Office of the Secretary of Internal Affairs, Speed of Sound

[Speed of Sound]

My esteemed colleagues,

Welcome to the official office of the Secretary of Internal Affairs. This space shall be used either by myself to make certain more official announcements on behalf of the department, or by others to make requests of the the department, or otherwise comment on its work. When I feel the need to make unofficial statements (e.g., press conferences on personal opinion, as opposed to official action), those shall be made through my own private office in the Fantasy Elections Board.

I will be only intermittently available throughout this evening, but I shall return here over the weekend to expound further and to make a few announcements. I thank you all in advance for your co-operation and partnership through my term, and promise the most of my own in these same regards.

Sincerely,

[Napoleon]

Looks like you went over budget.

Hi!

[Speed of Sound]

Regarding The Right Wages and Late-Term Abortion Bills

This Department takes the view of the majority of the Senate both that the bills have become law according to the Constitution and that there is no longer a reason to work with the President to come to compromise given the nature of his obstruction of legislative process. Therefore, the SoIA is prepared to enforce both of these laws to the extent which the Department is able and is accepting complaints of violation of these laws. If the President wishes to stop ours and the Senate's work in enforcing the laws, he will have to do so in court.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Governor Scott Calls On The Administration For Action

I am echoing the calls of Senator Nix urging the President to act quickly on our region's repeated calls for Federal assistance on our Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  I must emphasize once again that the Northeast Region simply does not have enough resources alone, public or private, to lift our citizens out of the muck that this hurricane has brought us, especially for the good people of New Jersey.  My executive order from October is still in effect, and funds from the proposed Northeast budget have been allocated toward a new Disaster Relief Fund, yet these remain modest efforts to curb our ongoing problems.

For the time-being, I have formally submitted a disaster relief plan to the Senate similar to the one that was used to assist the victims of Hurricane Irene last year, and Senators Nix and Ben have pledged their unwavering support for the bill.  However, we cannot afford to wait any longer for immediate assistance.

To address these efforts comprehensively, I am inviting both the President and the Secretary of Internal Affairs to formulate a plan at the Governor's Ranch tomorrow at noon.

[Speed of Sound]

As my predecessor left the orders of the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act uncompleted, I am giving an additional 48 hours to all regions to request a portion of the funding (with the requests made previously already in consideration) for "the repair, expansion, or construction of rapid bus lines in metropolitan areas". Specificity is key to securing your funding. Should no other region step up, I will distribute the money as I see fit between the Northeast, IDS, and Mideast according to my judgement and their requests. No one is getting all $8 billion.


On another note, according to the National University and General Education Reform bill , I must approve the location of regional universities.

I hereby officially approve of the Northeast's request of Presque Isle, ME.

I hereby officially approve of the Mideast's request of Elkhart, IN.

I hereby officially approve of the IDS' request of Charleston, SC.

I await the requests of the Pacific and of the Midwest (the latter of which I will go get started myself).

[Simfan34]

I condemn the choice of Presque Isle and say I am in favour of Buffalo, NY, in line with our new capital efforts.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I have no objection to this.  Thank you, Mr. SoIA.

[Speed of Sound]

I condemn the choice of Presque Isle and say I am in favour of Buffalo, NY, in line with our new capital efforts.

The reason I approved the location is that the bill calls for a location which is in need of an economic boost, and a city which is being converted into the capital will likely receive all of the boost needed.

[Spamage]

We would like our share in the Transportation Funds, also I'll get back to you on our national university.

[Donerail]

For transportation funds: which of the following would lead to the greatest economic boon for the IDS?

Linking the current Charlotte-Greensboro-Raleigh-Durham line on one side out to Rocky Mount and on the other out to Atlanta via Greenville.

Creating a new high-speed rail line from St. Petersburg to Miami via Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Sebastian/Vero Beach, Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa.

[Speed of Sound]

For transportation funds: which of the following would lead to the greatest economic boon for the IDS?

Linking the current Charlotte-Greensboro-Raleigh-Durham line on one side out to Rocky Mount and on the other out to Atlanta via Greenville.

Creating a new high-speed rail line from St. Petersburg to Miami via Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Sebastian/Vero Beach, Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa.

I am unsure still at this time of my right or, frankly, ability to project these numbers with accuracy, so I will ask of Shua if he has numbers for this, but my gut reaction is that the former really brings the whole of the region together better, and may help draw a shift in NE/ME plane traffic toward the rails, although making it easier for tourists to get around FL has its obvious upsides. My gut reaction is to prefer the former, but I'm more than open to other opinions on it, especially the GM's.

[Spamage]

I guess Reno it is

[Speed of Sound]

I guess Reno it is

Very good!

I hereby officially approve of the Pacific's request of Reno, NV.

[Speed of Sound]

I will be announcing how the funds from the Transportation Bill are being apportioned either late this evening or tomorrow morning. Either way, the deadline for modifying or making a request is 7:57 tonight. Thank you everyone, and I will be in touch about this soon. I hope to have a meta-game announcement to make in the very near future as well, so stay tuned.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     FTR, was our request legal within the parameters of the bill?

[Speed of Sound]

Emperor PiT,

Yes, it will be taken into consideration, and you will receive funds, although I hope that you understand that funds will be more readily given to those who gave detailed plans for the funds. Nobody who requested funds will go without, and likewise the Pacific will get a reasonable share per its request, though it may not be the largest. The announcement will be made today; I have been up all night with a family emergency, so I cannot make the decision now. It's resolved now fully and there is no reason why the decision won't be in at the latest at midnight tonight.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Thank you for your rapid response, SoIA Speed of Sound. I am sure that you will decide well.

[Speed of Sound]

I have made my preliminary decisions regarding the funds from the Transportation Bill. I will not be certifying any of these amounts until I am given a new plan from that region which will fit into the budget given them. Regions will be given two weeks to do this from tomorrow. I re-iterate these things below, I apologize for the overlap, but hopefully it will breed additional clarity. Again, These budgets are not yet confirmed; I will individually certify these budgets upon receiving a reasonable plan for that amount of money (or when other money from the region is proved to be available). Should this time pass without an appropriate proposal, I will re-apportion the money to another region. Please let me know of errors or concerns; these aren't official and final, so there is time for this. Thank you everyone for co-operating so well in getting this bill achieved.




As to the request of the Northeast, namely:

The Northeast requests $8 billion for rapid bus transit systems to be established or expanded in the following counties:

Penobscot, ME
Kennebec, ME
Keene, NH
Broome, NY
Chautauqua, NY
Oswego, NY
Jefferson, NY
Ontario, NY
Tompkins, NY
Steuben, NY
Wayne, NY
Chemung, NY
Centre, PA
Beaver, PA
Butler, PA
Cambria, PA
Blair, PA
Lycoming, PA
Adams, PA
Rutland, VT
Washington, VT
Windsor, VT

Given circumstances in the region post-Hurricane and given their swift response, I apportion $2.75 bil for a modified plan for the project; Should the Northeast decide to accept this money, they shall in the next two weeks provide a new plan which fits the budget, or provide their own money from their regional budget to fill out this project.

As to the Mideast's request, namely:

Thank you, Mr. SoIA, for your patience.

The Mideast Region formally requests part of the $8 billion for rapid bus transit systems to be established or expanded in the following counties within our region:

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Will, Illinois
DuPage, Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
Kent, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Washtenaw, Michigan
Vigo, Indiana (Yes, there is bias here, but we sure need it! )
Tippecanoe, Indiana
Marion, Indiana
Jefferson, Kentucky
Boone, Kentucky
Summit, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Franklin, Ohio
Kanawha, West Virginia
Henrico, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
Loudon, Virginia
Baltimore, Maryland
Anne Anrundel, Maryland
Greene, Missouri
Jefferson, Missouri
Clay, Missouri

Their specificity is appreciated and they seem to be headed in the right direction; I grant them $2.25 bil, with the the same conditions as listed above.

As to the request of the IDS, namely:

For transportation funds: which of the following would lead to the greatest economic boon for the IDS?

Linking the current Charlotte-Greensboro-Raleigh-Durham line on one side out to Rocky Mount and on the other out to Atlanta via Greenville.

Creating a new high-speed rail line from St. Petersburg to Miami via Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Sebastian/Vero Beach, Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa.

I apportion $1.75 bil, with the same conditions as above, and with the suggestion having been given to lean towards the former project.

As to the Pacific's request, namely:

We would like our share in the Transportation Funds, also I'll get back to you on our national university.

We grant $1.25 billion, under the condition that the region formally submit a plan for approval.

A portion of the $8 billion was not requested of me from the Midwest, so, given that this money is so clearly desired by the other regions, I will not be apportioning any money to the Midwest, as I fear that it would not go to use.

[Speed of Sound]

This is a reminder to the regional executives/legislatures that the DoIA will need new proposals for your portion of the money in order to get final approval for disbursement.

This is also a reminder to the Midwest executives that I need a proposal for regional university. For archiving purposes, please make a formal request in this thread.

[Speed of Sound]

Hey guys, we made great progress this session, and I appreciate all of our efforts, especially Speaker Fuzzy!

We also need to respect the SoIA, Mr. Speed of Sound, and should come to a conclusion of what we will use the transportation funds for. Possibly, a high speed rail from some location in Southern California to Reno, Nevada. The largest would be a rail from just outside, or in the rural areas of Los Angeles, which would go through San Bernardino County, and to western Nevada, where Reno is located.

Of course, we may want to use it for a subway system in Reno, to give an economic boom to the region, which could also benefit students who could travel all over the city for consumables, fabrics/clothing/accessories, and other items, but I do believe while option 1 is extremely risky, could benefit the Region. What do you think?

Sir, which would be more benificial?

I am not yet in position to drop the sort of official numbers that the GM brings to the table, and perhaps he would be able to provide more insight than me, although he has been a bit hard to find. I will give my opinion, however.

Both of these proposals would be approved should they be proposed; although I have concerns about the ability to fit option 1 into the budget given the Pacific (again, I will need to PM the GM and see what he thinks, but this report implies that 130 miles took $6 bil just in construction), but should they make it work and/or add some of their own funds, I believe that it would ultimately bring more profit and convenience to the whole region.

On the other hand, construction of a metro in Reno would be cheaper, I imagine, and be more neutral than a California-focused plan. It would increase safety and convenience for students of the new University, and the population boom there will be of some concern to the current system.

If a solution can be found (or different proof that suggest that a reasonable budget could be made), I prefer the first option; the highways are a mess in California, and it helps shrink the whole coast in travel time while also bringing attention to Nevada through one end in Reno.

I hope that this has been of help to the Pacific Council; if they have more questions, I encourage you to bring them to me.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Sorry for the delay.  Mr. Secretary, the Northeast humbly accepts the money that has been apportioned for disaster relief.  If a specific plan is required, I can try to find the necessary information, but I need to know what such a plan would entail.  Please tell me any information you need for the project.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     In the Imperial Legislature, we're currently discussing the possibility of building rapid transit bus systems in the largest and most important cities of our region. How much leeway do we have to alter our plan from what was originally proposed?

[Speed of Sound]

Sorry for the delay.  Mr. Secretary, the Northeast humbly accepts the money that has been apportioned for disaster relief.  If a specific plan is required, I can try to find the necessary information, but I need to know what such a plan would entail.  Please tell me any information you need for the project.

No problem at all, Mr. Governor. I apologize for the lack of clarity in my requirements. Fear not, as they aren't terribly demanding. I simply want to know what the general plan for the money is before I hand it out. That can mean something as simple as "we will take the money and use it to build a train/bus system from x to y". The greater specifics are for your region to decide on its own time and in its own way. I just want to see that the region understands the amount of money it is being given and has an idea that fits its new budget, since most regions had plans for larger sums than they received.

     In the Imperial Legislature, we're currently discussing the possibility of building rapid transit bus systems in the largest and most important cities of our region. How much leeway do we have to alter our plan from what was originally proposed?

I'm sorry, Mr. Emperor, that I won't be able to be of more assistance to you, but the leeway probably won't be very large on the grounds that I don't myself have access to any budget; therefore I can only give as I am given. It's a long shot, I'm sure, but you could petition the other regional executives to see if there's some excess in what they were given and would be willing to give some money over, just $.25 billion or something (perhaps even start a joint program?)? Everyone is pretty lucky, it seems, that the Midwest did not ask for funds, as they would have been even further stretched. This bill's budget is really thin for its purpose. Can I help in any other way?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Our original plan was for a high-speed rail system connecting to Richmond (with cooperation from the Mideast) and Atlanta out of North Carolina. Looking at the numbers, we realized that we don't have enough money to handle that. We also concluded that it would be nice to disperse the benefits more evenly across the region.

     As such, I was wondering, could we scotch that idea and go with more local bus systems in different metropolitan areas?

[Speed of Sound]

     Our original plan was for a high-speed rail system connecting to Richmond (with cooperation from the Mideast) and Atlanta out of North Carolina. Looking at the numbers, we realized that we don't have enough money to handle that. We also concluded that it would be nice to disperse the benefits more evenly across the region.

     As such, I was wondering, could we scotch that idea and go with more local bus systems in different metropolitan areas?

Absolutely you can. Whatever the original plan was means little to me now. It was nice to know what regions were already planning and so forth, but there wasn't much chance that any region was going to get what they needed for the projects being proposed. You are free to propose whatever use you wish for the money (within the obvious confines of the bill), and so long as it seems thought out and beneficial, I will happily approve it. I just want enough of a plan recorded that we know for posterity where the money ended up.