The Record-Courier:(9-14 Edition)

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

An energy tax credit bill re-appears in the Althing
GAworth renews his effort to get the law passed.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality- The Energy Self-Sufficiency Tax Holiday Bill makes reappearance in the Althing. The bill calls for a one year exemption of sales tax on the several energy efficient appliances, as well as other items. “It helps Midwesterners lower our energy bills. Which in the end saves the family money and help our environment,” Representative GAworth told us. The bill had faced opposition in the last session due to cost. GAworth addressed this, “we now have 40 Billion in Surplus; I think we can pass the bill no problem.” We will see if the bill makes it to law.


A Seat deferred?
After confusion, Napoleon is a Councilor.
San Francisco, California – After he wrote himself in for the Pacific Council, the Former Senator was declared invalid as a candidate, and with the departure of declared candidate Spamage, the third seat was left vacant. However, the Governor clarified that he was confused over the way the law handle it, and then recognized his seat to the Council.

National News

 NMAM to join the Cultural Marxist Party
The party starts the process of dismantling.
Rapid City, Vitality – Yesterday the NMAM started their December conference, largely from the looks of it to dissolve the party and move into the Cultural Marxist Party of Atlasia. Hashemite and Xahar have both called for the vote. No word from the Cultural Marxist’s on if they accept the move, although chairman Sibboleth has welcomed members to join. We will keep you updated.
Senate Elections are over
Center-Right Parties win three seats.
Rapid City, Vitality – The Senate elections are over, the winners are, Mr. X, Shua, Tmthforu94, Talleyrand, and Goldwater. Sibboleth and Flo did not make it over the line. This now makes the Senate composition this: 5 Labor, 3 Federalist, and 2 D-R, effectively a even split with 5 left of center and 5 right of center members. Although Regional DR Senator Spiral of the Mideast has announced he will a campaign for the Governorship and if successful, would mean a new seat up for grabs. We wish everyone the best of luck, and look forward to the progress ahead.

[sentinel]

Confusion in the Pacific. No surprise there

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

The new senate is going to make me everyone's enemy. I can't wait.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Midwest Budget presented to the Althing
With a $40 Billion plus surplus, some look to cut taxes.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality- The budget has been presented by Archduke Windjammer which gave a $42 Billion surplus from the royalty bill. Several individuals have proposed cutting taxes, while others want a balanced approach. Senator Maxwell has introduced an idea on corporate tax reform; Archduke windjammer has proposed sales tax reduction. Representative GAworth has also introduced a plan to raise the exemption on income tax while keeping a healthy surplus for future projects.

Editorial: The West Pacific Roman Empire:

By LumineVonReuental.

Nobody should be surprised at the statement that all of Atlasia’s five regions and it’s governors are different: Governor Zuwo’s Conservative Mideast; the springboard for Nyman, King SirNick’s Northeast; the Westeros-Styled Kingdom of Ice, Emperor Dereich’s South; cultural bastion, Governor PJ’s Pacific, the Western Roman Empire in Atlasian fashion, and my very own region, the Midwest; the most quiet and peaceful (and often inactive in the past) place in the entire country.

Atlasia is… no, not at the crossroads, that line is too cliché to actually embody what we are going through. Atlasia is going through realignment, a realignment of political parties, changes in voters and populations, and renewal of officeholders. These are strange times, which seem both stagnant and full of progress, hopeless and filled with a bright future, chaotic and quiet. It’s a duality of forces thorough this nation that threaten to confuse our identity. That very same confusion, perhaps, is the one that makes all of the Atlasian vices thrive and expand.

Inactivity, partisanship and trolling: those are our problems. Every single region has a problem with one, two or all three, and they define our current dynamic. Going to the point, the Pacific crisis pretty much describes this situation: a region filled with inactivity from nearly thirty citizens, in constant attack of trolls that wish change out of boredom and not necessity, and trouble between the factions that wish to restore the region. I commend Governor PJ for his constant and valiant struggle to save his region, but it seems we are reaching a point in which those forces are proving stronger. I made the Western Roman Empire analogy because despite PJ (and Tyrion, DemPGH, Spamage and so forth) efforts, the Pacific has not experienced a Renaissance. It’s possible to revive a region, Maxwell and the Midwest serve as the best example of that, but unlike the Pacific, we faced little partisanship and no trolling, making our task several times easier.

What should be done? Some say that a Pacific/Midwest merge is the solution, and I strongly believe that is wrong. We are functional now, but we must not forget that while we would get a region with as much population as that Mideast, it would be a region full of members who have a slight problem with democracy and democratic methods (the way I see it, call me a fascist hack if you wish), a region riddled with partisanship, a region in constant danger of doing down in flames. The answer is not a merge, nor chopping both regions in half and distributing them between the rest. I spoke about this during my presidential bid: all regions must lose something. The name, some states, culture, styles of governance, something has to go in this redistribution of the electoral map of this nation, to avoid preserving regions just to destroy others.

I urge the Senate and President Duke to make this work. The first real step has been taken, and a bill is being discussed. The Ides of December are upon us, and if we fail to act, we are not only going to lose the Pacific to inactivity, we are going to lose something far more important. We will lose the idea of a fully functional country.

We can’t afford to lose that.

Sit Down with Archduke Windjammer
We talk about the Althing and his bid for re-election.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality – We sit down with the Archduke of the Althing to discuss a wide range of issues facing the Althing nowadays and his goals and future plans.
1.   Do you believe the Althing should have formalized rules?

“No, formalized rules and the Althing needs flexibility! I don't see its necessity, I'm not a troll!!!”

2.   Why did you believe the need for a separate judicial officer exists in the Midwest?

“I want a separate judicial officer to boost the Midwest's activity and to respect the Midwest Constitution. It's not an obligation but it's obviously a great + for the Midwest. And I want to thank Ilikeverin's job in the Midwest, he will be a great judicial official.”

3.   Do you believe that the Midwest should continue its claim on New Mexico?

“The Midwest and the Pacific should be merged, it would solve the Pacific's problems! So the Midwest should claim every state in the Pacific, not only New Mexico  .”

4.   What are you looking forward to doing in the remainder of this term?

“Well, avoiding a government shutdown for 2014  , proposing some laws regarding to education (creating a school for 2-6 years old,...).”

5.   You have announced re-election for Archduke, why are you running for another term?

“I like my job, I like representing the Midwest, that's why I will be running again!  ”

National News

  Senate moves to expel Senator Xahar
The Citing a lack of activity
Rapid City, Vitality – We all thought that Xahar had moved back to the Pacific as a Councilor and therefore had vacated his Senate seat due to the fact you cannot hold a Senate Seat and a local position at the same time. However, Xahar has not taken his seat in San Francisco, but instead is still in Nyman. Proceedings to expel the Senator have already begun with many Senators expressing their joy that they can remove the Senator. However, in an attempt to counteract the motion, Xahar resigned and Hashemite, who is the Chair of the NMAM appointed Xahar to the Senate after the vacancy that Xahar caused. However, we do not know whether the expulsion motion can continue, and every time he is expelled, he can simply be replaced by himself because he is an at-large Senator. We will try to keep you updated.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Striking balance in the Budget
We look at the various ideas for the Midwest Budget in detail.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality- With so many ideas being suggested after the passage of GAworth’s Royalty Bill found the region with nearly $43 Billion in proposed surplus. Senator Maxwell proposed lowering the corporate tax, Archduke windjammer called for abolishing the sales tax. Representative GAworth, who was cautious about cutting too much, suggested raising the exemption on Income Tax to $50,000 instead of $20,000. Maxwell countered with a reduced Income Tax and a reduction in the Corporate tax, then Maxwell got behind a proposal from SirNick and Superique to abolish the corporate tax altogether. One Althing staffer was overheard saying, “I am starting to get confused as to who is a member of the Althing and who is not.” Arturo Belano agreed with the raising the income tax exemption to $50,000 and a reduction in the sales tax. GAworth then proposed an increase in the exemption of the income tax to $50,000, a reduction in the sales tax, and increasing the exemption to $250,000 for corporate tax, but said he was willing to scrap the corporate tax proposal if the surplus was cut to much. “We need some of the surplus to go to schools, healthcare, infrastructure, energy, and economic development, “GAworth told us, “We shouldn’t just use this surplus to lower taxes.” We will try to follow the twists and turns for you as the budget debate continues.

GM announces economic data.

Midwest improves while the Pacific remains on the edge of default.

Cheesewhiz, Vitality – Shedding over one percent off of unemployment, the Midwest outdid all other regions in terms of lowering unemployment and also was the only region to receive a credit upgrade. This is in stark contrast to the Pacific, who gained four percentage points in unemployment to just over twenty percent, it was also the only region to receive a credit downgrade as well. “With unemployment now at 6.9% is an improvement,” GAworth told us, “but there is still more work to be done. I hope that we can continue our efforts to make the Midwest the jobs capitol of Atlasia.” The economic forecast also predicted oil to rise to around $115/barrel of crude.  This sparked a call from Representative GAworth to pass several measures that would aim at lowering fossil fuel dependence. No announcement from Pacific officials on the statement.

What is before the Althing?
We look at all the legislation this session.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality – With so many bills being passed by the Althing in recent days, what is left to be passed? We look at the various laws in the queue. With less than a month left until the next elections, here is what remains:
1.   Midwest Energy Self Sufficiency Tax Holiday Bill, Sponsor: GAworth
2.   Midwest Start to Energy Independence Bill, Sponsor: GAworth
3.   Althing Rule #1, Sponsor: Lumine
4.   Midwest 2014 Budget, Sponsor: windjammer
5.   Small Farm Assistance Bill, Sponsor: GAworth
6.   Midwest Increased Speed Limits Act, Sponsor: GAworth
7.   The Dual Name of Provinces Amendment, Sponsor: Lumine
8.   Start Up Midwest Act, Sponsor: GAworth
9.   Midwest Biofuels Act, Sponsor: GAworth
10.   Midwest Teacher Pay Raise, Sponsor: windjammer
The Archduke of the Althing is in charge of bringing the bills to the floor, only the Budget and Pay Raise are currently being debated by the Althing.
 

National News

  Progressive Shadow Cabinet takes shape
The We take a look at who will be in the cabinet.
Rapid City, Vitality – The Progressive will be finishing up voting on a shadow cabinet later this evening, although with only one person running per slot, no one believes the results will change. Only four positions have been proposed, excluding the SoIA, which the party currently has a member at the head of, and the SoFE, RG, and GM.
President: Lumine
Vice President: PJ
Attorney General: DemPGH
SoEA: GAworth
“I am excited to see how the cabinet has developed. Lumine will be spearheading the effort, and as Chair, I look forward to working with him to bring the cabinet to the platform I know it can be.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Maxwell declares candidacy for Althing
He attacks the Althing and jumps in the race to get elected . . . and then jumps out?
Cheesewhiz, Vitality- After speculation of the outgoing Senators plans for the future, it appears for now anyways that those have been laid out. Senator Maxwell is looking to be Representative Maxwell, he announced last night his intention to contest the upcoming election. He cited what he calls a “lack of intellectual debate”, and a lack of “dedication to honest government” as some of the reasons he is running. That wasn’t received well by local officials in the Midwest. Both GAworth and Lumine responded immediately to his comments. Maxwell apologized and did not mean to cause offense. This has prompted Representative Cris to have an interview in which he said that the Althing does have extensive debate on bills. Then he said this in response to a question about Maxwell running, “R. "I think that Maxwell is one of the best men of Atlasia and if he wants make federal legislator, his choice is right. Only negative thing is that he hasn't announced first to me (the current Representative for Federalist Party) the decision. For my announcement, I have announced first the decision to him.” “That’s got to hurt,” said one analyst, “I guess Maxwell doesn’t think cris is doing a good enough job and decided to bench him.” No word yet from any of the other members of the Althing on whether they will be running or not for re-election.
Last Minute addition: However, we looked on the declaration page and found that Maxwell had posted something yesterday evening around the time of his announcement, but several hours later edited it to read: “Nah no I’m not.” This leads us to now believe that the Senator is indeed not running for the Althing.

National News

Federalist may have a new chair soon
Looks like Harmony’s own Tmthforu94 could very well get the job.
Cheesewhiz, Vitality – Following the resignation of Maxwell as Chairman of the Federalist Party, the party has started its search for a new Chairman. So far only two names have been mentioned, Senator Goldwater and Senator Tmthforu94. Only SenatorTmthforu94 has been properly nominated and seconded, and has accepted the nomination. No vote has been announced yet. We look forward to seeing how the results continue.

  Majority of NMAM look like they support dissolution
Xahar calls the vote to merge the party with the CMPA.
Rapid City, Vitality – With three of the five members publicly stating they have no problem with the merger, it very well looks like the party will be joining forces with the Cultural Marxist Party of Atlasia (CMPA). So far Xahar, Hashemite, and ilikeverin have announced that they support the motion. A vote has been called, so far only ilikeverin has voted on the question, he voted yes. We look forward to forward to seeing the results.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

End of the Year Feedback
We want to know what you want to read!
Cheesewhiz, Vitality- So as you know, the paper has been in existence for just half of a month. We thank everyone for their readership. As the New Year is right around the corner, we want to know what you want to read. We are always open to Op-Eds and Regular Column writers; we do ask that they pertain to the Midwest, Pacific, or National issues since those are the areas we cover. However, that leads to the question of do you want the paper to go national? Should we have more or less stories per paper? Should we continue to be a daily? Most importantly, what do think of the paper overall? We are all ears on any suggestion/answer/comment you have.

Flo fills last vacant Council seat
Looks The region finally has a full Council . . . for now.
San Francisco, California – Governor PJ filled the last vacant Council seat earlier today. The seat was won by Senator Xahar, but he decided to stay in Nyman as a Senator. As of now, DemPGH, Napoleon, and Flo are the Pacific’s latest batch of Councilors. However, this could all be for not. If the Court case favors DemPGH then there will be 2 more vacant seats. An analyst told us, “If that happens, it seems almost impossible to see how those are going to be filled. No one seems to want to be a Councilor, but can you really blame them?” We look forward to seeing if the Council can work together to rebuild the Pacific.

National News

SoEA Sjoyce heads back to regional politics
Says he is staying on as SoEA.
Rapid City, Vitality – With Secretary of External Affairs Sjoyce running and most likely winning a seat in the IDS legislative race, the position of Secretary of External Affairs could become vacant. This will mean that President Duke will have to appoint another person to the position, and then that person will need to be confirmed by the Senate. However, under the recently passed Semi-Presidentialism Amendment, Sjoyce could stay on as SoEA while being a member of the IDS Legislature. We reached out to SoEA Sjoyce for comment and clarification, he said, “If I win, Yes” he will remain SoEA. We look forward to seeing how the first participant in the Semi-Presidentialism experiment handles it.
  Senate Starts voting on Xahar’s Expulsion
Although he’ll be back as soon as it is over.
Rapid City, Vitality – The Senate has started a vote on the expulsion of Senator Xahar. So far 8 Senators have voted:
Aye: NCYankee, Tyrion, Maxwell, Spiral, Tmthforu94, bore
Nay: Xahar, TNF
Not Voted Yet: Gass3268
2/3rd is needed to pass the vote, which according to our back of the Napkin calculations is 7 Seats, so we wait to see how Senator Gass will cast his ballot. However, if the vacant seat is not taken into account then the number is 6. We look forward to seeing how the vote proceeds.

[PJ]

To clarify, I researched the legality of Napoleon's electability, and I could not find anything saying that he was eligible as a write-in candidate. I asked him if he had evidence to prove me wrong, and he declined to provide any. Therefore, I did not recognize his candidacy. The council therefore consists of DemPGH, Xahar, and Flo.

[GAworth]

To clarify, I researched the legality of Napoleon's electability, and I could not find anything saying that he was eligible as a write-in candidate. I asked him if he had evidence to prove me wrong, and he declined to provide any. Therefore, I did not recognize his candidacy. The council therefore consists of DemPGH, Xahar, and Flo.

We thank you for the clarification however, Xahar has not sworn in as a Councilor and cannot be a Senator and a Councilor at the same time.

[Donerail]

"If I win, yes", it "means will/can no longer be SoEA". The Semi-Presidentialism Amendment only applies to Senators, not to regional legislators.

[GAworth]

"If I win, yes", it "means will/can no longer be SoEA". The Semi-Presidentialism Amendment only applies to Senators, not to regional legislators.

My apologies I misunderstood what you said, and the amendment.

[President Tyrion]

The vacant seat won't count for the 2/3 threshold, so there are currently enough votes to expel the At-Large Senator.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Tyrion introduces an Emergency Relief Bill for the Pacific
Will the $100 Billion get the Pacific on its feet?
San Francisco, California- With the Pacific constantly, it seems, on the brink of default, it appears a new measure has been taken up in Nyman by regional Senator Tyrion to introduce legislation to provide a $100 Billion dollar stimulus package. At the same time in San Francisco, the Governor has introduced a new jobs bill and is rumored to be working on a budget that would make up for the roughly $80 Billion deficit the previous budget, passed by a NMAM majority council. We look forward to see what action will be taken by the Senate on the measure.

Pacific Court hands down ruling
Rules the “legal number of councilors is five” but provides injunction.
San Francisco, California – In two rulings handed down earlier today in the case on the recent executive order by Governor PJ. The court ruled that the constitution could not be changed by Executive Order, the ruling stated in part: “2. While the Governor's Executive Order authority is currently not limited by statute, thus giving his decrees an authority equal to constitutional provisions (and thus can effectively suspend specific clauses when needed), this authority is itself derived from the Constitution. It is thus impossible for him to amend the Constitution using this authority.”  However in an additional ruling the Court ruled that the number of councilors should be capped at three. The ruling said that the region’s citizens “have a constitutional right to, an active, capable, and functional government” and that having five councilors is less “conducive to regional activity” than three. The cap may only be removed by a judicial order, executive order, or a majority vote of the Pacific Council. Despite the semi-victory for the Governor, the Council still only has two members. DemPGH and Flo, as Xahar was never sworn in and constitutionally cannot be a Senator and a Councilor at the same time and Napoleon was not appointed to the Council due to his candidacy was not declared valid by the Governor. We look forward to see if the Pacific can function.

National News

The Record-Courier will be hosting a discussion forum in the New Year
The Forum will focus on ways to revitalize the Pacific.
Rapid City, Vitality – With recent talk of economic collapse in the Pacific, we wanted to help in any way possible, so we have decided to host a forum in the New Year on ways to rebuild the Pacific. Publisher GAworth told us, “We (the paper) are not looking at pointing fingers at any party and simply saying we need more active people or regional reform is not going to solve the here and now. We need to look at all the ways the region can try to rebuild. Both sides of the political spectrum have ideas on how to create a stable budget and ways to create jobs, we see successful programs all across Atlasia so why not bring talk about how we could implement them in the Pacific.”

  Correction on SoEA Story
Sjoyce cannot remain on as SoEA.
Rapid City, Vitality – Yesterday we incorrectly stated that under the Semi-Presidentialism Amendment Sjoyce could remain SoEA after winning the IDS legislative race. Our staffers misread the document and have been demoted. So the SoEA will become vacant after the all but certain win of Sjoyce. We look forward to see who will be appointed.
Editors Note: We apologize for incorrectly reporting a story yesterday, we are now implementing several new policies to help with this, and one of them is if you are sent a PM regarding the paper, we ask you quote what we sent you in your reply.


Furthermore, we would like thank everyone for helping surpass the 2,000 view mark!

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Council debates composition
No movement on job bills.
San Francisco, California- After the court case ruled that the composition would stay at three members until there is higher activity in the region. However, to make sure that the number does not rise via court action, the Council is debating a bill to permanently reduce the number to three.  “I mean I can understand why, but they have a 20% unemployment problem to deal with,” on Pacific Politics watcher told us. We look forward to seeing how the Council progresses.

Ilikeverin returns to Cheesewhiz
Appointed to serve as Midwest Judicial Officer by Lumine
Cheesewhiz, Vitality – After the approval of the referendum that created the office, Governor Lumine announced that he would appoint the long serving politician to serve as the inaugural office holder. The Althing will have to approve the nomination. “The thing that worries me is that ilikeverin voted against the measure, why should he take over the office,” on Midwest analyst told us. We look forward to seeing how the confirmation process occurs.

National News

Shadow Cabinet received with mixed reviews
RC Poll: Favorable 41.2%, Negative 32.4%, Neutral/Too Early/Undecided 26.5%
Rapid City, Vitality – The Progressive Union shadow cabinet has been received with mixed views after its creation earlier this month. “It is a new idea to have something like this.” GAworth told us, “I feel that it does serve a purpose, to help raise the level of debate we have in Atlasia, to point out policy differences, and to offer assistance and advice to the Government of the day. We are not looking to undermine the Duke Presidency, we are simply pointing out differences and offering possible solutions.” We look forward to see how the Cabinet develops.

We will also be publishing article for the person of the week.

[GAworth]

Profile of the Week:
"Superique: Our very own Bush 41:

By LumineVonReuental.

And here we have the second Profile of the Week! I want to remind readers again that all Atlasians who get a profile are previously informed and they give their, but then again they only provide basic information to help speed up research. These profiles are also subjective in several areas, given that, for example, the first two Atlasians to have a profile are friends of mine here. Also, from now one I’ll be accepting requests if anybody’s interested.

Now, going into subject, our second Profile of the Week is a man with a strong resume. He described himself once as the Atlasian Bush 41, a very efficient man who has more experience in appointed offices, but nonetheless a great officeholder. He has been very active this week, giving advice on several key pieces of legislation. This week’s Atlasian is the sitting Secretary of Internal Affairs, Superique.

Superique entered Atlasia in December of 2012, recruited by the Atlasian Nixon, Governor Wolfentoad. Those were the days of Liberal hegemony on the Pacific, and Superique wasted no time, immediately running for Pacific Council on January 2013. He ran on an environmentalist platform, and he never stopped focusing on green energy. He easily won that election, and he had no trouble winning reelection in March as well. Sadly, it was not as exciting as it sounds. The Pacific was already in slow decline, presided by inactive Governors. Despite the challenges, Superique was always involved, and the passed the now defunct Fuel Standard Legislation.

Our man’s first major crisis came on May, where the Pacific took a turn for the worse. Wolfentoad left in disgrace, and Governor NVGonzalez never did anything. Superique chose to act, and he led a recall effort against the Governor and the entire Pacific Council. He succeeded, and just in case there weren’t enough candidates he led a write-in effort for himself. He lost that election, and eventually Xahar was put in charge of the Pacific. Even today, Superique still feels guilty about that time. He started the recalls, and by not making a more serious effort to return to the Council, the NM-AM won the majority that enabled them to start Pacific Rim. To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

That said, Superique had a different goal at the time. For him, it was the right time to go Federal. With Senator X gone, there was a need for a Special Election, and Superique signed in, along with JerryArkansas (see his profile) and Gass. Polling consistently showed Gass leading and Jerry in a strong place, but Superique managed to deliver a surprise and defeat Jerry for second place. The defeat seems to have dealt a negative effect, though, for Superique was inactive after that. Superique decided to back Matt in the June election, and the “Liberal surprise” was undoubtedly a major factor in the results. Controversy appeared again with the demise of the Liberal Party, almost dead after Wolfengate. Superique chose to intervene, and he became the next Liberal Chair, calling for a convention to save his party. Despite a notable effort by Shua and him, the party quickly became a place for zombies.

It is often said that friendships are born out of anything: Fights, conversation, accidents, wars, conventions, military coup, etc. But Superique’s most significant friendship in Atlasia was born out of something different. It was a bond created by a joke. Averroes Nix was celebrating his victory, and Superique compared him right away with Jimmy Carter. Nix added that he felt closer to Mike Dukakis, and a conversation started right away, marking the beginning of a friendship that lasts until today.  Fifteen days later, the man of the Pacific was nominated to be the next Secretary of Interior Affairs, and even today he feels indebted to the Former President. Despite the implied inexperience, he promised high quality work and he declared himself to be a man of enthusiasm, and the Senate agreed. Gass clashed with him over the NM-AM, and TNF voted against him as well, but it didn’t mattered. Atlasia had a new SoIA.

Many things could be said about his tenure, but the most eloquent of them is this: He remains SoIA. Six months, two Presidents, and Superique is still the SoIA, with the idea of him being replaced being almost unthinkable. Active, sharp and enthusiastic, he is always there. Giving advice on currency, helping Regional Government, negotiating with Regional Executives, Superique is always there, our very own domestic policy institution. Superique finally left the Liberal Party following the demise of the Revival Convention, and he joined Civic Union/Progressive Union.

After the success of his first three months in office, he decided it was time to try for another position. Thus, Superique challenged Tyrion to be the Regional Senator for the Pacific, and he started with a blast, using pictures of Jerry Brown and his strong environmentalist record. He was endorsed by three Regional Executives, and he was the likely first Senator of the Progressive Union. And yet, another opportunity appeared on the horizon. Members of his new party hoped to draft him for President, believing he was the best hope for the party. Yet he refused, while leaving the VP spot open for speculation. Once LumineVonReuental started his somewhat quixotic bid, he had no doubts. He was the running mate he wanted, and Superique “Moonbeam” joined the ticket. There was criticism of him being more focused on the Senate race, but his running mate was apparently very satisfied with his performance. The ticket won 24% of the vote, but Alas, Superique was defeated in his Senate bid in a close race, losing against Tyrion with 44% of the vote.

Yet, President Duke asked him to remain on the Cabinet, and he accepted. Superique is still SoIA, and polls consistently rank him well among the Cabinet. After a year in Atlasia, there’s still a lot of potential in this Atlasian, and he certainty has a date with destiny. And, as they say, the rest will be history."

[Flake]

Wonderful issue!

[Хahar 🤔]

To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

I would be interested in elaboration on this point.

[Lumine]

To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

I would be interested in elaboration on this point.

No problem. During my talk with Superique he mentioned the point in which he stops being in the Pacific Council and President Marokai appoints you to help and improve the region after Wolfentoad and NVGonzalez's messed up. While activity increased after that thanks to the NM-AM, Superique and many citizens (including myself) believe that by trying to destroy the region, regardless of what you wanted to achieve, you did a disservice to Atlasia and the mission that was delivered to you. While now I agree that the move helped to speed up regional reform, we are not seeing any concrete changes yet and the region is still in anarchy and gridlock (which was evidently increased thanks to your party's efforts).

A quick research on the threads created after Pacific Rim shows that most of the people opposed expressed similar views, in which you had "betrayed" (the specific word doesn't really matter) the region, which I why I tried to represent in this article. To be more specific, I don't claim objective truth on this articles, these are very subjective profiles.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

Announcement by the Paper
We will not be publishing anymore papers until the 27th of December. To allow our team a long and relaxing holiday break. We will publish an end of the year paper and then will not return to the printers until the New Year, in which after the consultation we have received from you, our reader, we will announce a new way forward for the paper.

Midwest Teachers to get a pay increase, budget heads to a vote.
Althing votes on Teacher pay bill
Cheesewhiz, Vitality – After some confusion as to the language bill, the bill is on its way to being passed. The bill aims at equalizing teacher pay to roughly $60,000/year in every Midwestern State. Also being voted on, in an attempt not to shut down the regional government, is the un-amended budget. “We haven’t got back estimates for some of the amendments and couldn’t wait any longer,” One Althing budget analyst told us. “I look forward to bringing forward amendments after we get an estimate, but we will wait for now,” GAworth said. We look forward to seeing how the process continues on both on these.

National News

Tmth unopposed for chair of Federalist Party
An early Christmas present for the man from Harmony
Rapid City, Vitality – After the resignation of Maxwell as chair of the Party, the party nominated Tmth as chair. The man from Harmony looks likely to get an early Christmas present as being elected chair of the party as no one else has put their hat into the ring. We look forward to see what will come for the new chair.
JCL interview
1. Who are you supporting for Federalist Chair?
“I'm backing Senator Tmth. He brought me into the game and has demonstrated the leadership the Atlasian Right has always needed. Not that I'll always agree with him but a united front with a clear and articulated message is the best shot we have to improve on our successes of recent elections past.”

2.   Being someone from the Mideast, what is your opinion on regional consolidation?

“I initially wanted to have an open mind to it. Unfortunately, when possible map proposals came about I kept seeing one thing that they largely had in common. The Mideast was the region totally eliminated. Since then I've been one of consolidation's leading critics. What should be done is build up the Midwest and Pacific while not seeking to destroy the good of the Mideast, IDS or Northeast.”

3.   Who do you think should run for Governor in the Mideast?

“I'm supporting my fellow libertarian minded friend and colleague Spiral. Had I declared for the governors race, he would've been on my short list for a Lt. Governor. “

4.   Do you think the Federalists and DRs should work closer together?

“Absolutely. We have many mutual interests. Particularly in economic matters. There's even room for the Progressive Union to join in on the fun as well. It's better to have two or three heads working together than one going at it alone to see from different angles on an issue. When I ran for President in October I made it a point to reach out to non-Federalists to be part of my team. Unfortunately I had no takers on the offer an had to go with someone from my own wing of the party while Duke and his lovers made with the presidency.”

5.   What are your plans for the future?

“This week is rather busy. While folks are making last minute purchases (myself included) I have another four shifts at work(not all of us have white collar jobs while not working for the people), followed by Christmas celebrations, and a church conference. I will be running for office in January and February. Further announcements will be coming by the end of next week on both.”
6.What do think about the Duke plan on regional consolidation?
“The idea of a National Assembly is something I could see myself supporting. The concern is maintaining solid activity levels in the regional governments. The strength of the game should be our regions more than in Nyman. The part I have problem with is that it eliminates the Mideast region. We can preserve five regions but I do think some states need to change regions to improve overall strength. How we do that is just as controversial as consolidation. We who support the five region model need to make our case on why we should maintain that even with some modest changes being made. Reducing the senate to 5 members to form a National Assembly with 11 members should be considered.”
We thank him for the interview.
Staff Note: No content was edited

[Sec. of State Superique]

To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

I would be interested in elaboration on this point.

I glad that you've read the article anyway =)

[GAworth]

To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

I would be interested in elaboration on this point.

I glad that you've read the article anyway =)

To be fair, I sent your question to Lumine, the author. He will answer you. I am not privy to the reasoning behind that statement

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Loved the piece on Superique and the JCL interview.

[Sec. of State Superique]

To this day, Superique believes that Xahar betrayed the President and Atlasia, a view shared by many Atlasians.

I would be interested in elaboration on this point.

I glad that you've read the article anyway =)

To be fair, I sent your question to Lumine, the author. He will answer you. I am not privy to the reasoning behind that statement

I'm talking about Xahar, darling.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest . . . and the Pacific

Regional News

After Expulsion, Xahar heads to San Francisco

Wishes to take Council Seat.

[San Francisco, California –[/b] After being expelled from the Senate, Former Senator Xahar has evidently decided to take his seat in the Council. The Speaker, DemPGH, has raised no objection to him taking his seat. Objections and counter-points were raised by Senators and non-Senators a like during the expulsion process. The Pacific Governor, who supported the process, criticized Xahar’s supporter, who just recently were calling for Senator Napoleon to go through the same process. Despite the utter chaos surrounding the Pacific Council, we hope that the legislative body can function.
 
Althing Race starts to take shape

2 candidates have announced entrance into the race, 2 more have hinted of jumping in.

 Cheesewhiz, Vitality - So far the race for Althing has two announced candidates. Brewer, a new face, and incumbent Arturo Belano have both announced they will be running for the 3 person legislature. Incumbents GAworth and cris have both hinted at a run but have declared yet. GAworth has said that he will announce on January 1st, whether he will run or not. No word from other possible candidates such as Spamage or Rooney. “It will be interesting to see who gets elected, because it could foreshadow the Governor’s race,” said an Althing watcher. We will try to keep you informed on who else jumps into the race.

Governor Signs Budget

Calls for amendments to the budget in the New Year

 Cheesewhiz, Vitality - Governor Lumine yesterday signed the Midwest budget and the Midwest Teacher pay rise bill into law. He cited that to avoid a shutdown, and no response from the GM on amendments, that the budget was not amended. He called for the budget to be amended in the New Year. “I will be proposing an amendment to the budget,” GAworth told us, “it may or may not include the corporate tax exemption I previously proposed because we do not know how much that cost.” However, the Government of the Midwest is not shutting down, and the region has nearly $43 Billion in surplus, we will try to keep you updated on any updates.

Senate Skeptical of Pacific Stimulus

Looks like the measure may not pass

 San Francisco, California - There are calls for benchmarks, for reducing the amount, for giving stimulus to other regions, or simply scrapping the whole idea anyways and merging the Pacific with the Midwest. The bill has not been received well at all in Nyman. “Look, if the Pacific came to the Senate with a detailed plan of how the money was going to be spent, I think they would have less trouble with the bill,” a disgruntled watcher of Pacific Politics told us. We will try to keep you updated on the bill and remind everyone that the paper will be hosting a forum in the Pacific on how to revitalize the Pacific come the New Year. 

National News

Paper announces new reforms, expanded coverage

The Paper to become a national paper.


Rapid City, Vitality- The Record-Courier, after receiving consultations from our readers is announcing a change in our policies. We will stop being a daily paper and covert our coverage to 3 times a week, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The paper will still focus on the affairs of the Midwest, but will expand our coverage to all of Atlasia, including stories from all five regions and the federal level. We of course are always looking for guest writers and columnists. We will continue our sit downs with newsmakers.

[GAworth]

The Record-Courier

Serving the Midwest and all of Atlasia

Midwest and Pacific Regions News

GAworth announces his campaign for Althing

Touts record and activity.

Cheesewhiz, Vitality – The longest serving member of the Althing has announced that he wishes to seek a third term as Representative.  Vitality’s own, GAworth, announced today that he is seeking a third term in office as a member of the Althing. He touted his legislative record and said that the fight for a better Midwest is not over. This follows the announcement of Brewer and Incumbent Arturo Belano running for the Althing. We look forward to seeing the race unfold. 

Lumine announces for Senate

Gears up for a campaign against TNF

Cheesewhiz, Vitality – The Governor of the Midwest has announced he wants to head to Nyman.  His slogan is “For Activity and Compromise”.  His announcement immediately received a reply from the Incumbent Senator. TNF said that the Governor would sell Midwesterners out and is hiding his conservatism under a cloak of centrism.  We look forward to see how the race will unfold, we do know this, it will be a fascinating two months.

IDS, Mideast, and Northeast Regions News

3 Tickets for Mideast Governor take shape

Start outlining their platforms

Nyman – Ahead of the upcoming election for Governor in the Mideast, three tickets have unfolded, Spiral/TJ, Siren/OAM, and Franzl/Sibboleth.  Senator Spiral has not announced his platform yet. Siren and OAM have announced a detailed plan on Education and Housing. Franzl has announced a plan to take public ownership of all breweries, eliminating unemployment, building industry in economically depressed areas, building infrastructure, an education program to include Cultural Marxism in the Curriculum, eliminating tuition at public universities, and implementing a fee for private universities.  We will try to keep you updated as the campaign unfolds. 

National News

Fix the regions Amendment makes it out of the Senate

So what is it calling for?


Rapid City, Vitality – The Amendment starts a long process toward regional reform. To change regional boundaries, the amendment calls for a 2/3 majority vote of the Senate and a Majority of the Citizens in 2/3 of the regions. The new boundaries will be drawn by the existing Regions executive, if after two months, the committee has not developed a plan then the Register General shall redraw the map unilaterally. “It is a long march toward the regional reform process, but it is a start,” says an analyst. We look forward to seeing how the process unfolds.

CMPA a major Party

Merger and membership increases make the CMPA a major party.
Rapid City, Vitality – With the merger of the NMAM and general membership increases the leftist party has emerged as the fifth largest party in Atlasia with 8 members. The party currently has an assemblyman in the Mideast and a Councilor in the Pacific, last we checked that is. They are currently running a ticket for Governor in the Mideast. The Marxist, Leninist, Sibbolethist party has made quite the splash, but can it continue? We will try to keep you updated.