Talk Elections

It has been more than a week since I was appointed to the Mideast Assembly and now it's time to open my office! It shall be a place for statements, announcements, questions and comments. If you have any contribution to make please feel free to knock at my office's door. ;)

As I have already announced, I am going to run for a first full term in the upcoming Mideast Assembly elections. The elections (both 5 Assemblymen and a new Governor shall be elected) take place on the 21st of July. I encourage all voters to keep this date in mind and cast their votes for the four RPP candidates (ZuWo, Inks, MOPolitico, Cathcon) and, in the governor's race, for afleitch. Together we can get things done in our region and ensure that our taxes remain low and our economy thrives.

Regarding my work in the Assembly, I would like to remind my fellow Assemblymen as well as all citizens of the Mideast to have a look at the Amendment to Reduce the Size of the Assembly and other bills which are currently being debated. It is important that our Assembly continues to work in an effective way and that all elected Assemblymen are as active as possible.
If I am elected to a first full term, I will work actively for our region and be a conservative Assemblyman. I am currently working on a bill which will require foreign immigrants to the Mideast to take English language courses and a bill which shall deal with marijuana laws. If it is going to be possible, I shall introduce both of them after the upcoming elections.

You can also introduce them now and then we'll debate them. They won't pass in time, but then when you introduce them in the next session you can already make changes and save a large amount of time from not having to vote on amendments.

Well, I actually wanted to give us in the Assembly time to finish the old bills
before we move on to new issues. There are still some debates going on there.
At the same time I wanted to outline what I'm planning to do after my possible election in order to give the people of the Mideast reasons to vote for or against me, and that's why I mentioned the bills I'm currently preparing in the first place. Anyway, I might as well introduce my bills before the election starts on Thursday. It depends on how much time I get for them. ;)

The first results in the Mideast Assembly elections look encouraging for the RPP and its candidates. I am eager to see whether this positive trend is continues and express my hope that as many voters as possible, regardless of their political affiliation, are going to cast their vote in the remaining period of time.
The more people vote, the better it is for our Mideast democracy!

The elections are over and hard work is ahead of the reelected and newly elected Assemblymen of the Mideast. I want to congratulate MOPolitico, Speaker Inks, TJ in Cleve and Cathcon to their success and am looking forward to working constructively with you during this term.
Thanks to everyone who voted for me! As I promised before the election, I will do everything in my power not to disappoint my voters and remain a reliably conservative voice in our Assembly.

Press Release 1: Announcement

With the next Mideast Assembly elections less than a month away, I declare that I am running for reelection. Both the constructive working atmosphere in the Assembly and my motivation to advance conservative issues have made clear to me that I want to continue to be involved in regional politics. I hope my fellow Assemblymen will make the same decision and run for reelection as well!
Thank you!

TPTTAA - Are you running for President? All the cool people are.

1. ask me in 2 years
2. Unfortunately I'm not cool
3. I'm too inexperienced and too conservative and too dull and still know too little about Atlasia as a whole to be presidential material.

Clear? :P

TPTTAA - how can you be too conservative, are you not european?

Well, I'm Swiss. Is that really "European"? I have my doubts. ;)

But you're right. I'm way too conservative even for the place I come from, not to mention large parts of Atlasia. That's why I feel most comfortable in the Mideast, where conservatism is quite the mainstream. Any other questions?

TPP -  A while ago you sponsored an anti-marijuana bill in the Mideast Assembly.  Why do you oppose The People's freedom to smoke if they so choose?

Thank you for the question. I laid out my point of view in a detailed way during the debate of that bill, so I will just mention the main points again.

I oppose the right to smoke marijuana because of the risks it entails. Considering the mental and physical damages that the consumption of marijuana may cause, I believe it is a more dangerous drug than the legal substances tobacco or alcohol, which opponents of marijuana regulation often cite as drugs that are "equally harmful" as marijuana. Thus, I find it irresponsible to grant such a drug legal status. Then there is the aspect of the protection of minors. I am of the conviction that a ban would discourage adults (and minors) from smoking marijuana, at least to a certain extent.

Now the bill has failed, and I don't intend to bring it up again in the future. If such a bill couldn't be passed by the current (rather conservative) Assembly, I don't think it could ever be passed in the future.

The Atlasian Sentinel asks...

Why do you have an orange avater? Typically (and by typically, I mean most people, not everyone) people with orange avater's are more liberal, and considering you're both economically and socially conservative, we'd expect you to be sporting a blue avater.

Ha, what a question. I prepared for all sorts of questions, but not for a question about the colour of my avatar. But this only shows how close the Atlasian Sentinel is to the real needs and interests of the Atlasian people :P

Well, the answer is quite straightforward, though. The "other" avatar (that's what the orange colour stands for) refers to my political affiliation in my home country, Switzerland. Since there is neither a Swiss Republican, nor a Swiss Democrat nor any other Swiss party that resembles a particular American party, I had to go for "other".

So no, I'm not a closet liberal who is accidentally outed by his suspicious avatar. ;)

TPTTAA - are you saying you oppose the US Republican Party?

It's astonishing that an ordinary Assemblyman gets the opportunity to answer so many questions that greatly vary in their content by very different media outlets, but I'm glad to do that. ;)

Well, due to my conservative stances on the issues I have closer ideological ties to the Republicans than to the Democrats, so I don't oppose the US Republican Party or whatsoever. However, my point is that since I'm not American I cannot completely identify with any US party because many of the issues a US party (or any non-Swiss party, for that matter) deals with are very different from the issues that are relevant to my home country.

(Sorry for not being able to provide a more entertaining answer. ;))

There are always many things to take into account with avatar selection, but orange does usually indicate left.

I have my current avatar as Green and Ontario for two reasons.

1 - This is the provincial party I support.
2 - I am the only person (who posts regularly in the sub-fora that I post) who uses this avatar, and thus it makes it very easy for me to pick out my own posts, which is important to me due to the "way" I read the forum.

IMO I don't see why you don't use the Republican avatar. While it might be a perfect fit, even Obama's policies are not a "perfect fit" for the Democratic Party. Nobody is. I also think that if you made a list of 5 parties in the EU that are closest to the US Republicans, your party would be on that list.

IMO, but still, seems odd to me. I still don't quite understand.

Honestly, I don't care too much what colour my avatar has. People who want to get a quick overview of where I stand politically can look at my political matrix scores and see that I'm really not a leftist. As I said, I chose the orange avatar because I haven't got any ties to a particular American party and a separate avatar for the Swiss party I support is - understandably - not available. But that's no big deal. I mean, I could do it like Kalwejt and change my avatar every second day, or stick to an avatar with any other random colour. In my opinion, these avatars shouldn't be treated as something extremely significant. ;)

Are there any other questions regarding political issues or are my 15 minutes of fame over now? ;)

Press Release 1: Meeting with representatives of the Mideast Pro-Life PAC

After a two-hour meeting with representatives of the Mideast Pro-Life PAC (MPL PAC) in Louisville, Kentucky, Assemblyman ZuWo made clear that he considered the fight against abortion a key political issue. “We’re about to pass a landmark bill which will drastically reduce the number of abortions in the Mideast”, Assemblyman ZuWo said to a handful of journalists after the meeting, referring to the “Amendment to the Mideast Abortion Statute II”, which is currently being debated by the Mideast Assembly and appears to have the support of 4 out of 5 Assemblymembers.

Asked whether he thought it wise that the Assembly is spending time debating social rather than economical issues in times of a recession, the politician stated: “There is never a wrong time to pass legislation which saves thousands of lives. There is never a wrong time to protect the unborn, the weakest members of our society.”
 
When a journalist of the Atlasian Sentinel confronted him with the possibility that the abortion amendment could be voted down in a popular referendum, the Assemblyman shrugged. “We live in a democracy, and the people of the Mideast will have the last word on the issue. But I’m confident that if we go out there and talk to the people in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and the many other wonderful states in the Mideast and make sure that our arguments are heard, we can overcome all difficulties.”

The meeting with the pro-life PAC in Kentucky is one of numerous events during the Assemblyman’s re-election campaign. He is expected to make his next appearance in the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

Welcome!!! I loom forward to showing you around!

()

Thank you for the offer, Assemblyman TJ. I will be meeting with members of a teachers union in the morning and have lunch with some of them. But after that I shall have time for a tour through the city. Perhaps it would be advisable to give a joint press conference after the tour? Publicity is never a bad idea. :P 

Press Release 2: Meeting with members of the Mideast Teachers Union

This morning, Assemblyman ZuWo met with members of the Mideast Teachers Union in Cleveland, Ohio. He expressed his view that the work of teachers was very important and that it was every politician’s and each citizen’s responsibility to show teachers that their efforts are valued.

 “Teachers work hard every day. They invest time and power to educate our kids and have a huge impact on them. The work of a teacher influences a child’s future to a great extent, so we must do all we can to provide teachers favorable labor conditions.” The Assemblyman, who once worked in a private language school himself before he was elected to the Mideast Assembly, referred to the various education bills that were passed in the Mideast and laid out his arguments for the “Guidelines for Private Language School Act”, which he has recently introduced and is up for debate in the Assembly.

“We need to make sure private language schools adhere to most basic quality standards. A person who wishes to get private tuition in a language school must have the right to know whether the school he or she wants to go to is a respectable educational institution.”

After the meeting, ZuWo was asked a couple of questions by the press. To the Assemblyman’s slight disappointment, the three journalists who bothered to appear did not seem too eager to pose questions about educational issues but were more interested in the upcoming presidential elections. The journalists claimed that many Atlasians were asking themselves why the Regional Protection Party still has not decided whether there would be a RPP presidential ticket. The Assemblyman did not want to waste too many words about the presidential elections and said: “There’s still time for a decision. Discussions are going on within the party, and I am absolutely confident that the RPP’s strategy will be well-based and very successful.”  

Press Release 3: Statement regarding the "Amendment to the Mideast Abortion Statute II"

Assemblyman ZuWo has issued the folliwng statement:

Dear friends and fellow pro-lifers,

The "Amendment to the Mideast Abortion Statute II" has been passed by the Assembly and will be signed into law by the Governor soon. This is a tremendous success for the sanctity of life movement and an example of real and effective progress in our fight to protect the lives of thousands of unborn children.
 
However, you may have heard that a legal challenge to the bill is likely going to be brought forward after the Governor will have signed the bill because it is said to violate Roe v. Wade. I urge all of you not to be discouraged and continue to fight for our honorable cause. Fellow pro-lifers, in case this amendment is going to be overturned let me tell you that we shall not waver in our determination and try to reach our goals by other democratic means. I assure you that I will introduce one or numerous bills that will place heavy restrictions on abortion clinics if necessary. Even if we possibly cannot succeed in changing the law as to banning abortion explicitly, we can make sure abortion clinics in the Mideast will face restrictions that make it impossible for them to operate. In this way, we reach our target in a more indirect but in a no more ineffective way.

I thank you for your support and assure you that our mission has not ended here.

Regards,

Assemblyman ZuWo

On the campaign trail in Jefferson City, Missouri

Last night Assemblyman ZuWo held a fundraising event in Jefferson City, Missouri, and spoke to a group of uncommitted Mideast voters. He expressed his content with the broad field of candidates for the Mideast Assembly, which he said offered the voters a real choice.

“You can vote for continuity and re-elect those Assemblymembers who you think have done a good job for the region. But you can also choose to elect fresher faces with a different vision for the Mideast”, ZuWo stated. “I assure you all that a vote for me and my fellow Assemblymen is a vote that you won’t regret. We will continue to work hard and humbly and tackle both social and economic issues. Our sole intent is to advance our region.”

The Assemblyman also addressed the economic woes of numerous Mideasterners. “We’re going through a difficult time and must pay attention that no one in our region is left behind. The Assembly has the duty to create a positive economic setting by keeping the tax burden as low as possible. Big government and aimless spending is not the answer to a recession, but we must make sure that we invest in our infrastructure in a reasonable way. Our bridges must be safe, new roads must be built and existing ones must be properly maintained. We also need to invest in new electrical lines and, very importantly, our transportation system. In this way we will remain competitive as a region.”

Due to the crowded field of candidates for the five Assembly seats, the Assemblyman has decided to rev up his re-election efforts. “No one can take a seat for granted. This election will be a nail biter for all of us.”

Statement regarding the Mideast Assembly Elections

It is encouraging to see that so many Mideasterners have already cast their vote in the Assembly and gubernatorial elections. While there were only 10 valid votes in the last elections in July, the number of voters is 15 at the moment. Great news!

I'm especially happy about the fact that it seems that all current RPP Assemblymembers who are running again will be re-elected. Franzl, another RPP member, is likely to be elected as well. This success, underlined by the comparatively high turnout, is a mandate for a continuation of conservative policies. I thank the people of the Mideast for their support!

Assemblyman ZuWo

Congratulations on the re-election!

Thank you. I'm glad you were re-elected as well.

New Assembly Session

With the upcoming election of Inks as Speaker, the new session of the Mideast Assembly is about to begin. Let me briefly outline what my priorities are:

1. Education: Guidelines for Private Language Schools Act

I am going to reintroduce a bill from the last session that focuses on private language schools. Our region should establish concrete guidelines for private educational institutions to guarantee that students who take courses at a particular school can study in an encouraging environment. I'm looking forward to debating this issue with my fellow Assemblymembers.

2. Economy: Keeping taxes low

I am convinced that our region's path to economic success is a low tax burden. Necessary investments in our infrastructure must be made. I welcome the ideas that some of my fellow colleagues and the Governor have put forward and will be discussed in the Assembly. I am confident that the Assembly in its new composition will take common-sense decisions which strenghten our economy.

3. Social issues: Keep a close eye on critical issues

The Assembly has spent a lot of time focusing on social issues during the last session. With the new Governor who is rather liberal socially it is probably not possible to push through socially conservative bills this session. However, I will keep a close eye on essential topics such as abortion and drugs and am prepared to propose new ideas whenever I deem it necessary.

Let's get working again! ;)

Statement on the special election to the Atlasian Senate

To the people of Atlasia,

This has been a fascinating election. Congrats to the winner, Kalwejt. I hope you will remain an independent and active voice in your new office!
In my view, turnout efforts both by the RPP and the JCP have been tremendous. We in the RPP have done a great job trying to contact as many potential voters as possible but due to the structural disadvantage our party has in Atlasia victory was out of reach for us today. I thank Junkie for having made this a great race. Junkie has been one of the best candidates the RPP could field so I am proud this turned out to be a really close race. I would love to see Junkie run for Atlasian-wide office again at some stage. We really need dedicated and qualified people like him!

There is no need for bitter feelings, nor should people start or continue personal feuds or to bicker about the election. Clearly, this result is a mandate for the JCP. To the guys in the JCP: You now have a supermajority in the Senate. You have had the presidency, and the new President is likely going to be one of your guys as well. Enjoy this victory, but be aware that the full responsibility regarding Atlasia is yours. You will be judged by the state of Atlasia when the next election will be held. You have the majority to change things for the better or the worse. Keep that in mind when making decisions in the Senate.

On the federal level, the RPP is undoubtedly the main opposition party. It is therefore our job to present alternative ideas and concepts of how we want to change Atlasia. Let's not give up just because we lost another election. Let's work hard and focus on the issues. We are a big tent party which for the most part doesn't consist of "far right extremists", as some would put it. We are a party of both conservatives and moderates. There are many great and dedicated people in the RPP. The future of our party is not bleak, it is indeed very bright. Yes, we're struggling in a way like the GOP struggles in US states such as Massachusetts or Connecticut. Yes, we are going to lose most federal races in Atlasia. But as long as all of us remain sincere, honest and fair and as long as we manage to keep elections close and interesting by putting forward great candidates and clear plans, we can be proud.

Thank you!

ZuWo

Press Release: No compromise on regional rights!

Dear Mideast citizens,

regional rights are in danger. The Atlasian Senate is currently debating a bill which curbs the constitutionally guaranteed autonomy of the Atlasian regions, a bill called the "Environmental Conservation and Protection Act". It appears that this constitutionally questionable bill, which will place a ban on land transfers by the regions of Atlasia, has the support of a majority of the Atlasian Senators.

Note that this is a bill which Vice President Bacon King voted against only two months ago due to constitutional concerns.

Fortunately, there is a way you can voice your concern and take a stance in favor of regional rights. Vote RPP - the sole party that stands up for our regions. Vote Duke/Cincinnatus.

Does this voting for the RPP include Mideast Regional Senate elections?

That was not the VP's reason...he cited a law already in place that really wasn't relevant to the bill being debated.

This is a tricky question. Both shua and MOPolitico are excellent candidates, and both of them have reasonable views on regional rights. So the Mideast Senate election is an exception in that respect. If you are a supporter of strong regional rights, both candidates are fine. There are other reasons why or why not to support one of the two people running for the ME Senate seat.

Press Release: Running for re-election to the Mideast Assembly

Today I announce that I will run for re-election to the Mideast Assembly. The election is only a bit more than two weeks away so it is about time to get my campaign started. It may be an advantage to be a sitting RPP Assemblyman when running for re-election in a conservative region like the Mideast, but I do not want to assume that this election is going to be a cakewalk.

I believe our Assembly has passed a number of really important bills so far in this term. We have dealt with and are still debating bills that tackle educational as well as environmental issues and have, despite a slow start, made decisions which will have a positive impact on our region. While there's always room for improvement, I think the current Assembly is composed of members who are both willing and able to work together and find sensible solutions to the problems the Mideast is facing.

I shall continue to be an active Assemblyman who will uphold conservative values. Citizens of the Mideast, I therefore ask for your confidence and your vote in the next election. Thank you very much!

Assemblyman ZuWo

Endorsed, former colleague! Also, you can expect a shipment of monopoly money to fund your campaign coming from one of my various PACs. ;)

Thank you very much for your endorsement and the promised bucks. But if you haven't ruled out running for a seat yourself, you should maybe keep the money from your PACs. ;)

I'll sit this one out, thank you. I'll probably stage a comeback in the next few election cycles, hoping to use it as a stepping stone to get into higher office. I'm looking for something else besides MidEast Assemblyman to be on my resume. Sadly, an appointed position doesn't seem open given the RPP's chances of winning a Presidential election. :P

YAY

Press Release: TV Ad

Assemblyman ZuWo, who is running for reelection to the Mideast Assembly, has released a new TV ad. The ad will be shown by numerous TV channels across the Mideast. Below is a transcript of the ad.

In Good Hands

"During the past months, I've been working tirelessly for our region. I and my colleagues in the Assembly, we've managed to pass important pieces of legislation that benefit the entire region. Not only have we tried to make sure that our economy is running smoothly, but we have also tackled critical educational and environmental issues.

As your Assemblyman, I will continue to take your concerns seriously. I support a free-market system which does not place any unnecessary burden on our businesses and I fight for conservative moral values. Most importantly, I will not relent in defending the sanctity of life.

I humbly ask you for your vote. Our region is in good hands, let's continue to move our region forward."
 

Endorsed. With you in the Assembly, we are in good hands :)

Thank you. That's exactly the type of effect this ad should have. :P

No, seriously, one thing I still have to work on is to be more successful with my bills. In an RPP-dominated Assembly it should be possible to get more than just 1 bills passed during one term. ;)

We seem to have an odd US vs. Europe split on dog related bills for some reason. European posters seem to favor restrictions on dog related issues that are viewed as extreme and strange to Americans. I'd have a hard time fathoming how an area as large as the Mideast could put some kind of blanket restriction like the one you proposed or the one from eariler this year (that seemed completely crazy to me). For example, a decent number of pit bull owners probably live way out in rural areas where it would seem ridiculous to muzzle a dog (heck, you're lucky if they even bother with leashes). This type of thing might be good in a city, but not everywhere in a huge region.

The language one I wish I would have proposed an ammendment to fix. The general public (if there was one) would respnd very badly to us (a "conservative" government in particular) declairing that Engish isn't the official language. The rest of that might have worked but the wording just wasn't going to win.

Oddly, both of these bills might have been passed in more liberal areas. But they don't mesh well with conservatives for a variety of cultural big city vs. 'real' America kind of ways.

Yes, it looks indeed like a Europe vs. US split. Thanks for the advice anyway,  I'll see whether I can come up with something new regarding the language issue. But I'm not overly stubborn and don't want to bring the same topic up again and again just to push my personal ideas if there's no chance in passing anything.

About the dog issue, could you possibly support a bill which would require owners of pit bulls and similarly "dangerous" dogs to keep their dogs on leashes?

Press Release: Mideast Assembly and Special Senate Election

Dear people of the Mideast

In two days you are going to cast your vote in two elections. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to elect a new Mideast Assembly, and on the other hand there is a special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by President Snowguy.

Regarding the Assembly elections, I ask you to consider casting your vote for the following candidates who have announced their intention to run for a seat:

Assemblyman ZuWo, Assemblyman TJ in Cleve, Assemblyman and Speaker of the Assembly Inks, Former Governor A-Bob and Former President Tmthforu.

I believe that with these candidates our Assembly will remain active and effective and, most importantly, reliably conservative.

Regarding the special election to the Atlasian Senate, I'd like to encourage all of you to vote for NE Assemblyman and former vice-presidential candidate Cincinnatus. While there certainly is an ideological gap between myself and Cincinnatus on certain social issues, I believe he is an extremely well qualified candidate for the Senate. Not only does he know the issues that are important to Atlasia in the current environment, but he is also capable of working with people all across the political spectrum.

People of the Mideast, these two elections are of great importance to you. Have your say in regional and national affairs! Thank you for your confidence.

Sincerely,

Assemblyman ZuWo

Statement on the Assembly elections

I thank everyone who has voted for me! I'll continue to do my best to represent the citizens of the Mideast.

Unfortunately, turnout has been much worse than last time. Even though this has not come as a surprise since we only had 5 candidates for 5 seats and a relatively uncontroversial last Assembly session, I hope we'll be able to reverse this trend next time.

Press Release: Senate Endorsements

I endorse the following candidates for the upcoming Senate at-large elections (in that order):

1. TJ in Cleve (RPP)
2. Junkie (RPP)
3. 20RP12 (SPA)
4. Kalwejt (JCP)

While TJ in Cleve is perfectly in line with my opinions from an ideological point of view and has demonstrated in the Assembly how well thought-out his style of legislating is, I endorse Junkie because he is a true expert on legal matters and has vowed to be an active Senator.
I also support the non-RPP candidates 20RP12 and Kalwejt. 20RP12 has campaigned very hard and laid out a pretty detailed platform. Kalwejt has been a creative and somewhat independent Senator on many issues.

I urge all Atlasians - whether they are members of the RPP, JCP, SPA, Blue Party or independent - to look at the records of all candidates. Do not vote for people who have shown no or little interest in being Senators, do not help to get inactive people elected. Cast your vote, have your say, and help to make Atlasia a more vivid place.

Depending on how the campaign evolves, more endorsements may come.

Thank you so much :D

I am going to make an announcement at around 4 PM Eastern time today.

A New Prospect for Atlasia - ZuWo for President

Citizens of Atlasia,

Today is the first day of the year 2012 and I announce the formation of an exploratory committee for President. In the following days and weeks, I am going to test the waters regarding a potential run for President. The challenges our nation faces are legion, and I believe what our country needs in the current environment is a fresh start with a new administration that is willing to tackle the problems that are ahead of us.

I have been appointed to the Mideast Assembly in July and have served my region up to the present day. In my time as Assemblyman, I have introduced several bills, ranging from educational and regional game reform topics to issues concerning public health and law and order. I stand by my record and am grateful for the work I have had the privilege to do so far.

As President, I would work to repeal the “Productivity Equalization and Worker Employment Act”, because I believe this is a bill which has a devastating effect on the productivity of Atlasian businesses. Indeed, a core priority of a ZuWo administration would be to reduce unnecessary regulation for businesses and to lower federal taxes. In fact, we cannot afford to jeopardize the economic competitiveness of Atlasia by continuing to pursue left-wing policies.

Game reform would be another important pillar of my administration. The Senate has debated numerous reform bills in the current term, passed some of them and rejected others. Indeed, my goal as President would be to push reform ideas even more. Therefore, I would support the reinstatement of the "Game Reform Proposal Committee" that was installed under the Polnut administration in order to make Atlasia an even more interesting and fascinating place. Game reform is a constant process with the aim to improve flaws in the game; in a ZuWo administration there will be no taboos but an open-minded approach to reform ideas from people all across the political spectrum.

I am going to release a more detailed platform once my plans regarding my presidential run become more precise. I am open to questions, criticism and ideas!

Thank you all for your attention!

Assemblyman ZuWo

Go ZuWo! :D

Shouldn't one be elected to a higher office before seeking the Presidency?

If I have the honor to be able to run, I will let the Atlasian people answer this question. Indeed, it is probably an advantage to have been elected to a higher office before seeking the Presidency, but it is not the most important criterion. Clearly, I understand that there may be concerns regarding my experience, but if I run for President I will be eager to demonstrate that I am qualified to do the job despite never having been Senator or Governor.

YAAAY. Endorsed

Oh, cool, it's like when all those Congressmen run for President. Maybe you can actually, win, though. ;D

Do you plan on running as the candidate of the RPP, of which you are a member, or will you be taking a more independent stand?

Interesting.

Endorsed! :D

Though you haven't made it higher than the Assembly, I think the work you've done there is commendable, and I know you'd certainly be an active President.

This makes my vote all the more harder.

Since I am a member of the RPP, I intend to run on the core principles of my party. That is, I support the strenghtening of regional rights and believe we should try to create better conditions for our economy. Furthermore, it is no secret that I also stand for conservative values in general, a mindset that other people in the RPP probably don't have to the same extent.
Thus, I am an RPP candidate on the one hand, but due to the fact that some of my views differ from the mainstream in the party I also consider myself to be somewhat independent. 

Many thanks to those who reacted positively to my announcement! I will do my best to fulfill your expectations.


It's going to be an uphill climb to win, to say the least. And despite being a mere Assemblyman, I am not planning to be a Michele Bachmann type of candidate! ;) This shall become a constructive campaign which emphasizes a message of optimism.

On the "Efficient Automobile Rebate System Act"

The Atlasian Senate has recently debated the "Efficient Automobile Rebate System Act" and is on its way to reject the bill. First off, I would like to express my general approval of the idea that is put forward in this bill. I applaud the efforts of Senator Duke and Senator Marokai. However, I find myself in agreement with Senator MOPolitico, who has raised a specific concern regarding Section 2 of the bill, which says the following:


Section 2: Eligibility

1. To qualify for the rebate outlined in Section 1, Clause 1, the consumer must have a car that is a model manufactured at least ten years ago, and has been estimated by the EPA to travel 21 miles to the gallon.

2. To qualify for the rebate outlined in Section 1, Clause 2, the consumer must have a Sport Utility Vehicle or truck that is a model manufactured at least ten years ago, and has been estimated by the EPA to travel 18 miles to the gallon.


As Senator MOPolitico stated, a car owner must own a car which travels precisely 21 miles to the gallon or a sport utility vehicle that travles 18 miles to the gallon, respectively, in order to qualify for the rebate. Indeed, it appears that cars that travel even fewer miles to the gallon are not included in this very section of the bill. Thus, I echo MOPolitico's question what the intention behind this wording is and support Senator Nathan's statement that this piece of legislation should be redrafted regarding the section I mentioned.

Undoubtedly, the bill is a step in the right direction. It is illusionary to assume that Atlasia is going to become a public transport nation over night. Atlasia still is a car nation. Therefore, the best way to reduce car emissions is to encourage Atlasians to buy cars that are more eco-friendly. I believe that the establishment of a car rebate system would be helpful in that respect.

Thanks for the positive commentary, Zuwo. :P I look forward to seeing your "exploratory committee" develop.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Have your say and contribute to my platform!

Citizens of Atlasia,

it is of great importance to me that this campaign has a clear focus on you and your opinion about Atlasia. I am interested to hear about your plans and prospects for our nation. What are the most pressing issues to you? What would you like to see changed in Atlasia? How can Atlasia become more perfect?

Do not hesitate to voice your concerns and ideas by posting in this thread or by contacting me by PM. I will try to incorporate as many of your proposals in some way or another in my platform in order to make sure that this campaign focuses on issues that are of real importance to you. Even though this obviously does not mean that I am going to adopt your stance on every issue, I want to assure you that the issues you raise will be dealt with in my platform.

I want to set up a campaign that connects with as many Atlasians as possible. While I intend to take clear stances on the issues, a critical debate with your points of view are crucial to me.

Your opinions matter!

Can you give a general sense of what your foreign policy would be like?

Endorsed.

For now at least.

???

Didn't you say you weren't running?

Yes but I feel like you and the President have much more in common politically than you and ZuWo do.

This may be the case when it comes to social issues, but as I am going to outline in the next days and weeks, my economic platform is more appealing to libertarians than the ideas offered by the President. Thus, it all comes down to your personal priorities. If you're a libertarian and believe that social issues are the most important to you, you might have a hard time voting for me. However, if you think that the economy is what matters most and you want to support a candidate who wants less business regulation and lower taxes, I'm the guy you should vote for. ;)

Atlasia is a powerful nation, which is both a responsibility and a huge chance. I believe that our foreign policy should concentrate on two main aspects. Firstly, we should attempt to spread and propagate democratic ideals and human rights in a peaceful way and contribute to increase prosperity all over the world. Secondly, our foreign policy should also be guided by the economic interests of Atlasia.
 
As President, I will refrain from using military force and leading wars on foreign territory. Our recent experiences with wars on foreign soil have been costly and extremely painful for the entire country. While I do not want to condemn those past leaders of our country who had to make the decision to go into war because there were good reasons for their decision, I personally believe our main instruments of foreign policy shall be a strong diplomacy and, where it is necessary and useful, economic and military restriction. Yet, in the case of powerful nations like Russia and China, where the democratic and human rights situation is far from perfect, I do not think that we can improve a lot with economic restriction. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that we are compelled to establish and maintain a solid relationship with these two world powers.

Furthermore, I am supportive of the idea to designate our closest allies with a “most priority” status as outlined in the “September 2011 Foreign Policy Review”. However, I would go further and include Israel in the list of the nations that have “most priority”. Indeed, Israel, alongside most European nations and Canada, should be considered our ally and deserves favorable treatment.

Finally, a ZuWo administration would attempt to stop Iran’s nuclear program – I am tempted to say “at all costs”. Iran’s regime is a proven threat to Israel and their possession of nuclear weapons a frightening prospect. While I rule out any direct military involvement in the Middle East, I explicitly state that it is a viable option to grant Israel the support to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities if all else (diplomacy and full restrictions) fails.

And I thank Mechaman, 20RP12 and PiT for their endorsements "on probation". I hope I am not going to say too many stupid things to lose your support! ;)

Give em hell!

I have to say that you're doing a pretty horrible job on that front.

The foreign policy entry was good.  I don't agree 100% with it but it sure as hell wasn't stupid.

If that makes any sense.

I think you're a good Representative, but your aggressive and potentially antagonistic foreign policy... and what I expect to be in your social policy agenda, leads me to the position of, I wish you the best of luck, but cannot support your candidacy.

Interesting foreign policy.  No endorsement (at least now), but I wish you the best of luck.

Thank you all for your responses. I am aware that the more specific my platform becomes, the more firm people's opinions about me and my campaign will become, which will result in me both winning and losing some people's support. However, I'd rather lose an election because people have actually taken a close look at my stances and decided that they cannot fully support them than lead a campaign by trying to disguise and mitigate my real opinions in order to appeal to as many voters as possible. I therefore thank you for your critical assessment of my points of view.

This campaign shall offer full transparency to all voters. People deserve full transparency before voting in an election!

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.



Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

This is a very valid question. I think including every single expenditure delegated to the states in the individual regional budgets would be excellent, but it's probably not feasible since it would make the creation of a budget even more complex and time-consuming. However, go ahead if you feel the IDS can do it and prove me wrong, that would be impressive! ;)
No, what I wanted to get across with my comment on the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" was that it would have been neat if the Senate had stated explicitly who has to compensate for this 5% reduction in federal money - I basically repeated the question raised by GM shua in the Senate debate thread.

And thank you for your statement on my foreign policy platform!

If elected, which, if any, of Polnut's legislation will you be repealing?

There's no mandate for the regions to do it.  It's just that the Feds aren't paying for that 5%, and the Senate neither knows nor cares who they're passing the bill to. I'm glad ZuWo is paying attention to this issue and bringing it up in his campaign. Really we need to clarify the role of National Healthcare in Atlasia, but the Senate just made it more confusing.

I've just looked through all the bills that have been passed under the Polnut presidency and have come to the conclusion that it is the "Right to Treatment Act" that I would try to have repealed as President.

Here's the link to the debate:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=141937.0

I take issue with the consitutionality of this bill because it imposes too excessive restrictions on the regions, a concern which I mentioned to President Polnut in a PM at the time the bill was being debated. While I respect the President's ultimate decision to sign the bill into law, I still disagree.

Another bill I would like to see modified is the "Tax Code Bill". Although I agree with the general direction President Polnut has taken on taxes, I would try to go even further and lower taxes to a larger extent. I am going to reveal details on my vision of the "Tax Code Bill" at a later stage, but I can already say that I favor Senator Jbrase's proposal to the current tax code.

Would you favor reforming the Vice Presidency so that the Vice President is elected separately from the President and empowering the Vice President to have the authority to introduce legislation for debate and vote by the Senate?

Or do you have your own ideas on reform of the Vice Presidency, if so, what are they, or do you want to see the status quo continue in this regard?

What is that 5% supposed to cover?  And can you link me to the relevant statute?  I'm not exactly sure what law it is we are talking about?

I am supportive of Senator Kalwejt's "Separate Elections Amendment", which was unfortunately rejected by the Senate. Atlasia is still a game that is centered around elections, so having more elections only adds to the fun of the game. Also, a separate election of the Vice President could result in very interesting scenarios. Imagine, for instance, a situation where we have a left-wing President and a right-wing Vice President who has been elected by the Atlasian people and what would happen in the case of a tie in the Senate. Such a scenario would make governing for the President a bit more delicate but would also lead to more exciting situations.

Thus, I do not support the status quo. However, I am not quite sure whether a Vice President should be empowered to introduce legislation for debate in the Senate. This may in fact be unnecessary since even in the current situation all a Vice President has to do is to work together with at least one Senator and make this Senator introduce a particular bill on his behalf.

Official Announcement of Presidential Candidacy

Dear citizens of Atlasia,

Encouraged and thrilled by numerous endorsements and positive responses to my announcement to form an exploratory committee for President, I have decided to seek the presidency of Atlasia. If there is a primary in the RPP, I will campaign for my party’s nomination.

I am convinced that Atlasia needs a President who is willing to connect with citizens, is active, ready to work with people all across the political spectrum and has a vision to move our country forward. I believe that I am ready and able to do this and am highly motivated to serve Atlasia with great humility. 

I will continue to update my platform in the upcoming weeks. Questions and comments are always welcome.

Interested in Being my Running Mate?

If it has always been your dream to be Vice President of Atlasia, you share my excitement for the game, are motivated to work hard for the country, open-minded on the issue of game reform and simply want to have fun, then you are welcome to contact me; your party affiliation does not play an important role. It will take me some time to make a definite decision, so I am looking forward to get to know you and discuss certain political issues with you.

Sincerely,

ZuWo


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Go ZuWo!!!

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=145074.0

Congratulations ZuWo on your decision to seek the Presidency.  Best of luck to you.

I have another question.

Regarding who you will ultimately want to be your Vice Presidential running mate, and should you be successful in becoming the nominee of the RPP, do you believe it would be advantageous to yourself and to Atlasia for you to have a Vice President who is not in the RPP, providing a more balanced ticket?

Thank you for your kind response!

The most important about my running mate is not his party affiliation. In general, I would be very happy about a vice-presidential candidate who shares some of my convictions, so whether he is a member of the RPP or another party or an independent doesn't really matter. I want a running mate who, as I stated above, promises activity, wants to do a good job for the game, is open-minded on game-reform issues and has fun with Atlasia. Of course, it is better to have a running mate who doesn't have views that are the exact opposite of my views on major issues, but that's why I said I am planning to discuss a couple of details with people who are interested in the job.

Regarding your more general question whether it would be an advantage to Atlasia as a whole if I picked a non-RPP running mate: Again, I hope this will not play a major role. People should not vote for me or refuse to vote for me because my running mate is or is not in the RPP. They should look at the ticket and decide for themselves whether they trust these two guys enough to hand them over the office of President and Vice President. That's it.

Also keep in mind that with the impending dissolution votes in the RPP and the JCP many things remain unclear. For instance, no one knows whether these parties will still exist in the foreseeable future, and if the RPP and the JCP indeed vanish, things will become highly unpredictable anyway. That's why I think it's still too early to say what impact my choice of a running mate and my running mate's party affiliation could have. But I understand very well that you as an independent are interested in this question, and I hope to be able to give you a clearer answer at a later stage.

Thank you! If only there were a Secretary of Defense cabinet post in Atlasia, you would get it. ;) (And since I can't ruin my hypothetical chances for SoFE Ben's vote, I can't appoint you for that job, either :P)

I'm not endorsing you because I find your platform highly repulsive. ;) However, I still wish you good luck. :) You're a nice guy and a dedicated poster, and will certainly be a formidable candidate for the right.

Thank you very much! :)

You know, an endorsement from a socialist (in the European sense) would have been uncanny anyway. The fact that you wish me luck but do not endorse me shows me that I'm on the right track. :P

I haven't said this yet (mostly because I shouldn't have to), but endorsed :).

Feel free to make him Secretary of Federal Elections - I'm the SoEA ;)

1. So which Swiss party are you?
2. The ZuWo party?  We meet on Wednesdays under the bridge...At that place....

Oh, that's almost a Perry-esque blunder! When I wrote SoFE, I was thinking about "Foreign Affairs" ... but that still doesn't explain everything. :P

Thank you Senator MOPolitico and JerseyRules for your support! :)

Regarding your question, JerseyRule: I'm not a member of any party in Switzerland, but I usually vote for parties and candidates on the right.

ZuWo/Jbrase: Leadership, Reform, Results

Dear Atlasian citizens,

I am absolutely thrilled to announce former Senator Jbrase from Texas as my running mate. Jbrase has been an independent voice in the Senate, a strong defender of regional rights and supporter of business-friendly policies. I am looking forward to campaigning with him!
Later today, Jbrase is going to give a short speech.

ZuWo/Jbrase - that's leadership, reform and results. We will fight tirelessly for a reform of our current tax system in order to make Atlasia more competitive. Likewise, we will tackle the issue of game reform with all our energy in order to make the game more interesting.

ZuWo/Jbrase is also a bipartisan ticket: I'm an RPP member and Jbrase is in the JCP. Indeed, we are convinced that some of the main problems Atlasia faces can only be solved satisfactorily if there are solutions that are backed by people from diverse political backgrounds. Bold solutions require the support of a large part of the Atlasian population. In fact, the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket is neither a ticket for the right, nor for the left - it is a presidential ticket for all Atlasians.

I invite you to join our campaign, to make contributions of any kind, to ask question and, most importantly, to believe in the future success of Atlasia!

Sincerely,

ZuWo

That's quite a strong ticket - not quite so strong as Duke/Cincinnatus, but a formidable one: active, principled and unapologetic. Unfortunately, ZuWo, you're far too conservative for me! ;)

Hello, all. :)

I would like to thank Zuwo for offering this position as running mate. I support Zuwo for president because I feel he is truly committed to the cause of reform, not only game reform but economic as well. I have seen others claim they like him but he is too conservative, well let me tell you, if he planned to governed based on a social conservative driven agenda I would not be here in support. But that is not the case. I am here today because I believe Zuwo will fight tirelessly to restore confidence in Atlasia. He will fight to make Atlasia competitive once again in the global market by fixing our tax code. And most importantly he will be Swiss. I mean come on, who doesn't love Switzerland?

I leave you with this to think over:
For you who claim to be "progressive", by supporting another "progressive" ticket for president you are in fact upholding the status quo. By doing so you are being the conservatives in this situation, if we are going by definition that is. Therefor, supporting ZuWo/Jbrase is the liberal thing to do.

ZuWo/Jbrase: The Liberal Alternative ;D

Sorry Jbrase, ZuWo has already started campaigning on social issues.

He has stated some clearly socially conservative positions in the campaign, which he is entitled to believe in, but I am not worried by them for 2 reasons:
1. social issues will be on the backburner as the main goals are economic and game reform.
2. Anything too social conservative would die a quick death in the Senate.

So his positions on social issues do not worry me.

Sorry if you've already covered this, ZuWo, but do you have a position on the upcoming vote to dissolve the JCP and RPP?

Exactly.

I'm actually kind of surprised at how non-aggressive he's been on that actually.
Or maybe I'm just too lazy to search through a few pages to find it.

Good that you mention this, as I have not yet commented on it.

In the initial phase of bgwah's proposal to dissolve both major parties I was skeptical. I like being part of the RPP. I like the other guys in the party and I am fully aware of how important a big-tent party on the right is to help conservative candidates get elected. Also, I was convinced that it was still possible for third parties to emerge despite the dominance of the JCP and the RPP, and I actually believed the NLP or Blue Party could become a successful enterprise. However, the quick fading of the NLP (no offense to Pingvin here, who is doing a remarkable job in keeping the remnants of the party alive) as well as the previous failure of the CID have shown me that I was wrong on this, and I now believe not much will change in the near future.

Thus, I have now reached the conclusion that a fresh start isn't such a bad idea. It would be exciting to have numerous small parties pop up after the two big players are gone, it would make elections more competitive. So in a way, I have grown to like the dissolution proposal.

So to answer your question: if such a vote is held, I may very well vote "aye" on the dissolution proposal. Even if I like the RPP very much.

It's not that Jbrase and I have fundamentally different views. In fact, our similar views on taxes and the economy are a strong foundation of our campaign. But another thing that unites us is our common pro-life ideology, which is the most important social issue to me.

I love this.

Endorsed!

No ticket can dream to compete with that of Duke/Cincinnatus.  Well.. :P

It was just a one in a lifetime fluke that caused our eventual loss. At least I will always believe that...

I always thought of Jbrase as a more politically active Mechaman really.
And maybe a tid bit less crude.

Thanks!

From now on, everyone who endorses this ticket and then goes on to vote for it gets Swiss chocolate for free. 20RP12, you're the first one to benefit from that offer!

AWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

Socialized Swiss chocolate is a great platform plank, but I think you just accidentally set us up for bribery charges to be filed against us. :P

I can't complain about ZuWo's choice of Jbrase as his running mate.

After all, ZuWo is following in my footsteps as I picked Jbrase as well for my running mate in the recent Presidential election.

Second time lucky?

:)

Well, I'm good friends with Snowy, and I dislike your obsession with banning pot, but I'm good friends with Jbrase too, so I can say for now you'll, uh, not be having my vote in the upcoming election. ;)

(My endorsement is, shall we say, non-coveted).

Wait until we unveil our tax plan - you'll definitely prefer our plan to the current tax rates.

Pot is an issue in a region like the Mideast, but I am realistic enough to accept that it is no issue on the federal level. That's why Atlasian potheads do not have to fear my presidency.

The reason why I would have vetoed the "Right to Treatment Act" as President is a constitutional one  - as I pointed out, it is in my view a violation of regional rights.

Federal Taxes

Atlasia shall remain a stable country which is able to function as a democratic state and maintain basic government programs. Therefore, it is unavoidable that a certain amount of taxes is levied by the federal government. However, the current federal tax rates are excessive. Have a look at the current tax rates as specified in the “Tax Code Bill 2011” and draw your own conclusions:

Current Tax Code
 
Corporate Taxes, Income

12%    $0 - $50,000
23%    $50,000 - $75,000
30%    $75,000 - $100,000
31%    $100,000 - $335,000
33%    $335,000 - $10,000,000
34%    $10,000,000 - $15,000,000
35%    $15,000,000 +

Income Taxes, Single Individual

0%      $0 - $9,500
13%    $9,501 - $35,000
24%    $35,001 - $80,000
28%    $80,001 - $170,000
35%    $170,001 - $367,700
41%    $367,701 - $1,000,000
50%    $1,000,001 - $2,500,000
60%    $2,500,001 +

If one factors in the taxes that are levied by the regions, it becomes apparent that the tax burden for an individual, especially if that individual is wealthy, is extremely heavy. As a result, Atlasia’s competitiveness is put at stake since these tax rates encourage both corporations and individuals to dislocate to countries which offer better conditions. Indeed, lower tax rates will make our country more attractive for wealthy individuals and corporations, which will lead to higher tax revenues; let’s follow the example of countries such as Switzerland, where this fiscal strategy has proved to be very successful. By pursuing such a strategy, the initially lower revenues will be compensated and, eventually, increased.

Concretely, we are of the opinion that it is unacceptable that there are federal tax rates which exceed 50%. Likewise, corporate tax rates that force corporations - even those that do not have a high income - to pay (nearly) a third of their income are undoubtedly over the top. In fact, a ZuWo/Jbrase administration supports a tax code that enables individuals and corporations to pursue a path towards prosperity and does not hamper their competitiveness. The following tax code was put forward by Senator Jbrase in the most recent debate on federal taxes and shall highlight how a ZuWo/Jbrase administration intends to proceed in order to ensure that our country is on a path towards growth and prosperity. In fact, our administration will attempt to cut taxes for people of different income levels and for small and large corporations. Help to make Atlasia more competitive! Support our tax plan!

ZuWo/Jbrase Plan for Prosperity

Corporate Taxes, Income

5%              $0 - $50,000
20%            $50,000 - $75,000
25%            $75,000 - $100,000
27%            $100,000 - $335,000
28%            $335,000 - $10,000,000
29%            $10,000,000 - $15,000,000
30%            $15,000,000 +

Income Taxes, Single Individual

0%            $0 - $29,999
10%          $30,000 - $44,999
15%          $45,000 - $79,999
20%          $80,000 - $199,999
30%          $200,000 - $399,999
40%          $400,000+

I support a flat tax but any proposal to lower taxes is a good thing!

I think we should also begin discussion in Government on giving a 0% tax rate to a business during its first year, and a significantly lowered rate for business that moves here from over seas.

I believe this is a necessary step to make Atlasia truly competitive in the global market.   

I actually like this idea.

Will proposed spending cuts be proposed soon?

Yes. We will abolish three federal ... oops!

Jbrase and I are going to discuss spending cuts in the upcoming days. While I can't go into details right now, our general goal is to make spending cuts where the federal government is doing too much.

One measure of the health of Atlasia is of course the turn out during elections. So to promote greater turn out and participation in our democracy we propose the following change:

The SoFE, and 3 or 4 temporary deputies picked by the SoFE, take the list of registered voters and each take a section. Each person shall send a PM to every voter on their list with a link to the voting booth and when it officially opens and closes. Anyone who sends these PM's with any additional info with the purpose of swaying voters one way or another would face punishment.

I, Jerseyrules, Chairman of the Liberty Caucus and candidate for NorthEast Assembly, formally endorse ZuWo for the Presidency of Atlasia, and will help out in any way I can!  (Not that either of my titles mean much lol :P)

May I ask what "the liberal alternative" means?

Jbrase purchased advertising space in my signature until the 20th. Enjoy it while it lasts. :P

It is an utterly mean confusion campaign on my and Jbrase's part. We count on leftist voters who are uninformed about Atlasian affairs and vote for us because they think we're the socialists in the race. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Alternatively, read Jbrase's reply. ;)

'Kay cause I was kinda worried about whether you might be moderating or liberalizing.

No, such a move would be completly unauthentic. I have my views and I stick to them. I'm not suddenly turning into a person who supports abortion or wants to raise federal taxes.
 
At the same time, however, I'm fully aware that running for President is something else than running for ME Assembly. The priorities for the ME are different from the priorities for the entire country. Issues that may be of importance in the ME are not appropriate for Atlasia as a whole and vice versa. That's why I do not focus on stricter laws on drugs on the federal level, but instead concentrate on taxes and game reform.

What kind of 'punishment' do you have in mind?  Anything specific?

We have not discussed much about punishment. It would likely be during the senate debate when a specific punishment is finalized, which I would imagine including losing voting rights for X amount of time, band form holding office for X amount of time, and of course prohibition from being allowed to perform that duty in the future.

Here's a less colourful but more straightford (read: boring) campaign banner for those who are confused by our "liberal alternative" slogan.

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Anyone?

That seems a little harsh I believe.  I mean I never ever PM people about who they should vote for on Election Day but occasionally on voting weekend somebody from the RPP, JCP, or whatever will send a pm with the voting link and say "Vote for (insert name here)!" and I don't think twice of it.  I of course will not name any names on here because I believe they didn't have any nefarious motives and it's not in my nature.
I wasn't aware this was the problem.  I thought the problem was people pming people AFTER they already voted and convincing them to change their votes.
Or are you talking about persistent attempts to sway voters (like listing the whole campaign platform in the PM and not just "hey! Vote Donnelly!" or what not)?  Because that I could potentially see the problem.  Though that isn't much different than say the entire campaign season beforehand.

Or are you referring merely to the SoFE and his deputies who will be charged with the informing of the elections?  If that's the case alright then no complaints!

That's what we had in mind. Ordinary citizens can of course still PM anyone they want and tell them whatevery the want. We just want to make sure that if the system Jbrase has outlined is implemented, the SoFE and his deputies (if there are any) do not try to influence voters in any way.

Just the SoFE and the deputies lol. I see no reason at all to prohibit people from campaigning like that, just not while on the job of PM'ing ballots.

Might I ask your position on civil liberties, such as the PATRIOT ACT?

Sorry for the slightly belated reply.

First of all, I must admit I have never read the Patriot Act in full though I have read up on the most important parts of what the Act says. Generally, my opinion is that there is no clearcut answer. On the one hand, a government has to do as much as necessary to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, and therefore our authorities need some leeway in order to work effectively. On the other hand, the protection of civil liberties is of a great importance as well. Thus, I cannot say outright "I completely support" or "I completely oppose" the Patriot Act. I believe there must be consensus that federal anti-terrorist units require some of the additional competences stated in the Patriot Act but they have to be supervised at the same time so that there is no misuse of powers.

I gladly pass this question on to my running mate. I am aware that he may have a differing point of view.

I cannot speak for ZuWo on this, but I personally oppose any attempt to "protect us" by stripping away our liberty. 

Interesting.  Just out of curiousity, I was wondering your position on Roe v. Wade (just gettin some background ;))

Sorry about all the questions, but What do you think about roe v. wade?

I strongly oppose Roe v Wade. I think life begins at conception, and am therefore against abortion in every case. In the same way the state should not have the right to take the life of a person by captial punishment, I believe it should not permit the killing of the unborn. I reject the reasoning that abortion has anything to do with a woman's right of privacy, since in the case of an abortion not only a woman's but also a child's life is affected.

I am proud that the ME Assembly passed an abortion ban while I was serving. Even though this has resulted in a still ongoing court case, it has been a landmark decision.

On Kal's Amendment (aka the Separate Election of the Vice President Act)

The ZuWo/Jbrase campaign strongly supports the so-called Kal's Amendment, which is currently debated in the Atlasian Senate. It is our conviction that, since Atlasia is primarily an election simulation, additional elections will have a positive impact on the excitement Atlasian citizens feel for the game.
However, we are aware of the problem that the vice presidency in its current form should be reformed. Indeed, the office of VP is rather meaningless at the moment since, unless there's a tie in the Senate, there's not much for him to do. We therefore welcome suggestions such as making the VP a Senator or increasing the competences of the Vice Presidency.

ZuWo/Jbrase - the only reform ticket in the race.

Welcome to the race, Oakvale!

While the President's announcement not to seek re-election has not come as a huge surprise to me, I am glad to see that Oakvale has formed an exploratory committee to run for President. Even though I think Oakvale is going to be a stronger and more active opponent (=even harder to defeat) than the sitting President would have been, I am happy about Oakvale's entrance into the race because it makes it possible for us to get a real debate on Atlasia's future started. Wherever this debate is going to lead us, I will do everything I can to make this a respectful and entertaining campaign.

Therefore, I agree with my opponent's wish to have one or several presidential debates. In fact, I am willing to participate in seven 3-hour debates! ;)

My and Jbrase's record and campaign promises are out there as well. We will fight for economic prosperity and for sensible game reform issues. Under my leadership, the White House will get back on track in terms of activity, transparency and accountability. Let's make the office of President more meaningful again by electing an active President. And let's help to give our future Vice President Jbrase more competences, and support the Separate Election Amendment as well as other reforms of the Vice Presidency that have already been put forward or are going to be proposed in this very reform-friendly Senate.

ZuWo

Formation of new Parties/Presidential Race

Both presidential candidate ZuWo and vice-presidential candidate Jbrase welcome the impending dissolution of the two major parties, the JCP and the RPP. We are hopeful that the spark of enthusiasm among Atlasians, as witnessed by the formation of several new parties, will be long-lasting.

At the same time, we would like to emphasize our readiness to participate in presidential or vice-presidential debates, that is, as soon as one or several opponents step forward! Since the constitution states that presidential elections must begin on the second Thursday/Friday of February, which is February 9 or 10, we are already in the final two weeks of the presidential campaign. We are convinced that Atlasia needs a vivid political debate between the candidates running for President and Vice President, so we hope that our potential opponent(s) will not jump in at the very last moment.

Will you support a tax policy that ensures the wealthy, i.e. incomes of $1,000,000.00/year and over, pay a minimum of 30% tax?

Jbrase and I have put forward a tax plan which, in our view, will help Atlasia get back on a path to fiscal sanity and prosperity. Since Atlasian citizens are taxed quite massively both at the federal and the regional level, we believe the tax burden must be lowered.

Here's our tax proposal that we introduced a while ago. As you can see "the wealthy" would still pay a substantial amount of taxes according to this plan, but less than under the current system:

60% tax on the uppermost bracket? I'm as willing as anybody to call the riches some people have "excessive", but I tend to think there shouldn't be an income tax over 49%. --stop-- Just realized I was reading our current tax code. Anyway, good luck on lowering it, because that looks nuts.

When's the election?  I can't wait to vote for change!

February 9th :)

Hey ho let's go!

Separate Election of the Vice President/Popular Election of Cabinet Members

It is unclear whether the Senate is going to pass the Separate Election Amendment or not. As I and Jbrase have made clear, we are in support of the proposal to elect the Vice President of Atlasia separately and, if we are elected President and Vice President, intend to have this proposal re-introduced in the Senate during the next term.

An idea which has come up in the recent debate on the separate election of the Vice President is the popular election of cabinet members. This is a suggestion I and Jbrase are going to have a discussion about in the following days. In general, we symphatize with proposals that strenghten democracy and give the Atlasian people more opportunities to participate in elections.

A Stark Contrast

Dear citizens of Atlasia

With the entrance of Polnut/Tmth to the race, the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket is toast. But we will be a crispy and buttery toast with several drops of honey. In other words, we will carry on and put on a good fight.

Atlasia faces a stark contrast. On the one hand, we have a ticket with two politicians of outstanding merit who have done a lot for Atlasia. Yet, what that ticket offers is just more of the same. A vote for that ticket does not only mean that the office of SoIA is once again left vacated, but it also means that we elect a President who barely two weeks ago announced his farewell from elected office before he decided to run for Senate before he decided to run for President. One is tempted to ask: will he decide to run for Governor in two days?
While I respect Polnut for his past achievements, I believe Atlasia needs a President for the future. A President who knows that he wants to be President and who has sticked to his plans from day one of this campaign.

Indeed, the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket offers fresh blood, real change. But at the same, time Jbrase and I have been consistent during the entire election campaign. What we say today will still be of value tomorrow. We are the ticket of change and accountability. We are not afraid to stand up for unpopular ideas if we are convinced that these ideas are the best solutions for our country. We have a clear plan to boost our economy and to lower the tax burden of the Atlasian people. We are committed to game reform.

Atlasia is going through a phase of change. In such a crucial period of time, our country needs energetic new leaders.

It's up to you. Vote ZuWo/Jbrase.

Endorsed !

I respect Polnut but as I have said from the start of your campaign.... Go ZuWo!!!

Thank you BigBadFab and clarence.

Clarence, your election result in your match-up with Polnut is a foretaste of what I should expect. I will rate it as a success if I exceed your result. ;)

I am very pleased to endorse the ticket of ZuWo and Jbrase.

New leadership for a new Atlasia.

ZuuuuuuuWo!

Thank you, Winfield. Your endorsement means a lot. A steep climb is ahead of me and Jbrase, but a response like yours encourages us to move forward.

More opponents about to enter the race

It is great to see the renewed enthusiasm people from all across the political spectrum have for the presidential election. As it seems, the election is not only going to be a race between ZuWo/Jbrase and Polnut/Tmth, but there is also EarlAW/Dr. Cynic as well as potentially a Labor Party and an Individual Freedom Party ticket. And that might not even be the end! This is going to be an exciting election, and I am glad everyone agrees to have a debate before this crucial election. The fact that so many new candidates have entered or are about to enter the race also makes our campaign more hopeful of winning. We, ZuWo and Jbrase, have a unique message of fiscal and game reform and economic sanity, and we are confident that we will be heard by the Atlasian people.

Federal Budget

I would like to commend GM shua on his work in compiling and presenting a federal budget. Now that there are actual figures on which we can base our proposed policies, I and my running mate are going to have a discussion about where it makes sense to cut spending. While it is our core priority to stimulate the economy by lowering massive federal tax rates for individuals and corporations, we regard it as equally important to lead Atlasia on a path towards a balanced budget.

thank you, very good to see you are so interested in it :)

Reliability, Courage, Clarity

Good morning Atlasia,

yesterday was a hectic but exciting day for Atlasia. Right now, there are six tickets in the race for President and Vice President. This leaves you with a hard choice, but Jbrase and I are convinced that we offer what Atlasia needs in these crucial times of change.

First of all, we are unapologetic with regards to our political views. What we say today still matters tomorrow. Unfortunately, too many candidates running for higher office have tried to disguise some of their views which they thought were unpopular in order to appeal to as many voters as possible. This isn't the case with us. The Atlasian people deserve to be treated with respect by their politicians and therefore sincerity is an essential aspect of our campaign.

Secondly, we are truly motivated to be President and Vice President. Should the Atlasian people hand over these key offices to politicians who have already been there but who have had enough of the job after just one single term? Or should Atlasians trust last-minute entries over a ticket which has been there from the very first day of this campaign and has demonstrated its dedication?
Do not put up with half-heartedness by the candidates, people of Atlasia, but instead have the courage to expect and demand passion! I and Jbrase are eager to be just that - passionate about the presidency and the vice-presidency.

Thirdly, our platform is out there. While numerous presidential tickets advocate failed policies of the left, we offer a vision of economic prosperity. We were the first in this campaign to propose massive tax cuts and have been vocal about our stances ever since. If you approve of the values reliability, courage and clarity ZuWo/Jbrase is your choice.

Thank you, and keep your hopes alive.

I do need to pick a little... I chose not to run again because I knew I couldn't be as active as I wanted to be for half the term, so I thought not running was the right thing to do.

ZuWo/Jbrase - the best ticket for regional rights

Friends and Supporters, Citizens of Atlasia,

One of my and Jbrase's core beliefs is that regional rights must be strengthened, not weakened even more. Atlasia is a country that is shaped by its individual and diverse regions, not by a central government. We are convinced that Nyman does not have the best solutions for regions as diverse as the Pacific and the South at the same time, but that effective legislation should be made in the individual regions wherever it is feasible.

A ZuWo/Jbrase administration will do everything to protect regional rights. We will veto bills that attempt to impose federal law on all regions unless there are clear constitutional reasons to support such legislation. We will work hard to repeal existing legislation which, in our view, violates regional rights. We can not work wonders, but we can vow to defend regional rights passionately.

  

Would you be in favor of private, market-based healthcare?

What existing legislation, specifically, will you seek to repeal?

I would like to challenge Zuwo to a curling match. 1 on 1. 10 ends. No sweeping. Bring it.

I have three particular bills in mind:

- the right to treatment act
- the consolidated marijuana regulation act
- the productivity equalization and worker employment act

While I consider the first two bills are an infringement of regional rights, the third bill hampers the productivity of the Atlasian economy, and this is certainly the wrong path to pursue.

Anytime you want. The loser drops out of the race.

First of all, I want to thank wormyguy who has given me valuable input on health care. To answer your question, Jerseyrules, I generally support the current system but I have two suggestions for improvement. Firstly, I favor a model which allows regions to be more flexible with regards to the health care system, a system where the regions can create their health care programs more individually. Secondly, individuals should get tax credits to buy additional private health insurance. This could help to reduce the burden of the federal government in providing health care.

Knowing my general level of toxicity, I'll clarify that my advice to ZuWo was mainly that healthcare is an issue he should tread lightly and take a more centrist position on. :)

I don't consider you toxic, and useful advice is always welcome. :)

In general, my and Jbrase's top priority is not to appeal to voters by saying what they want to hear, but what we think they should hear. That's why everyone can be assured that everything which appears in this platform is what I and Jbrase genuinely believe in.

Oh, I wasn't claiming that you weren't saying what you believe, I was just clarifying that people shouldn't think we hold the same position on healthcare or that I'm somehow controlling your campaign (which I've been accused of in other campaigns in the past for some reason...).

And I didn't want to insinuate that you were claiming I wasn't saying what I believe ... ah, it's getting too complex. So, to keep it short and simple, thank you for your advice; I'm open to input from anyone. ;)

Ok, but I insist we play in Canada. Not enough swing on European ice. :D

Don't underestimate carefully prepared Swiss curling ice! ;)

ZuWo/Jbrase: the only pro-life ticket in the race

Friends and supporters, Atlasian citizens,

ZuWo/Jbrase is the only presidential ticket which is unambiguously pro-life. These are not empty words uttered to appeal to pro-life voters, but these words reflect our deepest convictions. Thus, your vote for us is a vote for a better protection of the lives of the unborn. Since the Senate is fairly liberal on social issues, we can not guarantee you that we will be able restrict abortion the way we would like it, but a vote for us is a vote for life nevertheless since only a ZuWo/Jbrase administration will be reliably pro-life.

Give life a chance, vote for ZuWo/Jbrase.

You might be pro-life, but are you pro-human rights and dignity? Pro-love? These are the real issues in today's Atlasia. ;)

Yes, yes, and yes, and I doubt Jbrase disagrees with me. Whatever "dignity" and "pro-love" in such a general sense mean!

Now, now, ZuWo, I assure you there is no need to kiss up to my ticket, as we will be preferencing ourselves first no matter how much you beg and plead. But, it is good to know you do respect the feelings of your fellow man! You'll earn a special place in our heart!

You got my endorsement again guys :)

Oh,dear lord, please tell me curling is not a campaign issue. I know next to nothing of the "sport" :P

Thank you very much. While the ticket you have been running on offered interesting and alternative views, I am glad to receive your support.

Economic and social conservatives, it is time to unite behind this ticket because only I and Jbrase fight for your values!

Give 'em Hell, ZuWo!

We need your help to do just that, Jerseyrules. ;)

My and Jbrase's goal is to cut taxes and reduce spending. In the long term we need a balanced budget. Since military spending and health care spending are the two biggest chunks of the federal budget, we will have to mainly focus on these two areas if we want to cut spending effectively.
Since spending cuts are painful for our country, we demand that our politicians set a good example; elected officials in Atlasia should have their pays cut to the median Atlasian income.

Countdown to Change: 7 days left

People of Atlasia,

in just 7 days you will have the choice between 5 presidential tickets. You will have the choice between 5 diverse visions for Atlasia. These tickets consist of people who certainly all want the best for our country. However, the question is: Who offers the most promising policies to help Atlasia get back on track?

ZuWo/Jbrase is the ticket that will bring about real change. This is neither a ticket of Nyman insiders, nor is it a ticket which attempts to solve our economic and debt problems with policies that have caused these calamities in the first place. What I and Jbrase propose is a new plan for prosperity, which can be summed up as follows:

- We want to lower federal taxes
- We want to do away with harmful business regulation
- We want to keep the game reform process alive
- We want to protect every human being's right to life

Send a resounding message to the Atlasian establishment and vote ZuWo/Jbrase - the real ticket of reform and change.

Please have a look at my proposals:
My Game Reform Plan:
1. Extend Presidential Term to one six-month term.

2. Senate Reform - At-large senate seats abolished, instead two additional seats to the regions (15 members)

3. Set Senate terms to coincide with all presidential elections

4. Appoint all former Presidents and Vice Presidents to the new office of "National Senator"

5. Establish term limit in the Regional Legislatures and Senate - 1 year.

6. Extend SC Judges term to 1,5 year.

7. Extend Supreme Court to 10 members.

8. Fixes number of Regional Legislators - 10 members.

9. 50 Regional Legislators should meet 2 sessions in the year as members of National Assembly. One session = one week.

10. Cabinet Reform
   10.1 - Secretary of Federal Elections renamed into the Head of Federal Electoral Comittee.
   10.2 - Register General renamed into the Head of Federal  Statistics Service.
   10.3 - Secretary of Internal Affairs position is abolished and his duties are re-shared between Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of State Treasury and Chief of Staff.
I hope that president ZuWo can make some of them real :)

Wtf...

Yeah, most of those Game Reform ideas are unrealistic, or just plain off.  15 member Senate?  50 regional legislators?  How many active players do you think we actually have?

Lots of things I don't like about that proposal.  I mean, term limits?

^ This.

Also, a ten member Supreme Court? Seriously?

Look, it's good these ideas are out there.

But since we have difficulty for people to remain active in the roles we have available, the answer isn't to create a lot new ones IMO.

I know that some of 'em are weird, yeah.

Pingvin, thank you for submitting your proposals. We will have a look at them, and while I cannot guarantee you that we will agree with all of them, we appreciate your effort!

1. I actually like the current system where a President can run for re-election and defend his accomplishments. I think Atlasia is mainly a game about elections, so we should not reduce the number of elections.

2. I am open to the idea of abolishing the at-large seats and making the Senate completely regional, but 15 members is over the top -  unfortunately there are too few active Atlasians.

3. I prefer the current system with major elections every second month.

4. Since there are not too many active players in Atlasia, I don't think we should create even more positions.

5. If this means that people can run for same office again after a break (Medwedew - Putin style), this is an idea we can discuss.

6. I prefer no term limits for SC judges at all.

7. Would be nice, but unfortunately there are not enough active players!

8. The same problem as in 7.

9. The same problem as in 7 and 8.

10.1. and 10.2. If these name changes increase transparency, I support them.
10.3. This would mean we have to create more positions, so we would face the same problem as in 7 and 8.

I do not agree with everything the Zu/Wo/Jbrase ticket has espoused, however, I have endorsed them and will vote for them as my first choice because they are knowledgeable and capable, and will bring new leadership to Atlasia.

With the recent changes made to this simulation, brought about by the voice of the people, this is, in many ways, a new Atlasia.

A new Atlasia will require, I believe, new leadership, not from the past, but from now and for the future.

ZUWO/JBRASE NEW LEADERSHIP FOR A NEW ATLASIA

Thank you once again, Winfield. We may not be as perfect in your view as Mitt Romney and his future running mate, but we will try not to disappoint anyone if we are elected. ;)

And when Romney becomes President in 2013, I am sure he will not disappoint anyone.  :)

Friends and supporters, dear Atlasians

The February 2012 presidential campaign has entered the final stretch. Soon you will be heading to the polls to cast your vote. It has been a tremendous campaign where I and my running mate, Jbrase, have experienced a lot of support and valuable input. We have had the opportunity to spread our simple but sensible message. Since the very first day of this campaign we have stood for game reform, fiscal sanity, economic growth, debt reduction and the right to life. We have had the privilege to talk to people all across this great country and have participated in national debates. We have put our platform forward because it is our conviction that our proposed policies are what Atlasia needs in this crucial moment.

If we have been able to convince you that the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket offers the best solutions for the problems this country is facing, we humbly ask you to make use of your right to vote. You can help us by giving our ticket your first preference, but we are also very glad about another high preference. This election is less predictable than previous ones due to the high number of diverse tickets. That's why your vote can have a real impact! Vote for real change in Atlasia, vote for ZuWo/Jbrase!

Thank you so much!

How many do we have on the Supreme Court nowadays?

The Constitution says three.

https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Article_III_of_the_Third_Constitution

Ready to bring about change from day 1

I and my running mate Jbrase are ready to serve. If elected, we will get started with our work immediately. Not only will we focus on cooperating with the Senate in order to get effective pieces of legislation passed, but we will also deal with our campaign promises; a more sensible federal tax structure, the repeal of bad legislation, help to make the activities of the GM as well as other cabinet members matter more and reinstate the Game Reform Committee that was introduced by former President Polnut. We are ready for action and will do our best not to disappoint those who have placed their trust in us. We also want to thank those who have preferenced us. We keep on hoping!

Many people have already cast their vote in the presidential and regional elections. I want to thank those who have preferenced me and Jbrase! For those who are still undecided, here are some points you might want to consider:

I and Jbrase ...

- are vocal and unambiguous about our stances; if we are elected, we will try to implement those policies we have talked about during the entire campaign. You may be used to wishy-washy statements from other candidates, but we believe in sincerity: What we say today still matters tomorrow!

- have put forward a clear plan to lead our country on a path to prosperity: lower federal taxes, no more unnecessary business regulation, openmindedness regarding game reform, respect for human life.

- will be undeniably active. Our campaign has just been a foretaste of how we will govern; we will connect with the Atlasian people, keep them updated on our plans and ideas and, most importantly, we will work work and work for the good of Atlasia.

Keep voting Atlasians, no matter who your top choice is. There are 5 interesting and diverse tickets in the race, and even if it looks like a clear Polnut victory at the end of the day don't forget to have your say!

If you want to vote for reliability, activity, economic prosperity and for respect for the lives of human beings, I ask you to consider to cast your vote for ZuWo/Jbrase.

Regional Senate Races

Apart from the presidential election, numerous regional Senate elections are underway. While the races in the Pacific, the Midwest, the Mideast and the South are uncontested, the Senate election in the NE is quite tight. Let me put it this way: If I were a Northeasterner, I would give my first two preferences to Simfan and wormyguy. I respect Scott's activity and dedication to the game, but from an economically conservative point of view, Simfan and wormyguy are the better choices. Like the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket, they will fight for small government and lower federal taxes - I encourage the remaining voters in the NE to consider this.

Friends and supporters, dear Atlasians

The presidential race is really messy. Apparently, Barnes has taken the lead now but there is no doubt this race can still go back and forth. In such a volatile race, everything seems to be possible. Therefore I encourage all remaining voters to head to the closest polling station and cast their vote. You may be a communist, socialist, liberal, centrist, conservative, libertarian ... just vote.
Again, please consider the ZuWo/Jbrase ticket: We offer activity, reliability, integrity and a clear agenda.

Thank you.

This is going to be close.

I can only repeat what I said earlier today, yesterday and the day before yesterday: This election is not over, victory is within reach. It is still an uphill climb for me and Jbrase to win, but I encourage all Atlasians who have not yet cast their ballot to vote.

Change - political and personal change - is possible!

Thanks to all those who showed up to vote. Congrats to Polnut and tmth on their win :)

It was a tremendous race :)

Although we disagree on most issues, you ran a passionate campaign. :)

Thank you for making this race quite a roller coaster! :D

Congratulations on making it a race, ZuWo. While I didn't agree with you on many things, you never wavered in your beliefs, and I respect that greatly.

I hope you'll continue in Atlasian politics, espeically on the national stage. :)

Friends and supporters, dear Atlasians

Moments ago I PMed President-elect Polnut and Vice-President-elect Tmthforu94 and congratulated them on their victory. I wish the election would have turned out in a different way, but we must accept the facts. I am confident the new President and VP will not let our country down and fulfill the high expectations so many Atlasians have.

I want to say thank you to my running mate Jbrase, with whom I had numerous discussions on certain issues and who has helped this campaign a lot. I wish him all the best for his political future. I also want to thank all of you who voted for me and Jbrase, as well as those people who contributed to this campaign in any way. You have made this an exciting election for me and the entire country. Last but not least, thank you to all the other candidates in the race. Duke and Andrew, your campaign has been entertaining but I had no doubt you would have made great Co-Presidents if you had been elected. Barnes and Windis, I disagree with you on about every political issue, but I commend you for your respectful campaign. Finally, Hatman and Dr. Cynic, you have run a colorful campaign as well, and I hope you will continue to be active in the future.

Had someone told me at the beginning of January when I launched my campaign that I would get so many votes, I would not have believed it. Indeed, I am extremely thankful for the large amount of support I and Jbrase have received from people with various ideological backgrounds. This has truly been a tremendous experience. Regarding my own political future, I do not know how to proceed from here. As for now, I will certainly head back to the ME Assembly and spend more time again on regional affairs.

Thank you, Atlasia, and God bless you. This election with so many diverse tickets has made me more optimistic about the future of this game.

ZuWo, not President-elect

Elections to the ME Assembly

The ME Assembly elections have started. I encourage all ME citizens to cast their vote. Even though this election is not really competitive, it would be nice to have a high turnout.

Our region must become more active again. Do not hesitate to directly contact your Assemblymembers or your regional Senator to give your personal input on the issues at hand. If you have any ideas for future legislation, feel free to express them!

ZuWo

I'm mulling a run for Mideast Governor in May. I will let you know about my decision in the next days. Any kind of input is welcome!

Go for it man.

I'm seeking the office of Mideast Governor

Citizens of the Mideast,

I have decided to seek the office of Mideast Governor in May. I have served our region in the Assembly during several terms and believe that I am ready to serve the Mideast in the executive position. After my failed run for President in February I felt a need to rethink my role in the game and reassess my ambitions and goals. Now this phase is over and I have come to the conclusion that I want to remain active and dedicate my energy to this region.
The Mideast is currently facing various problems and challenges. Here’s a short list of some of the most pressing issues:

- A general drop in activity in the recent months.
- The wiki, which serves as the first source of information for potential newbies, has not been updated for a while.
- The lack of a regional budget often renders legislative work very abstract – I think we can actually learn from the Northeast region in that respect!

I cannot offer you prefabricated solutions to these problems, but I can promise you to try my very best to tackle these and more challenges. With your help, this region can thrive and prosper again!

Assemblyman ZuWo

YEAAH!
Got my personal endorsement.

Endorsed- best of luck...you are a great candidate

Thank you Cathcon, Pingvin and clarence. Now if you, Pingvin and clarence, move over to the Mideast for the next couple of weeks, my happiness will be complete. ;)

Endorsed

Best of luck. I'm stepping down :)

Endorsed soundly.

Endorsed

Good luck Zuwo

Thank you to the outgoing Governor and the other people who have endorsed me/wished me luck.

As Governor, I would take the following measures to deal with the most pressing issue, the recent low in interest and participation in the game:

- work with the Assembly to get interesting and, if possible, controversial legislation passed: controversial debates often lead to an uptick in interest among Atlasians
- communicate with the electorate by, for example, establishing official "question times"
- take a more active role in recruiting new members to the game and the Mideast in particular

Have the question time things ever worked?

Unfortunately, the Atlasian Senate is about to pass the "Atlasian National Broadcaster Bill", which has been put forward by the President but goes back to an idea from the Labor Party. I am concerned about the leftist agenda that is being pursued by the current administration and urge all Mideast citizens to boycott this new channel once it is on air.

Please, Mr. ZuWo, don't bulls**t me. It's not like we're going to shift to China State TV all of a sudden. This is a democratic republic, and I quite like PBS and NPR.

Who is the governor now, by the way?  Is it still afleitch?

Support the next Governor in updating the wiki!

Updating the wiki will be one of the primary concerns of my governorship. While the constitution clearly states that it is the Governor's responsibility alone to keep the wiki up-to-date, I'd like to invite other Mideast citizens to do something for the wiki. The wiki pages can serve as an important source of information for newbies to the game and the region. Thus, their importance should not be underestimated.

If I'm elected Governor and one or several citizens support me with the necessary wiki work, I will publicly honor each person in question. Any Mideast citizen who makes a meaningful contribution to update the wiki shall be rewarded by, for example, having a Mideast airport named after them. Making an effort for our region pays off!

Yay! It really isn't hard since we adopted the regional board, all the timeline stuff that used to be printed is now unnecessary. When I was Governor I posted the bill, the vote count, signature date, and just linked it to the board.

Unfortunately I cannot endorse your candidacy, but I very much endorse this idea.

Legislative Record

There may be some citizens who consider me an extreme conservative and are therefore reluctant to cast a vote for me in the upcoming gubernatorial election. It's up to you to judge me as a candidate by looking at the work I have done. Here's a part of my legislative record (that is the bills I've introduced to the ME Assembly and that have been passed).

- Amendment to the Mideast Abortion Statute II

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=139408.0

- Keep our Region Clean and Safe From Vandalism Act

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=144518.0

- New Mideast Marijuana Taxation Act

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=145238.0

- Smaller Assembly Amendment

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=146350.0

- Car Safety Act

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=150082.0

- Questioning the Power Act

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=151526.0

(Thank you Scott - maybe you can implement something similar in your region)

The next elections for Assembly and Governor are less than two weeks away. I encourage my fellow Mideast citizens to ask questions about my candidacy if they have any.

In the next days I will release a platform with my plans for this region, which I shall dub Vision October 2012.

Vision October 2012

Economy and Taxes – low tax rates and economic growth

Taxes are a necessary evil; "evil" because they take away money from our citizens and businesses, "necessary" because they ensure that our state is able to function properly. Clearly, Mideast citizens should not be burdened with excessively high tax rates. That’s why no bill which includes a tax hike for our hard-working citizens shall get my signature. Additionally, I am going to look into our regional budget (--> see "Budget") and propose tax cuts wherever it is feasible.
Furthermore, I am convinced that low corporate tax rates and less bureaucracy for businesses are crucial to economic growth. Based on these principles, the Mideast can attract businesses and wealthy citizens from other Atlasian regions that pursue destructive left-wing policies.

Budget – establishing a balanced budget

While the budget has not been a priority of the current Governor, I would like to continue the budgetary path former Governor A-Bob has set. With the help of various citizens, I want to establish a regional budget - a balanced budget. We must try to achieve a balanced budget because we cannot leave a deeply indebted country to our offspring; this would be highly irresponsible. The budgetary process may take a long time, but it’s worth the effort as it makes the legislative process more concrete and gives us an idea of how money can be spent in an effective way.

Wiki – let’s update the wiki together

The Wiki has been neglected in the recent months, and this shall change under my governorship. As I promised earlier, each Mideast citizen who makes a meaningful contribution to the wiki shall be honored publically. The Wiki is so important because it helps new players to get a first impression of the game and our region and offers detailed information on regional affairs.

Life – the most basic human right is the right to life

I oppose abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty since I believe that life is a godly gift that should not be taken by human beings. A society which does not respect the most fundamental of all human rights, that is the right to life, is a doomed society. As Assemblyman, I sponsored a bill which outlawed abortion in the Mideast, but the ensuing court case is still pending. If the Mideast Supreme Court rules that bill unconstitutional, it will be one of my priorities to take the necessary steps to protect the lives of the unborn.

I'm don't know why I didn't do this back when you first announced...

Endorsed! :)

Thank you!

The latest poll on the gubernatorial race by SurveyAtlasia is encouraging as well:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=153108.0

If I wasn't a loyal and proud Southerner I'd move to the Mideast to vote for you...not only are you a close friend on the board but your policies have always been detailed. You've always campaigned on ideas and plans and I admire that- Go ZuWo!

Thank you, Clarence! The same is of course true for your campaign. ;)

Committed to the integrity of the Mideast

There have been discussions about splitting up certain Atlasian regions and creating new regions, such as for instance a region consisting of formerly Mideastern and Midwestern or Southern and Mideastern states.

Let me make this clear: I am fully committed to the integrity of our great region. From the east, the coal mines of West Virginia, to the North, the great lakes of Michigan, and all the way to the west to the vast farmlands of Missouri - this is the Mideast with a unique and singular identity. As Governor, I am not going to support any plan which intends to alter the shape of our region.

So only to WV?  I get it MD isn't important enough for you ;)

I felt the need to mentionWV in a positive context for once, since people often talk about the state in a negative way. You can of course take MD and insert whatever is special about MD. You don't have coal mines there, do you? :P

Not many, theres a few in the Western counties but it isn't a haven for them like WV

Citizens,

in a little less than two days you will have the opprtunity to cast your vote in the Mideast Assembly and gubernatorial elections. I encourage you to make use of your democratic right to vote. Your vote is important to yourself, the candidates you vote for, and the region as a whole.

There are currently four candidates running for a seat in the Assembly. These are JCL, Inks, A-Bob and Happy Warrior. I have decided to give my first prefrence to former Governor A-Bob, who can make a valuable contribution to the Assembly both in terms of activity and competence. Other than that, I have not made up my mind yet as to who shall receive my second and third preference.

As for the gubernatorial election, I am the only declared candidate. What I can offer you is a deep affection for the Mideast, activity, hard work, and a willingness to work together with all people in our region. My conservative convictions are very firm, but this does not mean that I am not ready to make compromises if this is what serves our region in the best.

Thank you and have fun.

I'd like to wish all the best to Senator and presidential candidate Clarence, who is suffering from acute pain caused by a kidney stone. I hope Clarence takes all the time he needs for his recovery and will eventually return to the campaign trail. Indeed, both Clarence's experience and activity are needed in the game.

Dear Mideast citizens,

please make use of your right to vote. To cast your vote, you can either go to the "Voting Booth" subboard or follow this link:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=153744.0

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:)

Not only did you vote, you also voted in the right way. :P

Dear Mideast Citizens

Thank you.

I am honored that you elected me as your Governor. First of all, I want to thank those who have supported my candidacy from the beginning and have been great allies throughout my time in Atlasia. You have all been great!

However, I am also fully aware of the fact that not all of you voted for me because you thought I was the best choice, but simply because I was the only option on the ballot. Indeed, I am thankful for your vote and I accept it with the necessary amount of modesty. It is a privilege for me to serve as your Governor, and I can assure you that I am not going to lean back and merely enjoy the merits of this office, but it is my firm intention to show you that it was a good decision to vote for me.

I would like to congratulate the re-elected Assemblymember and Speaker Inks, as well as the two new (and yet very old :P) faces A-Bob and HappyWarrior. I am looking forward to working with you and hope that I can use my signature more often than my veto. There's a lot of work ahead of us, be it the budget or the general challenge to make our region more active and interesting again. In fact, this Assembly election has been a step in the right direction since its competitiveness has demonstrated that our joint decision to reduce the number of Assemblymembers was a smart choice.

Last but not least I'd like to say that I'm sorry for JCL. JCL, it appears that you have not been re-elected, but I hope you remain part of the Mideast community and try a comeback soon with new motivation and a desire to be active in our region.

Once again, thanks to everyone.

Governor-elect ZuWo

This thread shall serve as my office. Have a seat!

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Congratulations on your election! :)

Congratulations- Governor!!!

Here is my office warming gift...

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Congrats! The walls in your office look kinda empty; here's some artwork as my gift:

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Ich beglückwünsche dich zu deinem ganz souveränen Abschneiden!

Danke! Irgendwie muss ich dann noch versuchen, Deutsch als Amts- und Geschäftssprache einzuführen.

Clarence: I've never tried that whisky, but it looks really appealing. Why won't you come by for a glass or two.

SJoyceFla: um ... thank you very much ... but ... what about some color? A colorful painting of, for example, a nice landscape? ;)

Ich meine mich daran erinnern zu können, dass das im "Midwest" bereits versucht wurde. Eine Zeit lang wurden alle offizielen Mitteilungen des Gouverneurs sowohl in englischer als auch in deutscher Sprache verfasst.

Weiß nicht was daraus wurde....vielleicht war die Maßnahme zu unbeliebt ;)

Danke für den Hinweis, ich werde das auch probieren. Auch wenns fast keiner versteht. ;)

For those unfortunate souls who can't speak German, here's what I've decided: Franzl has told me that the Governor of the Midwest used to publish some of his official messages both in English and German - I like that idea so I'm going to try that too.

How bout either of these?
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Go with fine old Russian art, Governor.
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Thanks SJoyceFla, I think I'll take the picture with the water and the green grass. The other one is a tad too sombre for my taste.

And thank you Pingvin. That looks nice - and I guess I had better choose a painting now before you suggest I should hang the photograph of Marine Le Pen on my wall. ;)

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Any will do

Ha!

To all Mideast citizens: Please contact me if you'd like to apply for the office of Superior Court Judge. Link to the relevant thread:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=154086.0

I noticed there are at least two constitution amendments that have been passed by the Assembly but have never been voted on by the people, even though the constitution explicitly demands a popular vote.

The amendments in question are these:


https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=142670.0 (passed at the beginning of May 2012)


https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=152401.0 (passed in late October 2011)

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My question: Should these two amendments be brought to a popular vote without further delay or does the fact that these amendments have not been voted on by the people within the constitutionally defined time frame (first Thursday after having been passed by the Assembly) mean that these amendments have to be re-introduced and passed by the Assembly again?

I am grateful for any input because, frankly, I have no clue what to do with this.

After having received input on the question I raised in the previous post, I decided to bring the two amendments to a vote. Mideast citizens, please have your say on the two amendments in question and vote in this thread:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=154158.new#new

Thank you!

I would like to welcome Vosem to our region!

Additionally, I kindly encourage the newly elected Assemblymembers to take their oaths of office (they take office on the first Friday after the election) etc.. In other words, get off your lazy behinds and work. ;)

I would like to welcome wormyguy to our region. The libertarian fraction in the Mideast is getting more and more powerful, which has the potential to change the political dynamics of the Mideast in the long term. I am looking forward to a fruitful cooperation!

Oh no. 

Perhaps they're trying to start () for the Mideast?

Mideast Sex Crime Statute - tightening of the law

I am planning to tighten the Mideast Sex Crime Statute. While I find myself in agreement with the primary intent of the bill, I would like to see more severe punishments for certain sex crimes which involve very young children. For example, a section such as the following:

"Any sexual conduct with a person between the ages of 10 and 12 years by a person between the ages of 16 and 18 years is defined as statutory rape of the second degree."

should, in my view, be amended like this:

"Any sexual conduct with a person between the ages of 10 and 12 years by a person between the ages of 16 and 18 years is defined as statutory rape of the second first degree."

I am working on an amended version of said bill and will introduce it once I am finished. Input from other citizens is appreciated.

Amendment to the Mideast Sex Crime Statute introduced

Fellow citizens

I have introduced an amendment to the Mideast Sex Crime Statute, which is essentially a tightening of the law. I believe that our society must be sensitive when it comes to the issue of paedophilia (and I do think that when there is sexual contact between, for example, a 10-year old and a 17-year old the term paedophilia is appropriate, even if there appears to be mutual consent between the two individuals), and we must punish such crimes severely.

It's now up to the Assembly to make a decision on the issue at hand. I am open to minor amendments, but it is my firm conviction that the main thrust of this bill is right.

Will you also address human trafficking? It was something I wanted to work on until I was defeated last month.

This issue has not been on my radar so far, but I agree with you that such a despicable crime must be dealt with by the government. It may be, however, that this is an issue that should be addressed by the federal rather than a regional government. Thus, I encourage you to take action against human trafficking once you have been elected to the Senate. ;)

If I get elected that is. My view is both regional and federal governments can partner on this issue. It will be likely the first thing I address before I attempt to take a sword to that budget.

Endorsement for President and Mideast Senator (1st and 2nd preferences)

I am going to make an official first- and second-preference endorsement in the election for President and in the regional Senate election after the conclusion of the Mideast Senate Debate (I have to preserve the appearance of being objective and neutral at least during the debate, after all ;)).

Mideast Senate Endorsement

I have decided to formally endorse former Mideast Assemblyman JCL in his bid for regional Senator. While I hold Senator Ben in high esteem, I have decided to support JCL because I find myself in agreement with him on a couple of crucial issues.

JCL is pro-life. Like many Mideast citizens he wants to protect the lives of unborn children.

JCL is for a smaller government. Our budget deficit is huge and JCL will be a Senator who fights for necessary cuts in the budget.

JCL is for lower tax rates. I have criticized the excessive Atlasian tax rates for a long time, and JCL is a Senator who will tackle this problem and be a vote for lower taxes.

JCL is for a reasonable foreign policy. Recognizing that we need to cooperate with our closest allies and support them when necessary, JCL understands that Atlasia has to be very cautious about interventions on foreign territory.

Numerous people from outside the region have tried to tell the citizens of the Mideast how to vote in this election. They have attacked JCL, called him names, portrayed him as insane and extreme and deliberately ignored his moderate approach to numerous issues, for example his stance on the environment or human trafficking. The lack of respect they have shown for JCL is disappointing. Indeed, that JCL responded to all of these accusations in a civil manner demonstrates his admirable character and makes me confident that he will become a respectable Senator.

We have two qualified candidates who are running for Senate. One of them is a self-described "progressive", the other candidate considers himself a "conservative". I encourage all citizens to look at the candidates' political stances when they make their decision. I have done that and I have come to conclusion that JCL will do a fine job representing the citizens of the Mideast in the Atlasian Senate.

Governor ZuWo

Due to A-Bob's resignation, which takes effect on June 23, there will be a vacancy in the Mideast Assembly. All Mideast citizens who are interested in an appointment are invited to step forward and contact me. I am planning to make a definite appointment as soon as possible.

Your Governor ZuWo

Presidential and Regional Senate Election

Election for President:

[1] Clarence/Yelnoc
[2] Oakvale/Cincinnatus

Election for Mideast Senator:

[1] JCL
[2] Ben

For Atlasia

I have introduced the following bill to the Mideast Assembly:


I would like to see the Mideast Cell Phone Ban Statute repealed because of the Car Safety Act which was passed during the last session. Indeed, this Act makes the Mideast Cell Phone Ban Statute redundant.

As to the amendment of the Mideast Soldier Memorial Act: I think it's a nice way to honor our fellow Atlasian and war veteran Clarence on behalf of all war veterans. This measure doesn't cost us anything and it expresses our respect for those who have fought for this country.

 

Unofficial Regional Senate Count

After 9 votes:

Ben: 6 votes
JCL: 3 votes

Ben has a small lead because his voters have turned out very well so far. Yet, none of these votes have been a real surprise. It remains to be seen whether JCL's voter base will turn out in similar numbers.

Updated Unofficial Regional Senate Count

After 13 votes

Ben: 10 votes
JCL: 3 votes

JCL still has room to grow but Ben is strongly favored to win at this point.

Mideast Assembly Appointment

I have decided to appoint citizen RogueBeaver to the Mideast Assembly. I wish RogueBeaver all the best in his new office. At the same time I'd like to thank the outgoing Assemblyman A-Bob for his service to the region and hope he will return to elective office as soon as possible.

You say ten year old here but the law says fifteen.

 
Can you explain to the region why you are pushing this?

Congratulations, RogueBeaver!

Announcement of re-election campaign

I have made the decision that I will run for re-election as Mideast Governor in September. I am still in the first half of my tenure but I can say now already that I really enjoy the job and am motivated to continue my work. I want to support future efforts to make this region even more vibrant and I believe the governorship is a very good place for that.
It's still very early, so the actual re-election campaign will only start in August or early September. I merely thought it would be fair to let you know about my intentions once I have my decision. I am looking forward to an exciting but fair election campaign - I am convinced that the increased activity the region has experienced during the last months will result in a real and interesting race for Governor.

As Mideast correspondent for The People, what do you see as the highlights, accomplishments, & even failures of your term so far? What would you like to do moving forward?

Thank you for the question.

Highlights:

- Franzl's ruling on the Mideast Abortion Statute
- the population growth
- more activity in the region
- the formation of a group of citizens who are dedicated to the debate of reforms
- the prospect of an exciting Assembly election in July

Accomplishments:

- the appointment of a capable new judge as well as the appointment of RogueBeaver, a newbie, to the Assembly
- the first measures to update the wiki
- the introduction of several bills dealing with a variety of issues and, hopefully, their passing
- the first "Questioning the Power" session in recent regional history - I am confident that this will pick up steam in the coming months

Future plans and challenges:

- continue my cooperation with the Assembly to get good bills and useful reforms passed
- tackling the regional budget
- and, frankly, my re-election, which I think will be a major challenge

Endorsed of course... wish I could vote for you!

A delayed "thank you", Clarence.

Endorsed.

I thank all of you, Clarence, Yelnoc, Hagrid and Oakvale, for your endorsement.

This is going to be an uphill climb. But I am ready and prepared to accept this challenge.

If you support me you will not get the perfect Governor. I make mistakes. I have introduced bills which, in hindsight, I could have written better. I have put forward ideas which, at second glance, weren't ideal. There are issues where I feel competent but there are some areas where I know there is still a lot I can learn. I repeat: If you support me you will not get a perfect Governor.

But if you support me you will get a Governor who is authentic. A Governor who is consistent in his views - someone who doesn't hold a certain point of view because it's the most popular thing to do but because he believes it's the right thing to do. I am a Governor who is reliable and predictable. I am loyal to my friends and am willing to listen to people who have ideas which differ from my own plans.

And I am ready to work for this region. I took office more than a month ago and had to fix a couple of things; the office of Superior Court Judge was vacant, the wiki hadn't been updated in a long while, two constitutional amendments had not been brought to a vote, bills hadn't been signed, there was only little interaction between the Governor's mansion and the citizens of this region. This has changed. Partly because of my own work and partly thanks to the help of various citizens we have been able to turn around this region. The Mideast is again a vibrant and active place.

Therefore, if you think the Mideast is better off now than it was when I took office, please consider supporting me. I will continue my work for this region and would be extremely pleased to receive your help.

Thank you

Governor ZuWo

To me, what it looks like is that some people who normally might be supporting you, are instead running in order to harp on about buzzwords like "competitiveness" and whatnot. In my mind, you shouldn't change what works. I gladly endorse you for Governor of the Mideast. :)

Thank you Cathcon, I appreciate your support. I agree - never change a winning team! ;)

It is very nice to see that 70 percent of the Mideast citizens currently approve of my job performance. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155355.0)
However, it's even greater that ten Mideast citizens participated in the poll. This unusually high number shows that our region is becoming more and more vibrant and active again. Thanks to everyone who has voted and who is ready to help improve our region!

I'm not in the Mideast region, but I'll endorse you for re-election in spirit!

Thanks a lot! :)

I encourage the citizens of the Mideast to take a look behind vague rhetoric, claims that cannnot be substantiated and objectively inaccurate statements that they may encounter during the election campaign. My campaign will not make use of buzzwords and empty talking points. Indeed, I am determiend to focus on substance rather than appearance.

I hereby sign the

Repeal of Outdated and Unenforceable Acts Statute (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=154480.msg3346111#new)

Governor ZuWo

I hereby sign the

Miscellaneous Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155297.0)

Governor ZuWo

Amendment of the Mideast Time of Alcohol Sales Statute

I have introduced the following piece of legislation, which - you would not believe it! - aims to liberalize the existing regional laws that deal with times of alcohol sales. I will make my case for the amendment as soon as it on the Assembly floor.

I have made an effort to update the "Statute" section of the Mideast wiki. Nearly all bills and amendments that have been discussed in the last months and years now have short articles dedicated to them and a link to the appropriate debate threads. The "Statute" section is very useful if you want to introduce a bill to the Assembly and you need to do some research (e.g. to check whether the bill you intend to write already exists) or if you are simply curious about the history of our region.

Have fun! (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/Mideast_Statute)

I have updated the Mideast Vital Civic Information Thread. The thread now reads as follows: (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=139479.msg3348192#new)

Latest polling shows a small lead for the Governor (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155601.msg3348788)

The election is still two months ahead of us but the latest gubernatorial poll which was carried out by "ScottSurveys" is encouraging for the Governor. Polls like these obviously have to be taken with a grain of salt and at least one more relibale poll will be conducted at a later point of the campaign with the help of NE Lt. Governor Simfan, but this poll is a reason for optimism nonetheless and suggests the region is currently on the right track.

Keep up the good work, ZuWo. I'm rootin' for ya up there.

Thank you, Hagrid.

In all modesty, I think it can be said that active Governors have a positive impact on the region, and the Mideast is an example of this. However, there are more examples; the NE and the IDS also have active Governors who take their jobs seriously and as a result these regions are vibrant as well.
Therefore, I encourage all citizens - regardless of whether they are Mideasterners, Northeasterners or Southerners, liberals, conservatives or moderates - to re-elect those incumbents who they think are doing a good job.

I am pleased to see yet another poll which shows that many citizens approve of the work I and the serving Assemblymembers are doing. This is a great motivation for the rest of my first term. Thank you, Mideast!

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155674.0

Governor,

As a former everything-but-President I try to look in on Atlasia from time-to-time: I'm mightily impressed with how you are striving to make the Mideast active through the Wiki and generally through engaging with the populace. From experience, its something of a rarity, so keep it up.

Peter

Thank you very much, Peter. I did not have the opportunity to work with you, but I've seen on the wiki that you contributed a lot to the game and the region, which is why your encouraging comments are a great honor.

On the regional budget

The Governor has released the following statement:

We will be able to release a first draft of the regional budget fairly soon. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=128143.150) This is a milestone in the history of the Mideast and I am proud that this occurs during my tenure. At the same time, however, I want to make clear that I am not the one who should be credited for that. Indeed, the lion's share of the work has been done by previous GMs, the current GM shua as well as former Governor A-Bob. They deserve our gratitude and respect.

New Poll by SurveyAtlasia shows dead heat in gubernatorial race

The latest poll in the race for Mideast Governor has the Governor leading his potential challenger with 8 votes to 7. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155759.0)

"This campaign still has many weeks to go and since both candidates are known quantities in the region this is a good result", the Governor said.

"No matter who my opponent is going to be, it won't be easy. But a lot has been achieved during the last months so I am confident that The People will acknowledge that in September."

The Governor also made a brief comment on the upcoming Assembly elections. "Ideology certainly plays a role when it comes to who I am going to support, but activity is even more important. Those candidates who make a real effort, outline their platforms and participate in the ongoing debate will get a high preference from me."

I have posted the updated version of the Mideast Budget. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=128143.165) Please note that the deficit which this version of the budget yields is not our ultimate goal. Indeed, it is necessary that we have a fundament on which we can build our future work with the budget, which this version of the budget provides. However, I am looking forward to working with the next Assembly to cut the budget in such a way that we can avoid a deficit.

I would like to thank The People and Cathcon, federal Ambassador and Mideast correspondent for said newspaper, for giving me the opportunity to express my views in an interview. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=138839.90)

I would like to reiterate the key point which I tried to make during the conversation with Cathcon.
Indeed, I think that a lot has been achieved during the first weeks and months of my tenure (e.g. update of the wiki, visible progress in the budget process, the introduction and debate of different bills and the adoption of some pieces of legislation, a general increase in activity). I have received support from various citizens and am thankful for this. For these reasons I am willing to continue my service for the region as Governor and humbly ask the Mideast citizens for their confidence and help so that we can tackle every challenge and solve the problems which lie ahead of us together.

Governor ZuWo

When are the Assembly/Governor elections?

The election for Assembly starts between the third Thursday and Friday in the months of January, March, May, July, September and November. Thus, the next election (the one you are running in) begins the day after tomorrow.

The gubernatorial, however, only take place every four months (January, May, September) - the next election (the one I am running in) is in September.

Statement on upcoming elections for Mideast Assembly

I would like to thank the sitting Assemblymembers Inks and HappyWarrior as well as the three other candidates 20RP12, JCL and Oldiesfreak for their participation in the Assembly debate. This has been a unique opportunity for Mideast citizens to get to know the candidates who are running for Assembly and I hope it has helped many voters to make up their mind and decide who they think is going to represent them in the best way. The election starts tomorrow and takes exactly 72 hours. I wish all of you the best of luck.

As for my personal vote, I am going to preference all candidates who participated in the debate but I am still uncertain about the precise order of my preferences. Indeed, it will not be an easy choice for me and probably for many other voters as well but this only shows that this field of candidates is of high quality.

On behalf of the entire region I would like to thank all candidates for having made this campaign interesting and lively. I hope you will be able to enjoy the election.


Governor ZuWo

Thank you, Governor :)

Dear citizens,

the ballot for the regional Assembly elections has been published. You can access it by following this link:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156187.msg3358108;boardseen#new

Please note that voting starts at 11.59 PM EDT and ends exactly 72 hours later, so be careful when voting.

Have fun! I wish all of the candidates the best of luck.

Governor ZuWo

I am pleased to see that a sizable number of Mideast citizens have cast their vote in the ongoing elections for Assembly. I encourage everyone who has not yet voted to follow this example and vote for the candidates of their choice.

On an unrelated note, I would like to announce that, in accordance with the Questioning the Power Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/AFEWIKI/index.php/A.Res._1:_Questioning_the_Power_Act), another question time session will be held tomorrow. If you are a regional citizen and have a specific question don't hesitate to ask!

The votes for the Mideast Assembly elections have been tallied. I would like to congratulate Inks.LWC, HappyWarrior, 20RP12, Oldiesfreak1854 and JohanusCalvinusLibertas on their election. I am looking forward to a productive cooperation during the next session of the Assembly.
The full results can be accessed here (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156187.new#new). If you notice an error, please let me know.

Thanks to everyone who has voted! You have made an important contribution to our region.


Governor ZuWo

Hurray for the elected Assembly!

Governor's monthly newsletter: July edition has been published

Dear citizens,

the latest edition of my monthly newsletter has been published. The newsletter's goal is to summarize the most important regional events that have taken place during the month. If you think there is anything else that should be added to the newsletter, please let me know.

Your Governor

The newsletter can be accessed here: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155469.0

Press Release: Olympic Games in London

Governor ZuWo wishes all Atlasian athletes the best of luck at the Olympics. While his tight schedule makes it impossible for the Governor to travel to London in order to support our local athletes, he hopes that a part of the enthusiasm which is generated by this magnificent event and the great performance of our sportsmen and women will also be noticeable in all places between Maryland and Missouri.

The Governor would also like to stress that during the next weeks there is no "libertarian", "conservative", "moderate", "liberal" or "socialist" Atlasia. During the next weeks, we are all united in support of of our athletes who have a common goal, which is to make our country proud.

Swiss Independence Day in New Glarus, WI

Governor ZuWo celebrated the national holiday of Switzerland today. Stressing his Swiss heritage, he attended the "Swiss Independence Day" celebrations in the village of New Glarus, WI, where he delivered a short speech. In his speech, the Governor highlighted how his Swiss upbringing made him realize the importance of respecting minorities and the value of compromise.

"Many people, both on the left and the right, believe that a willingness to compromise is a sign of weakness. However, it is clear to me that our region and the entire country can only move forward if all political parties are ready to sit down around the same table and try to find common goals to improve our lives. Compromise is a strength, and no matter whether we are conservatives or liberals, we should always try to work with each other."

After his speech, the Governor listened to a Swiss Alphorn and yodelling concert and enjoyed a cervelat, a typically Swiss pork sausage, Emmentaler cheese, a glass of white wine from the famous Lavaux vineyards and a piece of chocolate for lunch.

Below are a couple of pictures from the celebration.

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Former Governor A-Bob endorses Governor ZuWo

I would like to thank former Governor A-Bob for his endorsement in my re-election campaign for Governor. This is what the former Governor said:


While I appreciate every single endorsement, A-Bob's support is especially valuable because he, as a former Governor, knows the job and is aware of what it takes to be an effective Governor. I feel deeply honored by A-Bob's support and vow that I will do my best not to let him and any other Mideast citizen down.

The "Mideast Vital Civic Information Thread" (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=139479.0) has been updated. In this thread, you get an overview of some of the most important regional and federal officeholders as well as the date of the next regional and federal election. As usual, if you note an error please let me know.

Have fun and enjoy the warm weather if you can!

On the Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment

I haven't made a lot of comments on federal affairs recently because it has been my intention to focus entirely on the Mideast and my job as Governor. However, since the Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendent is being voted on in the Senate and it looks likely that the regions will have the final say on the issue, I'll make an exception.

In short, I think this amendment should be passed by the regions. The issue of conscription has led to many emotional and passionate debates in the Senate and this amendment finally gives us an opportunity to find a real and practicable solution. While we should not rule out the possibility of conscription in the worst of all cases, we should also make sure that this drastic measure cannot be implemented so easily and faces constitutional hurdles, which is exactly what this amendment achieves.

We will not be able to move forward on this issue if one side of the Senate continues to decry conscription as slavery and the other Senators are unwilling to move even a single inch and the same motion is introduced at the beginning of every session without progress. We finally have a chance to solve this dilemma. Let's put an end to this issue, let's support this sensible compromise!

Thank you Governor ZuWo! :)

I'm glad to be in agreement with the President on this issue.

Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment: Vote is open

Citizens,

you can now vote on the Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment.

Governor ZuWo

Link:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156962.0

The following bill has passed the Assembly:

It is with great joy and gratitude that I sign this piece of legislation. I believe that the amendments that have been made to this act are a step in the right direction.

Governor ZuWo

The following bill has passed the Assembly:

After some consideration I sign the





Governor ZuWo

I would like to direct your attention to the following statement of Inks, Speaker of the Mideast Assembly, the content of which I fully support:

Thank you for signing the Welfare Responsibility Act, Mr. Governor.

You are welcome! :)

Information on two constitutional amendments and a proposition

It seems that the Mideast Assembly has passed two constitutional amendments (the "Amendment to Article III of the Mideast Constitution" aka "Assemly-size amendment" and the "Unnamed Amendment" aka "Lt. Governor amendment"). Additionally, the Assembly is on track to reject the "Amendment of the Mideast Time of Alcohol Sales Statute" which I've put forward. Since I want to get this bill passed, I will bring this to a popular vote and let the people decide by way of proposition. Thus, we're going to have the opportunity to vote on three different issues.

Depending on when Speaker Inks officially closes the Assembly vote on the two amendments and the bill, voting shall begin this or next week - the constitution demands that these votes be held "between midnight Eastern Standard Time on the first Thursday [after the adoption of the] proposal and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the first Friday thereafter". Thus, if the results of the Assembly vote will be certified today, voting will start tomorrow. Otherwise, we'll vote in a week.

As a reminder, the constitutional amendments need a two-thirds majority to pass while the proposition only requires a simple majority.

My apologies on the oversight - I thought I had already closed those votes.

Also, the following bill has passed:

I hereby sign the


Governor ZuWo

Citizens,

you now have the opportunity to vote on the "Treaty Ratification Amendment" which has been passed by the Atlasian Senate and requires the approval of the regions.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157284.0

Governor ZuWo

Voting on the federal Anti-Conscription Compromise Amendment is closed. The amendment passes with 16 AYEs out of 16 people voting.

Thanks to everyone who has cast their vote!

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156962.new#new

Voting in the Mideast feels like voting in Switzerland today because you can vote on four amendments/propositions at the same time!

1. Federal Amendment ("Impeachment Clarification Amendment"):

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157643.0

2. Regional Proposition ("Amendment of the Mideast Time of Alcohol Sales Statute"):

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157640.0

3. Regional Amendment I ("Unnamed Amendment" aka "Reestablishing the Lieutenant Governor Amendment"):

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157642.0

4. Regional Amendment II ("Amendment to Article III of the Mideast Constitution" aka "Size of the Assembly Amendment"):

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=157641.0

I must admit that the vote on the regional amendments/proposition started one and a half hour too late. I had my birthday yesterday and I only remembered to open the vote this morning. If this is a serious problem for anyone feel free to bring this case to court. ;)

Governor ZuWo

I know that this is not my business, but it'd be more rational to have 4 referendas at same time in one thread. Just sayin'

You have a point here. Indeed, it would be neat to have all four votes in the same thread. However, I guess the risk of making an error is higher if you vote on four issues within the same post and I wanted to minimize this risk because some of the issues we're voting on are quite disputed.

Amendment/Proposition Tracker


:)

:)

I guess I can further work on improve the Lt. Governor compatancies to gain further support. Are we ready to put the Nefarious Bill in for debate?

Yes, the Lt. Governor's amendment can certainly be improved. As I stated in the debate thread, this version of the amendment didn't really achieve much because we already have a Speaker who does exactly the same. If you want to go ahead with the idea of reestablishing the Lt. Governor, it makes more sense to propose the creation of an additional position.

As for the "Nefarious Bill" - that's the Speaker's business, not mine. He's the one who creates debate threads for the bills that have been introduced. All I can do as Governor is comment on bills and sign or veto them. You know, separation of powers and such. ;)

Endorsement for Senate

I will make a formal endorsement for the upcoming Senate at-large elections on one of the next days. A candidate's ideology certainly plays an important role but I am also planning to endorse candidates who, despite being far away from me politically speaking, have a record of activity in Atlasia.

I know. Just keeping ya on your toes.

Vacancy in the Mideast Superior Court looming?

Judge Franzl has announced his candidacy for Senate at-large. I wish him the best of luck and he will certainly get a high preference from me!

Now, this may have practical implications on the office of Mideast Superior Court Judge. Should Franzl be elected to the Senate we will need a new Judge. So, if you are a regional citizen and you might be interested in this office, start thinking about it now. It is notoriously difficult to fill the office of Superior Court Judge so I think it's a good idea to consider all options early enough. That being said, formal applications for the office of Superior Court Judge can only be made if and once Franzl has been sworn in and starts his new job.

Regardless of your political affiliation, I wish everyone an exciting election!

Governor ZuWo

Amendment/Proposition Tracker


Thank you to everyone who voted! :)

Statement on outcome of the various amendment and proposition votes

I think the people of the Mideast made the right decisions. On the one hand, they rejected unnecessary and detrimental reform proposals and voted in favor of the current system of electing Assemblymembers - a system which has worked just fine so far. On the other hand, the people approved of a pragmatic bill on the times of alcohol sales in the region. I am also pleased by the relatively high number of people who voted, though there is still room to improve this. There is work ahead of us, and if we want to continue to be successful there is no time to lean back and rest on our laurels.

Governor ZuWo

Senate elections: Endorsement

I originally planned to publish my endorsement earlier but since so many new candidates have emerged in the last few days I had to rethink my choice. So, here's my official list of the candidates that I endorse for the upcoming Senate elections:

1. Hagrid (Whig)
2. Clarence (Whig)
3. Franzl (Liberal)
4. SJoyceFla (IB)
5. Snowstalker (Labor)

As a member of the Whig Party and as Mideast Governor I have three main goals in mind regarding this election. Firstly, I want to strengthen the conservative fraction in the Senate, which is why I support Hagrid and Clarence. Secondly, I want to have as many Senators from the Mideast as possible as well as candidates who emphasize regional rights, which is why I endorse Franzl and Snowstalker on the one hand and SJoyceFla on the other hand. Finally, it is also important that we elect active Atlasians, and I think all of the candidates that I endorse are more than qualified in this respect.
This obviously doesn't mean that the other candidates are all bad and that I believe they wouldn't make good Senators - not at all. But there are only five spots and at some point I had to make a clear choice.

Again, I wish everyone a happy election.

Gubernatorial Schedule of the next days (Public Appearances)

- August 23 to 26: trip through the Mideast to campaign for the candidates I endorsed
- August 27: statement on the outcome of the Senate elections
- August 27: the next question time session will be held
- August 28: the latest edition of the "Governor's monthly newsletter" will be published
- at some point during the next week: official launch of the "Four More Months: Re-Elect Governor ZuWo" campaign

Cross-regional endorsement for spamage, candidate for Pacific Governor

If there is one thing I have learnt during my time as Governor, it's that this office matters. A Governor doesn't have unlimited powers, but he can help to invigorate his region if he takes his job seriously and tries to engage with the people. As far as I can tell, this appears to work well in the Mideast, the Northeast and the South.

However, the Pacific, even more so than the Midwest, is a region which is in a worrisome condition. At least one election has not been held in time, not a single bill has been introduced in the regional legislative chamber during the recent months, the number of citizens has stagnated and there are not many people in the Pacific who regularly take part in regional or federal elections. Now a registered voter from the IDS, the Mideast, the Midwest or the Northeast could think "Who cares? That's not my business!" but we must realize that a dying region like the Pacific hurts Atlasia as a whole since this nation can only prosper when all of its regions are alive.

Therefore, it's absolutely important that the Pacific elects a Governor who is motivated to do his job, who has ideas to revive the Pacific and who is not afraid to work hard for the well-being of his region. There is such a candidate, and this candidate is spamage. People like spamage is what the Pacific - and Atlasia in general - needs and it's not only the duty of the people in the Pacific to help spamage fix a broken region but it's the obligation of all Atlasians to make sure that people like spamage, who have the best intentions for the game, are encouraged and supported.
It is with great joy that I endorse spamage for Pacific Governor because we need Governors who do their job right!

Mideast Budget

The Mideast Assembly is debating a regional budget proposal. Since this is the first budget of our region in the history of Atlasia, I invite all citizens to have a look at the debate thread and make comments if they want to contribute to the process of creating this budget. Since this is our first budget and the entire region will be affected by it, it is very important that the budget has broad support. So, regardless of whether you are a conservative, liberal, libertarian, independent or socialist - have your say. Post directly in the Assembly thread or contact me as your Governor or one of the members of the Assembly.

For those who are interested in the budget - this is the link to the debate thread in the Assembly:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=156705.0

Have fun (and don't forget to vote in the federal Senate election if you haven't done so yet),

your Governor

ZuWo

Citizens,

it's time for a new question time session. Please ask if you have any questions regarding my job as Governor.

The following bill has passed:

The following bill has passed:

I hereby sign the

Mideast Internet Freedom Act and the Common Courtesy While Driving Act.

Governor ZuWo

Four more months of success: Re-elect Governor ZuWo

Good morning citizens of the Mideast

I stand before you today to announce that I am seeking re-election as Mideast Governor. Since I took office in May I have always enjoyed this office and I still have as much energy and motivation as on the first day I entered the Governor's mansion. I don't want to waste too many words but instead I want to get straight to the facts.
The Mideast is a better, stronger, more active and more vibrant region than it was just three months ago. Together with the Assembly and you, people of the Mideast, great things have been achieved in the last weeks and months.

- For the first time in the history the Mideast, a regional budget has been introduced to the Assembly.
- The most important regional wiki pages, which have been neglected for a long time, have been updated.
- I appointed Franzl, a highly competent Atlasian, to the office of Mideast Superior Court Judge.
- The number of Mideast citizens has risen from 25 in late May to 35 at the end of August while the number of citizens in most other regions has stagnated. Clearly, this reflects the renewed attractiveness and high level of activity in our region.
- Communication between the government and the people has been improved by regular updates in my office thread, the launch of the question time sessions and the introduction of a monthly gubernatorial newsletter.
- As a quick glance at the "Regional Government" board shows, the Mideast Assembly is now the most active regional legislature. As Governor, I have put forward several bills, ranging from the budget and issues such as veterans’ affairs to a pragmatic reform of the "Mideast Sex Crime Statute".
- Well-intended but detrimental reform ideas, such as the "Assembly-Size Amendment" and the "Re-Establishing the Lt. Governor Amendment", were debated and ultimately rejected while sensible ideas ideas like the "Amendment of the Mideast Time of Alcohol Sales Statute" were approved by the people.
- I launched the idea of a Atlasian gubernatorial conference, which has recently been taken up by Northeast Governor Nix and will, if implemented, help to improve the cooperation between the Atlasian Governors and, among many other benefits this idea has, can make sure that the Mideast will be heard in Atlasia.

To sum up, my tenure as Governor has been marked by increased regional activity, better communication between the government and the people, pragmatism and common-sense solutions for the Mideast. For these reasons and because I intend to continue my work in a similar way, I ask you for your vote.

I want to conclude this speech with a few quotes by one of the founding fathers of present-day Atlasia, Peter Bell, Senator-elect HagridoftheDeep, Northeast Governor Nix and former Mideast Governor A-Bob.





Vote for four more months of success!

Governor ZuWo

Endorsed.

Thank you, Pingvin and Supersonic.

Whatever you need, I'm at your disposal. You have my full and enthusiastic support. :)

Thank you, Hagrid.

I am proud to endorse Governor ZuWo in his next bid for governor.

Thank you, Snowstalker! The Whigs and Labor unite ... :P

I wholeheartedly approve of Governor ZuWo and he has a close to impeccable record. I am completely on the fence at this point regarding his election. An excellent incumbent versus an excellent challenger.

Thank you, TexasDem. By leading a campaign of real substance and a clear focus on the issues, I hope to show you and other citizens that I am willing and able to do a good job for four more months.

On the Mideast Budget

The groundwork for the Mideast Budget was laid by former Governor A-Bob and numerous GMs, including the current GM shua who has helped me and the Assembly on several occasions. I applaud them for their hard work. While the introduction of the first budget in the history of the Mideast occurred in my tenure, we should remember that this would not have been possible without the efforts of these people.

The original budget proposal showed a deficit of $32 billion. In order to balance the budget, the Assembly has decided to raise the beer taxes to $0.30 per gallon, which resulted in an additional revenue of $150 million. Subsequently, I have put forward two amendments which seek to do away with certain tax breaks. If these two amendments are passed by the Assembly, our deficit will be smaller but we will still have to deal with a $22 billion debt. Although I can't promise to balance the budget completely, I will try to propose other cuts in the next days. This will be a difficult and painful process but it would be irresponsible to burden our future generations with an overly high debt. I don't necessarily ask you for your support for every single cut, but for your understanding. In hard times like these, unpopular decisions must be made.

In the race for Governor of the Mideast there are 2 qualified candidates, and if either won I am sure the ME would be just fine. However only one can win. The incumbent in the race, Governor ZuWo, has had a great term as governor and has done the Mideast well. I cannot think of any reason why he should be thrown out of office.

Today I am here to announce I stand with Governor ZuWo and ask the fine citizens of the Mideast to do likewise.

Thank you, Jbrase! I will make sure to spend a couple of Dibbles - who cares if they are illegal or not! - to boost the Southern economy on my next trip to the IDS. ;)

Is the dibble backed by something other than thin air?

     The dibble is made of gold and silver, so presumably it's backed by the market value of those metals.

I'm not sure about the current legal status of the Dibble, but knowing those stubborn and independent people in the IDS I assume they're still using it. ;)

On an unrelated note:

Citizens,

the latest edition of the "Governor's monthly newsletter" has been published. In the newsletter you will find a quick overview of the most important actions and events in the Mideast in the month of August.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=155469.0

Have fun!

Governor ZuWo

Are Dibbles even manufactured anymore? :P

Yes, and legally I might add. :)

Being a proponent of commodity base currency I'm happy to hear it.

     Back when I was Senator, I proposed a bill to put Atlasia on the gold standard. It failed, but the fight continues.

What about putting it (the currency) on oil and natural gas?

I do no think this is the right thread for this discussion :P

Well, it's my fault really. Why did I have to mention the Dibble to begin with? :P

On a more serious note, the IDS has always been my second-favorite region because I like the South's particular regional identity. If I ever left the Mideast for some reason - though I don't have such plans at the moment - I would move to the IDS.

Yes, the IDS does sound like a very freedom-region, and this talk of Dibbles, which I assume are their own currency, intrigues me even more as to the ways of our Southern brethren.

I'd like to take this opportunity to announce my proud endorsement of Governor ZuWo in his bid for reelection.  His record as Mideast governor has been not only unquestionably pro-liberty, but unquestioningly Atlasian in nature.  As governor, ZuWo has reached across the aisle on many occasions to the benefit of the people of the Mideast.  His record speaks for itself; it's morning again in the Mideast, and not only does Governor ZuWo deserve to be re-elected, but he deserves the support of every Mideasterner whose life has been improved under ZuWo's time leading your region.  Thank you, God Bless you, God Bless Governor ZuWo, and God Bless Atlasia!

Thank you, Jerseyrules. I appreciate your support. :)

On Jobs and the Economy

Too many Atlasians don't have a job at the moment. Indeed, the most recent unemployment figures, which have been released by GM shua (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=143807.30), show that 8.1% of the Atlasian people are jobless. While the figures for the Mideast are better - the jobless rate is at 6.9% - we are far away from a satisfactory employment situation.
Before we call for drastic measures by the regional government we have to keep in mind that the Mideast is part of a national and, at an increasing rate, a global economy. In fact, our economy is subject to many trends that we, as a regional government, cannot influence. At the same time, the Mideast faces a looming budget deficit so there is no money we can spend on a stimulus package which is big enough to have a positive impact. While some may now demand higher taxes across the board I believe that this is not an effective path to pursue. Our primary goal must be to make sure that we maintain and create a positive setting for private enterprises. Thus, I will not seek to raise regional taxes and am determined to avoid unnecessary and excessive regulations of private businesses. Private businesses are the backbone of our economy and we cannot afford to put obstacles in their way. At the same time, it is imperative that the federal laws on the maximum number of working hours per week are loosened. In fact, the federal Senate passed a bill last year which limited the maximum number of working hours per week to little over 30 hours a week. If we compare this to the maximum number of working hours in other global economies, we can conclude that this is a policy that is hardly pursued by any other country and does not have a future. In order to make our economy more competitive again, such laws must be repealed.

Citizens, I ask for your understanding in such dire economic times and assure you that I care deeply about the hardship of many Mideasterners.

Governor ZuWo

Thank you very much, Governor. :) Needless to say, I approve of your active role as Northeast Governor as well and think it would be to the benefit of your region if you ran for re-election.

If re-elected Governor, would you be open to working with other regional officers on infrastructure projects? :)

I am open to almost everything, so yes. ;)

On a serious note, since there is still a lot Atlasia can do in terms of improving public transport, power supply, roads etc. I think this is an important area. Many of these projects very expensive but in some cases we don't have a choice and have to invest to be ready for the future.

Survey Atlasia Poll: Regional Executive Approval Poll

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=158185.0

The latest regional executive approval poll, commissioned by Survey Atlasia, showed that 8 out of 10 Mideasterners (80%) approve of the job I am doing. I would like to thank the people of the Mideast for this sign of confidence in my administration and promise to do all I can not to let them down. Furthermore, I am happy that most of my colleagues also receveived good marks from the citizens of their respective regions.

Four more months of success!

On a dangerous piece of legislation: The Marriage Revenge Initiative

Citizens,

I would like to direct your attention to the following initiative, the "Marriage Revenge Initiative", proposed by Senator-elect Marokai and supported by a couple of citizens, including my opponent Tmthforu94.

Now what does the text of the initiative say? Let's have a closer look at this.


As can be gleaned from the title of this initiative, this piece of legislation is based on a principle of "revenge". It seeks to divide and discriminate. Indeed, as the text of the initiative undoubtedly shows, only a same-sex union shall be considered a "marriage", while unions between men and women are simple "civil unions".

Let's be clear about this: Same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples in present-day Atlasia. Recognizing that this is the political will of an overwhelming majority of the Atlasian people, I have never tried to taken any measures to change that, nor will I do so in the future. This initiative, however, attempts to put heterosexual couples at a clear disadvantage. Indeed, this is a policy that isn't pursued even by the hard left in the real world!

I stand for fairness, and I therefore oppose this initiative. My political convictions are not based on the principle of "revenge", so I ask you to join me in this battle against a discriminatory and divisive initiative. The September elections for Governor offer a stark contrast.

Actually, I'm going to remove my signature from that initiative - upon request from a friend, I signed all initiatives without looking, mainly because I'd like to see the initiative process in full-effect at the federal level, something I've never seen in my many years here. I will remove it, however, because I strongly disagree with some of the language in the initiative and it's something I don't even want to risk getting to a public vote.

Feel free to continue to attack me for originally signing onto this. It won't bother me, though it may distract from more important issues facing our region. :) But, on the awful scenario that this is brought to a public vote, the people of the Mideast and Atlasia will see how I really stand on this issue, which is opposition.

You had the chance to look at the bill twice: First you wanted to sign all of the bills at the same time and then you signed them again individually. You either don't read the things you support or you are not telling the truth here because you are changing your point of view based on what you think is the most popular thing to do at the moment. Either way, this is troubling.

You're right - I didn't read the bill through before signing it. But that's where your argument ends.  I removed the signature not because I think it was the popular thing to do, but because I believe that initiative is just wrong and dangerous for Atlasia, and we can't even let it get to a public vote.

No, this is not "troubling". This is you just throwing another petty attack at me, which does nothing but distract voters of the important issues facing our region. Please take your campaign of division and negativity elsewhere. This does nothing to benefit Mideasterners.

The facts are crystal clear: The text of the initiative was there, you signed the initiative twice. We all know that you are literate so saying you simply didn't read the text of the initiative is not a very credible claim to make.
And even in the improbable case that you didn't throw a single glance at the text of the initiative, I am a bit concerned about how you are going to deal with bills in the Assembly should you be Governor. As Governor, one actually has to read the bills before signing them.

Oh my this is getting bizarre.

I think I know what it takes to be an executive - I've served as President and Governor in this game, and I thoroughly read every single bill that ever crossed my desk. I currently am one of the most active people in the Assembly, despite having no official position, and have read through each bill that has been proposed for several months now.

If the good people of the Mideast give me the opportunity to serve as their Governor a month from now, I will continue my proven record as both Governor and President of being thoroughly informed on each bill before signing.

In this thread, ZuWo has once again suggested that I am a liar, which is just another attempt by him to turn this race into a dirty bloodbath, something I certainly do not want. And ZuWo, don't act like you're "concerned" about how I'm going to deal with bills - you're just trying to use this as another attack on me, something you've been very committed to doing ever since I formed my exploratory committee.

If any Mideast citizens has real concerns about this, and aren't just trying to score political points from it, I'd be more than happy to have a serious discussion with you about it in my campaign thread, where an official statement from the campaign will be released later today. Thank you!

Signing a petition to put something to a vote is not the same as signing a bill into law.

I am aware that you are uncomfortable about this discussion because this topic clearly shows your erratic behavior so it's understandable that you therefore desperately try to paint this as an irrelevant attack. However, the fact that you expressed your support for this initiative twice and then claimed that you didn't read the initiative as soon as you noticed that people started opposing the initiative calls your judgement and reliability into serious question.
The citizens of the Mideast should be made aware of this incident because they need a Governor they can trust and a Governor who is willing to defend the decisions he makes even if these decisions may be unpopular. I have proven my ability to defend unpopular decisions when it came to the "Common Courtesy While Driving Act" and the cuts that have to be made in the Mideast Budget. We need consistent officeholders, and that's why I am running for re-election.

That's true. But signing a petition twice and claiming one hasn't even read the petition is, as has been stated in this thread earlier on, "bizarre".

Please do not question my motives for removing my signature - The bill is a dangerous bill that shouldn't be brought to a public vote. This has nothing to do with trying to make a popular decision - I just realized I made a mistake, and thankfully was able to correct it. I'm sure the good people of the Mideast will see that, forgive me, and we can all move on. :)

In my thread, earlier today, a question was brought up about the budget, an issue in which I have several disagreements with you on. Unlike the attacks you're currently throwing at me, this is an issue that actually has Mideasterners interested in, and I'd love to have a discussion with you and other Mideasterners, whether here, in my campaign thread, or in the Budget thread, about the pro's and con's of slicing tax benefits in half, which is what your proposed amendment does.

Also, thank you, I've never been called erratic before! :P

You didn't consider the initiative "dangerous" until you noticed that your support of the initiative could hurt you politically (this explains why you only deleted your signature after I made my first public comment on this issue). You signed the initiative twice, after all. Such incidents must be made public because they reveal a lot about a candidate's character.

And I am ready to have a serious debate on the budget any time. Indeed, a substantial contribution of yours on the budget has yet to appear. While you said that education spending shouldn't be cut and that you oppose my plans, we have not heard concrete ideas from you on how we should cut the budget. It seems that if you had your way, we would still be stuck at a $32 billion deficit rather than be faced with a $22 billion deficit where we are right now thanks to my amendments.

I actually considered the initiative dangerous the moment I read the text, which was just today, but to be honest, you can believe whatever you want to believe on this. There are more important fish to fry right now in our region.

And now, when I try to have a serious, healthy discussion on the budget, this is just another example of you trying to score political points at every chance you get. This isn't the mentality that is needed to create a successful working budget.

Actually, and I'm sure he'll back me up on this, JCL and I have been working for a few days now on ways to make cuts to the budget without causing deep economic troubles, which is what I fear your amendment could do to middle-class families. The campaign just started, but before the election, I plan to come out with my own plan on what I'd do with our budget.

I leave the answer to the following question up to the Mideast people:

How likely is it that an ordinary citizen signs a petition twice without even throwing a single glance at the text of the petition? Moreover, how likely is it that a candidate running for Governor fails to read a petition and then goes on to sign it twice to express his support for the petition?

Regarding the budget discussion, there is a problem with your approach. In fact, the budget has to be passed in the current legislative session just like any other regular bill. If you are going to withhold your own budget proposals until a few days before the election because you intend to criticize the existing amendments to the budget without actually taking a clear stance, you are delaying the entire process, which hurts the Mideast.

Anyone who knows me and knows my record know that I would not lie on something like this. I haven't had one "ordinary citizen" express concerns over my actions, only you, who's just doing this as a political stunt. The Mideast region deserves better than such a negative, hateful campaign.

---

ZuWo, I never stated I'm going to "withhold" my own budget proposals until a couple days before the election. Quit putting words in my mouth. I'm currently hard at work with JCL at finding a way to get a balanced budget without crippling our economy. As soon as we have something ready, it will be presented, and I suppose that'll be my proposal. However, I'd love to work with you on this proposal as well, even though your my opponent, because this is something that needs to get done. :) Please let me know if you'd like to work with us on this - I'm sure JCL would agree that we'd love to have you working with us.

Your record in Atlasia is, unfortunately, not the best when it comes to the question whether or not you tell the truth all the time. In fact, as I know from first-hand experience plenty of Atlasians are disgruntled with your behavior both in the past and the present, but I guess you know that better than myself. That's why the question I asked above still stands.

Also, the fact remains that you only criticized my amendments to the budget several days after I had introduced them, and you still refuse to state what concrete budget cuts you would like to make. As long as you don't do that, you are not a credible critic of the current budget proposals.

Okay. :) If there are so many Atlasians disgruntled with my behavior, I'll be waiting for them to come out during this campaign. Once again, please take this campaign of negativity and division elsewhere - This isn't about improving the Mideast for you, this is just about trying to smear your opponent so you can get another term. That's not what this election is about by any means.

If you would read the PM I just sent you, you would be able to see what we're thinking about doing. My offer still stands - feel free to respond to that PM whenever, and I'll be happy to work with you on coming up with solutions for our region's budget. :)

To both of you:

I consider you both valuable allies. This budget issue is important and it needs to be solved before the next election. I've taken a look at this and I can't support it as it stands now for two reasons. One is the five cent increase in the beer tax. I don't do tax increases. Second this budget is 32 billion in the red. What we all need to understand regardless of party is the people want a budget passed. If all government spending takes a 15 percent cut there is a chance we can balance the books and have no tax increases.

I fought the Polnut budget for those same reasons. While I ran for the Senate I proposed targeted spending cuts to reduce the debt and balance the budget. Though I lost some of the cuts were used though on a smaller level.

So for the sake of getting this balanced (without a tax increase) lets come up with a plan together.

The only case of "negativity and division" that has appeared in this campaign was when you supported the negative and divisive "Marriage Revenge Act" before you suddenly decided to change your opinion.

I will work on improving the budget with anyone who is serious about it. If you criticize a concrete amendment to the budget, I invite you to step forward and say what you would like to do differently. For instance, since you are considering cutting several programs by 15% and want to cut healthcare spending you can as well say so now and ask the people of the Mideast for their opinion on this idea. Even if you haven't focused on the details yet, it's only fair if the people of the Mideast are informed about your approach at this point.


JCL, I will work with you on an improved budget with pleasure.

Oh my...

Once again, I'm trying to have a serious discussion with you about fixing our budget, and you're just sticking to trying to make this about political gain and more attacks. The Mideast people deserve better than this charade. Those are some idea's JCL currently have on the table - we're just preparing a comprehensive plan to introduce all at once, rather than piece by piece, which could take much longer.

I've been saying this all along. We just need to get ZuWo on board! :)

Don't lecture me on trying to make something about "political gain" since you are the expert in this area. You are the one criticizing the current amendments to the budget without showing the people what your plan is. I do not want to discuss the budget mainly behind the scenes, I want the process of developing our first regional budget in the history of Atlasia to be a transparent thing. It's the members of the Assembly who vote on the budget and have to voice their opinions. Also, the people deserve to know what's going on, so the biggest part of the debate on the budget must be held in the "Mideast Budget 2012" thread. After all, this is what you said about developing the budget:

My plans for my second term as Mideast Governor

In short, my second term as Mideast Governor will be very similar to my current term. I will continue to be a Governor who communicates with the citizens of the Mideast through various channels, such as for example the question time sessions and the monthly newsletter. Moreover, I will introduce a couple of bills to the Assembly. Concretely, I will have a close look at the statute page on the wiki and make sure that redundant acts are repealed. Additionally, I will seek to draft legislation on issues concerning the economy, education and administrative affairs. This way, I will ensure that there is ongoing political debate even in times when not very much is happening in the Assembly.
In addition, the wiki will remain an important priority of mine. Indeed, I will try to make sure that the relevant wiki pages are kept up to date. I will also play an active role in the newly founded C.A.R.E., the Conference of Atlasian Regional Executives, and work closely with the other Governors in order to give the Atlasian regions an effective platform and an opportunity to have more influence on what's happening in Atlasia.

Furthermore, I will continue to be a Governor who stands for the interests of the entire region rather than an officeholder who is loyal to himself alone. Indeed, I am a conservative who regards the ability to compromise as a positive value. That's why I will always be open to suggestions from all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. I have demonstrated my openness when I appointed Franzl to the Mideast Superior Court, took into consideration various ideas from other people during the debate of the "Mideast Sex Crime Statute" and during the budget debate, where I have tried to find the best and not the most ideological solutions for the region. Therefore, it's not surprising that I have been endorsed by members of all major national parties.

Finally, I would like to stress that I will emphasize values such as consistency, reliability and credibility in my second term. I say what I think and I think what I say. I am willing to listen to people with diverse ideologies before I make a decision because very often the best answer to most problems is a pragmatic answer and not an answer rooted in ideology. At the same time, however, once I have made up my mind on a particular issue I will defend my point of view rather than change my opinion several times - I care more about credibility and reliability than doing what is the most popular thing to do depending on the office I am running for. With me in the Governor's mansion you have someone who values honesty and accountability. While I am certainly not flawless, I only have the best intentions for the region.

Thank you for your attention and have a nice day!

Governor ZuWo

Four more months!  Four more months!

I'm glad we agree on this issue, Oldiesfreak! ;)

Support for "Torture Isn't Nice Initiative" and "Condemnation of Condemnable Behavior Act"

I have decided to support the "Torture Isn't Nice Initiative" and the "Condemnation of Condemnable Behavior Act" and would like to offer a brief explanation for my decision:

Firstly, I believe that a modern government should not use torture (or other physical forms of punishment such as the death penalty, which is not mentioned in the initiative but is an even more drastic form of punishment by the government) when dealing with prisoners. Torture is inhumane and uncivilized and should therefore be opposed.

Secondly, I oppose strategic registration and so I support this initiative. While I am aware that we can't ban this practice - it's very hard to prove whether someone would be guilty of strategic registration even if it were illegal - an official statement by the Atlasian government can be helpful in preventing further cases of strategic registration. In fact, strategic registration poisons the political climate in Atlasia as it leads to distrust and resentment between the parties, so we should take a stance against it.

I am still uncertain about some of the other initiatives and might sign them at a later point though I need to see more arguments in favor of them.

Governor, what would you say to a Lincoln-Douglas style debate with your challenger?  No moderator, just one timekeeper.

More on the economy, jobs and taxes

My opponent has laid out a platform in which he briefly summarized his main political priorities. While this is generally commendable, there are a couple of points which seem problematic and implausible to me. I want to briefly point out what these points are and how my plan differs on these issues.

First of all, my opponent expressed his wish to have a balanced budget. This is my goal as well so I'm glad this is an issue we can agree on. However, my opponent's plans don't end here. In fact, Tmthforu94 also plans to pass an infrastructure jobs bill, has promised to implement infrastructure projects, wants to distribute more money to our regional schools and calls for a cut in corporate tax rates.

All in all, we see the promise of a (nearly) balanced budget, (dozens of) billions in new spending (investing in the infrastructure and schools to bring down unemployment to 5% costs a lot), a cut in corporate taxes, which is only partly balanced with a new tax on online goods, while my opponent is cautious about making cuts that hurt the middle class ...

I have never been a Governor of unfulfillable promises. Indeed, my style of governing and my political priorities are rooted in a sense of realism. If I were Mitt Romney or lived in an alternative universe I could maybe promise you the same as my opponent - a balanced budget with tax cuts and more money to spend on infrastructure and educational projects without making cuts to the budget that hurt the middle class - but I prefer to be realistic. Clearly, given the current state of the budget there is no room for tax cuts. Additionally, considering the problems of our economy and the economic situation all around the world I regard it as irresponsible and unfair to suggest to the citizens of the Mideast that the unemployment can be reduced to 5% in such a short period of time. Moreover, I can't promise you to spend dozens of billions for an effective stimulus package - an "infrastructure jobs bill" is just that, a stimulus package by the government - and more money for schools when I am compelled to reduce the deficit. All I can promise you with a clear conscience is that I will continue to fight against unnecessary regulations for businesses such as the federal bill restricting the maximum number of working hours. Furthermore, I will keep looking into the budget and try to find programs that can be cut. However, since both GM shua and former Governor A-Bob, the father of the Mideast budget so to speak, already indicated that most government programs are on the brink of being underfunded in the current budget proposal, we should not expect too much from this approach. In fact, my main two priorites regarding the budget are the attempt to do away with certain tax breaks and reducing the deficit by establishing a regional lottery if the Assembly decides to pass the bill which deals with the regional lottery.

I don't want to promise you things that I can't keep. Raising high expectations in times of economic distress is not the path I choose to pursue. My administration will work on infrastructure programs and seek cooperation with other regional governments should I be elected to a second term, but only insofar as it is responsible with regards to our budget.

Vote for me, vote for fiscal and economic realism.

I would also like to express my support for the Shut Yo Face Act (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=158552.msg3409018#new), for the reasons which Jbrase stated in a post in the debate thread:

The death penalty isn't mentioned mostly because TJ has an amendment in the queue to ban it, so a law would be redundant. It does prohibit fake executions though.

I didn't mean to say that the death penalty should be included in the text of the initiative, I merely wanted to state that I oppose the death penalty just like I oppose any kind of torture. The initiative is just fine the way it is.

Actually putting the death penalty on the initiative would be redundant because the initiative would constitute a statute ban of the death penalty, which is already in effect anyway not because it would achieve the same thing as an amendment that has not yet passed. My amendment is a constitutional ban, which would prevent a future statute change from legalizing the death penalty.

The death penalty has become a political issue in the Mideast gubernatorial race not because either candidate supports it but because of a set of misstatements and a mistaken post that cast some confusion of each candidate's position. So yes, the Governor has need to make sure his position is clear in the eyes of the public.

Updated Official Endorsement List

Former Mideast Governor A-Bob
Senator HagridoftheDeep
Senator and Whig Party chairman Clarence
Speaker of the IDS House Jbrase
Former Northeast Governor Snowstalker
Whig Party vice chairman Supersonic
Northeast Governor Averroës Nix
IDS Judicial Overlord Pingvin
Northeast Representative Jerseyrules

Judicial, not Justice. Fix it, please!

Done!

Snowstalker was never Chairman of the Labor Party.

Oops, I'll change that into "future chairman of the Labor Party" then, and add Cathcon who I forgot to mention and who will be SoEA in a few days. ;)

Updated Official Endorsement List

Former Mideast Governor A-Bob
Senator HagridoftheDeep
Senator and Whig Party chairman Clarence
Speaker of the IDS House Jbrase
Former Northeast Governor Snowstalker
Whig Party vice chairman Supersonic
Northeast Governor Averroës Nix
IDS Judicial Overlord Pingvin
Northeast Representative Jerseyrules
Secretary of External Affairs Cathcon
Mideast Assemblyman Oldiesfreak1854

I endorse you.  I think you've done a good job, and although I like Tmth, you probably are closer to my views and my vision for the Mideast region.

Thanks a lot, Oldiesfreak! One more person to add to my list. :P

I don't think I ever publicly endorsed you, but I suppose I'll let it slide. ;)

()

"Four more months!" -Former Governor A-Bob

In response to A-Bob's endorsement:


I considered these public statements an endorsement. However, if you want to have your name removed from the list, just say so. ;)

The Governor will discuss with a group of teachers and talk about education later today. A summary of this discussion will be published shortly after the conclusion of these talks.

Meeting with a group of teachers from Michigan

Governor ZuWo met with a few dozen teachers in Detroit today. Below are some of the remarks the Governor made during the discussion.

"First of all, I want to highlight that I understand your job and the challenges that you all face every day. I have worked as a language teacher for several years and I know what it means to stand in front of a class every day. Being a teacher is a great job - you can play an active role in the success of your students and every day is different from the previous one. On the other hand, it is often one of the most difficult jobs. With me as your Governor, there is someone at the helm who understands you and your needs."

"Before an election, politicians are often tempted to make many popular promises, but I'm a realistic Governor and won't promise you anything that I can't keep. The current Mideast budget shows a deficit of $22 billion - that's down from $32 thanks to the hard work of me and the Mideast Assembly - so we have no room for additional money. I can promise you that there will be no cuts to education but there is no way I can promise you more money at this point."

"A sizable number of students leave school and only have superfical reading skills. This must change. Therefore, I applaud Assemblymember Oldiesfreak, who has introduced a bill on speed-reading. However, I do not think that we have tom ainly focus on speed-reading. We have to make sure that our students get more reading practice, so I favor proposals which would strengthen the role of reading in the curriculum of elementary, middle and high schools."

"Finally, let me stress again how important your work is - for the children and for society as a whole. Teachers deserve to be treated with respect because with their work they lay the foundations for a stronger and better nation." 

A meeting with members of NARAL Pro-Choice Atlasia is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The meeting takes place in Madison, Wisconsin.

That could get interesting.

Citizens,

you can now vote on the "Equal Rights Amendment". (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=158786.0)

---

I am personally opposed to the "Equal Rights Amendment" because I see problems with its practical applicability - see the debate thread in the Senate for concrete examples. This may be a well-intended amendment but I think there are problems when it comes to its compatibility with reality. Indeed, Clarence has mentioned during the debate in the Senate that private organizations such as women's clubs or fraternal organizations can be subject to lawsuits because of this amendment, and there hasn't been a compelling counterargument in response to his objection. All in all, the amendment seems much too broad and courts have the possibility to interpret the term "equal rights" in a way that harms private organizations such as the ones Clarence mentioned.

Meeting with members of NARAL Pro-Choice Atlasia in Wisconsin

Governor ZuWo addressed members of NARAL Pro-Choice Atlasia at the University of Wisconsin in Madison today. Being aware that his words on abortion would not be welcomed with open arms, he stressed the importance of open discussions in a democratic society.

"I stand before you today because I want to talk to you about this highly controversial and emotional issue. I stand here to say what I think about abortion: Life is the most precious thing we have, and I believe that it begins at conception. For this reason, my conscience does not allow me to support abortions."

"The question whether abortions should be legal or not is not a question of women's rights to me - it's a question of human rights. I do not oppose abortion because I want to lead a war on women or I want the government to control women's bodies. I oppose abortion because I think that an embryo, a fetus is a form of human life that is worthy of protection."

"Despite the emotionality of the abortion debate it is important to try to understand the other side. I absolutely despise those who have expressed their opinion on abortion in a violent way. I am aware that most of you do not have the same definition of the beginning of a human life or that you believe a woman should have the right to end her pregnancy whenever she wants to do it. But if there is one thing I want you to understand today, it's that the great majority of the people who are part of the pro-life movement are not focused on taking rights away from women - they are focused on the protection of lives. Try to look at our reasoning from this point of view: If I believe that life begins at conception, it is irresponsible and morally inexcusable not to take a strong stance against abortion."

After the discussion the Governor said that he was very positively surprised by the friendly reception in Madison. "This meeting has shown me one thing: Sometimes it helps to express your opinion in a clear and unmitigated way. While the members of NARAL completey disagree with what I said, I think they can respect me for saying what I believe, just as I respect them for taking a clear stance."

What about making a campaign stop together? I have something at Mideast rally -

09/12 - Louisville, KY
09/14 - Bloomington, IN
09/16 - Bloomington, IL
09/18 - New Lenox, IN
09/20 - Mishawaka, IN
09/22 - Canton, OH
Pick one you like!

I thought you was going to u-turn on abortion when I read this.

I'm glad that wasn't the case. :P

I'm not the u-turn guy in general, although it's not unlikely that my points of view on some issues will probably change throughout the years (however, I don't think that abortion is one of them). And if I tried to flip flop on an issue, I would attempt to do it in a less obvious way. ;)

Pingvin: I have a city apartment in Louisville - I invite you to visit me there on the 12th of September so we can discuss the details of a joint campaign stop.

OK.

I could swing down also on the 12th after a Patriot Day rally with a Tea Party group in my hometown. You guys are welcome to join in unless you've got Patriot Day obligations.

Patriot Day is our holiday in memory of the 9/11 attacks honoring first responders and military.

Thanks for visiting Madison, Governor!

There are still some conservatives here believe it or not :D

I certainly enjoyed my day in Madison, TJ. Have fun over there!

Thanks for the offer, JCL. I will try to organize a meeting with a Tea Party group in a few days.

Tomorrow I will adress veterans in Missouri.

Meeting with Veterans in Missouri

Governor ZuWo addressed a large number of veterans in at the Veterans Center at Missouri University this Sunday morning.

"You all have done an invaluable service to our country. Every citizen owes you a lot. You have shown your readiness to sacrifice your lives for the people of this nation, which is the greatest sacrifice a human being can make."

"As Governor, I have introduced an amendment to the "Mideast Soldier Memorial Act". The Assembly passed this amendment, so the nameless memorial is now called "Clarence Memorial", in honor of Senator Clarence who has served this country in the navy. Clearly, Clarence stands for all of you who have served our nation in this most selfless and admirable way."

"I also supported the "Honouring Veterans of Foreign Conflict Act", which was sponsored by Assemblyman 20RP12. I worked with the sponsor and other members of the Assembly to make sure the bill could be passed. Indeed, veterans' affairs have been a priority of mine during my entire first term."

"I don't think I have the courage or the ability to serve my country in such an honorable way as you did. That's why you have my deepest respect and gratitude."

I will adress a local tea party group in Fishers, Indiana tomorrow afternoon. I will mainly talk about the budget and how I want to balance it.

Appearance in Fishers, Indiana

"It's great to be in Indiana today. Thanks for the warm welcome! But there is something I have to admit right here. You know, I have bad news for you today. You are all part of the so-called Tea Party movement, but the truth is - I don't like tea! Hahaha ... Haha ... Ha ... Ha ...
 
*whispers to advisor* Jack, who is the idiot that wrote this line? Fire him!

Alright, humor aside, what I have to tell you today is serious. I respect the Tea Party movement because it consists of people who care about this country and want to make a real effort to put our nation back on the right track. I do not always agree with you when it comes to the issues, but I know that your hearts are at the right place. Like myself, you only want the best for the region so we have a lot in common.

I came here today to talk to you about the Mideast budget. Indeed, this is a concrete example that shows us where ideology and realism differ from each other. Keep in mind that this is the first budget in the history of our region. I am not the candidate who merely talks about the budget, but I'm the candidate who takes concrete steps to improve the budget.

Former Governor A-Bob as well as numerous past GMs and shua, the current GM, have contributed a lot to the budget. When I first introduced the budget, we were faced with a deficit of $32 billion. Only in cooperation with the Assembly we managed to cut the deficit to $22 billion by doing away with certain tax breaks, but that's still not satisfactory. We will establish a regional lottery and have to introduce a regional pension tax if we want to avoid a massive deficit.

It is clear to me that some of these measures do not meet with your approval. Believe me - I'd much rather lower taxes for individuals and corporations but that would be irresponsible at this point. I want to have a balanced budget, so there's no room for unfulfillable promises. In fact, I cannot promise the citizens of the Mideast to balance the budget, lower taxes, fight unemployment, spend more money on the education and not to talk about concrete cuts at the same time - that simply doesn't add up and would be an irresponsible and insincere approach to the budget problems we're confronted with.

Of course, I could promise you all these things if I based my campaign on popularity, but I prefer to treat the voters in an honest way. You are not naive and deserve to hear the truth. Therefore, I must tell you that I won't be able to lower taxes, which may disappoint some of you. At the same time, we can't afford to cut spending on government programs - many of these programs are nearly underfunded so there's simply no room to make cuts.

I hope you can understand my decisions. Realism trumps ideology, and in these times of economic uncertainty we have to try to do what is feasible and not what is ideologically pure or simply popular.

I thank you for having me here today. Please continue your fight for a better Atlasia!"

A meeting with a local police force in Schaumburg, Illinois is scheduled for tomorrow 1 PM.

Sorry for bringing this up again, but I feel it is important that I ask: at this time, do you believe your region's budget problems may interfere with potential infrastructure projects, or is infrastructure one of the expenditures you feel are underfunded?

It's a dilemma because the infrastructure is notoriously underfunded. On the other hand, we cannot spend a lot of money with the current budget deficit. So everything depends on the concrete costs of such infrastructure projects and on the final version of the budget. If the regional lottery and the pension tax bring in enough revenue to balance the budget, it will be easier for the Mideast to contribute to trans-regional infrastructure projects, and if that's the case I can support them.

Mr. Governor, I would like to enthusiastically inform you that the following bill has passed the Assembly and is awaiting your signature!

I hereby sign the Mideast Pension Tax

Governor ZuWo

Gubernatorial Debate

I approached my opponent Tmthforu94 and Franzl, someone I think would be a good moderator, with the idea to hold a gubernatorial debate . It is very important that the citizens of the Mideast get an even clearer idea of what the candidates envision for the Mideast in the next months, and an open debate seems like the best way to make sure that this happens. I'm looking forward to another opportunity to present myself and my record to the citizens of this region. Make sure that you don't miss the debate! ;)

Schaumburg, Illinois: Meeting with a local police force

"Being a police officer must be one of the toughest jobs on earth", the Governor began his speech in front of several dozens policemen and policewomen. "I'm grateful for the work you're doing as you're protecting the citizens of this region. Your work contributes enormously to the stability and security in the Mideast. Thank you!"

"As you may have read or heard in the news, our region is struggling with a budget deficit. When there's a budget deficit, the first things politicians usually do is cut government programs. But I said no to that. We cannot afford to take away money from our justice system, which is why I decided to leave spending on regional law enforcement and security entirely unchanged."

"But my task is also to look ahead. What can we do in the future to make sure that you, the police forces of our region, are able to work in an effective way and that you are satisfied with your jobs? I believe that we have to increase the number of police officers in the long term. We currently don't have the resources for such a measure but I hope this will be possible at a later point. This measure would reduce the pressure of every single police officer and be an asset in the fight against crime. Indeed, many police officers also complain about their shifts. For too many of you it has become difficult to have a normal family life - when you get home at 11 in the evening your children are asleep and at the weekends you often can't take out your wife because you have to work. Clearly, most of this is a natural part of your job, but police officers should not be forced to work too many extra hours. Therefore, we must look into ideas and proposals that make your work and your life easier. For example, it should be easier for you to work part-time if you would like to do that. You are important public servants, and as your employer the government has the responsibility to take your concerns seriously and care about your problems. Thank you for your time!"

A Stronger Region

In the past four months, the Mideast has flourished. We have seen a growth in population, an extremely active legislative session and many citizens have participated in the political process of the region. We saw a higher turnout in the last election for Assembly, and numerous Mideasterners voiced their opinion and cast their vote on regional and federal amendments and propositions.

The Mideast is better off today. Our region is stronger, more vibrant and overall a much more interesting place in Atlasia than just a short while ago.

As Governor, I'm doing all I can to keep our region on this path of success. If you vote for me, you vote for a continuation of the last four exciting and productive months. The Mideast is in very good shape, and that's why I'm running for a second term.

Governor ZuWo

The following bill has passed:

I was afraid you'd be away until next Sunday so I'm glad I can do this now:

I sign the "Underage Labour Guidelines Act of 2012"

Governor ZuWo

The following bill has passed:

The following bill has passed:

I sign the

Mideast Contest Winnings Taxation Act and the

Mideast College Athletic Act

Governor ZuWo

Today and throughout the next three days the citizens of the Mideast have the opportunity to elect the new Assembly and the Governor. This has been a long and fruitful campaign which has helped to show the differences between both candidates (see, for example, the most important issue concerning the region, i.e. the budget debate). Have a look at the specific proposals both of us made on this and other issues and make up your own mind as to who offers the better solutions. The choice is up to each one of you and I'm looking forward to an exciting election!

Have fun,

Governor ZuWo

When will the booth open?

Later today, though that depends on the time I'll come back from university and work. The constitution says the following about the time of elections:

"Elections shall begin between midnight Eastern Standard Time on the third Thursday of the month and 0001 Eastern Standard Time on the first Friday thereafter, and shall conclude exactly 72 hours after beginning."

Thus, we'll be in time. ;)