Urban Regeneration Bill

[Siege40]

Right, looking at this bill makes me feel very nervous. While revitalization and regeneration is important, this strikes me more as life support and not a cure. Keeping unprofitable businesses in Atlasia sustained with government funds seems foolish to me. I know textile mills, steel mines, coal mines, tyre factories, family farms and orange groves are important to Atlasia, and give it that defining character, but in all honesty, unsuccessful businesses are suppose to fail in a capitalist society.

Al, I love the spirit in which this bill is introduced, and what the intent is, but I am not sure this is the best way to go about it. I live in a town called Brampton, Ontario, it is famous as 'Flowertown' because it had so many greenhouses and produced many of the best flowers in the nation. However, with time, the flower business dried up, under this proposal the greenhouses would still be around, regardless of how outdated and impractical it is. Brampton turned itself into a '905' city and became a prosperous suburb.

Perhaps focus needs to be made in helping businesses in these cities with modernizing their equipment, or whatever they need to survive.

Siege

[Filuwaúrdjan]

S.3 doesn't seem to have a lot of support (mostly my fault: I wasn't clear enough) Oh well. I'll strike it from the bill then.

[Jake]

S.2 creates another massive bureaucracy and could easily lead to corruption of all forms.  I hope my senators will oppose this bill.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Urban Regeneration Bill

1. Indicators of Distress:

a) Negative population growth from 1970 until the most recent census
b) A poverty rate above the National average
c) An unemployment rate above the National average for at least three of the previous five years

2. Cities meeting the above criteria, are eligable for federal grants and localised tax breaks, the level of which to be determined on a case by case basis by an Urban Regeneration Commision (an independent body of impartial civil servants, administered by the Federal Government)

[Jake]

Urban Regeneration Bill

1. Indicators of Distress:

a) Negative population growth from 1970 until the most recent census
b) A poverty rate above the National average
c) An unemployment rate above the National average for at least three of the previous five years

2. Cities meeting the above criteria, are eligable for federal grants and localised tax breaks, the level of which to be determined on a case by case basis by an Urban Regeneration Commision (an independent body of impartial civil servants, administered by the Federal Government)

How about we just eliminate Section 2 and just make this bill about defining urban decay.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Urban Regeneration Bill

1. Indicators of Distress:

a) Negative population growth from 1970 until the most recent census
b) A poverty rate above the National average
c) An unemployment rate above the National average for at least three of the previous five years

2. Cities meeting the above criteria, are eligable for federal grants and localised tax breaks, the level of which to be determined on a case by case basis by an Urban Regeneration Commision (an independent body of impartial civil servants, administered by the Federal Government)

How about we just eliminate Section 2 and just make this bill about defining urban decay.

Because that wouldn't do anything to help people in distressed areas

[Gabu]

I hereby open debate on this bill.

[Gabu]

Bump.  If nothing gets debated here by tomorrow, I'm calling this to a vote.

[WMS]

Right, looking at this bill makes me feel very nervous. While revitalization and regeneration is important, this strikes me more as life support and not a cure. Keeping unprofitable businesses in Atlasia sustained with government funds seems foolish to me. I know textile mills, steel mines, coal mines, tyre factories, family farms and orange groves are important to Atlasia, and give it that defining character, but in all honesty, unsuccessful businesses are suppose to fail in a capitalist society.

Al, I love the spirit in which this bill is introduced, and what the intent is, but I am not sure this is the best way to go about it. I live in a town called Brampton, Ontario, it is famous as 'Flowertown' because it had so many greenhouses and produced many of the best flowers in the nation. However, with time, the flower business dried up, under this proposal the greenhouses would still be around, regardless of how outdated and impractical it is. Brampton turned itself into a '905' city and became a prosperous suburb.

Perhaps focus needs to be made in helping businesses in these cities with modernizing their equipment, or whatever they need to survive.

Siege

I agree with the Honorable Senator from Maine. I support the goals of what Al is trying to do, but I'm unsure whether this bill is the best way to do it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I've struck the bit (historical importance) that seemed to be the problem

[Jake]

I've struck the bit (historical importance) that seemed to be the problem

Now to the corrupt council part.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I've struck the bit (historical importance) that seemed to be the problem

Now to the corrupt council part.

[minionofmidas]

I urge my Senators to vote their consciences on this bill.

[WMS]

Just a thought, but perhaps some sort of job retraining via, say, community colleges, could be useful to have in the bill? You know, to help out those workers whose jobs were lost and unlikely to return?

Comments?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Just a thought, but perhaps some sort of job retraining via, say, community colleges, could be useful to have in the bill? You know, to help out those workers whose jobs were lost and unlikely to return?

Comments?

Aha... originally this (Urban Regeneration) was part a) of a joint bill me and Supersoulty were working on. If this passes I'll introduce the other half (educational stuff) if he doesn't.

[Sam Spade]

I urge my Senators to vote their consciences on this bill.

My conscience says no.

[minionofmidas]

I urge my Senators to vote their consciences on this bill.

My conscience says no.

You are not my Senator though.

[Sam Spade]

I urge my Senators to vote their consciences on this bill.

My conscience says no.

You are not my Senator though.

Well, of course.    I just wanted to say it.

[The Duke]

Open with NY skyline.  A black man with a squeeky voice and a little dog named Reggie rides his bike across the Brooklyn Bridge.

MAN: Hey, little Reggie, me and you man, we goin' to the top baby.  Big Time!

Suddenly, flaming object fly across the sky.  They hit buildings, they explode, throwing cars about, and causing mass destruction.



Cut to logo for Jerry Bruckheimer Films.



Cut to Black man again, standing above a crater created by the falling objects.

MAN: Somebody dial 911!

Cut to ticking clock, counting down from 18 days.

Cut to Pentagon exterior.

PRESIDENT'S VOICE: What hit us?

BILLY BOB THORNTON'S VOICE: Special Interests.

GENERAL'S VOICE: This morning, how big were those?

Cut to Cabinet Meeting, with Billy Bob on the television screen via video confference.

BILLY BOB: Those were not big Special Interests, just a few NUM lobbyists.

PRESIDENT: This new Special Interest you're tracking, how big is it?



BILLY BOB: Its a Special Interest Bill the size of Texas Mr. President.

Giant Special Interest moving towards Earth.



Cut to clock, 13 days and counting down.

BILLY BOB: Its what we call a global killer.  The end of mankind.  Half the world's population will be incinerated by the heat blast, the other half will freeze to death from the nuclear winter.  Basically the worst parts fo the Bible.

As he speaks, people run for cover awaiting the end of the world.

Cut to clock, 6 days.

BILLY BOB: Hitting this Special Interest from the outside won't do the job.

GENERAL: So we nuke it from the inside.  How?



BILLY BOB: We drill.  We bring in the world's best deep core driller, and blow this Pork Barrel Project from the inside.

Cut to a heroic Bruce Willis.



BRUCE WILLIS: The United States government has jsust asked us to save the world from Special Interests.  Anyone gonna say no?

OWEN WILSON: We're talking about space, right, outer space?  This is like, deep blue hero stuff.

WILL PATTEN: I'm there.

MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN: I'm with you.

STEVE BUSCEMI: Beam me up Scotty.

PRESIDENT: I want you all to know that everything that can be done to wage this terrible battle has been called into service.  Riders, filibusters, veto pens, everything.

The countdown sequence begins for our heros' rocket ship.

STEVE BUSCEMI: Hey Bruce, you know we're sittin' on 4 million toons of fuel, one nuclear weapon, and a thing that has 200,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder.  Makes you feel good doesn't it?



Spaceship launches to dramatic music, off to blow up the Special Interests.  Spaceship flys around and stuff.

PRESIDENT: The hopes of all mankind are focused on the ten brave souls sitting in the well of the Senate.  Can they defeat this Special interest Giant?

This summer...

ASTRONAUT: Welcome to space.

STEVE BUSCEMI: About time, I haven't thrown up in about an hour.

Earth's darkest day...

BILLY BOB: I'd start praying about now.

Will be our finest hour.

NARRATOR: Touchstone Pictures Presents, Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Live Tyler, Ben Affleck, Will Patten, and Steve Buscemi.

BRUCE WILLIS: You don't have to worry about me and my team.  We're gonna get the job done.

Dramatic music and action packed scenes follow.  Then, cut music to only a drumroll.



Heads up.


The real Armageddon trailer can be seen here:

http://images.hollywood.com/images/quicktime/armageddon.mov

I urge all my Senators, including urging myself, to oppose this bill.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I'm sorry, but what the f*** are you on about?

[The Duke]

A parody of the greatest movie tralier of all time, I thought it was funny anyway.

This is a special interest bill that tries to put regional interests ahead of national interests, and I oppose it.

You're trying to lure businesses to Union dominated states and away from right to work sunbelt states.  Unions have a greater hold in Michigan than Tennessee, so you want o make California taxpayers subsidize the big government rustbelt union machines in Ohio instead of having the various regions develop more business friendly enviroments.  This is a huge special interest bill, hence the parody.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A parody of the greatest movie tralier of all time, I thought it was funny anyway.

This is a special interest bill that tries to put regional interests ahead of national interests, and I oppose it.

You're trying to lure businesses to Union dominated states and away from right to work sunbelt states.  Unions have a greater hold in Michigan than Tennessee, so you want o make California taxpayers subsidize the big government rustbelt union machines in Ohio instead of having the various regions develop more business friendly enviroments.  This is a huge special interest bill, hence the parody.

Seeing as this is coming from a former Defense Secretary who was always asking for more and more money for his department... I don't know how to take the junior Senator from District Five's remarks.

Put simply: they seem to be not only very innacurate, but paranoid and with more than a whiff of NIMBY-ism.

[Nym90]

I will be out of town for the weekend, and as this bill is likely to be up for a vote before I return on Monday, I would like my vote recorded as Yea.

[Jake]

Great work Ford.  I urge my senators to oppose this bill also.  It isn't the Great Depression, Al.

[The Duke]

NIMBYism?  Do you even know what that is?  You're not building anything in my backyard, you're trying to move factories and jobs OUT of mny backyard.  Those are the very things I want IN my backyard.

Let's go through my Defense hikes one by one.  Which part of it was prok?  Is it pork to increase soldiers pay?  Is it pork to have a military large enough to do the job we ask of it?  Is it pork to build better aircraft than our adversaries?

And defense industry is not concentrated in the sunbelt.  Boeing for example is based in Washington state.