Mideast Assembly Thread

[big bad fab]

Like our Speaker, I'm reluctant to create another government position.

We need to contain or even reduce our public spendings.
Our 5-member Assembly is already disputed (but I think there is work for 5 members: don't forget the PASLBAG law ! - hey, Mr.Speaker... ,)).

And we don't need a Lt. Governor who would be here just ro replace a vacancy in the Governorship.

Our Assembly would be glad to hear our Governor's opinion on this proposal, I think.

[big bad fab]

On the final vote for the Labor Protection Act:

The AYEs are 3, and the NAYs are 0, with 2 not voting.  The AYEs have it.  The bill is transmitted to the Governor for his veto or signature.

Mr. Governor, maybe there has been a problem during the transmitting process .

And the resolution on the SE has been withdrawn, I think.


But, Mr. Speaker, I think we can keep on reviewing old laws, along the PASLBAG law.

As for me, the 3 next ones of 2005:
Mideast Election & Vote Regulations Statute
Mideast Campaigning in Voting Booths Statute
Mideast Jury Selection Statute
wouldn't appeal any remark.

Maybe you can open the debate on the 3 at once.

[big bad fab]

AYE

AYE

[big bad fab]

AYE

AYE

Slow down there.  There's not vote on the first motion, and I want to give a little bit of discussion time to my bill, in case anybody has any comments.

In fairness to Fab, "ask(ing) for unanimous consent" does sound like calling for an immediate vote.

Yep, I think I should have written "Aye" and not "AYE" .

Well, anyway, I think I've expressed a clearopinion in each case !

Until the end, this Assembly will have been busy and I'm very glad and proud of it !

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

Sorry for being a bit late, my fellow Assemblymen. The previous session was exhausting

I'm glad to see that our Speaker will keep on presiding our debates.
I welcome our new members, A-Bob and HappyWarrior, who will be fine Assemblymen, Im' sure of it.

[big bad fab]

The Return of Rhetoric Bill

Article I: All students grades 9-12 in public schools in the Mideast shall be required to take at least three years of debate and speech classes.
Article II: All schools in the Mideast that currently offer debate and speech classes will receive a 5% tax exemption from the Mideastern Government for the upcoming tax year.
Article III: All schools that cannot afford to have debate and speech classes will receive a subsidy from the Mideastern Government to hire teachers and buy supplies.
Article IV: Those funds will be paid for by reducing the amount the Mideast spends on education vouchers.
Article V: This bill will go into effect with the 2010-2011 school year.

A 5% tax exemption is completely insane, to be honest.
Additional subsidies just for this while knowledge in languages and mathematics are in a very bad shape cannot be accepted.
Diminishing vouchers, which have a wide and principled basis, just for paying for one specific skill cannot be accepted either.

Well, it seems as if I completely disagree on this bill, sorry my fellow Assemblyman

[big bad fab]

Schools have already means to pay for their materials. There arent' scholls so poor that they can't buy some additional materials, come on.

Debate and speech are first and foremost a personal skill, tought by... human beings and practised by other human beings.

Articles II and III should be dropped.

[big bad fab]

Aww, all that nifty math for nothing?

Don't lose your time on small bills.
Some big bills were "discussed" and voted in the previous session... but...

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

Due to works in my house (and myself in holiday at home, so not able to connect from my workplace), I won't be able to connect to Atlasia for one week.
I'm deeply sorry.

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

Voting is now open on the following bill.  This will be a 48 hour vote:

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AYE, if it's not too late

[big bad fab]

I wanted to put forward a bill scratching and "greening" agricultural subsidies, but I'm too busy in RL.

The bill is good for me like this.

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

Sorry, my fellow Assemblyman A-Bob, it's always easier to comment and criticize than to act.
I'm pretty unactive during this Assembly, contrary to the previous one. But, on your "big" bill, I wanted to be a bit more precise.
Generally speaking, I'm rather on the side on NAY.
But with some changes, I may be gained to the AYE.

GI JANE
Growth. In. Jobs. And. New. Economy.
WHEREAS: Unemployment is at 12.1% in the Mideast with over 7 million citizen unemployed and
WHEREAS: Most citizens are employed in small businesses and consumer confidence is down
BE IT RESOLVED:
SECTION 1:
1.   Any business that creates 1 new job in the current fiscal year will be given a $5,000 corporate tax credit.
This is far too expensive and, of course, many businesses will take this opportunity and won't create more jobs.
I can vote for this only if it would apply to small businesses (less than 10 employees or even less, e.g.), because there, you are sure, they really create a new job.

2.   There shall be no waiting period for a business or company to start after government forms are approved.
It's OK for me.

3.   Drop the corporate tax rate to 10%, the lowest internationally. The loss of corporate tax revenue gained by the Mideast will be made up with the creation of new jobs and decrease of unemployment benefits.
Far too expensive and with no big effect, as taxes aren't at all the main criteria to decide to create a business somewhere and as the drop won't equate many more jobs.
4.   Cut capital gains tax by 20% for incomes over $500,000 and 40% for incomes under $500,000.
We can't afford this either.

5.   Welfare program requires 40 hours a week of, or a combination of education to receive a GED, job training, work or community service for those that are deemed “fit to work” by the Mideast Government. Every welfare recipient deemed “able to work” must find work within two years of being enrolled in a Mideast welfare program or four years if the recipient is attending education at any level.
I'm not sure to have grasped the first part of the first sentence. I may agree.
I'm very favourable to the second sentence.

6.   Cut income tax to 6% for those making less than $12,000 a year. Cut the income tax to 11% for those making between $12,000-$35,000 a year. Cut the income tax to 17% for those making between $35,000-$80,000. Cut the income tax to 22% for those making between $80,000-$150,000.
We can't afford this. And this is always a one-shot weapon and so hard to go back...

SECTION 2:
7.   Departments and committees of government in the Mideast will eliminate overlapping responsibilities, tasks and programs to save tax-payer funding and to guarantee no business has to file or complete the same form or paperwork more than once. Each department and committee will send one representative to a weekly meeting in which they will decide who will have what specific responsibility that they alone will posses. The “Government Employment Committee” headed by an appointee by the Governor, confirmed by the Assembly will lead these meetings.
OK, fine.

8.   A one year hiring freeze will take effect. The Mideast cannot total more workers in the government then that of the passage of this bill. If an employee is fired, a different position is allowed to be created instead of replacing that former employee.
I disagree because of my previous bill which has forbidden government to replace more than 50% of its employees retiring: that's enough for the moment.

9.   Eliminate all subsides to farms that do not grow crops.
I'm not sure to understand: farms which breed cattle or fish, which grow fruits and vegetable can't be helped any longer ? I'd disagree.

10.   The Mideast government must buy products and materials to complete projects that are the cheapest on the market when the material is non-essential to safety and not needed for efficiency (examples: toilet, paper clips, hammers)
OK

11.   Projects of the Mideast government carried out by private companies must be chosen based on the cheapest, most efficient budget requested.
That should be an amendment to my Public Procurement Policy Law, which seems to be enough on the matter to me.

12.   Halt Mideast government purchase of land for one year.
We may be forced to do it for emergency, security, protection of people, of health or of environment reasons. We must be careful on this.

13.   Eliminate corporate subsidies for corporations that cannot provide a business plan or execute a plan that will bring in a profit within 2 years or a profit enough to pay off the subsidies in 5 years giving the corporation the option time for research, development, innovation and improvement or let a different, profitable, efficient company replace the failing corporation.
Some R&D projects requires far longer periods. The idea is good, but we should amend it to make it more realistic.

14.   All Mideast funds to sanctuary cities, that knowingly hold and protect illegal peoples, shall be kept by the Mideast government or returned to the people of the Mideast.
What are those cities ?

15.   Eliminate any Mideast government job deemed unnecessary by “Government Employment Committee”.
OK if it's written "as soon as possible".

[big bad fab]

I put forward the
Mideast Abortion III Bill

Unique clause - Clause 1 of Mideast Abortion Statute II is hereby modified to read: "No abortion shall be permitted except in the case of threat of the mother's health or a pregnancy caused by rape and/or incest".


As you can see, the words "after the first trimester of pregnancy" are erased in my proposal.
When the bill comes to debate, I'll explain this.

This is probably my last political act in this Assembly.

[big bad fab]

I agree except on numbers 3 & 4, but may be convinced when we've got some numbers from our GM.


Dear Speaker, do you think you can open another debate while we're waiting for some numbers ? Just a question.

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

A 20% percent reduction in the emission of fossil fuels in the next 30 years.

Is it your way of campaigning ?

I'm not sure shouting things repeatedly from the lobbies of this Assembly is the most efficient way to get elected...

Order, please

[big bad fab]

On the final vote for A RESOLUTION CONCERNING INVASIVE SPECIES-NEED FOR A ERADICATION OF KUDZU:

The AYEs are 4, and the NAYs are 0.  The AYEs have it.  The bill is transmitted to the Governor for his veto or signature.


Now, are we still debating GI JANE, or are you guys ready to bring it to a vote?  I'm still concerned about the abrupt dropping of the subsidies in Clause 7, and I know there were other concerns, but if we're deadlocked in movement on the bill, we can just bring it up for a vote now.

I have the same concern, but we need to vote now.

[big bad fab]

AYE

[big bad fab]

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Mr. Speaker, my fellow Assemblymen,

I won't be very long, since my aim is clear: I intend to erase the words "after the first trimester of the pregnancy".

If the life starts with the conception, abortion should be illegal from the beginning, with some due exceptions.

If it doesn't, we can only have two criterias: life begins with birth and, in this case, it should be possible to abort until some hours before birth; life begins when the child is "livable", but this can only be determined after the birth (when it's too late to abort), since, medically, you cannot define an "age" valid for every child.

Thanks for your attention.

[big bad fab]

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Mr. Speaker, my fellow Assemblymen,

I won't be very long, since my aim is clear: I intend to erase the words "after the first trimester of the pregnancy".

If the life starts with the conception, abortion should be illegal from the beginning, with some due exceptions.

If it doesn't, we can only have two criterias: life begins with birth and, in this case, it should be possible to abort until some hours before birth; life begins when the child is "livable", but this can only be determined after the birth (when it's too late to abort), since, medically, you cannot define an "age" valid for every child.

Thanks for your attention.

I take it you're fine with likewise outlwaing RU-486 and other non-surgical methoids of terminating pregnancy?

Contrary to the way they are "sold", they are indeed abortive tools, not contraceptive ones.
I know all the arguments about "it's better to abort than to have unwanted pregnancies" and "it's better to abort in safe hospitals rather than to hide". But we already have many tools and policies that are here to help women in these difficult situations and, after births, if things don't settle, to help other parents to adopt.
And our legislation (in Atlasia and in the Mideast) is already full of measures on preventing pregnancies and easing the use of contraceptives. More can always be done, but that's a very good basis.