The February 2012 Presidential Debate

[ZuWo]

Thank you, shua, for moderating this debate.

People of Atlasia,

I stand before you today because I want to be your next President. The tenure of the current President has been a disappointment. We have seen little activity and no enthusiasm from the White House. Clearly, this is poisonous and dangerous for Atlasia because our country depends on active leadership. Indeed, I am running for President because I want to restore faith, trust and excitement in the presidency. This is an important office, and if we continue to elect inactive people, Atlasia is doomed.

Ever since I was elected to the Mideast Assembly in July 2011, I have been an active Atlasian politician. I have introduced numerous pieces of legislation on a variety of issues, and while my work has had a clear focus on regional issues I have always followed the work of the President and the Senate closely. Mine is a record of activity, motivation and dedication to Atlasia. This is what qualifies me for the office of President.

I am also running for President because now, after the mutual dissolution of the JCP and the RPP, Atlasia is at a crucial stage. What our country needs at the moment is solid and sincere leadership. Never in my political life have I said things or voted in a certain way for opportunistic reasons. My actions are guided by my conscience, and I am not afraid to stick to unpopular ideas when I think this is the right thing to do.

Furthermore, ZuWo/Jbrase is the sole ticket that is right of center and fully dedicated to change. Only a vote for me and Jbrase is a vote for prosperous economic policies in general and a sane federal tax system in particular. Only a vote for me and Jbrase is a vote for the sanctity of life. I and Jbrase stand for change our country needs, and nothing epitomizes our dedication to change better than our unambiguous “aye” to the dissolution of the RPP and the JCP. On the other hand, the current frontrunner, former President Polnut, voted “nay” on the dissolution of the JCP. People of Atlasia, the question is up to you, shouldn’t we elect someone for President who is truly dedicated to change rather than a former President who voted in favor of retaining the old two-party system which has been responsible for a great deal of stagnation?

Clarity on the issues – an unapologetic commitment to activity and change – conservative leadership: These are the reasons why ZuWo/Jbrase is a smart choice.

[ZuWo]

1. First of all, we must find ways to make cabinet posts more relevant and exciting. If we manage to do this, we will have fewer problems finding people who want to be cabinet members in the future. Indeed, too many times have we seen a cabinet member publishing a fascinating report or writing a really well though-out story - and nobody cared. Clearly, this makes cabinet posts unattractive. That’s why both regional and federal elected officials have the responsibility to base their political actions more on what, for instance, the GM or any other active cabinet member publish. If this doesn’t work, if regional and federal politicians will not take up this responsibility in the future, we must think of alternatives. One possible way would be to require legislators to react to stories and reports produced by cabinet members. If all fails, we must consider more revolutionary proposals, such as making certain cabinet positions non-playable, but I want to stress that this is not my goal.

Now if we are in a situation where essential duties cannot be fulfilled due to a vacancy, I think dual office holding, at least temporarily, is the solution. However, I am confident that if we manage to make cabinet posts more relevant by the above-mentioned suggestions vacancies will be less of a problem in the future.

2. While we can lay the groundwork for making Atlasia an interesting place, the question whether the game remains exciting or not hinges on each individual Atlasian. In fact, the mutual dissolution of the RPP and the JCP was a step in the right direction, but now every citizen of this country has the responsibility to make something of this situation. Firstly, people should not join ideologically broad parties but participate in political movements that can be defined very clearly. Secondly, people need to have the courage to fight for what they believe in. Whether you are a conservative like me, a centrist like Duke, or a leftist like Polnut or an even harder leftist like Barnes: Fight for your values, be clear about your stances, and as a result we will have many fruitful and entertaining political debates which make Atlasia a lively place.

At the same time, Atlasian politicians must be open to game reform so that the game can be improved continuously. If YOU are open to game reform, ZuWo/Jbrase is a smart choice. We will reinstate the Game Reform Committee and support ideas such as the separate election of the Vice President. More competitive elections make Atlasia a more interesting place to be in!

[ZuWo]

We will now take a question from our audience:

Winfield asks

Where do you stand on having a national daycare program?

To broaden that a bit:  What are the best policies for the children and families of Atlasia?

I am opposed to a national daycare program. The federal government neither has the money to put yet another huge and costly national system in place, nor do I support the general idea behind this concept. If anything, regional governments should handle this matter.

It is my personal conviction that a child should be raised in a family with a mother and a father and I do not think it is the duty of the government to bring up children by means of an obscure state-run national daycare program. The upbringing of a child, in my view, should be a private matter. Parents who are not willing or cannot care for their children during the day can make use of private daycare centers which are independent from the government. In order to create a healthy environment for families with children, I am open to the idea of tax cuts for families.

[ZuWo]

Now, I'd like to ask the candidates to name a President, either Atlasian or American, whom they admire.

This is probably supposed to be a question that should be fairly easy to answer for most candidates, but in my case it is actually a very difficult one - maybe even the hardest question that has been asked so far.

My political ideals have been shaped by the political system of my home country. The way the Swiss government is set up (7 dull politicians from diverse parties form the executive branch of the government) makes it kind of hard for a Swiss citizen to develop strong feelings - whether they are positive or negative - for a single member of the government. Indeed, I am not fond of the idea to admire a particular politician no matter how powerful he or she is, be it in Switzerland, the USA or Atlasia because the value of a single person should never be overestimated. I can certainly approve or disapprove of a politician, but I am not into any kind of personality cult.

But alright, I am not going to dodge this question completely and will focus on Atlasia. I have experienced the tenure of President Tmthforu94, Polnut and Snowguy. I clearly approve of the job Tmthforu94 and Polnut have done on the issue of game reform but can't say much about Snowguy because his presidency has been entirely uneventful.

[ZuWo]

Healthcare is a complex issue. While we must ensure that the poorest can get health care coverage, we also have a responsibility to guarantee that our citizens are not subject to a constant increase in health care payroll taxes to fund our massive health care program. A ZuWo/Jbrase administration does not want to tax people more, so our first priority is to prevent health care payroll taxes from increasing.

Indeed, we must consider both a co-payment system and a reduction of the scope of the covered services to fund the current system. For instance, I do not think medical marijuana should be part of the covered services. Additionally, we can provide tax cuts for people who would like to purchase supplemental insurance and to give our regions more competences in creating individual health care systems, which can reduce the burden of the federal government.

[ZuWo]

Here's another audience question for the candidates, on the topic of the military's role and strategy -

how will the candidates ensure our national interests are met overseas while avoiding as many troop casualties as possible

?

I and my running mate Jbrase have come to the conclusion that our nation should not get entangled in new wars. The wars we fought in the past placed a huge burden on our people in general, our troops in particular and on our budget. Our troops should ideally only be used for purposes of national defence. However, this does not mean that our country should turn a blind eye on severe global conflicts and become an isolated place. We need an effective diplomatic corps and use our economic power to intervene in conflicts wherever it is necessary. Additionally, we need to intensify military and economic cooperation with our allies - countries such as Canada, Australia, most European nations or Israel. At the moment, two of the biggest challenges we are facing are the ongoing slaughtering of the Syrian population by its own government as well as Iran's nuclear ambitions. In cases like these, a military intervention should only be our last resort. Indeed, what we need to do first is exploit all diplomatic means to secure peace and stability.

[ZuWo]

Atlasia has been investing in alternative energy sources, and is working to reduce carbon emissions through a Carbon Tax and other regulations.  Are we on the right track in terms of dealing with climate change?   Are there environmental issues that you believe we need to pay more attention to? 

It is my conviction that we have to treat the environment with care, respect, dignity and humility. Therefore, our general goal as a society should be to reduce harmful emissions of any kind and to use natural resources wisely.

Yet, here's where I differ from most of my opponents. While I believe that the government should indeed set basic rules for the protection of our environment, I doubt the usefulness of far-reaching measures such as a carbon tax or massive state investments in alternative energy sources. I say let the free markets act; if there is a need for alternative energy sources they will eventually catch on. The only kind of policy I may consider as President is tax incentives for the use of alternative energy sources, but I do not support extreme government intrusion in the energy market.

Let me be clear: There is an ongoing public and scientific debate regarding the extent and causes of "climate change", which makes me question the purpose of most policies that have been proposed, and I do believe our nation faces problems that are way more severe than "climate change".