The Porcupine: The most trusted name in news.

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The Porcupine is accepting requests for interviews, along with those who want to be freelance journalists.

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I'd like an interview.

Sure.

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Interview with Sewer Socialist
by Dallasfan65

Question 1:
What is it like to be a Mutant Communist in Space?

Answer:
It's no good, we are all mad from irradiated vodka.

Question 2:
The Porcupine. Great newspaper, or the greatest?

Answer:
Great.

Question 3:
Since your time in Atlasia, you have been a resident of several regions. Which is your favorite?

Answer:
The Midwest, the Northeast was nice too, but I hated the boring do nothing Pacific.

Question 4:
As many know, the Midwest has created it's own legislature recently, the 'Albing', in which you have been active. Who are your favorite members to work with?

Answer:
Everyone!

Question 5:
Finally... What are your thoughts on Fritz's brand new lawsuit against the Midwest?

Answer:
I disapprove of that treason.

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What is an "Albing"?

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=120021.0

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What is an "Albing"?

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=120021.0

     That is an Alþing, not an Albing.

I don't have a double-sided b...

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AndrewCT and I are still available for an interview. We're patiently waiting for the phone to ring.

Heh, excellent!

Sorry for the delay to those that have asked for interviews, they will be done within this week.

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Interview with Oakvale
by Dallasfan65

Question 1: So, despite being relatively new to Atlasia, you quickly ascended to the Governor's mansion. When you first registered, what were your expectations?

Answer: I don't know, really. I wasn't very ambitious at first, I was just checking out the game.

I got involved in Atlasia proper when Antonio V signalled that he'd be resigning and it was suggested that I run for the Lt. Governor's position. I thought that being Lt. Governor of the Pacific would be an interesting diversion, and give me something to do now and again.

Needless to say, I certainly didn't expect to become Governor soon, if ever.

Question 2: Recently, Xahar launched a challenge against you. How do you feel the campaign has been so far?

Uneventful, in a word, at least so far, but that's the Pacific for you. It's, uh, pacific.

Fortunately, Jbrase has offered to host a debate between Xahar and I that I look forward to, so hopefully that will liven things up a bit. I'm glad that I've got someone to run against, which is more than you can say for the Pacific a lot of the time...

I should add that I'm optimistic about my chances of winning the election, but I'm not taking it for granted by any means. I'm hoping to use the debate as a platform to make a clear case for re-electing (or just plain electing, in my case) ArchangelZero and I.

Dallas: That's good - I hope you guys run a clean campaign.

Question 3: Under your tenure, there's been an increase in activity in the Pacific - including a Pacific Hiring Incentives Act passed. Are there other things you feel that the Pacific ought to address, within the region?

Answer: There's a lot of issues we need to address, obviously. The unemployment problem springs to mind - the PHIA is a step in the right direction, but we need to go further.  One thing I'm going to do in the coming weeks is trawl through the region's statute looking for any particularly egregious regulation we can roll back in an effort to make the Pacific more business friendly, and, ergo, increase hiring.

On another level, I've proposed creating a dedicated government position to manage wiki articles relating to the Pacific. I'm going to wait until I'm elected in my own right before introducing the relevant legislation, but I think it's a good idea, and, if it works, the federal government should pay attention.

I'm also toying with the idea of bringing back the long abolished Pacific Chief Justice position, but that could be messy...

Question 4: What are your thoughts on the Purple State Administration?

Answer: I certainly approve overall.

I entered Atlasia during the unfortunately inactive term of alfeitch's Presidency, so it's a welcome change to have an engaged administration.

There have been stumbles, of course - Secretary Constine's gaffe on the French burqa ban, for example, the appointment of a Maoist to a government position - but overall I thik PS and co are doing a fine job.

That said, how the ConCon turns out will ultimately define Purple State's administration, so I, like others, will be waiting to see the results.

Question 5: Assuming you get re-elected as Governor, what are your future plans in Atlasia? Any higher aspirations?

Answer: I imagine that the thought of higher office of some kind crosses every Atlasian's mind at some point, but, for now, I'm happy working as Governor of the Pacific.

I did briefly consider running for the Senate as Lt. Governor, but that was before I ascended to the Governor's mansion, so that obviously became irrelevant.

At some point in the future, I wouldn't rule out a run for national office, but that's all academic at this stage.

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Interview with Xahar
by Dallasfan65

Question 1: It is well known that there is a rivalry between you and the Jesus Christ Party. What, would you say, is the cause of this?

Answer: Well, when I joined Atlasia I saw that the JCP controlled my home region. I found the idea of that monolithic control rather repulsive, particularly with an organization named after its leader. I resolved to oppose that, and the Dear Leader tolerates no opposition, so the breach was inevitable.

Question 2: Recently, you declared your candidacy against the incumbent Governor, Oakvale. What are your thoughts on the campaign thus far, and what would you plan to do as Governor?

Answer: I wish there could be a campaign, but given that my defeat is inevitable, a campaign seems like a waste of time. If by some sort of warp in the space-time continuum I were elected, I would try to replace the Legislature with a real elective Legislature. The way it is now, a small clique of active voters and JCP zombies controls the Legislature, and voter interest and participation are both low. Even in the rare cases where that is not the case, as in the recent election for a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, voter knowledge is practically nil. For that reason, the Pacific recently embarrassed itself by sending a zombie to the Constitutional Convention on the back of the zombie vote. Nor is this a new problem: when I came to Atlasia, I did not even know I was allowed to vote in the Legislature. I am sure that the same is true for many new Pacificans. Elections to a small legislature would allow new Pacificans to get involved in the process and also give lawmaking to a representative sample of the people, rather than whoever is involved enough to vote or reliable enough to be PMed to vote.

Question 3: You previously ran for President of Atlasia in February 2010 - what was the experience like?

Answer: It wasn't as rewarding as I had hoped, obviously. I started out with high hoped, but by early February I had realized it wasn't happening. I really ran after that just to ccarry the LNF banner. Near the end, of course, we were beset by running-mate problems and such. But my loss wasn't exactly traumatizing (I'm no stranger to losing), and it was a good expeerience to be running a national campaign.

Question 4: What is your opinion of the Purple State administration?

Answer: I was out of town last week, so I'm a bit out of the loop, but my opinion is generally positive. The jury is out on the Constitutional Convention, but the remainder of the legislative agenda has been, I think, unassailable.

The appointments, which sparked a furor when they were made, haven't been bad, either. Although I wish that Hashemite had had the opportunity to continue his work in the Department of External Affairs, I think that benconstine has done a commendable job as his replacement. He has demonstrated the same openness and determination that made his predecessor so good; I have had the opportunity to talk to him in the course of his work, and I would encourage others to avail themselves of the same.

Question 5: In the past, you were Governor of the Southeast. What is your opinion of the name change, and also of Ernest's lawsuit?

Answer: I think that both are amusing. The game needs some silliness from time to time, and this matter delivers.

Question 6: Finally... The Porcupine: Freedom Paper or Horrible Paper?

Answer: FP

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Interview with Winston D'israeli
by Dallasfan65

Question 1: Recently, you were confirmed as Secretary of Internal Affairs. What made you desire the position, and how do you feel about your work so far?

Answer: Well, I had always wanted a role in the economy anyway, given that it was an area of special interest to me. So when Purple State offered me the position, I jumped at the chance to be SoIA. So far, I feel I've helped create some discussion of policy, but there is still plenty more work to be done and I look forward to working with the Cabinet upon it.

Question 2: Previously, you served as Senator. How would you describe your tenure in office, and what legislation during that session was your favorite?

Answer: Early on, while still a POP member, I authored much legislation to further the cause of that party. Afterwards however, I did very little simply because of the whole issue of me being 'illegitimate' or whatever. My favourite session was probably the one over oil nationalization, simply because it created vibrant discussion which I feel put new life into the Senate.

Question 3: In your earlier days, you were one of the first Atlasians to join the ARC. What was the experience like?

Answer: Varied - It was enjoyable being part of a new force in Atlasian politics on one side, but at the same time, it was not very nice having the whole issue of Hamilton lurking over the party, and us not being recognized by... well... pretty much anyone as legitimate. Also, the whole party structure was pretty authoritarian. Hamilton was pretty much the Grand Poobah so it didn't allow for much independence.

Question 4: Do you approve of your boss, thus far?

Answer: Well, if you're referring to Purple State, I'd say yeah overall. He's made a few compromises I would rather he hadnt, but overall he's proved to be a good president who has actually implemented new policy, which is always good to see. He's doing a good role of shaping the executive role in government.

Question 5: You recently moved to the Midwest Region. How do you like it?

Answer: It's been alright so far. A bit crazy but that's the Midwest for you Can't say I have any strong opinions either way as of yet.

Question 6: Finally... Dallasfan65, HP or MEGA HP?

Answer: Asking that question implies that this is in fact a two way choice, which is in fact a false dichtomy as there are a whole plethora of options which I may choose to hold about whether 'Dallasfan' is a 'HP' or 'MEGA-HP' [/gully]

Nah, you're an alright guy Bad politics, but can't be helped I guess

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Bump.

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epic bump

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Northeast Assembly Approval Ratings:

Deus Naturae (DR-NY)
61% Approve
39% Disapprove

Napoleon (Labor-NY)
66% Approve
34% Disapprove

SomebodyWhoExists (Labor-NY)
70% Approve
30% Disapprove

Sirnick (TPP-NY)
76% Approve
24% Disapprove

cinyc (Independent-NY):
71% Approve
29% Disapprove

Assembly as a whole:
75% Approve
25% Disapprove

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Not to be outdone by my friend Yankee, The Porcupine will be doing interviews (albeit in a different format) for those who'd like one.

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Interview with Oakvale

Q1: It's been a few years since your last interview with The Porcupine. Do you think Atlasia is better or worse than it was in 2010?

Well, first of all thanks for the interview Dallas. Always a pleasure to talk with you and The Porcupine.

This might surprise some people, but I think Atlasia is ultimately in a better place in 2014 than it was in 2010. I entered the game during the second afleitch administration, in comparison to which the complaints of stagnant activity today look trifling. "Game reform" was the order of the day, and I saw the Purple State/Marokai landslide happen largely on the back of complaints about a dysfunctional constitution and an anxiety that the game was dying - this fear's nothing new. And yet Atlasia has survived and thrived in the years since. There's always cycles of activity and relative inactivity, but I think the game's in a solid position at the moment and I'm optimistic about the future.

Despite the criticisms from some, I really think the dual dissolution of the RPP and JCP helped. As you remember, we'd ended up in a situation where a monolithic JCP could count on winning every election by one or two votes. Upsets were almost unheard of. This was at risk of killing the game entirely, and while we've to some extent reverted back to two major right and left parties, the existence of smaller parties like the Democratic Republicans and The People's Party mean that there's significantly more nuance than there was at the low point pre-dissolution.

What we need to be wary of is a situation where Labor and the Federalists become little more than a rehash of the old JCP/RPP divide. The ideological diversity within both parties and the offset provided by the small parties is a good bulwark against falling back into old habits. The future is bright.


Q2: You've been a wearer of many hats during your time in Atlasia. What would you say your favorite position was?

That's a tricky one. I really enjoyed being Governor of the Pacific, where I think I did a lot of good work and helped to prod the region out of its traditional stagnation to some degree - a lot like Governor DemPGH is succesfully doing now.

Being a Senator varied, largely due to real-life commitments interfering - unlike being a Governor, the Senate requires a bigger and more speicfic time commitment since you need to show up to votes at certain, specific times, and make sure to contribute to the debate so you're not just a paper Senator. This means in practice that real life can interfere quite easily and hurt your activity levels - although I should point out that my favourite time as a Senator was certainly in the glory days of the old TPP Senate, which, if I do say so myself, was one of the most productive, exciting and stimulating Senates in recent memory. I feel bad about having to resign after the dissolution of the old Party, but, as mentioned, real life can wreak havoc on a Senator's ability to do his job.

Overall, though, I'd have to say my favourite position is the one I have now - Supreme Court justice. I have job security (no elections! ), get to work with thoughtful and intelligent people like bgwah and Torie, and have the opportunity, even if it's all too rare, to really dig into the most interesting part of Atlasia for me - scrutinising the constitutionality of problematic laws.

It's perhaps telling that one job I've always regretted not having in Atlasia is Attorney General, but I'm thrilled that I got the unlikely opportunity to return to the Court, and I'm really happy in my current role. The Supreme Court's an absolutely vital part of Atlasia and the chance to contribute to it is fantastic.


Q3: Currently your job is "emergency manager." What does that entail, and how does it relate to the Pacific's regional government?

Well, given my long connection with the Pacific over my career (I think I've held pretty much every position possible in the region - Governor, Lt. Gov, Councillor, Council Speaker, and, sort of () regional judge), President Duke appointed me to be the administration's eyes on the ground in the region and to oversee the distribution of stimulus money as we try to dig the Pacific out of its disastrous economic situation.

After an initial rocky start where the Justice granted my office sweeping temporary powers in order to stabilise the situation as drastically and quickly as possible, and the transition from an "emergency" into a more hopeful situation, I've stepped back into a far more hands-off role - I'm basically around to provide advice to the Governor and Council when and if they need it, make sure that the stimulus money isn't being spent frivolously, and, ultimately, to stay as hands-off as possible and allow the Pacific to return to normal government. I think the best way I can help with the recovery of the region is by keeping up steady communication with the Governor and local government and to let them plot their own course as much as possible.

It's been working out quite well so far - I really can't praise DemPGH and the Council enough. They've been terrific partners in this effort.

I don't know how long I will stay in this role, although I am more than willing to serve for as long as the President wants me to. My inclination is that I will likely step down at the end of the Duke adminstration, and presumably the conclusion of the Project, and trust that the DemPGH/Duke/Oakvale (if you'll pardon the slight ego) reforms we've bene working on have been enough to steer the region into prosperity and activity once more.

I'm really hopeful.

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Q4: Are you satisfied with the Pacific's rate of progress?

Yes, I am, although I suppose we'll have to see what our new GM's latest report says. We've seen a huge drop in unemployment, a return of business confidence, a boost in our credit rating, and, less tangibly but maybe more significantly, a renewed atmosphere of optimism and confidence in an often troubled region.

Again, a huge part of the credit  needs to go to the Governor and Council, who have been wonderful - they understand the gravity of the situation and have been proactive and engaged in dealing with it. I firmly believe that thanks to our work - both the administration's Save The Pacific Project and our partners in the regional government - the Pacific is en route to becoming the success story of Atlasia and President Duke's most proud and lasting legacy.

The turnaround will also, if I may say so, serve DemPGH well in his quest for the Presidency - if he can do for Atlasia what he did for the Pacific, and I think he very possibly can, he'll be a remarkable President.

In spite of the signficant progress, we're continuing to work as hard as we can to get our region back on track. There's nothing more important to the Governor, myself, the SoIA or the President than guiding the Pacific back to health. We're getting there, but we're not complacent - we won't be content until the Pacific is not just recovering, but recovered and is a vibrant, thriving region again.

Q5: What has been your favorite/most interesting court case that you've ruled on, in either of your terms?

Hmmm. Of course, I wish I had more court cases to talk about. Typically, I had the luck to get appointed just as an extremely active Attorney General was leaving office.

This might seem like a strange choice since the effect wasn't particularly dramatic, but I enjoyed working on and discussing with my fellow Justices Inkks.LWC v. Registrar General homelycooking, which considered the legality of the Registrar General using discretion in deciding whether to remove voters from the rolls based on the interpretation of a murkily-worded part of the Constitution. Our unanimous decision ruled that the Registrar General acted unconstitutionally in removing some voters from the rolls and ordered their reinstatement.

I liked that case because it displayed one of the most common problems in Atlasian legal scholarship - poorly-crafted attempts at legal language that serve only to confuse the situation. Our job was to attempt to wrangle an understanding of the implications out of the unclear language and issue a judgement on an important issue. It also served as an interesting example of just how important reading clauses in context is, at least in my interpretation of the Constitution.

There are some cases that I really wish I'd been on the Court for - particularly the issue of the South establishing an indpendent currency by attempting to jump through various legal loopholes. It would have been a lot of fun to rule on that case, but knowing the South they may try something similar soon, so hey.

I do hope we get to look at more cases in the near future - I notice that the Midwest is about to penalise hate speech, which might provoke some enterprising lawyer to mount a challenge - that, for example, would be a very interesting case if it happened. But there's lots of potential for interesting constitutional debates. We just need people to take advantage of them.


Q6: Do you have any plans for elective office in the future, or are you content to sit on the court for the time being?

I can answer "no" to this in the most strict sense - I have absolutely no plans, and am content to sit on the Court for the foreseeable future.

That said, I don't plan to become opebo, lingering on the Court until I'm inevitably banned. I mentioned earlier that I greatly enjoyed being the Governor of the Pacific, and that's a job I could possibly see myself returning to at some point. I think I'm older, wiser and more capable now, and armed with the experience of serving in many positions over the years as well as helping with this recovery process, I think I'd be a much more capable executive than I was all those years ago.

On which note - I've run for President twice (seriously, at least), and at least one of those times I could honestly say that I still wanted to be President at the end of the campaign (my independent run with my good friend Cinci in 2012). Would I still like to be President some day? Maybe. I won't rule it out definitively - I do think I would have made a good President, but there'd have to be a situation where I don't see any candidates up to the task, where work on the Supreme Court is scant, and where Atlasia is at a point where I think the skills and experience I've gained in guiding economic and activity-based recovery can help the nation as a whole. That's not a point I've reached - we have two very strong candidates this time around, DemPGH and SirNick, and I'm more than content to stay on the Court for the time being.

If the time ever comes for me to step back into elected office in any serious capacity (obviously discounting possibly serving as a temporary Councilor in the Pacific if necessary or helping my friend Snowstalker gain ballot access) it would be as a candidate for Governor or for the Presidency, nothing else.

But I don't expect that time to come any time soon. I love my job and intend on staying there.


Thanks again, Dallas. It was great talking to you.

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May I have an interview?

Of course! I'll draft some questions in a bit.


It seems that The Porcupine has some competition. That being said...

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Interview with North Carolina Yankee

Q1: You allude that the demo has returned. Will anybody be spared?

First off I would like to thank you inviting me to be interviewed by your legendary, even if old-fashioned, media enterprise.

I presume you mean demon. I am sure we have nothing to worry about, I think I even hear "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys playing in the background. KILL YOU ALL!!!

Q2: You've been the PPT for ages. What is it that makes you take up such an arduous (and at times thankless) job?

I feel that as long as I am able to do it, I should offer my services for it is as you say and the Senate functions far better with a functional administration. Now that the VP is actively administering on a regular basis, and I would feel satisfied leaving now. We have crushed the queue backlog to below 20 (almost a 2/3rds reduction from the high) and we have made numerous improvements over the past year.

Q3: Are there any reforms to the OSPR that you'd like to see?

I would like to see more consolidation and there are segments that have yet to be done in this regard. Working with Senators in numerous parties we have managed to cut down on a lot of the clutter. The amendment vote section was three paragraphs, it is now one. We reduced the final Vote section in length by nearly 30% as well.

We have also made great strides in improving the functionality of the Senate in other ways as well. The Amendment vote times was cut from five days to three and final votes from seven to five days. Senator Spiral led the effort with his bill to increase the number of slots and that combined with Senator shua's recent Queue Sanity Amendment have together with the activity of Cincy as well as myself as PPT enabled us to get within the current month on all bills for the first time in probably a year or two.

Q4: How would you critique the current Senate session, and do you long for earlier days? Which session was your favorite, since having been elected to the body?

I would like to see more engagement, and more interest in the big projects. We have a disaster of a healthcare plan in place that was exposed litterally as a result of my decision to takeover sponsorship of Riley's bill, originally sponsored by Tmth. Now we are trying to craft a market based proposal but we basically have just me and Shua forming a text from scratch to restructure the way our healthcare system operate and it is taking too long.

What I would like to see is Senators opining at the start on most or all bills so that we know where people stand and then have them engaged constructively on at least five to seven bills that are within their wheelhouse so to speak.

I long to go back a good ten years and start over, but of course that isn't possible.

My favorite session has to be the September-October 2010 session once I regained the position of PPT back from BK. At the very least I had the most fun for that was the first time I used "creative PMing" to get people's attention. It included Halloween and it was notlong after the most recent episode of the "Demon's blind rage" so there was a lot of inspiration.

Q5: You were previously RPP chair, and have once more assumed the role of Chairman of the premier center-right party (the Federalists, of course.) How does it compare to your leadership of the RPP, and how do the two parties as a whole compare?

The RPP was a dying party in a complete downward spiral when I came to lead it and we lost even more ground before we finally turned it around and began to build upward again. We were helped by the fact that our most controversial members were gone save for me when I was out of my head and thus we became an attractive center right alternative by showcasing some of our best talent with Duke as At-Large Senator, Smid as a Vice President in early 2010, and several key players in the Mideast like Inks and others. We also managed to bring in a lot of newer members over the next two years, as well as to attract members of other parties who had either previously defected or were new to the organization and all of whom formed a critical part of our party's success.

The Federalist Party is different. It has suffered setbacks but it is no where near the apparent moribound condition of the RPP when I came to lead it. That said it does have it own unique challanges and just like the RPP, will depend largely upon the energy of relatively newer faces as most of the big players from last year have left the Party or have pulled back from the game to a large extent. To some extent that is normal as people generally go through cycles in terms of their involvement in this place, whilst for some there were a lot of mistakes and miscommunications that caused a lot of unnecessary strife during the Winter season. One thing I have said we needed is to listen more to each other and to engage more with on another so as to avoid that going forward. Progress has been made, but there is still a ways to go.

Q6: Do you think Atlasia was better before, or after dissolution?
Dissolution was by far the worst event that has ever befallen this game and those who assisted in bringing it upon us shall be struck down in an instant of violent rage.

Just kidding Or am I?

I think the destruction of the RPP was premature. We had won the Presidency the previous February, had a bad June for a variety of reasons and bounced back to within two votes of winning in October. This created a sense of malaise that nothing ever changes, and that combined with a desire on the other side "to go out on top" produced dissolution. The RPP had also bounced back in the Senate by the going from a six seat JCP majority in September to a six seat RPP majority by January 2012.

I think it is classic example of people trying to legislate a change in the game's direction activity wise. "Stirring things up" only lasts a short time though and we got maybe 16, 17 months and we were moving right back to a duopoly. The best changes, the ones with the biggest and most long lasting effects come from the bottom up. The only difference between this game and Survivor is that there is no million dollars waiting at the end and it builds up from the bottom as opposed to a destructive race to the bottom to see who is left standing.

Q7: Is there a Federalist going to run for President?
"You don't really know how its going to turnout" - Mitt Romney

There might still be, but it depends on whether or not they want to run now or wait. Like I said it will be up to largely new members I think to take the Party forward, my position is merely to support and assist them. Kind of like I put forward the best talent to change people's opinions about the RPP back in late 2009. There was a time when I considered running in June but that is completely off the table now, I think there are people better suited to it, who have patience to put together a cabinet and stuff more so then I do.

Q8: If not, who are you going to support?"
I like all the big candidates right now actually. I worked with DemPGH to run the Senate and thought he was given kind of a bad deal back in October. I have not had a chance to witness much of Windjammer's work but most of what I have heard and seen is positive. Sirnick/Dallasfan is a solid combination as is the combination of Winfield/Andrew, and speaking of Andrew I am glad to see he has returned after his long absence. Another success for the reign of Duke/Cincy. I think the campaign has a long way to go and there is plenty of time for someone else to get in, run a good champaign and then win if they decide to. 

Q9: Seeing as you were elected to Senate in 1918, are you going to run again yourself"?
You see someone had to stop Woodrow Wilson's big gov't, pro-war and Segregationist agenda.

Sometimes experience does have its advantages. One of the most controversial debates I plunged into was the initial debate over Fritzcare, and I did everything I could to stop it, water it down, or at the very least make it somewhat less of a disaster once it became clear passage was likely. MasterJedi and I were the only ones in the Senate to vote against it. At the time we had another trainwreck in the form of a constitutional convention that started with divisions over its purpose and it was no surprise when it came off the tracks that summer. Also over the ensuing time, I have managed to push for reforms and still preserve and protect Region's, Regional Senate seats and carve out as much of a piece of the pie for Region's as possible to ensure the Federal Govt' didn't hog all the bandwidth. There are times when I have supported bills that in real life I would not have supported like the Regional Exemption Act by Mr. X, because I figured some drug debates in the regional legislatures would be fun. Generally I favor liberalization and ending the war on drugs and would have supported such with regards to any IDS legislation on the matter should the Exemption have passed.

It gets harder with each time I think becuase the expectations are rightfully higher as to what else can be offered in exchange one more time. Many times it is a combination of unfinished business and/or a sense of obligation that keeps me going for one more. I would really like to get a market based healthcare system enacted, finish the Mental Healthcare Reform project, and do something permenent on the minimum wage maybe even along the lines of what Nix suggested in the his interview. We have other tools that are far more effective and less damaging, we should move towards them now. Here again my experience comes in handy because I know people love to keep changing it all the time and typically in a direction that fails to consider employment or local economics, and if that history isn't a good advocacy for a change in policy, I don't know what is. On the other hand I experienced a traumatic loss just two months ago and have to consider the real life situation as well in making my decision. I plan to take as much time as possible and will probably decided around the end of this month. Two and half weeks is plenty for time for an active campaign if I decide to go for it.

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The Porcupine is pleased to announce it is adding Maxwell, Napoleon, and Devin to their staff!

Any of the previous editors (as mentioned in the OP) are invited to reprise their former roles.

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Interview with Devin

Q1: How long have you been involved in Atlasia for?

I first declared my run for council on new years eve 2013. It was the legendary Governor Zuwo, and Senator TmthForu94 that got me involved. Flo was also another close friend who got me up and running.

Q2: The Pacific has somewhat of a unique situation, from what I understand. Could you elaborate on the nature of it?

The Pacific has long been dominated by one party government. This always leads to a lack of new ideas, and general interest. Combine that with poor management, and laws that hinder instead of help the economy, and you get our current situation.
But now we have a new new Council, and a very successful Governor.
Q3: How would you rate the progress of the Pacific?

I would say a 7.5/10. while we have made progress, double digit unemployment is not something to be proud of. But I am proud to say the Council is working hard to turn the Region around.

Q4: Do you have any aspirations for higher office?

Yes I do, I have been waiting for this interview to make an announcement. I am officially running for Governor of the Pacific!

Q5: How would you appraise the presidential campaign?

I must say we have a great race, and I agree on atleast some issues with all of the candidates. Despite that my official endorsement goes to Dem PGH. He has the experience, and bipartisan credentials this nation needs.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Great interview, Max.

The Porcupine is pleased to announce the addition of Flo to its staff!

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Interview with SWE

Q1: Since joining Atlasia, you were briefly part of the Progressive Union (which was moribund at that point) and have since joined Labor. How do you feel about the party?

When I first joined Atlasia, I didn't really understand much about it beyond what was directly stated in the "Introduction to Atlasia" thread, and looking at the descriptions of the parties in the threads, I thought the PU was best for me. However, as I learned more about the major parties in Atlasia, and as my own views started moving increasingly to the left, I realized that I'd be more at home within the Labor party. I feel that the Labor party has generally been a party to represent my views the the PU was.

Q2: How long have you been in the Northeast Assembly?

I was elected last February and an currently serving my second term.

Q3: How would you critique the current and previous sessions? Do you think there is room for improvement?

In general, I think that the previous session was more productive than the current one, and there's certainly some room for improvement, but both sessions have been pretty productive. The Northeast Assembly has been a little quiet lately, with only two bills currently sitting in the queue, especially compared to last session, when it seemed like we always had something to debate. I do think that there's room for improvement, definitely, although for the most part I've been satisfied with both sessions.

Q4: What issues would you like to pursue, either in this session or future ones? How do you feel about the remaining legislation in the queue?

Having recently passed a ban on private prisons, criminal justice reform is a big issue for me, and I'd like to read more of our regional statute on the issue and see what reforms are still necessary. Health Care and environmental protection are two other big issues I'd like to address that I really haven't done much on already. I support both bills currently in the queue.

Q5: Do you have any ambitions for higher office?

Right now, I'm pretty happy where I am. I like both the Northeast's regional governor and senator, so I don't really plan on challenging either. If I did try for a higher office, it'd be the next At-Large Senate races

Q6: How do you feel about the June presidential election?

I've endorsed the DemPGH/Windjammer ticket (no offense ) and am happy to give them my full support. Both have been highly effective governors that worked hard to restore regions struggling with activity. I have no doubt that they would make a fantastic President/Vice president team.