The Office of Senator LumineVonReuental (A Farewell to the Senate)

[Simfan34]

tl;dr

Shut up.

Lumine, I'm glad you've admitted the pain leaving The People caused us.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I think this was the best way to say your piece. Congrats.

[Senator Cris]

Great speech, Mr. Senator!

[Mechaman]

Well, I did read your speech.  And while I don't agree with you politically I do think it's pretty great that you spoke from the heart on what bothers you about this game.

While I feel as though I should say that it's ridiculous that some people take a win at all cost approach to this simulation, I really can't.  Because like you yourself said this is a game.  In fact, this is a political game.  While I do not like it, name calling, dishonest tactics, and political machinery should be entirely expected.

How do I deal with that?  Easy, by not giving a sh*t.  Once you decide that winning is overrated you can just sit back and laugh at everyone else who loses sleep over what happens in the game. If you wish to continue being serious though and wanting to win the best I can advise is to a) get a whole lot more people to register in your party and b) get a really good preferential voting strategy down that outsmarts Labor (this is key, especially on Senate elections).

But really all you really need is a lot more voters than the other side.  So hit the streets and start campaigning among your RL friends to see if anyone has no life and is ready to join this simulation.

-Mechaman

[Spamage]

You've certainly got my vote

The overreach by Labor over the past few days is disgusting. I'm not even that active in this game anymore and even I can still see it. When the extremists in the party are determined to continually re-add bills that have failed and discuss ignoring the posts of those on the right side of the spectrum, it shows they must be stopped.

The extreme members of the Labor Party are not entitled to everything and must be shown this.

[Lumine]

tl;dr

I'm glad to see you taking the time to check my office thread, Senator, so nice of you to leave a message!

You've certainly got my vote

The overreach by Labor over the past few days is disgusting. I'm not even that active in this game anymore and even I can still see it. When the extremists in the party are determined to continually re-add bills that have failed and discuss ignoring the posts of those on the right side of the spectrum, it shows they must be stopped.

The extreme members of the Labor Party are not entitled to everything and must be shown this.

Great speech, Mr. Senator!

I think this was the best way to say your piece. Congrats.

Thank you, my friends, for your comments and your support, it's something I truly appreciate. To the election I go!

Well, I did read your speech.  And while I don't agree with you politically I do think it's pretty great that you spoke from the heart on what bothers you about this game.

While I feel as though I should say that it's ridiculous that some people take a win at all cost approach to this simulation, I really can't.  Because like you yourself said this is a game.  In fact, this is a political game.  While I do not like it, name calling, dishonest tactics, and political machinery should be entirely expected.

How do I deal with that?  Easy, by not giving a sh*t.  Once you decide that winning is overrated you can just sit back and laugh at everyone else who loses sleep over what happens in the game. If you wish to continue being serious though and wanting to win the best I can advise is to a) get a whole lot more people to register in your party and b) get a really good preferential voting strategy down that outsmarts Labor (this is key, especially on Senate elections).

But really all you really need is a lot more voters than the other side.  So hit the streets and start campaigning among your RL friends to see if anyone has no life and is ready to join this simulation.

-Mechaman

Thank you, Mechaman, I think that is some pretty sound advice (we often do forget that is this nothing but a game) and I am grateful that you took the time to read the speech, I have the misfortune of doing long speeches instead of more concise phrases. I'll certainly get to work and hopefully I might be able to find people bored enough to join this thrill of a game, xD

[windjammer]

Well, it seems you always manage to be controversial, even against your will .

[Lumine]

Well, it seems you always manage to be controversial, even against your will .

Indeed, but I guess I am starting to get used to it at this point...

[GAworth]

So I guess no more Moderate von Hero anymore? :-p Good luck sir.

[Lumine]

Update XVII:
Pacific Earthquake/Re-elected to another term:

August 25th, 2014:
Despite some notorious moments of tension through the past days Senator Lumine was able to get reelected once again to serve as an At-Large Senator, and he is currently celebrating in his campaign HQ at Salt Lake City along with close friends and staffers. He also took the time to address the recent crisis in the Pacific and pledge his support to the Governor and the victims.

Good night, my fellow Atlasians!

This is truly a suprising night. We have witnessed an absolutely thrilling and surprising election, one with active and focused candidates and a result that was incredibly close. And I admit it, at one point I thought I was going to lose this one, a bit of a useful scare to return humility into any politician. It was a long and active campaign, a campaign which saw a great debate and series of controversial issues that at some times were quite encouraging and, at other times, frustrating. But I am rather pleased with the results, specially since my friend and fellow party member JCL will finally enter the Senate and great individuals like Polnut, Cynic and Deus will be reelected or will enter the Senate as well. My most sincere congratulations to all of them for their campaigns, I really look forward to serve with all of them. I would also like to congratulate Alfred on a strong campaign and for his term in the Senate, despite our differences in some issues I enjoyed working with him (specially in foreign affairs, were we had a lot of common ground and it was thanks to him that some of my projects passed the Senate), and it will be sad to see him leave the chamber.

As of now I am close of reaching six months as a Senator, and it does feel weird to see how many things have passed since then. The Senate has changed a lot as well, and once Alfred and Goldwater leave the Senate I will reach fourth place in seniority, something I did not expect when I joined back in March. I feel rather energized and encouraged by this election despite previous difficulties over the most recent political controversies. and needless to say I am happy to go out there and renew the push for my current and future projects in Nyman. There's still a lot of work to be done and many things to be said, so here's to four more months as a Senator!

Despite the happiness in my HQ over this victory, not all is positive tonight. As many of you know, the region was recently struck by an earthquake causing major damage and injuring many of our fellow citizens. I applaud Governor Simfan's quick response to this crisis, and needless to say I will tour the affected zones as soon as I can to see how can I help those who have suffered the consequences of this terrible event. As a young man who lived through one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded I am fully aware of what can happen and how much suffering can be caused by something like this, even if thankfully there were no deaths. The victims and the region as a whole are in my prayers, and I will do whatever is necessary to help the region to recover as quickly as possible.

I would like to finish this address by thanking the voters of Atlasia for their preferences and their support during this election, and well, it's time to work!

LumineVonReuental, OSAS, At-Large Senator.

[Dr. Cynic]

Congrats on your victory. No matter our differences of opinion, I consider you a friend an I really appreciate how hard you work for what you feel is good for the game.

[Senator Cris]

That's great news! Congratulations Senator Lumine!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Congratulations on your re-election and I look forward to working together

[Lumine]

Congrats on your victory. No matter our differences of opinion, I consider you a friend an I really appreciate how hard you work for what you feel is good for the game.

Thank you, Mr. President, our differences aside I also consider you a friend and I am glad that we will be able to work together over the next term. Congratulations on your victory as well!

That's great news! Congratulations Senator Lumine!

Thanks, Cris!

Congratulations on your re-election and I look forward to working together

Thank you, Mr. President, I look forward to working with you as well!

[Mechaman]

Mr. Senator,

my congratulations.  You have won.

-Mechaman

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Congrats, I'm happy you're sticking around!

[Lumine]

Mr. Senator,

my congratulations.  You have won.

-Mechaman

Congrats, I'm happy you're sticking around!

Thank you very much, Mechaman, Mr. President!

[Lumine]

Update XVIII:
War Powers Amendment: Vote Yes!

August 29th, 2014:
With the double passage of the Repeal of the War Powers Resolution Act and the War Powers Amendment, Senator Lumine has started to campaign for a "Yes" vote in the coming election over his constitutional amendment, while also encouraging other politicians to support it if possible.

Good night, my fellow Atlasians:

After some time, I am glad to be able to deliver on my on my earlier promises: the reform of our constitutional war mechanisms. During the time in which I advocated for military aid to the government of Iraq and the use of drones against ISIS I originally tried to have the Senate authorize the use of force against this terrorist organization, but as many pointed out, the constitutionality of such an action was pretty dubious thanks to the ambiguity of the Constitution when it came to war. Several individuals spoke about it, including Senator Yankee, SoEA Nix and then Representative Deus, and then the idea of a Constitutional Amendment to solve this dilemma was proposed. I took on the challenge and I devised a bill and an Amendment to the Constitution to solve this issue, and both were recently passed by the Senate after some minor modifications. I thank my fellow Senators for passing these two pieces of legislation, the Repeal of the War Powers Resolution Act (which gets rid of the legislation passed on 1973 regarding war which was obsolete and unconstitutional) and the War Powers Amendment, which regulates the powers of the Senate and the President regarding war, creates two mechanisms for war (a Declaration of War and an Authorization of Force, they will depend on the assets that are needed and the size of the enemy) and gives the President some space to react to some immediate threats in a legal way while also having to inform Congress of the progress that's being made.

This proposal, Amendment XXIX to the Constitution of Atlasia, will be voted by the public during the following week, and I feel it's imperative that the regions pass this. This will make this issue much more clear in times of crisis, it will avoid a potential conflict between the Senate and the President and it does form a part of a series of attempts by several individuals to reform the way that foreign policy works in a reasonable way, in order to make some aspects of the game easier and more interesting. I humbly ask the people of the regions to vote in favor of this, and I encourage the officeholders and the citizens who support this Amendment to the Constitution to, if possible, endorse or talk about this proposal. It's obvious that our Constitution is not perfect and that we need to correct the mistakes or the parts that may have not been envisioned when it was created. It's a slow process, but if done correctly it can only give more life to our Constitution and improve the game in it's own way. It's very important that we don't forget about these issues (both Constitutional and Foreign Policy-related), and I wish to publicly thank those who voted in favor of these proposals and those who gave their thoughts or their own ideas, like SoEA Nix or Senator-Elect Deus. We are all bound to have our disagreements in foreign policy just like we have them on domestic policy, but I think most of Atlasia can agree that constitutional ambiguity is something that has to be avoided, specially in light of the several court cases we've had during the past two or three months.

Once again, thanks for your attention.

LumineVonReuental, OSAS, At-Large Senator.

[Lumine]

Update XIX:
Running for President-Pro-Tempore!

September 6th, 2014:
After the start of a new session and with current PPT TNF running for reelection and Yankee choosing not to run again, Senator Lumine has decided to run for the position, and he is confident about his chances.

Good day, my fellow Atlasians:

A new session of the Senate has begun, and as the Senators of the Sixty-Third session were sworn-in a bit of nostalgia affected me. I entered the Senate six months ago, and as time has passed many Senators I worked with have left this august body. As of now, I unexpectedly find myself as fourth in seniority, after Yankee, TNF and Bore. It does feel strange considering that until a month or so ago the Senate as pretty similar as when I originally joined, and now we have elder statesmen like former Presidents Cynic and Polnut, new Atlasians like Cranberry, Cassius and Deus and experienced politicians like JCL, and I can't stress how eager I am to work with them as well, to work with a Senate ready to fight for countless issues affecting Atlasia.

And, as you know, with a new session comes a new election for President Pro Tempore. Needless to say, I believe Senator North Carolina Yankee is the man for the job, the Atlasian that can make an excellent and unparalleled work with the position. Sadly, Senator Yankee will not be able to contest the position, and I have decided to run for President Pro Tempore myself. Our current PPT may be an active Atlasian, but I feel awfully uncomfortable with a man whose victory speech for the position consists of pearls of wisdom like "and utilize my power as PPT as a bludgeon against bourgeois sensibility and against the oppression of the working class by the parasitic vampires of the bourgeois class" and so forth. Yes, I know, many don't believe I am a moderate anymore after my criticism of the current administration, but I think I could do a great job as PPT, and I want to ask my colleagues to join me in this effort and this election.

The Senate needs reform and activity, and I will do my best to ensure that we have new and fresh rules. The rules proposed earlier by Nix need reform and some amendments, but I think it's a great chance to simplify our current set of rules and make the Senate more efficient and modern. I also pledge to update the wiki regarding the Senate, as we have several missing pages of key parts of current Senate history. And yes, I also plan to get rid of a good part of the directives of the current PPT, for I believe they are not necessary and some of them are, to put it mildly, frivolous. It's going to be fairly amusing to run against the Senator from the Midwest again, so I expect this election and perhaps, this Senate session, to be particularly interesting and even invigorating to some point.

Well, that's all for now, to the election I go!

LumineVonReuental, OSAS, At-Large Senator.

[GAworth]

It's about to go down. We have never agreed on the issues facing us, but I do wish you luck.

[Lumine]

It's about to go down. We have never agreed on the issues facing us, but I do wish you luck.

Thanks, GAworth, good luck in the Althing as well!

[Simfan34]

Endorsed.

[Lumine]

Endorsed.

Thank you, Governor!

[Senator Cris]

Endorsed.

[rpryor03]

Endorsed