The Atlasian Courant/The Public Office of the SoIA, Speed of Sound

[Speed of Sound]

Speed of Sound Senate Campaign Announcement

Bismarck, Serenity--Outside historic Town Hall

      Thank you all for joining me out here, on this gorgeous autumn day in Bismarck. It was with great sadness and respect that I met the expulsion and resignation of Senators Bacon King and NVTownsend, respectively. They have earned the admiration of their constituents and colleagues both and Nyman is worse off without their influence.

      But the time has come to fill those seats so that our Senate can press on and finish this session with deep consideration, cooperation, and efficiency. I hope to be honored by the Atlasian voters with the opportunity to be returned to the senate and be a part of that effort.

      I know that my leave of absence from politics has been lengthy, and that in my stead many bright new politicians have led the way in creating a better Atlasia. But I have a proven record as the former Editor-in-Chief of the Atlasian Messenger, former Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the Midwest, former Senator, and former Secretary of External Affairs, and I hope that some of my former (and hopefully continued) colleagues will vouch for my passion for politics and my desire to reach across the aisle to promote what's best for the whole country.

      Although it is no secret that my politics are leftward leaning, I will seek the endorsement of all parties and individuals. I will make individual speechs to all parties within their own committees (having first acquired permission and a place on the floor), and I will be updating this thread within the next few days with a platform and with opinions on current, upcoming, and recently decided issues in the Senate, as well as those facing Atlasia in general.

      I am very excited to re-introduce to the Atlasian people and I am eager to get down to business and continue a lifelong passion for taking an active role in progressing us forward. Thank you again for your time, and I will see you all on the trail!

Speed of Sound

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Beg me, why don't you!

Hey, that's pretty great! If there's one thing I've never excelled at, it's banner making. I appreciate the help in spreading the word. I'll get it over to my secretary for mass production! (ie, plead people to stick in their signature )

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Speaking on Recent Matters of the Senate

As promised yesterday, I will begin unfurling both a general and specific platform, but given the proximity of the election and uncertainty towards my positions given my recent return, I'll start with discussions of some important bills recently passed/rejected or currently being debated. I hope to prove throughout this campaign that while I am leftist, I will not be tied to strict party lines (either to certain parties or against others), but rather will push for resolutions that I myself believe in and have a co-operative hand in crafting. That being said:


National University and General Education Reform bill : I am very pleased to see that the Senate understands and respects the importance of education as a foundation of any modern country's infrastructure. Higher education has become especially competitive on the international stage in the last two decades and only an earnest effort to put Atlasia on the map in this regard. Most importantly to me, the bill specifically increases funding for vocational and career training courses across the country, which foster opportunities for Atlasians in the blue-collar workforce and will bring skilled labor jobs into our country and increase exports, curbing and hopefully even reversing a disturbing trend in modern times.

The Contempt of Congress Act: I understand a need to give defense to the newly created committees, but I share the President's concern about this increase in the Senate's power. Atlasia has not been immune to scandal in the past. Atlasia's party system and relatively small number of senators and executives leaves too much room for abuse or misuse of power, especially should a heavily one-sided congress meet opposition with a President and his cabinet. Likewise, it opens the doors to the disenfranchisement of "trouble-making" political activists, especially as aspects of the punishment do not even have a chance to go through the Supreme Court; even it does go through the high court, the bill is ambiguous on how the Supreme Court is to go about its ruling. Neither the President's nor congress's interpretation of the language regarding this (whether the Supreme is to make its own decision regarding the legitimacy of the charge, or simply to confirm that the charge was considered legitimate by congress) appears assuredly correct, and I nervously await the Supreme Court's first approach to this law. Had I been in Senator Bacon King's seat when the override vote was held, this bill would never have passed in its current form.

Senate Committee on Internal Affairs Creation Resolution: This resolution's debate is very telling of the recent Senate: the plan (as the committees are in general) represents the kind of new ideas we need to keep our political realm and Game Moderation up-to-date with the needs of Atlasia in our current time and the discussion that occurs is very well thought out...and yet rallying up the 10-member Senate to prepare for and finish voting on the simple resolution had the PPT tearing his hair out. Look, not every voter out there reading this comes close to agreeing with me politically, and i understand that, but we need active Senators who are going to progress the fruits that the current minds in Nyman are bearing! I am ready to respond to all of my responsibilities in a timely fashion and am prepared to face my constituents' wrath if I fail in this cornerstone mission of mine.

Right Wages for the Right Regions Act: Alright, time for me to roll up my sleeves and actually get political here. This bill absolutely cannot stand to pass. It hinders the safety of the livelihood of millions of Atlasians by undermining the protection of the minimum wage. I get it: we are country united in so many ways, but economically isn't one of them. Thus I agree with Senator Marokai, for instance, when he asserted that a 12.00 minimum wage is probably too high. However I fear that overly conservative regional governments may lower the wage too far and put too many Atlasians who work 40+ hours a week, good, hard-working Atlasians, at risk of not being able to make ends meet. Any consideration of approving of this bill died when the Senate chose, in this perfect opportunity to rectify a long time problem, to remove language which would have allowed currently tip-based employees to earn a more consistent and fair wage, as has already long been changed (or never started) in so many other modern countries. These employees should not be specifically held by the fortunes of whom they happen to serve; especially not when so many CEOs and other high-level executives' salary is not held up to such public scrutiny, but rather their performance is made less relevant with extra "golden parachutes" on top of their already lavish earnings. In this case, the Senate had an opportunity to polish up this diamond in the rough, but certainly dropped the ball.

Phew! Okay: I will gladly take questions on these bills as well as others I haven't mentioned (I am especially prepared to be told that one of my opinions is in fact covered by a law passed in the past few years which I have overlooked ). I will, in the next few days, produce a much more general platform regarding my stances on the "hot button" and "core" economic and social issues, but I wanted a chance for Atlasians to get acquainted quickly with the way I think and how I would be operating should I be elected Senator.

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Thank you all for your support! Sometime tonight I will release a more general platform and some senate bill ideas (and of course the floor is always open for any and all questions!).

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My Beliefs

Hello everyone, I apologize for the delay in this promised discussion, but I fell over the weekend and had to cancel a number of fundraisers and town hall meetings; even in hard-nosed politics, health first!

But now, I am here to clarify my general political stances, giving special attention to issues that are dear to me:


Economics: Let me be clear---I believe that the government has an important role in our economy but that responsibility cannot be taken lightly. We cannot allow our great workers to be bowled over by countries with horrendous workers' rights and safety records. We must keep jobs here by promoting fair trade through, e.g., tariffs, while also making Atlasia an attractive place to bring industry by keeping worker health/safety costs affordable for businesses across the size spectrum (but especially for smaller businesses). It is of particular importance to me that we push to shift subsidies from large companies, especially in agriculture, and hand them to smaller farms across Atlasia. At the core of every strong country is the ability to produce food and useful goods, not just services. Senates of the past have done a good job of protecting workers against corporate infringements, but that does not mean that our guard can ever be let down. It is worth noting as a Post Scriptum that I am fully aware that my duty as Senator is entirely national, and I promise to never seek particular benefits for the Midwest, no matter how much I lover her dearly.

Social Policy: As social policy issues go in cycles, I will do my best to discuss those things that are currently hot-button issues, but all of my thinking on social issues stems from a basic belief that all people have the right to freely be themselves and control their own body. It comes out in my support for the right to have an abortion (without disclosing reason in 1st trimester and 1st half of 2nd trimester, for reasonable health reasons thereafter), for LGBT rights, for the right to assisted suicide, and the right to possess marijuana. As with marijuana, the belief that regulation of the inevitable is better than ignorance of the inevitable leads me to support the legalization and regulation of prostitution; thousands of women who would prostitute either way would reap great benefits in health, wages, and greater protection from the threat of pimps. As it does heavily risk the infringement of another's right to health and safety, I do not believe in unnecessary gun ownership; simple hunting guns and licensed small arms for protection are important, but iI know that it must be reasonable.

International Issues: Atlasia has long been a country that is looked to for leadership and that stands as a superpower in the modern world. It behooves us, therefore, to promote international co-operation through an ernest effort towards diplomacy. We cannot simply withdraw from the world stage. That means continuing to work with international bodies of government, even when they are not perfect. I am especially interested in working towards international nuclear proliferation as a promotion of unity, peace, and fairness (but Atlasia will dismantle only along with others, not before them). It also means that, as long as we are able, we should be giving international aid and ensuring that it gets to where it needs to go (perhaps a small body could be created for this? It may be worth discussion, at least). Lastly, we must not forget the meaning of the word "defense". We are a country that believes in standing up for ourselves, but not in bullying others; I have before and I will again be a monitor of hyper-aggression in the Senate's 'diplomatic' actions and of bloated defense spending.

Meta-Game Issues: Excuse the pieces of the fourth wall everywhere, I didn't expect that to happen, ladies and gentlemen. Generally speaking, I am very happy with the Atlasia that I have returned to: participation is at an all time high and regional governments have expanded greatly. Still, I feel that a certain outside influence remains to be desired. I think that making the work of the GM easier, as well as allowing for emergency work to be done by another executive or body (perhaps if a request or expected information goes unlisted for a certain amount of time?) would make a great difference. Without real and constant effects of the work that we do, little more than personal politics or friendships goes into any election's outcome; you don't really have to weigh the outcome of your actions. Still, I'm no fool and I know how difficult it is to be GM. I would love to work with the Senate and produce some legislation to increase the effect of the GM in the game again. Since it is being talked about these days, I will note that I have no qualms with the IRV current voting method that we use; it keeps politics very interesting and helps smaller parties get first preferences.


I hope that I touched upon the issues that matter to you today. I am sure, as always, that a few of these opinions have been rendered irrelevant by laws passed in the past, so excuse missteps and please point me to the legislation! If I have not mentioned something that is important to you, or if you have questions regarding these opinions, please ask away! I hope to post again in the next few days again and I am also excited for the debate!

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What are your views on the DREAM Act?

Thank you for this question; with all the hub-bub it's causing in the Senate I can't believe I haven't touched on it!

This is an extremely difficult issue, and I have read through the entirety of the Senate's debate, and I can rather safely say that in its current form I would be voting nay. I highly agree with you, Governor, that more important than any result of this bill is a more permanent resolution regarding immigration in the future; if we would pass this alone, we would just be kicking the can farther down the road (and no, full amnesty and/or continuation of these policies aren't practical answers). Regarding this bill specifically, while I appreciate the purpose and agree that it is something to be worked towards, I have a number of concerns. First of all a high school GPA of 3.10 seems like a questionable requirement. Plenty of successful and great Atlasians were not of a high academic nature and did not achieve a 3.10 in high school. Perhaps I would be willing to consider the idea if the number were lower. Likewise, I am concerned about what constitutes a 'history of suspensions' given the questionable leadership in some schools. Furthermore, we do not demand Atlasians risk their lives in the military; I do not mind it being an option, but having the only other option be a four year school seems unfair. Adding a 2-year/trade school option and/or a permanent occupation option would please me much more.  Ambiguity plagues this bill as a whole, really, as I wonder who will decide what "likely to become a public charge" means, or "poses a public health risk". Perhaps with some specific in these kinds of categories I would ultimately come to agree with them, but with something as big as deportation on the line, we need to get this thing right. It is highly morally problematic for me that we set these sights so very very high for these immigrants, considering that so many of our own have checked off nearly every 'deportation' mark on this list...still, I do believe in bars to be set for immigration, of course, but I think in a general sense I would like to see all of these a little lower.

In the end, I would love to be in the Senate right now helping to hash this thing out, as it is of great importance that we make clear our immigration policies, especially since they haven't been updated in some time. I am somewhat flexible, but I would really rather err on the side of liberality.

Thank you again for the question, and I welcome continuing this conversation with you, Governor, either here or in private, if you wish.

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"Open Bar" by Jorge Colombo

Hello everyone! I've just gotten back from the polls and now the famous Atlasian wait begins! If you have already voted, thank you for your diligence as an Atlasian! If you haven't yet, there's always time to peruse my statements here and in the Senate Debate before heading off to vote!

Until Sunday night....gin and tonic, anyone?

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Concession Speech

Hello my friends, thank you for gathering here with me tonight. I will keep my comments brief in hopes that our disappointment, too, will be brief and we will quickly return to our engagement in the community. We fought a great campaign, and the numbers showed that had Atlasians been asked to pick two candidates for the two seats, I would be a Senator tonight. This is not the procedure however, and Snowstalker and his conservative co-winner, whoever that will end up being in this close race 15 minutes from now, won fair and square and will surely be great senators. We dared to run without a party, and we still came so close to victory; I think that truly that's a victory for the system and for individual thinking in Atlasian politics. I do not plan to join any party to secure a base, even if this is the result of every election I contest hereon. Instead, I will continue my fight for reform that helps the middle and lower class, that protects agriculture and skilled blue collar work, that enhances involvement in the Atlas Fantasy realm, and that bridges partisan divides.

I wanted a chance to re-introduce myself to the Atlasian political scene, and in that, we have been victorious.

Thank you again for your support, it really means the world to me and I've had just a ton of fun running this campaign.

-SoS

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Have you all learned nothing? This election is not over until I say so!

I hardly meant to disrespect your office, sir, but I trailed handily at the last election update you supplied, and I've only fallen farther off the trail since.

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Thank you all for your support! And really fear not, as I am not headed anywhere. This was always, no matter the outcome, a new beginning, not a brief "win or go home" foray. You'll probably see more of me than you care to.

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I am very honored to have been chosen by the President to fill the role of Secretary of Internal Affairs! As the Senate is currently in the process of asking me questions before my confirmation vote, I thought that this would be an appropriate time to open the floor to other citizens who would like to also ask questions of me or share their concerns/views on the office of SoIA. Should no-one have anything to ask or comment, then I also brought Monopoly, so we can just do that, too.

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What is your opinion on the role and duties of SOIA, as there hasn't been much precedent or ruling on it.

Well, first and foremost I must be ready to respond to the requests and clarifications of regional governments, committees, and/or the Senate regarding various bills which allow for budgeting, infrastructure work, requests for assistance, etc. This is the backbone of the work, I think.

But I really hope to slowly pull the lever with the job, working with GM shua to introduce further results of the bills passed that are relevant to my office, separately allowing for an objective events that is the result, and for my subjective opinion on what needs to be done (it's imperative that the line be clear, however). I also must fulfill the duty of speaking to the Senate at least once during the session, or appearing when called upon. A lot of it will depend on what boundaries I am given (through generous testing ) by the Senate and by the GM, and what teamwork/autonomy the GM is interested in allow our offices. I haven't contacted him about this yet, as I am not yet in power, but it is wholly my intention to do so soon.

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Hello everyone,

This is just a quick announcement that this office has been officially converted into my private office as Secretary of Internal Affairs. I will use this space to make less formal/non-binding announcements or give more personal opinions regarding issues within the department's boundaries. I will also take questions and comments from the general public here, so as to keep my place of official business a little cleaner.

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The Opinion of the SoIA

It was a mixed day in the eyes of the Department of the Internal Affairs, as the President wonderfully signed into law the LGBT Dignity Act, which will take a great step in protecting and advancing the psychological health of our nation's LGBT citizens, while he vetoed the Right Wages of the Right Regions Act, denying the option to struggling regions to reduce their minimum wage to a still reasonable amount in order to bolster their growth. It is the opinion of the Department that a bill which is only in effect until a region hits a certain level of growth of unemployment would be better, as the ability for the minimum wage to reflect the variable living wage is important. The Department would love to see the President send a revised version of the bill back to the Senate which allows for the worst off regions to take advantage of this legislation until they recover to a determined level. The Department does not deem it necessary to expound further on the matter, however, and leaves it otherwise in the hands of the President and Senate.

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Quoting the official decision from the Department's public office:

Regarding The Right Wages and Late-Term Abortion Bills

This Department takes the view of the majority of the Senate both that the bills have become law according to the Constitution and that there is no longer a reason to work with the President to come to compromise given the nature of his obstruction of legislative process. Therefore, the SoIA is prepared to enforce both of these laws to the extent which the Department is able and is accepting complaints of violation of these laws. If the President wishes to stop ours and the Senate's work in enforcing the laws, he will have to do so in court.

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Is the President the only one which has the ability to contest that outcome in court ? Or do all citizens have this ability ?

My gut instinct is to say that all citizens have the ability to bring a case to the Supreme Court, but I must admit that I don't actually know. Can someone with that knowledge shed light on this for us?

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Is the President the only one which has the ability to contest that outcome in court ? Or do all citizens have this ability ?

My gut instinct is to say that all citizens have the ability to bring a case to the Supreme Court, but I must admit that I don't actually know. Can someone with that knowledge shed light on this for us?

Any citizen may sue the government of Atlasia for a dispute over a law.  See SPC vs. Atlasia] as an example. 

Thanks Barnes!

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I am happy to announce to the public my return to duty after a lengthy leave of absence. I am working towards fulfilling the duties handed to me by bills in the Senate, but I also hope to have generated my first regional story by the end of the evening. I expect this new foray into news-making to require some getting used to and refining, and I will be happily receiving questions and comments here in this private office for the people (or in my government office if officials would like increased privacy and formality in their discussions).

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The Atlasian Courant

IDS: Pressure Mounts for Increased Sports Safety

GAINSVILLE, GA-- The harsh reality of sport was on center stage Sunday. What was supposed to be a day of celebration for Georgia high school program Gainesville became a nightmare when their star quarterback and hot college prospect Jalen Watson was blindsided in the second quarter of the state championship. The senior was suffered serious spinal injuries, and it was revealed today that his football career is almost certainly over, with long rehab hoping only to restore his ability to walk regularly again.

Football has long been at the heart of Southern culture, but local parents are growing weary of the obstacles to increased safety from die-hard fans. A group of 450 parents, organized by the upstart Campaign for Youth Sports Safety (CYSS), showed up at the IDS capital Wednesday to press for increased measures by the region to make the school sport safer. This is no fluke, however, as a string of ugly incidents in Alabama last year led to the establishment of CYSS, who have since reached out across the region to lobby local and regional officials alike to take a hard look at the effects of the sport.
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The Secretary of Internal Affairs, Speed of Sound, released this statement:

"Sport is a beautiful channel to so many of the attributes that we want to teach our children, and I have no plans of helping to dismantle something that so many hold dear. The fact remains, however, that 85% of high school football players will sustain an injury in their playing time, and 11% of those will be 'severe'. I hear the concerns of the parents of the IDS, and I will be in touch with the Emperor to see how he wishes to proceed. I am sure the legislature sympathizes with these kids and parents and will look for a reasonable solution for everybody."

[Meta-Speak: I figured I would start out with something small, something which would give the region something to get to act on, but not something that demands action; if they wanted to, they could never introduce anything, or even choose to comment on this and it would probably fade away well enough. I figure now whether the Governor simply wishes to issue a statement on it and be done with it, or whether he or the legislature wish to go further than that is up to them; I will contact him personally so he knows of this as well. Fear not, for the player is fictional (the school isn't). Please, comment on how you feel about this kind of thing, let me know what could be better, etc. Thanks!]