Victory Speech -
Well it looked a little dicey there at the beginning, but we pulled it off once again. I want to say thanks to everyone who voted for me and to everyone who gave me a high preference. In the past term I got more aggressive about activity and from my experience, people don't like hear inconvenient truths, and it is not just on climate either.
Therefore I expected some level of difficulty stemming from this.
I am convinced that we need going forward in this game, is integrity, activity and engagement most of all. We need a bold and inviting discussion over the issues that will encourage people to want to join and participate. To that end we need people who will stand on principle. That doesn't mean they won't compromise, I have crafted a number of compromises, but it does mean they will say what they believe always act and compromise in a way that is in line with their principles and values.
I do regret not being able to make speeches (Though most likely few will read them all the way through), because I think it is an important part of the game. I do have a list of positions linked in the OP though and if you have taken the time to read through them, they are generally in line with my principles.
I am Lockean liberal and therefore believe that rights are naturally ordained by god and government is a contractual agreement made for the protection of those rights and liberties. I am a Burkean conservative and believe that the best government to protect those liberties is one that restrains both itself and the people from infringing upon them. I am a federalist, I believe firmly that the regions have powers, rights and responsibilities that not only need protection, but need to be exhaustively exercised and also that the regions need an equal voice in the national legislature. I am for any reform that strengthens all of these principles in our present system and/or replaces aspects of the system to better implement these principles.
In terms of the economy, just like I am against consolidating power in government, I am against the consolidation of power into monopolies, be they government or private sector in origin. We need policies that respect and encourage individual market choice and at the same time ensure that consumers have a multitude of choices. This ensures better quality and prices for customers and a stronger, more vibrant economy that only such competition and resulting innovation can bring.
In terms of society and the budget, we have an obligation to ensure that we give people a helping hand when necessary but also that we work to get people good paying jobs. This doesn't mean throwing people out to die in the streets, it means making work a viable, practical and more rewarding choice then dependency. I am therefore strongly committed to preserving the current health care law, and its subsidies, but will be open to new ideas of paying for it as a way to get the payroll taxes down. I am also committed to making Social Security sustainable. And in general we have to get our deficits down, and that means making sure that existing programs that are essential are paid for, those and others are reformed in ways that reduce the costs and/or make them accomplish their job more efficiently, that unnecessary programs and redundancy are eliminated and finally that all new programs are paid for.
On Foreign Policy we need to continue with the balanced approach that has served us well under the present administration, guarding against the conflict unless absolutely necessary, but capable and willing to intervene when all other options are exhausted to protect our the lives and rights of our people, as well as those of our allies.
Finally, I want to say that I am concerned about the state of our game and the culture of the people that play it. Over the last few weeks, I have become deeply concerned with the actions that people have taken with and towards each other. We must remember that in order for their to be a More Welcoming Atlasia, we must have a more respectful Atlasia. That doesn't mean we hesitate to disagree on the issues, it does mean we avoid personal attacks, and outrageous accusations. It means that all forms of corruption are not tolerated and it means that alternative chat mediums are treated as public venues, and therefore come with the understanding that you better be ready to back up what you say in front of a different audience. These utilities can be assets to our game and can just as easily be very detrimental to it as well, if they are not respected either.
The last time I ran for President, the motivation for me was the manner in which the previous candidate was driven from the race and the message that it sent to everyone else watching, which I thought was unhealthy and unacceptable. That is why I ran on a more Welcoming Atlasia and I have continued to embrace that theme, because fundamentally regardless of what system of government we have, our game lives or dies on the interest and involvement of its players and the number of active and passionate players who each voluntarily decide to participate in this game. We have to create the environment in which that will thrive and every time we lose sight of that, lose sight of the fact that this is a voluntary game, we do more damage to this game than any botched reform or failure to reform (depending on your perspective) ever could. It is not an easy to decision, and were it not in my opinion once again our most pressing concern, I would not once again raise up its banner and take the field in its righteous advance. But here we are, and here I stand.
Thank you and I look forward to earning your vote in June.
