Office of NE Sec. of Health and Assemblyman DemPGH

[DemPGH]

Hello again, Atlasia

I'm happy to be back for a short spell in which I will complete the remainder of the current At Large term, so this office is simply a formality. You can communicate with me, if you wish, here or via PM over the next few weeks.

You may remember my term as President in which the government collapsed and descended into utter chaos, but of course prior to that I had enjoyed a few positive accomplishments, chief among them working as Governor with Cranberry, Flo, and a few others in the Pacific to get the region moving after a bout of debilitating inactivity. I was also an active Vice President and Attorney General prior to that, so for this short time I look forward to continuing in that more positive tradition.

I'm solidly to the left, generally opposed to intervention, interested in labor and workers, and tend to view the Government as a vehicle whose best use is to ease the suffering of the poor, as well as those who struggle to make ends meet or are victims of injustice - be it social or economic.

So, if you have any questions or comments, let me know!

[Maxwell]

Welcome back DemPGH!

[DemPGH]

Acknowledged, Maxwell, and thanks!

[Adam Griffin]

Glorious news!

[DemPGH]

Only a brief announcement:

I've had a chance to get up to speed on Senate activity and particularly the continuing debate concerning the "Policing the Police" Act. I strongly support the philosophy behind this statute - i.e., to ensure as much monitoring of the police as we physically can. I also think it perfectly fair and reasonable that we prohibit individuals from becoming police officers who are known to be affiliated with hate groups, vigilante groups, groups that are on watch lists, groups that are openly racist, or hostile to the Government. This is simply because it is a police officer's duty to enforce the laws of a civil society without biases, and that obligation may be too easily compromised by said affiliations. In no way do I think a person's political views should be a subject of consideration for employment.

FYI, affiliation with some of the groups that I mentioned is considered in military employment IRL.

Glorious news!

Ever my thanks!

[Prince of Salem]

Congratulations on your appointment

[DemPGH]

Just a brief announcement:

A couple of interesting amendments are up for vote currently or very soon.

1. The Electoral Reform Amendment:
I decided to vote against this currently because, in the end, I like having a cycle of elections that is free of geographic boundaries. There could additionally be unnecessary complications and inconveniences (not the least of which would be the process of drawing up districts, which we repeatedly failed to do re: regions) as a result. A number of potential snags have been raised by opponents of this amendment, and setting those aside, I simply think that districts in the current scenario are redundant. People will undoubtedly find themselves in districts they don't want to be in and we have the potential for a number of problems as well as a gigantic cluster. That's because the amendment mandates a deadline at which point it is forced into existence. I think an approach that might have won my support would have been to say that if we cannot reach a consensus on what these districts look like, then they simply fail and we continue with the At Large format. But that's not the way it is.

2. Presidential Pardon
I decided to vote for this because I don't think anyone should be able to put themselves above the law: President, GM, Senate, Cabinet, whatever.

Congratulations on your appointment

A belated thanks. It's been fun. All of my positions here except President were fun, though!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So we both are tossup-tilt Nay on the issue. Looks like AT-Large #3 is going to have the same opinion in spite of the change in occupant.


I was hoping I would get to vote on it on though. I'll give you one guess what that vote would have been.

[DemPGH]

Northeast,

I'm announcing my bid for the Northeast Assembly.

Many of you know me, some of you may not. I am/will be a stalwart defender of cicvil liberties and will always stand up for the economically disadvantaged. I will also make education and higher education a priority - I will defend the right of graduate students who carry assistantships and student athletes to unionize, for one thing. I will also stand up for the reproductive rights of women, and against the stolid conservative men who wish to use the arm of government to restrict the right of women to govern how and when they reproduce. My philosophy is that the best use of government is to lend aid to the disadvantaged, be it economically or socially.

I will take questions. 

[Blair]

You were a very good and able Senator when you served for a month, you'll be a fine assembly member and a powerful progressive voice. Endorsed

[The Other Castro]

Welcome to the race, I hope to have the pleasure of legislating with you.

[Dr. Cynic]

You've got my endorsement.

[DemPGH]

Thanks, guys! I pledge to be active and look forward to working/debating with yunz in the Assembly if elected.

[Adam Griffin]

Endorsed!

[DemPGH]

Polls are open - please vote for evergreen and DemPGH to ensure progressive representation!

Endorsed!

Thanks!

[DemPGH]

First, congrats to Pres. Bore and the winners of the Senate elections - NC, Turk, PiT, Snowguy, and Talley. Nice job! (I think I got that right, I've had a few glasses of wine ).

Second, I have no idea what's going on with the N.E. assembly elections - there are different counts, different versions of what has transpired with possible sock activity, so we'll just wait for it to all come out in the wash, and whatever is whatever. Maybe it's, "It is what it is." That's the cliche that applies, I guess.

I sent some thank yous to the folks who gave me a 3 or above, and if you didn't get one of those or voted late, and you gave me a 3 or up, then thank you! It was very uphill considering the partisan dynamics in play, and was a close run thing, so however it turns out is cool.

[Blair]

Looks like you've been Gored pal

[DemPGH]

First, thanks to everyone who showed to vote in the Senate and Assembly Special Election, and thanks to cynic for giving Federalists and conservatives someone to vote for for Assembly. With such a razor thin Senate special election, it was good that the Assembly got noticed. Well, I initially lost the Assembly election by like a third of a vote, ended up appointed to it anyway, then won the special election for it! Not many people win seats by taking that road, I'll venture. Anyway, happy to be in the Assembly, and of course if any N.E. citizen has any concerns or would even like legislation introduced, please contact me.

Now, as to my future plans: I will certainly leave the door open, but I do not plan to run again next cycle. Having won a few elections in my time and having seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, I wouldn't mind once my term is up to be considered for judicial appointment or a magistrate's position at the regional level. I was of course the attorney general once upon a time, and while I really don't think I want to do that again, serving as a magistrate is maybe the only thing left in the game that I would actually like to do. So if that opens up, I would be interested.

As to the state of the game and the con-con and reform, I've seen it all build up and deflate a number of times before, even when it's very, very necessary (like consolidation is), so I'm consigned to just roll with the punches on it and if it happens it happens.

[DemPGH]

A new day, a new slate.

I look forward to working with Gov. Pikachu as Lt. Gov. in the Northeast.

I'll be doing a more thorough review of the wiki, which on the surface appears to be mostly up to date (exception being a gap here or there a while back). Nonetheless, I'll be adding new laws to it as time allows. This, of course, as A.G., was my first job in Atlasia.

We're also on course to open The Gazette, which will be the Northeast's official newspaper. I'm looking forward to using this to update our citizens on bills and issues before the Assembly, to take opinions, and to provide election updates.

Meanwhile, nationally, I signed the petition for regional consolidation and plan to sign the petition for a new Con. convention. While I realize that there are people who will try to bog down the reform process, we cannot let it die.

[DemPGH]

Bump! I'll be adding some things to this.

First, congrats to Blair on his election to governor and thanks to everyone who came out to vote, especially if you voted for me!

We're assembling a cabinet in the Northeast for the first time, and when I talked to Blair about some of the offices, I mentioned that Health and Education were natural fits for me due to my interest in both, so I am happy to be the first Dir. of the Dept. of Health. Looking forward to seeing what all I can come up with to make this office a little bit interesting!

[DemPGH]

At the boardwalk this weekend for a run to promote fitness and to oppose heart disease.

We'll be looking at a number of things, one of which is health and fitness, but also the Atlasian healthcare system and how it affects northeastern citizens. Obesity statistics, heart attacks, etc. will all have our attention soon.

In the assembly, we're going to attempt to consolidate/simplify our election procedure laws, which has my full support.

[DemPGH]

On the issue of women's health from Pittsburgh, PA.

Since the NE Right to Life Act received virtually no national attention (in contrast to similar efforts in the Mideast a couple years ago ), the Health Dept. would like to issue a statement.

The Act in question did a number of positive things, like guarantee that the death penalty shall not be handed down in the Northeast, which is already a guarantee at the national level. But in the statute was a clause that would have banned abortion in all cases, as worded, which we in the Health Dept. believe would have marked a very serious decline for women's health and reproductive freedom.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Late term bans and regulations on abortion are certainly, we believe, within reason, but a comprehensive ban remains completely counter to both the law and female equality, aside from which there are many ways to skirt abortion bans - namely by traveling outside the country to get one (as happens in Ireland) and by seeking "back alley" abortions (usually by low income women who may not be able to travel).