Oakvale
oakvale
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Posts: 11,827
Political Matrix
E: -0.77, S: -4.00
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« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2014, 11:36:50 AM » |
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Thanks, Polnut. After considerable discussions with the Chair and several other interested members of the party, here is the proposed, revised platform. I have tried to be as concise as possible although our original desire for just ten points proved difficult to fulfil.
1. The People's Party recognises the right to private property as a fundamental human right. No society where this right is under threat can be truly free.
2. The People's Party believes that climate change is real and anthropogenic. We believe this must be addressed not through half-solutions and tokenism, but through real, substantive action by governments and citizens alike. We firmly believe in a cap-and-trade system or carbon tax to limit harmful emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. In addition, we recognize that Atlasian flora and fauna are vital to the ecosystem and cultural heritage of our nation, and will work to preserve them.
3. The People's Party believes that personal liberty is the bedrock principle of Atlasian society. We believe that no government has the right to dictate the direction of its citizen's lives - we will fight for personal freedom in all walks of life, including in protecting the fundamental right of a woman's right to bodily autonomy.
4. The People's Party believes in a progressive tax structure, where those who have benefited the most give a helping hand to those who need it. But we do not believe that "taxing the rich" is an economic panacea. That is a mantra, not a policy. A strong economy that provides opportunity for all will be built and maintained not through the blind recitation of outdated dogmas but through cooperation, compromise, understanding and a realistic perspective on the challenges we face.
Furthermore, a truly fair and progressive tax structure must not be used as a tool to persecute or attack those fortunate enough to achieve wealth and success in our economy. Such policies turn citizen against citizen, breed discord and unrest, and weaken our nation. We believe that Atlasia must be a society for all the people, not for select interest groups. To this end, it is The People's Party's belief that an income tax should not exceed more than 50% of an individual's income.
5. The People's Party recognises that investor confidence in our nation has often been shaken by ideologically-motivated decisions on economic matters. The People recognise a portion of our country derives their income from capital gains and dividends. For the social well being of The People, The Party favors a flat 15% capital gains tax on low and middle income Atlasians, whereas the top 3% earners should pay 20%.
6. The People's Party recognises the hardships too many employees experience in their everyday lives. This Party will fight a policy of honesty and openness between both employee and employer. While we hold employment policies, including “at will” laws a regional issue, we encourage regional governments to work to change policies like these -they are archaic and are a tremendous disservice to the employee. They discourage the principles of honesty, openness and job security that should be the foundation of of a healthy, vibrant and modern economy.
7. The People recognize that business, large and small, is the backbone of this country. Therefore, we favor a low corporate tax to encourage domestic job creation, keeping The People at work in their home country, not boosting employment numbers overseas. The People also recognize the role certainty plays in the economy. We must be in touch with our business community, large and small, by giving employers certainty when it comes to taxes and other issues that lead to layoffs and a deterioration of investor confidence. Furthermore, we recognize that so long as public services are provided transparently, equitably, and efficiently, it does not matter whether the public or private sector provides them, and we oppose attempts to unilaterally nationalise, or privatise, such services on mere ideological grounds. The People believe that the default assumption should be that economic activity should be handled by the private sector, but that government must not hesitate to intervene when the market fails the people.
8. The People are realists. We recognize that there is evil in this world, and there are groups of people whose basic interests and values conflict with our own. But dealing with this evil does not always begin with bombs and bullets. Diplomacy must be our first line of defense, and we must work to keep the lines of communication open with both our enemies and allies. The People recognize Atlasia’s position in the world. We must lead by example. However, if diplomacy does fail, and a nation openly defies the international community, The People shall not shy away from using force, for we believe that the nations with the most power are those with the most responsibility.
9. The People believe that a strong national defense is essential not just for our own security but for that of those peoples throughout the world who rely on the most powerful nations for support and security. The military has been gutted for years by isolationists and ideologues. We recognise that, at one stage, the defense budget was undoubtedly bloated and inefficient, but we believe that the zeal for cutting our defense capabilities has gone too far. We support an increase in the military budget and rolling back the extremist policies by the far-left and far-right that have crippled our military and diplomatic standing.
10. The People believe that healthy and thriving regions are the lifeblood of Atlasia. We oppose attempts to impose regional consolidation without the consent of the majority of citizens through political trickery and backdoor tactics. We believe that devolution of power to the regions should be concrete and intellectually justified - we oppose token devolution such as local administration of Senate elections, which only serves to add an unnecessary layer of government bureaucracy to our election process. We support the repeal and replacement of the 17th Amendment - an amendment should be ratified or rejected once, nationally, not voted on indefinitely by a single region until the desired result is achieved.
11. The People believe that we have been too lenient for too long on those who would usurp the law and threaten the stability of our nation. We favour tougher penalties for crimes against Atlasia, giving the power to the courts to sentence offenders for a ban on voting or holding office for up to a year. Similarly, we believe that deregistration must have serious consequences, and support increasing the time before a deregistered voter can re-register to a year.
12. The People's Party is an open and democratic party, and prides itself on its culture of open debate among its membership. The People believe that open debate and dialogue makes a party stronger, not weaker, and that attempts to stifle dissent or disagreement and impose top-down control are antithetical to a healthy party and the core values of The People.
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