Office of Ted (Farewell Address)

[Mike Thick]

Esteemed Titan Of Atlasia Ted Bessell


Theodore Edward Bessell LXIX (2015, colorized)

Wikimedia Commons
Offices Held
Last Governor of the Pacific
First Governor of Frémont
Former Member of the House of Representatives
Former Senator from Frémont
Former Secretary of State
Former Frémont MP
Former Chairman of the Labor Party
Frémont MP (Again)
House of Representatives (Again)
Senator (Again)
Vice President of the Republic of Atlasia
President of Atlasia

Post Directory
May 4th, 2020 - Announcing Campaign for Frémont Parliament
May 7th, 2020 - Plan to Get Frémont Through the Coronavirus Crisis
May 21st, 2020 - Rest of Platform + GO VOTE!
May 24th, 2020 - Victory Speech
May 29th, 2020 - Update on Goings-On
June 21st, 2020 - Statement on Election to the House of Representatives
August 26th, 2020 - Statement on Election to the Senate
October 26th, 2020 - Statement on the MB/Bessell Ticket's Victory in the Presidential Election

Daddy's home.

[Boobs]

Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?

[PSOL]

Welcome back!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Huzzah! Welcome back!

[Sestak]

we stan ted

[Mike Thick]

Ted Bessell Announces Candidacy for Parliament



Bessell announces his candidacy for Parliament via livestream

Wikimedia Commons

     Thanks for joining me tonight, everyone. I'm running for Parliament. Here's why.

     Since I retired from public life, I've spent my days in the backyard of my modest but weirdly imposing ranch-style home in Southern California, sipping mimosas with my much older wife. A comfortable existence? Sure. But not a fulfilling one. And when lady Atlasia calls, I answer.

     Since I helped found the Region, Frémont has never faced a crisis like the one it faces right now. The worst pandemic in a century is sweeping the country, and we're staring down the barrel of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Our government has made great strides in helping out ordinary people, but we can and should do more.

     I will expand on my platform in the coming weeks, but I can tell you this: if elected, I will introduce legislation to protect Frémont's workers during this crisis, reduce food and housing insecurity, and protect everyday people from bearing the brunt of revenue shortfalls we may face due to this downturn.

     I will provide the kind of leadership that comes with years of experience. I have served as a Member of Parliament, a Congressman, a Senator, a Governor, a Cabinet Secretary, and the chairman of a major political party. I bring to this job the Atlasia expertise of an obsessed high school sophomore, but the maturity and improved work ethic of a, uh, college freshman. Yeah.

     I will provide leadership you can trust -- leadership you can trust to stay active, and leadership you can trust to protect those among us who need it most.

     Looking forward to getting back into the ring with all you guys. Yeet

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed!

[Mike Thick]

Endorsed!

Thank you! Appreciate the vote of confidence.

[S019]

Endorsed!

[YE]

Endorsed.

[Sestak]

we stan ted

[Mike Thick]

Endorsed!

Endorsed.

we stan ted

Great honer! Thank you all for your support!


Today, I am releasing the first part of my platform, concerning an issue I think is on all our minds: how to get Frémont through the ongoing pandemic. The steps we've taken so far are a good start, but more action is needed.

Ted’s Plan to Get Frémont Through the Coronavirus Crisis:

 - We should use the funding the federal government has given us to continue ramping up testing capacity and to train an army of contact tracers. A program like the one Governor Gavin Newsom has pursued in California, where the state is repurposing thousands of state employees to contact-trace cases of COVID-19, can help Frémont mitigate the pandemic and bring back some of our economy.

 - Right now, it seems like we are successfully “flattening the curve” of spread -- however, there’s no guarantee that this will continue. To ensure that we can ease the load on our medical personnel if needed, we should organize a Frémont Health Corps of specialists and retired/volunteer medical professionals. Additionally, we can temporarily accelerate medical degree and residency programs, so med students and residents are ready to step in if needed.

 - We’ve all seen the images in the news: crops rotting in the fields as food banks run out of food across our region. It’s more cost-effective for farmers to let their harvest rot than it is for them to pay workers to harvest. Until supply chains are fixed and demand comes back, Frémont should pay farmers to farm, and donate the harvests to food banks. This is a simple, cost-effective step we can take to keep our citizens fed.

 - Regions, states, and municipalities will face massive losses of tax revenue soon -- I will lobby the federal government for a funding package to cover revenue shortfalls. We need help if we want to avoid grueling austerity measures during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

 - While we’ll look at the exact math when the time comes, Frémont may have to make serious cuts to spending. I will do everything I can to minimize layoffs and pay cuts for middle and working-class state employees. 40% of Atlasians don’t have the savings to cover an unexpected $400 expense, let alone losing their job. Cutting their paychecks (or, worse, eliminating them entirely) will prolong this recession for everyone.


As always, questions -- comments, concerns, hopes, dreams, and fears too -- are welcome!

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Endorsed, old friend! You will be great in parliament!

[Pericles]

Endorsed-good on you for running!

[PSOL]

Interesting platform, I hope to collaborate on many of these objectives if we are both present next session.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

I am looking forward to Ted-PSOL-ASV pow-wow sessions in the parliament.

[Mike Thick]

I am looking forward to Ted-PSOL-ASV pow-wow sessions in the parliament.

I’ve worked with people from across the political spectrum before, and I’m looking forward to doing it again!

[Mike Thick]

Endorsed-good on you for running!

Endorsed, old friend! You will be great in parliament!

Thank you for your support, my dudes!

[SevenEleven]

I'm on Team Ted!

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Endorsed, good sir.

[tmthforu94]

Endorsed!!

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Endorsed!!

If I am elected to Frémont's Parliament, I will put my years of Atlasia experience behind these efforts. I'll introduce legislation... to free Kansas from her Southern oppressors.

Tmth are you sure you want to endorse this?

[Mike Thick]

Should have clarified, sorry. I actually support Frémont annexation of the entire South

[tmthforu94]

Endorsed!!

If I am elected to Frémont's Parliament, I will put my years of Atlasia experience behind these efforts. I'll introduce legislation... to free Kansas from her Southern oppressors.

Tmth are you sure you want to endorse this?

Well I hadn’t seen that, it’s slightly annoying that others have joined in Truman’s trolling. But Ted has been a longtime friend and I know he’ll be active for the region - the parliament also has no power in moving Kansas as much as they seem to believe - the Courts will soon rule on that!!!

[Mike Thick]

I'm on Team Ted!

I'm on Team Ted!

Endorsed!!

Thanks, fellas! Greatly appreciated.


Wow! Voting starts, uh, really soon! Be sure to vote here once polls open. I've been drafting and redrafting the rest of my platform for weeks, so I'll just dump it all here.

All the Rest: Making Frémont a Better Place

 - The rent is too damn high! I will introduce legislation to increase the housing supply and protect tenants, which will include (among other things) the abolition of single-family zoning, temporary rent controls, and policies to ensure that houses aren't held empty as a form of speculation while families are forced to the streets.

 - College students pay way too much for textbooks! I will introduce legislation to gradually transition the University of Frémont to open-source course materials, by co-opting the open-source system used by some CCs in California and buying out the rights to privately owned books as needed.

 - Migrant farmworkers are keeping our families fed during this pandemic, but historically they've been treated poorly by their employers. They should be protected -- they should be compensated fairly by their employers, and work in a safe environment with proper PPE. I will support legislation to achieve this goal.

 - I will introduce legislation to change the Frémont Anthem to something else. I won't tell you what it is yet. That would ruin the joke.


Thank you all for your support -- coming back to the game has reminded me of why it was so much fun the first time! Don't forget to vote!