Office of Senator Franzl

[Franzl]

This time, with the intention of actually running a campaign , I announce that I will be a candidate in the special election to replace Senator Clarence.

[Franzl]

I'm reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally sorry about this, Mr. Franzl, but I'm gonna have to un-endorse you. I'll be your opponent in this election, but I still like you. I'd be proud to have you as my Senator.

And this applies the other way around for you

[Franzl]

Alright, so I'm going to take this opportunity to share my thoughts about current issues being debated or voted on by the Senate currently:

Capital Punishment:
I've fought my entire Atlasian career to finally create a constitutional basis ensuring that this abuse of human rights is ended for good throughout Atlasia. As the likely next Governor of the Mideast, Tmth, very well explains: Human rights are not a regional issue.

It appears that the ban has passed the Senate once again. I sponsored this very thing twice in the past as a Senator, only to see it defeated at the ballot box in the regional referenda.

I acknowledge that the Atlasian voters have to have their input and I sincerely hope that their opinions have slightly changed since a few years ago.

I hope to use my influence to convince them of the merits of abolition, especially that even if you are not morally opposed to it, that getting rid of it would save the taxpayer a good amount of money as well.


Education:
The current bill before the Senate takes a step in the right direction.
Ultimately, education is the most important issue of all to ensure long-term prosperity and competitiveness. Although I obviously support a social welfare system and a safety net, it is my hope that by better education our population to start with, that we can avoid increasing unemployment and increased reliance on welfare programs. Nothing achieves this better than well educated and highly qualified people that can do the jobs of the future that require advanced skills.

In theory, higher education needs to be significantly cheaper than it currently is. I recognize that a Germanic/Scandinavian model of free higher education is not realistic in Atlasia, among other things due to our budget issues, but I want to strongly stress that there are few more imporant priorities than this and that we should do are absolutely best to ensure education access to all that are able and willing to receive it.


Taxation and fines:
Although nothing about our tax system is currently being addressed, I want to once again stress my belief that we need a strongly progressive system designed to collect enough revenue and do so in a fair way that doesn't put the working and middle class at an effective disadvantage. Indeed, I voted to raise income taxes (gasp!) and make them more progressive especially at very high levels of income when I was in the Senate several years ago. I believe this was the right decision especially to keep our budget problems under control.

However, don't get me wrong, I'm not in favor of raising any more taxes unless it's absolutely necessary. And for that reason, I won't give a pledge not to raise them....but rest assured I'm fiscally conservative enough to keep the interests of our tax paying citizens in mind and to not charge them more without very good reason.

Regarding the current proposal before the Senate to make traffic fines progressive: In theory, I have no problem with it, but I am sceptical of the federal government's authority to implement such a program nationally....and see no reason to pass something that regions can opt out of at will. Therefore I would not vote in favor of that legislation.


Abortion:
As a member of the Liberal Party, I generally am in favor of reproductive freedom for the most part. I'm pro-life in a personal, moral sense. I don't like abortion, I wouldn't encourage anyone to get an abortion, I would personally always look for an alternative to abortion....but I think excessive legal restrictions are mostly counterproductive and, on balance, not a good idea for our society.

That said, the current bill before the Senate is not something I find excessively restrictive. I would be inclined to vote in favor of it, actually. Very few women interested in an abortion want one in the final trimester of pregnancy, and from a moral perspective, it's indeed extremely problematic to condone abortions after a certain point in time. Basically, I don't see any legitimate reason why someone that chose not to abort for 6 months needs to have that option up until the day before live birth.

Call this the moderate hero position, if you will....but this is a really difficult issue and things just aren't black and white.

[Franzl]

Trade, international relations, peace & prosperity:

Atlasia has many free trade agreements, and it should stay that way. Trade benefits the majority of people if it is conducted fairly among friends. It's good for the Atlasian consumer and helps other countries grow their economies and creates mutual dependencies to a degree, in my opinion beneficial not least to lasting peace. That said, there are losers in this process, particularly in the manufacturing sector here at home. As said in my comments on education, we need to realize what the jobs of the future are for us and act accordingly, and make further education easily accessible for both the young and less young. It's never to late to learn.

I oppose most agricultural subsidies, and believe that abolishing them would vastly improve the lives of countless people around the world, just as I'm ethically opposed to using ethanol based fuel sources. Things like E85 are not only uneconomical, but they increase food prices for everyone, both those here at home who are less fortunate and especially the millions of people around the world struggling to combat hunger.

Regarding the topic of national defense in an unstable world, we need to find a balance between hard and soft power. It's clear that we can't afford to do everything militarily that some might like to, but it's also clear there are major issues that require maintaining certain essential military capabilities. It is my hope that we can figure out how to save money where reasonable and achieve more through diplomacy.

A word of caution, though: There are certain non-negotiable principles and practical realities we need to stand up for. The world would be a more dangerous place if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon, for example. We need to do what is in our power to prevent that.

Finally...for now....we need to always stand up for our ideals. One thing that's great about Atlasia and other democracies is our respect for freedom of speech. To comment on recent world events: It may not always be wise to say or write certain things, but it's necessary that we stand firm in our belief that we're right to grant that freedom and resist attempts to bow to the will of angry mobs and fanatics. At the same time, we should implore individuals to consider the consequences their excercize of freedom may have and to act in a responsible manner.

[Franzl]

And now that voting booths are starting to be opened for the capital punishment abolition amendment, I once again call on all Atlasians to do the right and sensible thing and make state sanctioned killing a thing of the past in this country.

[Franzl]

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the 2012 Presidential Elections Board.

Whereas, the 2012 Presidential Election Board of the US Election Atlas Forum has been a hive of terrorist activity and mysterious disappearances.

Whereas, the 2012 Presidential Election Board of the US Election Atlas Forum has been a training ground for said combatants to attack members of Atlasia.

Whereas, the 2012 Presidential Election Board of the US Election Atlas Forum appears to lack a functioning government and threatens to be a danger to the rest of the world.

• Be it resolved, then, that the Senate gives the President full authority to initiate and direct military operations against the 2012 Presidential Election Board of the US Election Atlas Forum to restore order and protect the safety of the Republic of Atlasia and its interests abroad.
• The Senate advises a military recruitment center be established by the President in the Forum Community Board of the US Elections Atlas Forum for the purposes of training against the specialized tactics of the insurgents residing in the 2012 Presidential Election Board of the US Election Atlas Forum.

^^^^, This, for example, would be the usage of smart military power I was talking about in the post before last. This is something that diplomacy alone just won't solve. We need to stand united to defeat this threat.

[Franzl]

I hereby endorse you!

I hope to be working with you once again the Senate soon....this time to protect Atlasia from terrorists!

[Franzl]

I am reluctant to use military force in most cases, but I must say an invasion of that board might be something worth looking into...

We owe it to our citizens to stand up for what is right!

[Franzl]

Well you're one of those friendly oppressive dictators we like to support in an unstable region. So you have nothing to worry about

[Franzl]

It being Oktoberfest time.....I invite voters to come and chat with me and enjoy a Maß!

[Franzl]

I invite any voters that might still have questions for me to please feel free to go ahead. The election starts the day after tomorrow!

[Franzl]

1. What legislation do you intend to introduce if elected?

2. What are your chief interests as a policy-maker?

1.) Being totally honest, I haven't got any special legislative proposals set in stone. I hope to come up and contribute to policies that will address the main issues I've spoken of. Long-term I'd like to reform our education system a good deal, but we need a better budget sitzation before that can be seriously entertained, unfortunately.

2.) Interests? Not quite sure how to interpret the question. Issue-wise, I'm interested in making Atlasia more livable, and investing in health, transportation and education. Otherwise, I can just say that it is my primary interest when legislating that the average Atlasian actually profit from what is being passed. Legislators need to ask themselves whether they're truly acting in the interests of the average citizen when making decisions.

[Franzl]

But really, what are your interests? Before The People can truly know the candidate, they must get to know the man.

Well, The People should be informed, yes. Chess...football ...good beers......travel. And I want The People to be able to do these things as well!

[Franzl]

But really, what are your interests? Before The People can truly know the candidate, they must get to know the man.

Well, The People should be informed, yes. Chess...football ...good beers......travel. And I want The People to be able to do these things as well!

And when you say football, do you mean real pigskin football or european football? Bear in mind The People like both.

The People's game of course

[Franzl]

Just voted for you in my first Atlas election! Make me proud, Mr. Senator!

Thank you!

[Franzl]

Things are looking quite good at the moment.

Thank you to all my voters up until now...and I encourage my supporters to keep on voting. We're ahead but the election isn't over.

One more day.

[Franzl]

As it will be 6AM European time when the polls close...I won't be present for that moment.

I won't declare anything before that point, but I'm very optimistic that we can celebrate in a few hours

Thanks to everyone who has voted or will still vote for me, and also thanks to all my opponents for making this a fair, clean and interesting election. Atlasia and the People deserve it.

[Franzl]

[Franzl]

My friends: What a glorious victory! And it 's your victory! The people have spoken very clearly, and I'm humbled by the results and the mandate I have received.

I commend my opponents, especially Alfred, for making this a good, clean election that focused on the issues without negativity and attacks. Thank you for providing Atlasians with an excellent choice, and being an at-large senator once again, I will be a senator for all Atlasians, whether you preferenced me or not.

I will work tirelessly to get Atlasia working again. I'm particularly happy that we now have a functioning governing Liberal majority! We will do our best to fight for the common good!

Thank you so much!

[Franzl]

I have sworn in.

Time to get to work!

[Franzl]

What about appearance on The Pingvin Report?

Would be happy to.

[Franzl]

I am not a candidate for re-election to the Senate.

Real-life studies will consume the majority of my time between December and February, and it isn't fair to Atlasians and the People to only offter them a partial effort.

This should not be interpreted as a retirement from politics, as I fully intend to stick around.

[Franzl]

I also am pleased to announce that I will work even harder in the People's interest in the future, as a member of Their party. Even as a Liberal, I have always had a great interest in promoting policies that were in the People's interest.

I thank the Liberal Party for its support and it was a pleasure working with you. I remain supportive of very many great Atlasian liberals and wish them well.

[Franzl]

OK scratch that. I will be busy at times in Jan/Feb, but I'll find time to adequately represent The People.

Thanks to all well wishers who have posted such nice comments.

[Franzl]

Well, going by current opinion polling, we have an uphill battle ahead of us.

But we owe it to The People to fight the fights that need fighting.

Regarding current legislation, I am happy to announce that it appears that the battle over online poker legalization has come to an end. I feel rather strongly that it isn't a particularly good idea, but because the majority seems to support it, I was happy to offer what I feel was a constructive amendment that reduces some of the risks of online gambling. I have ended my filibuster and I will likely abstain on the bill itself.

I welcome any questions or comments from all Atlasians. Even if I don't manage to be re-elected, I'm one of your at-large Senators for now and I take that responsibility seriously.