Senate Debate

[Napoleon]

Let's start with opening statements. Please talk about why are you running for Senate and what you hope to accomplish, and anything relevant to such.

[Speed of Sound]

Thank you for hosting, Mr. President, and thank you to everyone who tunes in.

I am running for Senate because right now we need Senators who will be active, both in showing up, but also in listening to all Atlasians and in engaging in serious discussions and compromises. The Senate has been mired in slow movement and rather cold interactions in recent times, and I want to help produce, shape, and pass legislation at a more acceptable pace. Yes, it's true that I am in many ways a very traditional leftist, but I have always brought respect for colleagues and other political views to my service in office (from long-time editor of The Atlasian Messenger, to Governor of the Midwest, to Secretary of External Affairs, and indeed even as Senator) and I want the opportunity to answer the public's call for such a voice in Nyman. It's no secret that my campaign is a gamble, one built on trust in the individual rather than on party establishment, but I believe that my message of listening before talking, of understanding that a Senator represents the whole, and of hometown compassionate but fair leftism forged in the fields with my father and grandfather will resonate with the voters.

I am excited to be here to answer the public's question and help us all deliver the best candidates to the Senate!

[Spamage]

First off I would like to give the President a big thanks for moderating the debate, its truly and honor to have him here. Also I'd also like to thank all the other candidates for attending this debate its truly a honor to be standing here with you guys:

I'm running for Senate, quite frankly, because we need bipartisanship. I understand everyone has varying ideologies- liberal, conservative, libertarian, and communitarian- and they all want to do what is best for Atlasia. If we can get all of these people to come to the table together and begin negotiating all the benefits will not only encourage activity but will also help on issues such as unemployment, gas prices, and environmental disparities. As a general moderate those are my goals. I hope that I'll be able to work with all of the Senators on both my agreements and disagreements as away to improve the amount of compromises as well as bills passed within our Federal Government. Also, another valid reason I'm running is that we need activity in the Senate and I'm confident I can provide it. It has truly saddened me that 1 of the 2 seats open is for that reason. I promise that I will work on, vote on, and propose legislation if I'm elected. I also believe an active Senator ought to listen to his constituents. Although I do have my own policies I will take into account what my constituents think is best with equal if not greater weight than what my personal views may be.

If I'm elected I have many goals. Infrastructure projects that repair existing dams to make them more efficient as well as safe for the aquatic wildlife, taxes and restrictions on those who would ship Atlasian jobs elsewhere, not to mention working on getting fair trade with emerging nations such as Brazil and India.  Not only are these all laws I will work to propose if I'm elected but also I encourage viewers to look at the bills that I've already proposed in my campaign headquarters with some new ones being posted over the next few days.

As I stated earlier its truly an honor to be here with everyone and I look forward to the rest of this debate so we can all give Atlasians a clear understanding of our views and policies if we were to be elected.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

For the last couple years, I've dedicated myself to serving the interests of working Atlasians nationwide. It's why I served as Governor of the Northeast and in the Northeast Assembly, and it's why I ran for president and got a solid second place. But there's work to be done. As Senator, I will push for greater government accountability and bring an ideology of principled but pragmatic social democracy to the table. I wish to invest more in our decaying infrastructure and in health care and education to give every Atlasian boy and girl the chance to dream big and the chance to reach those dreams. I want to make sure that our workers have the right to freely and fairly organize. When I go to Nyman, the Atlasian people will have a friend to represent them, and that someone will be an active participant in Senate debates. That's why I hope to be the next At-Large Senator.

[Spamage]

Bumping so this doesn't get missed

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

This debate better not be another dud...

Any citizens have questions for us?

[Kitteh]

Oh, is this a town hall debate? Cool. Since nobody else has questions, I'll ask a few:

Name one bill you would propose if elected to the senate.

With BK having just been thrown out for inactivity, many people are probably looking to make sure whoever they elect will be an active participant in the senate. What can you do to assure the voters of Atlasia of your dedication to the job of senator?

What is your opinion on these three bills currently being debated?
1.The Late-Term Abortion Restriction Act
2.The LGBT Dignity Act
3.The Free Refill Ban Act

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

1. We have the great resources of a balanced budget. I intend to use that surplus to propose a swathe of new infrastructure projects to maintain and build American roads, bridges, and dams.

2. To some extent, this is a question of trust. I think that the best test of my activity will come in the midterm elections. If I have been an inactive Senator, I will deserve to lose. This is a good field, and I'm confident that the two winners will come in and serve actively, but thankfully we are a democratic nation and we hold elections to keep our representatives accountable.

3a. This is a tough one for me. Abortion is fundamentally tragic; to choose to terminate the life of a human fetus is no small decision. But at least in the first trimester, it is a necessary operation for the livelihoods of many women across this nation. Third trimester abortions, however, are very different. I supported this bill early on, but after hard thought, I would vote against it unless the exceptions for a pregnancy caused by rape and incest were reinstated. In that case I would vote for the bill.

3b. Treatments for "curing" homosexuality have proven not only ineffective, but psychologically harmful to many. It is a wholly irresponsible medical practice and should be banned. Specifically, due to reasons of constitutionality, I would sympathize most with Senator Nix's amendment.

3c. As the vote seems to show, this legislation is doomed to fail for good reason. Though Senator Franzl's efforts are well-intentioned, there is a point where people must choose for themselves whether or not to take that second Coke or beer. Though the state has the duty to regulate, some decisions are a matter of personal responsibility.

[Speed of Sound]

Oh, is this a town hall debate? Cool. Since nobody else has questions, I'll ask a few:

Name one bill you would propose if elected to the senate.

With BK having just been thrown out for inactivity, many people are probably looking to make sure whoever they elect will be an active participant in the senate. What can you do to assure the voters of Atlasia of your dedication to the job of senator?

What is your opinion on these three bills currently being debated?
1.The Late-Term Abortion Restriction Act
2.The LGBT Dignity Act
3.The Free Refill Ban Act

Thank you for the questions, drj, and I'm sorry that you will only be getting answers from everyone so close to the election's beginning!

If I would love to propose a bill that further reforms the GM. Most simply, with the GM's control over most external numbers and events, I'm surprised that the current Game Moderator Reform Act allows the President, who may well be most affected by the GM's announcements, to immediately dismiss the GM without reason or approval. I believe that the GM should be better protected than that from unhappy pols. With that protection in place, I would love to see the GM's optional task of introducing "information on wars, natural disasters [and] foreign events" become easier and more encouraged. Having outside influence of this sort allows for us to more dramatically watch a term/party's control unfold, and give more complex and exciting reasons to vote for/against candidates. Perhaps this would include some sort of randomizer that helps him fairly establish trends or gives him basic sense of direction, so that he isn't forced into creating all of this himself. Perhaps we could add another GM whose only role is such things, as opposed to the equally important economic numbers being crunched currently (it should be well known that I appreciate greatly the work being done by our current GM, shua).


BK's expulsion is unfortunate indeed, and I completely understand and agree with the people's desire to once again at least have confidence that the Senators will show up and debate and vote, no matter their political preferences. The whole game lags when the Senate or an cabinet member falls behind (not to speak against them, things come up in people's real lives that change their activity and I understand this). I have not been back here and active as long as many of my opponents, all of whom I am sure would be active and respectable members of the Senate, but I hope that in the effort that I have put into well-spaced out campaign stops in my own thread and in various party's threads, etc. that I have been able to prove that I am fully prepared and, moreover, totally excited to work in the Senate again full force. For those who still remember, my actively served terms of office in the past may give proof to my claims that when I am in Atlasia, I give it my full efforts.

Regarding these three bills before the Senate:

The Late-Term Abortion Restriction Act is a bill which has my full support. Although I wonder who it will be that makes the decisions regarding what is or isn't a sufficient abnormality or risk to the mother, e.g. (can the same doctor who performs the abortions vouch for these things?) I assume in good faith that such problems will fall into the right hands in actual enforcement. I find it intriguing, and I think correctly concluded that the penalty include time off from medical duty, but not jail time; this is, ultimately, honest medical malpractice, after all (if we assume the same good faith from above). As I have stated in my platform, I do not support third trimester abortion outside of these sorts of exceptions, and I am very proud of the Senate for, at the same time, setting money aside for sex education and availability of contraceptives, which will greatly reduce a great number of problems facing our youth and indeed all sexually active Atlasians. This is a well written and debated bill and I am happy to see that it currently leads the vote 3-1.

Luckily for you all, I don't have all too much to say on the LGBT Dignity Act. This bill is well passed necessary as increasing medical research overwhelmingly suggests that homosexuality (and every part of sexuality) is not a choice, but a genetic reality, and even if it is, homosexuality and other expressions of gender and sexuality are part of one's freedom of expression and do no harm to anyone at all. Therefore, these misleading practicers of ignorance and psychological abuse have no place in our country. I do not support Nix's current amendment striking language regarding self-help/"ex-gay" associations and ministries; I support the right for people to incorrectly identify as "ex-gay", but ministries and ambiguous associations leave open too many doors for these organizations to continue to run behind our backs. I want to see the language clarified there, but I'd by a million miles rather see the current version pass than none at all.

I oppose The Free Refill Ban Act, but not because I am particularly concerned over regions' rights issue, although I do think that should a region wish to pass such a law, it is free to do so. For me, such a health problem is similar to health epidemics like overpopulation, just as an example. With honest concern for our citizens (as even opposers know that Franzl and supporters are acting with), we may and should put money into further education for Atlasians on these issues, but given that obesity doesn't directly infringe upon the health and rights of others, I just don't think the government should be stepping in in this way for sugary drinks and other such things. The precedence for restrictions on drug and alcohol consumption and possession exist, and it can be argued with the greatest of ease that over-intake of these things (least so with marijuana) in fact puts others' rights and safety at great risk, and so I support the theory of restrictions on alcohol, although this one here may not be perfectly worded for such an effort.


I hope that I have been able to answer your questions thoroughly and to your satisfaction, drj, and thank you again for taking part in the debate!

[Spamage]

1. If Elected to the Senate I would put forth legislation on my Carbon Emission tax which would greatly improve our environmental safety while also saving our nation's beautiful National Park System from cuts and budgeting problems. This will ultimately improve environmental conditions with a global impact for the better. I've already placed this as well as a similar environmental bills in my headquarters and believe they would be truly beneficial to our society.

2. I truly believe that as I've been coming to this forum almost every day for quite some time that I will be an active Senator both in voting as well as participating in debating either for or against varying pieces of Legislation. The fact of the matter is that the people will have elected me and it will be my duty to be an honest and active representative for them, anything less is just not reasonable. I realize people have personal issues and matter to attend to and I completely sympathize with that but if you leave continuously without a reason you are breaking the pledge you have made to the citizens of the nation (or region) who elected you and that's something that I believe is sometimes taken too lightly.

3. Part 1- As Snowstalker said I too feel Abortion is  tragedy. I do support the Legislation as Abortion in the 1st trimester should be allowed but beyond that period the mother has made a commitment to her child and for her to end its life is truly devastating. However, if some where in the 3rd trimester the mother has serious health problems for either her, the baby, or both of them then I believe that would be an exception.

    Part 2- Homosexuality is a part of some people's lives and for someone else to try and change that is a terrible thing. It is not a disease and can't be "cured". No one should be forced to undergo that sort of treatment unless its voluntary. Even if people have a problem with Homosexuals they shouldn't be allowed to harm them with their propaganda that is some cases is truly hurtful. They have constitutional rights as individuals and what kind of society would that make us if we take away certain groups rights based on the protests of a few?

    Part 3- This is Atlasia and companies should be allowed to make decisions about whether or not they'll offer refills to their customers and the people should be able to choose whether or not to take the refills if it's available. People will just by 2 sodas of refills aren't available and that is going to have larger affects than is currently realized. Not only will countless dollars be wasted on the manufacturing of various cups but the waste will also increase. Many cups aren't biodegradable and an already common polluting object will become even more prevalent.

In response to Nix- The position of internal affairs either needs to reformed or removed with its various spheres of control moved to other departments. It was made with good intentions but still the office holder will either have too much or too little work depending on how you view the office's job requirements. Perhaps a new office holder would change the situation a bit but if it continues as I stated earlier it needs to be removed with some of the powers going to the GM.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

To Nix: I do not feel that the problem lies with the position of SoIA. Instead, morgieb must resign or be impeached for lack of activity.