Senate Confirmation Hearing: Harry S. Truman for Secretary of the Interior

[Kingpoleon]

As is my official duty, I place before you President Blair's nomination for Secretary of the Interior: Harry S. Truman.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I stand ready to answer what questions the Senate may have.

[Leinad]

I'm excited to see someone with activity in this position--Truman has done everything in this game well and active--but it's very important that we ask The Important Questions here:

1. In both forms, I have seen most people who take this position proceed to apparently forget that they were appointed. What are your plans to make the position of SoI relevant again?

2. The regional governments--particularly the ones I'm not in --have been struggling to be active. What are your plans to use this role to foster strong regions and increased participation in the game?

3. With the recent executive order--by you, ironically--the office of AG was moved into here. This adds more responsibility to the office. All of us who were around then surely remember Al going on witch hunts to attack his political enemies. Recently you accused dfw, Santander, and--of all people--Ted Bessell of a felony for a heat-of-the-moment "testimony" by Jimmie that was later tracked back on. Can you promise to, in the future, avoid partisanship, reserve judgement, serve the role with transparency, fairness, and honesty, and, most vitally, not try to ban active participants from the game for a Deeply Disturbing thread?

(I know I'm not a Senator, but I think being the last full President and Speaker gives me the right to ask questions--especially these which I think anyone would want to know the answer to.)

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

My thanks for the questions, Mr. Speaker!

(1) I believe I was asked a similar question four months ago after being nominated for Secretary of State. To be blunt, cabinet positions - and the Interior Department in particular - are so often irrelevant because their officers lock themselves up in their offices and wile away their days pretending to visit important people and writing memos that nobody reads. That is stupid, and it's not how I operate. As Secretary of the Interior, my primary goal will be to involve as many people as possible in carrying out the objectives of my office. Beyond working beside the president to implement the administration's domestic policies and defending the Constitution and the law before the Supreme Court when called upon to do so, I will actively participate in Congressional debates over relevant bills and propose new legislation where appropriate, as I did throughout my tenure at the State Department. I will be proactive in responding to stories published by GM Kalwejt that fall under my jurisdiction (for example, the recent strike by government workers), and so ensure that my office is not acting in a vacuum.

(2) Of course, the best and surest way to solve regional inactivity is to elect active governors and legislators. I can't do much in that line, beyond voting for active candidates in my own region, but there are policies that the Interior Department can put in place to help ensure that active governments do not succumb to inactivity, and that all regions maintain a minimum degree of functionality. The main thing is to interact directly with the regions, rather than treating them like the annoying younger siblings of the federal government. This ties into what I said earlier about involving as many people as possible in the governing process: sometimes that will mean contacting Congress and the president, but very often an issue can be better addressed at the regional level. When that is the case, I will personally contact the relevant governors and lawmakers to develop a region-based response to the issue at hand.

One thing I've learned over the course of the past two years is that nothing happens in Atlasia unless you make it happen. As those who served with me at the ConCon know, I am not content to let an issue slide because my fellow lawmakers can't be bothered to answer their PMs. I am a veteran arm-twister, and if necessary I will pester the bejeezus out of our regional officers to ensure that what needs doing is done and done well.

(3) Let's be honest: every single one of us, including myself, has spoken out of anger or paranoia without taking the time to hear all the facts. You yourself did so quite recently when you suggested the Supreme Court had ruled against Secretary Pryor for partisan reasons. There is a difference, however, between being a private citizen and being an executive magistrate with the power to charge and prosecute persons for criminal acts, and I take that difference very seriously.

As Secretary of the Interior, I will never charge or otherwise accuse any citizen unless there is conclusive evidence that a crime was committed. To be clear, one poster claiming they were harassed on IRC is not remotely conclusive; I would want to see direct documentary evidence of the alleged crime and hear from multiple witnesses before I ever consider bringing charges in a given case. I will never prosecute anyone for partisan reasons, and I will never allow my personal feelings to interfere with the proper and lawful execution of my duties as Secretary of the Interior. If I ever feel that I cannot act impartially in a given case, I will at once recuse myself and ask the president to appoint an alternate prosecutor to ensure that the judicial process is fair and transparent.

[Leinad]

Not sure those questions could've been answered much better--I entirely support Truman for confirmation.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Are there any other questions?

[Senator Cris]

The nominee has my full support.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Since apparently there are no questions, would the PPT be so kind as to call a vote on this?

[Clyde1998]

I'm opening this up to a final vote.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Aye.

[Senator Cris]

Aye

[Clyde1998]

Aye

[Clyde1998]

With three members voting in favour and three absent, Harry Truman has been confirmed as Secretary of the Interior.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Aye FTR