Mideast Assembly · Townhall Debate

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

As neither Governor Tmth nor Senator X have opened a thread for a debate between the Mideast Assembly candidates and there is barely more than a week left before the election, I was thinking we should have a crowd-sourced debate instead.

Questions may be asked by any Mideast citisen and will hopefully generate high-quality discussion like in January. Don't bother with opening statements.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

I would like to ask all of the Mideast Assembly members what they would do with the current surplus that is available via the budget, and why you would do so?

As Speaker Inks has said, if the Tmth-Gass High Speed Rail Act is passed, there wouldn't anymore be a surplus. If it doesn't, though, -- a $16bn surplus is way more than enough to establish commuter-rail systems in every large Mideast city, using the Kansas City model.

I would like to ask a broad question about the topic of game reform at the regional level. Are there, in your view, parts of the regional constitution which should be amended? Or more generally, are there any aspects of the game which we should change?

Oh, definitely.
· We need a secret ballot, obviously. Our current system places too much power in the hands of manipulative party strategists.
· I made the suggestion, a while back, that in order to revitalise the less active regions, people should be allowed to run for office in other regions than their own. This change probably needs to happen on the regional level, so we should amend our Constitution (IV.1.2) to set an example for the other regions.
· The Superior Court needs more to do. Perhaps we could hand over elections administration to the judiciary.
· Loosen the activity requirement for the Governor set in I.3.4.
· Assembly vacancies should be filled by special election and not by the Governor.
· Initiatives to propose a new law require three times as many signatures as referenda to abolish existing laws. That doesn't really make sense.
· I'd like the threshold for both regional and federal Constitutional amendments to be set at half plus some sort of turnout requirement.
· If we go strictly by the Mideast Constitution, a number of officials (eg Oldiesfreak in the Jan2013 Assembly and drj in the Nov2012 Assembly) should not have served -- the oath of office, after all, specifically ends with "So help me Dave" (IV.1.10). I would remove this religious requirement.

Note that I don't expect to change most of these; this is more of a general wishlist. If elected, though, I would definitely push for the first and the last proposal.

We should pass the amendment that recently failed ratification, the Power to the People Amendment.  Only 15% of the region voted against that amendment; I think it's a good amendment that should be part of our constitution.

That's… disingenuous. Less than 5% of the region voted for the amendment.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

I never said more than 5% of the region voted for the amendment.  I've never said the region supports the amendment.  I just disagree that it's clear that they really oppose it.

Do you think it is at all likely that non-voters are 88% in favour? Because that's what you need to get a two-thirds majority.

As for removing "So help me Dave" on religious freedom grounds, that's completely ludicrous, as it is objectively known that Dave exists.

It is also objectively known that Nym90, Nate Silver, John Engle, &c exist.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Considering the fact I follow two individuals, Jesus Christ and John Engle, I completely agree with a Person.

You follow two individuals?  What does that mean?  And really... John Engle?  Yeah, let's ban all lesbians... that'd be a great idea.

I should be able to follow and believe whoever I want - Atlasia should be a place where religious freedom is tolerated, not ostracized.

OK, and nobody is ostracizing religious freedom by requiring "So help me Dave" at the end of our oaths of office, because, without Dave's help, Atlasia (and all of us - at least in an Atlasian sense) would not exist.

A Christian would use the same argument for our God, yet you don't see very many of us advocating Christianity as the official religion of America.

A Christian believes that God exists based on faith because there is no objective, verifiable proof of his existence.  There is objective, verifiable proof that an entity named "Dave Leip" created and maintains the Atlas and Atlasia.

Maintained. Past tense. Dave Leip has nothing to do with present-day Atlasia, and therefore "so help me Dave" doesn't really mean anything.

[e]-- Also, I'd like to note again -- Technically, we've had two Assemblypeople in the past six months who were serving illegally. How do you justify that?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

"Maintained" as in past tense?  I think not.  Dave Leip has everything to do with present-day Atlasia.  He pays the server bills.  He upgrades the software.  He may not be as active as me and you, but he's still essential to the functioning of the site.

I don't think you quite understand what the phrase "so help me [ · ]" means.

As for having two people serving illegally, I believe that as long as someone is sworn in in the spirit of the oath with only a word or two off, this satisfies the constitutional requirement.  If you disagree, feel free to challenge that legally.

So you wouldn't complain if I or one of the other candidates swore in without saying "so help me Dave"?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Question for Assemblymen Inks.LWC and Gass3268:

What's with the introducing failed constitutional amendments as normal bills? I mean, not that the amendments in question are bad policy, but
1) Shouldn't this kind of basic procedure be anchored in the Constitution, and
2) Aren't you concerned with the dangerous precedent you're setting?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

If the choice is between not ratifying federal amendments for a couple weeks or outright antidemocratic shenanigans, I'll choose the former, thanks.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

If the choice is between not ratifying federal amendments for a couple weeks or outright antidemocratic shenanigans, I'll choose the former, thanks.

Isn't the moderator supposed to stay neutral during the debate?

Err, I'm a candidate and I'm participating, tyvm.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

If the choice is between not ratifying federal amendments for a couple weeks or outright antidemocratic shenanigans, I'll choose the former, thanks.

Yet you opted for the latter, voting in an election that had been started without any legal grounds for doing so.  Were you really eager to vote on the We Need More Political Parties Amendment, or did you just not realize that the booth had been improperly opened?

antidemocratic (adj) -- opposed to the principles or practice of democracy
democracy (n) -- form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say here.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

you seemed willing to overrule their voice when you voted in the most recent federal amendment ratification.

I still have no idea where you are getting this idea from…

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

you seemed willing to overrule their voice when you voted in the most recent federal amendment ratification.

I still have no idea where you are getting this idea from…

Why did you vote in an illegally opened voting booth?

You're evading. Exactly how was my vote an "antidemocratic shenanigan"? Especially considering that judging by the other posts in that thread, The People were clearly in favour of the WNMPPA by any reasonable measure.

But, if you absolutely need an explanation: I voted for the amendment first thing in the morning, ie before seeing whether the FAA had passed. And I'm pretty sure deleting your vote is a crime.
Happy?

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

No, not at all. Look, this isn't that difficult.

In the PttP case: The People rejected a Mideast Constitutional Amendment, which you then tried to pass anyway.
In the WNMPPA case: The People were overwhelmingly in favour of a Federal Constitutional Amendment, which I also voted to pass.

I think we're just talking past each other at this point though, so that'll be my final post on the matter.