Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project (Pres. Candidates Post)

[Ebowed]

Dear Candidates for the Offices of President and Vice President:

Several constituents have voiced their concern to me that despite a diverse choice of candidates in the upcoming federal election, they remain unsure where candidates stand on issues important to them.  Therefore, I have set up the following questionnaire, which is offered to all relevant candidates to respond to in this thread.  Candidates should not feel compelled to answer a question they feel uncomfortable with, but they are strongly encouraged to respond to this questionnaire.

As a courtesy to both readers and the candidates, voters are asked not to respond directly to candidates' answers in this thread so as to ensure that no arguments break out in this thread.

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration
b. Capital Punishment
c. Gay Rights
d. Affirmative Action
e. HIV/AIDS
f. Abortion
g. Euthanasia
h. Drug Law
i. Stem Cell Research

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage
b. Estate Tax
c. Universal Health Care
d. Education Reform
e. Global Climate Change
f. Alternative Energy
g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge
h. "Sin" Tax

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative
b. Proportional Representation
c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power
d. Cabinet Size Reform
e. Senatorial Term Limits
f. Judicial Term Limits
g. People's Referendum
h. Line Item Veto
i. Secret Ballot
j. Vote Editing
k. Preferential Voting

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I ask that we also add to question five - how they feel about political parties and their involvement in elections.

[Sensei]

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?
To improve on President Wixted's progress using progressive liberal policies.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?
I hope to be able to balance the powers between regions and the Federal government in a rational, compromising fashion.

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration- I am for making citizenship easier for people entering our country and not deporting any illegal immigrants who have been in the country for more than a year.
b. Capital Punishment- In the most heinous and severe cases only
c. Gay Rights- I am for gay marriage.
d. Affirmative Action-  Against. Hire whoever is best for the job.
e. HIV/AIDS- for needle exchange programs, and I believe we must help however we can in the hard-hit regions of Africa and elsewhere.
f. Abortion- For 1st and 2nd Trimester abortions, period. 3rd Trimester abortions should have some outstanding circumstance. Should be Legal, Rare, and Safe.
g. Euthanasia- I'm for it if the patient is of sound mind
h. Drug Law- I am for legal marijuana, but no "hard" drugs, so to speak.
i. Stem Cell Research- I am for utilizing embryonic and other stem cells to help disease research

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage- Raise it.
b. Estate Tax- For it
c. Universal Health Care- Every Atlasian deserves decent health care.
d. Education Reform- I am for having any Atlasian student with a "B" average or higher being able to attend college for free. No standardized tests that interfere with high-level mathematics and science courses, such as, but not limited to Trig, Calculus, Physics, etc..
e. Global Climate Change- For the ratification of the Kyoto protocal
f. Alternative Energy- Such fuel sources such as hydrogen and ethanol must be pursued rigorously
g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge- Alaska is a beautiful part of our country that must be preserved. Drilling for oil may very well damage this ecosystem.
h. "Sin" Tax- For it.

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative- For it
b. Proportional Representation- For it. End redistricting once and for all.
c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power- To be honest, something needs to be worked out by both sides.
d. Cabinet Size Reform- Keep the cabinet how it is
e. Senatorial Term Limits- Against
f. Judicial Term Limits- Against
g. People's Referendum- For it
h. Line Item Veto- For it
i. Secret Ballot- Against. Public ballots create fun, and that's what this game is all about.
j. Vote Editing- Keep laws as-is
k. Preferential Voting- Love this.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?

Firstly, thank you Ebowed for doing this. There has been a gaping hole in this campaign to address many issues that ARE important to Atlasians. I'm running for president because I want a place filled with politically interested people, to be politically active. That activity can come from the grass roots, but it can also come from the leadership, challenging the populace to address concerns. There are many concrete policy changes on education, health, foreign affairs and the like that I wish to focus on.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?
There isn't one. The issue of activity is important, but perhaps the biggest issue would be addressing social policy which has been largely out of view for the last while.


3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration - Well, I do not believe that this country should have an open-door policy. However, I do think that attempting to detain/deport every illegal immigrant would be time consuming and expensive. We also must think about the possibility of the illegal immigrant having children who are Atlasian citizens. I do think that a policy of amnesty would work best.
b. Capital Punishment - I am completely opposed to the death penalty in any circumstance.
c. Gay Rights - I have been deeply supportive of gay rights both in my private and public life. I worked to get the Mideast regional authorities to recognise same-sex couples on a equal footing with heterosexual couples.
d. Affirmative Action - I don't support blanket affirmative action. I think there is the need in some areas to make sure that opportunities are afforded to every person who has the talent and ability.
e. HIV/AIDS - A horriffic disease, in Atlasia, and the rest of the western world - the key is teaching people that while abstinence will completely protect a person, if a person chooses to have sex they must use a condom. It is the height of irresponsibility to have any sex-education program without condom education at its centre.
f. Abortion - Another issue where I do think government involvement should be minimal. I do support full-public support for first trimester, however, I do think that there should be more steps in later stages. However, the key relationship is between the woman and her doctor.
g. Euthanasia - I do support the legalisation of voluntary active euthanasia. There must however be incredibly strict medically supervised conditions.
h. Drug Law - I do not support the full legalisation of any illegal drug. I think many underplay the risks of these drugs. I do, however, support the allowance to possess small quantities of canabis for medical use.
i. Stem Cell Research - I think equal support both financial and political, needs to be given to both adult and embryonic stem cells. I don't think we should shy away from controversy when the results could quite simply change the world.

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage - Given the worst-off people in our society are the working poor. People who subsist on minimum wage jobs. The wage must be increased across the board, if only to make welfare the less attractive option.
b. Estate Tax - I understand that in many cases the main issue might be of being cash poor, but asset rich, such as the family home, which could easily have increased in value. I feel that there is a case to lower the estate tax for estates below a value of $500,000. I support a progressive estate tax, as I support a progressive income tax.
c. Universal Health Care - I do think in a vibrant society the health of every citizen should be the concern of the government. It must be done carefully, and with consideration. I do find it funny that those who are most opposed to Universal health care are those who will advocate a limitless military budget.
d. Education Reform - Like the need for a healthy population, having an educated one is vital to the future of this country on every level. We need to make sure every child can read and write by the age of eight, opportunities for college must be made available.
e. Global Climate Change - We need to reduce out carbon output drastically. We need to invest in better technology to make better use of our present resources, plus we must also make sure that we invest in new resources.
f. Alternative Energy - The key, we need to invest more time and effort into gaining benefit from solar, wind, tidal and geo-thermal power. It's the best long-term solution to break the habit of fossil fuels. But it must be done with consideration.
g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge - Under NO circumstances.
h. "Sin" Tax - It's an interesting thought, but not something I can admit giving a lot of thought to. 

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative - It is an idea with merit, I need to read more on it to have a concrete idea.
b. Proportional Representation - I've been generally opposed to it, since it's a bastion of representative government, rather than true democratic government. It does have benefits, but I am not a fan in general.
c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power - There needs to a respectful relationship between the two levels. Each having their responsibilities, and the regions must be given more authority.
d. Cabinet Size Reform - There needs to a cabinet of the appropriate size to meet the needs of responsibilties of the federal government.
e. Senatorial Term Limits - I'm torn on the idea of term limits. I do think that elections should be the determination of a person's political "expiry date", however I do think that extreme incumbency is a dangerous thing.
f. Judicial Term Limits - I do think that there should be terms of roughly six months, but a person can be reappointed.
g. People's Referendum - As long as there is clear evidence that enough people support the measure going to a vote, then I have no problems with it.
h. Line Item Veto - I think the lack of a LIV forces greater cooperation between the executive and legislative, which is good.
i. Secret Ballot -  If a measure which prevents duplicaton can be found, then of course I support it.
j. Vote Editing - I understand the concerns, but I do think since there is no way of knowing what is edited, then a 20-min limit should remain. Any editing after that point should invalidate the vote.
k. Preferential Voting -  I do have a few concerns about it - but I do think that for the time being it is the system that does work in our political workings.

[Colin]

Dear Candidates for the Offices of President and Vice President:

Several constituents have voiced their concern to me that despite a diverse choice of candidates in the upcoming federal election, they remain unsure where candidates stand on issues important to them.  Therefore, I have set up the following questionnaire, which is offered to all relevant candidates to respond to in this thread.  Candidates should not feel compelled to answer a question they feel uncomfortable with, but they are strongly encouraged to respond to this questionnaire.

As a courtesy to both readers and the candidates, voters are asked not to respond directly to candidates' answers in this thread so as to ensure that no arguments break out in this thread.

Be glad to.

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?

I am running for President because I believe that the Wixted/Jas administration has overall been quite successful in the role of the Presidency. We have put forward an agenda and we have promoted activity and activism in the Executive. However I still think that there is more that both Jas and myself could do in the office. We need to retain strong leadership and leadership with an agenda for Atlasia. A second term of the Wixted/Jas administration will focus more heavily on domestic and foreign policy problems while still keeping a grounding in a reformist agenda.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?

National Healthcare is a major issue that needs to be rectified in Atlasia. As a nation we need to join the first-world when it comes to healthcare. I believe that the Atlasian government should provide a guarentee of basic healthcare for all its citizens. The Wixed/Jas ticket strongly supports national universal healthcare in Atlasia and we are open to most ways of making that happen, though both of us are strongly opposed to a system that illegalizes private practices.

Another major issue that we hope to tackle is foreign policy. The President needs to work on both more global aspects of foreign policy and forum affairs aspects. A second Wixted/Jas term will see both of us becoming more engaged in the global community and improving relations with many nations around the world. We will open dialogue with nations that have become hostile to Atlasia in recent years and cooperate more with major players on the world stage like Russia, China, and India. We also need to keep up our support of pro-democracy groups around the world, including showing our solidarity with the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar that are currently occuring. The Wixted/Jas administration would also focus renewed attention on the issue of Atlasian-US relations and the forum affairs implications of any actions we take. We will get the Senate and the people involved in the decision making process and will come to an acceptable conclusion so we can figure out our place in the world.

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration: I supported Porce's Immigration Bill and have always been a strong supporter of a more open borders policy in regards to immigration. My ideal would be a country that allows all in, except those who are criminals or terrorists and would do harm to this nation. I do not see how a hard-working law-abiding resident of this nation could ever be called illegal.

b. Capital Punishment: I am against capital punishment and support the current Federal moratorium on the dealth penalty. The regions, of course, have the power to set their own policy and though I would like to see an Atlasia without capital punishment I will not usurp the power of the regions to decide that for themselves.

c. Gay Rights: I support the current status quo in Atlasia. Seperating marriage from the government is probably the most equitable way to treat any union between two people. I do not support any major changes in Atlasian marriage law at this point.

d. Affirmative Action: I have always been a firm supporter of economic affirmative action however I have never been a supporter of raced-based affirmative action.

e. HIV/AIDS: I support government funding for sex education that teaches about proper condom use and does not try to swindle children on falsehoods concerning contriception. I also support a federal needle exchange program.

f. Abortion: I've always believed that abortion should be legal in the first two trimesters. In the third trimester it should be illegal except for health concerns, however I really don't know how this is pertenent since the President has very little control over abortion policy, which is a regional affair.

g. Euthanasia: I support euthanasia as long as it is properly regulated by the government.

h. Drug Law: I support the decriminalization and legalization of most drugs. One of my first objectives as Senator, back in 2005, was the decriminalization, at the Federal level, of marijuana, an accomplishment I am still very proud of. I believe I have shown a constant support for drug liberalization and legalization throughout my time in elected office.

i. Stem Cell Research: I support giving federal grants for Stem Cell Research, I would be completely and utterly opposed to any ban on Federal funding for research.

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage: I have supported the decision of Bono v. Atlasia that the minimum wage is a regional issue. As all regions now have a minimum wage at or above real life levels I don't think that a Federal minimum wage is needed.

b. Estate Tax: With things like taxes I have to say that I take a very look and see approach. It would depend on how much of an increase, or decrease, the bill stated and what the particular details of the changes in taxes would entail. I don't really have a broad policy on the Estate Tax or most taxes for that matter.

c. Universal Health Care: As I stated earlier the Wixted/Jas campaign has come out in full support of universal healthcare as long as it does not illegalize or discourage private practice and private insurence. I do believe that it is essential that Atlasia creates a universal healthcare programme and joins the rest of the first world in granting basic healthcare to its citizens.

d. Education Reform: I agreed with both the Acceptance of Science Act and Section 4 of the Educational Funding Clarification Bill. I do not believe that Federal monies should go towards schools that promote backwards, wrong, and outdated policies. Atlasians have the choice to send their children to a school like that however the Federal government also has a choice to make guidelines for critical educational topics in schools that our government funds.

e. Global Climate Change: Global climate change is a threat, I do not see how anyone could think that it was some climatologists conspiracy at this point, and it is a threat that the government should be facing. I think there are more pressing immediate needs than global climate change however I have support measures such as the Carbon Tax that would help promote good stewardship of the Earth and a decrease in pollution.

f. Alternative Energy: I support federal grants for alternative energy research but in the end any advancement in alternative energy has to come from the private sector itself and not out of a government lab.

g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge: I support oil drilling in ANWR. In the short term, in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we need to produce more domestically. When alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind or geothermal, become more widespread and practical then we can reduce both our foreign oil demand and our domestic oil demand.

h. "Sin" Tax: This is one issue that I have completely changed stances on in the past year or two. I was one of the people behind the Federal Sin Tax however, now, I consider that to be a horrible decision. The Sin Tax is the ultimate regressive tax that hurts the power in order for the government to gain. I do not think it is at all ethical and it tries to use both money and government power to promote morality. I would now never support any Sin Tax that is passed by the Senate.

[Colin]

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative: Well considering that this was part of the Wixted/Jas administration agenda I was very strongly supportive of it.

b. Proportional Representation: Strongly support and if proportional representation does not pass in its current form than I will continue to fight for its implementation within Atlasia, a cause that I have been a supporter of since my arrival here three years ago. PR is essential to create a strong party structure and in changing the system to make it both more fair and more interesting. It would be a neat way to try and change up the most important aspect of our nation, elections, and to allow new forms of campaigning and voting to take place.

c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power: As I have stated before, while there are success stories in the modern regions, Governor Jesus for example, most of our regions are nothing more than pits of inactivity and sloth. In the past month we have had two governors kicked out of office for failure to open a voting booth on an amendment. We've had governors who don't open regional elections on time and we have regional governments that have gone months without passing any new initiatives. It is for these regions that I have believed that more power should rest with the Federal government. Whatever one might say about the Senate, and I have said alot, they are the most active body in Atlasia. Even our most inactive and figurehead Presidents have done more than some of the governors of the regions have in recent times. Regions have, in a sense, become almost dead weight, and while I support true attempts to try and revive them, I will continue to push for the transfer of powers to more active branches of government in order to keep the game going strong.

d. Cabinet Size Reform: I think the Cabinet, as it is now structured, is fine.

e. Senatorial Term Limits: We have problems finding enough candidates to run for Senate in the first place, term limits would just make this problem even more acute.

f. Judicial Term Limits: I supported Judicial Term Limits, or at least a re-application every year, in order to determine whether a Justice is still able to preform his or her duties and allows the Justices to be still independent of the Senate.

g. People's Referendum: Yes I supported this fully though I believe that since that did not have the support we should go back to the first idea of giving the President a "third option" in the power to call a national referendum on a bill, which is a power that is given to several Executives around the world.

h. Line Item Veto: I supported the Expansion of the Line Item Veto as it gave the executive more power and more equally balanced out the powers between the Senate and the President.

i. Secret Ballot: I have never been a supporter of the Secret Ballot. I always thought that having a secret ballot would destroy some of the fun in Atlasian elections, which is seeing the results come in real-time and allowing you to make speculations on the race throughout the weekend. It makes things more interesting than having the SoFA announce the final results on Monday. Also the logistics of a secret ballot are very ungainly and in order to make sure that no one can falsify a ballot you would need to send them to multiple people simultaneously and then each of them would have to recieve it and verify it. Overall its a very tedious procedure that would not help Atlasia in any way.

j. Vote Editing: Our current laws on vote editing are perfectly fine and I do not think there needs to be any subsequent legislation at this time concerning this issue.

k. Preferential Voting: Preferential voting is a hallowed part of Atlasian tradition and I would not ever replace it for election to offices such as the Presidency and for regional elections. I like the idea of the current PR reform in which half are elected using preferential voting and the other half using a more proportional system.

[Јas]

For the most part, I agree with Colin. Given that, I'll add my own comments where appropriate.

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?

I am running for President because I believe that the Wixted/Jas administration has overall been quite successful in the role of the Presidency. We have put forward an agenda and we have promoted activity and activism in the Executive. However I still think that there is more that both Jas and myself could do in the office. We need to retain strong leadership and leadership with an agenda for Atlasia. A second term of the Wixted/Jas administration will focus more heavily on domestic and foreign policy problems while still keeping a grounding in a reformist agenda.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?

National Healthcare is a major issue that needs to be rectified in Atlasia. As a nation we need to join the first-world when it comes to healthcare. I believe that the Atlasian government should provide a guarentee of basic healthcare for all its citizens. The Wixed/Jas ticket strongly supports national universal healthcare in Atlasia and we are open to most ways of making that happen, though both of us are strongly opposed to a system that illegalizes private practices.

Another major issue that we hope to tackle is foreign policy. The President needs to work on both more global aspects of foreign policy and forum affairs aspects. A second Wixted/Jas term will see both of us becoming more engaged in the global community and improving relations with many nations around the world. We will open dialogue with nations that have become hostile to Atlasia in recent years and cooperate more with major players on the world stage like Russia, China, and India. We also need to keep up our support of pro-democracy groups around the world, including showing our solidarity with the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar that are currently occuring. The Wixted/Jas administration would also focus renewed attention on the issue of Atlasian-US relations and the forum affairs implications of any actions we take. We will get the Senate and the people involved in the decision making process and will come to an acceptable conclusion so we can figure out our place in the world.

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration: I supported Porce's Immigration Bill and have always been a strong supporter of a more open borders policy in regards to immigration. My ideal would be a country that allows all in, except those who are criminals or terrorists and would do harm to this nation. I do not see how a hard-working law-abiding resident of this nation could ever be called illegal.

b. Capital Punishment: I am against capital punishment and support the current Federal moratorium on the dealth penalty. The regions, of course, have the power to set their own policy and though I would like to see an Atlasia without capital punishment I will not usurp the power of the regions to decide that for themselves.

c. Gay Rights: I support the current status quo in Atlasia. Seperating marriage from the government is probably the most equitable way to treat any union between two people. I do not support any major changes in Atlasian marriage law at this point.

d. Affirmative Action: I have always been a firm supporter of economic affirmative action however I have never been a supporter of raced-based affirmative action.

e. HIV/AIDS: I support government funding for sex education that teaches about proper condom use and does not try to swindle children on falsehoods concerning contriception. I also support a federal needle exchange program.

Agree with all of this, just about word-for-word.

f. Abortion: I've always believed that abortion should be legal in the first two trimesters. In the third trimester it should be illegal except for health concerns, however I really don't know how this is pertenent since the President has very little control over abortion policy, which is a regional affair.

I personally am undecided on abortion issues. I do feel that were a fetus is capable of life indepedent of the mother (including with medical support) then abortion probably shouldn't be allowed. I feel that where the life of the mother is threatened (including by way of self-harm) then an abortion is justificable. Beyond these concerns, my personal position is ill-defined, if at all.

g. Euthanasia: I support euthanasia as long as it is properly regulated by the government.

h. Drug Law: I support the decriminalization and legalization of most drugs. One of my first objectives as Senator, back in 2005, was the decriminalization, at the Federal level, of marijuana, an accomplishment I am still very proud of. I believe I have shown a constant support for drug liberalization and legalization throughout my time in elected office.

i. Stem Cell Research: I support giving federal grants for Stem Cell Research, I would be completely and utterly opposed to any ban on Federal funding for research.

Agree with Colin's positions.

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage: I have supported the decision of Bono v. Atlasia that the minimum wage is a regional issue. As all regions now have a minimum wage at or above real life levels I don't think that a Federal minimum wage is needed.

I actually agree with the reasoning in the dissenting judgment of Ernest in Bono v Atlasia. The fact that the regions would all seem to have passed a minimum wage, which I believe are mostly indexed to inflation is a good thing and means that, at a federal level, the issue is not a pressing one. I would have no problem with the a federal minimum wage though, so long as it was not set at inappropriate levels.

b. Estate Tax: With things like taxes I have to say that I take a very look and see approach. It would depend on how much of an increase, or decrease, the bill stated and what the particular details of the changes in taxes would entail. I don't really have a broad policy on the Estate Tax or most taxes for that matter.

My feelings would be that taxes should focus on income and not expenditure. When someone gains income, either through employment or inheritance, then in general, I think it's fair that it should be taxed. With regard to Estate Taxes, then I feel that the tax rate applied should be similar to that applied on earnings from employment, but that there should be assets (such as the the family home) which should be exempt.

c. Universal Health Care: As I stated earlier the Wixted/Jas campaign has come out in full support of universal healthcare as long as it does not illegalize or discourage private practice and private insurence. I do believe that it is essential that Atlasia creates a universal healthcare programme and joins the rest of the first world in granting basic healthcare to its citizens.

d. Education Reform: I agreed with both the Acceptance of Science Act and Section 4 of the Educational Funding Clarification Bill. I do not believe that Federal monies should go towards schools that promote backwards, wrong, and outdated policies. Atlasians have the choice to send their children to a school like that however the Federal government also has a choice to make guidelines for critical educational topics in schools that our government funds.

e. Global Climate Change: Global climate change is a threat, I do not see how anyone could think that it was some climatologists conspiracy at this point, and it is a threat that the government should be facing. I think there are more pressing immediate needs than global climate change however I have support measures such as the Carbon Tax that would help promote good stewardship of the Earth and a decrease in pollution.

f. Alternative Energy: I support federal grants for alternative energy research but in the end any advancement in alternative energy has to come from the private sector itself and not out of a government lab.

Agreed

[Јas]

g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge: I support oil drilling in ANWR. In the short term, in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we need to produce more domestically. When alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind or geothermal, become more widespread and practical then we can reduce both our foreign oil demand and our domestic oil demand.

I don't support oil drilling in ANWR.

h. "Sin" Tax: This is one issue that I have completely changed stances on in the past year or two. I was one of the people behind the Federal Sin Tax however, now, I consider that to be a horrible decision. The Sin Tax is the ultimate regressive tax that hurts the power in order for the government to gain. I do not think it is at all ethical and it tries to use both money and government power to promote morality. I would now never support any Sin Tax that is passed by the Senate.

I would take a somewhat different perspective here also. If a product causes societal harm, then I am willing to support a 'sin tax' which would seek to help alleviate the harm caused - e.g. tax on cigarettes which would go towards related public health care costs.

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative: Well considering that this was part of the Wixted/Jas administration agenda I was very strongly supportive of it.

Indeed.

b. Proportional Representation: Strongly support and if proportional representation does not pass in its current form than I will continue to fight for its implementation within Atlasia, a cause that I have been a supporter of since my arrival here three years ago. PR is essential to create a strong party structure and in changing the system to make it both more fair and more interesting. It would be a neat way to try and change up the most important aspect of our nation, elections, and to allow new forms of campaigning and voting to take place.

I just want to add that there is no single issue in all my time in Atlasia that I have put more effort into than my effort to get the PR Bill and associated End to Districts Amendment passed.

I am more than dismayed with how the current debate has been framed by certain opponents of the amendment. While there are Atlasians I respect who have voted Nay on this matter, looking at the voters on the Aye side and on the Nay side, I know I'm on the right side on this issue and the prospect of the measure failing on the basis of the tie in that region causes me a great deal of dissatisfaction.

c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power: As I have stated before, while there are success stories in the modern regions, Governor Jesus for example, most of our regions are nothing more than pits of inactivity and sloth. In the past month we have had two governors kicked out of office for failure to open a voting booth on an amendment. We've had governors who don't open regional elections on time and we have regional governments that have gone months without passing any new initiatives. It is for these regions that I have believed that more power should rest with the Federal government. Whatever one might say about the Senate, and I have said alot, they are the most active body in Atlasia. Even our most inactive and figurehead Presidents have done more than some of the governors of the regions have in recent times. Regions have, in a sense, become almost dead weight, and while I support true attempts to try and revive them, I will continue to push for the transfer of powers to more active branches of government in order to keep the game going strong.

I have long been a great believer in the potential of the regions to deliver. However, the recent decalartions by various regional executives that re-districting is a crucial aspect of their role indicates to me that there has been an abdication of responsibility at regional level.

I'm sure that those members who have so vigorously attacked the federal government over the past few days will now certainly display to us all the value of their work in the coming weeks and months. Should they fail to do so, I will bring this issue front and centre and may argue for radical solutions.

d. Cabinet Size Reform: I think the Cabinet, as it is now structured, is fine.

e. Senatorial Term Limits: We have problems finding enough candidates to run for Senate in the first place, term limits would just make this problem even more acute.

f. Judicial Term Limits: I supported Judicial Term Limits, or at least a re-application every year, in order to determine whether a Justice is still able to preform his or her duties and allows the Justices to be still independent of the Senate.

g. People's Referendum: Yes I supported this fully though I believe that since that did not have the support we should go back to the first idea of giving the President a "third option" in the power to call a national referendum on a bill, which is a power that is given to several Executives around the world.

h. Line Item Veto: I supported the Expansion of the Line Item Veto as it gave the executive more power and more equally balanced out the powers between the Senate and the President.

Agreed

i. Secret Ballot: I have never been a supporter of the Secret Ballot. I always thought that having a secret ballot would destroy some of the fun in Atlasian elections, which is seeing the results come in real-time and allowing you to make speculations on the race throughout the weekend. It makes things more interesting than having the SoFA announce the final results on Monday. Also the logistics of a secret ballot are very ungainly and in order to make sure that no one can falsify a ballot you would need to send them to multiple people simultaneously and then each of them would have to recieve it and verify it. Overall its a very tedious procedure that would not help Atlasia in any way.

The secret ballot was an interesting idea and at the time worthy of discussion and consideration. I would feel though that there are too many issues of concern for it to be warranted.

j. Vote Editing: Our current laws on vote editing are perfectly fine and I do not think there needs to be any subsequent legislation at this time concerning this issue.

k. Preferential Voting: Preferential voting is a hallowed part of Atlasian tradition and I would not ever replace it for election to offices such as the Presidency and for regional elections. I like the idea of the current PR reform in which half are elected using preferential voting and the other half using a more proportional system.

Agreed.

I think it's fair to say that we share a great deal of common ground and that what differences there may be are relatively minor in the context of the Atlasian executive.

[Speed of Sound]

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President?
The same reason I always have--The healthcare. I kid of course. The country has seen great progress in Presidential activity, but the direction the progress is taking is off, and needs to be adjusted to better directed towards the voices of the people, whose many opinions have been ignored.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected?
I really want to fix the amendment voting system (see the tracker of the end to districts thread) but I would also love to get my hands on evolving the foriegn affairs (my area of expertise ) to really bring it, and the GM, back to the game.

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration--Open, but not unwatched, borders
b. Capital Punishment--Opposed on all levels in all cases
c. Gay Rights--I support the gay community in its fight for marriage rights and adoption rights
d. Affirmative Action--AA is a good idea, but is out of control. I will be releasing what I call the AA compromise soon, which involves a record keeping and scenario to scenario style judgment in AA cases.
e. HIV/AIDS--I oppose it vehemently
f. Abortion--I support abortion in the first and second trimester, without notification to anyone, and without question
g. Euthanasia--I support a persons right to be euthanized if they choose to throw in the towel in thier valiant fight.
h. Drug Law--"Recreational" drugs should be legalized and regulated, but more serious drugs need to be kept illegal. As for med drugs, they should be able to come from any country if htey are cheaper than our pharmaceuticals, assuming they are checked and safe, of course. (There, I covered both drug laws )
i. Stem Cell Research--Stem Cell Research is the future of medicine and a pathway to saving millions of lives, and should be researched and funded by the government.

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage--I support a constantly watched and adjusted living wage for all Atlasians
b. Estate Tax--A mix of other taxes which affect those able to help out a little more (like the Federal Income, or the sales) should help relieve some of the pain on the middle class, lower class, and seniors that the estate tax causes.
c. Universal Health Care--Universal Healthcare is not just a good idea, but necessary to ensure a happy and healthy Atlasia for years to come (not to mention one that lives in the 21st century)
d. Education Reform--Administration wages and positions should not be allowed to run wild, as this is a huge problem in many budget issues in schooling. Certain parts of every school should be checked up on (moreso than now) regularly to ensure they are actually keeping up, something todays loose regulations dont accomplish.
e. Global Climate Change--We need to heavily fund the alternative energy programs, as well as mandate machine making companies to ascertain a high level of efficiency and environmental friendliness, as the global climate IS changing, and we need to react quickly, or else our only hope is immediately attempts at space colonization, and you gotta love those odds.
f. Alternative Energy--See above, I suppose
g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge--Yuck. No thanks. These are beautiful areas, and shouldnt be touched by the drills of big business. Also, we need to ween off of oil, not hit it harder.
h. "Sin" Tax--Sin tax? Come on now. If we all got hit for the unhealthy things we did, we would all be taxed till we're broke. All were going to do is nail the people who do it with tangible things. Tax me for not jogging this morning. Ill pass on this one.


5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative--If the senate wont do it, someone has to. Why shouldnt the people be able to tell the senate what theyre thinking, and you know the senate, if you dont make them do it..... just joking, Senate
b. Proportional Representation-Im big on this one. Cutting back the bureaucracy and allowing for smooth transition out of elections is important to Atlasian stability.
c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power--I think its fair to say the governors could have something more to do, perhaps be primary delegates or something? I cant come up with something off the top of my head, but something has to be done for sure.
d. Cabinet Size Reform--Eh, cabinet seems fine to me, the members just have to actually do stuff.
e. Senatorial Term Limits--People pick whoever they want.....in America. Here in Atlasia, activity is based on people even having a chance, and term limits are a great way to get new people in on the game, and keeping it interesting.
f. Judicial Term Limits--The court has a hard enough time getting members, so I say if htey are there, be thankful!
g. People's Referendum - There is no check to the senate at this point, and my ILAC just didnt have the strength. Giving the power straight to the people is a great way to keep the senate in line.
h. Line Item Veto - LIV is a dangerous thing that gives the president too much power, and breaks down discussion between the Prez and senate.
i. Secret Ballot--I smell lawsuits, congestion, frustration, and corruption....
j. Vote Editing--Within so many minutes, sure, but after so much time, theres too much at risk.
k. Preferential Voting--It is the launching pad of a great democracy as it allows many people of similar views to run. No "Lesser of so many evils" here in Atlasia, and I love it!

[True Democrat]

I'd like to hear gporter's views.

[SPC]

Dear Candidates for the Offices of President and Vice President:

Several constituents have voiced their concern to me that despite a diverse choice of candidates in the upcoming federal election, they remain unsure where candidates stand on issues important to them.  Therefore, I have set up the following questionnaire, which is offered to all relevant candidates to respond to in this thread.  Candidates should not feel compelled to answer a question they feel uncomfortable with, but they are strongly encouraged to respond to this questionnaire.

As a courtesy to both readers and the candidates, voters are asked not to respond directly to candidates' answers in this thread so as to ensure that no arguments break out in this thread.

Transparent Elections: A Public's Right to Know Project

1. Why are you running for President / Vice President? I am running for President to give a clear alternative to the current batch of candidates. I feel that no one in therace represents my values, so I decided to run.

2. What is the greatest issue you hope to tackle, if elected? The greatest issue to hope to tackle is vetoing spending bills presented to me by the Senate. I intend to also give the Senate some proposals for amendments to expand regional power, but that is pretty much it.

3. Where do you stand on the following social issues:
a. Illegal Immigration I feel that, in a purely capitalistic economy, we could afford to have unlimited immigrants. However, due to our mixed economy, we need to enforce illegal immigration laws to keep our conomy from falling apart.
b. Capital Punishment I feel that the death penalty should be reserved only for convicted murderers and other crimes in that level of seriousness.
c. Gay Rights I feel that everyone deserves equal rights regardless of whether they belong to a minority group. They shouldn't receive any additional rights for being in a minority group either.
d. Affirmative Action See above. I feel that things like affirmative action only help fuel race divide, and should be discouraged.
e. HIV/AIDS I feel that personal discretion should be used to prevent this disease from spreading, but treatment should not be paid for by involuntary taxayer dollars, but through voluntary charitable donations.
f. Abortion I believe in a woman's right to choose, but I also believe in a man's right not to fund a woman's right to choose.
g. Euthanasia I believe that this is a moral/religious issue, not a political issue. Leave this to the church.
h. Drug Law I believe that the criminalization of victimless acts only creates crime, and I would hope to repeal any victimless crimes.
i. Stem Cell Research See my abortion stance. Scientific research should be paid for by voluntary donations, not involuntary taxayer dollars.

4. Where do you stand on the following economic and environmental issues:
a. Minimum Wage Setting a minimum wage only creates unemployment and victimless crime. A wage should be decided between an employer and an employee, not the government.
b. Estate Tax Taxation is bad enough, but I stongly oppose double taxation. You should not tax income that has already been taxed upon once.
c. Universal Health Care The free market will almost always be a better provider a goods in quality than the government, and health care is no exception. If we don't make it so insurance must cover all these activities, their prices would be cheaper.
d. Education Reform I think that educational choices should be made by parents, not bureaucrats. I don;t think that people who don't use public schools should be taxed for them, and they should have to compete with market forces to provide quality education.
e. Global Climate Change I personally have my doubts about global climate change, but handing this issue to government is like putting an alcoholic in charge of solving your drinking problem. Government is a big polluter itself, and ratifying the Kyoto Protocol would only hurt entrepeneurs and small businesses.
f. Alternative Energy I think that, to curb the high prices on foreign oil, we should open up more places domestically to drilling and nuclear power plants.
g. Oil Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge See above.
h. "Sin" Tax I don't believe it is the authority of the government to discourage certain immoral activities for revenue. You should be in charge of your own choices, and you don't need a government to give you tax incentives to make the right decision.

5. Where do you stand on the following forum affairs issues:
a. Popular Initiative Oppose. The Senate should have the sole authority to make federal laws, not the regions or the president.
b. Proportional Representation Oppose. I think that all politics should be local, and proportional representation doesn;t help out with that.
c. Balance of Regional and Federal Power I believe that the regions should have the power to nullify federal laws within their region if they wish, and the federal government ought to hand over more issues to the regions.
d. Cabinet Size Reform Neutral.
e. Senatorial Term Limits Support. I believe that if the President is held to term limits, why shouldn't the Senate?
f. Judicial Term Limits See above.
g. People's Referendum See Popular Initiative.
h. Line Item Veto Support, but the president should use this power sparingly.
i. Secret Ballot I really don't know how this would work, but I would support if it could work out.
j. Vote Editing Support. There doesn;t seem to be any real reason that someone shouldn't be able to edit his vote before the election ends.
k. Preferential Voting Support.