Office of ZuWo

[ZuWo]

Endorsed. With you in the Assembly, we are in good hands

Thank you. That's exactly the type of effect this ad should have.

No, seriously, one thing I still have to work on is to be more successful with my bills. In an RPP-dominated Assembly it should be possible to get more than just 1 bills passed during one term.

[ZuWo]

Yes, it looks indeed like a Europe vs. US split. Thanks for the advice anyway,  I'll see whether I can come up with something new regarding the language issue. But I'm not overly stubborn and don't want to bring the same topic up again and again just to push my personal ideas if there's no chance in passing anything.

About the dog issue, could you possibly support a bill which would require owners of pit bulls and similarly "dangerous" dogs to keep their dogs on leashes?

[ZuWo]

Press Release: Mideast Assembly and Special Senate Election

Dear people of the Mideast

In two days you are going to cast your vote in two elections. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to elect a new Mideast Assembly, and on the other hand there is a special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by President Snowguy.

Regarding the Assembly elections, I ask you to consider casting your vote for the following candidates who have announced their intention to run for a seat:

Assemblyman ZuWo, Assemblyman TJ in Cleve, Assemblyman and Speaker of the Assembly Inks, Former Governor A-Bob and Former President Tmthforu.

I believe that with these candidates our Assembly will remain active and effective and, most importantly, reliably conservative.

Regarding the special election to the Atlasian Senate, I'd like to encourage all of you to vote for NE Assemblyman and former vice-presidential candidate Cincinnatus. While there certainly is an ideological gap between myself and Cincinnatus on certain social issues, I believe he is an extremely well qualified candidate for the Senate. Not only does he know the issues that are important to Atlasia in the current environment, but he is also capable of working with people all across the political spectrum.

People of the Mideast, these two elections are of great importance to you. Have your say in regional and national affairs! Thank you for your confidence.

Sincerely,

Assemblyman ZuWo

[ZuWo]

Statement on the Assembly elections

I thank everyone who has voted for me! I'll continue to do my best to represent the citizens of the Mideast.

Unfortunately, turnout has been much worse than last time. Even though this has not come as a surprise since we only had 5 candidates for 5 seats and a relatively uncontroversial last Assembly session, I hope we'll be able to reverse this trend next time.

[ZuWo]

Press Release: Senate Endorsements

I endorse the following candidates for the upcoming Senate at-large elections (in that order):

1. TJ in Cleve (RPP)
2. Junkie (RPP)
3. 20RP12 (SPA)
4. Kalwejt (JCP)

While TJ in Cleve is perfectly in line with my opinions from an ideological point of view and has demonstrated in the Assembly how well thought-out his style of legislating is, I endorse Junkie because he is a true expert on legal matters and has vowed to be an active Senator.
I also support the non-RPP candidates 20RP12 and Kalwejt. 20RP12 has campaigned very hard and laid out a pretty detailed platform. Kalwejt has been a creative and somewhat independent Senator on many issues.

I urge all Atlasians - whether they are members of the RPP, JCP, SPA, Blue Party or independent - to look at the records of all candidates. Do not vote for people who have shown no or little interest in being Senators, do not help to get inactive people elected. Cast your vote, have your say, and help to make Atlasia a more vivid place.

Depending on how the campaign evolves, more endorsements may come.

[ZuWo]

I am going to make an announcement at around 4 PM Eastern time today.

[ZuWo]

A New Prospect for Atlasia - ZuWo for President

Citizens of Atlasia,

Today is the first day of the year 2012 and I announce the formation of an exploratory committee for President. In the following days and weeks, I am going to test the waters regarding a potential run for President. The challenges our nation faces are legion, and I believe what our country needs in the current environment is a fresh start with a new administration that is willing to tackle the problems that are ahead of us.

I have been appointed to the Mideast Assembly in July and have served my region up to the present day. In my time as Assemblyman, I have introduced several bills, ranging from educational and regional game reform topics to issues concerning public health and law and order. I stand by my record and am grateful for the work I have had the privilege to do so far.

As President, I would work to repeal the “Productivity Equalization and Worker Employment Act”, because I believe this is a bill which has a devastating effect on the productivity of Atlasian businesses. Indeed, a core priority of a ZuWo administration would be to reduce unnecessary regulation for businesses and to lower federal taxes. In fact, we cannot afford to jeopardize the economic competitiveness of Atlasia by continuing to pursue left-wing policies.

Game reform would be another important pillar of my administration. The Senate has debated numerous reform bills in the current term, passed some of them and rejected others. Indeed, my goal as President would be to push reform ideas even more. Therefore, I would support the reinstatement of the "Game Reform Proposal Committee" that was installed under the Polnut administration in order to make Atlasia an even more interesting and fascinating place. Game reform is a constant process with the aim to improve flaws in the game; in a ZuWo administration there will be no taboos but an open-minded approach to reform ideas from people all across the political spectrum.

I am going to release a more detailed platform once my plans regarding my presidential run become more precise. I am open to questions, criticism and ideas!

Thank you all for your attention!

Assemblyman ZuWo

[ZuWo]

Shouldn't one be elected to a higher office before seeking the Presidency?

If I have the honor to be able to run, I will let the Atlasian people answer this question. Indeed, it is probably an advantage to have been elected to a higher office before seeking the Presidency, but it is not the most important criterion. Clearly, I understand that there may be concerns regarding my experience, but if I run for President I will be eager to demonstrate that I am qualified to do the job despite never having been Senator or Governor.

[ZuWo]

Do you plan on running as the candidate of the RPP, of which you are a member, or will you be taking a more independent stand?

Since I am a member of the RPP, I intend to run on the core principles of my party. That is, I support the strenghtening of regional rights and believe we should try to create better conditions for our economy. Furthermore, it is no secret that I also stand for conservative values in general, a mindset that other people in the RPP probably don't have to the same extent.
Thus, I am an RPP candidate on the one hand, but due to the fact that some of my views differ from the mainstream in the party I also consider myself to be somewhat independent. 

[ZuWo]

Many thanks to those who reacted positively to my announcement! I will do my best to fulfill your expectations.

Oh, cool, it's like when all those Congressmen run for President. Maybe you can actually, win, though.

It's going to be an uphill climb to win, to say the least. And despite being a mere Assemblyman, I am not planning to be a Michele Bachmann type of candidate! This shall become a constructive campaign which emphasizes a message of optimism.

[ZuWo]

On the "Efficient Automobile Rebate System Act"

The Atlasian Senate has recently debated the "Efficient Automobile Rebate System Act" and is on its way to reject the bill. First off, I would like to express my general approval of the idea that is put forward in this bill. I applaud the efforts of Senator Duke and Senator Marokai. However, I find myself in agreement with Senator MOPolitico, who has raised a specific concern regarding Section 2 of the bill, which says the following:


Section 2: Eligibility

1. To qualify for the rebate outlined in Section 1, Clause 1, the consumer must have a car that is a model manufactured at least ten years ago, and has been estimated by the EPA to travel 21 miles to the gallon.

2. To qualify for the rebate outlined in Section 1, Clause 2, the consumer must have a Sport Utility Vehicle or truck that is a model manufactured at least ten years ago, and has been estimated by the EPA to travel 18 miles to the gallon.


As Senator MOPolitico stated, a car owner must own a car which travels precisely 21 miles to the gallon or a sport utility vehicle that travles 18 miles to the gallon, respectively, in order to qualify for the rebate. Indeed, it appears that cars that travel even fewer miles to the gallon are not included in this very section of the bill. Thus, I echo MOPolitico's question what the intention behind this wording is and support Senator Nathan's statement that this piece of legislation should be redrafted regarding the section I mentioned.

Undoubtedly, the bill is a step in the right direction. It is illusionary to assume that Atlasia is going to become a public transport nation over night. Atlasia still is a car nation. Therefore, the best way to reduce car emissions is to encourage Atlasians to buy cars that are more eco-friendly. I believe that the establishment of a car rebate system would be helpful in that respect.

[ZuWo]

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

[ZuWo]

Have your say and contribute to my platform!

Citizens of Atlasia,

it is of great importance to me that this campaign has a clear focus on you and your opinion about Atlasia. I am interested to hear about your plans and prospects for our nation. What are the most pressing issues to you? What would you like to see changed in Atlasia? How can Atlasia become more perfect?

Do not hesitate to voice your concerns and ideas by posting in this thread or by contacting me by PM. I will try to incorporate as many of your proposals in some way or another in my platform in order to make sure that this campaign focuses on issues that are of real importance to you. Even though this obviously does not mean that I am going to adopt your stance on every issue, I want to assure you that the issues you raise will be dealt with in my platform.

I want to set up a campaign that connects with as many Atlasians as possible. While I intend to take clear stances on the issues, a critical debate with your points of view are crucial to me.

Your opinions matter!

[ZuWo]

Endorsed.

For now at least.

Didn't you say you weren't running?

Yes but I feel like you and the President have much more in common politically than you and ZuWo do.

This may be the case when it comes to social issues, but as I am going to outline in the next days and weeks, my economic platform is more appealing to libertarians than the ideas offered by the President. Thus, it all comes down to your personal priorities. If you're a libertarian and believe that social issues are the most important to you, you might have a hard time voting for me. However, if you think that the economy is what matters most and you want to support a candidate who wants less business regulation and lower taxes, I'm the guy you should vote for.

[ZuWo]

Can you give a general sense of what your foreign policy would be like?

Atlasia is a powerful nation, which is both a responsibility and a huge chance. I believe that our foreign policy should concentrate on two main aspects. Firstly, we should attempt to spread and propagate democratic ideals and human rights in a peaceful way and contribute to increase prosperity all over the world. Secondly, our foreign policy should also be guided by the economic interests of Atlasia.
 
As President, I will refrain from using military force and leading wars on foreign territory. Our recent experiences with wars on foreign soil have been costly and extremely painful for the entire country. While I do not want to condemn those past leaders of our country who had to make the decision to go into war because there were good reasons for their decision, I personally believe our main instruments of foreign policy shall be a strong diplomacy and, where it is necessary and useful, economic and military restriction. Yet, in the case of powerful nations like Russia and China, where the democratic and human rights situation is far from perfect, I do not think that we can improve a lot with economic restriction. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that we are compelled to establish and maintain a solid relationship with these two world powers.

Furthermore, I am supportive of the idea to designate our closest allies with a “most priority” status as outlined in the “September 2011 Foreign Policy Review”. However, I would go further and include Israel in the list of the nations that have “most priority”. Indeed, Israel, alongside most European nations and Canada, should be considered our ally and deserves favorable treatment.

Finally, a ZuWo administration would attempt to stop Iran’s nuclear program – I am tempted to say “at all costs”. Iran’s regime is a proven threat to Israel and their possession of nuclear weapons a frightening prospect. While I rule out any direct military involvement in the Middle East, I explicitly state that it is a viable option to grant Israel the support to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities if all else (diplomacy and full restrictions) fails.

[ZuWo]

And I thank Mechaman, 20RP12 and PiT for their endorsements "on probation". I hope I am not going to say too many stupid things to lose your support!

[ZuWo]

Thank you all for your responses. I am aware that the more specific my platform becomes, the more firm people's opinions about me and my campaign will become, which will result in me both winning and losing some people's support. However, I'd rather lose an election because people have actually taken a close look at my stances and decided that they cannot fully support them than lead a campaign by trying to disguise and mitigate my real opinions in order to appeal to as many voters as possible. I therefore thank you for your critical assessment of my points of view.

This campaign shall offer full transparency to all voters. People deserve full transparency before voting in an election!

[ZuWo]

I support your foreign policy, though I will have to wait for the race to shape up before going any further than that.

On the Health Spending Adjustment Act

It appears odd that the Senate and the President did not take into account GM shua's remarks about the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" that has been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. While the bill indeed reduces the federal government's obligation for a small number of health services by 5%, it is unclear who is going to account for these 5%. The bill in its current form does not actually save any penny but in my understanding it merely represents a shift of costs from the federal government to the regions, doctors or patients or any other source. Therefore, I echo shua's sentiments and contend that the bill should have been clarified in that respect. Furthermore, I am looking forward to the bill that Senator Napoleon and Senator MOPolitico are drafting that was said to reduce healthcare costs in a "painless" manner.

Does this mean the regions are supposed to include in their regional budgets expenditures delegated to the states (or Unfunded Mandates)?  Is this a legal requirement or a request?  Because, at least in the IDS, we take our budget seriously.

This is a very valid question. I think including every single expenditure delegated to the states in the individual regional budgets would be excellent, but it's probably not feasible since it would make the creation of a budget even more complex and time-consuming. However, go ahead if you feel the IDS can do it and prove me wrong, that would be impressive!
No, what I wanted to get across with my comment on the "Health Spending Adjustment Act" was that it would have been neat if the Senate had stated explicitly who has to compensate for this 5% reduction in federal money - I basically repeated the question raised by GM shua in the Senate debate thread.

And thank you for your statement on my foreign policy platform!

[ZuWo]

If elected, which, if any, of Polnut's legislation will you be repealing?

I've just looked through all the bills that have been passed under the Polnut presidency and have come to the conclusion that it is the "Right to Treatment Act" that I would try to have repealed as President.

Here's the link to the debate:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=141937.0

I take issue with the consitutionality of this bill because it imposes too excessive restrictions on the regions, a concern which I mentioned to President Polnut in a PM at the time the bill was being debated. While I respect the President's ultimate decision to sign the bill into law, I still disagree.

Another bill I would like to see modified is the "Tax Code Bill". Although I agree with the general direction President Polnut has taken on taxes, I would try to go even further and lower taxes to a larger extent. I am going to reveal details on my vision of the "Tax Code Bill" at a later stage, but I can already say that I favor Senator Jbrase's proposal to the current tax code.

[ZuWo]

Would you favor reforming the Vice Presidency so that the Vice President is elected separately from the President and empowering the Vice President to have the authority to introduce legislation for debate and vote by the Senate?

Or do you have your own ideas on reform of the Vice Presidency, if so, what are they, or do you want to see the status quo continue in this regard?

I am supportive of Senator Kalwejt's "Separate Elections Amendment", which was unfortunately rejected by the Senate. Atlasia is still a game that is centered around elections, so having more elections only adds to the fun of the game. Also, a separate election of the Vice President could result in very interesting scenarios. Imagine, for instance, a situation where we have a left-wing President and a right-wing Vice President who has been elected by the Atlasian people and what would happen in the case of a tie in the Senate. Such a scenario would make governing for the President a bit more delicate but would also lead to more exciting situations.

Thus, I do not support the status quo. However, I am not quite sure whether a Vice President should be empowered to introduce legislation for debate in the Senate. This may in fact be unnecessary since even in the current situation all a Vice President has to do is to work together with at least one Senator and make this Senator introduce a particular bill on his behalf.

[ZuWo]

A public statement on the future of the ZuWo presidential campaign is scheduled for 4 PM Eastern time today

[ZuWo]

Official Announcement of Presidential Candidacy

Dear citizens of Atlasia,

Encouraged and thrilled by numerous endorsements and positive responses to my announcement to form an exploratory committee for President, I have decided to seek the presidency of Atlasia. If there is a primary in the RPP, I will campaign for my party’s nomination.

I am convinced that Atlasia needs a President who is willing to connect with citizens, is active, ready to work with people all across the political spectrum and has a vision to move our country forward. I believe that I am ready and able to do this and am highly motivated to serve Atlasia with great humility. 

I will continue to update my platform in the upcoming weeks. Questions and comments are always welcome.

Interested in Being my Running Mate?

If it has always been your dream to be Vice President of Atlasia, you share my excitement for the game, are motivated to work hard for the country, open-minded on the issue of game reform and simply want to have fun, then you are welcome to contact me; your party affiliation does not play an important role. It will take me some time to make a definite decision, so I am looking forward to get to know you and discuss certain political issues with you.

Sincerely,

ZuWo

[ZuWo]

Congratulations ZuWo on your decision to seek the Presidency.  Best of luck to you.

I have another question.

Regarding who you will ultimately want to be your Vice Presidential running mate, and should you be successful in becoming the nominee of the RPP, do you believe it would be advantageous to yourself and to Atlasia for you to have a Vice President who is not in the RPP, providing a more balanced ticket?

Thank you for your kind response!

The most important about my running mate is not his party affiliation. In general, I would be very happy about a vice-presidential candidate who shares some of my convictions, so whether he is a member of the RPP or another party or an independent doesn't really matter. I want a running mate who, as I stated above, promises activity, wants to do a good job for the game, is open-minded on game-reform issues and has fun with Atlasia. Of course, it is better to have a running mate who doesn't have views that are the exact opposite of my views on major issues, but that's why I said I am planning to discuss a couple of details with people who are interested in the job.

Regarding your more general question whether it would be an advantage to Atlasia as a whole if I picked a non-RPP running mate: Again, I hope this will not play a major role. People should not vote for me or refuse to vote for me because my running mate is or is not in the RPP. They should look at the ticket and decide for themselves whether they trust these two guys enough to hand them over the office of President and Vice President. That's it.

Also keep in mind that with the impending dissolution votes in the RPP and the JCP many things remain unclear. For instance, no one knows whether these parties will still exist in the foreseeable future, and if the RPP and the JCP indeed vanish, things will become highly unpredictable anyway. That's why I think it's still too early to say what impact my choice of a running mate and my running mate's party affiliation could have. But I understand very well that you as an independent are interested in this question, and I hope to be able to give you a clearer answer at a later stage.

[ZuWo]

Go ZuWo!!!

Thank you! If only there were a Secretary of Defense cabinet post in Atlasia, you would get it. (And since I can't ruin my hypothetical chances for SoFE Ben's vote, I can't appoint you for that job, either )

[ZuWo]

I'm not endorsing you because I find your platform highly repulsive. However, I still wish you good luck. You're a nice guy and a dedicated poster, and will certainly be a formidable candidate for the right.

Thank you very much!

You know, an endorsement from a socialist (in the European sense) would have been uncanny anyway. The fact that you wish me luck but do not endorse me shows me that I'm on the right track.