Office of Chairman TNF: Red Army takes NM, UT, ID, AZ

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Greetings fellow Mideasterners. Today I am proud to announce my candidacy for Mideast Assembly as a member of the Labor Party from the great commonwealth of Kentucky! I would like to ask for your support in my campaign to make the Mideast into a just, humane, and progressive region of which all Atlasians can be proud.

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ENDORSED

Thank you for your endorsement, drj101!

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Endorsed for 2nd preference!

Thank you, Gass!

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In addition to supporting the implementation of the Labor Party platform at the regional level, I would, if given the opportunity to serve as your Assemblyman, press for legislation to establish a regional bank not unlike the Bank of North Dakota, establish paid sick leave as a right of employment, expand access to apprenticeship programs as viable alternatives for those who wish to forego a college degree, reform the Mideast's labor laws, and establish a state-owned insurance company.

If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask. I want to be an open an accessible candidate and an open and accessible member of the Mideast Assembly.

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How would you seek to change the labor relations bill I and the center-left Assembly passed in January?

Ideally I would like to see an amendment to the Labor Relations Act that bans the use of replacement workers during a strike (also known as scabs), raise the amount possible for fines for companies in violation, reduce the number needed to forego an election and recognize a union on cards signed from seventy-five percent to fifty percent, remove language that bars "regional prosecutors, regional public defenders, and regional employees of departments dealing with road repair, snow removal, trash collection," from striking. I would also like to implement a policy similar to Germany's co-determination in the Mideast.

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What would be your governing style/approach/philosophy if elected?

I'd like to think my governing style would be focused on working with others in the Assembly and working with our Governor to make the Mideast a better place. I am no doubt a progressive, but I consider myself to be part of "the left-wing of the possible," and would not let perfect become the enemy of the good. I pledge myself to work with members of all parties in the Mideast and all persons in the Mideast to make the Mideast a better place for all of its residents.

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Endorsed

Thank you for your endorsement, Sen. X!

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TNF for Mideast Assembly 2013
Working for the Atlasian Worker

I advocate and pledge myself to the following program:

Labor

The use of replacement workers during industrial disputes, also known as 'scabs' is unconscionable and a violation of the right of labor to a redress of grievances at the bargaining table. I resolve to end the use of replacement workers for workers going out on strike and make it illegal to 'permanently replace' or fire any worker because he or she is participating in a strike action.

As it stands, the amount of fines administered for violations of the Labor Relations Act cannot exceed fifteen percent of a company's total income. Fifteen percent could simply be the 'cost of doing business' for many, especially those companies large enough to wage prolonged battles against organized labor. I favor an increase the total amount of fines that can be administered from the current fifteen percent to twenty-five percent.

As it stands, to forego an election for union representation, seventy-five percent of workers must sign union cards. This is an unreasonable number, as only fifty percent of workers are needed to sign union cards to decertify a union at any given workplace in Atlasia. I favor the reduction of the number of signatures needed to forego an election from the current seventy-five percent to a more reasonable fifty percent.

The Labor Relations Act currently bars a number of public employees from going out on strike, deeming them emergency personnel. While this is no doubt true for a number of those occupations specified, some of those designations are arbitrary in my opinion and should be removed from the list of those banned from engaging in a strike action. I therefore favor removing the following language and allowing these previously barred public employees to strike: "regional prosecutors, regional public defenders, and regional employees of departments dealing with road repair, snow removal, trash collection."

The right of labor to govern its own affairs, and to participate in the governance of those forces that govern the lives of everyday workers, is absolutely necessary if we are to establish a truly democratic society in the Mideast. I therefore favor requiring half the members of the board of directors for any company employing more than 1,000 employees to be elected representatives of labor.

Recognizing that the right to health and wellbeing requires the right to take a leave of absence in the event of sickness on the job, I favor the implementation of a paid sick leave law in the Mideast.

Recognizing that early childhood development is dependent upon parental attention and interaction, I favor the implementation of paid parental leave in the Mideast, to be shared by both mothers and fathers.

Recognizing that the right to time off is as important as the right to employment, I favor the implementation of a paid leave law, with designations for short paid vacations and longer, paid long-service leave.

Recognizing that fair wages are a right all workers should rightfully enjoy, I favor the implementation of stronger fair pay legislation for women, a strong statute to dissuade wage theft and stiff punishments for violators, a living wage law, stricter enforcement of wage and hours laws, and a law providing for double-time for those working federal or regional holidays, as well as time-and-a-half for all those workers who work weekends.

Recognizing that students should be in school and not at work, I favor reducing the number of total hours possible for work for those enrolled in any educational program or school to 24 hours per week, with no loss in pay for those affected by this change.

Recognizing that unpaid internships are a form of unjust and uncompensated work, I favor banning unpaid internships and requiring that all internships in the Mideast be paid internships from this point forward. Further, I favor a ban on prison labor and the sale of products made utilizing prison labor.

The unemployment insurance system, as it currently operates, penalizes those who willfully quit their jobs in search of better ones, in spite of the fact that workers pay into the system itself. Barring a full assumption of unemployment insurance, I favor allowing unemployment insurance to be collected by those individuals who willingly quit their jobs. Furthermore, I favor transforming the unemployment insurance system into a kind of job insurance program that keeps workers working and paying taxes if they cannot find stable employment.

I support ending the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities, as well as treating part-time workers the same as full time workers with regard to benefits, wages, etc.

I support the creation of a support the creation of a fund for workers which would pay a worker’s full wages and health insurance as well as necessary educational and/or retraining costs if that worker loses a job due to environmental transition, down-sizing, corporate dismantlement, or capital flight. (Thanks to the Socialist Party USA for this brilliant suggestion)

I support tougher workplace safety laws and increasing regulation to prevent needless and senseless deaths on the job.

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TNF for Mideast Assembly 2013
Working for the Atlasian Worker

I advocate and pledge myself to the following program:

Education

I support the full and equal funding of schools in the Mideast to guarantee that no Mideastern child is denied a quality public education. I believe that a regional curriculum should be adopted and designed with the aid of teachers and their democratically elected representatives, i.e. their labor union representatives.

Further, I support a ban on any public funding going to a private educational institution, and a ban on charter schools and so-called "school choice" schemes that only serve undermine our public education system. I support the creation of a regional higher education system based on the California Master Plan for Higher Education.

Class sizes are too big. I support the reduction of class sizes for elementary education to ten, fifteen for secondary education, and capped at twenty for higher education.

I support any and all efforts to establish public child care services in the Mideast.

I oppose merit pay for teachers, standardized testing, homework, letter-based grading systems, corporate financing of schools or educational activities, and competition between schools within the same school district.

I support an expansion of technical training and creating partnerships with public and private institutions to expand the number of available apprenticeships and internships.

If elected, I promise to introduce legislation that will create an 'educational lottery' that will randomly assign students to schools within the areas that they live. This will prevent the segregation of schools and will allow for positive advancement of all students, while not creating a situation that could lead to "white flight" or any number of negative policy outcomes.

I would support legislation that would allow teachers more control over the day-to-day operations of the schools they work in, including a union hiring hall.

I support science-based sexual education in schools.

I believe in full and free access to information, and thus favor public ownership of online databases residing within the Mideast.


More to come. Any questions, comments, or corrections thus far?

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What about charter schools designed primarily to help special needs students, such as individuals with autism?  Many of those sorts of charter schools are the only reason that many children are not left behind by the Atlasian education system.  Would you support an exemption for such schools from any ban on charter schools?  I also wondered if you would support a single national curriculum for schools?  Lastly, would you mind elaborating why union representatives should be involved in determining school curriculums?

Senator X,

I would not favor an exemption for charter schools that cater to the need of special needs students. This is not because I am opposed to helping special needs students (nothing could be further from the truth), but because I am opposed to the charter school model. What I'm arguing here is that those schools, which are specially designed for special needs students, should be under public ownership, rather than under private ownership.

I would support a national curriculum, provided that it was created with the input of teachers.

As for why union representatives should be involved in designing the curriculum, it's because the teachers' unions are democratically elected representatives of teachers themselves. They act as representative bodies for the teachers, who should be intimately involved in designing any regional or national curricula. Indeed, they should have the most weight, because they know the trade.

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Endorsed!

Thank you for the endorsement, Griffin!

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I wish that we had a few more candidates like you in the Northeast. Endorsed!

Thank you for the endorsement, Senator Nix!

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TNF for Mideast Assembly 2013
Working for the Atlasian Worker

I advocate and pledge myself to the following program:

Agriculture

I support the full reintroduction of hemp farming, for both industrial hemp and hemp that can be processed and made into smokeable Cannabis.

I support a gradual shift to post-farming agriculture, with necessary research and development funding and a just transition for those who moved away from currently existing farms as a result.

I support country-of-origin labeling for all agricultural products sold in the Mideast.

I support the continued use of genetically modified foodstuffs and would oppose any and all efforts to ban genetically modified foods. GM foods are a way to feed the whole of our region and beyond, and misguided, unscientific policies that seek to hamper the feeding of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, are wrong, pure and simple.

I support expanding agricultural education in Mideastern schools.


Democracy

The present size of the Mideast Assembly, at five members, is static and does not reflect the growth of the Mideast's population. I support an expansion of the Mideast Assembly from the current five members to seven members, as was proposed earlier this year in the form of a constitutional amendment that ultimately failed.

The voting system that elects members of our Assembly is antiquated and should reflect the reality of the emerging party system in the Mideast. I therefore favor a constitutional amendment moving the election of our Assembly members to a closed, party-list system of proportional representation.

I support lowering the voting age to 16.

I support allowing former felons to vote and allowing those currently incarcerated to vote.

I am opposed to denying any person the vote on any basis other than that person being under the age of 16. Likewise, I am completely opposed to the introduction of a Voter ID law and instead favor the imposition of an automatic voter registration system, not unlike the system that exists in present-day North Dakota.

I support strict limits on campaign finance, including a ban on all paid political advertising in the Mideast.

I support equal time requirements for all candidates in local media.

I am intrigued by the possibility of postal voting and online voting, and would like to implement a more diversified system of voting across the region to promote voter turnout.

I support the election of judges.


Energy

I support the creation of a 'Mideastern Energy Authority' on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) model. My proposed MEA would acquire ownership of all energy sources and energy producers in the region and coordinate a regional energy plan that keeps prices low for consumers, moves towards sustainable growth and development, and allows the Mideast to sell energy to other regions and make a bit of a profit from it.

I support a low income energy allowance to prevent 'energy poverty' among the poorest Mideasterners, especially in the winter, as we all know how cold and snowy the region can become.

I am opposed to any and all efforts to restrict nuclear power production or close down nuclear power plants. I favor the rapid expansion of nuclear power facilities to the extent that by 2023, I want to see a Mideast that generates 75-90% of it's power from nuclear energy sources. All of this should be properly regulated and done under the auspices of a public energy authority.

I support a ban on mountaintop removal.

I am also opposed to a ban on fracking. Fracking can be done safely, provided that it is well regulated. We would be passing up a massive opportunity if we pass up the ability of the Mideast to create hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of well-paying jobs in the natural gas sector.


Revenue

I support an elimination of any tax breaks currently given to businesses that are counterproductive to the interests of our communities, states, and region. We should not assume the responsibility of taking care of hundreds of thousands, or millions, of Mideasterners that are employed by businesses that can and should pay a living wage. If private companies want to set up shop in our communities and our region, we welcome them, but we will not continue, as a region, to subsidize low wage work.

I support tax relief to renters equal to that of homeowners.

I support the imposition of a luxury goods tax, a steeply progressive regional income tax, and a progressive inheritance tax. I am opposed to the introduction of new taxes that are inherently regressive, as well as increases in regressive taxation.

I support exemptions in the sales tax for food, clothing, medicine, educational materials, and certain labor saving devices.

I support a financial transactions tax.


Science

Scientific development is the most important course that we, as Mideasterners, can take. I thus support any and all ethical efforts to advance scientific knowledge in the Mideast.

I support the creation of a Mideast Institute of Science and using the proposed MIS to fund research and development projects on a case-by-case basis, favoring projects that will improve the wellbeing of the average Mideasterner, without political interference.

I support more funding for Mideastern science classes, as well as a cap on secondary science class sizes of ten students per one teacher, in order for more science experiments to be carried out and more research to be done at the secondary level.

I support doubling the number of full time, paid researchers.

I want to see the Mideast become the hub of scientific innovation and development for all of Atlasia. Whatever means to make those ends a reality, I will support.


More to come.

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Endorsed

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Thank you both for your endorsements!

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TNF for Mideast Assembly 2013
Working for the Atlasian Worker

I advocate and pledge myself to the following program:

Health Care

I support the creation of a single-payer health insurance system in the Mideast, with full standard coverage for medical, dental, vision, and mental health coverage for every Mideasterner.

I support the establishment of a regional 'Pharmacare' program that allows the region as a whole to bargain with, and negotiate for, lower drug prices.

I support educational programs to prevent drug addiction, treatment programs rather than prison sentences for the addicted, and wide availability of clean, sterile needles for those still using intravenous drugs, as well as a maintenance program for such addicts.

I support the right to choose or refuse treatment, as well as the right to death with dignity.

I support price controls on medical procedures and equipment.


Media

The Internet is the greatest forum democracy has ever known, but it is being further and further encroached upon by profit-driven corporations with no regard for the right of communication or free access to information. I support all efforts to reclaim the Internet, including public ownership of the Internet backbone, including a majority ownership of bandwidth and regional ownership of all large Internet databases housed within the region. I am steadfastly opposed to any efforts that would alter Network Neutrality and am likewise opposed to any censorship of the Internet by any corporation or government agency. I will not support legislation that would help corporations crack down on so-called copyright violators online and instead support a gradual move away from monopoly copyright ownership.

I support a ban on rules that would force companies to build 'Digital Rights Management' technology into electronics and appliances.

I support public funding for newspapers and magazines, with public funding be granted in proportion to the number of subscribers the said paper or magazine has.

I support regional ownership of telecommunications and the establishment of telecom co-operatives to provide cheap service to Mideasterners. I further support a regional broadband network that would allow all Mideasterners access to the Internet.

I support the establishment of a regional, public broadcaster based upon the BBC model and funded by a general tax on advertising.


People

I support the abolition of the death penalty and the abolition of life imprisonment. No person should be imprisoned for an amount of time longer than 1/4th of the average life expectancy for an Atlasian citizen.

I support an end to the drug war in the Mideast and favor the legalization, taxation, and regulation of Cannabis, Psychedelic Mushrooms, and LSD. I support decriminalization of all hard drugs, with the creation of drug maintenance programs to wean addicts off of harder drugs, free access to sterilized needles, and rehabilitation rather than prison for addicts. I also support the abolition of the drinking age, but continue to favor a legal purchase age of 16 for beer and wine and 18 for hard liquor. I support public ownership of liquor stores in the region.

I support gun safety courses for secondary students.

I support rehabilitative justice, with the primary role of prisons to be the rehabilitation of those imprisoned. Prisoners should be given job training and education to prevent recidivism. Furthermore, I support re-evaluating the amount of time spent in prison by most prisoners. I would like to see substantial reductions in prison sentences.

I support a ban on private ownership of prisons.

I support expanded community release and parole programs.

I am opposed to legislation that criminalizes 'victimless' offenses. I support the full legalization of sex work with licensing and regulation to prevent the spread of disease.

I oppose censorship by both private and public authorities.

I support a robust policy to promote and protect the Mideast's regional culture and fully fund arts and culture programs in our schools and in our communities. I support full funding for libraries, museums, and other cultural centers to keep them free and open to all. I also support the creation of an artists' 'wage' that divorces the arts from the need to seek plutocratic patronage and promotes a living suitable for those who choose to dedicate their lives to enriching our's.

I oppose age-based curfew laws, and parental consent notification requirements for abortion and other reproductive health services. I support requiring student representation on all school boards.

I support the Violence Against Women Act and amending the Mideastern Constitution to recognize that all persons are considered equal under the law, regardless of the adjectives used to describe them. I believe that all women should have the right to an abortion at any stage of pregnancy, free of charge. Clinics that provide abortions should be publicly owned and protected by the law, and terrorists that seek to go after them should face prosecute under existing domestic terrorism laws.

I support the creation of publicly owned, publicly funded senior centers and an increase in home services for seniors.

I support marriage equality.

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Today I voted against the Mideast Balanced Budget amendment, primarily because the amendment is, in my opinion, damaging to democracy and would make permanent a austere budget process. The Mideast deserves better than that. Debt, when properly accumulated for the correct purposes, is a blessing and allows us to make critical investments in the future. If I am elected to the Mideast Assembly, I will oppose any and all efforts to require by statute or constitutional amendment a balanced budget.

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Today I voted against the Mideast Balanced Budget amendment, primarily because the amendment is, in my opinion, damaging to democracy

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Mhm. It's well worth noting, of course, that balancing a budget wouldn't mean slashing programs as in real life. Atlasia has no Grover Norquist, you see, which means there isn't really any reason we should be fighting for debt creation.

Nevertheless, I would rather not hamstring us. There are better ways to ensure budget stability. Take my proposal for a regional bank, for example.

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I've been reading upon on Mideastern law and I've come up with a few specific changes that I would like to see and will probably post those throughout the course of my campaign.

One of those is the latest amendment to the Mideast Abortion Statute, which I find unnecessarily restrictive of the right to choose. If elected, I will personally lead the charge to reopen the issue, provided that there is enough support in the Assembly to do so.

My proposed changes would be as follows:

1. A woman may have the right to choose an abortion at any stage in her pregnancy, with no interference from the state. The abortion chosen shall be provided free under existing health insurance plans in the Mideast and shall further be covered by state-support health plans.

I would eliminate sections 2 and 3, as with the proposed amendment to section 1, they would become unnecessary.

4. Parental notification requirements for any reproductive health services would be repealed.


Of course, this is an 'ideal' reform of the law, as are the positions I've staked out elsewhere in this thread. I am fully willing to compromise and enact anything that I think furthers the cause of human dignity, and will work across the aisle to make sure that something is done.

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1. A woman may have the right to choose an abortion at any stage in her pregnancy, with no interference from the state. The abortion chosen shall be provided free under existing health insurance plans in the Mideast and shall further be covered by state-support health plans.

Any stage in her pregnancy? I'm all for liberalising our abortion laws, but performing abortions the week before (or even during) birth is way over the line. Please tell me you weren't serious.

During birth is not in mine, nor do I think it is anyone's, position on when abortions should be allowed. To clarify my position, I would limit abortions perhaps two weeks prior to pregnancy. Again, I noted before that these are more of an idealized position. I would be willing to compromise. I'm a pragmatist, not a dogmatist.

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Thank you both for your endorsements, Scott and Talleyrand!

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WORKING FOR THE ATLASIAN WORKER

Louisville, KY - I am in this race because I believe that in the Mideast, we should prioritize work over wealth, and that means that we should prioritize the needs of and the right of all labor to a dignified and humane working environment. It means that we should make rational and moral the policies that exist to govern the affairs of labor. We have already done a lot in that regard in this region, but there is yet work to be done. I am running because I want to complete the project of dignity for those who work. Here are a few of the things I want to see done –

• The tragedy that unfolded in West, Texas has shown us the need for greater regulation and oversight of the workplace. Just last Sunday we observed Worker's Memorial Day in Atlasia, and truth be told, we do an awful job as a society of regulating and protecting workers. I want to see greater regulation and more oversight, not less.
• Companies that move jobs overseas largely do so without any regard for the workers that are left behind. I propose that we establish a regional 'jobs superfund,' of a fund for workers which would pay a worker’s full wages and health insurance as well as necessary educational and/or retraining costs if that worker loses a job due to environmental transition, down-sizing, corporate dismantlement, or capital flight.
• It is shameful that persons with disabilities are paid a rate lower than the minimum wage. I favor eliminating the 'subminimum wage' for those with disabilities. I also believe that treating part time workers differently than full time workers is the wrong way to go - to that end, I will introduce legislation as an Assmeblyman to equalize the benefits according to those who only work part-time.
• Unpaid internships are unethical internships. I favor a ban on future unpaid internships that will require employers to start paying their interns at least the minimum wage.
• Wage theft is a pressing problem in our own Mideast. I support the introduction of a regional wage theft ordinance modeled on that of Chicago's successful wage theft ordinance adopted in 2012.

These are only some of the solutions that I will pursue will in the Mideast Assembly, but you can be sure that I will not rest until labor is awarded the proper level of respect it is owed and the working people of the Mideast given their due. We must encourage the development of living wage jobs in our region and work with both labor and capital to develop an economy that is built to last.

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I will be voting against the ratification of the Power to the People Amendment. Requiring a 2/3rds majority for federal amendments will only serve as a roadblock to the enactment of progressive social change, and I ask that all Mideasterners rally to defeat this flawed amendment.

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Endorsed from afar!

Thank you for your support, Alfred!

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I would like to thank the Light Party and the Progressive Caucus for their respective endorsements!

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The votes are still rolling in, but I would like to reach out and thank everyone who backed me in this election, win or lose. You've all helped me to run a campaign that I think has been issues-based and avoided the pettiness that usually accompanies our politics. I also want to encourage you to vote for ComradeKitteh for Governor tonight - she will be a valuable and responsible leader in a region that needs strong leadership going forward to fight the fights that Mideastern workers cannot fight alone.