Vote Purple State/Marokai Blue in June!

[Marokai Backbeat]

Hello everyone,

I'm probably just as surprised as you are to be here right now. When Purple State asked me to be his running mate, I was completely taken aback. I never considered running for office, really, and I never imagined running on the ticket of another party. After talking to him about it for awhile, he convinced me.

He told me that we're active. We're hard-working. We love Atlasia. That together, he and I would form a powerful team, each with long records, strong accomplishments, dedicated personalities, and a strong work ethic. We keep our promises, and we have a vision.

He won me over in no time at all.

You all know me by now. I've been Attorney General, Vice-Chair of the JCP, a Senator, PPT, authored a new Introduction to Atlasia thread, among many other things, and detailing my entire history in Atlasia would be too long for this post, but I'd like to list some of my accomplishments of note:

• As Senator, I authored legislation to cap credit card interest rates and ban payday lending.
• I fought hard for one of my most important issues, and wrote Atlasia's first national minimum wage.
• I took on the hefty task of crafting an economic recovery bill which, according to the Game Moderator, has spurred economic activity and is helping the recover chug along.
• I wrote legislation which radically restructured the Atlasian tax system to be more fair to the lower class and reduce our deficit.
• Domestic policy isn't all I've pushed for. No, I wrote and fought hard for a Constitutional Amendment which sensibly altered activity requirements, office-holding regulations, and voting rules.
• As Attorney General, I wrote a bill that my regional Senator introduced that allowed for the creation, after so long, of a new Introduction to Atlasia thread.

One thing that has guided my career in Atlasia is my fiery personality, and this will not change. I use my persistence to push hard for my goals, to whip people into shape, and to maintain the balance between hard work and partisan wrangling that really keeps Atlasia alive. And to those who say to me "Marokai, you're a Supreme Court Justice!" I say to you, yes, and it's been done before!

This is an important election. This election will have many clear choices, but this ticket is a team that will run to keep our promises, to institute new ideas, and fight for activity if it's the last thing we do. Atlasia, I'm running on this ticket because I know Purple State will keep his promises. I know I will keep my promises. I know that both of us can do the hard work that so many people talk about doing, but never do.

I'll close with something I was reminded of trying to come up with this opening speech of mine. Something Lief once said when he started his campaign for June of last year.

By refocusing the debate on real world economic and social issues and by working towards coherent policy, we will make the government side of the game more engaging; we will make campaigns more meaningful, shifting them away from personality contests or party-line votes to votes based on political and ideological issues; and we will spur greater political debate, as Senators and voters are forced to make real decisions.

I so strongly believe this election should be made about credentials. It should be made about who has the best ideas, and who can best achieve them based on the record. If this election is to be made on a personality contest, a contest of who can be the friendliest and nicest and who can charm there way to victory, I'm not your man for Vice President.

But if this election will be made on hard work, on who is more active, on which ticket has the best ideas, on which team can and has accomplished the most, then I believe Purple State is your man to be President, and I your man for the Vice Presidency.

And that is why I'm here. Let's get to it.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Over the past week or so, I've definitely come over to your side a lot. But I need certain assurances. What exactly will you do if elected?

We will be rolling out a pretty wide-ranging platform in the days and weeks ahead. It will address matters from policy proposals to game reforms to presidential actions. Keep an eye on this thread.

Yes, from domestic policy, to foreign policy, to game reform, we have a truly large list of things we will continue to bring up, develop, and refine. Over time, these will all be posted.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Damn, another DA-er for President.

Damn, another unity ticker.

Endorsed of course

And we appreciate it.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Damn, another DA-er for President.

Damn, another unity ticker.

Endorsed of course

And we appreciate it.

So pray now Yank won't turn out to be better candidate and better statesman, so I'd have to endorse him

If you voted for a right-winger over me I would be heartbroken!

Endorsed

Thanks We will make all those who endorse us truly proud of doing so.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Must say I have one key complain as a partisian hack. Why JCP, which is regaining a key position, is accepting a role of junior partner to party which get their asses badly beaten last election, was kicked out of Northeast and is not in good condition at large?

If some should be V.P. nominee, that should be DA-er. JCP-er should led the ticket. As much as I respect Purple State, that's weird.

And are unity ticket working at all? Just don't start with Afletisch/Smid, they were insurgent against their own parties. Bgwah/Meeker and Lief/BC were able to win on all-JCP ticket. BC/HW was a fiasco.

I will admit that I struggled with this and so did some other JCPers, but this ticket isn't about party, it's a statement that the JCP isn't obsessed with power as some people think we are, and a recognition on my part that activity, intelligence, dedication, should not be bound by party affiliation. I believe Purple State and I can be a force for good in office, and an effective left-wing ticket for that matter, and that's really what matters, to me.

Also, Meeker was once part of the RPP. When Bgwah and Meeker first ran for office, it was a unity ticket.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I don't think we will repeat those mistakes. PS and I are extremely active and hardworking individuals in Atlasia. The BK/HW ticket was a good ticket, but got off to an iffy start to say the least. Don't worry, Kal, this isn't a ticket of unity for the sake of unity, not to suggest the others were, but a ticket of two extraordinarily qualified individuals that happened to be of different parties.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I do not necessarily doubt your ability to be non-partisan while handling much of the news, but I would certainly feel much more comfortable with someone else taking over the helm as GM during the campaign. Or, at the very least, a hiatus from posting in your GM capacities during the final weeks.

I don't think this will bias his duties as GM anymore than simply holding political positions already do, and no one cares about that, do they? Atlasia is a game and impartiality is, really impossible. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but people need to be a little more fair about things. Purple State and I have been planning this for some time now, and I haven't seen any change in his reporting.

FWIW, this is one JCPer whose fine with Purple State at the head of a unity ticket. It's about the person rather than the party, and PS will be a great president regardless of what banner he campaigns under.

[Marokai Backbeat]

See I told you that someday you might be on a national ticket Marokai.

And won't you vote for me?

[Marokai Backbeat]

See I told you that someday you might be on a national ticket Marokai.

And won't you vote for me?

You better!

I'm too controversial to get the votes to win a presidential election, Mech, but I'm flattered.

Anything is possible in the unknown horizon of the future.
Hell I would vote for you, just for the lulz.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I PMed you this, but I think in the interest of getting this issue out of the way I should post it here, anyway, for honesty's sake.

Purple State, I have a big problem with you serving as GM while running for President, and I have a bit of an issue with Marokai remaining on the Court while running for VP as well. I know you mean well, but I can't see how you can realistically be expected to be impartial while serving as the guy who literally defines the game universe when running for the leader of said universe.

That said, assuming those issues are resolved I'd love to vote for the two of you. I'm only sad that if you win Atlasia won't ever have as good of a GM.

Ugh.. Please don't encourage people who are waiting to pounce on us for this.

As was said before, Purple State and I have been working this out for quite some time and it hasn't affected our judgment in any way. I even ruled against Purple State in one of the cases he was arguing. These are silly complaints. This is Atlasia, a game, a fantasy. Not the United States.

Realistically what in the world does me running for office bias me towards from the court? I've already stated I'm not going to be ruling on any election cases to prevent that. But me seeking office doesn't prevent me from doing anything and hasn't so far. I can't imagine a single thing it affects. Everyone knows I'm political and I've never hidden that. Me running for office doesn't bias me any more than holding a political opinion personally does.

During a case concerning the Pacific region, I was preparing to rule against Ebowed, despite it being my region. I gave the maximum punishment to Sewer Socialist for evading the court, despite him supporting JCP candidates. I ruled against HAEV's guidelines, despite being a personal supporter of HAEV and voting for it as a Senator. I endorsed from the court the idea of a 'strike ceiling', despite me personally finding such policies absurd. If I'm easily biased, I don't see how I am.

I'm not going to eat, breathe, and sleep the Judiciary and I never have, and expecting someone to in a fictional nation is unrealistic to the extreme.

Similarly, how could Purple State be biased by seeking the Presidency? What would simply running for office bias him toward doing? Making up a story about voting irregularities or something? He already has political opinions he expresses. He already leans one way or another. Doesn't that "bias" him already?

If this was the United States, I'd agree with you about potential conflicts of interest an inappropriate behavior. But this isn't the United States. This is Atlasia, where we dump radioactive waste on Bakersfield, California, rename state counties after Opebo, and pass laws that run potatoes for elected office. We don't apply silly baseless "that feels icky" stipulations to those things, and we shouldn't with these, as long as we're doing our jobs properly.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Hypothetically speaking, you win and have to replace Marokai on the Supreme Court. What kind of justice will you nominate to the court?

Even more importantly, how are you intending to replace yourself as GM. I think most people here can agree that there are few people who could do half the job you do as GM. So do you have a poster i mind? Several? Will you assure us that the position as GM won't fall back into the state it was in before Brandon, and later you, took over and reserected the office?

Oh and good luck to you both obviously. I'm sure that you guys will take this one home.

Thanks Swedish We're going to do our best.

Certainly, the hiring of one's brother to be Attorney General is not in itself improper, as that brother may have superb qualifications befitting the office. Still, we make the judgment call that our elected officials should avoid not just impropriety, but the appearance of impropriety.

I feel this is important, not because I am afraid that you will go "rogue," but because it sets poor precedent. As someone who thinks you've done a fine job as GM (and would likely do a fine job as President) I again re-iterate the call to avoid the appearance of impropriety, set a resignation or inactivity date, and set a standard for future GMs.

Le sigh.

As I've said this is not real life. It's completely and utterly silly to talk about "the appearance of impropriety" as a serious concern in an environment where we are all personally involved in the game, and when Atlasia is a fictional nation we all play in for our own enjoyment. How does it set poor precedent? What could possibly happen that will taint the line of Game Moderator for now and ever? Him deciding to run for office does nothing to ruin everything he does and what future GMs will do. This isn't cronyism, and that comparison is entirely inapplicable.

I have taken some simple steps of my own, for example, I will not rule on cases concerning elections. That would be a complete conflict of interest I will not try to brave. But expecting Purple State or I to step down just to run a campaign is unfair and unrealistic.

If some people are intent on accusing him or I of bias or impropriety, how I would respond is how I have always responded. If I am biased, tell me how. If Purple State is being improper, how does it affect his job. Again, this is atlasia, a game, a fictional nation where potatoes run for office and Opebo is a county name. The standard Purple State has set for GMs will not be remembered as how he decided to run for office, but his amazing dedication to the job and how he revitalized a long neglected post in Atlasia to turn it into the most highly respected position in the game and be elected 2009 Atlasian of the Year.

What I want people to focus on during this campaign is our work ethic, our accomplishments, our dedication to Atlasia, our vision for the government, our ideas and our proposals. I don't want people to waste time focusing on nebulous concepts of what they think is "improper" or just feels yucky. I only find our "precedent" a bad thing if future people who follow in our footsteps do their jobs badly. But that's not our problem.

Now.. if you have questions about the campaign or about our future policies, I will be happy to listen and respond. I want you to support us and I want to do everything I can to get anyone in Atlasia to support this ticket because they want activity and hard work in office. But your concerns on this topic have been answered and you know where we stand on them. Thank you.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Paint is a bitch, BK, I know The rose in the banner in my signature took forever.

Maybe we should have a banner contest!

[Marokai Backbeat]

I believe we will have our first policy goals up within the day or next. Signifying that Purple State and I are a team, we collaborate with each other on our thoughts, but each of us primarily focuses on one area. Purple State gives his main focus to game reform, and I give my main focus to domestic policy. Each is what we consider our main expertise, but that does not and will not prevent us from having our proposals in our opposing areas of responsibility.

We will continually give very detailed policy plans throughout the campaign. We're putting everything we have into the campaign very early on and will not let up!

Stay tuned.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I think others are capable of doing the job, Vepres. Especially since there has been such a wonderful example laid out by Purple State in the job already, there is an easy framework to follow. It's silly to expect Purple State to be GM for all eternity.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I think others are capable of doing the job, Vepres. Especially since there has been such a wonderful example laid out by Purple State in the job already, there is an easy framework to follow. It's silly to expect Purple State to be GM for all eternity.

Losing PS as GM has been my one reservation about supporting this ticket (which I still do). But Blue makes an excellant point here.

Better that he can retire from the position to the Presidency than to obscurity.

[Marokai Backbeat]

If Afleitch doesn't run, we're guaranteed to win, pretty much

If Afleitch has taught me anything, it's to take nothing for granted.

[Marokai Backbeat]

The 3-Pronged Attack on Unemployment

Domestic Policy (Economic)

The issue of continuing and future unemployment is a grave one for Atlasia. Though unemployment is improving slowly but steadily because of the government's recovery efforts, such as the Atlasian Relief & Recovery Act, among other things, we cannot take our eye off the ball now.

There are three critical things related to unemployment that we must address, and I believe that this ticket is the best team ready to tackle the issue from day one. First, is fueling employment so it continues to grow each month. Second, sustaining employment so all our efforts are not in vain. Third, defending employment from future recessions, so we never have to deal with such crippling unemployment numbers again.

Fueling. Sustaining. Defending.

Today's policy release concerns the first stage of this plan, fueling employment further, and over the coming weeks we will craft and release our policies on the other elements of this plan.

To fuel employment, there are two avenues available to us: Temporarily easing the burden on the private sector to expand more easily, and direct involvement.

First, we would completely revise the Social and Economic Development Zones policies that have been completely avoided in this recession. The policy as it stands is too vague and ill defined, and only focuses on easing the tax burden, which we believe in insufficient. By defining the requirements for establishing SEDZ, by things such as median income levels, crime, amount of businesses closed, population size, and/or unemployment levels, we can more effectively implement them and direct them to more needy areas.

(For instance, giving preference to the Mideast region, as it has the highest unemployment rate.)

We can further streamline the process by having the Senate implement them directly and work with regional governments on their own, instead of outsourcing the establishment of SEDZ to regional governments and splitting the responsibilities in half. No more will SEDZ be a neglected tool in our economic arsenal due to red tape and ill-defined requirements.

That is just the part of the efforts to fuel employment, we can take further efforts within these SEDZ to spark much more growth on our own. First of these efforts is a new program we will push for called "Atlasia Works." Atlasia Works will be a program within all SEDZ designed to transition people off state assistance and misc. types of welfare.

A project that will enroll local employers (excluding cross-regional or international chains) willing to participate that seek to expand their business, Atlasia Works will allow eligible individuals, by requirements such as being on any form of means-tested assistance benefits for 6 months or longer, to seek jobs from employers enrolled in the program within the SEDZ to get them back to work. The government will subsidize up to 80% of the wage of the employee for the employer seeking to expand, but immediately unable to do so, for up to two years.

This program will dramatically and safely expand employment and allow for the further development of communities which is the point of the Social & Economic Development Zone policy.

(Such a program is not actually unheard of. The state of Florida, breaking out of character for a moment, instituted "Florida Get Back To Work," a temporary program which would subsidize up to 95% of wages for employers who seek to expand without the immediate means to do so for people in extended bouts with unemployment. If Florida can do it, we can too.)

Secondly, we will push for broader efforts nation-wide. We believe that normal businesses just need a little help during the fight with unemployment, and can expand on their own if only their burden on hiring was eased. We seek to implement generous hiring incentives for small businesses by giving businesses that employ less than 200 individuals $5,500 tax credits for each new individual they hire.

For big businesses and small businesses alike, however, there is one more effective tool we can used to fuel the growth of employment; a payroll tax cut. For any Atlasian business that hires, after a year upon the passage of the law, a new employee that has been out of work for more than 30 days, that business is exempt from Social Security payroll taxes on that employee for one year.

We believe we have an effective and detailed plan for fueling employment in Atlasia and ensuring that we will always have high levels of employment. But this is just one element of our plan to fuel, sustain, and defend employment, and the next stage of our plan, sustainment, will be released promptly.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I think others are capable of doing the job, Vepres.

Nope.

Well, they better start training then, because PS isn't going to be here forever either way.

[Marokai Backbeat]

vane IS hamilton.

I would hope he won't be around for long.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I suspect almost everyone would like to have PS continue as GM if he's not elected president.

Except those who might prefer a GM who's fair, impartial, and has a clue about economics.

Purple State actually does a ton of research for all his work and he ought to be commended on that. I only wish you put a fraction of the work he puts into his GM posts into yours.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Getting the thread back on track a little bit.. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will mark another day we publish some more of our goals, PS on game reform of course, and myself on domestic policy. The last I heard we will be doing that every Thursday for sure, though that won't prevent us from posting more ideas on another times. That might not last the entire campaign, since at some point we'll pick up the pace closer to the election, but for now that seems to be the plan.

I'm also probably going to change my first post in this thread and move my opening speech down a little bit, and use my first post as a table of contents for all our proposals so they can be easily navigated.

[Marokai Backbeat]

1. I don't have a wiki account.
2. I have no plans of getting a wiki account.
3. I have just done a remarkable job on the census and voter lists, if I do say so myself.  If you are threatening to fire me for not doing wiki work, I suppose that will be your prerogative once you are elected- I think it would be a bad move.

I adore the job you're doing, but I'm in complete agreement with Purple State's plans here. You have done an absolutely amazing job and you know how I feel about your performance in the job by now I'm sure. But I think refusing to get a wiki account is a little silly. What's the harm in asking for one and at least making an update once in awhile?

[Marokai Backbeat]

My policy will be published later on, perhaps a bit into the night, just so everyone knows.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Oh, I'll think about it, okay?  It's just not the job I signed up for, and I'm not appreciating being forced into a corner by the presumptive future President.  I don't know thing one about it, and I don't know where to go to learn.

I think you do an exceptional job, so I very much doubt Purple State would just outright fire you, but I do hope we can all make a better effort to improve the Wiki, because it's really in bad shape most of the time, sadly.

[Marokai Backbeat]

If you really want to push this, get an instruction manual published, or provide a link to one.  Like I said, I know zero about this.  If Purple State wants everybody getting involved, we all need some training.

Believe me, it took me alot of trial and error just for rather basic wiki editing. But I can usually do a decent job.