Office of Senator Clarence

[Senator Clarence]

In case any one has any questions or comments... I have proposed the first legislation- one which I do not support but which Polnut asked to be put forward and I believe we need to be doing somethign so I sponsored it

[ZuWo]

It's good that you introduced that bill because a debate on this question is necessary. I hope the bill will be rejected.

Atlasia does not need a state-dependent national broadcaster which competes with private broadcasters.

A national broadcaster may very well evolve into a propaganda outlet for the government, even if the bill says the government does not have a direct influence on the programmes that are broadcast. Why is that? Because that national broadcaster is wholly dependent on tax money which is levied by the Federal Government. Do you really expect such a national broadcaster to regularly adopt a critical stance towards activities of the Federal Government when its mere existence depends on the Federal Government? In fact, the new national broadcaster would be very dependent on the Federal Government.

Secondly, we should not burden our people with yet another tax. Atlasians struggle to make ends meet, so it is a matter of principle to oppose new taxes. Mr. President, Atlasians need to have more money in their pockets, not less.

Finally, a state-dependent national broadcaster has nearly unlimited resources - more resources than private broadcasters. Indeed, this may eventually force some private broadcasters to shut down. Should it be the government's priority to squeeze private employers out of the market? I doubt it!

[Senator Clarence]

ZuWo- thank you for your comments and I want to tell you that I agree with every comment you have made and I will strongly oppose the bill I put forward. I put the bill forward because ZuWo had asked a Senator to and I saw no bill had been proposed since February... so I stepped up and put it on the docket. I told the President that I will be opposing it- however I believe we need to debate SOMETHING...

I will be submitting a bill more in line with our ideology later regarding Department of Justice overreach...

[ZuWo]

ZuWo- thank you for your comments and I want to tell you that I agree with every comment you have made and I will strongly oppose the bill I put forward. I put the bill forward because ZuWo had asked a Senator to and I saw no bill had been proposed since February... so I stepped up and put it on the docket. I told the President that I will be opposing it- however I believe we need to debate SOMETHING...

I will be submitting a bill more in line with our ideology later regarding Department of Justice overreach...

I know you oppose this bill, you made that very clear. When I asked "Do you really expect ...?" in my post I did not adress you, it was merely a rhetorical question. Sorry if I didn't phrase that clear enough! The only reason why I posted in your thread was that I wanted to use this opportunity to say why I am against the bill as well.

[Senator Clarence]

Update

I would like to commend a few people- Polnut, 20RP12, Scott, NC Yankee- I am sure there are more but these people in particular I would like to commend for being very active in their roles even though I may disagree with especially Ponut and Scott on the issues. I look forward to upcoming debates on the President's unilateral disarmament of our nuclear arsenal, education policy, national radio policy, and Department of Justice overreach.

clarence

[Senator Clarence]

The office is still open! I have three comments I'd like to make...

First, I urge my every one to take a look at the legislation I've proposed-

The Less Than HONORable Service Preclusion of Benefits Act

1- This act may be known as the HONOR Act

2- Atlasians who receive either an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge or a Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD) from the military hereby forfeit all VA benefits, or other benefits provided to veterans by the federal government

3- A clause indicating such must be present on the enlistment document and acknowledged by the enlistee with his or her signature

As a veteran, I sincerely appreciated President Polnut's commitment to veterans issues and hope it continues in the future with our next President- but we all know we need to get our national finances in order, and I want to be prepared for veterans issues to be placed on the table along with everything else... We must be prepared to give the world to those who serve or have served in our armed services, but we must also expect the world from these fine men and women. Currently- any service member who receives a dishonorable discharge forfeits his or her right to any benefits. I am proposing to extend that to the types of discharges mentioned above...

The American Legion, VFW, Vietnam Veterans of America, AMVETS, and all national veterans organizations preclude members who received anything other then an Honorable Discharge. While I agree with the principle, I believe those who received a General Discharge should remain eligible for benefits. When our resources are dwindling, we must focus the gratitude of our nation to those who served most honorably and that is the intention behind this bill



Second- I'd like to comment on the formation of another regional party in the Mideast by Vice President Tmthforu94... while I respect him and the party members, I hope we don't see too many regional parties. Political parties ought to be ideological- and forming parties to improve a region I don't believe can often work. Of course- the South has always been far more independent then other regions of the country, but even considering this- if I believe in lower tax rates, I should join a conservative party and push that issue nationwide and in the IDS as well. What's next- a party for the Northeast and the Pacific and the Midwest??? Then we spend our national elections voting in folks from our regions? Let's be careful with this...



Third- I find the current court case between Young Tweed and the Elections Department very interesting... I'm not sure of the constitutional facts here but I want to make it clear that I believe Napoleon won the election and the will of the voters ought to be respected



If any one would like to talk with me about legislation, European travel, or overweight women- please message me

Best,
clarence
At-Large Senator

[Is JCL in mushy sappy love]

That is a well written bill regarding military matters and I can say as a son and brother of veterans as far back as the Revolution you have my support.

[Senator Napoleon]

I agree with all of this...but the CPR isn't trying to project power at the federal level, we are united reformists working to better the regional government.

[Senator Ben]

I agree with all of this...but the CPR isn't trying to project power at the federal level, we are united reformists working to better the regional government.

Well said.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Always happy to see constructive and well-thought-out foreign policy/military legislation; makes my job a lot easier, not to mention much more enjoyable

[Senator Clarence]

Always happy to see constructive and well-thought-out foreign policy/military legislation; makes my job a lot easier, not to mention much more enjoyable

And having a fella like you in your post makes putting these forward much more enjoyable!

[Senator Clarence]

That is a well written bill regarding military matters and I can say as a son and brother of veterans as far back as the Revolution you have my support.

Thank you, JCL

[Senator Clarence]

For those who have not seen- my education tax credit bill which passed the Senate but was vetoed was unable to get the votes necessary to override that veto. I am glad that the Senate had a discussion about it, but one point sticks in my craw...

The goal of government is to hand as much power as possible directly to the citizens. Much of the rhetoric around that bill involved either "this inflicts regional rights" or "we need to promote the public school system instead of weakening it." Tell that to the parent whose child attends an overcrowded, low-ranked school because he or she can't afford to send that child to a private school which may well provide a better education and local regulations ban that child from attending a school outside of their zone. I sent my kids to private school for this reason

The public school system is there to educate children- and that must be our most important goal! Education children comes before strengthening the public school system... as I mentioned in the White House- these goals often go hand in hand, but when they do not we MUST side with the students and parents. And for all this talk about finding ways to strengthen the public school system- I've yet seen a bill which aims to do that in my tenure in the Senate... except my own which would decrease the burden on the public school system and allow more focus- both time and financially- on each individual pupil

You can be sure that I will continue to advocate for the rights of students and parents to have access to the best education available...

[Is JCL in mushy sappy love]

Also, many of conscience and faith don't trust what's being taught in the public schools. It was rather dissapointing that Senator Ben, after supporting the bill before Polnut vetoed it voted against overriding the veto. They chose to keep for their friends in the teacher's unions and take from the families of faith and conscience.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Also, many of conscience and faith don't trust what's being taught in the public schools.

If you make the Assembly this cycle, couldn't you introduce a bill removing those issues (what are they?) from being taught?

[Is JCL in mushy sappy love]

Also, many of conscience and faith don't trust what's being taught in the public schools.

If you make the Assembly this cycle, couldn't you introduce a bill removing those issues (what are they?) from being taught?

A tax credit for Mideast residents who homeschool or send their kids to private is something I would like to make a legislative priority. I'm also working on bill strictly dealing with human trafficking.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Also, many of conscience and faith don't trust what's being taught in the public schools.

If you make the Assembly this cycle, couldn't you introduce a bill removing those issues (what are they?) from being taught?

A tax credit for Mideast residents who homeschool or send their kids to private is something I would like to make a legislative priority. I'm also working on bill strictly dealing with human trafficking.

What are the issues you (and/or 'many of conscience and faith') don't trust? I'm trying to make educational reform a major part of my tenure in the IDS Legislature.

[Is JCL in mushy sappy love]

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

[Emperor SJoyce]

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

Are you going all "Teach The Controversy"?

[Senator Clarence]

I've just introduced the Power to Parents Act which continues my advocacy of giving power directly to the people- in this case to parents to determine what is best for their children...

Power to Parents Act

1- Parents or legal guardians may choose to send their child to any public school within their school district of residence
   -”School district” refers to the governing area of a particular board, government, or administration established to operate K-12 education

2- Families may apply to the school district for financial assistance for the purposes of transportation of the student to and from school

3- To fund this financial assistance $1,000,000,000 will be allocated to the regions proximate to population, to then be allocated to school districts by the same criterion
   -This spending will be placed under the line item “School Choice Transportation Assistance”

4- The funding for this line item will be come from the Go Green Fund line item in the White House budget

I understand the Northeast may have already had a similar law- I support the idea of increasing school choice in any manner. This bill does not seek to replace the public school system, but to give parents and students choice within that system. If a student is zoned for a poor-performing school, that student and his or her parents has the right to attend a different school which is higher performing. The problem here is that the alternate school may be distant from the family's home- which is why I am providing transportation assistance to needy families to be able to afford to bring their children to and from school. Alternatively, there could be grants for school districts to expand school bus routes- but this method seemed more straightforward. I've taken the funding for the transportation assistance from what appears to be a bloated line item in Polnut's budget proposal

I am hopeful that this legislation addresses the concerns my colleagues had that my previous legislation attempted to gut the public school system

[Emperor SJoyce]

I'm doing the same thing in the IDS except without the financial assistance. I should probably add that in...

[Yelnoc]

Erm...don't you guys think this will lead to the school perceived as the "best" becoming over crowded and the schools perceived as the "worst" emptying out?  Only children fortunate enough to be able to provide their own transportation could go to the "best" district school while children reliant on busing would be stuck in the school they are districted to, regardless of its quality.  This could very easily become an issue of class.

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

It's not the public school system's job to teach religion.

[Senator Clarence]

Erm...don't you guys think this will lead to the school perceived as the "best" becoming over crowded and the schools perceived as the "worst" emptying out?  Only children fortunate enough to be able to provide their own transportation could go to the "best" district school while children reliant on busing would be stuck in the school they are districted to, regardless of its quality.  This could very easily become an issue of class.

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

It's not the public school system's job to teach religion.

Yelnoc- the class issue is what I attempt to address with my transportation assistance. As for your other point- yes, I do believe that will be an effect. As far as I know... districts allocate resources based upon attendance at their schools. If a school is higher performing and therefore attracts more students, that school will be allocated more resources by the district to account for the extra student load

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

It's not the public school system's job to teach religion.

But why shouldn't it be? I say this doubting that JCL would appreciate the curriculum that a secularist like me would introduce. But excluding religion from the purview of public education merely because it is a controversial subject is foolish. Why ignore a significant part of the human experience, a part that is essential to understanding our history, culture, and behavior?

(Yes, I understand that this has nothing to do with JCL's point.)

[Yelnoc]

Erm...don't you guys think this will lead to the school perceived as the "best" becoming over crowded and the schools perceived as the "worst" emptying out?  Only children fortunate enough to be able to provide their own transportation could go to the "best" district school while children reliant on busing would be stuck in the school they are districted to, regardless of its quality.  This could very easily become an issue of class.

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

It's not the public school system's job to teach religion.

Yelnoc- the class issue is what I attempt to address with my transportation assistance. As for your other point- yes, I do believe that will be an effect. As far as I know... districts allocate resources based upon attendance at their schools. If a school is higher performing and therefore attracts more students, that school will be allocated more resources by the district to account for the extra student load

Whoops, skipped the transportation bit...

But that would be difficult to work out.  Busses would have to work long, meandering routes, cavnassing entire counties for students.  Imagine Bus from School A has to go down Baker Street to pick up Johnny who doesn't like School B, which he was districted into.  The Bus from School B also has to go down Baker Street to pick up the kids content with its school...we're seriously over complicating busing.  Not to mention the extra money which would need to be allotted for the extra miles driven several times every day.

And yes, schools are allocated money based on the projection population size.  This bill, however, would cause one or two schools to see their population swell dramatically, probably enough to require campus expansion...while other schools in the county sit nearly empty.  New teachers would need to be hired, and where better to hire them from then the empty schools?  Perhaps this bill would not serve to make school districts any better, but instead consolidate the number of schools into mega-schools.  In my real life county in the Atlanta Metro Area, you would likely end up with three schools, each with 7,000 students, minimum.  All of this done at great expense to the federal government (which I understand would be paying for the restructuring rather than local governments) for dubious gain.

I appreciate what you're attempting to do with this bill Clarence, and I would certainly like to see this conversation carried out in the senate, but as a real life high school student I fear the unintended consequences this would have in our imaginary world.

We are concerned that all sides in many educational contraversaries are not being fairly debated in the public class room. Teachers being denied tenure because of idealology not merit.

It's not the public school system's job to teach religion.

But why shouldn't it be? I say this doubting that JCL would appreciate the curriculum that a secularist like me would introduce. But excluding religion from the purview of public education merely because it is a controversial subject is foolish. Why ignore a significant part of the human experience, a part that is essential to understanding our history, culture, and behavior?

(Yes, I understand that this has nothing to do with JCL's point.)

You know very well I meant proselytize

Religion should be taught in a historical context in history class, not in Science classrooms as fact.