House of Representatives candidate forum

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

First, I would like to thank YE for hosting this forum, and the ownership of this venue for allowing this discussion to take place. Although it is unclear, at the moment, whether I will be able to continue on as a candidate, right now I can promise full transparency to those here and those watching at home.

To answer the first question: I, personally, believe the biggest issue facing Atlasia is one of activity. A great Atlasian statesman once said many years ago that offices in this game should be like treasures. We should never take our constituents for granted, be that on the basis of party affiliation or otherwise.

Yes, it is true that with a governing system efficient as hours, it is not uncommon for us to have periods of writer's block. The left, which I am a part of, has been in control for some considerable uninterrupted time. But that makes our levels of activity more, not less, important. The same should be said for the opposition as well.

I intend to have an ideas-oriented debate and maintain a positive campaign. I will not call out my fellow candidates personally, but I will note there is one congressman in particular whom we've seen elected and reelected, time after time, who hasn't introduced a single piece of legislation going back to at least October. He rarely makes floor statements, and he rarely justifies his votes, when he can be bothered to vote.

And as a general rule, a typical so-called 'campaign' for House consists of a single statement in the Candidate Declaration Thread. The voters are given no indication of what a candidate's priorities will be, let alone where they stand on those issues. And very rarely do we see candidates make the effort to even open a thread so that the public can ask questions and make their voices heard.

This is not an issue that can be solved with legislation, but only with the people whom we elect.

I tried challenging this culture, of merely expecting votes from one's respective machine, by opening a campaign thread stating what issues I hope to champion in Congress as well as running unaffiliated and reaching out to an ideologically diverse array of voters. As someone who may not be eligible to appear on this month's ballot, I have been forced to go out and reach out to anyone who might be open to voting for me and giving me their first preference. That includes some of our center-right Atlasian friends who desire a change from the status quo when it comes to our bi-monthly campaigns.

That is the biggest issue facing Atlasia, and it is not only a matter of how one votes, but how one intends to represent people and be responsive to their needs and their concerns.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I believe there needs to be an equal balance between federal and regional control.

We demonstrated that by passing AtlasCare, which consolidated our existing public healthcare programs and enabled the regions to pass universal access to care if they do not like the federal AtlasCare plan. It is, ironically, a program that both Labor and the Federalists have claimed credit for, because it simplified our public programs and guaranteed regional autonomy over their own health care laws.

During my time as First Minister of Frémont, for example, we adopted a German-style system that bans for-profit insurance while not banning private options, in addition to allowing a public option choice. Biased as I might be, I believe that Frémont has the best healthcare system in the country. It is the best because we designed our system responsibly. Our current First Minister, Truman, and Parliament, have done a tremendous job managing our healthcare system.

Speaker Siren, in particular, deserves credit for our successful vaccine roll-out.

We also didn't make the mistake of giving hospitals millions of dollars that they didn't need, as what sadly happened in Lincoln.

The regions - and to a lesser extent, the NPC states - are truly the laboratories of democracy. And it is because of the regions that we are able examine which system works best, which system might be appropriate as a national model. It is my personal belief that our parliamentary system in Frémont has been a success, while the so-called "Philadelphia Plan" has been an absolute failure. But such is the benefit of having distinct regions for which to compare outcomes and improve the nation as a whole.

So with that said, I couldn't disagree more with Congressman DeadPrez - who, by the way, I am glad is taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in this forum.

The regions are distinct, and that is what matters. That must be taken into consideration for every bill that's considered in Nyman.