First Presidential Debate (Closing Statements)

[tmthforu94]

First off, thanks to "The Voice" and "The Independent" for hosting this debate. I'd also like to thank my opponents, Attorney General Marokai Blue, GTO Ambassador Ben, Governor Oakvale, and Conor. Hopefully many great idea's will be shared in this debate.

Their are many great challenges facing this game, mainly activity, which is specifically poor in the Senate. I believe I have the experience and leadership abilities to lead Atlasia into a stronger,active future. As Governor of the Mideast, I successfully led the switch over to the regional government board (special thanks to Fritz for pulling through for all of us on that) and our Assembly has had one of it's most active sessions over there. I believe I have ran the Mideast region very thoroughly, maintaining a very active record and engaging in debate, as well as working myself quite a bit on legislation. I will carry those same qualities with me to the White House, if I am privileged to serve as your President.

I look forward to this debate, as well as the campaign, and hopefully by the end of this, Atlasians will have a solid opinion of every candidate and will know exactly what each of us would do as President. Thank you all.

[tmthforu94]

First and foremost, we must acknowledge that at any given second, this nation could plunge into a recession if China stops financing our national debt. As I've stated before, my first goal as President, if it isn't addressed before then, is to work with the SoEA and the Chinese government to find an acceptable solution here. We must convince them that this wouldn't benefit either side. If need be, I myself would travel to China to meet with their government. I plan to make this a key issue of my administration, as well as personally being involved in debates in the Senate and encouraging the Senators to act on GM reports.

One idea I have floated on is potentially creating 2 GM's. I know that being a GM can be a daunting task, and we're lucky to have someone as committed as Badger doing it. However, I know it can sometimes be overwhelming for him. My thoughts would be having one committed to national news as well as foreign affairs, while the other being more committed to regional affairs. This is just an idea, and I hope it can be intelligently discussed both in this debate and outside of it. By no means am I endorsing this...yet.

To quickly add, before time expires, I agree with Ben that more spending should be focused on job creation. There are several areas spending will have to be cut in order to do this. With our weak economy, I believe we shouldn't be constantly adding onto our national debt, however, we shouldn't be putting a larger tax burden on the American people at the same time.

I'm sorry, this all I can fit into 20 minutes, as I myself didn't have an answer already planned out. More economic views will be discussed in my campaign thread when my platform is released.

Thank you.

[tmthforu94]

Our national deficit is obviously too large. To prevent our debt from getting much larger, I would veto a bill drastically raising the debt ceiling. Small cuts should be made across the board until we can get this under control, specifically in military spending, I believe. More of a focus should be on job creation. I realize that cutting into our national debt will take time, especially now, during an economic crisis. Because in these trying times, some extra spending will be needed, the Stimulus Bill, for example, to help revitalize our economy.

I cannot stress how vital it is for our federal government to act quickly in times of crisis, such as the current issue with China. As Oakvale stated, we're living on borrowed time. If such crisis ever occurred under my administration, I can assure you that a fast and appropriate response would be made to prevent our nation's economy from getting any worse.

*Pulls a George HW Bush and checks his watch*

Whew, looks like I'm good on time.

[tmthforu94]

What's been presented in the past obviously hasn't worked too well, as our unemployment numbers are still extremely high, and currently going up, not down. I also am hopeful that the recently passed stimulus package will provide a boost to the economy, and I'm sure that in the Mideast, we will be able to use this money given to us effectively. An issue I feel is important is entitlement reform. We've continued to kick that can down on a long road, and now, that road has ended. As President, I will do my best to not create any more taxes.

Something else, which was highly touted by former Senator Barnes that I resoundingly approve of, is green energy. In the past, reform has been made on encouraging green jobs in the Mideast and Senate, and I hope to continue that work. On top of that, for creating jobs, I believe it is important that we provide incentives to businesses who hire new employee's, which I remember being partly covered back under the Purple State administration.

Agreeing with Oakvale (again), I believe investing in education is investing in our future, a stronger future for our nation, and specifically, our economy. I'm a big supporter of educational funding, ask anyone who knows my work in the Mideast. I hope to continue that commitment to our youth as the next President. All of these issues will be better outlined when my platform is released.

(Stupid Rosie, forced me to write a rushed post )

[tmthforu94]

I'm disappointed no one mentioned my green energy bill which included tax incentives for businesses dedicating themselves to reducing their carbon footprint. Shameful, guys. Who am I gonna vote for now?

While I didn't specifically mention your bill, I was the only candidate who mentioned green energy and tax incentives (though for job creation, not reducing carbon footprint).

[tmthforu94]

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 Strong financial regulations are necessary to ensure that a) derivatives are properly rated b) financial companies can't trade with banks. However, sometimes these can be too strong, and we must be careful in making sure than the government doesn’t have too much control over corporations. One thing I would certainly support is trying to reduce the tax loopholes, a current problem in our government.

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Our entire education department is one department that I will work hard to keep any cuts in to a minimum. I’m a strong believer in Atlasia investing in our future through education, and will actively fight to make sure it’s funding stays the same.

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Aye

I cast an AYE ballot on the Atlasian National Health Care Bill. This was a carefully constructed bill with bi-partisan support that gives America one of the greatest health care systems in the world.

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I agree. While trading with the Chinese isn't perfect,I wouldn’t support a decrease in trade at the current time.

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As I’ve stated several times throughout this campaign, I would support decreasing military funding in this relatively peaceful period. I’d support across the board cuts in Military Spending, not necessarily retirement, though. I’d hope to end most military operations within four months in Afganistan, where we are still investing over $100 billion.

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In order to secure our national debt, I would not seek to lower taxes across the board. To provide more relief to middle-class Atlasians, I would support a small, middle class income tax cut from it’s current 25% level.

In regards to religious institutions, I do not believe all should be forced to taxation, however, we must be extremely observant and make sure there is no political influence in the church.

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As I stated earlier in the debate, I am a supported of “green jobs”. I was happy to vote for the  Green Power Act and as a Senator, maintained a record as a “Green Senator”. I will continue that same commitment to dream jobs in the White House.

In not too many years, our world could be out of oil. What happens then can be determined by what we do now. I want this nation to be prepared for that day by investing early in alternate, clean energy solutions.

I think it’s time for both the federal and regional governments to look into ways of energy conservation, as well. From recycling to solar panels to florescent light bulbs, the federal government needs to get the word out to it’s citizens that we support energy conservation. I wish we still has Barnes around, because this is his best area.

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I know many of you have severe concerns about the economy, and are ready for it to be okay again. We’ve gone down the same, liberal path of high taxes and  more government spending, something I believe helped us get into this mess, for years. Has it worked? Obviously not, because our economy is in the tanks. My administration will support bi-partisan legislation that will hopefully get our economy back on the right track midway though our term. It won't be an easy, quick fix, so I ask the people to be patient with whoever assumes the office of President.

One thing I will personally do everything in my power to do is increase Senate activity, and that will be a top goal of mine as President. We’re not going to be able to get anything done if we don’t have an active Senate. I’m not quite as concerned on political positions in regards to the upcoming Senatorial elections as I am on activity. I sincerely hope that all 5 regions will send an active voice to the Senate. The Southeast and Midwest will both be sending ones, it appears, but no other race is completely certain just yet.

[tmthforu94]

I will be leaving fairly shortly for work and will not be home till around 6:30 PST. As I stated yesterday in my campaign thread, all questions that both myself and Dallasfan miss will be answered there.

[tmthforu94]

Like Ben, I believe Atlasia needs to do more in foreign policy, as it has been pretty well ignored for the last few terms. I also support having two GM's, with one being able to focus on national news as well as foreign affairs, the other sticking more to regional affairs. Both would work together on the economical side of things.

I'll have to disagree with Ben, though, on one thing: I don't think it is in Atlasia's best interest to be an interventionist nation. In most conditions, I would not support Atlasia attacking another nation unless they are a severe threat to us, or especially if they attacked us on the home front.

I would also support a very small reduction in foreign aid to other nation's. While I believe it is important that we are ready to help other nations, it is also important that we first take care of our own citizens.

[tmthforu94]

Like Ben, I believe Atlasia needs to do more in foreign policy, as it has been pretty well ignored for the last few terms.

We absolutely need to focus more on foreign affairs. Too often we're focused on domestic concerns in this game. It would be my hope that my Game Advisors proposal would allow more leeway for GM reports on foreign matters in addition to the current frequency of domestic updates.

Foreign policy is so crucial in the real world. Not just the last few administrations, I’d say that ever since I’ve been part of this game, foreign policy hasn’t taken nearly the role it should. Maybe once or twice, but even those times were only in short spurts. Hopefully whoever is the SoEA under any of our administrations will give us some creative issues to work with., and hopefully we can have a Senate who will actually act on it.

[tmthforu94]

Encouraging New Members

^^^ A key part of my goals for game reform is increasing the amount of active players by getting new members who could otherwise become "zombie voters" active and engaged in the game. I would start that by creating a "Welcoming Committee", which would be a bi-partisan "task force" which will involve welcoming new members and teaching them the basics of the game. Also, I believe the current registration requirements are too high, with a new member having to attain 75 posts and be a resident of the forum for 15 days. I'd work with the Senate on a fair compromise acceptable to both sides, lowering both numbers.

A problem with many of our regional governments is that they have little to work with from the Game Moderator. In reality, many actions by state legislatures stem from specific reports, and we aren't getting those reports in Atlasia. That's why I would encourage the creation of a second Game Moderator, specifically focusing on the regional aspect of the game.

Creating an active Senate is easier said than done. While we can create new legislation, such as expelling a member who misses a certain number of consecutive votes, who's really responsible here is the people, as they elect the Senators. We must do our own part by electing members to the Senate with proven records of activity and commitment. With a GM able to focus heavily on the federal government, my hope is that their more frequent information, as well as myself and Dallasfan personally engaging in debate and helping move things along, that we will be able to eventually bring to the Senate back to where it was a couple years ago when I was a part of it.

On top of the ideas I've named above, I'm sure there are plenty of other ideas that will be suggested during this campaign and even during my candidacy. I cannot stress enough that my administration will be an open administration, and we will welcome ideas from all sides.

[tmthforu94]

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As President, I won't be pushing for off-site recruitment, and would not continue the President's task force on it. Teddy and I were both put in charge of off-site recruitment, and while I did manage to get one person to register to the forum, they never even got back on. I'm not quite sure what Teddy did on the matter. However, if a member ever was recruited off-site, I think we should be welcoming of them and give them a fair chance to succeed in this game.

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Don't let Marokai fool you; Under my administration, we would have two CO-Game Moderators, who would be working together as a team. Marokai trying to suggest that my idea would have GM's competing against each other is based off absolutely no evidence at all.

Unlike Marokai, I believe elected legislatures can be important and beneficial to the game, and think that they'd be even more productive than they already are if they had an adequate amount of information from the GM, close to like we had in the day's of Purple State as GM. I do not believe I would support specific roles for each GM, rather let them work together and come to a decision on who does what, between regional governments, national affairs, foreign policy, and anything else. An amendment I would support would be that both GM's would have to accept a post before it being submitted, and if one happened to make a post despite the other's objection, the post would be ignored until an agreement was reached.

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I think it's creating an interesting election. This certainly has already been one of the most dramatic and intense elections we've had in a long time, and we still have over a month to go!

Regarding the RPP, I'm glad to see how our party has developed, and I look forward to it being able to continually compete on the national level. I don't think the name of the party necessarily matters, like Marokai does. We stayed with the name because it stuck, unlike other names that would make more sense for our party as a whole. The same thing with the JCP. I mean, the JCP was successful despite the awkward name, and they dominated the game for a couple years. They still remain the largest party in the game.

[tmthforu94]

I'd like to once again thank Archangel for hosting this debate, and I'd like to thank my opponents for particpating. Some important questions were answered, and I think everyone learned a lot from this experience.

This campaign is already intense, and we're just getting started. I want to take this opportunity to remind Atlasians that this election isn’t about the left or right winning. This election is about preserving this game, and making the future stronger than the past.

I love this game. What I don't love, though, is the direction this game is going. For the past year, this game has gone in a steady decline. Ever since last Spring, the Senate's activity has gone downhill, and valuable citizens are leaving the game. The past hasn't worked, and I think many Atlasians have come to understand that.

I have a proud record of experience and dedication to stand on, and I’ll stand by it any time. Not only do I have the valuable experience of already running a government, I also have the experience of serving in the Senate. I can promise every Atlasian that under a 94/65 Administration, you will have a very active, bi-partisan government, where every voice is heard. Who we will take advice from won’t run along party lines. If you have a good idea, let it be known. I’m sure I’ll find some great idea’s to implement from my opponents’ campaigns, and I hope they’ll like some idea’s I’ve suggested as well.

Thank you all.

[tmthforu94]

Can I have a nice job if my evil, nonexistent opponent wins Midwest Senate race?

If you lose, you'll be a top candidate for a position in my administration.


Badger, to your question, here are my two words: you're awesome.

[tmthforu94]

Though I don't expect it to go here, I couldn't think where else to bring it up...

I hope the candidates for President, myself, Oakvale, and Marokai, will be able to fit in another debate before the election begins, maybe even two. Was Yelnoc going to do the next debate, or someone else?

[tmthforu94]

Why can't this be started?

Archangel sent out a private message to all remaining candidates several days ago about the debate, and asked for everyone to respond so we can begin. So far, I'm the only one who's responded, which is certainly frustrating, as I know both of you have had plenty of time to respond to the message. If the two of you really want another debate, I ask that you please respond to Archangel ASAP.

[tmthforu94]

Why can't this be started?

Archangel sent out a private message to all remaining candidates several days ago about the debate, and asked for everyone to respond so we can begin. So far, I'm the only one who's responded, which is certainly frustrating, as I know both of you have had plenty of time to respond to the message. If the two of you really want another debate, I ask that you please respond to Archangel ASAP.

Lord have mercy.

I've responded to him many times before asking for more debates but apparently I need to hold everyone's damn hand by responding with a specific time before we can actually move forward. Okay, sure.

He asked in the message what time works best for everyone to avoid scheduling the debate at a time inconvient for one of the members. When someone asks me a question like that, I try to at least respond with a "Whatever works for you". I don't see what's so crazy about that request.