Office of Legislator Velasco: Statement on energy policies

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I've only read As I Lay Dying. It was a difficult book to comprehend, but very well written and conceived.

[Velasco]

I've read Sartoris, Absalom Absalom and a minor novel called Pylon. I must admit that all of these in Spanish translations. I doubt that my current English level allows me to understand Faulkner in the original version. I can manage with writers like Coetzee (a South African Noble Prize), because of the direct writing style, though it's not entertainment literature precisely. By the way, if someone is interested in Coetzee, try with Disgrace.

[Wisconsin+17]

Is there an english translation and a spanish version of Don Quixote that you would recommend? I'm trying to work on my spanish, and I'd rather ask someone knowledgeable because I want an accurate translation that will work well in English and corroborate with the actual text.

[Velasco]

I don't know which Spanish editions could be available in the USA. Recent good versions by prestigious philologists are Martín Riquer's and Francisco Rico's. I have little idea about English versions, but after quick look at the useful wikipedia I'll quote:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

Carlos Fuentes (died on May 15, 2012) was a good Mexican writer, diplomatic and sociologist and he recommends Grossman as you can see.

[Wisconsin+17]

Ok, that's fine. I have some reading to do. Thank you and I appreciate your assistance.

[Velasco]

December 20, 2012. Atlanta, Georgia:

Southerners, fellow citizens. I feel very grateful and here, from this great city of Atlanta I want to express the joy and the hope that nest in my heart. In the late days, campaigning in the Deep South, you've gave me enough samples of support to feel reasonably optimistic. From the city of Montgomery (Alabama), cradle of the movement for the civil rights, to the charming Savannah, where I've seen the curious emergence of the Nateist faith among the citizens of the Georgian port city. From El Paso to Charleston, from Key West to Graceland and Yoknapatawpha County, This Land is our Land! Here, in the leading city and epicentre of the New South, we can dream with a region that looks forward, to a horizon of wide avenues.



Under the Atlanta's tree canopy, looking towards the Midtown skyline, in the concentration of the interior of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, rededicated to the Nateist worship, under the Georgian clear skies... I can't help but feeling the enormous potential of this land. People of the South, let's look always up to the infinite and beyond!

Tomorrow we'll face a crucial election, where the destiny of our region will be decided for the next legislative period. I am sure that you will vote following the dictate of your consciences and your hearts, thinking about what's the best for the South. Regardless of your choice it will be for good.

I can only tell you that if you elect me, I'll fight for what I consider just and necessary. For the rights of The People, specially for those more disadvantaged by the fortune. For the racial equality and against any type of gender discrimination. For fair laws governing the economic and labor relations. For bequeathing to the future generations a better country, with special emphasis in protecting the environment. For a political environment where predominates the cooperation over partisanship, searching for what keeps us together instead of the ideological head-on collision. For a better coordination between us and the Federal Government, supporting our freedom and identity. For opening this region to the outside. For a real equality of opportunities, beginning from the education and ending in the free access to healthcare for all the groups of population. There's so much to do...

[Velasco]

December 21, 2012. Miami-Dade, Florida:

In these moments I'm in Florida, trying to convince undecided voters... in the beach

Later, I'll fly to Austin to cast my ballot.

Come to the polling booth, fellow citizens. Que Dios reparta suerte, alea jacta est, etcetera.

[Zanas]

December 20, 2012. Atlanta, Georgia:
 Here, in the leading city and epicentre of the New South

Actually, I think Memphis is still the capital city of the IDS, but maybe you were referring to a more unofficial, spiritual leadership.

[Velasco]

December 20, 2012. Atlanta, Georgia:
 Here, in the leading city and epicentre of the New South

Actually, I think Memphis is still the capital city of the IDS, but maybe you were referring to a more unofficial, spiritual leadership.

Indeed. I was talking rhetorically -BTW, I did certain more or less subtle references in this last chat of the campaign, I wanted to know if someone could catch them-. Atlanta is supposed to be a dynamic and 'progressive' city in the South. However, if a had to vote for a capital I would choose New Orleans. There are two reasons for me: the historical and distinctive character of the city and its location in the center of the region.

[Velasco]

Dec. 24, 2012. Austin, Texas. Press release:

The voting booth is closed. In the first count, the incumbent legislator Ben Kenobi (Fed.) received 9 votes (33.33%), I received 8 votes (29.63%), Bacon King (TPP) and jerryarkansas (Fed.) 5 votes each (18.52%).

It seems pretty clear that legislator Ben Kenobi has been reelected and this office wants to congratulate him. Also, congratulations to Bacon King and jerryarkansas for their great campaigns. Thank you very much to all the people who voted for me in this election and to the citizens of the South for exercising their right to vote of civic form.

The counts to determine the second seat will be interesting:

By the moment, we'll wait to Emperor PiT's certification of the results.

[Wisconsin+17]

According to PiT's certification all the second Bacon King preferences prevail. Heckuvan election.

[Velasco]

Heckuvan means great, isn't it? Indeed.

Congratulations to Bacon King as well, if second preferences prevail over head-to-head.

[Wisconsin+17]

And thank you for a classy (and exciting), election campaign. :b:

[Velasco]

Hi folks. No time for great speeches now. Let's try with a revisionist... an ideological approach.

[Zanas]

I would like to strongly endorse you for your bid for IDS Legislature. Last class B election in December saw the election of BenKenobi and BaconKing, IDS' two BKs. BenKenobi went on to resign of his Speakership and his seat, and was replaced by jerryarkansas by nomination of PiT. I don't think he'll be running again this time, but you never know. BaconKing, while I think he is on our side, has been blatantly absent from the House for a majority of his term, and I don't know if he'll run for reelection, or get it if he does.

So it's a clear and nice shot for you this time, since as far as I can go back no one has declared as of yet.

I'll also take the occasion to remind us that were Duke to be elected to VP in the Presidential vote, there would be one vacant seat in the IDS again. PiT seems to have a tradition of appointing someone of the same political affiliation to replace it, but in that case TPP has only 3 members in the IDS : Duke, BaconKing, and AndrewPA, whom I don't know if he's very active, at least I seldom get to see him around here. So if BaconKing gets elected class B, and Duke gets elected VP, maybe we should have someone up and ready to offer, someone Labor or close to us, to offer PiT for the replacement.

[Adam Griffin]

[Velasco]

February 18, 2013. Wizard's Cave, Sundance (Utah)

As soon as the electoral journey has concluded, I would like to congratulate the new President and Vice President of this glorious Republic: Marokai and Duke. In addition my sincere congratulation to the elect senators Napoleon, North Carolina Yankee and the other newly elected representants of the regions of which our nation consists.

Also, I want to congratulate the incumbent Legislator Jerry from Arkansas for his reelection and The People of Atlasia and The South for this great election.

I am frankly disappointed by the lack of competitiveness of this campaign in our dear land of The South. When I lost the election for such a narrow margin in December against the two BKs I was feeling that, regardless my defeat, the region was revitalizing and taking a fresh new air. I miss you, my dear opponents.

I will try to do the best in the interest of our People and I promise that my spirit will be cooperating with the Speaker Zanas and the other Legislators in taking forward initiatives in the good of our region.

Thanks to all who trusted in me. Good night and good luck to everybody.

[Adam Griffin]

Regardless of the circumstances of the election (you already fought a highly-contested campaign prior, so we'll count that for this time ), I am extremely glad to see you finally elected to the IDS Legislature. No doubt there has been a recent lull in activity, but I have full confidence you will help get both the Legislature and the region back on the right track.

[Zanas]

My wholehearted congratulations ! Your arrival at my sides here on the benches of the Imperial Legislature of the South has been long waited for ! We have to make things fine and right in the South. I waited for the election cycle to end before spurring back activity in the House, but now we will proceed and hopefully pass some great legislation. If I can make a suggestion, maybe you could work with our fellows Seatown and Griffin on wrapping up a "Public Energy for the South Act" of some kind to introduce as your first bill ?

[Dereich]

Ah, I'm sorry I'd forgotten until now; congratulations Velasco! I look forward to working with you.

[Velasco]

Ah, I'm sorry I'd forgotten until now; congratulations Velasco! I look forward to working with you.

Thanks Dereich, I hope so.

My wholehearted congratulations ! Your arrival at my sides here on the benches of the Imperial Legislature of the South has been long waited for ! We have to make things fine and right in the South. I waited for the election cycle to end before spurring back activity in the House, but now we will proceed and hopefully pass some great legislation. If I can make a suggestion, maybe you could work with our fellows Seatown and Griffin on wrapping up a "Public Energy for the South Act" of some kind to introduce as your first bill ?

Thank you very much, Zanas. Yes, I think it's a good idea trying to put a few things in common before introducing new legislation on the subject. If I remember well the energy was one of the main points in Adam's platform and seatown had some proposals too.

[Velasco]

Citizens of the South:

We have had a long and sometimes harsh debate about the construction of new nuclear plants in the South. Leaving aside the objections that I have towards the nuclear fission, I tried to make clear that the implications of this debate go beyond the classical argument between supporters or detractors of the atom. The concern and the worry for the environment and the future of the mankind are subjects that I consider that should be over partisan quarrels. Regrettably the debate has been undertaken from a wrong perspective, but this is not so strange because politics usually degenerates in cokfights inside the farmyard.

We need to design an energetic strategy with vision of future and taking urgent measurements here and now, because the gravity of the situation demands it: we have a climate change going on, ladies and gentlemen.

In addition, we have to take measurements to replace our current ways of obtaining energy by renewable, clean and safe sources. Given the current state of the technological advances and the costs, we'll have to undertake a gradual transition. Nevertheless we cannot go too slow, because all the climatic models give alarming perspectives. I cannot persuade the Chinese of  reducing their emissions, but I can act at home. In fact, I believe that a new energetic strategy must begin from the base: from the local communities, the centers of work, the farms, our homes and schools, where we must try to inculcate the values of respect for the environment and the need of not wasting energy.

Far away from proposing mega-projects or massive state investments for the construction of energetic plants, I am going to propose measures that could be adopted at local level. Also I believe that it's suitable to adapt the policies to the local needs of every community and make the citizens imply, because this is a matter that concerns to all. Of course, the state must invest in parallel on development and research. A global strategy against the climate change must be undertaken from different angles, but the task has great complexities and I think that acting from the base is a good starting point.

I had liked to follow the example of Germany and, instead of constructing new fission plants, go closing them gradually. The civil pressure and the ecological conscience in this country made  Chancellor Merkel rectify her initial ideas and betting for the investment in renewable sources, as the solar or wind power. Nevertheless there is something of the German model that we can adopt: nowadays the half of German production in renewable energies comes from private properties. I want to stimulate the installation of solar panels in every farm and in every home for the domestic consumption or that a farm could install wind turbines or a windmill where it is possible, for example in the state of Texas. Because of it, my first offer will be that the government acts granting credits to everybody who wants to install clean energy facilities in private properties.

In the next days, I will be developing aspects that I believe that they should be legislated, so much as for renewable energies as for the implication of the community. I will base on a sketch of amendment that I made to the so called Clean Energy Act and in a project on clean communities that it is being discussed nowadays in the Senate.

I'm open to proposals from my fellow citizens, so feel free to express your ideas.

[Zanas]

I salute Velasco's effort to open a wider debate on energetic policy. I'm looking forward to his insight and proposals on the matter.

As a sidenote, I'd just want to say that it is necessary, as a first and foremost priority, to make energy savings. What our opponents is the nuclear debate didn't understand, is that it won't be possible to replace all our present energetic production with renewable energies. We are bound to produce less, so we must consume less, a lot less. We have to make buildings, transportation, industries, as energetically efficient as possible, and we have to do it now.

Because even solar power is not a renewable energy, as we need germanium to build those panels and you don't have an infinity of that either. Really, the only infinite energies we can identify are gravity (therefore hydro-electricity), wind, and tides. But we simply cannot rely on those to replace our whole production. That's not feasible, so we need to consume less.

[Velasco]

I'm sure that we need to save energy. It's not possible to continue increasing the levels of consumption in geometric progression because it's not sustainable in the medium and long term. Because of it, we must take all the possible measurements tending to the saving and the rationalization of the consumption. To obtain a major energy efficiency is indispensable. Now then, our opponents can argue, with some reason, that a drastic and short-term reduction of the consumption would depress the economy. Maybe it's more realistic to prosecute a deceleration of the consumption first, by means of the promotion of measures of saving and efficiency.

Solar power, at first, is infinite and therefore renewable. The potential is really enormous. The most efficient solar panels for the present time are those made of germanium, which are expensive and used in space, mainly by NASA. However, the technology for the construction of the panels is capable of improving in the future, for what this matter looks like to me only a temporary limitation. However, I need to investigate more on the subject.

A couple of links, if anyone is interested. The first is an interview with an expert in solar panels, talking about germanium and technological innovations in Spanish (probably there's an English version, cause it's the page of the European Commission). The second link goes to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/about-eco-innovation/experts-interviews/32_es.htm

http://www.nrel.gov/solar/

As for the hydroelectric power, the main problem is the environmental imapact of the big dams. I have thought to include the promotion of mini hydroelectric power stations to supply energy to the local communities, where it's possible.

Hope that I could advance a bit this weekend.