Committee to Re-elect District 5 Senator Ebowed

[Ebowed]

Committee to Re-elect District 5 Senator Ebowed

Eugene, OR--District 5 Senator Ebowed, JCP-OR, has formally announced his intention to seek re-election to the newly redistricted seat.

As Senator, he has been a champion of raising taxes, protecting the separation of church and state, and defending liberal interests on a variety of issues.  He has also sponsored the President's forum reform program, and will be supporting a wide array of proposals to improve Atlasia's forum affairs.

The Senator has strived to receive top ratings from organizations such as the Progressive Caucus, the Atlasian Civil Liberties Caucus, and the National Association Supporting Abortion Rights.

"I will be running for a third term to put a special focus on some new issues, including health care reform.  I will be revealing a full agenda within the coming weeks," the Senator said in a prepared statement.

[Speed of Sound]

Best of luck, Senator.

[Sensei]

Good luck. This might be the first time I ever saw "he has been a champion of raising taxes" as a positive comment though.

[SPC]

I'm doing this as a journalist for the classical liberal National Weekly Atlasian:

He has been a champion of raising taxes

No explanation necessary.

protecting the separation of church and state

Would sound good if one of the bills he's proposed didn't discriminate against people who go to religious schools.

defending liberal interests on a variety of issues

Too vague to make a comment.

.  He has also sponsored the President's forum reform program, and will be supporting a wide array of proposals to improve Atlasia's forum affairs.

Good, for the most part.

The Senator has strived to receive top ratings from organizations such as the Progressive Caucus, the Atlasian Civil Liberties Caucus, and the National Association Supporting Abortion Rights.

1. Reaffirms the first statement.
2. Good, for the most part
3. "", except for his position on funding abortion


Don't worry, Ebowed. I will be doing this with all candidates. I will be withholding an endorsement of any candidate until the week before the election, for the purposes of sponsoring a debate. Good luck with your senate run, though.

[TomC]

Best of luck, Senator.

[Jaggerjack]

Best of luck, Senator.

[Ebowed]

protecting the separation of church and state

Would sound good if one of the bills he's proposed didn't discriminate against people who go to religious schools.

I cannot, in good conscience, use taxpayer funds to pay for a child's tuition and effectively subsidize a private school which tells children that the only way they can avoid Hellfire is by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior.  I remain convinced that this is a violation of the separation of church and state.  Children are free to attend those schools if they wish, but I cannot condone government funding of it.

I do not support school voucher programs at all, out of principle, for the record.

[Hash]

Best of luck, Senator.

[Ebowed]

I'd be willing to have a forum debate with King if he would like.

[SPC]

I'd be willing to have a forum debate with King if he would like.

And I'd be willing to moderate this debate, if you'd like.

[Ebowed]

I'd be willing to have a forum debate with King if he would like.

And I'd be willing to moderate this debate, if you'd like.

Works for me.

[DownWithTheLeft]

As what may come as a surprise to many, I would like to offer my support for Senator Ebowed.  While he is decidedly liberal, he has been an important part of the senate and remains a very, very active member, something incredibly important to me.  Had it been his counterpart Rob up for reelection, I could offer no such endorsement.  Although myself and Ebowed butt heads often in the senate, it is good for the process to have both of us in the senate.  While I do not wish for him to be PPT anytime soon, I offer an endorsement of Ebowed in his District 5 senate election.

[Rob]

I support your reelection, Senator Ebowed.

[Ebowed]

PLATFORM

Abortion
Senator Ebowed strongly believes in a woman's right to choose and has worked at both the federal and regional levels to protect that right and work to repeal all restrictions on pregnancy termination.  He opposes any efforts to block women's access to abortion, including a ban on late-term abortions, parental consent for women under 18 who get abortions, or spousal consent for women with civil unions who seek abortions.  He also believes that any health care plan should reimburse the cost of abortion to provide equal access to low-income women.

With that in mind, Senator Ebowed also strongly supports efforts to reduce the need for abortion, by making contraception free and removing restrictions on the so-called morning-after pill.

Crime
Senator Ebowed has again introduced legislation to impose an official extradition policy in Atlasia to strengthen our stance against the death penalty.  He supports the gradual reduction in sentence length for most crimes, and will introduce legislation to standardize punishments for violating Atlasian perjury and forum affairs violation laws.

Drugs
Senator Ebowed believes that drugs are a medical problem, not a criminal one.  He supports the decriminalization of drugs because he opposes the idea that people should spend time in jail for using drugs.  He believes efforts focused on users should instead be focused on dealers and smugglers.  Any tax revenue raised from drug legalization should be used to fund medical care for drug users or needle exchange programs and related efforts to reduce the risks of drug use.

He supports the current status quo of fully legalized marijuana and will vote against any attempts to revise those laws.

Environment
The environment is one of the most pressing issues facing Atlasia today.  Senator Ebowed supports ratification of the Kyoto Treaty, strengthening the protection of wildlife in national parks, repealing the authorization to drill for oil in the Alaskan wildlife refuge, and retooling laws related to endangered animals to offer additional protection to certain species.

Equal Rights for All
Senator Ebowed supports restoring marriage to Atlasia with full marriage rights for all couples regardless of sexual orientation.  He supports amending anti-discrimination laws to include protection on the basis of sexual orientation and disability, supports removing the FDA blanket ban on gay men donating blood, and a federal equal pay act to close the wage gap between men and women.  He will introduce legislation to amend the Affirmative Action Act to allow greater diversity in employment selection on the basis of socioeconomic status.

Health Care
The fact that there are millions of uninsured Atlasians can be described as nothing less than a crisis.  Senator Ebowed will support a Public Health Amendment to give the Senate the power to tackle the health care issue with greater ability.  He supports a universal, single-payer health care system which will be not-for-profit.  He will also work to repeal key provisions of the Medicare Reform Act.

HIV/AIDS
Senator Ebowed sponsored legislation to boost funding for condom distribution, fund needle exchange programs, and legalize the over-the-counter availability of hypodermic needles.  He believes that a rational response to the HIV/AIDS crisis includes acknowledgement that some people will engage in risky sexual behavior or intravenous  drug use, and that the government should work to drastically reduce those risks instead of responding to the problem with the criminalization of high-risk activities.

Immigration
Senator Ebowed strongly supports an open borders policy.  He will vote against any efforts to chip away at the easing of restrictions and amnesty guaranteed to illegal immigrants by the so-called Anti-CARLHAYDEN Act.  It is imperative that immigrants of all nationalities are accepted into Atlasian society and given access to benefits that any other citizen can enjoy.

He will vote against any attempts to make English the official language of Atlasia.

Minimum Wage
Senator Ebowed has introduced a Constitutional Amendment to allow the Senate the power to set a national minimum wage.  He also supports an increase in the current minimum wage in federal territories and the District of Columbia.

National Lottery
Senator Ebowed will vote against any attempts to establish a federal lottery in Atlasia because he believes that a lottery will encourage gambling and effectively establish a tax on the poor.  He believes revenue can be created through other means, such as raising the estate tax, increasing income taxes on those earning top figures, and reducing government waste.

Public Transportation
Senator Ebowed believes it is imperative that the government work to reduce automobile usage (and therefore, combat global climate change) by providing real alternatives.  He will introduce legislation to set up a national fund to divert money to regions to begin setting up or improving existing bus systems so that every Atlasian city with over 300,000 people will have free public buses.

[Ebowed]

NEW LEGISLATION

The office of Senator Ebowed is proud to announce the recent introduction of many pieces of legislation designed to advance a progressive agenda and improve the living conditions of Atlasia's families.

1.) Amendment to Allow the Senate to Set a Minimum Wage: This constitutional amendment will allow the Senate to set a national minimum wage to ensure consistency in the wages of Atlasia's working families.
2.) Science in the Classrooms Bill: This expanded version of previously defeated legislation will set guidelines and establish accountability for the teaching of sex education and biology-related materials in Atlasian schools.  It will prohibit the teaching of scientific falsehoods and misleading information so that students will be equipped with all of the right knowledge about evolution, drug use, and safe sex.
3.) Morning-After Pill: If Senators want to get serious about cutting down the abortion rate in many urban areas, we need to remove restrictions on the so-called "morning after" pill immediately.  This bill will legalize 'plan B' for over-the-counter purchase without a prescription and without discriminating on the basis of age.  It will end the throw-and-fetch game many rape victims experience when going to a pharmacy or hospital and being denied necessary medication due to religious beliefs.
4.) Extradition Bill: This bill will ban the extradition of criminals to other countries where they may be executed, mirroring a life-affirming practice utilized by most European countries and Canada.
5.) Bill to Raise the Retirement Age: Following the disasterous mistake of the Medicare Reform Act in lowering the retirement age to 60, forcing the stigma of retirement on millions of people, this bill seeks to reverse that by restoring the age to 65, while not altering the benefits on people between the ages of 60 and 64 already affected by current law.  Rather than being a cost-cutting measure, the bill is intended to take a stand against higher rates of forced retirement.
6.) Energy Policy Reform Bill: This bill will raise CAFE standards and increase hybrid car output in order to combat global climate change.
7.) Tax Reduction for College Tuitions Bill: We will significantly decrease the burden of students and their families going to university and college by making their tuitions more affordable with a tax cut.
8.) Automatic Teller Machine Fees Bill: This simple ban on an unnecessary bank profit hole will simplify the bank account process for new bank users.
9.) Snowmobiles in Public Parks Bill: In order to protect the wildlife of national parks, we must ban the use of snowmobiles in nationally sanctioned areas--a known killer of many animals, the ban as enacted in the real life United States did not decrease tourism or economic development.
10.) Minimum Wage Revision Bill: This bill will raise the minimum wage in the District of Columbia by fifty cents beginning next year, as well as finally raise the minimum wages in the federal territories which have gone without a raise since the formation of Atlasia.
11.) Public Interest Amendment: This constitutional amendment will give the Senate the power to pass bills and enact programs to protect the health of the American people.
12.) Removal of Discrimination in Blood Donation Bill: The discriminatory and longstanding ban on any man who has engaged in sexual intercourse with another man from ever donating blood is neither necessary nor sensical.  This bill will ban discrimination on the basis of blood donation, thus further ensuring the equal rights of gays, and increasing the amount of blood available to medical organizations.
13.) Increase in Senate Affairs Amendment: This amendment to the Official Senate Procedural Resolution will increase the amount of legislation that the Senate can consider at any given time for a period of two months, thus increasing productivity and encouraging more active participation from Senators while the President's forum affairs reform (which I have sponsored) is discussed.
14.) Bill to Establish Atlasian Policy Towards HIV/AIDS: This bill will establish condom distribution funding, needle exchange funding, legalize the over-the-counter sale of hypodermic needles, replace outdated abstinence-only sex education programs with comprehensive cirriculums, and remove the Reagan & Bush global "gag rule" on any international organization which even mentions abortion (thus restoring funding to international family planning, bringing back vital contraceptive services to the third world).
15.) School Vouchers Bill: This bill will end the federal funding of regional school voucher systems.
16.) Open Borders Bill: After passing the mixed-message Immigration Reform Act of 2007, this bill will further liberalize Atlasian immigration policy to extend all of the great benefits of Atlasia to anyone who wants them.
17.) Presidential Term Limits Constitutional Amendment: This constitutional amendment will remove the two-term limit on Presidents.

[Ebowed]

Speech on Immigration

Atlasia is a nation of immigrants, and to respect that basic fact, we must treat new immigrants with the upmost level of respect and welcoming attitude possible.  In order to fully integrate immigrants into Atlasian society, while respecting their own heritage and culture, we must make it as easy as possible for people to come to our country and set up families here.  I sponsored a bill, signed by President Afleitch, and supported by moderate Senators such as Jas and Colin Wixted, that granted amnesty to most of the 12 million so-called "illegal aliens" that were residing in Atlasia at the time, as well as making it easier for "legal" immigrants to apply for citizenship by removing time limits on how long one must have been a resident to apply for that status.  The bill also made it illegal to deny medical care to illegal immigrants.

Why This Was Right
Anti-immigrant policies are neither humane nor practical.  Unless an undocumented immigrant has committed a serious crime, they should be allowed to apply for citizenship just like anyone else.  Deporting illegal immigrants bites at the symptom instead of fixing the cause--unnecessarily strict immigration law.  Rounding up 12 million people, many of whom have children and jobs here, and taking away their right to stay here is uncomfortably reminiscent of fascist and xenophobic policies condoned in the past, and rightly condemned today.  When America has tried to restrict immigration in the past, it has been associated with cultural purity and anti-foreign sentiment.  This is no different today.  Laws to make English the official language of Atlasia, for example, are clearly targeted at Latin American immigrants who speak Spanish in their homes and communities.  For those wishing to participate in an objective dialogue on the issue of immigration, ask yourselves if all the anti-illegal alien sentiment would exist today if these immigrants were all arriving from European countries.  The fact is, the controversy would be significantly less heightened if this were the case.

What Needs to be Done
However, we still need to do more to further our policy of inclusion.  We should guarantee the right of immigrants and noncitizens access to public services, such as social security and public education.  If we want to integrate these people into Atlasian culture and society, an education is essential to achieving this goal.

We also need to insure that all immigrants and noncitizens are accorded all of the same rights as citizens in a time of concern over civil liberties in the War on Terror.  No one, citizen or not, should be detained on the presumption of unproven guilt and face unfair prison conditions and torture.  We need to pass a resolution affirming the principles of the Geneva Conventions and pass a law to ban the use of military tribunals and inhumane detention centers.  We need to affirm the right of anyone, regardless of their status as an immigrant or citizen, to a fair trial, and to have all of the rights and constitutional protections that citizens currently enjoy.

What We Shouldn't Do
Occasionally, the proposal to build a fence or wall across the Atlasian-Mexican border has been suggested.  Frankly, we are not going to create a Berlin-style wall across the border with one country simply because a lot of immigrants are coming from there.  This sends the wrong message, and it won't work in deterring immigration--although, for that matter, I do not support the goal of deterring immigration to begin with.  But again, the border wall is simply a non-starter.

We also shouldn't repeal the legislation I mentioned earlier, the Illegal Immigrant Act.  This legislation was vital to revising the legal status of aliens and making it easier for anyone to apply for citizenship.  Attempts to repeal this legislation and replace it with a harsher, less inclusive policy are extreme and divisive.

Finally, we should never declare an official language that applies to the entirety of Atlasia, whether a "national language" or an "official language" or anything that is either with force or simply symbollic.  The ability to vote in the language that is the easiest to understand, or the right to basic public health information, is basic and common sense.  I will never support creating a national language.

I am glad to welcome aboard my campaign all immigrants, illegal aliens, and hardworking people trying to make a better life for their families in Atlasia.  My campaign is one of inclusion, one of humane policies, and one of treating people fairly.  People matter more than the enforcement of unnecessary laws.  I will always vote for and champion the cause of open borders, as I have for the last two terms in the Senate, and promise to do if elected to a third.

[Ebowed]

Eugene, OR (ENC)--Senator Ebowed today cast a vote against the 2nd Immigration Reform Bill of 2007, citing concerns that the reform sent the wrong attitude from the Senate on the immigration issue.  Among these worries are the bill's repeal of previous landmark legislation which granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens as well as its denial of citizenship to certain immigrants whose application is currently pending on the basis of minor crime.

Senator Ebowed prefers a different approach to further immigration reform.  He has introduced the Open Borders Bill, which will increase the severity of crime offenses necessary to lose amnesty available to illegal aliens, and insure immigrants of every status availability to social services such as health care and public education.  He has also introduced the Cruel and Inhumane Treatment Bill to mandate, among other things, that non-citizens are treated equally under the law in cases of torture and military tribunals.

In other recent legislation introduced, Senator Ebowed hopes to spark debates on issues such as affirmative action, appropriate response to the problem of unemployment, racial profiling, environmental standards, and further liberalizing abortion law to allow third trimester terminations to occur if the woman's health is at risk.

[Ebowed]

Eugene, OR (ENC)--Senator Ebowed today strongly criticized Senator DownWithDaLeft's proposed amendment to the federal constitution to ban the burning of the Atlasian flag.

"As a society which protects and celebrates free speech, we cannot restrict the type of speech that some may find so objectionable or offensive.  Simply put, if the right to free speech does not include controversial opinions, such as those which may be expressed by the burning of the Atlasian flag, then that right means nothing."

He announced his intention to do everything in his power possible to stop the passage of the amendment, or anything similar to it.

The Senator has worked in the past to ensure that the government stays out of the business of legislating patriotism.  "True pride in one's country is entirely voluntary," the Senator added, when questioned about his long-held opposition to the use of an official Pledge of Allegiance.  He feels that the flag burning ban is in a similar category of needless, forced patriotism.  He was a leading advocate of the federal abolition of the Pledge of Allegiance, and oversaw abolition at the regional level in both the Southeast and Pacific.