2013 August At-Large Senate Debate

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Hello, and welcome to the 2013 August Senate debate. I'm your moderator, Scott.

To start us off, we'll begin with an issue that has been on everybody's minds recently: how will you balance sticking to your principles with being able to work with elected members of the other party if victorious in this month's election?

This round will last for two days.  Candidates may post brief introductions and respond to each others' answers.

[Maxwell]

I will stick to my principles by proposing ideas that are reflective of my ideas, meaning I will look into regulatory loopholes and eliminate them, as well as making Atlasian government more efficient. I will, however, work with others to allow legislation to become more workable and better. I will also find common ground, like drug legislation for example, where I can work with my fellow legislators. My answer will be short, because the question is kind of simple in this case, but I think working with others involves being about to take and give constructive criticism on legislation.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Firstly I want to thank Scott for moderating and to my opponent for their participation.

One thing that hopefully you know about me, is that I believe seeking compromise and common-ground is a virtue. Too often that is attacked as 'moderate-heroism'. I believe in doing what works, even if that means disagreeing with members of my party, as I am currently on the 'It's Not Up To You Bill'.

An issue I believe very strong about is veterans affairs. Too often this issue gets tied up with the posturing and drama that naturally goes along with the emotive decision to send forces into battle. We focus a lot on the war but not enough on the troops and especially not enough about what we do for them, once they're home. In many ways, I've been a lone voice on this issue, as president I increased support in the Budget, I created the first ever specific mental health program for veterans, and I introduced a Bill to make the transition to a fully online and digitised system for support applications. I work with people across the aisle to get the important things done and do my best to avoid the ideological minefields we often lay for ourselves in politics and I have a record of bi-partisanship going back to my first elected office.

Be true to your principles and respect the principles of others has always been my mantra.

[tmthforu94]

I'd like to extend a big "Thank You" to Scott for hosting this debate, my opponents for their participation, and The People for their interest. It is my desire that this debate provides the platform needed for all candidates to fairly make their case to The People on why they deserve a Senate seat.

Like Polnut, I believe I have developed a reputation over the years as a reformer in this game who is always ready to compromise. Serving as Mideast Governor last fall, I worked with a center-left majority, a good friend and opponent, Senator Gass, being one of those members, and with this attitude, we were able to accomplish quite a bit, from game reform to immigration to labor rights. I believe this is the right way to go, and judging by how the Mideast blossomed during that time, I think history seems to agree.

I believe this attitude is especially important with game reform, an issue I have always focused on in this game. We all have our set views on major game reform issues facing Atlasia, whether it be regional reduction or judicial reform. However, we all must play this game according to the rules set by the Senate and regional governments - simply ignoring the minority could lead to multiple exoduses from the game, which is never a good thing.

As a Senator, I will fight for the basic principles of a more limited government, as well as a federal government that encourages activity at the regional level. Throughout my time, I've been a major advocate of promoting regional government, particularly elected legislatures. I think that the Senate has a unique opportunity to get regions involved - it simply hasn't been utilized enough. Regardless of whether I am in the majority or minority position on an issue, I will be a fighter for all, working to find solutions that both sides are content with, even if I have to lose a bit of ground as a result.

Thank you.

[Donerail]

To start us off, we'll begin with an issue that has been on everybody's minds recently: how will you balance sticking to your principles with being able to work with elected members of the other party if victorious in this month's election?

Thank you, Scott, and thank you for agreeing to moderate this debate. My fellow candidates: it's good to be with you.

One of the nice things about not being part of either of the 'big two' is not having to worry about whether or not to compromise with the "other party" - there is no singular other party, just other parties, and you're able to work completely freely with both of them; I'll certainly have no worries about not voting with my other party members in the Senate. But to get back to the root of the question: I very rarely voted Nay on any piece of legislation during my early times in the IDS Legislature - the way we approached bills was to compromise, through amendments and debate, and produce bills largely acceptable to all sides. We've seen a bit less of that recently in the Legislature, and I'm uncertain of how easily such an approach will fit into the larger and more partisan atmosphere of the Senate, but I can at least promise to give each bill a fair hearing and suggestions for improvement to seek a mutually beneficial resolution.

Another major element, I believe, in learning to compromise is knowing where to focus your efforts. I'm not going to bring up legislation in the Senate related to gun control - my views on gun control are probably well to the right of the Senate and Administration, and it'd be a waste of my time and efforts to bring it up. I'll focus my efforts on fights I can win and not bog down the Senate in wasted legislative time. During my recent time as Emperor, I've worked with both the left and the right in passing legislation through our Legislature. In the Senate I will be fully willing to work with members of both major parties to get things done (of course, I'll have to work with members of other parties to pass legislation), and looking over the queue now there's legislation from both parties that I support and from both that I oppose.

In the Senate, I'll stand for my principles, but I'll be open to all legislation, and I'll focus my efforts on areas where my principles will be able to secure agreement with others' principles.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Thank you Scott and fellow candidates for this forum time.

Many know I hold to some deep principals when it comes to some of the issues set before us today.
It's cost me a race or two but it was well worth it. I also know what it's like to work together with those of other parties on issues that we can come to a common ground when working with our moderator to help protect our kids and be an aid and comfort for those rescued from the evils of human trafficking. I will continue with this mindset. Building coalitions on an issue by issue basis for the betterment of Atlasia.

I'd also like to tell Senator Polnut that I'm more than willing to lend my voice to yours when it comes to veterans affairs. We may be from opposite sides of the fence on a lot of issues but it is the duty of our national government to come to the aid of vets readjusting back to a civilian life.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Second question: Do you support the current tax rates specified in the White House budget?  If not, what specific cuts would you propose?

[Maxwell]

Well, I'd like to mention that I proposed a lot of ideas early on that were eventually put into practice by the administration's budget, and I appreciate that they did that. I particularly like the way the President has pushed to make the Corporate Tax rate 25%, making Atlasia more competitive globally, putting an investment in our big companies.

That being said, I am concerned about a top bracket of 60% for millionaires. I would like a top rate of 50%, but seeing as that won't be in the  numbers and would result in a $100 Billion dollar or so deficit, I would at least like to see some sort of extra brackets in order to ease that pain on people that are in high paying jobs like being an incredibly skilled surgeon. I would break it up possibly to 1M-5M get a 50% rate and 5M - 10M get a 55% rate, and only the top of the top get a 60% rate.

This would, of course, require spending cuts, and so I've brought forth the idea that we should look at regionalizing education, as that would give Regional Executives and legislators more power to create great ideas to help our kids but also free up some of the Federal budget. We could also scale down on Housing, as we spend there a tremendous amount more than we spend in the imaginary America.

Either way, I actually like this budget so far, but with small changes, it would get a more enthusiastically Aye from me.

[tmthforu94]

Well, I would have to agree with Governor Maxwell that the tax rates, particularly the income tax, are too high. That's why as Governor of the Mideast, I ensured that we had some of the lowest tax rates in the nation to counter the high federal rates.

Realistically speaking, I would also like to concur with Governor Maxwell that expanding the number of brackets would be the best solution, as I doubt we have the numbers to simply reduce the top bracket. I know that in the Mideast Region, a large percentage of our budget goes to education, and other regions are the same. Thus, I would support responsibly shifting power on education to the regions, as I feel that for the most part, this issue should be handled on as small of a level as possible. I would also like to review past spending projects passed by the Senate and try and determine what is needed and what isn't.

Due to the simplicity of our budget, it isn't as easy to pick areas to cut as it is in RL. Overall though, I'm generally supportive of what President Nix has laid out, and if elected, will more than likely vote for it.

[Gass3268]

1. I think I've shown in the Senate my ability to stand on principle firmly but when need be accept a good compromise. Best example would be the Responsible Federal Contracting Bill.

2. I support proposed taxes specified in President Nix's budget. I would be willing to go along with the suggestions provided by Governor Maxwell and Tmth of adding more brackets as long as it stays progressive and we get back the same amount of revenue.


I apologize for the shortness of my answers, but school work is being a pain right now. See my campaign page if you want more details.   

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My record on taxes is clear. As president I reduced small-business taxes and also lower and middle-income taxes. It is my fundamental principle that the first place that the tax burden should be reduced, is where the burden on a day to day basis is greatest. Taxes must be progressive and while I believe that very high taxation can stifle economic activity, taxation that is too low threatens services and the quality of life of all Atlasians.

I do support the president's taxation proposal as it is lifting that burden from those who can least spare it.

I would also support a plan to expand the upper-income brackets, with the same conditions that Senator Gass outlined, no loss of revenue and maintaining progressive taxation.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

Looks like I'm going to be the only one that's going to be fully opposing the budget. Expecting our job creators and business owners of all sizes to pay half or more of their income to the government in taxes is immoral. Under my tax plan no one pays more than 40% in income taxes. It's comprable to what is referred to as the Clinton rates.

Also the most onerous spending will be severely slashed. Fritzcare will be reformed and a return to a market based healthcare system is key to my plan. Education will be totally taken out of federal hands and given to the regions exclusively.

[Donerail]

My largest priority with regards to budget revenues is making sure we don't run deficits - one of our largest expenditures already is interest on our debt, and adding to that means we'll have less to spend on other vital programs. I'd like to look more deeply into the possibility of raising other taxes rather than the proposed hike in income tax brackets, in particular the estate tax (my preference is for Clinton-era rates) and capital gains tax (again Clinton-era rates; I can't find capital gains in the budget at all, actually). Our proposed payroll tax rate is 8%; I don't know what percentage of income that covers (the IRL payroll tax only covers around 80% of income), but I'd be interesting in raising the ceiling there. There are a lot of things we can look at besides those, but I'd be supportive of re-examining our other taxes and possibly raising them in exchange for cuts on middle and lower-income brackets of our income tax.

I'd be willing to go along with that proposed by Govs. Maxwell and Tmth in regards to adding more brackets (and regionalizing education), so long as we in the end don't suffer any revenue losses. I'd like to see what programs would be rendered irrelevant by the basic income proposal and how much that'd cost us as well. Overall, though, I'm generally supportive of what's been produced, and if I had to vote today right now I'd vote Aye.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

Third question: Recently, the Senate unanimously voted down a bill that would have drastically reformed education in Atlasia.  Incumbent Senator Polnut introduced new legislation intended to address several aspects of our education system.  Would you support the senator's proposal?  If not, would you offer competing proposals?

[Maxwell]

Well, as you know, I proposed Education reform for my region, and I believe more specific ideas on Education should be pushed on the regional level. I didn't disagree with that much in the Education Modernization Act, at least the first draft , but I was concerned that the Feds were taking part in detailed education policy that should be a regions responsibility. That being said, Polnut's bill is better in a lot of aspects: for example, he allocates money to the regions in order to fund education reform.

My concern in the legislation is the part that requires a student, by law, to complete a Atlasian Education Clearance Report. My concern about it is it puts force on students, and I think that, in some cases, students need to take the initiative on their futures after school. In my Midwest Education bill, for example, we create Job Search agencies in High Schools (colleges already seem to help with that), where the students can take the initiative to go search for work. In order for education policy to work, I think there are places where Schools can reign heavy over students, future employment, however is not one of them.

I think I am a bit more approving of the Sex Education bill, as it kind of outlines what the Feds expects, but leaves regions a bit of room. I think my votes would be Aye for the Sex Education Bill, and, as of the moment, a Abstain on the Education for the Future Bill.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I appreciate a question on this important issue.

I put forward this Bill, largely because I saw two fundamental flaws in the original Bill. The first issue was the it outlining in significant details what each school was required to have taught each student. This took no consideration for the various resourcing issues schools face. The other was that despite the regions having primary responsibility for education, the Bill was forcing the regions to do something in a manner I saw as overreaching.

My Bill has the Federal Government setting a framework, which aims to outlines basic standards. But that framework has additional funding attached, and the regions are not required to participate. But I believe the need to have a better aligned education system is in every child's long-term interest as well as the possible outcomes of additional funding. But the final call will be made by the regions. I hope they take up the opportunity.

There is also a point here, the Federal Government, if it offers additional funds, including specific funding for increased information technology education and training, then it's only fair that we outline expectations attached to that funding.

In relation to the Atlasian Educational Clearance Report. Leaving school before completion is a major commitment, as well as something that can have long-term consequences on a student's life. Setting this standard does two things. The first is to make sure that students who are making this decision do so fully appraised of the consequences, and second, it is to give those students who have made that decision some form of qualification.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

My question to our left leaning candidates regarding education,

Why should private schools play by public school rules when our public schools are amongst the lowest in standards ans achievement amongst first world nations and our private and religious schools rival the best nations in terms of educational achievement and standards?

[Donerail]

I've been involved in education reform from the beginning, with the Is Our Children Learning bills we passed in the IDS. My concerns about the Senator's legislation is that it may be too specific - education should be largely a matter for the regions, the districts, and the individual schools and classrooms to decide. My support for the legislation would largely depend upon how specifically the Framework is defined - if it's just "take a math class", that's acceptable, but if it's spelling out exactly what math classes, then I'd oppose it. I also question the necessity of the AECR and how flexible its implementation will be, though Maxwell already touched on this - I think this also loops into what I already said about how detailed and stringent these requirements will be.

To address fmr. Assemblyman JCL's question: I believe in a high-quality education for each and every Atlasian child. The personal wealth of the child's family and community should be entirely irrelevant to the quality of their education. Education is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of change, and should serve our society as a great equalizer between people. The fact that some private schools outperform public ones is not because of their organization or their rules - it's because the private schools are making tens of thousands of dollars off of every student that walks in the door. Children shouldn't be segregated based on their income, and their access to a high-qualified teacher should not depend upon how much they are able to pay for one. Education should be a place of equal opportunity.

[tmthforu94]

Being a student and having a Mom as a teacher, education has always been a key issue for me in Atlasia - as Governor last year, I introduced legislation that created a fair system on teachers pay, and it passed with bi-partisan support. Similarly, I have taken interest in the Student Loan bill, and also stood up against the Education Modernization Act, which would have created a devastating ripple-effect on our entire education system.

I'd currently lean towards the bill introduced by Polnut, with reservations. I think it should be noted that the money delegated to this bill comes directly from the current Education budget, as I think the federal government is already spending more than it should in this area. I don't think each region should be awarded the same amount, rather that it is awarded based on their population, need, and the quality of the plan they propose (similar to "Race to the Top"). I am strongly supportive of the clause providing an incentive to regions to make technological advancements, and would like to see an emphasis on rural areas be included in there.

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

How should our government address the current dispute involving the regions?  Should the number of regions be reduced or changed?  If so, how?  If not, why?

[Maxwell]

This is an interesting situation, and I would like to preface this by saying that any negiotiation I would be in would require certain strengthening of regional government.

That being said, I have felt a change of heart as of late on the issue because I took a look at my own record and realized that I don't want the Midwest or any other region to fall into regional catastrophe again. It's no fun for anyone. You can combat that on a non-permanent level by throwing some up and comer in a decaying region. However, like with Spamage and Wolfentoad and the Pacific, what comes up seemingly comes down. I'm starting to think that five regions is unsustainable. The only way I think one can combat that on a permanent scale is to lower the number of regions. I hate to say that, but I believe it to be true.

Whether that's to 4 or to 3, that's the argument to have in the Senate, because I'm not entirely sure, but we need to seriously evaluate our pluses and minuses of the five region system and ask whether or not we wish to continue.

[tmthforu94]

I have always been an advocate of the regions, especially in regards to elected legislatures. There was a time when many opposed the idea, though I think we've proven in recent years that elected legislatures are far more productive than universal legislatures. However, the problem we often face is a lack of willing candidates. While I think things have gotten better in recent months, and I admire the efforts of Governor Spamage, Governor Maxwell, and others, I believe reducing the number of regions is the better option for long-term stability in Atlasia.

I have already reached out to President Nix on the subject, and have begun discussions with multiple Atlasians on how to best approach this issue. The plan I support would be to reduce the number of regions to three - allow each region to elect two Regional Senators. With larger, more active regions, I would support giving them the power to run their own elections for regional Senate. In addition, we would increase the number of At-Large Senators to six, creating an even number. I believe this plan empowers the regions, and think it would make sense for those in favor of regional rights to support this. Not only does it give regions the power to elect it's Senators, but I believe with three large, active regions, you'll see an increasing amount of influence from the regions over the current setup.

This is certainly a complicated issue, and it's an issue I am very willing to compromise on and find a solution that is acceptable to as many folks as possible. This would create a major shakeup in the game, and I would hate to enact any policy that would cause a percentage of our population to become disinterested. 

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I was brought into this game by Tmth into what was known as the Regional Protection Party. So the interests and rights of the regional assemblies is something I take rather seriously. The efforts of governors Maxwell and Spamage to improve their regions should be allowed to continue unhindered. Having taken a comprehensive look at several possible
realignments I can not support reducing the number of regions at this time. Also a magnanimous amount of these maps would move my state of Indiana into an enhanced Northeast which will continue to be dominated by the Labour Party which is not in my state's economic interests.

The second main reason for my opposition to reducing to three regions is why should the Mideast be split asunder but the Northeast would make tremendous gains. These are our two strongest regions with the IDS almost as solid as the two aformentioned regions. Shouldn't they be allowed to flourish as they are?

We also have the maps of four regions. While I would be more open to an arrangement like this I'm not entirely certain the benefits of such an arrangement outweigh the potential costs. We are talking about changing the entire Atlasian landscape as we know it so whatever we do we need to be deliberative and take our time in this decision regardless of the outcome. But for the moment I will have to oppose the proposal as it currently stands.

[Gass3268]

Polnut's education bill: I too like the bill, but I also have concerns with the AECR as I don't know if I could support a mechanism that would allow a student to leave school early. I like the other parts of the bill and I especially like the Comprehensive Sex Education Bill 2013. I would actually like to see this strengthened a bit and have it that schools could lose regular federal funding if they do not cover elements 2a-2c.

Regional issues: The regions in Atlasia need to be reduced. Personally I would like to see the regions be abolished and in its place have the creation of a House of Representatives that would be elected based on Proportional Representative. Yet seeing how that would be impossible, I think we need to shrink the number of regions to 3. The regions would be set by an independent/non-partisan/multi-partisan commission that would create 3 regions. Guidelines for the commission would place an emphasis on emphasis that new regions tie together states that are cultural, geographically and historically similar Also there should be an lesser emphasis on having the regions be close to equal in terms of population and partisanship. 

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

That concludes this month's At-Large Senate debate.  Candidates, you may now deliver closing statements.