The Atlasian Sentinel Presidental Debate, October '09

[Franzl]

Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate being able to take part in this important debate for Atlasia. First of all, thanks to Vepres for being willing to moderate.

I am proud to represent the DA in this presidential election, and although everyone knows I tend to be quite independent in various policies, I am very pleased to belong to a party that allows me this freedom and I will do my best to represent it.

But far more importantly, I hope to represent all Atlasians in this highest political office. I remain a moderate voice, focused on pragmatic solutions to everyday problems.

In the Senate, I have fought for my constituents by voting to provide every Atlasian with high quality healthcare, by voting to provide a necessary economic stimulus and a little further back, by introducing legislation to help more Atlasians be able to afford college and to improve Atlasia's infrastructure with high speed rail. These, of course, are only some examples.

I commend President Lief for taking the initiative on many issues as well, but you may have noticed that we do have quite a few political differences as well. I have condemned spending that I didn't consider necessary of beneficial to the average Atlasian. I opposed attempts to nationalize the car industry, which not only would have destroyed competition on the automobile market, but would also have been throwing valuable Atlasian tax dollars down the drain. Likewise, in the interests of competition, I opposed the creation of a single payer helthcare system.

What do I bring to the table now as a presidential candidate? Well, my running mate, Swedish Cheese, and I will be publishing a platform for this election shortly, but in general, I believe I am capable of working with all Atlasian parties to accomplish mutual goals. If I may, I believe I have the necessary experience and competence for the job, evidenced by my months in the Senate.

Among other things, I want a more just and less complicated tax system (and yes, I think creating an Atlasian tax code would be a good thing to do), I want to protect the environment and prepare Atlasia for an energy revolution. We need to focus on encouraging and promoting renewable energy sources and atomic energy for the time being. I hope to improve international relations with every country with all possible means. That not only means good diplomacy and a good military policy, but it also means connecting the world and work sharing that is a result of free trade, so that every person and country can compete in the interests of consumers everywhere.

I hope to debate more about individual issues in this debate, and I wish my fellow candidates the best of luck.

[Franzl]

We need to make Atlasia a more attractive place to do business, and I firmly believe that one part of that will be lowering corporate taxes in an attempt to secure more jobs here in Atlasia.

The weakened Atlasian dollar is probably also a result of our increased spending...money we don't actually have...and I obviously believe we need to get that spending under control. As previously said, some things were necessary, like the stimulus package. I think we would currently be worse off if that had not been passed, but in general, we need to try and maintain as balanced a budget as possible. I'm fully aware that won't work properly in such an economic recession we're in now.

We need sensible economic policy. Ideally, the market will regulate itself, but certain motivating factors have been necessary to maintain a certain level of demand. I hope that the economy will stabilize in the upcoming months.

[Franzl]

I must say that I believe President Lief has been a very active President, and that's quite good. I hope to be every bit as active as he has been, and I also hope to actively participate in Senate debate and to shape political discussion. I think it's essential that the President set a clear tone....it's still the Senate's business to decide whether to back him up or oppose his agenda. It is in the public's best interest to understand where every one of their representatives stands.

My activity recently has, of course, been relatively poor, but I'm rather busy at the moment in real life. I will, as always, take the political office I am elected to seriously, and I pledge to be an active President.

[Franzl]

I would be different from President Lief, different from all the other candidates as well, in one simple respect. I would rule not as a mere bourgeois puppet President, but as the leader of a dictatorship of the proletariat. On behalf of the people, and I must stress that all would happen on behalf of the people, I would consolidate all power into my hands and then, on behalf of the people, delegate it to the appropriate persons, while retaining the total power to remove these persons from power and replace them with others if, and only if, it is appropriate for the welfare and security of the people.

So what else is new?

[Franzl]

My foreign policy would be based on case-by-case decisions. There is no one size fits all strategy, but in general, I think it's fair to say I'm an anti-interventionist. I don't believe in using Atlasia's military might without an extremely good reason, as exhibited through my opposition to using military force in Colombia.

The best way to secure peace is to establish trust between nations. One of the best ways to produce good ties is through free trade agreements which provide mutual benefits.

Terrorism remains a threat, and as President, it would be my top priority to keep all Atlasians safe. Fighting terrorism is difficult, and I can't say for certain what that might include. As said, I am reluctant to use military force, but I see Iran, for example, as a very major threat, and I believe that it must be prevented that they acquire nuclear weapons. At this time, I believe there are ample other methods left to try before thinking about force.

Atlasia under President Franzl will show goodwill to all nations, regardless of past relations with Atlasia. A peaceful world without military conflict is one of my goals for the future.

[Franzl]

I agree with the President on national seats, and I would also be very open to a Council of Governors if enough people were to agree to that. It would make the office of Governor more relevant and attractive, not to mention make elections to the Senate more fair and proportional. At-large Senate seats are one of the greatest improvements to the game we've made, and without exception, every one of the national elections that has been held has been very exciting.

The problem of strategic voter registration is more difficult. I did vote in favor of a bill limiting access to Atlasia to accounts that were 25 (I believe) days old, but that alone won't solve the problem of strategic registration among already registered voters. I voted against a very draconian limit on changing place of registration because I do believe there are very justified reasons to change one's registration.

I suppose I'm not convinced there's very much that can be done on this issue. One would hope that people would play fairly simply out of respect for the game, but indeed, that does seem too optimistic.

[Franzl]

@ Lief and Franzl: Would you push for a Senate election reform as President?

Yes, I would actively support reforming elections to the Senate, as I do sincerely believe at-large elections are the most fun and fair.

To maintain some balance and to maintain regional representation (not to mention increase the importance of being a Governor), I would equalize it with a Council of Governors of some sort. Details do need to be discussed.