Thanks for the questions, Mr. President.
I’m currently studying human geography with an emphasis on urban issues, so I’d say that’s my biggest strength. While urban issues mostly fall to the regions, almost every piece of federal legislation has lasting impacts on our cities. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much talk about these impacts in the senate. As a communitarian and urban geographer, I’d be very mindful of how our bills would affect metropolitan areas. I understand the balance between government and enterprise that helps shape dynamic, safe, and prosperous cities.
Also, I’m eager to expand my horizons, as I’ve already done over the course of this campaign. I’ll do whatever research is necessary to contribute to debate.
I’ll answer the last question first: From what I’ve seen, I think the committee system has the potential to elevate the quality of discussion in the senate. However, I’m a bit concerned that partisanship could derail the purpose of committees. Being in the right-wing minority, I think it’s unfortunate that someone with the life experience of Senator clarence would be excluded from a committee like the National Security Committee because of political disagreements. If committees are to serve the best interests of Atlasia, would a diverse panel not be more appropriate?
As it stands, I would enjoy serving on a committee like the National Security Committee. To correlate with my own interests, I’d also welcome the creation of an Urban Affairs Committee (covering housing, development, transportation, and public works issues).
The first thing we’ve got to do is cut taxes across the board. Specifically (but not exclusively), I think it’s reprehensible that we are robbing some Atlasians of
50% of their income. The effects of lower taxes would be two-fold: For one, we’d be giving more money back to our citizens to buy goods and services (which would create jobs and provide the government with more corporate tax revenues); secondly, our higher-income job-creators would be free to invest more money in business. I could also go on and on about the carbon tax, but I’ll leave my opinion on that to your imagination.
Second, we’ve got to continue sending a clear signal to the world that we are fiscally responsible. In that regard, I think the
Saving Over Spending Act is a positive step forward. I understand that spending cuts need to go hand-in-hand with my favoured tax cuts… By eliminating frivolous expenditures like the Atlasian National Broadcaster, I’m confident we’ll be able to sustain lower tax rates. A record of stability will show entrepreneurs that Atlasia is a safe place to do business. Manufacturing jobs
can return to this country.
There’s one more thing I want to touch on here: The Corporate Clean Energy Credit. It’s a good idea, and we need to expand on it. Maybe I’ll be departing from my party on this one, but I really think we should be offering tax credits to businesses that market green technologies. These incentives will keep prices down, grow the market, create jobs,
and help the environment.
The events of the last couple months have been devastating. The men who committed these senseless crimes were determined, and I believe they would have found a way to commit similar atrocities even without firearms. That being said, it’s becoming more and more clear that we’ve got to be performing background checks on people who purchase firearms. People with a history of mental illness should not be carrying guns.
The Aurora shootings inspired a copy-cat shootings. Thus, in dealing with criminals, our justice system must appreciate the role it plays in deterring our citizens from committing crimes. Punishments must be severe—we’ve got to be sending the message that we will not tolerate these types of violent acts. The regions can address the question of policing.
