DDNN 1st Presidential Debate

[S019]

Good evening,

We stand here tonight at a crossroads, but at this pivotal moment we seem to have forgotten our values. I stand here tonight as the candidate of the silent majority preaching our values of social progressivism, solidarity with the trade union movement, and closer ties with our allies. However, I also stand here as the only candidate to promise real reform to this game.

On the topic of game reform, we are suffering a serious talent bleed and that makes this current style of politics unsustainable. I have long supported a move to simulated elections and reiterate that here tonight. Those who are interested should form their own parties that will then campaign on the forum and the results shall be decided by the GM. We have a choice and that is to either scrap legislating (and thus endless campaigns) or to scrap elections, which will allow those who do still care to participate without the burden of constant get out the vote operations.

However, we are not just here for game reform, we are here to uphold the tradition of social democracy in our great nation. I remain firmly committed to protecting our trade unions from attacks from the right, such as right to work laws and union busting. I have always believed in giving everyone a fair shot and I remain committed to that. However, we need to recognize that there is a balance between this and the current regional tax rates, thus I am announcing tonight that we will look into reforming the regions, which also currently occupy a large portion of our talent pool.

However, we also must not forget the recent tragedy in Texas and remember that over half of the candidates on this stage opposed the landmark legislation that stopped the sale of these weapons of war. We thought that the gun wars were finally over, but then the impetuous actions of the right wing let this happen, we must never forget who they choose when forced with the choice between your lives and NRA money.

We also stand for closer ties with our allies to stand in solidarity with the people in Ukraine in their fight against an expansionist Russia. We will call for authorizing more aid to Ukraine and we will also call for increased sanctions on Russia, the current administration's response has been inadequate.

We are the party to bring change and bring us into the future, we hope to earn your vote in roughly a fortnight's time.

[S019]

Questions for All Candidates:

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?

I addressed in my opening statement but the talent pool does not exist currently to have regional governments, elections, and the legislative process all coexist. The first step that we need to take is to reduce the burden of what it takes to be an active player in this game, as it has devolved into something which becomes all-consuming. I propose the abolition of elections in their current form and their replacement with a simulated elections system where players would create their own parties and then campaign on the AFE board.

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 will take whichever steps the experts suggest. I would support a vaccine mandate as it is effective against the new variants that are spreading. I do believe the response so far has been effective, though I will continue to consult with our health experts.

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?

I cannot believe we are asking this question in the wake of a mass shooting at an elementary school and several mass shootings over the weekend. Not only must we reinstate the assault weapons ban, we must go further. You wonder why we're the only country in the world to deal with this. You know, Australia used to have a pretty strong gun culture, but one mass shooting was all it took to get real action there. So not only will I bring back the assault weapons ban, we will ban handguns as well, which is proven to reduce violence. We will also institute a national licensing scheme and we will require valid reasons for firearms ownership. These measures are proven to work around the world, and we can do it here too.

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 would appoint a qualified nominee who would have the confidence of the Senate. It would be someone with a long history in public service. Ideology would play a role obviously, but I'm not going to make specific litmus tests on specific court cases, even ones that I disagree with.


Question for S019: When in the Lincoln Legislature, you often proposed regional tax increases on everything from corporations to toll roads. You once supported forcing government employees to take dubious online tests measuring "implicit bias". Further, your gun reform bill had to be stripped of extreme elements before it could pass, such as a "adequate reason" requirement to own even the simplest firearms. Now, we have your stated desire to "reform the regions". Why should voters believe that "regional reform" would mean anything except forcing your ideological agenda onto the regions regardless of the views of their elected legislatures?

So to begin with on the topic of "regional reform," none of this will take place without consent of the elections. If elected I will convene my Domestic Policy Council to come up with the broad text of a plan to overhaul the regions, I am unsure what said plan will entail at this time, but we will put it forward in a non-binding plebiscite to the people. If the people approve of the plan, then we will move forward with the steps of introducing it to Congress. We will also take into account the level of approval, I'm not sure of a hard number specifically, but it'd be hard to push through a major constitutional reform that receives say 40% opposition. I do believe in majority rule, absolutely, but large, transformational changes like these absolutely need public support. Now on the topic of each of these policies, I've already addressed the firearms stuff above, so let's move on to the rest. On the topic of taxation, let's just make clear that I strongly support user fees and tolls are a key part of reducing the amount that people drive and thus reducing emissions. Also on the note of corporate taxes, I would not vote for those particular hikes if they were put before me today. I would bring about the introduction of a value added tax instead, given our nation is one of few in the world to not have one and it provide large amounts of funding for public services. On the note of racial bias tests, we do face problems with systemic racism in this country and it is important to be able to root out those problems.

[S019]

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 do not support these changes and believe this contributes to the issue of office fluff that is harming this game. I would support downsizing the Cabinet, if elected. 

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

I absolutely believe so. I do believe that there are certain rights that people have that are not expressly stated in the constitution and this includes the right to elective abortion. I will defend this right if elected, and will seek to pass a constitutional amendment protecting the right to elective abortion.

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 do not believe we have made enough progress. I will initiate a phase out of fossil fuels and expand electric vehicle infrastructure, including the expansion of electric vehicle charging stations. I will also reduce our reliance on personal transportation, in general, by embarking on an ambitious plan to expand mass transit.

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)?

Well I do believe we need to support the police, when necessary. However, in many cases, we have officers being sent to situations that there are not trained to be in and that they will admit, they do not handle well. I would like to reorient the police towards a focus of taking on crime, particularly violent crime, and leave other situations to people such as social workers or counselors.

[S019]

Questions, Final Round:

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.

I do, and I do believe that is appropriate to teach "critical race theory." The time has come to reckon with our past and to recognize our troubled history. As a minority myself, this is a particularly important issue to me, because our nation despite claiming to be a melting pot, has many elements which have not truly accepted those different from them. We need to increase awareness of racism in other to take on these issues.

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?

I do not believe this is the right approach to this issue, however I could be open to a broader program to make college more affordable, but a blanket write-off of debt is just not sound economics.

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?

I would continue support for the space program. I do believe it is important for us to explore other worlds, perhaps with the goal of eventually establishing settlements there. It is also important that the government maintains its role in space exploration, so that we can continue to pursue this for scientific purposes and not exploit space.

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?

I support implementing a value added tax of around 20%, which is consistent with a rate in most European-Union countries. The problem is that regional tax rates are too high which is stifling innovation and disincentivizing participation in the economy, I think we need to cut our tax rates federally and make up the lost revenue with a value added tax. If the regions choose to change their absurd budgets, that's one thing, but they seem unwilling to do that.