Office of Senator Goldwater - Open for questioning!

[Goldwater]

It's about time that I made this thread.

Welcome to my office! Feel free to make yourself at home.

[Goldwater]

Grand Maester, isn't it true that you are just a Lannister toadie rather than a servant of the realm?

Lies!

Grand Maester, will there be fresh waffles and bourbon served at this office? The People of the North must know!

Of course there will! Feel free to help yourself to them.

[Goldwater]

I will be holding a town hall for 72 hours. On with the questions!

[Goldwater]

How do you feel about the extremely low participation in Atlasian town halls?

It makes me sad. Atlasia,  y u no like town halls?

What's your attitude towards smoking in your office--tobacco and otherwise?

Smoking is allowed, but with one condition: You must look badass while doing it. Non-badass smokers will immediately be expelled from the premises!

[Goldwater]

Endorsed - we need more activity in the Senate, and I think you would bring a refreshing change.

Thank you!

This vote is very hard for me Goldwater. I like you and Bore. I think I'll be voting for you to stay in the Assembly, and for Bore to stay in the Senate. I'd be fine with the reverse, but the status quo is working. Plus, I have tax cuts to pass.

I suppose it would be hard to pass those tax cuts without me. Besides, if Bore wins this election you'll have another chance to vote for me in December.

[Goldwater]

In case you didn't know, I'm running in the December At-Large Senate Elction!



Now, I could sit here and type a long speech filled with meaningless rhetoric and stating my position on various issues, all the while just hoping that something I say catches the interest of the voters. Or, I could just ask the voters what they want me to talk about! So, here's what I want you all to do: Ask me questions! The questions can be about anything. My views on bills currently being debated in the Senate, my tenure in the Northeast, miscellaneous political views, my favorite brands of soda, etc. The important thing is that you keep the questions. (By the way, this also counts as my legally required town hall. )

Now, on with the questions!

[Goldwater]

What is your biggest goal concerning

a. economics,

In general, my goal when it comes to economics is to minimize government as much as possible, while also maximizing efficiency in areas of the economy that are controlled by the government.

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I am mostly supportive of the status quo of Atlasia when it  comes to social issues, which FTR is considerably to the left of IRL America. The only complaint I might have is that maybe, from a gameplay perspective, it would better to leave some issues that are currently decided by the federal to the regions.

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I'm pretty moderate when it comes to environmental protection. I have no specific goals, but I am willing to support any environmental policies that aren't too expensive or damaging to the economy.

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I think that regions are very important to the game and would oppose any attempts to abolish them, but I'm more flexible when it comes to more specific details. For example, while I'm not opposed to regional consolidation per se, I am skeptical towards the idea that it will impose things much. Whatever benefits it might have, you also have to factor in the fact that a large number of people will leave the game if it happens, which I thank will lead to a net benefit of practically nothing. However, if we do decide to consolidate the regions, I think we should use the CARCA map and the Duke plan.

Goldwater, what are your stances on:

• Abortion

I typically consider myself pro-choice, but by Atlasian standards I'm actually pro-life. I support the Late-Term Abortion Restriction Act and oppose the Women's Reproductive Rights Amendment

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Ideally, I think it should be privatized, but realistically I support reforms such as raising the retirement age in order to make it run more efficiently.

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I addressed this in my response to PJ, but I will summarize it again. I strongly oppose abolishing regions, I am somewhat skeptical towards regional consolidation, and I think that the Duke plan is the best of the regional consolidation plans.

Where do you stand on every piece of legislation before the Senate and currently in queue? And why?

Um... Give me a few days, and I will get back to you on that.

[Goldwater]

Remember, keep those questions coming!

[Goldwater]

What is your opinion on the current state of the federal income tax? Ideally, what do you think Atlasia's federal income tax structure should look like?

Ideally, I would like a flat income tax. However, based on the political realities in Atlasia (and real life, for that matter), I consider a progressive income tax a given and would more realistically like to see a reduction in the number of tax brackets and reduced tax rates across the board whenever possible.

What is your opinion on human cloning?

i have no problem with it, as long as the cloned humans are considered equal to every other human under the law and are given the same rights and freedoms.

Do you think we should abolish the minimum wage, raise it, or keep it as it is?

Ideally, I think it should be abolished. Realistically, I will be defending the status quo against any attempts to increase it.

[Goldwater]

beastality?

I strongly think that it should remain illegal.

[Goldwater]

Has anyone asked about eating dogs?

Nope, not yet. I will refrain from comment unless/until someone does, but I am pretty sure if you look hard enough I said something about it back when everyone was talking about it.

[Goldwater]

How would you define yourself ideologically? Are you a traditional Conservative? A Libertarian one? Or none of those two options?

Somewhere in between the two, I suppose. I consider myself more libertarian on social issues, such as gay marriage and marijuana, and hawkish on foreign policy, which I assume is more in line with what you refer to as traditional conservatism.

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I'm actually not familiar with it. Can you elaborate?

[Goldwater]

I need to start remembering to use this thread.

Anyway, in case you didn't know, I am running for reelection! If you have comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to post them.

[Goldwater]

Remember people, my office is always open for any questions you might have.

[Goldwater]

Given that our current national health care system is apparently broken, what reforms would you propose to the Atlasian health care system?

To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure. Just a few months ago we passed a bill to modernize and streamline the system, and we are currently working on a bill to reform the system even further. So at the moment I can't think of any further reforms to make.