clarence and Matt for Atlasia

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Fellow Atlasians,

It is my honor to come before you to announce my candidacy for President of Atlasia. A campaign for President and a potential term as President are not commitments to be taken lightly. I enter into this with resolve, believing firmly that this campaign represents exactly what Atlasia needs. 

A year ago, I ran for the office of President for the first time. In a spirited campaign, I lost to Napoleon, a man who is now my dear friend, now but certainly wasn't then! Despite our personal rivalry, Napoleon and I gave Atlasia an election campaign we could be proud of. It involved a great discussion of the issues which promoted passion and reason. My first pledge to you in this campaign is to do just that; I will run a campaign which will make you proud to be a part of Atlasia.

My reason for that is simple- I am someone who is proud to be in Atlasia. Since coming to this board a year and a half ago, I've been astounded by the level of debate and discourse around here and have done my best to contribute to it. I have been blessed to virtually meet so many of you who have been inspirations for me despite being a fifth my age some of you.

I am honored to have one such person joining me in this campaign... the next Vice President of Atlasia: Matt. Matt is some one who has quickly risen the ranks here, not out of cunning or political savvy though he certainly has both, but out of a gift for building bridges between people of different ideologies and parties. THAT is what we need! Matt and I are a ticket which seeks to build bridges between Atlasians- we will not always agree, but we can always discuss. We can disagree without being disagreeable...

Over the coming weeks, Matt and I will unveil out platform and goals for office. You will agree with some, not with others, but we invite any and all to discuss these ideas. This forum is based on the dialogue we all have formed from our individual experiences...let us use that. To my opponents I say- I am humbled to run this race alongside you and I look forward to making this campaign one of the finest Atlasia has ever seen.

Best,
clarence and Matt

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Maxwell- thank you very much for your kind words!

Nix- Absolutely... honor to run this race with you

Hagrid- thank you, my friend!

Scott- thank you very much!

ZuWo- thank you for the endorsement and for your constant guidance since I started here

Matt- great remarks... it will be wonderful to have you as my partner in this campaign

windjammer- I appreciate the kind remarks, and I think you may be surprised by just how much we agree on!

Alfred- Thank you for the kind words but as I said to windjammer...we may agree on more then you believe

SJoyce- Thank you, Emperor!

[CLARENCE 2015!]

It's really great to see two interesting and good candidates running for President, and I would gladly vote for this ticket. The best of luck for your campaign, Clarence!

Thank you very much!

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Jerry- Thank you very much pal!

Goldwater- Thank you and it was your encouragement which helped me decide to run!

Cathcon- Thank you! Good luck running for Lt Gov with ZuWo- a great ticket

Siren- Thank you for the compliments and I appreciate your open mind...

Spamage- Thank you very much!

Winfield- Thank you very much, buddy... honor to have your support

Napoleon and bgwah- I will respond to your questions in a separate post... thank you for the question on this issue

Zanas- thank you for the compliments!

X- thank you for your compliments and second preference endorsement!

[CLARENCE 2015!]

clarence on the Dog Issue

I was proud to support Senator Nix's Freedom to Eat Act and I stand by those sentiments... I do not believe that the issue of an overwhelming majority believing something is immoral should be justification for law against it. If that were the case- gay marriage, drug legalization, integration, etc would have all been delayed or negated. I do not believe that- provided dogs who are killed for consumption are done so humanely- there is a societal interest or compelling reason to ban that practice. Some cultures include dogs in their diet- I see no reason to impede that. There are some practices I find disgusting but which should not be illegal. I would not personally eat dog but that would not lead me to deny any one else the right to do so...

I understand this is not the answer you are looking for- but if legislation were to pass such as Senator Nix's Freedom to Eat Act, I would sign it

[CLARENCE 2015!]

HP

I am sure some one whose culture includes eating dogs would feel the same about any one attempting to ban consumption!

I will tell you that I frankly consider the issue to be far down on the list of important issues to address... while it was the first one Matt and I have been questioned about, it will not be a priority

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Every issue is a current issue. Notice the talk about repealing good laws that weren't assumed to be issues only a few weeks ago? This could very well reemerge and dog lovers demand answers. FTR, I was briefly a member of the I Love Puppies Party and I worked on the Canine Protection Act with Bgwah so the issue is important to many of us.

I recognize that which is whyI give each issue its due attention... including this one. I am simply stating that it won't be a priority for a clarence/Matt administration

[CLARENCE 2015!]

What is your infrastructure vision for Atlasia in the future?

One of my regrets is not getting a bill done with Kalwejt and Snowguy... but this was a major issue in my special Senate election specifically in terms of transportation. I know "looking to Europe" is sometimes frowned upon,but this is one area in which we must- the infrastructure over there is exceptional and it is maintained by commitment of the national govt. Whether that is in the execution or simply supervision and division of regional projects I am not yet sure...

Infrastructure is an important initiative for two reasons- it provides jobs and improves lives. Adding two lanes to a highway where needed is not a frivolous project... it will reap benefits for decades to come. In terms of specific areas of need for construction or renovation- I can't speak to that but I will tell you a priority will be mass transit and high speed rail...good for the environment and for meeting citizen's needs. The transportation in Germany in particular is a model for what it would look like here- and while that cannot be done in one term, we can set the wheels in motion

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Every issue is a current issue. Notice the talk about repealing good laws that weren't assumed to be issues only a few weeks ago? This could very well reemerge and dog lovers demand answers. FTR, I was briefly a member of the I Love Puppies Party and I worked on the Canine Protection Act with Bgwah so the issue is important to many of us.

I recognize that which is whyI give each issue its due attention... including this one. I am simply stating that it won't be a priority for a clarence/Matt administration

I didn't mean to sound accusatory, I appreciate the swift response even though i disagree with your position. I just wanted to remind Matt that often times things that don't seem like they will be an issue pop up out of nowhere. In fact, the Canine Protection Act received little to no opposition, so the fact that the Freedom to Eat Act showed up out of nowhere took a lot of us by surprise. Even something that seems like a non-issue now could be the next big deal tomorrow. Such is Atlasia.

Absolutely

[CLARENCE 2015!]

I'm ecstatic that at least one candidate in the race still supports freedoms of those with different cultural habits, I'm just sorry I couldn't have endorsed this ticket sooner. 

Thanks very much, Dereich!

[CLARENCE 2015!]

HP

I am sure some one whose culture includes eating dogs would feel the same about any one attempting to ban consumption!

Anyone who eats dogs is a savage, and if they wish to join our society they should leave their savage ways behind.

I am a dog lover myself and I find the consumption of dogs repulsive... but I am sure you and I agree that some one whose morality designates gay marriage as savagery shouldn't use that metric to oppose the rights of those people to do as they please...likewise- despite my personal opposition to this practice, I believe it is a freedom that those who choose to practice this humanely

[CLARENCE 2015!]

HP

I am sure some one whose culture includes eating dogs would feel the same about any one attempting to ban consumption!

Anyone who eats dogs is a savage, and if they wish to join our society they should leave their savage ways behind.

I am a dog lover myself and I find the consumption of dogs repulsive... but I am sure you and I agree that some one whose morality designates gay marriage as savagery shouldn't use that metric to oppose the rights of those people to do as they please...likewise- despite my personal opposition to this practice, I believe it is a freedom that those who choose to practice this humanely

Gay marriage is not savagery. And that is not my opinion - it is a fact.

Others would say it is savagery and is a fact -taking Directly from the Bible

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Coming Soon- clarence/Matt on Social Issues including the War on Drugs

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Folks- a little birdie sent me a note on Facebook and let me know that things have gotten a bit calamitous around here...

First- I want to officially withdraw from the race and endorse Matt for President...while of course circumstances were difficult,I do apologize for not getting around to this sooner

Second- you all need to knock it off with this petty squabbling. In the big scheme of things, there is MUCH more important things to be upset about then a web election...I have dealt with all three candidates- Matt, Nix, and Oakvale... all three of them are very bright guys who have good ideas and intentions. I hope every one here- including you candidates- take a moment to catch your breath and hold a positive election about ideas instead of personal disputes

Now if you'll excuse me.... time to go with Wendy to get our dinner salads :-)