The Office of Vice President Lumine

[Lumine]

Starting Again:

April 18th, 2016:

I know, I know. Back again?

The answer to that would be yes. I left this game around November 2015, right in the middle of a difficult episode in my personal life, a time of demoralization, a time of tiredness, a time of... well, emotional exhaustion from a daily life that was getting a bit more tiring than usual. One thing I've learned across the years as I've tried to mature is that in these games, if I don't feel I'm up to it, if I feel I just can't give it my best, then what I need to do is to step back, take a deep breath, and take the time I need to feel in shape once again. That is what I did, and to my shock, I thoroughly enjoyed retirement. Fighting my way across Atlasian political life for the better part of three years, rarely taking a break, took it's toll.

This is a fun game. It's a fascinating exploration of things we might want to do in real life, but for different reasons, we can't. It is also an exercise not only on politics, but on human nature. Atlasians can be eloquent, they can be backstabbing, they can be courageous, they can be unfair, they can be efficient, they can be paranoid, they can be manipulative, they can be loyal to the end, and the list can go on forever. So I enjoyed my retirement very much, at times toying with the thought of my Atlasian persona traveling the world and enjoying himself, away from the trenches.

I did not intend to return either.

Indeed, it is our recently reelected Pacific Governor that it is to blame for reopening the gates of my proverbial verbosity. I may not know Ted Bessell very well, but something I do know is that our Governor is someone who cares about the game, and someone who acts with the enthusiasm that we very much need not only to survive, but to thrive. And as he suggested that I might make an unexpected return to serve the Pacific Region as I did once, I realized that against the odds, I still liked this game.

An election just came by. And while we were three candidates for three seats, I keep it as a sign of encouragement that, despite the way in which I left, over 60% of the voters still saw it fit to give me their confidence once again. I look forward to doing what I can to aid this great region on its quest of survival until a better future is enabled thanks to the Fourth Constitution, and hopefully thanks to the tireless work of the bright young minds that serve as a symbol of what we could, and indeed should, be.

And that's all there is to it, at least for now. In the meantime, it really feels good to be back.

Lumine.

[Mike Thick]

We're glad to have you back. Let's get things moving again.

[Lumine]

Press Release N°1:

April 25th, 2016:

I'd like to express my gratitude to the Pacific Council for appointing me as Pacific Speaker  as of today, I look forward to the work Councilor Simfan, Councilor 1184AZ, Governor Bessell and myself can do for the Pacific Region in the 20th Session of the Council. We're up for work already, with two pieces of legislation now up for debate (and, if everything goes right, I expect to have legislation of my own proposed as well).

On a slightly different note and in the aftermath of the Senate Election I'd like to congratulate the winners of this weekend's electoral contest: Altsomn Stmarken, Harry Truman, Leinad, cxs018 and ClarkKent. Having worked closely with some of these men and deeply respecting their skills, I believe the Atlasian Senate will continue to prosper with them on Nyman. My thanks also to the voters who wrote-in my name for fourth preference, it's a much appreciated gesture.

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Vote Aye!

May 14th, 2016:

A few months have passed since it seemed that this game was on the brink of collapse.

Communist revolutionaries and right-wing militias at home, inactive administrations, collapsing regional governments, a rival nation bent on antagonizing Atlasia, and an inmensely powerful lobby for disbandment of the game. It seemed like the end for many.

And we survived.

There's no need to describe the epic struggle in excessive terms when the fact speak for themselves, but the fact is that, pain and all, the game survived what was perhaps its darkest moment because of the drive of the reform movement. Most of us played our part in making that possible, and I think we can all be proud of the work that was done in starting the Con Con push, getting the signatures, forming the convention and crafting a new document to guide the destiny of this nation in renewed form.

While I regret not having done more in the writing process itself beyond the Game Engine article due to my breakdown last year, I'm happy to have played a part in the process, small at it was when compared to the work of people like Cris or Truman.

But the work is not complete yet!

The Fourth Constitution is now under vote in several regions, and soon enough all of our citizens should have their voting booths open. The early results are more than encouraging, but the work is not finished yet. So, for the love of the gods, it's time to get out to vote Aye! A new and exciting Atlasia awaits for us at the end of this historic referendum, my friends. Let's not waste this chance.

Lumine.

[Lumine]

A New Challenge:

June 29th, 2016:

When I decided to rejoin Atlasia some two to three months ago I must say I didn't quite envisioned this scenario we find ourselves into. Having lacked internet connection for the last days it is only know that I can look at the result of the June Presidential Election and formally and openly congratulate Leinad on being President-Elect, and both Truman and Kalwejt for running a strong campaign in what has been an extremely amusing and fun cycle. It is with some surprise that I will return to the White House that I left on February 2015 as the new Vice President-Elect, but I have the sincere intention of bringing a lot of effort to this august office.

My formal duties revert to being President of the Congress, and I shall indeed remain in close contact with Congressional leadership as we move forward, just as I expect to give advice and support when needed and support the upcoming Leinad Administration in any way I can. The times ahead of us will be fascinating, as there's plenty to do in the new Atlasia we have all created through the Constitutional Convention and the ballot box. This is also the first Administration to come from the Atlasian center-right after four election, which makes it all the more exciting and new.

Anyway, it's not a speech, just my sincere thanks to the President-Elect for inviting me to be a part of this project, my congratulations to the Labor ticket on a truly spirited performance, and to the voters for giving me once again the chance to represent them in office, this time in a rather interesting challenge.

So Vice-Presidential office, here we go!

Lumine.

[Anna Komnene]

Congratulations Lumine!

[Pragmatic Conservative]

Congratulations Lumine!

[Mike Thick]

Glad to see a Fremontian as the first Vice President under the Fourth Constitution! Congrats.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Congratulations Lumine!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Congratulations, Mr. Vice President!

[GAworth]

Congrats good friend!

[Lumine]

Congratulations Lumine!

Glad to see a Fremontian as the first Vice President under the Fourth Constitution! Congrats.

Congratulations, Mr. Vice President!

Congrats good friend!

Many thanks to you all, ladies and gentlemen! (I can't express how good it is to see Siren and GAworth back as well)

I just took the oath, so here's to a very successful term for the President and for Atlasia!

[Kingpoleon]

Congratulations, Lumine!

[Lumine]

Press Release: Real Patriot Act:

July 15th, 2016:

Two weeks after taking office Vice President Lumine faced his first chance to break a tie on the Senate on Senate Bill 2016-005, known as the Real Patriot Act. The Vice-President voted NAY after explaining his concerns about the bill and his dissatisfaction with the Senate's performance on that particular piece of legislation. His comments were as follows:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The Vice President, who is rumored to be disappointed in Congress so far on a number of issues, is expected to make a speech on the subject as early as tonight.

[Lincoln Republican]

Hear!  Hear!

[Lumine]

Speech on Congress:

July 15th, 2016:

It has been about two weeks since I took the oath of office to become the Vice-President of our beloved Republic, and it is a role that so far has proven a bit more interesting than the dull affair it promised to be. Ultimately, the Vice-Presidency seems to entail, as I see it, three different roles. One is my constitutional one as President of the Congress, aiding the Senate and the House, breaking Senate ties, opening confirmation threads, and look at redrafts, and so forth. A second is my role as an advisor to the Presidency, the least visible of the roles but an equally crucial one, as I’ve tried to give the best possible advice to the President when necessary. But there is a third one, not from the Constitution but from me. Both as an individual, I have a responsibility to work for Atlasia and speak up when there is something that I believe to be wrong. I did that as President, I did it as an officeholder and as a private citizen, and I sure as hell won’t keep quiet now.

So, to go to the point as fast as I can, we have a problem in the way Congress is working right now.

I have made some of these points in the debate thread for the Real Patriot Act, but this does not extend just to the Senate. Over the past weeks several pieces of legislation have been up for debate and for a vote, and there are several areas in which I have serious concerns with the work that is being done so far, even when we compare it to the old Senate a couple of years ago. On the bright side, it would seem that most Representatives and Senators indeed vote on the issues, they are bringing up fascinating topics to discuss and have led pretty spirited but not less interesting debate in say, the death penalty, or gay rights, or such other issues.

This is strictly personal and should not be construed as to being any sort of an official view from the Administration or the President, but what I have seen so far that I find irresponsible includes the following:

Lack of Oversight: You only need to look at the Currency Tactile Feature Act. Despite being passed, we have bills that were looked at enough or were carelessly voted without being ready at all, leading to incomplete sections or inconsistencies that had to be solved in less than ideal ways.

Lack of Rules: While the Senate managed to get rules in order pretty soon, the House (which was seated first) is only now debating its own set, which is based on the Senate rules. A lot of bills have been discussed, amended and voted on already, without proper guidelines or proper order. And the worst part, this point doesn’t seem to have raised a lot of public concern.

Issues are being ignored: I confess it, I’m very sad that the House and the Senate have been so careless when it comes to something as crucial as the Game Moderator. We know the office is vital, and we know it needs prudent regulation going by past events, which is why I placed an Article in the Constitution to make sure this would be debated and we would have sensible guidelines for a GM. The bill that will pass or has passed is not a bad one, but it was hardly debate, many topics went unsolved or ignored, and that could prove an issue in the future.

Irresponsible Bills: And with this I mean the Real Patriot Act and the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act. Terrorism and National Security are key issues, issue in which mistakes will cost lives and cause a lot of trouble for our nation. The Senate got tied on a repeal of the Patriot Act (which has already been replaced with the Freedom Act) after an uninspired debate with a lack of firm arguments and firm evidence, and it almost passed a bill that would have done nothing but bring uncertainty.

Even worse, the House and the Senate passed a bill to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization basically on party lines, relying on dubious evidence which was consistently pointed out as insufficient to warrant such a radical move, with far reaching negative consequences for thousands upon thousands of Atlasian Muslims even when countries like the UK have not found enough evidence to take this step. And I have to single out Senator Blair as a voice of reason here, pointing out the immense flaws and the less than ideal procedure.

So that is a large number of bills which have been passed despite having glaring omissions or mistakes, with little debate, votes that are more partisan than informed, a lack of rules in the House, and a lack of sufficient debate for issues that are as important as our Game Moderator. As President of the Congress and as a private citizen I do not believe this should stand as the norm, and currently it disappoints me that a Congress made out of such brilliant Atlasians has to fall into this sort of situation.

There is plenty of time to work on these issues and improve them, but we cannot repeat these embarrassing situations forever if Congress is to work like it should.

Lumine.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

This is a generally spot-on analysis of the troubles plaguing the Congress - I share many of your concerns. While the Senate seems to be in better shape, the House is a tower of firecrackers just waiting to explode. The leadership's slowness to adopt standard Rules of Order, the absence of any sort of criminal justice bill on the floor, and the lack of efforts to pass a more comprehensive elections bill than the stopgap measure enacted in June have all been troubling. These are beginners' mistakes, and I hope that the Administration and the leadership in Congress will take action to set things on a more stable course.

The lack of proper gravity and fact-driven arguments is troubling as well - I know Blair and Never Again have both been working round the clock to drive their colleagues to more thoughtful activity, and I'm glad to hear that you are on this case as well.

[NeverAgain]

I agree and do see many of the 'irresponsibilties' that you have seen. My points of contention lie with the percieved lack of oversight you mentioned with the 'Currency Tactile Feature Act'. The problem there was that Pingvin had 2$ bills in the Act, instead of having our normally used ones. That added up to 7, instead of 6 which I had put in my amendment.

I do take responsibility for not reading/counting correctly, but I continually try to pride myself ob reading bills very throughly. I will be looking into these problems and encourage Rep. Kent and Sen. Tmth to do the same.

[tmthforu94]

Thank you for bringing up these concerns, Mr. Vice President - I generally agree. It has been a very frustrating start - I am constantly having to push people to get things done and am having to do a lot of it myself. Congress should not be so heavily dependent on 1-2 people - it should be a collaborative effort, and I'm constantly looking for ways to increase collaboration. I will be looking to implement several of those in the coming days.

[Blair]

I was about to post on here praising Tmthforu- we've spoken several times over the last couple weeks about the Senate, and various bills and he's been helpful and active in all cases. I echo what he said- the Senate+House can't be two people from each party debating.

We've all been slow in putting forward a new vision but there's really 4 issues that the left/right both agree that needs debating.

1.) A budget.
2.) Infrastructure
3.) Healthcare
4.) Firearm regulation.

I've been in discussion with several labor caucus members, and we're drafting our own bills on these issues. For me the ConCon was needed to restart legislation- everyone here knows where we're at (even people from outside the US, such as myself know the background of most policy) Let's have a big, public debate on these issues ( I believe the Fritzcare bill had about 10-11 pages of debate) It seems strange from an organizational sense to deal with the small issues (that may not attract as much interest)

[tmthforu94]

Blair - your suggestion plays right into what I was thinking of doing. I am planning to create 4-5 Congressional Committees, each composes of 3-4 members from both Houses. They will be tasked with discussing a topic and then within a certain amount of time (I'm thinking 2 weeks) be tasked with introducing a piece of legislation on the topic.

The budget one (as well as healthcare) may take a bit longer, but I think it is a good way to get everyone involved. The legislation doesn't necessarily have to have consensus among the group - it could include a couple either/or parts that the full Congress could vote on.

[Lumine]

Well, many thanks for the responses, gentlemen!

I agree and do see many of the 'irresponsibilties' that you have seen. My points of contention lie with the percieved lack of oversight you mentioned with the 'Currency Tactile Feature Act'. The problem there was that Pingvin had 2$ bills in the Act, instead of having our normally used ones. That added up to 7, instead of 6 which I had put in my amendment.

I do take responsibility for not reading/counting correctly, but I continually try to pride myself ob reading bills very throughly. I will be looking into these problems and encourage Rep. Kent and Sen. Tmth to do the same.

Oh, that's fine, NeverAgain, I know these things happen from time to time (lets us never forget Arizona), but the ideal with two chambers is that we are careful enough to notice those mistakes before passing the bills.

But fantastic to see the work starting on Congressional commissions, I very much look forward to what comes next!