AT-LARGE SENATE DEBATE-Atlas Tribune

[Spamage]

     First off, I'd like to welcome all of the candidates here today. It will be my honor to host this debate and allow candidates to make their points to they voters on why they should be elected. I believe everyone in this race does bring something to the table, just in different areas.

     The opening question:
          Candidates, what will be your number one goal if you are elected? Why and how will you pursue this goal?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Hello everyone

My number one goal shall, of course, be to serve the people of Atlasia as an active Senator for the entire term. I promise that if elected, I shall not resign (barring a total RL disaster) nor accept any other job opportunity for the duration of my tenure.

If we're talking about a specifics then my first goal shall be pushing for bold reforms. Transportation is the issue I'm having on my mind. We need to make a dramatic changes. I'll be happy to get into details soon

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

First off, I'd like to thank the Tribune for setting up this debate. I look forward to this endeavor.

My first priority will, naturally, be the same as Kalwejt's: being an active Senator for the people. While I'm doing that, I'll introduce legislation to allow our foreign citizens to vote in other languages, because that's a thing that should happen and I don't care what Homely thinks. I'd also strive to help the millions of Atlasians who can't find work to do so, especially in the Pacific Region, because those people don't seem to be doing sh**t right now. I'd propose several public works programs, coordinated by the regions and the federal government alike, to both rebuild our infrastructure (and make some new stuff too while we're at it) and give Atlasians a good job upon which they can rely, at least until they get a job on their own.

[Sopranos Republican]

Good evening, thank you to Spamage for conducting this debate! My number one goal if I am reelected, is to continue to be an active Senator, and I would like to ask for your vote in this election. I have introduced a Prison Reform Bill and I will continue to work with members of all parties to ensure that Atlasia is the best it can be. One thing that has to be dealt with, is unemployment, every region has an unemployment percentage that is too high for us to accept. We must help many atlasians who can't get a job, because I believe most will do the very best they can when working.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Hello and thanks for tuning in to the debate  I first want to thank Spamage for moderating, the Tribune for holding it, and my fellow candidates for running civil and issue-oriented campaigns.  My first priority (assuming my game reform measure to create a "do not PM list" gets voted on before the election) will be to introduce an education reform proposal that will be designed to discourage school administrators from pressuring teachers to focus primarily on teaching students how to take standardized tests (usually at the expense of more important skills such as critical thinking, developing a genuine understanding of the material, etc).  

We have reached the point where a number of our schools now assign math homework entirely in multiple choice format and where teachers have often been ordered to stop assigning essays and primarily assign tests.  In the case of the math homework, the result is that the student will simply learn how to look up which answer is right rather than showing their work and being able to go back and see what they didn't understand.  I could go on with examples, but the point is that teaching to tests has become an epidemic in our public schools (especially in poor school districts).  Many school administrators are essentially throwing our children under the bus because of fears that low test scores will lead to fewer federal funds.  

Our children's education will help determine the future of Atlasia, and I for one want to make sure I've done my part to help make sure that we've laid the groundwork through our education system for a brighter tomorrow.  I fear we're not doing so, but it isn't too late to start fixing it.  I am hesitant to introduce the bill unless I know I'll be around to see it through in a non-watered down form although if I lose, I'll introduce it before leaving office and hope someone else shares my concerns.  Anyway, this is something I'm pretty passionate about and if I'm reelected I'll introduce it once the fate of my game reform proposal is determined.

[Napoleon]

Am I supposed to restrict this to one goal?

I initially decided to run for reelection because I wanted to see through some of my bills that I knew we wouldn't be able to finish with in the current session. Lately though, I feel like the Senate needs all the active leaders it can get, and I will be one who delivers on that promise. I don't shy away from standing up for my beliefs or working across party lines. When I get an idea I think is worthy of debate, I will present it to the Senate. I've introduced nearly twenty bills, resolutions, or amendments in my two month term.

Beyond my own activity, though, I want to try and get other Senators to the same activity levels. That's why instead of focusing only a specific issues I place top priority on, I'm willing to go "all over the map" with my legislation, to increase the chances of good discussions, while continuing to emphasize the importance of finding solutions. I frequently will message other Senators to try and get them involved in a debate. I've also introduced an amendment co-sponsored with Senator Nix to hold officeholders accountable for staying active.

Another goal of mine is to make sure that the other Senators know and understand the law when they go to vote. It's extremely hard to keep up with Atlasia's past and having to dig through the Wiki to find every little thing, so institutional knowledge is ever-so-important to a functioning Senate. People like Senator North Carolina Yankee and Kalwejt and I can provide critical insight into our statutory history. 

[Poirot]

Thank you Mr. Spamage. Good evening Atlasians.

My main goal will be to keep our country in good economic shape and the government in a healthy budgetary situation. That means control public spending and adopt policies that I believe will favor economic growth and make us more productive. I will do that by carefully examining bills, ask questions to get information and evaluate the effects of bills. Since you, citizens, don't always have time to keep an eye on Senate affairs, I want to be your eyes. 

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Thank you Mr. Spamage. Good evening Atlasians.

My main goal will be to keep our country in good economic shape and the government in a healthy budgetary situation. That means control public spending and adopt policies that I believe will favor economic growth and make us more productive. I will do that by carefully examining bills, ask questions to get information and evaluate the effects of bills. Since you, citizens, don't always have time to keep an eye on Senate affairs, I want to be your eyes. 

Secure beneath the watchful eyes, eh, Hercule?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Hey spamage. Thanks for hosting this little shindig.

My goal isn’t about the other senators or my own agenda—quite simply, it’s about the voters. You elect senators with the expectation that they will be active, hardworking, transparent, approachable, and honest. Since the day I started serving as a senator last September, I’ve tried to embody these qualities. I always make it clear where I stand (and why I stand there), I often bring issues to my office for further discussion with the country at large, I’m receptive to PMs, and I’m usually pretty active. I know that’s not setting the bar extraordinarily high, but if candidates can’t even promise these senatorial bona fides without some degree of reliability, well… they’ve got no business being senators. You know me already—I pass this test. Indeed, I’m happy that I seem to yield decent approval numbers from all sides of the spectrum. So with that in mind, first and foremost, it’s my goal to continue serving the voters in much the same way as I have for the last seven or eight months.

In terms of legislative priorities, I’d really like to continue working on mental health issues. More resources should be available, and we ought to do what we can to remove the stigma associated with mental health. We made some strides when I introduced the Firearms and Mental Health Act, but I’d like to renew the discourse to see what else can be done.

I also regret that I haven’t made urban issues more of a priority. I think investments in transit are important, but, more broadly, we need to encourage infill development in our city cores. I don’t have a detailed agenda (I know how quickly the minutia of a proposal can change), but walkable and compact communities can help eliminate a lot of the economic and social problems facing Atlasians. I’d like to re-introduce urban issues to the senate floor.

[MaxQue]

Thank you Spamage for hosting use in this debate.

Well, obviously, my first goal if elected is to sit with my fellow senators and listen to them to create a real communication, in order to write the best laws possible, in a constructive climate and involving them all to be active. I'll also plan to be active and to read in details every word of every bill. Problems are often in details. I'll also work on research whenever needed, whether it is current statute on the Wiki or information gathering about a specific issue.

Talking of issues, my main priority is, like I said in my campaign thread, to allow people to move from highly populated regions to the depopulated regions without delays. The specifics aren't drafted yet, so I would welcome any Atlasian interested in the issue to communicate with me to say me his opinion and ideas on that. Or on any other, in fact. My PM box is open to everyone, no matter the gender, the race, the religion, the marital status, the political party or the sexual orientation. If Federalists want to talk to me, I'm very open to hearing them, even if I'm in Labor Party.

Also, using my experience of growing in a foreign country, I'm able to think outside the usual Atlasian box and see what was made in other places. One of the biggest issues is young kids and their parents. Two things. Some areas around the world are thinking or introduced equal paternity and maternity leaves, to incite fathers to take care of their baby. There is no reason men should be discriminated against in benefits or mothers forced to care for their baby while the father is working, especially since, now, some women are winning more money than their husbands. A national child care system could be useful, even if current models around the world are quite perfectible, but I sure we can adapt that Atlasian context and improve it. Kids are our future, we should care a lot about them and inspire ourselves of more progressive North American assemblies.

So, to resume, working together, teamwork, listening, strenghtening devitalized regions and kids!
It's more than one, but, neither the other candidates have limited themselves to one, to my discharge.

[Spamage]

Thank you candidates for your responses. For our second question a Tribune reader has submitted it. The question is

"Where do you stand on education?  In what ways can our education system be improved?  Should change take place predominantly at the federal or regional level?"

[Sopranos Republican]

Education is always, no matter what the year or era, one of the most important issues. No matter what their family's financial situation, I believe our smartest students should always be able to get into a university. I also believe in education for our young convicts, particularly the ones who will not be in prison for long. My proposed prison reform bill, very much deals with education and opportunities for convicts, when they're released. The education bill passed in the Northeast Region, was a piece of legislation, that I think a nationwide education overhaul, can be modeled after. I voted for the (GET) act, because I believe excellent teachers help raise up excellent students.

[Poirot]

I believe education should be administered by the regions. They are closer to the schools and better qualified to understand the needs and characteristics of their area. Education is important for the future of our nation so the federal level should keep an eye on the education level of the country, if the federal thinks of possible improvements or desire a general policy to be implemented it should talk about it with the regional executives. I prefer textbooks and curriculum to be decided locally.

One improvement to education I would like to see is a good matching of manpower industry needs and student enrollment. Inform student better on future job prospects, if it would interest them, and offer courses to students that will be relevant to jobs out there.

On high school level I like students to have a choice of a few classes depending on their interests. I also would like parents to get interested in their child schooling, make them realize it is important so they value education and the child feels it is important too and takes it seriously. 

[MaxQue]

I won't answer in the order you asked questions, but that should the job anyways.

Education is obviously very important. It's one on the better and main way to raise from poverty to middle class and above. It's very important for other people, since knowledge is power and is more and more important as our economy undergoes the shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a tech-based one. Manufacturing economy needed manpower, tech economy needs brainpower. It's primordial for Atlasians to be well-educated, but it's also very important for keeping our nation competitive in the worldwide economy.

It's important than quality and affordable education is given to children, teenagers, young adults and adults who desire or need it.

Parents should be sure than their kid will get QUALITY education, even in inner-city, even in a public district. Some people shouldn't have bad education because they live in a bad school district.

For teenagers, the school must prepare them to two things. First, they must be prepared to upper studies if they decide to pursue it. Second, they must be prepared to live by themselves. introduction to nutrition and cooking (to instill good health habits), to economy (for them understanding it, in order to reduce people living over their means and unable to plan and budget ther expenses) and a solid sexual education (to reduce STD, abortions, teenage pregnancies and to enhance acceptation and integration of the sexual minorities).

At the university level, the main challenge is to crack down on bogus institutes and schools wheich are scams and to make education affordable, to they won't leave college/university under an heavy debt.

At the adult level, education should be made avaliable at very low cost to people dropout wanting to acquire education and to workers wanting to reorient themselves in other areas.

Before passing any other bill on education, Senate should sit and evaluate the impact of all the legislation passed by t through the year in order to evaluate what worked, what didn't and what the priorities to fix.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Thanks for the question.

“Where I stand” on education is pretty straightforward: I stand on the side of Atlasian students, and I believe our governments can do more to improve the quality of our schools. I’m sure my fellow candidates believe the same, but where we may disagree is how to actually enact these improvements. In all honesty, I actually think the federal government has accomplished a lot on this front. For example, I was happy to play a very large role crafting the Atlasian Institute of Teachers Act back in December. Basically, the AIT is a self-funded organization meant to ensure that teachers meet basic professional standards—do they know the course content? Do they know how to solve inter-student conflicts? The recently passed Gaining Excellent Teachers Act will also reward the best teachers for their excellence in the classroom. In sum, we’ve already passed a solid framework for improvements in education at the federal level. That’s why I believe it would be more appropriate for the regions to take up this issue and make the necessary improvements. For one, I amended the AIT Act to ensure that the regions would have an integral role setting their own educational standards (so, from the beginning, it was recognized that they are the real executors of education policy), and, secondly, the regions are just that much closer to the issue—they know where work needs to be done and where things seem to be working.

I think one thing the regions need to be willing to do a bit more of is to challenge the teachers’ unions on certain issues. Keep in mind that I’m actually pretty “pro-union,” but we’ve given a lot to teachers in terms of benefits and good pay—the unions need to be willing to give a little in return and let go of those teachers who have proven unsuccessful. The AIT and the GET Act help make sure that quality teachers will grace our schools—I don’t want that work undone.

So there’s the issue of teacher quality out of the way. I have less to say on the general quality of a school, but I think it’s also an important issue for the regions to address. One thing to consider might be the implementation of magnet programs at struggling schools—arts or business or technology programs could really revitalize those institutions. I’m also in favour of increased school choice, provided that local students are given priority to their local schools. I know the going argument is that no one will choose to go to the crappy schools, so the crappy schools will continue to decline, but I actually believe that these schools could benefit from smaller class sizes and actually use periods of low enrollment to rebuild. Again, though… different solutions might work better for different regions.

Again—we’ve already made progress federally. I don’t want to overstep our bounds, so let’s leave the issue to the regions where they can deal with education best. As long as everyone puts the students first, I'm optimistic.

[Napoleon]

Education has always been one of my highest priorities. To overgeneralize my own position, I tend to support more regional control for primary and secondary schools and more federal involvement at the university level. However, local, regional and federal governments have a role to play in all students' education at every level.

I'm supportive of regions' attempts to experiment with modern and progressive education policies. My administration granted a request from the Northeast region to exempt them from standardized tests as they move away from "teaching to the test". I think its a noble effort indeed. As President, I also played a crucial role in the defeat of the "Power to Parents Act", a proposed billion-plus dollar boondoggle that would have forced the federal government to provide transportation for children to schools outside their district, that would have also killed the Go Green Fund. Good schools would be overcrowded and lesser performing schools would be left with even less funding. I'm happy we averted that disaster. At the same time, I supported the law of the land in the Northeast Region that allows children to go to any school within their district. No one should be forced to go to a specific school.

For me, education is the great equalizer. Without education and the opportunities it affords, we cannot function democratically, economically, or socially. We would not be able to call ourselves a free people.

I've been highly active in education throughout my time here and I have a very strong record of improving the quality of education and the access to a quality education for all students. In the Northeast Region, I passed a law known as the Education Effort Reward Act to help high-performing students pay for their tuition (known as Napoleon scholars, but I didn't name them after myself ).

As Northeast Senator, I wrote and passed the Education Expansion and Competitiveness Act, which offers funding for maths and sciences to help Atlasian students compete in an increasingly global economy, and as President signed the Garden of Dreams Act to help educated immigrants come to Atlasia if they teach STEM courses.

I also wrote and passed the Student Loan Protection Act, preventing the Bureau of Finance for offering loans to students at for-profit universities, which are the bogus institutes and scams you heard MaxQue refer to. This was later strengthened by the National University and General Education Reform Act I pushed for and passed as President, which heavily taxes for-profit universities to encourage a change in their model. The law also establishes a small, world-class university system that is the pride of our nation, provides funding for arts and cultural classes and career and vocational training and, I believe this is very important, repeals the Tuition Tax, which most people probably didn't know we ever had in the first place.

I signed the Atlasian Institute of Teachers Act into law as President and voted in favor of the Gaining Excellent Teachers Act this session. I believe that I have an unrivaled record when it comes to working to ensure that our students have the best opportunities available to them. I'm proud to be a champion of an educated society and I will continue to be a strong voice for our students if I have the privilege of being reelected.

I'm probably forgetting something, but I think I've made the point- education is something I truly care about and you can count on me to fight the good fight.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Thanks for the question   I agree with Senator Napoleon to a certain extent about education's potential to be a "great equalizer."  In a perfect world it would be, but unfortunately that is not the world we live in.  I already discussed the issue of "teaching to the test" in my opening statement.  This is a major problem and the only solution I see to it is to end the practice of tying a school or school district's budget to standardized test scores (like the RL No Child Left Behind Act does).  I also believe that the great inequality in our education system is no longer rooted in race.  We have an African-American economic upper-class and will probably have a Hispanic one by the end of the decade.  Instead, the thing currently preventing education from being the "great equalizer" is the income disparity in Atlasia.  While there is only so much that can be done about this, I believe one important step is to replace racial affirmative action with income-based affirmative action.  Additionally, I would argue that our children are not learning one of the most critical skills until it is to late: how to manage a responsible budget and not become trapped in a prison of debt.  I think we need to work to make taking a class about this subject requirement in all of our nation's public schools (this might be something that could only be done at the state level, IDK).  I would also be open to significantly increasing teacher's salaries in exchange for the support (or at least non-opposition) of teacher's unions to making it easier to fire bad teachers.  These are just some initial thoughts and I hope to hear from both my fellow Senators and from The People once I introduce this bill (assuming I am reelected, which is up to The People).

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Well, I read through the other candidates' responses, and I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer". It damn well should - it should be a symbol of Atlasian, meritocratic values - but sadly it is not. Atlasia's poorest children simply can't afford to go to a good, top-level school or don't even know about it. That's why I, like the gentleman from the Mideast, would support a form of income-based affirmative action.

In addition, we must make our teachers the greatest teachers in the world, and that's why I support incentivizing more good Atlasians to become teachers by increasing salaries and keeping benefits safe. However, I believe that if a teacher is not properly educating his or her students, that teacher should be let go - a good or bad teacher can make all the difference in a student's life. In addition, I would support the Gaining Excellent Teachers Act, because our poorest school districts need their kids to be educated to get them out of the hole of poverty and all that bad stuff (that is the whole point of affirmative action, is it not?), and the best way to do that is with a good teacher.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I don't know if this is how the format of the debate is supposed to work, so by all means call me out, but are we talking affirmative action in the form of college acceptances? If we are, I'm going to speak against it. In a country where we're trying to make all our public schools great, I reject the idea that income is a barrier to good public education. That's what we'd imply by discriminating on the basis of income here: that poor people need special help getting into university because they're dumber than rich people. I believe the principle of this affirmative action would work against the principles behind our improvements to Atlasian public schools.

I think the "affirmative action" should come in the form of more bursaries and interest-free government loans (maybe I'm mischaracterizing things and this is what y'all were talking about in the first place), like the OSAP system in Ontario. I'd also caution that there are a lot of scholarships and bursaries already out there for students who need them and are willing to take the initiative to apply for them. My cousin actually managed to cover the entire costs of his undergraduate degree with money from bursaries. I know this scenario is rare, but all I'm saying we should do is make sure students are aware of some of these opportunities. It's too often that they go unharnessed because students, quite simply, don't realize that they are there.

[Napoleon]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

Frankly, Mr. Senator, I didn't say I agree with you because I don't. You say that education is the great equalizer. Senator X and I say that it should be, but tragically is not right now.

[Napoleon]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

Frankly, Mr. Senator, I didn't say I agree with you because I don't. You say that education is the great equalizer. Senator X and I say that it should be, but tragically is not right now.

Education is the great equalizer. If it isn't, what else is? Are you saying that because our system is imperfect, that we need to find something other than education to achieve these goals? Otherwise you aren't making any sense by saying you disagree with me. Or are you saying you disagree with my stances on education? If so, which?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

Frankly, Mr. Senator, I didn't say I agree with you because I don't. You say that education is the great equalizer. Senator X and I say that it should be, but tragically is not right now.

Education is the great equalizer. If it isn't, what else is? Are you saying that because our system is imperfect, that we need to find something other than education to achieve these goals? Otherwise you aren't making any sense by saying you disagree with me. Or are you saying you disagree with my stances on education? If so, which?

I think he means we need to improve our education system so that it can be the great equalizer of Atlasian society.

[Napoleon]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

Frankly, Mr. Senator, I didn't say I agree with you because I don't. You say that education is the great equalizer. Senator X and I say that it should be, but tragically is not right now.

Education is the great equalizer. If it isn't, what else is? Are you saying that because our system is imperfect, that we need to find something other than education to achieve these goals? Otherwise you aren't making any sense by saying you disagree with me. Or are you saying you disagree with my stances on education? If so, which?

I think he means we need to improve our education system so that it can be the great equalizer of Atlasian society.

Which is what I'm saying. And doing. Anyway, I'm interested in hearing how Alfred intends to make improvements. We already have the GET Act and affirmative action won't improve the quality of our schools' provided education.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

I agree wholeheartedly with Senator X on the subject of education being a "great equalizer".

Ahem.

Frankly, Mr. Senator, I didn't say I agree with you because I don't. You say that education is the great equalizer. Senator X and I say that it should be, but tragically is not right now.

Education is the great equalizer. If it isn't, what else is? Are you saying that because our system is imperfect, that we need to find something other than education to achieve these goals? Otherwise you aren't making any sense by saying you disagree with me. Or are you saying you disagree with my stances on education? If so, which?

I think he means we need to improve our education system so that it can be the great equalizer of Atlasian society.

Which is what I'm saying. And doing. Anyway, I'm interested in hearing how Alfred intends to make improvements. We already have the GET Act and affirmative action won't improve the quality of our schools' provided education.

But it will improve access to education for poor Atlasians, making it more equalizer-y.