Office of Mideast Assemblyman TexasDem

[Talleyrand]

Citizens of the Mideast,

I'd like to welcome you to my eco-friendly new office, which my staff has been busy setting up since my appointment by Governor Tmthforu94. Serving in the assembly has been a very enjoyable, and satisfying job to me, and I hope that I will earn my anointment to this important body through my actions in it. Since I entered office, we have debated and tackled a number of issues, some of which I'll share my thoughts on right now.

Income Taxes- In the quest to pass a balanced budget, I support maintaining the current bracket system with overall increases of different magnitudes, as a result of my support for progressive taxation. However, since there was an impasse regarding progressive taxation versus flat taxation, a compromise has to happen. Therefore, I strongly support the agreement reached between the Governor and Assemblyman Mr. X on this issue. For the good of the Mideast, I will support it and strongly hope for its passage, despite a few of my personal reservations. If the projection shows this amendment will not balance the budget, I will likely support some more changes.

Immigration Reform- Mr. X's bill is a relatively inexpensive and efficient of integrating first-generation immigrants, who form a key part in the economic and social backbone of our region, fully into Mideastern society. At $18 million dollars, it will cost little to the average taxpayer, and help our society as a whole. It also works to allow guest workers a path to citizenship, a change a support. The votes to pass this bill exist, and I am optimistic it will become law in the coming weeks.

Environmental Responsibility Tax- Oil and gas based fuels are nonrenewable, and are likely nearing or at peak production, not to mention their harmful effects on the environment. To add much-needed revenue and reduce an unhealthy dependence on diesel and gasoline, I support increasing these taxes, and therefore support Speaker Inks' bill and Governor Tmthforu94's amendment. In addition, I just proposed an amendment to further increase the taxes to 45 cents (gasoline) and 50 cents (diesel), which is still lower than the national average in the United States, and even lower than that of Mideastern states. This is a necessary step in the right direction, both economically and environmentally.

Teaching Reform- The Governor's proposed reforms include a minimum salary for all teachers, performance evaluations for teachers based on the judgement of school administrators, criteria for raises, and rewards for degrees of higher education. This legislation is an excellent piece of work, supporting the hardworking teachers of the Mideast and making sure children get a decent education, while not delving into extremism for either cause. I am glad it has support from all across the political spectrum.

Labor Relations- The Mideast is a traditionally conservative region, but the rights of the average worker must be defended. This bill preserves a balance between employer and employee rights, while defining union benefits and requirements regarding unionization. By expanding these rights to people such as agricultural workers, government workers, and contractors, many more Mideasterners will receive their fair due, and their employers will not be taken advantage of at the same time. The bill also works to stop some workers from cheating the systems of union and employer benefits, a key problem affecting many companies today.

Wiki Act- Updating wiki is an integral part of the Governor's responsibilities, and consequences must occur when this is not done. To solve this issue, Speaker Inks has proposed an amendment which would allow the Speaker to take over responsibility if this action is not completed within 60 days of passage of legislation or important occurrence. However, under the language of this bill, a new Governor could be effectively displaced by the Speaker on his first day in office, because of the inaction of his predecessor. To prevent this, I have voted to defeat the legislation in its current form and instead work to pass an other bill to eliminate the aforementioned loophole.

This is a thread where we can have an open conversation about the issues facing the Mideast to the broader politics of Atlasia. As your representative, I will use this as a platform for my views- and to hear your yours. I am open to requests, advice, critiques on my performance, etc. here, so don't hesitate to offer your thoughts.

Thanks,
Assemblyman TexasDem

(P.S. I'd like to offer a special shotout to my fellow members of the assembly, Speaker Inks.LWC, Gass3268, 20RP12, and Mr. X for integrating me in quickly, despite not having my own mandate at this time, and especially to Governor Tmthforu94, a truly great Atlasian who I owe much to.)

[Talleyrand]

Hi, TexDem!

Hello Lieutenant Governor Wolfentoad. I'm glad to see that citizens from other regions are viewing this too.

[tmthforu94]

I'm very glad I appointed you to the Assembly - you've done a splendid job in there. I think you have a very bright future in the Mideast Region and Atlasia.

[Talleyrand]

I'm very glad I appointed you to the Assembly - you've done a splendid job in there. I think you have a very bright future in the Mideast Region and Atlasia.

Thank you, Governor. I hope I can maintain that.

Is this your first political job, Texdem?

Yes, so I'm still learning the ropes.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

You've done an excellent job and it has been great working with you   I am glad Governor Tmthforu94 appointed you to the Assembly.  Keep up the good work!

[Talleyrand]

Official Announcement from Assemblyman Texas Dem
November 2, 2012
Marquette, Michigan

Good afternoon!

It is an honor to be here in Marquette, Michigan, an extraordinary city lying in the heart of our region’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. An important part of any democratic form of government, especially in Atlasia, is a constant communication between lawmakers and citizens on the issues we need to solve. Here, I have had the pleasure of speaking with many of the hardworking Mideasterners, and I am glad to hear their views on our regional government. After some introspection, I have come to a decision regarding my political future.

Since my appointment by Governor Tmthforu94, I have served as a member of our regional Assembly, and have been in the midst of important legislation. Working with my fellow Assemblymen 20RP12, Gass3268, Mr. X, and Inks.Lwc, I am pleased with the quality of the work we have done. In the last two weeks alone, we have reached a compromise on Mideast Income taxes to balance our budget, passed the expansive Teaching Reform Bill, dealt with environmental issues through the soon-to-be-passed Environmental Responsibility Tax, worked on Wiki Reform to make sure our regional executive does his/her job, and are on the verge of putting an Immigration Reform Act on the Governor’s desk. I strongly support these efforts, and have helped negotiate some amendments to these bills, in addition to providing a majority to pass some of these bills in the future. Overall, this session of the Assembly has been immensely productive, and taken into account the best interest of the Mideast, ranging from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Downstate Illinois.

In the future, I would like to see a continuation of the progress the Mideast has made over the past several years, especially in the areas of environment, energy, and education. I am currently working on legislation to combat these issues, and hope to release them as soon as I feel they are ready to become proposed law. Giving a voice to our citizens has been among my highest priorities, and I you feel the same way. Our engaged, active, and large populace has enabled this in recent times, and I want to continue to work with them. Over the recent weeks and days, I hope I have earned your trust- and my appointment to the most powerful regional legislature in all Atlasia. A moderate, reasonable voice is needed, and I strongly believe that I hold views which can appeal to an expansive amount of Mideasterners, regardless of ideology.

For the reasons mentioned above, I would like to confirm that I will seek election to the Mideast Assembly in the quickly approaching November polls. In the time approaching the election, I will travel extensively throughout the states that make up our region to hear your voices and make my views clear. I humbly ask for your vote and input on this campaign in the coming days.

Thank you,
Mideast Assemblyman TexasDem

[Talleyrand]

Hey man!

Endorsed!!!

Thanks for your support. Feel free to ask any questions regarding my campaign/views.

[Pingvin]

Endorsed. If you want, I may campaign for you.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Endorsed

[Talleyrand]

Endorsed. If you want, I may campaign for you.

Thanks, Pingvin. I'd appreciate that.

Endorsed

It's great to have your support. I hope we'll have more opportunities to work with each other in the next Assembly, Dave willing.

[tmthforu94]

I had several possible appointees that would have made excellent Assemblymen - looking back though, I'm very happy with my decision to appoint TexasDemocrat. Since swearing in, he has been a fighter for Mideastern families and businesses, and has been a bi-partisan, active voice in the Assembly. He has been a great ally in our efforts to improve the quality of life in the Mideast region, and will be continue to be an ally as we try and improve this game in a way that makes it better for all.

I urge fellow Mideasterners to give TexasDemocrat a high preference in the Assembly - We need him in there!!!

[Gass3268]

Just to make it official, I endorse your re-election campaign!   

[Napoleon]

Endorsed.

[Badger]

There's a great team in the ME Assembly, and you're definitely an important part of it. Endorsed!

/s/ Badger
Retired Senator, Assemblyman, GM, and all-around political hack.

[Talleyrand]

Just to make it official, I endorse your re-election campaign!   

Thanks, Gass. With some luck, we'll get to serve alongside each other again following the election.

Endorsed.

Thank you, Mr. President.

There's a great team in the ME Assembly, and you're definitely an important part of it. Endorsed!

/s/ Badger
Retired Senator, Assemblyman, GM, and all-around political hack.

Thank you for your endorsement, Senator Badger. I'm very glad to have the support of a respected statesman such as yourself.

I appreciate the emphasis that you've placed on responsible government, workers' rights, and respecting the environment. Endorsed.

Thanks, Senator. Although we may be from different regions, we share many common values.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I heartily endorse you, and I hope we can serve another term together!

[Talleyrand]

I heartily endorse you, and I hope we can serve another term together!

I'm glad to have your support, Mr. Speaker. I hope for that outcome as well.

Also, does anyone have questions regarding my views on policy and issues the Mideast is facing? I will be re-posting my answers to Redalgo's questionnaire here once he releases it to the general public, but those are more focused around core political views, not the regional specifics.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Mideast is a traditionally conservative region

No, it is traditionally a left-wing region. Or at least it was before it was wrecked by all these bloody immigrants. Send the buggers back!

[Talleyrand]

The Mideast is a traditionally conservative region

No, it is traditionally a left-wing region. Or at least it was before it was wrecked by all these bloody immigrants. Send the buggers back!

Sorry, when I first came here back in the summer, it seemed pretty conservative, and the Whig Party had been doing well for quite some time. I'm not as well-versed on Atlasian history as I'd like to be.



Here's my official campaign logo (Thanks to Barnes for giving me the idea to use BuildASign).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Which summer?

[Talleyrand]

Which summer?

This one.



Here is a smaller version of the logo.

[Talleyrand]

Mideast Citizens,

My attorney, Bacon King, has calculated results for the September and November elections using the PR-STV system proposed by Governor Tmthforu94 to reform our region's voting. They can be seen here.

(And don't forget to thank Bacon King if given the opportunity!)