of how they educate students

The Atlasian Education Reform Act of 2012

A BILL to reform education in Atlasia by encouraging teacher accountability and creating a positive environment for students of all backgrounds and incomes

Section 1.)
i.  All teachers are required to obtain, at the minimum, a Master's degree in education before being certified.  Teachers who are currently working and do not have a Master's degree will be required to attend a six-hour college or university every Saturday of which they shall receive their degree after such requirements have been fulfilled.  Teachers that are currently working but do not have a Master's degree may stay in their professions, provided that they are receiving the proper education to obtain the required level of education.

ii.  Teachers will assess students through the use of tests that they have created themselves.  All tests created by teachers must be approved by their school's administration before being assigned.

iii.  Teachers will send report cards to each of their own students at the end of every month of the school year, and report cards shall be based on individualized grading by each teacher.  No letter or number grades shall be on the report card, and students will henceforth be assessed based on competence, understanding, and effort on each individual lesson or unit.

Section 2.)
i. All schools will, from the enactment of this legislation, be publicly funded by the federal government.

ii. All schools shall receive full autonomy in developing the daily delivery of education services.

ii.  All pupils shall be entitled to free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.

iii.  Pupils shall be forbidden to opt out of their high school education before graduation.

This is the bill as it stands.  It will be formally proposed when all the loose ends are tied and when all that needs to be covered is addressed.  I hope you take the time to read the proposals put forth in this bill and leave as much feedback as you can.  I would like to create something that appeals to a wide number of people and has bipartisan support.

[Secretary Polnut]

The administration is very happy to work with you on this issue.

[Governor Scott]

Thank you, Mr. President.  May I have your opinion on the proposals I have laid out so far?

[Secretary Polnut]

Thank you, Mr. President.  May I have your opinion on the proposals I have laid out so far?

I think the focus on teacher accountability is a good thing... I think some elements would be highly problematic i.e - teacher report cards (I wouldn't support that element). I doubt the Masters requirement would be entirely fair... considering the cost-related. Perhaps making it easier for those wanting the degree to get one would be a better option.

I think we want MORE people wanting to be teachers, not to make the conditions too restrictive.

[Governor Scott]

Thank you, Mr. President.  May I have your opinion on the proposals I have laid out so far?

I think the focus on teacher accountability is a good thing... I think some elements would be highly problematic i.e - teacher report cards (I wouldn't support that element). I doubt the Masters requirement would be entirely fair... considering the cost-related. Perhaps making it easier for those wanting the degree to get one would be a better option.

I think we want MORE people wanting to be teachers, not to make the conditions too restrictive.

Yes, there is a problem with costs.  That is an area where I would ask for ideas from others.  As for report cards- perhaps they don't have to be that simplified, but as of now, number and letter grades poorly measure a student's academic ability.  Some students can be good at getting the right answer on a test, but lack the skills necessary for life.  Other students are competent and have a general understanding of the material, but test poorly despite their efforts.  I believe we need to do away with things like cramming and memorization and "test-taking strategies" that only serve the students inside the classroom, and not outside.

We cannot make the conditions for teaching too restrictive, but training our teachers is important and aspiring educators must have the resources and meet the requirements necessary to get into this profession.

[Governor Scott]

I would like to direct readers to these two articles:
http://bertmaes.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/why-is-education-in-finland-that-good-10-reform-principles-behind-the-success/
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/

Both of them give examples of how other countries are leading in education and this bill borrows off of some of the concepts included.

[Senator Clarence]

Scott- I advocated for a school vouchers program in the Southeast Legislature and that is an issue I hold dear... I respect your focus on this issue as well and I know you are well-informed and well-intentioned. I look forward to a respectful debate on the issue of how to better educate our nation's children
clarence

[Governor Scott]

Thank you, Clarence.

[Secretary Polnut]

I should stress that I understand the basis of your proposals.

I just think there happen to be more practical ways to the results. But for the record, I do support  the fundamental drivers of the proposals though.

[Governor Scott]

I have a bad feeling we're not going to get very far with this, given the recent malaise people have been feeling for this game, but for the sake of provoking debate and ideas: bump.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Why eliminate the local and state funding? For the purposes of what this wants to acheive, does the source of the money make all that much difference? The Federal gov't can get it's way at almost any level of funding simply by using the funding it does contribute and attaching conditions.

[Governor Scott]

Why eliminate the local and state funding? For the purposes of what this wants to acheive, does the source of the money make all that much difference? The Federal gov't can get it's way at almost any level of funding simply by using the funding it does contribute and attaching conditions.

The purpose of that was merely to make all schools publicly funded, but I now realize this could add tremendous amounts to our deficit.  In Finland, parents get to choose where their kids go to school- but all schools have the same source of funding.  This is so that the education quality each child receives doesn't vary by wealth.  I should note that I am willing to scrap unpopular parts of the bill as long as the final draft sticks to the key elements that I laid out.

[Governor Scott]

Bumping this again... but I highly doubt we're going to get enough ideas flowing.

[ModerateCoward]

What about free tuition at Public Universities?

[Governor Scott]

What about free tuition at Public Universities?

Essentially, that is what this bill aims at: taking off the burden on middle-class students so that our educational system is more equality-based, not competition-based.  So yes, free tuition is certainly something we could add.

[ModerateCoward]

What about free tuition at Public Universities?

Essentially, that is what this bill aims at: taking off the burden on middle-class students so that our educational system is more equality-based, not competition-based.  So yes, free tuition is certainly something we could add.

Then I might consider endorsing this bill, it's one of my campaign promises.

[Governor Scott]

Press Release

ARLINGTON, VA-
Northeast Senator Scott (Lib-CT) spoke to a crowd of nearly 3,000 people on Saturday as he campaigned for Senator Ben (Ind.-VA) who is currently running in a tight reelection battle against former Mideast Assemblyman JCL (Whig-IN).

"I don't agree with Ben on every issue, but during my time in the Senate he has been one of the most active and hardworking members.  We have worked together to cut taxes for the middle-class and protect some our country's finest mountains in states like this.  Last week I was proud to vote that the Liberal Party endorse him at the convention, and I am proud to be formally endorsing him today."

During his speech, the Senator was very critical of Ben's rival, JCL.

"I am very concerned with the candidate the Whigs have chosen to run.  If the Mideast decides to elect this candidate, this region will no longer have someone representing them in the Senate who stands for the hardworking citizens here, but instead someone who desires to push a radical social agenda through and cater to truthers.  You don't want that."

Recent polls have shown a dead heat between Ben and JCL.

[Governor Scott]

Press Release - At Large Senate Endorsements

Initially, I had been pessimistic about endorsing candidates for this month's At-Large Senate election.  The main reason for this being, I believe there are so many qualified candidates running this time that endorsing some but not others would be almost in bad spirit to me.  However, over the course of this campaign I have seen how the candidates draw themselves as the invigorated, practical, bipartisan statesmen that they desire to be, and my observation of this election has made the endorsement decision very easy to make.

And so, I am proud to endorse the following candidates for the upcoming election:

Bacon King,
NVTownsend,
Franzl,
AndrewTX,
and Clarence

With that, I will note that not all of these candidates see eye to eye with me on every issue- and really, I have yet to know a candidate running for any office who does- but it is important that we have a Senate with people that stand for all the aforementioned virtues that a good statesman has, whether they hail from the left or right side of the aisle.

[Senator Clarence]

Scott, THANK YOU!!! I am very honored by your endorsement and hope we can continue to work together in a positive and respectful way despite our ideological differences in the next Senate...

[Governor Scott]

Press Release - Upcoming Announcement

This evening or tomorrow, I will be making a special announcement regarding future plans that I have for the Northeast Region and my public service to it.  Please stay tuned.

[Jayhawker]

Press Release - Upcoming Announcement

This evening or tomorrow, I will be making a special announcement regarding future plans that I have for the Northeast Region and my public service to it.  Please stay tuned.

Gubernatorial run?

Regardless, you'll have my endorsement.

[Governor Scott]

Press Release - Upcoming Announcement

This evening or tomorrow, I will be making a special announcement regarding future plans that I have for the Northeast Region and my public service to it.  Please stay tuned.

Gubernatorial run?

Regardless, you'll have my endorsement.

No Yes Maybe You'll find out soon enough!