Northeast Senate Seat Special Election Forum—AUG 30-31, 2007

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Live, from some hastily rented out VFW hall in Hackensack, New Jersey, it's the NORTHEAST SENATE SEAT SPECIAL ELECTION FORUM.  I'm your moderator for this (these) evening(s), Mr. Moderate.

We have three candidates vying this weekend for the opportunity to represent Atlasia's most populous Senatorial District: AndrewCT (NLC-CT), Rockefeller Republican (NLC-ME), and Verily (NLC-NJ). 

Rather than a fixed debate, this is more a town-hall style forum—I encourage Altasians to feel free to come forward and ask questions of our three candidates.  But please, address your questions to all three candidates, not just one.

With that in mind, let's start the forum.

I'd like to ask our three candidates to make their opening statements, and explain why they feel they are the best suited to represent the Northeast in the Atlasian Senate.

[Verily]

I would first like to thank our gracious moderator, those who have turned out to ask questions, and most of all those of you here tonight, from the Northeast and elsewhere, who are reading our responses. Your participation is what makes Atlasia great. I look forward to a cordial and productive forum through which all of us will connect with the voters and share our ideas. Thank you, and I await the first question.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I would firstly like to thank Senator-Elect, Mr. Moderate for moderating this forum. I would also like to wish luck to Verily and AndrewCT in the upcoming campaign. I would like to say, if I'm elected into the Atlasian Senate, I will promise that I'll fight for what is right, I will not let the people of the Northeast down like Keystone Phil did. I would also like to say, I believe I will represent the left best if I'm elected into the Atlasian Senate. The left has been alienated during the tenure of Senator Keystone Phil, and I promise to bring it back. We need change in the Northeast, and I promise to deliver the change the best.

[AndrewTX]

First, I would like to echo the comments of my friends, Rockefeller Republican, and Verily. Thank you, Senator-elect Moderate for moderating this forum for the people of the Northeast.  I would also like to say it's an honor to run with both of the other candidates, both of which who are excellent people, and I believe to have excellent qualifications for this race.  I will not refer to them as my "opponents", because we are all working for the same goal, and that is to give the Northeast the best representation it can have.

   If given the chance, and elected to the Atlasia Senate, I promise that I will fight for the people of the Northeast, and work hard for what is in their best intrerest. Former Senator Keystone Phil is a great person, but I believe that he was looking out for the interests of his party, and I feel that the Democrats, Liberals, Independents, and Moderate Republicans have been left out. We need to bring fair, and equal representation to a fair, and equal district. I will not also leave out our Conservatives in this district. I understand how hard it is to be a Republican in moderatly liberal district, and I promise to represent your needs as well.

 Also, as in my prior campaign for Senate, I promise to keep an open mind to every peice of legislation, and will listen to advice from all constiuents.  I will also promise that I will only serve two terms, if elected and later re-elected.

 I again thank you, and await the series of questions.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Okay, thank you to our three candidates for their opening statements.  Now, let's move on to some issues.

Issue 1: President Wixted's reforms.

As you know, several of the items currently up for debate in the Senate deal with reforms to the way the Senate—and Atlasia itself—does business.   To all three candidates:

• Judicial Terms—Should Supreme Court terms be lifetime appointments, or should judges be up for reconfirmation (in any shape or form) after the period of one year?
• Popular Initiative—Should citizens be able to sponsor a law and bring it to the Senate floor provided they obtain signatures of at least 15% of registered Atlasian voters?
• Proportional Representation—Should we continue to elect Class B Senators from five evenly-populated districts, or should all five Class B Senators be elected nationwide via "proportional representation by single transferrable vote"?

And, if you would otherwise support one of the above bills in a different, amended form, please explain what changes you'd like to see made to the law before final passage.

[Verily]

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss these issues, Senatorm which I have wanted to do for some time.

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I am generally in support of reconfirmation for Supreme Court justices. Within the context of Atlasia, reconfirmation is key to ongoing involvement in the judicial process, which otherwise may be seen a dead-end zone. Moreover, a year-long appointment means that any justice will outlast any given President, greatly reducing any incentive to "judge towards renomination". Finally, I trust the President of Atlasia, in whom we put our trust, to ably weigh competent justices, even those with whom they disagree politically, for capability as justices.

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As Sen. Moderate himself mentioned in his vote for this bill, it is possibly redundant. Nonetheless, I would not like to restrict the availability of options to the public where those options do not otherwise interfere with lawmaking. This bill is such a case, and I therefore support it.

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PR-STV will, I think, increase national participation and interest in Senate races, which as of now often go uncontested. Key to this notion is that STV means no prospective candidate is running against a specific other candidate. Our current system discourages competition at the District level because those seeking occupied Senate seats are seen as opposing the policies of the sitting Senator entirely; STV would not do so. Rather, it would encourage party activity through the implementation of primaries (most parties have members spread over multiple Districts and not enough to hold primaries at such a level) while also increasing nationwide voter interest. I am all for it.

PR-STV is by no means perfect, of course, and a reasonable compromise on the issue of countback versus by-elections must be reached (though I personally have no preference one way or another for either). Still, that does not detract from its appeal.

[AndrewTX]

I'll break down each item and respond.

• Judicial Terms—Should Supreme Court terms be lifetime appointments, or should judges be up for reconfirmation (in any shape or form) after the period of one year?

 I believe that in Atlasia, our Supreme Court terms should be based on reconfirmation each year. I believe that is the best way to keep our courts moving into new directions. If a Justice does his or her job properly, there should be no reason for not being reconfirmed.

• Popular Initiative—Should citizens be able to sponsor a law and bring it to the Senate floor provided they obtain signatures of at least 15% of registered Atlasian voters?

 In a way, yes, I believe that citizens should be able to sponser a bill, but I believe it can be done in a different manor. I believe that once the signatures are obtained by registered voters, that the citizen should bring it forward to his or her Senator, and have it directly brought to the floor for voting. I think by having their Senator bring it foward, it will keep our Senate clean, and make it easier to see where the propsed laws are coming from.

• Proportional Representation—Should we continue to elect Class B Senators from five evenly-populated districts, or should all five Class B Senators be elected nationwide via "proportional representation by single transferrable vote"?

 I believe that we should continue electing Class B Senators the way we do it now. Local members for local districts, voting for their needs.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Hopefully Rocky R. won't object, but since two of our three responded to the first issue already, I'm going to throw out one more important issue in the Senate queue just to keep things rolling.  In fairness, of course, Rockefeller Republican can address all outstanding questions with his next post.

Issue 2: Atlasian-U.S. Relations.
A constant point of debate: how should the Republic of Atlasia treat the existance (or non-existance, as opinion may be) of the United States?

[Verily]

Issue 2: Atlasian-U.S. Relations.
A constant point of debate: how should the Republic of Atlasia treat the existance (or non-existance, as opinion may be) of the United States?

The United States does not exist. It is a figment of our collective imaginations. I do not understand why we have such difficulty in moving beyond the realm of fantasy and into the realm of concrete knowledge and fact.

***

The problem with removing co-identification of the United States and Atlasia is that, in doing so, our timeline rapidly diverges from that of the real world, making it increasingly difficult for Atlasia to react to international events. We cannot simply "create" international problems for the Senate to address. They must be tangible and existing problems: the same as those facing the United States.

[AndrewTX]

I hate not typing out an actual answer, but I agree with with Verily on the issue.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

All right, one more question for the candidates (and again, Rocky R. can catch up—we have an unfortunate U.S./Australia time zone issue).

Issue 3: School Vouchers.

The Southeast has a regional voucher program that is the subject of repeated criticism and legislation in the Senate, primarily from the liberal bloc. Should federal money be used for the purposes of school vouchers at regional discretion? If so, what limitations, if any, do you support for imposing on these voucher programs?

[Verily]

The Southeast should receive equivalent funding to what is provided for other regions for public education. If the Southeast chooses to spend that money on inefficient voucher programs, well, that's the decision of the Southeast. They should not, however, receive more funding than other regions simply because they insist on using a different system.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Issue 4: End of Budget Amendment.

The Senate is will soon begin debate on whether or not to eliminate the constitutional requirement to pass a budget every year. Do you support eliminating the budget requirement?

[Verily]

No. While it might be mildly entertaining for the Senate to spend as much money as it wants, it is not practical, nor does it provide for good governance in Atlasia. Bills need funding, and to provide such without entering into massive debt unknowingly, a budget is necessary. They may be tedious, but budgets are an essential part of government, and of running a country.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Okay, it looks like we're starting to run out of steam here, so two final questions, and then the candidates can give a closing statement, if they wish.

(1) What do you consider the most important bill passed by the past 20 Senates?
(2) If you could wave a magic wand and erase one law signed into law during the past 20 Senates, which law would you erase?

[Verily]

(1) The Anti-Opebo Act, because, if there's anything more deserving of a ban than child pornography, I can't think of it.

(2) The F-22 Act. There's no bigger waste in government than creating "bigger and better" military supertechnology.