The Atlasian Sentinel

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

President-elect Polnut Begins Assembling Cabinet
By Tmthforu94

Yesterday, President-elect Polnut began one of the most difficult processes a President must endure - assembling a cabinet. One of the most unenjoyable parts for me as President was the whole cabinet thing. Don't get me wrong, it's very essential for a cabinet, but difficult to assemble.

Back in February, when I was assembling my cabinet (I feel like this is shop class), there was only one position where I had multiple people contact me about. And for many positions, I had to personally recruit people to take a spot.

During my administration, I went through 3 Attorney General's, 2 Secretary of Internal Affairs, and 2 Game Moderator's. Almost every time a position became vacant, I had to personally reach out to anyone who I thought may be interested in it - no one ever really came to me. I've contacted quite a few people for the SoIA position, and not one of them would take it.

Napoleon, along with others, have stated many times we need to reduce the size of the cabinet, and that would honestly be great. The big problem with that, though, is when we merge positions, people won't take want to fill the spots. If we merged the SoFE and RG, like it used to be, we'd once again have extreme difficulties in filling the position and would be often stuck with people who couldn't always keep up. Probably the most important thing The Game Moderator Reform Act of 2011 did was make the GM position more desirable by giving it less power. Go figure.

President-elect Polnut: Congratulations! It's relieving to know I'll be handing the power over to someone who is just as dedicated to this game as I am. I'm going to give you a warning though - don't be surprised if you'll have several cabinet vacancies throughout your term. I thought I had a stellar cabinet too when I first announced it, but vacancies occurred within weeks of my swearing in.

For anyone who may be interested, here is the beginning of The Polnut Administration!

President - Polnut
Vice President - Bacon King
SoFE - Teddy
RG - Hans
SoEA - Benconstine
SoIA - Barnes
AG - TBD
Game Moderator - RowanBrandon
MG - TBD
Game Reform Panel (Great idea, btw) - Marokai Blue, BelgianSocialist

[tmthforu94]

Yay!  I'm essentially Atlasia's version of Bob Gates!

Freedom Fighter

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Voters Find SoEA Least Importation Position
By Tmthforu94

Over the course of three days, The Atlasian Sentinel conducted a poll to find out which cabinet position Atlasians felt was the least important.

13 citizens cast their vote, and the position that has been voted least important is the Secretary of External Affairs, which received 54% of the vote. Coming in second was the Secretary of Internal Affairs, with 31%, followed by the SoFE and AG, both receiving 8% of the vote.

As I promised in the poll, I'll state my own vote, which was actually in a minority here - I voted for SoIA. I actually find all positions to be fairly important to the game, but I feel that both the SoEA and SoIA are positions we could theoretically live without. Of those two, I have to vote for SoIA, considering over time, the SoIA has had less relevance. My opinion of this position could change, however, with Barnes as SoIA. Barnes shows real promise to the position, and hopefully thanks to the Game Moderator Reform Act of 2011, introduced by my administration, he'll be able to fully bring the SoIA position into relevance.

On top of my vote for SoIA, I expected SoIA to narrowly edge out SoEA, but it looks like I was wrong. It's tough to determine how this reflects Atlasia as a whole though, considering less than 10% of the population votes in it.

You can visit the poll by clicking here.

(I look forward to SoEA Benconstine's response to this )

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Marokai Blue Takes Over as Game Moderator
By Tmthforu94

Yesterday, the Senate voted to confirm former Attorney General, Senator, Supreme Court Justice, Vice President (did I miss anything?) Marokai Blue by a vote of 6-2-1. This was certainly not a party line vote, as Antonio, Yankee, Officepark, Fuzzy, Duke, and Snowguy voted in favor, while Napoleon and Shua voted against. Bgwah abstained. The Atlasian Sentinel finds Marokai Blue very qualified for the position, and wonders what the breakdown would have been if Marokai Blue was in the JCP or even UDL.

Marokai has gotten off to a hot start as Game Moderator, giving us a budget update, tax brackets, unemployment numbers, and other financial news. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up. The future looks bright in Atlasian storytelling, with Marokai Blue, Barnes, and Benconstine all hard at work. We look forward to seeing the progress that is made in the coming months.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Polnut Starts Presidency With Strong Approval Ratings
By Tmthforu94

For the past three days, the Atlasian Sentinel ran a poll to determine the approval ratings of President Polnut. The answer is clear - the honeymoon is clearly not over yet for Polnut. Over 69% of Atlasians approval of the job President Polnut is doing, while 13% disapprove. Nearly half of Atlasia, 44%, strongly approve of the job Polnut is doing.

Polnut has clearly started off well, staying active, making several speeches, assembling a strong cabinet, and starting a game reform committee. It is my hopes that Polnut keeps it up. It'll be interesting to see if Polnut's upcoming tax proposal does anything to his ratings, as well as other policy goals the President has.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Interview with Senate Candidate JBrase
By Tmthforu94

Thank you, JBrase, for your willingness to participate in a debate. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get all of the candidates together for one, so I'll just have to give you an interview instead.


Tmthforu94: What led you to your decision to run in this Special Election?

JBrase: I saw this as a chance to help bring activity back to the Senate. I also see this as an opertunity to help in efforts to reform Atlasia into a much more pleasant and prosperous place for all.

Tmthforu94: You speak of activity, however, during my administration, you had to step down just weeks after taking the position of SoIA due to lack of activity. I don't think any stories were ever published under your reign. How can we trust that you'll be fully devoted to your job and will stay active the remainder of your term?

JBrase: When I had accepted the postion I felt I would be able to have the time to do the job justice. However due to work and classes I was much less active than I would have liked, so out of respect for that office I would have rather resigned than continue to let the office go to waste. I do not have the issues with time as I once did and for that I will not allow myself to simply show up for final votes on bills, but to be an active participant.

Tmthforu94: That's good to hear. What would you say will be your top legislative goal if you're in the Senate? Do you have plans to introduce pieces of legislation while in the Senate?

JBrase: Well I have two that come to mind:
1. Allow the Regions to run their own Senate elections.
2. Give the people more influence in Presidential nominations.
   
That second one I have already started paving the way for in the form of my recently passed IDS law, the "Our Opinions Matter Dag Nabbit! Act" which has the IDS legislature hold a vote on whether or not we approve of the nominee, the results would then be handed to the senate with a brief statement from the winning side of the vote.

Tmthforu94: Tonight President Polnut unveiled his plans for cutting government spending, as well as a mixture of tax hikes and cuts. Thoughts on it?

JBrase: From what I have seen, I applaud the President's efforts to reign in spending without massive lay-offs. This is a good start and I support his efforts.

Tmthforu94: In President Polnut's address, he also brought up tax increases for the higher-brackets, who many on the right would argue are already paying insanely high prices. Would you support raising their taxes more?

JBrase: Not at all, but at the same time I am not calling for 0% tax either. I would like to see the taxes lower and flatter, but that simply cannot happen until the spending is reduced first.

Tmthforu94: Is there a specific area of government you'd like to see reduced?

JBrase: Well across the board every part of government can find some area to save money, but I would focus on defense spending to find the deepest cuts.

Tmthforu94: If you win this special election, do you plan on running for a full term in August?

JBrase: If I do happen to win, and voters seem to approve of time in office then it would not be out of the question.

Tmthforu94: Do you have plans to join a political party in the near future, or even create your own?

JBrase: I had thought of creating a party in the past, for independent minded Atlasians focused on reform, but there did not seem to be much interest in a new party. I am happy as an Indy, and if elected as an independent, I promise to remain independent of party throughout my term.

Tmthforu94: One final question, not really related to Atlasia...Casey Anthony, guilty, or innocent?

JBrase: The jury found her not guilty. So, regardless of whether she commuted the crime if not, she is not guilty. If she is innocent however is not and will likely never be known.

Tmthforu94: Thank you, JBrase. It was a pleasure interviewing you.

JBrase: Thank you for the interview my good sir. I only regret not being able to debate with the others.

...

If any other Senate candidates would like to be interviewed, even though the election begins very very soon, please contact me ASAP and we can work something out.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

JBrase off to Strong Start in Special Election
By Tmthforu94

I think we all expected this to be an unpredictable election, with neither of Atlasia's two largest parties having a candidate on the ballot. The campaign featured a libertarian Independent in JBrase, who many thought would have a hard time finding a strong coalition due to a tense relationship with the RPP, and TexasGurl, someone who hasn't hidden her distaste for Bgwah and the JCP. Additionally, Homelycooking, the Independent Speaker of the Northeast, and Meeker, a JCPer, ran write-in campaigns.

The election, thus far, has gone extremely well for JBrase. Similar to how I was able to win in February, JBrase is winning due to a divided and bickering left, though it's working even more to his advantage as it's happening during the election, while the bickering in my race happened weeks before. JBrase is winning over many of the "swing voters" needed to win a race as a righty in Atlasia. If turnout remains strong on the right and RPPers continue to vote for JBrase, I think we'll have a pretty good idea who's going to win this race hours before polls close. Current tallies have JBrase up by 7, with a large number of RPP members yet to vote.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

So I can say we projected the results before polls closed...

The Atlasian Sentinel projects that JBrase will win the at-large Senate Special Election over TexasGurl in the final round by a comfortable margin. This is certainly a huge victory for the right, as they now hold a majority of at-large seats, for the first time in, well, as long as I can remember. It will be interesting to see if they can keep them all in the Senate at the August elections.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Mixed Results for President Polnut
By Tmthforu94

Earlier in the month, the Atlasian Sentinel did a poll showing President Polnut with very high approval ratings, with over 60% of Atlasians approving of his job. However, that didn't quite translate into successes in head-to-head matchups, as there is still an obvious partisan divide in Atlasia.

President Polnut has posted strong leads over former Senator RowanBrandon, former President Tmthforu94, and Mideast Governor A-Bob, but none of these candidates are likely to run. The two strongest candidates, both who have been potentials in the past, are Yankee and Duke. President Polnut posted a narrow, 4 vote lead over Senator Duke. However, against PPT North Carolina Yankee, Polnut finds himself trailing the popular Senator. Other polling firms have confirmed our results on this as well.

If Polnut keeps it up, he should be safe for reelection...that is, as long as North Carolina Yankee isn't his opponent.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

President Polnut Releases Tax Plan - Wants to CUT Taxes
By Tmthforu94

I want to open this thread straight up for discussion regarding the President's proposed taxes, will add my insight throughout the debate. Needless to say, this is a step in the right direction, but I believe more spending cuts are also needed.

ps... forgive formatting.

PRESS RELEASE

The President's Tax Policy

Please note that further economic modeling has meant some change

Corporate Taxation
At a time when unemployment is a huge weight on our ability to rejuvenate our economy, we need to make sure that business, and especially small businesses are able to direct more funds towards bringing on more people and ending the cycle of low business confidence.

The current system

Corporate Taxes:
Percentage of:   Taxable Income
15%             $0 - $50,000
25%            $50,000 - $75,000
34%            $75,000 - $100,000
39%                   $100,000 - $335,000
34%              $335,000 - $10,000,000
35%            $10,000,000 - $15,000,000
38%            $15,000,000 - $18,333,333
35%            $18,333,333+

The new proposal

Corporate Taxes:        Percentage of:   Taxable Income 12%                  $0 - $50,000 23%                  $50,000 - $75,000 30%                  $75,000 - $100,000 31%                  $100,000 - $335,000 33%                  $335,000 - $10,000,000 34%                  $10,000,000 - $15,000,000 35%            $15,000,000 +

There is understanding that many will not be pleased by any reduction in corporate taxation, but I ask that two considerations are undertaken.  The first is that we need jobs to be created in the private sector, we can only do so much from Government. The second is that these cuts will not be instituted until the Senate has passed a Bill closing corporate tax loopholes – so the practical Budgetary impacts will be minimal in relation to physical government revenue.

Personal income tax

Percentage of:     Single Individual 0%                    $0 - $8,025 14%                   $8,026 - $32,550 25%            $32,551 - $78,850 28%                   $78,851 - $164,550 35%                   $164,551 - $367,700 41%             $367,701 - $1,000,000 50%                   $1,000,001 - $2,500,000 60%             $2,500,001+

Proposed changes

Percentage of:   Single Individual
0%           $0 - $9,500
13%     $9,501 - $35,000
24%           $35,001 - $80,000
28%    $80,001 - $170,000
35%    $170,001 - $367,700
41%      $367,701 - $1,000,000
50%*   $1,000,001 - $2,500,000
60%*   $2,500,001+

*I am anticipating reducing those top two brackets to 49% and 58% respectively, but not until the economic situation has stablilised.

These rates and brackets will be carried across to apply equally to couples who file their taxes jointly - however, they do not apply to those couples who file separately.

I have decided to not raise taxation on those two upper-levels. Further modeling has determined that this would have a negligible impact on the Budget.

The short-term impacts of these changes may mean that the deficit may be increased ever-so-slightly, but the medium-long-term impacts are to provide incentives for business to get hiring again- and that can only have a positive effect on our economy and the country’s prosperity going forward.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Announcement: The Atlasian Sentinel will soon be conducting an exclusive (and I believe first since he became President) interview with President Polnut. It should be posted publicly in the coming days.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Snowguy Introduces a Good Bill!

(Sorry, went brain-dead on a title )

By Tmthforu94

Submitted on behalf of constituent Tmth:

Campaigning for Invalidation of Votes Act Amendment

Section 1 of the Campaigning for Invalidation of Votes Act shall be amended to read:

1. It shall be a crime against the Republic of Atlasia for any citizen to instruct or encourage a voter who has already cast his or her ballot to take an action that would have the effect of invalidating the ballot.

2. For the purposes of this statute, federal election shall extend to (but is not limited to) any election for President, Vice-President or Senator, any federal impeachment vote, and any public vote sanctioned by Law which requires that an officer of the federal government administer it.

3. The instruction or encouragement of a voter shall be interpreted to include any action which indicates the possibility of invalidating a vote to affect a federal election.

^^^This was a bill I had brought into discussion about a month ago, but I never really took it past that. I reckoned earlier tonight that this is something I should bring back to attention, and thankfully, I got a Senator to sponsor this for me.

What does this bill do? Essentially, it makes it illegal for anyone to campaign for the invalidation of votes, not just the election administrator. If campaigning for the invalidation of votes is so bad for an administrator to do, why should a regular citizen be able to do the same thing? I looked to the original thread of passage to the bill, and I saw what I expected - a couple Senators said they supported it, no real debate occurred or possible amendments, and it was passed (Only Sam Spade voted against it). Unfortunately, the original sponsor, Sensei, hasn't been around for quite some time, so we may never get a full explanation of why he only included election administrators.

Now, I understand there will probably be fresh attacks on me over this, after all, this all came to light over "Invaligate". Despite what you may think of me, I do have a passion for this game and want to see it improved in every way possible. I'm willing to take several hits likely to happen from certain people if Atlasia is improved as a result of this. Though small, I think this would be an improvement in the way the game is played.

Any discussion regarding this proposed bill is welcome in this thread, as it will likely not make it to the Senate floor for a while.

[tmthforu94]

Isn't it already illegal to campaign for invalidation ?

Only for election administrators. I could do it now and it would be perfectly legal.

[tmthforu94]

Isn't it already illegal to campaign for invalidation ?

Only for election administrators. I could do it now and it would be perfectly legal.

That's weird, I remembered it was illegal for anyone.


If you want I can introduce this bill on your behalf.

Yeah, I originally thought that too, but then when I looked closely at the wording, it appears to be only for someone who could be an election administrator. Snowguy has already introduced this for me.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Interview with President Polnut
By Tmthforu94

Today, Tmthfour94 sat down with President Polnut.

Describe the period of time between February and May, 2011. You had just lost a gubernatorial race against someone whose campaign wasn’t nearly as active as yours. What was your plan going forward?  Did you consider leaving the game? What led you to run for President?

I certainly was not anticipating winning in the Northeast - I honestly believe I did as well as I could have in that region at that time.

I never considered leaving Atlasia because of losing a pretty much un-winnable election. I left the Northeast and moved to the Pacific, that was my only real reaction to the loss.

Well, I had run unsuccessfully for President before, so I know what it took to run. I had made the decision probably by late March that I was ready to run again and that I had the pragmatic agenda I felt the country really needed.

Unless I simply missed it, I believe no Senator has introduced your tax plan yet. Can we expect that to be introduced within the coming days, or are you waiting for a later time to do such?

I released my proposal, as sort of an exposure draft. 'Here's what I'm proposing to do, I'm going to give you all a chance to read over it and see what you think'. I'm still having discussions with people about those proposals, just to make sure that it will have the best possible chance of passing. I imagine the Senate will be looking at it formally shortly.

Currently, several African nations are considering petitioning to join the GTO. Would you be supportive of their entrance?

I believe GTO admission is a great thing for a country's future, and assuming they intend to adjust and make changes to ensure that they follow the principles of the GTO's mission, then I'm fully supportive.

One thing your campaign promised was making the GTO Ambassador solely appointed by the SoEA, not just a recommendation with the President’s approval required as it is now. Will you make sure this passes soon? And on the subject of GTO Ambassador, would you have signed a recently debated law abolishing the position?

While I understand this is of great concern to you and the SoEA, this is not a major priority at this stage. It would be primarily an issue of symbolism as most recommendations from the SoEA to the President are supported. But I will be negotiating with Senators to put that before the Senate before the end of the my current term.

I would not have supported the Bill if it had passed.

While we’re on the subject of foreign policy, what’s it like to have a SoEA who is very different from you, ideological-wise?

Ben and I have different views on foreign policy sometimes. I certainly had some people ask me why I asked him to stay on as SoEA when there are such stark differences. But Ben and I respect each other and the positions we hold. I also kept him on because he really has enthusiasm for the role.

When there is a disagreement, Ben has every right as my key foreign policy adviser to advise me, in fact I ask for his input and expect it. But as a part of the team, I expect him to support and advocate the decision I've made as President and Commander-in-Chief. He's done a great job, and I thank him especially when it must have been difficult for him.

Senate elections are starting to get boring. At the regional level, every region is pretty locked in at least which type of ideology their Senator will have, minus the Northeast. Little campaigning has been done in recent At-Large Senate elections, and it appears the same is shaping up for this election. Any idea’s for ways we could possibly shake up the way we elect our Senators?

I think regional and political polarization are big issues for the future of the country.

The Northeast is an interesting example, it was only when Eraser won last year that there was a small crack in what was seen as an impenetrable POP wall. I think in some ways you need to accept the stagnation that inevitably comes along from time to time. In most liberal democracies, there are very few genuinely competitive elections - especially when you're talking about for a legislature.

I think finding more ways to 'mix-up' the game sometimes prevents you from playing it... if that makes sense.

The political dynamics will always change, it's just sometimes it takes longer than we'd like.

What are your current thoughts on your Vice President’s activity level?

The Vice President has been active, just not always publicly. We have pretty regular discussions and he's been engaging positively in the Senate.

Who would you say is your favorite Senator, currently? Who has disappointed you the most?

That's a loaded question, lol.

It's also more personal than I generally approach politics with. I can't think of a Senator that I don't think is a decent person who wants to work hard for their constituents. I certainly disagree politically with many over some issues, from both left and right.

While I hope the Senators support my agenda, it's really not my place to say who I think are good and not so good at their jobs, that's for their constituents to say.

I personally won't comment on that, considering we have pretty varying opinions there.

Regarding the election of Senators, would you personally rather have an active Senator who may disagree with you often ideology-wise, or a less-active Senator who’d vote however you wanted him to?

I think debate is important, and this Senate has been incredibly active on that front. I think opposition that isn't constructive is a bad thing for the country, but I generally don't see that.

I understand some ideological immovability, I know the debate over our troop deployments has given opportunities for the left  and libertarian right to advocate we leave ASAP. When you're president, you're mindful of the duty you have to every single citizen, also to the armed forces, our allies and the people of the country you're involved with... it's a really tough balancing act. What I think as a person is largely immaterial in comparison to what I HAVE to do.

While it would be easier as president to have a Senate that just agrees with you, it would be a very bad thing for our democracy.

Generally speaking, what is your opinion of the Northeast Region now, and do you think the region has a chance at becoming stable and successful?

I have a real soft-spot for the Northeast, I was in the Assembly for two terms and Speaker of the Assembly for one of them. I think you've seen in the last nine months a slow unraveling of the 'one-party state with token opposition' that the Northeast was for so long.

There are great people from across the political spectrum who really want the place to work, not just provide a political safe-haven for their party. I think this is the best chance the region has had in years.

Now, whether you want to think about it or not, October is just a couple months away. Have you given any thought to your future plans, specifically whether or not you will run for reelection?

As you know, the decision to seek reelection is one that has to be made carefully.

I know a lot of people would have expected me to just say 'of course I'm running again' - but I won't say that. My mind really hasn't turned to that issue yet.

As president, you need to be active and you need to be able to devote a lot of time to the job.

So I suppose as I get closer to the time I would be asking myself some questions
Can I maintain my levels of activity?
Have I been as effective as I wanted to be?
If yes, can I keep it up?
If no, can I make a difference to that?
What can I offer the Atlasian people?

I am anticipating making an announcement, one way or another in early September.


Special thanks to Polnut for seeking us out on the interview and responding quickly. Hopefully we'll be able to interview him again in the future.

[tmthforu94]

I changed my mind!

Instead of creating a new thread to discuss the Senate Debate, I figured we might as well save some space and do it here.

So yeah, feel free to give your input on how the debate is going.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

A Need for Compromise
By Tmthforu94

Sources close to the administration are telling the Atlasian Sentinel that talks between several Atlasian Senators and President Polnut have fallen flat. The President reportedly made several attempts to compromise by making concessions over Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Senators could not find an agreement amongst themselves on a way to move forward.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Senate Field Set
By Tmthforu94

Up until the last minute, the Senate Race looked pretty predictable with only 5 candidates running. However, late announcements have shaken up the race. Here is a short background and a bit of an analysis of each candidate:

Snowguy716: Snowguy, though a longtime resident of the Atlas forum, only started getting active in Atlasia recently. Snowguy first served as the appointed Midwest Senator, starting in November 2010, and then later became an at-large Senator. Senator Snowguy has a center-left voting record and has had strong activity as of late, though has been criticized in the past for missing votes. Snowguy is a member of the JCP.

ahduke99: Duke has been in the Senate for ages, and has had a strong record of activity in the Senate during his time there. Duke has a center-right voting record, being more conservative on economic issues. Duke is a member of the RPP.

Shua: Shua has served in the Senate for several terms as the at-large representative for the Populares. Shua has had a libertarian streak in the Senate, and like Duke, has a consistent record of activity.

JBrase: JBrase was just elected in a surprise upset in the July 2011 Special Election where he defeated TexasGurl and Meeker, many dubbing him as the "Scott Brown of Atlasia". While it's a bit early to accurately describe JBrase's voting record, he has been a very active Senator in his short time. JBrase is a member of the CID.

HomelyCooking: Homelycooking has played a big role in turning the Northeast around in the past few months, and also founded the surging Coalition of Independent Democrats Party.

Benconstine: Benconstine is one of the oldest Atlasian's of this bunch, and has served in many prominent positions, but never Senator. Ben describes himself as a foreign policy hawk, and is also pretty liberal on economic issues. Ben is a member of the CID.

BRTD: BRTD is running a last-minute write-in campaign. BRTD hasn't really been involved in Atlasia for a long time, and really hasn't established much of a platform or described his position on key issues in Atlasia. However, as the second JCP candidate in this race, The Atlasian Sentinel expects BRTD to have a pretty good chance at claiming an at-large seat. Though he may be the most active of any of these candidates on the forum at-large, he ranks last on activity in Atlasia.


The Atlasian Sentinel won't be making any endorsements in this Senate race. I think there are 5-6 very qualified candidates who will make great Senators. This will be a tough vote

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel
I'm quoting this post by President Polnut in this thread because I think it's important and people should read it.

TRANSCRIPT

The President's remarks to airport press-conference, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

Reporter: Mr President, is this visit the unofficial start of your re-election campaign?

President: *laughs* No, not at all. I have to decide whether I'm running again before conversations start about campaigns, official or unofficial.

Reporter: What are main issues you think the Mideast region is dealing with, that you could have an influence on?

President: Look, the entire nation is very slowly recovering from the fundamental economic shock from nearly 3 years ago. Considering how severe and deep those problems were and are, we are getting there. But unemployment is still far too high, too many people without jobs and too few businesses with the confidence to hire.

Reporter: Back in Nyman you are dealing with a sometimes hostile Senate, which is largely made of people from your own party, how does that make you feel?

President: What I feel is immaterial, I think both myself and all Senators know that what we do in our capacities, we do in those roles. The issues being debated are very important to people all over the country, so passion is expected and to be fair, a bit of a necessity. I don't think the Senate is actual hostile, no more than I am to them. It's a robust exchange of views and ideas and we need that in a democracy. But sometimes words are said that shouldn't be and passion overwhelms reason, but that's very human.

Reporter: Given what's going on in Libya right now, what are your hopes for your Troop Withdrawal plan being implemented over the more dare I say ambitious plan supported by Senators Napoleon and Snowguy?

President: I think what's going on in Libya is positive, but it's too early to claim any sort of victory, the rebel forces still need to do a lot of work before any sort of practical end game comes about.

In relation to the competing withdrawal plans, I think we do need to tone down the rhetoric and the temperature. I've said from the outset that our plans have the same end goal. We both want our troops extricated from the theatres. I do understand the position of those who want a more rapid withdrawal, but I want to know that they also understand where I'm coming from. The position my administration has come to, has been developed with the involvement of the highest levels of our military and diplomatic services. We can move out of Libya and Iraq the fastest, because our involvement is smaller and less crucial, but we need to realise that the Afghanistan theatre is the one that cannot be exited rapidly from without consequences. The situation on the ground is not stable enough. I truly hope some kind of compromise can be reached.

Reporter: If the current Bill passes the Senate, will you veto it?

President: I really hope I don't have to. I think some clear thinking and better understanding of each other's positions would cure a lot of the ills we're dealing with. But I've said that if I'm presented with a Bill that is militarily irresponsible or endangers the situation that so many have fought and died to achieve, then I will veto it. But, there are other options before a blanket veto. But in the end, I do respect the constitutional role for the Senate to declare war and reverse that declaration and to withdraw funding. I will not go beyond what are my constitutional powers but I will argue until I'm blue in the face for what is the better approach to our joint goal.

I think the first step is to calm down and work through our differences.

Guys, I've got to go, thanks.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel
"It's believed the President may have struck a deal over troop deployments. Details are sketchy however, it is believed that while combat troops may be coming home sooner from some hotspots, greater flexibility will be given to localised stability and training forces"

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Interview with Reagafan
By Tmthforu94

Today, The Atlasian Sentinel will be interviewing one of the older members in Atlasia, Reaganfan.

First off, Reaganfan, I’d like for you to have the chance to give a brief introduction on who you are/what you have done in Atlasia, since many of our new members may not be familiar with you exactly you are.

Well thank you for having me today. I began public service in Atlasia...geez...seven years ago. The game was new and the rules were much more loose so I found that getting involved was rather easy, but no doubt serving in public office was a challenge especially when trying to confront the difficult issues that face the people of the nation. I served as Senator from District 3 about six years ago after I defeated Senator and former President Nym, and that began a downward trend in my approval ratings and a witch-hunt began against me. As you know I was narrowly elected, I mean, that election was as close as close could get, and our get-out-the-vote efforts were far and away the most superior GOTV efforts ever to have been implemented in Atlasia at that time. This was within the rules of our laws and was justly used to increase awareness and participation, but of course when one side does it and wins the election, another side clearly was upset due to the defeat and that began the witch-hunt against me throughout my brief Senate career, leading to my decision that the best thing I could do for the people of my district was to step aside. I was elected Lieutenant Governor of the Southeast region, and later ascended to the Governorship to which I was elected to my own term unopposed. Again the partisanship atmosphere did me in and I decided that my best bet would be to retire from public life.

What has been your proudest accomplishment in Atlasia?

Helping elect President PBrunsel. I don't think Atlasia has had such a distinguished politician that was as impeccable and articulate and had such a tremendous love for this nation as did PBrunsel. I mean from his whistle-stop tours to his amazing speeches and addresses to the nation, deciding not to seek re-election as President which was for all intents and purposes in the bag, it was just an amazing administration and I think that whatever I did to help contribute to that would be my most proud accomplishment.

When you look at how Atlasia was years ago and how it is today, what are some ways you think Atlasia has improved throughout the years? What are some ways you think Atlasia has declined?

I think the improvement is the positive fact that the game has continued. We wondered how long Atlasia would last...maybe a year or so...here we are almost a decade later and we're all still so deeply involved, some more than others, and the participation continues, so that is an improvement. As far as the decline, I do believe there are far too many rules and too little individual decision making on the part of Atlasians. Whether this can be contributed to the game moderators or our elected leaders or the legislation, I can't quite say, but for sure that decline over the past couple of years is due to their inability to lessen the amount of rules and Government, I guess you could say, and allow more individuality among Atlasia as a hole. I do feel though that there may be a leader in the coming months who can return Atlasia maybe back more to the days of President PBrunsel when participation was growing and people had fun, it wasn't just a game of continuity.

Have you given any thought to possibly getting involved in Atlasia again? We all know now that you’ve been an active, conservative leader in the past. Any chance we could see that side of you again?

I'd like to someday, perhaps when the time is right. I ran for office and lost so many times I think there had to be a period of several years out of public life to regain some sense of legitimacy. I did come in third for President in February 2007, which, all things considered, wasn't half as bad as people had anticipated, and despite the shakiness and the controversy surrounding it, I was a Senator and a Governor so I hope that someday I can get involved again.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

A Decision Soon?
By Tmthforu94

Recently, it was revealed that President Polnut would be making his decision regarding reelection in the coming days. Our sources close to the administration tell us a decision could come as soon as tonight. The President is grateful of his strong approval ratings, but hasn't quite made up his mind. Our sources also tell us that the President is concerned over how effective he has been as a President and whether some of his opponents might do a better job.

[tmthforu94]

I'm actually getting responses to a story?!?!

*Does happy dance*

The JCP has much better organization skills than the right does - there's almost never an election where the JCP doesn't put up a strong fight. It takes a very special environment/ticket for the right to be successful.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel is currently in the process of interviewing our President, who has just announced he will NOT be seeking reelection. We'll post it as soon as it's done.

[tmthforu94]

The Atlasian Sentinel

Interview With Polnut
By Tmthforu94

Once again, I got the pleasure of interviewing Herr Polnut....


First, let it be known, I saw this coming. I think I predicted this happening somewhere recently.

Polnut: Did you? What made you think that?

I'm a palm reader. I snuck into your house a couple weeks ago and felt your palms. I go to great lengths to get the stories.  

Polnut: ...I thought that was dream....

The questions was asked multiple times to me when I decided not to run..."Why?" since I had rather high approval ratings. Yours are even higher - you have solid ratings across the board, and would have coasted to reelection. What made you pass that up?

Polnut: Toward mid-August I was thinking about my goals versus my performance. I thought about what I could achieve and why I hadn't been able to do as much this term... and I didn't see a clear way through

What was your biggest pain as President?

Polnut: Pain? I think I had many frustrations ... but I suppose my biggest was my inability to engage with the Senate sometimes, in the constructive manner I would have preferred.

Anyone who follows the Senate closely knows there were some heated negotiations going around the "End to Imperialism Act". What made reaching compromise so difficult for those involved?

Polnut: I think that particular negotiation was especially trying... I admit getting my back up at the premise of the original Bill for a 30 day withdrawal, I thought it was based on an ideological view, and not in reality. I had already outlined a policy for withdrawal long-before this Bill emerged. However, I went into negotiations with the Sponsor and others in good faith to get a workable compromise. I made massive concessions, knowing that Senate would have the ultimate say. I know concessions were made on the other side, but I think the current Bill reflects my willingness to work with others

You mentioned in your statement that some external pressures kept you from running. Care to elaborate?

Polnut: Well I do have a long-planned holiday coming up and it would have meant I would have had varied and unreliable contact for several weeks, which is why I stressed the need for the Atlasian people to have an active president.

Were there any forces within the game you felt were pushing you from running?

Polnut: Well, certainly no one trying to get me not to run, but there were some elements that certainly made me less interested in running, let's say that

Care to elaborate?

Polnut: Not really, lol but I think it doesn't take too much to figure it out

You seem to have had a pretty bumpy relationship within your party recently. You hinted at dissatisfaction with some in the left in your speech and how you may not have lived up to what they hoped for. You've also been nearly mocked in the Senate debate over the "Student Loan Protection Act". Did this play a pretty big role in your decision?

Polnut: I think the relationship has been too antagonistic at times, it doesn't help our democracy. I'll admit not appreciating the tone of the Senate to my questions, the Bill is incredibly vague and needs tightening up... simple as that. I think the President and the Senate need to have a constructive relationship, I hope my successor will have more luck.

How do you feel about the current party system in Atlasia, particularly your party, the JCP?

Polnut: Parties are a natural consequence, and given the background of many Atlasians, it makes sense that there are two dominant parties. The JCP is a dominant and well-organized party, but it exists only as long as people are prepared to support it...

If there's one thing you could do right now that would massively shake up the game for the good, what would it be, if anything?

Polnut: There's still a long time left in my term, I do have some ideas... but they're about positive change and I will make details public soon

Let me just say, I think you've been an excellent President, and you would have had my support if you had ran for reelection. Best of luck to you in future endeavors. Thank you for doing this interview.

Thank you very much.

(I think it'll be better in the future to italicize my questions, but I don't feel like changing it now)