DDNN 1st Presidential Debate

[Dr. MB]

I would apologize for the delay in posting my opening statement, but to quote a true visionary, you should be honored by my lateness, that I would even show up to..well you get the gist. Sometimes people are put to the task of rising above the competition, set to solve problems that don't really exist. But an election shouldn't be about that. It shouldn't be about vague platitudes, appeals for unity that never come about, pandering to people who love to be pandered to. I know my decision in April changed the course of this game, and it lost me some friends and support along the way. But life is like roses and butterflies. Roses are pretty and charming, but try to pick one up and you'll get cut by the razor-sharp thorns which sit along its stem, just waiting for a poor soul to be tricked by its outward beauty into learning a hard lesson. Butterflies are beautiful, an exception to the disgust usually driven in the direction of insects. But how does a butterfly get to be that beautiful? The creepy-crawly little caterpillar dissolves in a mess of its own internal organs which gather together to shape into its new form. Lesson being, not everything is as pretty as it seems. Ugly things need to happen sometimes.

Anyway, I'm distracting myself. Let's get to the meat of the argument.

1. Lots of candidates talk about activity, but fail to deliver. Perhaps because of a general lack of care for the game, or perhaps because it is more pleasant to deal with an inactive legislature of supporters than an active legislature of opponents, many have ended up only managing the decline rather than actually making a difference. What assurances and evidence can you give the public that you actually still care about the game and will work to make it more reliably active?

Look at my record last time I was President. I was quite an active president with frequent executive orders. I'm not gonna elaborate, you just have to trust me, but you won't be disappointed.

2. COVID-19, while in a weakened state, remains a potential threat to Atlasia in the coming months. Do you believe our nation is currently mounting an effective response to the virus, and are there any additional measures, such as a vaccine mandate, that you believe should be enacted?

I'm all for vaccines but well, we already have them out there. They're an effective prevention tool and many, many people have chosen to take them which I applaud but right now our focus should be on two things: first of all, developing new, more effective vaccines which are designed to combat emerging variants (which will actually prevent you from getting the virus rather than just mitigating symptoms), and second, and most importantly, developing highly effective treatments and medicines which will turn even a severe case of Covid into a tiny speedbump. I don't support any mask or vaccine mandates.

3. Should the next administration seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban or enact other gun legislation? If not, how should we respond to mass shootings beyond offering our condolences?

Putting the constitutional infringements aside, I'm severely skeptical that an assault weapons ban would do much of anything to stop the onslaught of mass shootings, however well intentioned proponents of such a ban are (or at least claim to be). Atlasia has a serious problem, and you can theorize all you want but there is one prime cause: young, lonely men are targeted. By who? Well, they're targeted by the very people who we think should be protecting our nation from these horrid events: agents of the state. I'm fed up. The evidence is there, and I don't blame people for not wanting to believe it. It seems too evil to be true. But this is the same intelligence which killed (or at least really wanted to kill) JFK, tried to blackmail Martin Luther King into committing suicide (and probably ended up killing him anyway), engineered countless coups and assassination attempts abroad, experimented with mind control, killed 76 civilians including 25 children in Waco, the list goes on and on. Their aim is to terrorize us, to make us afraid, by using their own citizens as pawns in their deadly war games until we accept more and more infringements on personal liberty (and I'm talking a lot bigger than gun control). People think that's the past, that it's not happening today, but they're fools. Look around us. The whole world is a game.

If I'm elected President I will take matters into my own hands and abolish the FBI, CIA, and all other parts of the intelligence apparatus by any means necessary.

4. In the event of a vacancy on the Supreme Court, what standards would you use in evaluating who to nominate? What weight would ideological consistency hold as compared to fitness for the role? Would you condition your decision on an agreement to vote against any current precedent of the court?

I'm going to appoint Sestak assuming he wants it.

Question for MB: Your Party platform states: "10. The Revolutionary Communist Party stands with the working class in this struggle for socialism and freedom, and we must win!". What does the word "Socialism" mean to you?

People getting control over their own lives, where they have the self-determination, free of the watchful eye of state and corporate power, where they can live in a world free of economic strife, where they can work at a place that cares about their well-being, where the availability of basic necessities are not subject to the whims of the ruling class.

To quote another visionary and an Atlasian Senator, "I don't wanna be no movie star, and I don't wanna drive no fancy car. I just wanna be free to live my life." That's what it means to me.

[Dr. MB]

Questions, Round 2

1. The Neolib Administration has presided over an expansion to the presidential cabinet, namely the reinstation of the Secretary of Internal Affairs and separating the offices of SOFE and RG. Do you agree with these changes? If so, would you seek to further expand the cabinet by say adding back the national archivist or adding a deputy GM?

I'm very open to the possibility of re-appointing a national archivist. The wiki is in desperate need of updating on most fronts and if someone (or a team of people) is dedicated enough to take up that task I'll encourage it. Otherwise, I don't have a problem with the cabinet as it stands.

2. Was Politics Fan vs The South, which says there is a right to abortion in the Atlasian Constitution, correctly decided?

I'd like to put that one up to the voters rather than a vague interpretation of a court case. I'm a little skeptical of inferring things based on loose precedent. I think there is a nice middle ground to be achieved though.

3. Do you believe Atlasia is currently doing enough to fight climate change and develop renewable energy? If not, what additional measures would you enact?

I'm convinced the way forward is nuclear power. We need more of it. It's reliable, it's efficient, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

But putting aside the issue of energy and resource acquisition, we need to take a look at a much deeper issue which has affected us for too long: a disconnect from the natural world. Up until two hundred years ago people mostly lived alongside nature and had the chance to develop a relationship with it; exploitation existed but on a much smaller scale. Most of our lives today are spent in synthetic boxes, using byproducts of resource exploitation to mold toxic goo into everyday objects. Consumption has been put into overdrive, with reckless spending on all aspects of life, products made to break so you spend more rather than last. Everyone wants the latest technology. I hate to break it to you but we really don't need that much more technology. Our advancements have been amazing as is and disconnecting ourselves from the earth and from nature has been a huge detriment to us, physically, mentally, and spiritually. We should be getting back out there, respecting the plants and animals we share this planet with.

4. What reforms, if any, should Atlasia enact for its police force to help prevent events of "police brutality"? Is it appropriate to "defund" the police (figuratively or literally)?

I already indicated what I'm gonna do to the feds. But the problem doesn't entirely lie there. I know plenty of people who decry gun control but are quick to back the blue. Well, if gun control is put in place, who will be enforcing it? The police need to be transformed from an agent of state tyranny into a force for good for the people, so the people themselves can protect and serve their communities rather than relying on a culture of fear and hardline tactics to stop crime. Trust can only come from within.

[Dr. MB]

1. Do you see our society as systemically racist? To what extent, if any, is it appropriate to teach "critical race theory" in schools? If so, define the term and how you would want it to be taught.

Teachers should have more control over what they teach in their classrooms without too much oversight from the federal or from regional governments. I don't condone or condemn them running their class the way they see fit because an interesting education is the best education, not government bureaucrats slamming their fist down and making teachers afraid for their jobs simply by speaking wrongly.

Racial issues in society are everyone's issue: they go hand-in-hand with all other forms of discrimination. The best way to defeat it is to organize against it through collective action, removing the crown from on top of the fat cat's head, and melting it down rather than awarding it to anyone else. Racism isn't just a person, or an individual action. It comes from the top and rears its ugly head only when the people in power let it perpetuate. Call it out when you see it. At a more individual level, people need to get more exposure to everyone. Free your mind and the rest will follow. Perception is key and once people broaden their experience, and meet new people of different backgrounds, that's when the change really happens. It's all in your head.

2. In light of the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, do you support any measures to forgive student loan debt? If so, how much would you forgive?

Rather than implementing a temporary solution like debt forgiveness we need to get at the root of the issue. Forgiving student debt is a stopgap measure which does nothing to attack the true cause: why is college so expensive and why do students feel the need to take out tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to finance their degree? College needs to be more affordable, not as many people need to be in college, and fewer jobs need to require degrees. It's as simple as that.

3. What focus, if any, would you put on expanding space exploration? Is it appropriate for us to be funding this while we are still running a deficit?

During my first term as President I ordered the immediate declassification of all UFO files. Unfortunately I don't believe the public has been given the contents of those files. Once we do, I suspect that a lot of big advancements will be made in a very short amount of time. Forget Mars and the Moon, we're gonna be traveling to other solar systems and even other galaxies once we figure out the right technology and get a little help from our friends up above.

4. Generally speaking, to work towards a balanced budget, should we be looking at tax increases, changes to entitlements, cuts to defense spending, or cuts to discretionary spending? Why?

We don't need such a vast military budget which exists only to further the imperialist state. I think we should massively cut defense spending and stop using taxpayer's money to fund death and destruction. Stop funding the Department of Defense at ridiculous levels. Stop funding the CIA, the FBI, the DHS, ICE, the NSA, and the DEA. Redirect that money back into the pockets of working people.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to serving as your president if elected.