office of Senator Franzl (WITHDRAWING from Senate election)

[Franzl]

how about we add "Palestinian National Authority" to the wording of Section 5?

[Hash]

how about we add "Palestinian National Authority" to the wording of Section 5?

It's a good idea. But will the Hamas actually agree to that definition?

[Franzl]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

It's a good idea. But will the Hamas actually agree to that definition?
[/quote]


Well I meant "Palestinian National Authority" to determine together with Israel a more specific defintion of "Palestinian government"....now they could also conclude that "PNA" meets the defintion.

I would hope that the act provides both sides with a motivation to comply. Israel surely doesn't to lose their aid, and Palestine surely wants recognition as a state....not to mention the 5% increase in aid.

Hope it works.

[Franzl]

Update, March 30:

* I am very pleased to announce that a final compromise has been reached on the Middle East Peace Act of 2009, and it appears likely that the proposal will gain enough votes for cloture. I enjoyed working on this legislation, and I congratulate the other senators that contributed time and energy throughout the whole process.

* I am also very happy that the Help Atlasia Study Act has passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, pending the President's signature. It's quite amazing that 9 senators voted in favor, and I see it as a good sign that sensible necessary policies implemented through our Atlasian federalism have a good chance in the future to gain sufficient support. Again, I thank those that worked toward passage here.

* The environmental bill also seems to have passed....once more an example of the high quality of this Senate's work.

* The High Speed Rail Act of 2009, I will admit myself, as currently written, is not acceptable. It's intended to be more of a conversation starter, and even I would most likely not vote in favor of the current proposal (ironic, isn't it? ). Afleitch and Senator Smid have brought good alternative proposals involving Public Private Ownership, and I tend to agree with their thoughts on the issue. This legislation is necessary as a part of a future oriented, competitive economic policy, and I am confident that this Senate will once again work on a compromise that suits most people.


I, as always, welcome comments and questions regarding anything, whether past, present or future legislation. Ask Franzl anything

 

[Franzl]

message:

I won't be around for a couple of days starting tomorrow.

I'm travelling down to Munich tomorrow afternoon from where I'll be flying to St. Louis on Friday (quite a bit cheaper than in Frankfurt)

Anyway...that'll keep me offline until Saturday or Sunday.

Just wanted to keep you all informed.

[Franzl]

OK, I'm there....with jetlag.

Not a bad trip....except for the 2 hour delay in Detroit. Not a huge problem, though.


I'll get back to work later on tonight. Thanks for your patience.

[Franzl]

news as of 4/5:

Well folks, I apologize for not having been there all that much in the last couple of days. I believe I've been able to make most votes, but of course, I prefer to always be deeply involved with the entire process.

Anyway, here's my thoughts right now, although there's not that much to report on right now.

*I have introduced the High Speed Rail Act with the goal of establishing and supporting an efficient and high quality rail system on par with other First World nations that would make Atlasia more competitive in a globalized world. I agree with the comments of many others that a public private partnership would ultimately be the best way to implement it, and I have offered an alternative to the original proposal that would meet that condition. I believe that the alternative proposal is more likely to be successful. I strongly hope that we can reach a final compromise on this issues that will satisfy everyone, as I believe that the issue is quite important.

*I oppose the flat tax proposal on principle. While I believe that Senator DWTL is supporting what he believes to be a fair system, I simply disagree with that notion. In my opinion, a progressive tax system is the only just and effective way of collecting money. I support Senator Lief's amendment that would result in a tax cut for the majority of Atlasians.

*And just as a general statement, as already mentioned, I'm quite pleased with the work of the Senate. We've managed to reach compromises on a variety of issues ranging from economics to social issues to foreign policy...and we've done that with lots of healthy debate and a willingness to listen to other senators and respect their concerns. I commend the Senate for its efforts, and I look forward to continuing that work.


As you all know, the national at-large election is getting closer and closer. I hope that most people are pleased with my work, and the Examiner poll seems to suggest that. However, I won't take those numbers for granted. I urge all my constituents to comment on anything imaginable and to ask me any questions they can think of. I ask for your support in continuing my work in the Senate, as even though this Senate had done a whole lot of good, we aren't done, and I would be proud to go on serving you all.


I apologize once again because I won't be able to be all that active in the next couple of days. I'm going on a little trip with my mom, and I won't have access to the Internet during that time. I'll be back in Illinois on Thursday.  I hope it doesn't delay any important votes or debate. Sorry for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, I'm only able to spend about 4 weeks a year with my mom and grandpa, and I don't have extremely much time to use for other purposes while here.

Thanks for your understanding!

[Franzl]

Alright then...the absentee booth is now running. It's election time, folks! I'll be voting in it because I don't know whether I'll be able to vote at the regular time.

I ask for your vote in order to continue the good work that has been done in this Senate. I feel that I have fulfilled my duties the best that I could, and I'm particularly proud of various compromises that I have been able to make with senators of every ideology and party.

Vote Franzl: It's your future, Atlasia!


One thing I wish to say to several candidates: There are many of you I'd like to preference more highly than I will be able to. Unfortunately...I can't do that. It's a shame I have no way of giving multiple first preferences!

edit: I really feel bad about many of those lower preferences....


I hereby directly endorse both my other fellow DA candidates. Afleitch and Purple State will also prove to be competent and reasonable senators if they are given the chance, and I urge the voters to support pragmatic centrism in voting for candidates of the Democratic Alliance.

[Devilman88]

You will be getting my 3rd PV.

[Franzl]

You will be getting my 3rd PV.

I thank you, sir!

[Devilman88]

You will be getting my 3rd PV.

You are welcome, but I can say if Purple State and Afleitch wasn't running, you would have got my 1st PV.

I thank you, sir!

[Franzl]

Well, folks, although the exact order is not quite clear yet, it appears that I have been re-elected.

I will make a longer post later in the day....but at this time, I wish to thank everyone that preferenced me and contributed to this win...not just for me, but for the Democratic Alliance, as it appears that our party fared incredibly well in this election.

[Devilman88]

Congrats Sen. Franzl.

[Smid]

Congratulations on your expected re-election, Senator.

[HappyWarrior]

Congratulations on your expected re-election, Senator.

I must agree with our distinguished fellow Franzl.  It will be nice to have another term with you buddy.

[Purple State]

Congrats on your well-managed reelection. I hope to be joining you in the Senate soon enough. Hoping for a favorable breakdown of the votes.

[Franzl]

Congrats on your well-managed reelection. I hope to be joining you in the Senate soon enough. Hoping for a favorable breakdown of the votes.

congratulations as well!

[Franzl]

Alright then!

I sincerely thank everyone that voted for me and am very happy that I will be returning to the Senate.

I'm amazed that the Democratic Alliance was able to sucessfully elect 3 candidates....The pessimist in me saw a maximum of 2 being voted in....so I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Purple State and Afleitch. The voters have chosen competence and pragmatism....and I couldn't be happier.

I offer my congratulations to everybody....to a well fought, clean campaign....that ultimately led to very high turnout, which is a good sign that Atlasia, despite everything, does continue to interest people.

There were so many good candidates to choose from this time around....and it was a close and exciting race.

Now, let's get down to the important business:

[HappyWarrior]

Congrats Franzl.  I am so happy you will be joining me in the 31st Senate.

[Franzl]

As this Senate comes to an end next week, I just want to congratulate all my fellow senators for the good work they did. We passed lots of important legislation that will help Atlasia and the constituents we represent.

Despite all our accomplishments, I must say that I have become quite frustrated and disappointed due to the recent level of total inactivity. Simple votes should not take several days to complete (assuming someone isn't away from home or something, but even then it shouldn't affect all senators..) , and I would humbly request that my fellow senators take their duties more seriously in that regard.

That sounds a little hard....and I certainly don't mean to insult anybody......as I said, I'm quite proud of this group of legislators for several reasons, and it has been a pleasure working with you all. I'm happy to see many members of this Senate in the upcoming one, and I'm looking forward to greeting a couple of new senators.

[Marokai Backbeat]

It seems the Senate operates on bursts of activity, never anything constant. For one week the Senate may move along swiftly, another, no one may do anything at all.

I was actually a bit surprised, when I was browsing the other night to see if there were any laws in need of being wiki'd and then realized none had been completed since the one I wiki'd ten days ago or so.

[Franzl]

It seems the Senate operates on bursts of activity, never anything constant. For one week the Senate may move along swiftly, another, no one may do anything at all.

I was actually a bit surprised, when I was browsing the other night to see if there were any laws in need of being wiki'd and then realized none had been completed since the one I wiki'd ten days ago or so.

It's weird, yeah.

Of course....the first couple of weeks of any Senate are usually the most active......so I guess there will be more activity again in a couple of days.

The big problem, though, is that there are some things that need to be passed before this session is over.

[Smid]

Sorry mate, I'll be more active in another day or so... as I mentioned in my Diplomacy game thread, my best mate and my fiancee's sister colluded and he flew interstate to surprise me with a weekend trip! I'm very excited, but it means that I have much more RL activity than normal and haven't been around much the past couple of days.

[Franzl]

Sorry mate, I'll be more active in another day or so... as I mentioned in my Diplomacy game thread, my best mate and my fiancee's sister colluded and he flew interstate to surprise me with a weekend trip! I'm very excited, but it means that I have much more RL activity than normal and haven't been around much the past couple of days.

Oh I understand....no worries, obviously real life outweighs anything we do on this forum.

But I do find it hard to believe that 50%+ of senators have that problem

[Franzl]

Well it's been a while since my last update, I apologize.

First of all, I'm happy we've got our Senate up and running again....and I congratulate MasterJedi (even if it's somewhat late) for his election to PPT.

Regarding current legislation:

*Senator MasterJedi and I sponsored the Game Moderator Replacement Act which would allow the Senate, under certain extreme circumstances, to remove the GM from office due to excessive inactivity. I strongly support this legislation as I believe it will ultimately stimulate more activity....whether it's ever used or not, of course. Just the threat of it might be sufficient to get things rolling again, who knows? Some have questioned this law's constitutionality, and legal action may be taken soon. I personally disagree with these concerns, and I don't see anything controversial in this bill that would make it unconstitutional, which I have stated in the Senate debate thread. I thank my fellow senators, especially Senator Purple State, who appears eager to argue the case in court should the need arise, for their support in that matter.

*I will vote against legalization of heroin. I introduced the legislation, which DWTL had originally proposed in the previous Senate, because I believed it would lead to interesting debate, and my introduction thereof doesn't represent my position or voting intention.

*I introduced a bill to convert Atlasia's taxation of carbon into a market based cap-and-trade credit system. Senator Bacon King has expressed various concerns with that proposal, and I appreciate that initiative very much. I agree with some of those concerns, and I was happy to learn more about the topic. I am currently undecided on how I will ultimately vote, despite the fact that it's my own legislation, and I would appreciate advice from supporters of both sides of the debate. I urge my constituents to express their views and interests in this important matter.

*The Worker Bill of Rights, as proposed by Senator Purple State, is a very thoughtful and well written piece of legislation. I support the great majority of that bill, but I have very great concerns with the premise of establishing a "living wage", whether mandatory or optional, under the promise that the government will subsidize that artificial rate of payment as it sees fit. I believe it leaves quite a bit of room for abuse of the system, no matter how noble the intention. I also consider such a measure to be economically counterproductive as it would, in my opinion, weaken market competititon and illogically subsidize jobs that have no place in the market really. It just seems like bad business to me. I would not like such a small detail to lead to a negative vote on the entire bill, but I must say that that could definitely be the ultimate result. I respect Senator Purple State's efforts in this matter and applaud his level of activity and creativity. I only have to respectfully disagree with part of this legislation.


Anyway...as usual, I welcome comments and queries from all my constituents, and I wish to state that I am willing to introduce any piece of legislation in the Senate written by the people I represent, as I have done on more than one occasion previously. That ultimately serves the interests of the people, having their voices heard. I may not agree with their proposals, but debate should definitely occur.