Office of Chairman TNF: Red Army takes NM, UT, ID, AZ

[TNF]

So why do you seek to disarm law enforcement? Both citizen and law enforcement need to have this important right to protect this country against the forces who would seek to destroy our republic from all enemies foreign and domestic.

As it stands the right to bear arms for the average Atlasian is restricted based upon a number of criteria, which renders law enforcement, specifically the police, with a near monopoly on force in Atlasia. My proposal will remedy that inequality and allow the average Atlasian to be on a more equal footing with the police when it comes to the issue of firearms ownership and use.

[TNF]

REMARKS CONCERNING THE PASSING OF THE AMENDMENT TO THE LABOR RIGHTS ACT

Fargo, North Dakota - Folks I am glad to be here today in Fargo to announce the successful passage of, and signing by the President of, an Amendment to the Labor Rights Act that outlaws scabbing during the course of a strike. This is the first piece of what I think will be a number of bills I have proposed that will help to empower Atlasian workers and take the big boys, the 'Captains of Industry' down a few notches to where they ought to be. It's class against class folks, and today, the working class won a major victory, and I'd like to thank those members of the Senate who voted for this bill and President Nix for his signature. I'm proud to say that we can retire scabby the rat (pictured above) once and for all!

Solidarity forever, brothers and sisters.

[TNF]

I am proud to announce that my second piece of legislation, the Responsible Federal Contracting Act, has been signed into law by President Nix. This legislation will offer some degree of accountability to the contracting process. I would like to also urge my comrades in the Senate to consider and pass the amendment to the Productivity Act and my amendment to the Student Loan Interest Rates Fairness Act, both of which will go a long way in helping working class Atlasians.

In solidarity,

Senator TNF

[TNF]

I am proud to announce that my third piece of legislation, the Death With Dignity Act, has cleared the Senate and is currently awaiting the signature of the President. This is a humane piece of legislation and I thank those members of the Senate, Laborites and Federalists alike, who gave their support to its passage. Again, I would encourage fellow members of the Senate to support my amendment to the Productivity Act (which few of them, except for Senators Polnut and Yankee, have even bothered to address) and my amendment to the Student Loan Interest Rates Fairness Act (another victim of inactivity.)

In solidarity,

Senator TNF

[TNF]

MIDWEST SENATOR TNF ANNOUNCES BID FOR SECOND TERM

Lincoln, Grit – Comrades, working men and women of the Midwest, my friends – today I stand before you as a candidate for re-election to the Senate of Atlasia. While I will not be up for re-election until the month of October, I have already announced my intention to seek another term and now I'm reiterating that announcement with a public campaign kickoff. While in the Senate I have been arguably the most active and most effective legislator on behalf of working people not only in the Midwest, but across the Republic. Since my inauguration, I have sponsored and been able to pass into law the Prison Reform Act, an Amendment to the Labor Rights Act, the Responsible Federal Contracting Act, and the Death with Dignity Act. In addition to these, the Senate is currently considering two pieces of legislation I have introduced, one of which will reduce working hours and raise the minimum wage, and another which will require stricter standards for educational spending and reduce student loan interest rates. I have made no bones about my ideological posture – I am a proud socialist. You may not always agree with me, you may feel that at times I am too rough around the edges, too ideological, what have you, but you will always, and I mean, always, know where I stand. I thank you all for your support and hope to have it again in October.


Solidarity forever!


Senator TNF

[TNF]

MIDWEST SENATOR TNF ADDRESSES RECENT POLLING

Lincoln, Grit - So it looks like a bunch of right-wingers upset with the fact that I bother to have an agenda have voted me down in a few polls. Let 'em. Hell, vote me to oblivion in every single poll you can throw up, because I got news for you reactionaries, moderate heroes, and "me too" Federalists -- I am going to win this election and make you like it. As we speak another one of my bills, which would give workers the day off for black friday, is moving quickly to passage in the Senate. I am proud of that fact. But I am yet ashamed of this Senate, which recently voted down a proposal to shorten the workweek and raise the minimum wage. The Senate should be completely ashamed of itself for voting to continue poverty wage levels in this country. This Senate will soon consider a plethora of other bills that I have introduced, all of which will improve the lives of the average Atlasian workingman and workingwoman. I ask the Senate not repeat their mistake of denying wage increases for workers who desperately need it.

I also wish to address my critics, all of whom would rather go after me, go after Labor, and go after my agenda rather than offer one of their own. I ask you - what has the Federalist Rich Man's Party and their foil, the so-called "Progressive Union" offered to the voting public? Absolutely nothing! They have no agenda, and so they attack those who do. They have no ideas, so they attack those who have them. They are ideologically committed to inactivity and inaction - they do not care about this game or Atlasia. They are willing to vote for far-right politicians who favor the banning of same-sex adoption, the privatization of Social Security, and the ending of the minimum wage, rather than vote for someone with ideas. They are among the most disingenuous individuals in this game - and we would all be better off without them.

I have no more to say that hasn't already been eloquently said by my good friend Adam Griffin. I repeat to my friends in the Federalist Rich Man's Party and the Moderate Hero Union - I am going to win this election and I am going to make you like it.

[TNF]

Federalists aren't voting you down in a Midwest Regional poll. There are five Federalists in the Midwest, in a region of 26, and only two of which are especially active. There are Midwest voters are voting down your extreme, liebral agenda and your negative campaigning inspite of not running for office until this point. Also, nobody likes a poll truther. I mean, you labor guys are like, well, these two men:

Surely, you aren't so filled with paranoia that you think Federalists are violating the rules of the polls just to get at you, right?

I don't think it's paranoia to assume that I would be the most hated of the Labor delegation on the part of the Federalists and the Moderate Hero Union, neither of whom have an agenda and are extremely threatened by someone with one.

It's also hilarious for someone to said mine represents an 'extreme liberal agenda' when you of course are on record favoring privatizing Social Security and the abolition of the minimum wage, Senator-elect.

[TNF]

What a great way to win over the support of your constituents...

>implying you were going to vote for me anyway

[TNF]

Endorsed

Thank you for your endorsement, comrade!

[TNF]

Endorsed!

Thank you for your endorsement, comrade Gass3268!

[TNF]

MIDWEST SENATOR TNF GIVES LABOR DAY ADDRESS

Minneapolis, Joy - Comrades, I address you today from the great city of Minneapolis because it is in this city that 79 years ago, a great strike put capital on notice here in this city. I am here today to put capital here and in all of Atlasia on similar notice today - great things are happening in Atlasia today, and you can work with labor in making those changes, or you can be swept aside. There is no middle ground to straddle here in the forward march of the Atlasian worker.

By all accounts, the Fifty-Sixth Senate has been a productive one for Atlasian workers. We have seen the enactment of the Protecting Worker Privacy Act, the Pacific Crisis Stimulus Act, an Amendment to the Labor Rights Act of 2012 that banned the use of strikebreakers by employers, and the Responsible Federal Contracting Act. While the Senate did not pass the recent bill that would have normalized the 32 hour workweek across Atlasia, I am happy to announce today that I have reintroduced that bill and hope that the Fifty-Seventh Senate will be more considerate of Atlasian workers than was the Fifty-Sixth when it comes to the vital issue of free time in Atlasia.

I have also introduced legislation that I hope will be considered with all due haste by the Fifty-Seventh Senate. The Paid Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Recognition of Labor Act, Sex Work Act, and the "You Can't Fire Me, I Quit!" Act all stand before the next Senate. I hope that the Senate will vote to pass all these pieces of legislation, as they provide ample improvements for the lives of the average Atlasian workingman and workingwoman.

All of this is evidence of the forward march of working people. Today is a day to honor those working people - and I want to ask that my fellow Senators honor our working people with more than just words once this day is ended. Honor them with your deeds as well as your words, and we will all move toward a better, more just, and more humane society.

[TNF]

Working for the Atlasian Worker
October 2013 platform

A peaceful, solidaristic foreign policy
Fewer hours and higher pay - the 20 hour workweek and beyond
Economic democracy, co-determination, and public ownership
Equal rights for transgendered Atlasians
An Atlasian policy for the Arts
Real education reform - universal access to pre-k and higher education
End prescription drug charges and socializing big pharma
A home for every Atlasian - affordable and livable public housing
Public auto insurance and free mass transit
Abolishing the security state and bringing diplomacy into the open
Shuttering the prisons and ending the war on the poor
Collective ownership of patents and intellectual works
Protecting animal rights

Note: These planks will be introduced and filled out as my campaign continues. The first of which will call for a peaceful and solidaristic foreign policy, and it should be rolled out sometime in this week. If you have questions concerning a single plank before I announce it and its provisions, please feel free to ask them here.

[TNF]

What do you mean by "Shuttering the Prisons"?

Pretty much what it says. I want to end the system of permanent or long-term incarceration that we have to do and replace it with a rehabilitation-based system for prisoners. That means shorter terms, terms served entirely outside of prisons (with home arrest and parole becoming much more common), laws rewritten as to create fewer criminals by creating fewer crimes (people hurting themselves is a medical issue, not a criminal justice issue), and restoring dignity to those who have served their time by removing existing restrictions upon their movement and future employment (and I understand these are limited as is, but those limited strictures are too much, imo). I'll get into more detail there as warranted and as I roll out that platform plank. This is an issue where I think the progressive Laborites and the libertarian or libertarian-leaning Federalists have a lot in common and we could be able to get something substantial as a result, so please, if you've got ideas or want to be involved in the drafting of subsequent legislation, shoot me a PM.

Our health care policy already covers prescription drugs.

Oversight on my part. I'll be changing that to covering the cost of all drugs and taking the profit motive entirely out of health care by nationalizing hospitals, turning doctors into state employees, the whole shebang.

[TNF]

What do you mean by "Shuttering the Prisons"?

Pretty much what it says. I want to end the system of permanent or long-term incarceration that we have to do and replace it with a rehabilitation-based system for prisoners. That means shorter terms, terms served entirely outside of prisons (with home arrest and parole becoming much more common), laws rewritten as to create fewer criminals by creating fewer crimes (people hurting themselves is a medical issue, not a criminal justice issue), and restoring dignity to those who have served their time by removing existing restrictions upon their movement and future employment (and I understand these are limited as is, but those limited strictures are too much, imo). I'll get into more detail there as warranted and as I roll out that platform plank. This is an issue where I think the progressive Laborites and the libertarian or libertarian-leaning Federalists have a lot in common and we could be able to get something substantial as a result, so please, if you've got ideas or want to be involved in the drafting of subsequent legislation, shoot me a PM.

I don't entirely agree with doing away with Prisons period, because I think there is a purpose there, but I would like to see what future reform beyond the Prison Reform Act did. I'd be open to working with you on this matter.

As would I you. I'll see what we can come up with and perhaps we can introduce a joint bill to that end.

[TNF]

STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF THE BLACK FRIDAY ACT

Comrades, today I am proud to say that yet another piece of legislation I have authored has been signed into law by Comrade President Nix. This act, the Black Friday Means Black Friday Act of 2013, will make the day after Thanksgiving a paid holiday for Atlasians everywhere. This means that more stores which engage in the gross and rampant consumerism that comes with that day will likely close their doors and allow their workers the day off, while also meaning that those who do stay open will be required, as per the Holidays Act of 2013 (a piece of legislation introduced by Comrade President Nix while he was in the Senate that I am proud to have contributed to) to pay their employees double-time.

Does this mean that we should all be satisfied? By all means, no. We have achieved yet another great victory over capital, but capital still dominates and replicates a social order in which buying things is more important than helping people. I applaud the Senate, the Labor Party, and the President for helping me get this legislation enacted. I also thank the support I have received on this bill from Federalist Senators Sbane and Tmthforu94, two persons with whom I rarely see eye-to-eye whom nevertheless lent their support to the passage of this act. Your votes are much appreciated and your support welcomed, as it helps move us, all of us, forward to the creation of a society not based upon greed and hierarchy, but of good-will towards men and women alike. In the great tradition of Christ himself, you have voted to lend a hand to the working people of this country, and for that, they shall reward you.

As for I, I will be enjoying my Black Friday holiday with my partner, sipping coffee and perhaps devising yet another hair brained scheme for the overthrow of all unjust institutions that paralyze and keep down the worker.

In solidarity,

Senator TNF

[TNF]

A peaceful, solidaristic foreign policy

Orient, Moxie - Comrades, I join you today from the little town of Orient, Moxie. With a population of roughly half-a-thousand, some may wonder why I have chosen Orient as the place to give my speech concerning the future of Atlasian foreign policy. I, of course, have chosen Orient because Orient is the hometown of a certain Henry A. Wallace, Vice President of the United States from 1941 to 1945, a solid opponent of fascism, and later in life the candidate of the Progressive Party. From such humble beginnings, Mr. Wallace rose to the Vice Presidency of the United States; he had previously revolutionized American agronomy as Secretary of Agriculture, and we all owe him a debt for that.

Mr. Wallace had a vision of a world united by common cause; a world based upon mutual aid and development, rather than imperialism by any one nation. In his landmark speech, "The Century of the Common Man," Wallace made plain his opposition to imperialism of any sort -

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We of the Labor Party seek not an Atlasian Century, but instead a century of the common person. The man or woman that labors in the factory, that busses tables, flips burgers, cuts hair, teaches children, or puts out fires - these are the people that we wish to guarantee a decent future, wherever they may live. The Labor Party has expressed our desire for international solidarity with our comrades in the Canadian New Democratic Party, and we have further expressed this desire with our support for both the Socialist International and Progressive Alliance, umbrella institutions by which the working people of the Earth can organize across borders and unite to throw off the shackles of this unjust system - that is, capitalism, that impoverishes us all.

To this end, I support policies that will make Atlasian interactions with the whole world much less antagonistic, imperialistic, and reduce the potential sources for conflict, everywhere in the world.

I support the end of Atlasian military action in Afghanistan. For the past twelve years Atlasian men and women, and the men and women of our allied nations, have fought a war in Afghanistan with seemingly no end. Osama bin Laden has been eliminated; our purpose for being in Afghanistan is thus nonexistant and Atlasian troops should be removed with all due haste. I ask that the President use his power as Commander-in-Chief to quickly de-mobilize and return Atlasian fighting men and women to the Republic.

I support the immediate cut off of all aid to Israel. In the Senate I have helped lead the fight for tougher restrictions on the Israeli apartheid state, which has pushed further and further into Palestine with settlements and has, for all intents and purposes, established a disgusting facsimile of the apartheid regime that once existed in South Africa, it's former ally. I stand in solidarity with the working men and women of Palestine who wish to repel the invasive, imperial state that is Israel, and will support any and all efforts to throw up sanctions, cut off trade, and isolate the rogue Israeli regime at the United Nations. I encourage the Senate to take up stronger sanctions against Israel in the next foreign policy review, and would support moves to boycott Israel by the Republic of Atlasia.

I support ending all military-based aid to foreign powers. We should not be in the business of financing other national powers' militaries.

I support the abolition of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA serves no purpose in the post-Cold War world and it is debatable as to how much of a purpose it served beyond inflaming anti-Atlasian sentiment during the Cold War. The CIA, or at the very least, it's institutions that allow for and promote covert warfare, should be abolished.

I support an international treaty outlawing all weapons of mass destruction.

I support the dissolution of NATO.

I support a constitutional amendment that would require a majority vote of the public to declare war. As Eugene Debs, a personal hero of mine so eloquently put it - "If war is right, let it be declared by the people."

I support the right of soldiers to form unions and elect their immediate officers.


This is where I stand. I am open to any and all questions from the public, and I thank you for your time. We shall either live together in peace on this Earth of ours', or we shall all perish as fools.

[TNF]

POSITIONS ON QUEUED LEGISLATION

Ratification Amendment
DDT Ban Act
Checks and Balances Amendment
Atlasian Senior Care Act
Hiring Incentives Act: Take Three
Fiscal Year 2014 White House Budget Proposal
Fix the Regions Amendment
Basic Income Guarantee
SJoyce confirmation for Game Moderator
Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Act
Abolition of the Supreme Court Bar Act
Paid Leave Act
Fair Labor Standards Act of 2013
Recognition of Labor Act of 2013
Repeal of Useless Laws Act
Permanent Improvements Act
Support for LGBTI Athletes Act
Veterans Support Modernization Bill
Comprehensive Sex Education Bill 2013
Education for the Future Bill 2013
We need less political parties amendment
Comprehensive Drug Reform Act of 2013
Sex Work Act of 2013
Party Hard Amendment
Life Imprisonment Abolition Amendment
Judiciary Branch Realignment Amendment
Support for Carers Bill 2013
The "You Can't fire me, I quit!" Act of 2013
Semi-Presidentialism Amendment
Transgender Rights Act of 2013
Amendment to the Productivity Equalization and Worker Employment Act of 2011
Honest Term Limits Amendment
Fair Amendment Procedure Amendment
Abolition of Conscription Amendment
Electronic Cigarette Regulation Act
The National Mandate for Jessica's Law Act
Native American Heritage Day Act

[TNF]

We disagree in almost anything, but it's refreshing to see a different take in Israel that (even if it is extreme) does not imply our full and unquestioned backing of an aggressive country. That said, Senator, I'd like to ask a few questions about your foreign policy:

1.- Why do you think soldiers should elect their officers? Don't you think there would be negative effects on discipline?

2.- I understand that NATO might be outdated in light of the end of the Cold War, but taking the recent tensions with Russia and other states, wouldn't it be wise to at least have an alternate kind of military alliance with our allies around the globe?

1. Fundamentally I believe in a society that is democratic, rather than hierarchical. I extend that belief to the military, though of course, I would like to see managers elected, foremen elected, etc. by their workers.

2. On the contrary, I think that dissolving NATO would be a positive first step in repairing relations with Russia.

[TNF]

SENATOR TNF DECLARES BID FOR PPT

Denver, Mirth - Comrades today I join you from the grand old city of Denver in the great state of Mirth to announce my intentions regarding the President Pro Tempore (PPT) race ongoing in the Senate. Comrade Senator Gass3268 has placed my name in nomination for the position, currently held by Comrade Senator Yankee (a position he has of course long held) and I have accepted that nomination, with every intent of seeking the office and making plain what I intend to do if the Senate chooses me to be the next PPT.

It is obvious that Atlasia is in a state of flux, a kind of revolution of sorts. When I was elected to the Senate, there were five major Atlasian parties - Labor, Liberal, Light, Federalist, and NM-AM. Today there are three major parties - Labor, Federalist, and NM-AM and the small but growing Progressive Union. We have seen monumental leaps forward in legislative activity, and I am proud to say that I have led the fight in making the Senate not only responsive to the needs of bourgeios Atlasian society but of the working people of our nation, as have all my fellow Laborites. We have done great things and are poised to do more as we consider paid leave, among other vital pieces of legislation into the next session.

But there is no doubt that we, that is, Labor and the revolutionary elements of Atlasian society, are fighting a tough battle against the forces of reaction, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Senate. Perhaps this is not as much the case as it was at the beginning of the last session of the Senate, but time and time again frivolous legislation comes up and crowds out well thought out and well written legislation. We have moved to a partisan system and yet we pretend that partisan control of the Senate is somehow a great evil that must be avoided at all costs.

I am not afraid of change, nor am I afraid of partisan control of the Senate and partisan prioritization of legislation. As such, as PPT, I will propose wide-ranging changes to the Senate rules that abolishes the PPT position and creates in its place a Senate Majority Leader and a Senate Minority Leader, both of whom shall be elected by partisan Senate caucuses. Ideally, and if my proposed Semi-presidentialism Amendment is approved, this position might be called Prime Minister of Atasia, and that, I think, is what the position really ought to be.

The time has come for the Senate to change. We cannot change the Senate with the same old leadership and the same old tune - that is why I am seeking the leadership of the Senate. For revolutionary reform, for realistic rules, and for the good of all Atlasians, not just those who hold a Senate seat.

In solidarity,

Senator TNF

[TNF]

I agree with your prposals and ideas here but in the end I simply feel you are too immature and aggressive for the position. Sorry you feel the need to attack good Atlasians.

I will give you a chance to convince me otherwise.

I think my record (the most successful of any freshman Senator in sometime) of proposing legislation, working to get that legislation enacted, and my own participation in literally every debate the Senate has had thus far speaks for itself.

Too bad you won't get enough votes for PPT. You would have been the best for it! Maybe next time!

Thank you for putting my name into nomination and for your support, Comrade. I will not soon forget it.

[TNF]

I will be unveiling the next component of my platform - calling for a shorter workweek and an expansion of collective bargaining rights tomorrow. Stay tuned!

[TNF]

SEN. TNF UNVEILS LABOR LAW REFORM PACKAGE

Butte, Wonderment - Comrades I apologize for taking so long to unveil my labor law reform package, but it has been long in the making and I have introduced it piece by piece in the Senate so far, with more yet to come. First I would like to comment upon the fine city we find ourselves in - Butte is a fine old town of hard working men and women. I am glad to have put Butte into consideration for and ultimately helped Butte win over next month's Labor Party convention. Butte has a long history in socialist and labor politics, and there is no doubt in my mind that this city, which elected a red mayor on the eve of World War I, is still yet the place for more bold and progressive introductions - introductions of legislation and sentiments which I believe will help to free the working class from the drudgery and monotony of capitalist regimentation.

At present, the Senate considers both the Paid Leave Act of 2013 and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 2013. By my count, with Senator Xahar on a leave of absence, we have a tie as far as the Paid Leave Act is concerned. Unless comrade Xahar returns soon, I assume we shall have to have a tie breaker on the matter. I ask that the Vice President do the right thing and vote in favor of paid leave for all Atlasians. The Republic of Atlasia is the sole industrialized power upon the Earth that does not grant its workers paid leave. The bill that stands before the Senate would correct that glaring flaw in our social welfare state while also creating the most generous system of paid leave the world has yet seen. We can afford it, we can do better as a people, and we should do better than allowing only unpaid leave.

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 2013, also being considered by the Senate, seeks to humanize our labor code by restricting the length of time between pay periods (and standardize them), end the travesty that is unpaid internship labor, enshrine the right to a job by requiring just cause for dismissal and offering tenure to private sector employees, and seeks to end child labor in the fields, among other vital points. I am willing to do what is necessary to pass this bill. While I will draw the line where necessary, I think we owe it to our workers a fair playing field and an updated labor code that protects them, rather than persecutes them. I encourage the Senate to pass this legislation with all due haste.

The Recognition of Labor Act, which is due for consideration by the Senate next, shall do wonders in reviving the oft neglected study of Labor History in our schools, while also establishing three new paid federal holidays - International Workers' Day (May 1), Workers' Memorial Day (April 28), and Easter Monday.

The Sex Work Act of 2013 will finally bring out of the shadows the sex workers of Atlasia. The cause of sex workers may not always be popular, nor may it be politically expedient to argue that sex workers should have the same protections as any other workers, but I will stand by this legislation and support any and all efforts to normalize the situation of sex workers and end the travesty that is 'decriminalization,' thus allowing sex workers an opportunity at an honest living and destigmatizing sex work more broadly.

The "You Can't Fire Me, I Quit!" Act of 2013 corrects a number of problems inherent in our unemployment insurance system. My conservative friends like to argue that persons who do not like the job at which they are currently employed should 'look for a new one.' Which is easy to say when you've got piles of cash and time to shop around - a luxury not currently afforded to the average Atlasian worker, who is denied the right to draw unemployment insurance if he or she voluntarily quits or is fired. The way I look at it is that unemployment insurance is your money. You pay into it, so you should be able to draw it when you're out of a job - end of story. The divided nature of unemployment insurance, between federal and regional governments, is problematic in that regional governments may be pushed towards deficit spending or forced to make cuts during a recession - which is why my legislation ends the responsibility of the regional governments to maintain part of the unemployment insurance system, transferring it in whole to the federal government.

At first glance, the Transgender Rights Act of 2013 may not seem like a piece of labor-related legislation, but labor's never-ending fight against discrimination and bigotry, its solid stand for equal rights, makes it a labor issue. Atlasian law does not protect the right to choose one's own gender to the extent that it should - and it is high time we corrected that mistake.

I introduced the Amendment to The Productivity Equalization and Worker Employment Act of 2011 last time around only to see it fail by a single vote. I am reintroducing that bill in hopes of coming to a compromise that will standardize the 32 hour workweek across the economy and reduce the workday to 7 hours, with the eventual intent of reducing the workday to 4 hours and inaugurating a 16 hour workweek. Many may call this fantasy - that we cannot possibly reduce working hours to such a point and maintain civilization - I disagree. Atlasians work longer than our comrades across the Atlantic already. We have intensive labor saving devices that can now eliminate whole fields of work, something that 3D printing promises to do even more of in the coming years. We should embrace this technology and liberate ourselves from the drudgery of capitalist production, and we should do it without radically lowering our standard of living. This means redistribution of wealth and the means of production, and I am on full record in support of wealth redistribution - I make no bones about it.

I have introduced a series of constitutional amendments, one of which would abolish conscription. Forced labor is antithetical to freedom, under any guise, be it old-fashioned slavery or new fangled 'conscription.' I favor the wholescale abolition of all forms of forced labor.

The Employer Non-Interference Act of 2013 seeks to level the playing field with employers by making it far easier for workers to form unions. Likewise, the Collective Bargaining Modernization Act of 2013 expands the ability of workers to directly organize whole industries; this, combined with the recently introduced Co-determination Act of 2013 will give workers a real voice in the management of their firms - a voice which I hope shall one day yield to worker ownership and control of the means of production, that is - socialism, in the Republic of Atlasia.

In the coming days I plan to introduce further legislation expanding the bargaining power and management role of workers in their firms. As always, if you've any questions for me, I would be happy to answer them all. I look forward to your questions and to this campaign.



In solidarity,


Senator TNF

[TNF]

SEN. TNF: ASK ME ANYTHING

Anaconda, Wonderment - I'm in the small town of Anaconda, in the great state of Wonderment today for a special "Ask me Anything" session with the people of Anaconda and viewers like you. It works just as it sounds - if you've got a question for me, please fire away! I will do my best to answer all questions posed this weekend, as I think I'll probably cut the AMA off on Monday morning.

[TNF]

Why should we have full military restrictions on the country of Israel?

Thank you for the question, Senator.

I oppose military aid to Israel as I oppose military aid to all states except those acting in self-defense against an aggressor. Atlasia should not be in the business of administering aid or arms to any powers, especially those, such as Israel, which are engaged in military campaigns for the purpose of land acquisition.

What are your thoughts on the Judiciary Branch Realignment Amendment?

I am fully supportive, though it would like to see a hard limit introduced on judicial tenure, something I have again and again advocated.

[TNF]

TNF, your views on Israel are extremely flawed. Israel has been the one acting in self-defense since May of 1948. When nearly every country in your region wants to drive you into the sea and have attempted to do so on numerous occasions, wouldn't you understand why the have to maintain the military that they do. The sanctions against Israel by the Atlasian government must end and we treat all countries as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and both Ron and Rand Paul and that is this. Peace, commerce and honest trade with all nations and entangling alliances with none. With that said, we should end all foreign aid by this government to even the playing field. Israel's enemies receive nearly ten times what Israel does in any sort of aid.

Black Friday is not a holiday. Forcing businesses to double pay on that day will hurt the economy.

Israel is a colonial state intent upon the conquest of and expansion into the Palestinian territories. I do not find it appropriate that the Republic of Atlasia should arm those who aim to wipe out those living in one region in order to confiscate their lands and set up prime real estate there. I am fully supportive of any and all means to end foreign aid and would only wish to see the Republic authorize such aid to help nations being attacked by other nations. Israel is under attack from no one and thus deserves not a single dime from the Republic of Atlasia, especially when it can afford its own defense.

Actually, Black Friday, at least in the context of Atlasia, is a holiday. President Nix made it so on September 7 with his signing of the Black Friday Means Black Friday Act of 2013. For the record, I don't give a damn about the increased costs some businesses may face as a result of that legislation. If it's going to cost them too much to stay open on Black Friday -- so be it. Either they'll pay their workers what they are worth or they'll give them the day off. It's a win-win situation for everyone but the greedy fat-cat employer, the only person with whom you seem to have sympathy.