Senator HagridOfTheDeep—Nyman Office

[ZuWo]

I endorse you not only because you're a fellow conservative but also because during the entire last session you offered extremely valid input on various bills, which made other Senators look at certain issues from a different perspective. With Senators like you, there is real diversity in the Senate!

[Wisconsin+17]

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* Ben Kenobi adds Bacon to sexy cookie.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

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* Ben Kenobi adds Bacon to sexy cookie.

I must admit, I didn't anticipate this workaround...


Also, thanks everyone for your your kind words. They really mean a lot.
If y'all have any questions you want to ask me, don't hesitate.

AND... expect a slight banner change soon. I need to figure out how to fit the word "Federalist"...

[NHI]

I endorse him with great enthusiasm. He'll continue to do well!

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I preferenced Hagrid high the first time he ran because I looked into his eyes and saw a man with a plan, and he hasn't disappointed me. I do hope to see him reelected to the senate, as he serves The People as well as anyone there right now, sans my ghost and Yankee.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Thanks, Duke.

Thanks, NHI.

[Goldwater]

In case I haven't already mentioned it, you have my full endorsement.

[TJ in Oregon]

Endorsed!

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I'm lovin' this. Thanks so much. I won't let you down.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

So, I'm wondering what people think about the Atlasia Institute of Teachers Act. I think it unnecessarily expands the federal bureaucracy and undervalues the role that regions can play in meeting federal standards. I'm not the most educated on this topic though, so input is welcome.

I figure I'm an at-large senator, so I might as well put myself out there.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

—Short Period of Absence—
Senator HAGRIDoftheDEEP

Hi everyone—

Just issuing a statement to let everyone know that I'll be pretty pre-occupied over the next five or six days with real life exam work. I'll be monitoring events as best I can, but I'll probably have to put my participation in senate debates on hold. Same goes for answering questions about my candidacy and running campaign events.

Thanks,

Hagrid

[Wisconsin+17]

It's a good idea, but this bill is complete garbage.

Here would be my counterproposal.

The Atlasian Institute of Teachers (AIT) shall be established as a professional, non-union, non-political professional organization for the teachers of Atlasia. The AIT shall establish and maintain branches in the regions and work with regional authorities.

The purpose of the AIT is to provide private licensing for qualified teachers. All teachers wishing to seek qualification through the AIT, shall submit, their credentials to the AIT, and the state that they wish to teach.

Successful applicants to the AIT will pass an examination to ensure their competency. Upon passing said examination, the applicant will earn a teaching certificate for the state that they wish to teach.

The board of directors, for the first year of establishment for the AIT will consist of the president of Atlasia, the opposition party of atlasia, and a representative from each region. After a year, this board of directors will disband, after private interests have opened AIT branches across Atlasia.

Once a year for the first five years, the AIT shall have to submit recertification to ensure that the program continues to maintain qualification. After five years, recertification will proceed every 5 years. 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

How do you feel about my poker bill?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I'd like to thank you guys for your questions and your opinions. I'm just checking in for a couple minutes now and then have to scurry on back for some essay writing. I'll be back to my full senate and campaign duties on Tuesday.

Thanks for your understanding! I really do hate to do this.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I'm back.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

—Voting History—
Senator HAGRIDoftheDEEP

Hi everyone—

I've compiled a record of my voting history in the senate over the course of my first term. I try to outline what each bill set out to accomplish and why I voted the way I did. Hopefully you will find this of some use.

Cheers,

Hagrid



Aye

End to the Zombie Apocalypse Act—(PASSED)
This bill redefines the activity requirements necessary to cast a vote in Atlasian elections—citizens with more than ten posts within the eight weeks preceding an election are eligible to vote, assuming they meet the other requirements. There had been confusion about the activity requirements during the last senate election, so I thought it would be in everyone’s interest to clearly specify what these requirements are. Moreover, the lower post requirements make it easier for new members to become involved and for older members to re-enter the game. Win-win.

Capital Punishment Abolition Amendment—(PASSED)
I voted in favour of this amendment—I do not believe the state should condone, endorse, or participate in the institutionalized death of Atlasian citizens.

The Contempt of Congress Act –(PASSED)
This bill deters Atlasian officials from refusing to appear in front of a senate committee. Contempt of Congress is now a criminal offence punishable by law. I believed that the committee system would be at risk of falling into obscurity if there was not an enforcement mechanism to ensure that everyone took them seriously. It should be noted that no one has yet been charged with Contempt of Congress—here’s hoping it stays that way.

Amendment to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee Resolution—(PASSED)
Just a procedural vote that fixed how the GOR Committee is run.

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the 2012 Presidential Elections Board—(PASSED)
This bill was mostly just a joke bill for us senators to express our frustration with the growing number of hacks on the 2012 boards. I was pleased to take whatever action I could against mondale84. God bless him.

Atlasian Seal Act of 2012—(PASSED)
This bill established a competition for a new Atlasian seal. Guess it never really came to be, but the move was well-intentioned.

Election Do-Over Act—(FAILED)
I proposed this bill to deal with the problem of ballot errors in federal elections. As it stands, there is no protocol to fix errors. This was particularly concerning to me when a constituent’s name was left off an important ballot to fill a senate vacancy. Although the president issued an executive order to try and prevent future errors, it was in no way binding—there is still no real way to “fix” wrongly administered elections. I proposed a do-over option. The president raised issues about its constitutionality, and ultimately vetoed it after his passage. I did not take up the issue any further, as senate participation was—to say the least—quite lacking at the time.

Get It Over With Resolution—(PASSED)
Another procedural vote. There was really no mechanism to deal with senate turnover and committees.

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iran Resolution—(FAILED)
This resolution was extremely contentious. I believe Iran poses a unique and distinct threat to the balance of International order. In the case that events would necessitate military action against Iran, I believed the president should have our blessing. This decision was not taken lightly. I addressed my position on Iran quite extensively during the last senate campaign, so I’d encourage everyone to take a look back through this thread if they’re interested.

Getting Real About the Cabinet Amendment—(FAILED)
This bill would have eliminated the SoIA position. Under Secretary morgieb, things were not exactly operating smoothly at the Department of Internal Affairs. As the senate continued to pass bills that further increased the role of the SoIA—who’d historically been quite inactive—I believed we should try something different and remove the position completely. I am glad that the current SoIA has seemed to rise to his duties with enthusiasm and dedication.

Late-Term Abortion Restriction Act—(PASSED)
I was so happy to see this bill pass with a lot of bipartisan support. The bill bane doctors from performing abortions on fetuses who’d be viable outside the womb. There were some exceptions made that seemed to satisfy everyone while still maintaining the spirit of the bill. When one senator sought to include a provision granting funds to regions for safe-sex education programs, I was pleased that we were able to secure the possibility for regions to opt-out of these funds without penalty. Generally, I think this bill was one of the greatest accomplishments we achieved during my first term in office.

Right Wages for the Right Regions Act—(PASSED)
This bill passed in a very close 6-4 vote. It provided regions with the option of lowering their minimum wages from $12  (not sure of the equivalent in Dibbles) to $10.50. I believed it was a necessary move to increase hiring and improve the jobs situation in Atlasia.

Impeachment Clarification Amendment—(PASSED)
This amendment was mostly procedural. It injected the Judiciary Committee into impeachment proceedings.

Explusion OSPR Amendment of 2012—(PASSED)
Procedural. It clarified what it meant to post a notice of absence.

Natural Disaster Relief Act of 2012—(PASSED)
The bill gave what I considered much-needed funds to regions suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Voting Intention Senate Resolution—(PASSED)
This resolution allows senators to vote using the smiley method used in the Midwest. I approached this resolution from the perspective that the Midwest’s voting method is something like an official language. Thus, I believed the senate should recognize that language during its own proceedings.

Development, Relief, and Education Act for Alien Minors’ or the ‘DREAM Act.’—(PASSED)
This bill was the culmination of a lot of good work done by a lot of good senators. It was unfortunate that the president almost rendered it all meaningless. Basically, the bill grants amnesty to young illegal immigrants who have served our country or who have achieved a reasonable level of success in Atlasian schools. While the inclusion of GPA requirements was controversial, I believed that blanket amnesty could not come without conditions. The GPA requirement will also help ensure that these immigrants becomes successful and contributing members of Atlasian society.

October 2012 Foreign Policy Review—(PASSED)
This review outlines Atlasia’s international relationships. I was pleased to contributed to its passage, and I am glad that we continue to maintain an open relationship will allies like Canada.

Garden of Dreams Act—(PASSED)
I will admit that debate on this bill came during a very busy period during my life, so I was not able to participate in debate as much as I would’ve liked. This bill gives permanent resident status to immigrants holding advanced degrees. I supported the bill because I believe that these individuals can become important players in our economy.

Trade Agreement Re-evaluation Commission—(PASSED)
This legislation creates a panel that will re-evaluate some of our trade agreements. While I did not feel strongly one way or the other about this proposition, I did believe that it could provide a useful framework for the re-evaluation of our foreign aid commitments. Taking an effort to re-examine foreign aid was a campaign promise of mine, so I was glad that it passed as a provision of the final bill.

The Additional Relief Money Act—(PASSED)
This bill gave more money to the regions in order to help them better deal with the consequences of Sandy.


(Cont'd in next post...)

[HagridOfTheDeep]

(...cont'd from previous post...)


Nay

Shut Yo Face Resolution—(PASSED)
In its original form as a bill, this legislation would have made it a punishable offence to post anything other than the required registration information in the registration thread. I perceived this bill as a real threat to free speech rights. Even though it was changed to a resolution, I still believed it was not the senate’s business to officially condemn an individual’s right to freely express him- or herself. Still, I hope people will heed homely’s request that they keep unnecessary banter to a minimum.

National University and General Education Reform bill—(PASSED)
I was the lone dissenting vote on this bill. I maintained that the government had no prerogative to so aggressively enter the education front—this issue belongs to the regions. Moreover, the bill has no opt-out mechanism: Any regions not wanting a federal university will see their moneys go to another region. As such, any region wanting to keep education concerns within its own jurisdiction has to deal with out-of-region, federally-inflated competition for existing universities—I wasn’t a fan of that. The bill also put a 50% tax on the revenues of universities that don’t accept federal loan money. So now we’ve got the government picking and choosing which system wins. All in all, there were way too many negatives for me to support this legislation, and I’m surprised it got as many votes as it did.

Progressive Traffic Fines Act—(FAILED)
All I can say, is thank God this failed. It would have made traffic fines proportionate to one’s income. I believed this practice could lead to discrimination amongst police forces—if the city or region is strapped for cash, why not pull over the guy driving the Jaguar? Fines should be tools for enforcing laws, not tools for making money.

Free Refill Ban Act—(FAILED)
This bill would have banned the practice of offering free refills at restaurants and the like. That’s a huge no-no for me. Give people the freedom to make their own choices.

Omnibus Gun Policy & Safety Act—(PASSED)
Basically, the contentious elements of the bill came down to these: This bill creates a new registry for handguns and also bans a number of groups for owning guns. I didn’t like the registry, because experience in Canada has shown that it can become an extremely expense endeavour. Moreover, the registry was not seen to prevent crimes so much as it served as a tool for police officers to know whether or not they should let down their guard at domestic calls. I also considered it something of an invasion of privacy. The real kicker to me, though, was that bill bans certain individuals from owning guns. To me, that provision was absolutely unconstitutional, and I believed the only thing we could do was prevent at-risk individuals from purchasing guns.

LGBT Dignity Act—(PASSED)
I was also the lone dissenter on this one. The bill bans all forms of reparative therapy that seek to erase one’s homosexuality. While I am personally against these practices, I did not believe the Atlasian government had the right to completely shut them down. More invasive forms of alternative medicine are legal in the United States, so I could not find any justification for selectively banning these institutions. Everyone disagreed with me, but I believed the bill would infringe on Atlasians’ freedom of speech and freedom of association.

The John Engle Memorial Act—(FAILED)
No comment.



Abstain

Worker Co-operative Pilot Program—(PASSED)
I did not cast a vote one way or another on the bill because I had been sworn in after debate. I felt like it was not my place to cast a vote without having contributed to deliberations.

Senate Committee on Internal Affairs Creation Resolution—(PASSED)
At the time this resolution was proposed, we were also debating whether or not we should eliminate SoIA position altogether. I did not believe the SoIA position had achieved what it was meant to achieve, so I was hesitant to create a committee that would actually increase this position’s power. Still, I understood the need for a committee dealing with, say, urban affairs, which is something of a passion of mine. I so torn that I ended up abstaining.

Amendment to the Amendment Amendment—(PASSED)
This amendment redefines the requirements necessary for citizen initiatives to make it onto the ballot. Less signatures on the initial proposal are now required. I abstained because I don’t believe there’s been any follow-through on these initiatives at all, and, to be honest, I didn’t really care one way or the other. I was happy to leave it to the citizenry to make a decision. As a citizen, I did vote in favour of the amendment, in the hopes that citizen initiatives will become a bigger part of the game.

[JerryArkansas]

You sir are now enorsed by me

[HagridOfTheDeep]

You sir are now enorsed by me

Thanks! Make sure you remember to vote!

[Wisconsin+17]

Hi, people. all of you wanting to vote for Hagrid, please come out in support of me in my recall petition. We need all the help we can get to defeat labour once again.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yeah... I mean, I wasn't a huge fan of the secessionist talk, but you smoothed things over pretty well. So if you ask me, this recall is nothing more than a thinly-veiled partisan attempt to rewrite the will of The People. I don't like it.

[Wisconsin+17]

Well, let's fight together! Let's shut Labour down from the double header, once this week, and then once again in the elections.

[Adam Griffin]

Yeah... I mean, I wasn't a huge fan of the secessionist talk, but you smoothed things over pretty well. So if you ask me, this recall is nothing more than a thinly-veiled partisan attempt to rewrite the will of The People. I don't like it.

I'd just like to point out that this was no vast left-wing conspiracy. I can say, however, that the continued persistence of associating, lumping together and bad-mouthing various groups is certainly creating additional cohesion. It also doesn't change the fact that the Legislator in question attempted to commit secession, which is treasonous. Just because he backed down in the face of consequences doesn't mean the rule of law is abandoned.

I'd also like to take the time to remind those who consider us uber-partisan that we just endorsed a Federalist for Senate. All he had to do was ask.

In addition, I'd like to take the opportunity to say that Senator Hagrid is very dedicated to his job and brings a thorough approach to his work. I miss working with him in the IDS Legislature as we were able to pass bills with a great amount of compromise on a number of occasions. Downright amicable, this guy. Out of all the native Whigs, I can say that Hagrid is my favorite.

[Wisconsin+17]

Adam, you earned your seat the same way I did. Why not vote against Bacon King? You say it's not about partisanship, so here's your chance to prove it.

I withdrew the secession legislation. If that was the real reason you signed the petition, then you have no cause to vote against me now.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Hey, Adam. Thanks for the kind words. I also liked working with you. And I’ll have to say the same thing of you: You bring a thorough approach to your work—and I’d venture to say that your efforts often go toward much more useful endeavours than mine.

Re: this latest development… I can’t tell you if it was planned or not, but you can’t deny that the recall was pretty exclusively supported by members of a certain group. So my claim of a “partisan effort” isn’t exactly off-base. And let’s be honest about the context here: What we’ve seen tonight is just one event in a series of… um… let’s say controversial—initiatives. I mean, we can do the politicking and the spinning all we want, but the Seatown case and Operation Cottonfield weren’t exactly met with unanimous well-wishes.

Also, I was legitimately glad to see you endorsed spamage. I was a bit too weary about the state of IDS politics to venture in there myself, but I guess he didn’t harbour that same weariness. I wish him luck—I’m sure he’ll get much more support from you folks than I will. Which I may or may not take as a compliment.