Office of Southern Senator ZuWo

[ZuWo]

Fellow citizens of the South,

First of all, let me congratulate all of the newly elected and re-elected members of the Southern Chamber of Delegates. This is such a diverse and colorful crop of people who will surely have lots of intense and inspiring debates over the course of the next months.

As for me, I’m addressing you today to announce my candidacy for Southern Senator. If elected I will serve our beloved region to the best of my abilities.

Some of you may still remember me from my time in Old Atlas with its peak around 3 or 4 years ago when I served several terms as Assemblyman and Governor of the Mideast. My political views are still right of center but I have also come to realize that, on many issues, solutions lie in genuine bipartisanship and compromise rather than radical positions.

On economic issues, I am a strong advocate of what the Germans have described as the «social market economy». History has shown that a system which promotes competition between private providers coupled with certain measures by the state to support those who have fallen behind is the most effective tool when it comes to create employment and get people out of poverty.
Socially speaking, it is my conviction that human life must be valued at all of its stages from the beginning to the end. While the term «pro-life» is generally used to describe someone’s views on abortion, I believe it also pertains to the way we treat fellow disabled, ill and elderly citizens. Clearly, our fellow citizens deserve a life in dignity regardless of their their age and health.

In the previous paragraphs I have highlighted my general political leanings. Throughout the campaign, I am going to outline specific proposals which I hope the Senate will pass into law at some point.

In fact, the first issue I am going to focus on in detail in the next few days is a plan to offer more opportunities to innovative small businesses. Later on, I will put forward my ideas of an even more impartial Supreme Court as well as a way to prevent and mitigate droughts. I also hope to be able to display a nice-looking banner sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned!

I am looking forward to a civil and issues-based campaign,

ZuWo

And before I forget: I would also like to welcome JustinTimeCuber and Louisville Thunder, a fellow Federalist, to the race. I am looking forward to a fruitful exchange of ideas. If there is a Federalist primary, I will try my best and lend my support to whomever comes out as the winner if that’s not me.

[ZuWo]

Hello Zuwo,
Welcome back. What do you mean by a more impartial Supreme Court?

Thank you for the question. I will outline my specific proposal in the next few days. In short, I have become increasingly skeptical of the fact that Supreme Court justices have often been party leaders at the same time. That doesn't necessarily mean I don't trust these justices to deliver a fair judgment but it has the potential to damage the reputation of the Supreme Court.
Indeed, this has been an issue with members of all major parties in the recent past but I think we ought to have an open debate on this question now.

[ZuWo]

What if Quantum Leap still on TV?

My apologies but that reads like Chinese to me.

[ZuWo]

Endorsed

Endorsed.

Endorsed, one of my Atlas goals since 2015, was to vote for ZuWo.

I appreciate your support. Thanks!

[ZuWo]

What if Quantum Leap still on TV?

My apologies but that reads like Chinese to me.

As Poirot said, I am referring to the 1989-93 sci-fi cult classic, Quantum Leap. What if it was still on TV?

(Placeholder for some kind of witty response)

[ZuWo]

Good luck in the Southern primary this weekend!

Thank you!

In my announcement speech I mentioned my campaign's support for innovative businesses. Here's what I have in mind:

Introducing a so-called "Patent Box"

Following the example of the UK, Atlasian businesses should be offered a reduced corporation tax rate on profits generated from patents or similarly protected innovations. Income from both existing and new patents shall be included. The patents must be registered in the Republic of Atlasia and the tax break shall apply to all of the income which gets taxed in Atlasia.

With this measure, the development, manufacture and exploitation of patents in Atlasia will be encouraged. Let's create jobs and fight unemployment together!

[ZuWo]

Terrible news!

Always a pleasure!

Another thing I'd like to reintroduce if I'm elected Senator is a newsletter which contains my perspective and vote on every bill that's debated in the Senate. In my experience, it's often hard for many Atlasians to keep up to date with what's going on in the Senate. With my newsletter I hope more Southerners will be able to follow the important events at the federal level.

[ZuWo]

Voting in the Federalist primary for Southern Senator has begun.

Please vote - the more, the merrier!

Cast your ballot here:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=269063.0

[ZuWo]

I encourage those who haven't cast a ballot in the Federalist primary yet to take a few moments to vote and thank everyone who has already done so. I'm thrilled to see such high turnout, and it's only the first day. Incredible!

[ZuWo]

Boy, do we have some great candidates.

I endorse my dear friend and boss ZuWo for Senate.

Thank you, I'm honored!

[ZuWo]

Great to see your return to the game, ZuWo! And that's an excellent ballot--I myself have gravitated towards something like "social market economy" as well.

Oh, and totally endorsed!

Thank you, Governor!

One day left to vote. Southern Federalists, make your voices heard!

[ZuWo]

Dear Federalists, dear Southerners

A short but highly spirited primary has come to an end. I am absolutely thrilled and excited to have received the Federalist nomination for Southern Senator! Thank you for your trust - I will do everything I can not to disappoint you.

This primary has been a prime example of democracy at its finest. LouisvilleThunder and I have both run active, ideas-based and clean campaigns which have motivated numerous people to cast their ballots. Thank you to everyone who has voted!

Special thanks go out to LouisvilleThunder who has, as the final results show, nearly clinched the nomination himself. He has proven himself to be an Atlasian to be reckoned with now and in the future. During his campaign he has developed a great deal of ideas to improve the lives of all Atlasian citizens. Indeed, I can subscribe to large parts of his platform and will gladly include some of it in my campaign. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and offer him my sincere support for his next campaigns. To those who supported LouisvilleThunder I vow that I will work hard to earn your trust and unite our great party.

Now let's make no mistake: The following three weeks until the regular Senate election won't be a cakewalk. With JustinTimeCuber I am facing a serious contender who is quite well known in the South already. As I have stated in this thread, I am running on a platform of pragmatism that emphasizes the values of a social market economy and the respect for life. As an additional core tenet of my campaign I will outline the importance of strong and independent Atlasian regions.

I will need each and every of your votes to make that happen. Let's win this together!

[ZuWo]

Congratulations on your success. Would you be interested in participating in a debate, maybe August 5?

Good idea. Since we live in different time zones I wouldn't mind a debate that lasts for two or three days.

[ZuWo]

We could do another IRC debate.

I'd prefer a debate here on Atlas a) because of the time zone difference and b) because of work I usually can't spend hours on IRC on end.

[ZuWo]

Endorsed!

Congratulations to your win. I concede the race to you, and I endorse you. I'll offer any support you would like since I believe that you will serve the South well in the Senate, and we need a united Federalist Party.

Congrats on winning the primary! Endorsed!

Thank you all! It means a lot.

[ZuWo]

Regional News

Southern Teachers Union President Mark Day "Anything is on the table without a deal"
After the STU contract expired at the end of June, President Day has said that without a contact by September 5th then we are prepared to take job action. Day has said he would like to avoid any labor strife but has warned that he will call a referendum on authorizing his union the ability to use work to rule if no major movement is made by August. The union is believed to want a 25% pay increase over 5 years, a cap on class sizes and more funding for aids and special needs teachers.

Educational policy is an issue close to my heart since I have spent a large amount of my professional life as a teacher. I sympathize with our Atlasian teachers who are tired by an increasing workload and, frankly, rather low salaries. However, I caution the Southern Teachers Union against taking measures which would hurt students.

Indeed, our educational policy needs to be centered around improving the quality of teaching and working conditions for teachers. That's why I support the following measures:

- Training of prospective teachers must be focused on practice, not just theory. While it is true that good teachers can't do without a solid grasp of methodology and didactics, mere methodology and didactics don't automatically make you a good teacher. Prospective teachers should be exposed to classroom situations by teaching classes as early as possible during their training so their (lack of) ability in this field of work can be assessed in time.

- A 25% pay raise as requested by the president of the STU would strain our budget too much but I support a more modest increase for qualified teachers.

- There should be a cap on class sizes in communities with below-average student performance. While recent research results have shown that students in large classes do not necessarily perform worse, large classes tend to increase the teachers' workload. Likewise, weak students mean more work for educators. Therefore, if we cap certain class sizes, the working conditions for teachers of below-average classes will be markedly improved. The same measures should be taken with regards to special needs teachers.

[ZuWo]

i like it. I'll be keeping up with the senate race for sure

Great to hear!

Now on to another policy proposal: If elected, I will re-introduce a slightly amended version of this bill to the Senate:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

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A variant of this amendment was put forward by Labor Representative evergreen last year and it aims at depoliticizing the Supreme Court. Indeed, the discussion whether there should be partisan judges in Atlasia is crucial for our democracy. In my opinion, the reputation of the Supreme Court would benefit from more politically independent justices. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the views of other citizens and debating this issue in the Senate!

[ZuWo]

When I announced my Senate campaign I mentioned the issue of drought prevention and mitigation, which is an issue of particular importance to several states of Southern Atlasia. If I am elected Senator, I will fight to put in place measures the following two measures:

- increasing drought awareness at public schools
- providing financial and logistical support to farmers, businesses and municipalities which make use of water-saving devices, xeriscaping and water recycling

It is my hope that these measures will serve as an effective way to incentivize a more responsible use of water, one of the most valuable resources we have.

[ZuWo]

Can't wait to vote for you!!

Wonderful to see such enthusiasm. Thank you!

To all Southern voters, please vote! I hope this will be a high turn out election.

[ZuWo]

Thank you to everyone who has voted so far! I must say I'm very pleased but also surprised by the results so far and I'd like to encourage the other Southern citizens to cast their ballots too.

[ZuWo]

Thank you to all the voters who have made their voices heard last weekend. I will be proud to serve as your next Southern Senator!

I also thank my opponents JustinTimeCuber and heatcharger who would certainly have deserved a higher percentage of the vote. At the same time, however, I am thrilled to have received such massive support.

As Encke has pointed out, this election was record-breaking in terms of low turnout, which should concern Atlasians of all political stripes. Activity in the game has been rather low during the last weeks and it's time to tackle this problem. You can rest assured that I don't intend to sit on my hands as your Senator.

[ZuWo]

I'll be travelling for the next few days with very limited internet access but I'll be ready to take office as soon as I get back.

Oh and thank you everyone for your kind congratulations!

[ZuWo]

Now that I'm back from my trip to Paris I'm ready to get to work in the Senate.

For now, I congratulate the winners of the House elections and hope the cooperation between the House and the Senate will be successful.