Cao/OSR October 2021: A Place for All in Atlasia (Thank You — Till We Meet Again)

[KaiserDave]

So that was a threat

[tmthforu94]

Endorsed, good luck friend!

[Crane]

So that was a threat

The Cao campaign must condemn his associate's open calls for violence, or else this election will descend into anarchy.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

So that was a threat

The Cao campaign must condemn his associate's open calls for violence, or else this election will descend into anarchy.

Who called for violence?

[S019]

So that was a threat

The Cao campaign must condemn his associate's open calls for violence, or else this election will descend into anarchy.

Who called for violence?

Your failure to read between the lines is clearly an act and done in bad faith so that you can justify your often ill-advised actions, such as vowing to "not play nicely." I think you need to take a step back, because you take this game too seriously and you need to take a step back and wonder if really, any of this is worth it? Of course, I only speak for one person, but I think it isn't worth it for you and you should take a break, but then what do I know.

[Adam Griffin]

You have my endorsement--not because of your statements regarding me since this campaign isn't about me (you can even post something unequivocally condemning my behavior and I won't give a damn), but because only you are the candidate in this race who can actually revive the game and make Atlasia a place for all.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

What are your thoughts on Spark's proposal to bring back the Secretary of Internal Affairs, Domestic Policy Council, Space Council, etc.?

[Joseph Cao]

What are your thoughts on Spark's proposal to bring back the Secretary of Internal Affairs, Domestic Policy Council, Space Council, etc.?

Regarding the SoIA, there has been a lot of talk about how it was abolished because the office wasn’t doing anything. As conceived it was a key position in the feedback loop between Congress, the regions, and the GM, and I think it’s fair to say the concept of something like that is sorely needed now that people feel passing regional or even federal bills has no effect on the game, but it is an enormous portfolio and that is why realistically, with few exceptions, the office was underutilized. In view of that, I don’t think it is necessarily a net benefit to add another office to fill to the deficit we have right now. Still, we need something like it and even a small provision that the GM or another relevant official provide regular updates on how the federal bills affect things regionally, or vice versa, can go a long way toward fixing the feedback loops on which this game is supposed to operate.

As for non-NSC councils: there are currently too many obstacles to a functioning DPC, Space Council, etc. – candidates for them, logistical problems with getting everyone to pull their weight – to convince me that their establishment would have the intended effect of concentrating policy discussion. Even if there was a Space Council or a Climate Council the real busywork on those issues is going to have to happen in Congress; even if I managed to find someone other than WB willing to discuss space issues in detail they are in a position to drive a productive legislative discussion if they wanted to.

[Politics Fan]

What in your opinion should be done about the individuals that refuse to take the COVID vaccine assuming that we see COVID-19 continue to spread among this group? What ultimate lessons do you believe we should take from the pandemic and the various responses that we’ve seen in Atlasia and around the world?

At what point if any should someone’s personal character and actions 
disqualify them from earning your vote? Would you ever support someone you disagreed with less on the issues over personality and or personal character?

Lastly without commenting on any on going potential cases do you believe conduct on atlas  related discord servers such as LOKcord  should ever result in individuals facing criminal charges based on their conduct?

Can you please answer my questions

[Saint Milei]

endorsed

[Joseph Cao]

Can you please answer my questions

Ah, apologies.

What in your opinion should be done about the individuals that refuse to take the COVID vaccine assuming that we see COVID-19 continue to spread among this group? What ultimate lessons do you believe we should take from the pandemic and the various responses that we’ve seen in Atlasia and around the world?

I favor what back in the home countries have been called "differentiated measures": as far as your workplace and the rest of the private sector is concerned, if you can get vaccinated (no medical exemptions etc.) but choose not to, then you get to undergo a rigorous and continuous testing regime the cost of which you are going to have to bear. Our vaccination campaign has of course been driven by medical professionals on the ground, by vaccine hesitants' families, people who are best placed to convince others on a personal level, which has been responsible for the great vaccination rates we've seen; a federal mandate in my view won't be any more effective at convincing them to get the shot than the ongoing concerted campaigns to persuade people of why they need to get it.

This all ties in naturally to our fight against COVID being a long-term one. The barely year-long window between vaccine development and their widespread use among over three-quarters of the population is unprecedented in human history, especially with how high-profile it has been. We have not seen the full extent of the education campaigns and other measures that will need to be taken to get COVID shots on the same level in the public consciousness as flu or measles shots. COVID in general has been like this, what with the steep learning curve governments all over the world have faced, but it's clear that those countries that kept the flexibility to stay on top of the public health situation without trespassing on the needs and specific circumstances of their people (rather than simply steamrolling the population and covering things up, as China did, or pretending it didn't exist, as Brazil initially did) have done the best, because that twofold situation allows for governments to respond properly to the changing circumstances of COVID among their constituents. Atlasia has had one of the best responses in the world and I'm proud to have played my small part in contributing to it.

At what point if any should someone’s personal character and actions disqualify them from earning your vote? Would you ever support someone you disagreed with less on the issues over personality and or personal character?

Yes.

To elaborate, as I've mentioned I like both Scott and Battista and if I were registered in Fremont rather than the great Region of Lincoln (the best one) I certainly would have voted for them. They've done good jobs in office and are great people. I've voted for folks like Jimmy (pre-DA) and KaiserDave who have taken the same general stance. I prefer to focus on the good that people can bring to the table when considering my votes, but obviously people who have made the game "worse"—forgotten that they share this space with other people who deserve respect, etc., plus whatever attendant in-game consequences there are for that—are ranked lower all else being equal.

Lastly without commenting on any on going potential cases do you believe conduct on atlas  related discord servers such as LOKcord  should ever result in individuals facing criminal charges based on their conduct?

Whether or not someone does something that violates Discord TOS is irrelevant to whether that constitutes a violation of Atlasian law, just the same as for Atlas TOS. Atlasian law does not affect whether an officeholder or citizen in Atlasia gets sanctioned for something they did in the wider forum, or even offsite, either or Discord or anywhere else. In those cases, I understand, the user gets sanctioned based on Atlas TOS rather than other concerns; likewise for Discord and sanctions based on Discord TOS.

Conversely, as long as criminal charges are on the table we are limited only to considering Atlasian law in-game, not prosecuting based on Discord TOS or Atlas TOS or other concerns. Regarding the extent to which Atlasian law applies in places other than the AFE/AFG boards, existing language in legislation like the RLPCCR has left interpretation open as to what that extent is (some crimes apply to the Wiki, or to the forum, but these are specified in clauses rather than implied across the entire text) and I would be getting ahead of the Court and legal experts in judging the overall matter. I guess my default is it depends on the specifics of the case but that's merely my uninformed opinion absent any further information about it.

[Politics Fan]

Thank you Senator for your responses. I appreciate the time you took to answer my questions.

[Dr. MB]

Do you plan to choose a running mate?

[Joseph Cao]

Do you plan to choose a running mate?

Matter of fact, I have an announcement coming up about that—stay tuned!

[Joseph Cao]

Game Plan: On Activity and Fixing the Game

Good evening, folks. I know it has been beaten to a rhetorical pulp already but there is no more pressing matter than the activity crisis, or rather the activity crises, and I'd like to talk now on the subject of those crises and whether we can solve them.

It is overly simplistic to talk about an "activity crisis" with the implication that only one problem needs to be solved. There is, arguably, an AFE activity crisis and an AFG activity crisis separate from an overarching Fantasyland-wide activity crisis, each of which shows different features and requires different solutions. The AFE one is not new: people have argued for a long time that elections are not fun anymore and a general dissatisfaction with the elections part of the game has since set in. The AFG curse of inactive legislators is, to a certain extent, also not new, though it does not seem to have been as widespread in the past as it currently is.

What has blown the current situation out of hand is the overarching problem that AFE and AFG are simply not all that connected anymore: legislation is not perceived to matter, GM storylines are for the most part ignored (the Taiwan situation begun in May!), and broadly speaking whatever the outcome of these elections and discussion on AFE, whether the bills being considered in governments are Bipartisan™ or Controversial ones, the boards as a whole remain unaffected. That is not the case in an even minimally healthy game. The AFE board must affect the AFG board and vice versa, and the many more little feedback loops between legislators and voters, between parties on the AFE board, between the GM and the executive and legislative branches, between federal and regional branches, and between players themselves all help to make the game more active at the best of times. This is not the best of times.

I freely admit I do not have a magic bullet to solve systemic inactivity, nobody does. But misdiagnosing the situation, and simply coming to the conclusion that blowing everything up would be a good thing to do, leads only to ending the game in fire instead of ice.

So here are the main things I will consider, in approximately reverse order of importance to the overall health of the game:

• Legislators need to care about their legislation. This is not an indictment of any one person. That in itself is an indictment, however, because the legislature cannot function at its best if only a small proportion of its members show up to debate, much less come up with their own bills. Leave it to the writer of multiple such bills to defend the practice, but it does not matter if those bills are so Bipartisan™ that nobody debates them; we had plenty of those in years past. The Bipartisanship™ of our legislation is not the issue. The issue is the willingness of people to show up and actually do their jobs, and that is what is missing on a much larger scale than in the past. I obviously cannot direct legislative affairs from the executive position to the degree that I enjoy now, but the President can still be an active presence and encourage greater activity on the part of the legislatures. We have had (through absolutely no fault of their own) two presidents in a row who have not pursued that duty to the greatest degree possible. I can change that.
  
  
• Legislation needs to engage the general population. That wall between AFE and AFG needs to be breached and it has never needed that more than it does now. This is an area where the President does have the power to radically change things and get all those little feedback loops working again. I have given every question asked in the course of this campaign its due consideration; you can be sure that that will continue if I am elected. The executive must, after all, stay accountable. But getting the stuff on AFG to actually matter electorally and in the game at large can be massively helped not just by an active Game Moderator, an active Secretary of State, active Councils, and all that jazz, but furthermore by a GM's Office that can help highlight the relationship between the federal and regional levels of government and make AFG goings-on relevant to the elections and general discussion side of the game. Peanut, to his credit, made the Southern homeowners' bill the centerpiece of just such a storyline. I will encourage the GM to pursue storylines of this basic form, ones that can breach the gap between AFE and AFG and give substance to elections beyond their current state of popularity contests and numbers games and general complete and total divorce from anything that happens in government. This goes just the same for the SoS and Cabinet and the legislators themselves, of course, but the GM was and is the central clearinghouse for such things and it is always a help for everyone else to begin incorporating such considerations into their own work.
  
  
• The population needs to care. I cannot stress enough that the game as a whole fundamentally comes to nothing without an engaged AFE, and this is not simply a problem with zombie voters: when even experienced and active players are disappearing from the scene en masse, the result is an AFE that flares up maybe once in a blue moon when a region decides to secede for s[inks] and giggles. Now if (as seems to be partly the case) people have lost the energy even to blow off steam on Discord about the game, the problem will actually be intractable. But if you do care about the game, bring whatever you have to say onto the boards! Dave knows the discussion is desperately needed. I have said nothing about this month's elections anywhere on Discord that I have not also posted here on Atlas; it would be good for all presidential candidates to commit to the same pledge that Sestak made, to post on the boards rather than resort to offsite discussion, regardless of which of us ultimately wins.
  
  New players have always been floated as a solution, though it is concerning that even newer players by and large seem more jaded about the game than people who've been here longer. Again, new players are discouraged when they find that outside of voting (and often even during voting) nothing on AFE or AFG matters. As I've also tried myself within the Feds, we on all sides need to help them learn the ropes rather than just rely on them for votes—when new players arrive, which is seldom, and what people generally imply with the term is someone with the in-game skill of a 2017 dfw, which might as well be Godot for how often such a player arrives on the scene. There are no panaceas here. We can do what we can to make everything accessible, pass great or good or mediocre bills, dangle storylines and wars to engage people. All of that is essentially leading a horse to water, and you know what they say about horses to water.
  

The lesson to take from the widespread inactivity on AFE and AFG is not to decide that nothing matters anymore; it is to make things actually matter. There is only so much that one can do as President to change the state of the game. But I intend to follow this roadmap to the best of my ability, and if the first step to recovery is diagnosis and the second is change, I'm here to help everyone climb up the second step with me. That's part of what it means for everyone to have a place in Atlasia—and moreover for that place to matter.

[Joseph Cao]

Hello, everyone! I’m glad to come before you again this evening and talk further about what we’re hoping to bring to this nation in its highest office. Yes, that is a ”we”—I’ve taken pains to make sure potential running mates are committed to the prospect of serving Atlasia in an office where service and trust are absolutely paramount. And I’m happy to announce that Senator Old School Republican checks all those boxes and will join the ticket as our vice-presidential hopeful.

OSR is no stranger to tackling the problems that our nation’s citizens must overcome. He has served well in both the House and the current Senate with an eye towards keeping order in the policies that singlehandedly shape people’s lives throughout this nation. And he brings to the ticket an expertise in economic and foreign policy matters that reflect our commitment to strengthening Atlasia’s wellbeing both at home and abroad.

Above all, I have the utmost confidence that OSR’s time in this game testifies to the importance of everything this campaign has stood for so far. His history and personal growth as a player reflects what is best about the game when it challenges our thinking and our actions. In my time in the game I’ve worked well with him on several campaigns and in Congress, and I know we will have the capacity to lead an administration united in many different ways. In the difficult diplomatic needle we must thread abroad, with our friends and allies as well as those still opposed to us. In our domestic situation and the various issues that deserve the full attention of the executive branch. Most importantly, in helping the game get back on its feet and opening once more a place for everyone to enjoy themselves and have fun and maybe learn something, as we did, to the best of their ability.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Old School Republican, my running mate, and—with your support—hopefully the next Vice President of this great nation!

[OSR stands with Israel]

Thank You , Thank You. It is an honor to be nominated by this great party as its vice presidential candidate and I look forward to helping our nominee Joseph Cao be elected as our next president. I also look forward to working with him to making Atlasia a more inviting and active place and in helping improve the economic lives of all Atlasians.  To achieve that goal all of us regardless of party must come together to pass all necessary legislation, work on getting the game active again, and make Atlasia a better place for everyone.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Endorsed

[OSR stands with Israel]

Endorsed

Thanks

[Joseph Cao]

Kitchen Table Issues: On Our Economic Burdens

Evening, everyone – hello from my kitchen! From where I’m sitting at the table there’s a decent amount of room on it at the moment, and my table isn’t a big one or a fancy one; as a matter of fact it is the same table where I do my ironing. For most Atlasians that should sound familiar. And I’m here now talking to you all because that has to change, and there’s no better time for our economy to kick back into gear for everyone than coming out of a pandemic that has strained our lives to the maximum.

We in the Federalists have held at various points going back a very long time that the economy isn’t confined simply to the documents gathering dust on the CG’s desk. The average Atlasian’s perception of the economy will be affected by what the South decides to do about housing or whether Frémont sets up a new library initiative, and that should likewise be the attitude of the federal government; during my time in Congress, for example, I have taken pains to correspond our putative federal policy with that of the regions, and I fully intend to continue doing so. It is not just the usual federal/regional dynamic at play here, but the need for institutional stability that is required for a flourishing economy and flourishing livelihoods where our people are concerned.

It’s good to look beyond these constraints and consider the steps taken by most people to navigate this economy in their daily lives, the way the economy is experienced by most of our nation, then build a more comprehensive and attuned economic policy up from that. Kitchen table issues don’t begin in the kitchen for the most part; addressing them means quite literally thinking outside of that box.

So here is the framework I am working within, which lays out my broad priorities for a presidential term focused on finding workable solutions to the kitchen table issues facing all of us:

• Going on from where I began above, policies like our federal UBI help somewhat (even a great deal) for our struggling citizens, but at the end of the day it’s essentially giving you folks cash for a short period of time – we need to go deeper than that. Where I believe a longer-lasting solution can be found is in the same areas briefly touched on earlier, in providing a more permanent solution for the housing situation, healthcare, a navigable and effective education system, etc., with the dual purpose of getting Atlasians into a position to grab opportunities and ensuring the conditions necessary for such opportunities to come about. I want to use the position to fix things. That necessarily means coming at the problem from as lasting a solution as possible while continuing to adopt those short-term measures necessary to lift up those in need of help.
  
  
• Yes, your health is bound up in that. Atlascare is many things but it is not infallible, nor is it a substitute for good solid common sense. As I mentioned during the presidential debate, I view a focus on refining the procedures taken when implementing our current coverage system as a necessary path forward to ensuring that everyone in this nation gets the treatment and consultation they deserve. That focus is certainly not limited to Atlascare. At the federal level there are plenty of holes in medical procedures, edge cases and other things that Atlascare only tangentially touches on, where every hole plugged still results in many lives saved. My DNR bill was one such example. Regional efforts like the Lincoln farm bill and the Frémont produce bill also promote activities and services that will directly affect public health in a positive way; those are the kinds of alternative angles to approach the problem which I’m thinking of.
  
  
• And all those important goods bound for your kitchen table are not going to make it there if the car or motorcycle or delivery van hits a pothole on the way to your door. Infrastructure matters. We’ve had legislative follow-ups to important first steps fail to materialize one too many times – and a follow-up is desperately needed to the groundwork most recently laid by Spark, and many others before him, regarding the all-important funding for maintenance of our critical infrastructure. Pushing for a workable framework that addresses this issue will be a critical part of our presidential infrastructure, if you will. The same goes for the oft-ignored digital infrastructure which generally only comes into prominence when some server in California goes up in smoke. It is an equally important and ever-growing share of our national infrastructure and I’m proud to have provided the most comprehensive policy yet toward its upkeep and security.

These kitchen-table issues are simple yet necessary fixes that must be addressed sooner or later. If I may be permitted to mangle the metaphor one more time, not everyone has the room to buy a bigger table or the margin to spare on the daily necessities they need, but making those necessities just a bit more worth their value – helping them get to the table – making that table sturdier, more versatile, better able to do its job – all that shows a path forward for the people of this nation, everyone with a place in Atlasia, who may yet be surprised at how much can be done with the framework we have.

[Joseph Cao]

[One trip to AFG later.]

By the way, y’all – setting aside the merits of what little case was presented – this all seems like the opposite of shooting the messenger, if that is possible. There was basically no actual presentation of the case the first time around. This is not a knock on Tack or anyone else, activity is a severe problem all around, as evidenced by the obvious struggle it took just to supply all of prosecution, defense, and jury.

I’m not privy to any special information. Still, the sheer inactivity gumming up the works for Tack and the Court and everyone involved with the case is frankly enough to explain the outcome of the original case, no need to bring nefariousness into it. Hanlon’s razor, etc. As for the current case I think all that can be said about it is the fact that this firework show is currently taking place in a court thread, rather than the discussion thread, speaks for itself.

[Joseph Cao]

Make Art Great Again: On the Creative Process

This was not exactly a subject I expected to be speaking about to you all. But well – 

Over the past year I’ve had the privilege of getting to know people and their communities all around Atlasia, what they have to offer, how they overcame the challenges that COVID posed. With very few exceptions, many of these communities turned to the arts as a respite. Whether forced into a virtual format, or returning steadily as pandemic restrictions rolled back, we’ve seen a little renaissance of sorts driven by ordinary Atlasians who want to experience an area of humanity that nevertheless knows no limitations.

The arts and the outlet they provide have done wonders for our nation’s people this past year and demonstrated how much they’re needed. But it’s merely the most recent chapter in our nation’s centuries of experience with human creativity. From the Chicago Bean to the murals of Atlanta and Birmingham to Bennington, VT’s lovely Grandma Moses Gallery, Atlasia knows the value of its arts. It knows the value of its creativity. And the AFE board does best when we players put that creativity on display and do each other a national service. Newspapers, polling, stories, memes – you name it; each is just as much a part of the Atlasian creative tapestry as the Library of Congress or the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

My friend and fellow presidential candidate, fellow former congressman, fellow House Speaker, fellow Senator, fellow Aries, etc. etc. MB had the inspired idea last year to create an official Poet Laureate position. I liked the position. We could do with more where that came from, and I don’t just mean bugging HCP, who in any case is an incredibly busy man. What I’d like to propose as President is a specially designated week or month dedicated to celebrating the creative arts in an official capacity, during which interested parties would be welcome – no, encouraged – to get their creative juices flowing in service of the nation. And what I’d like to propose right now for your consideration, in my capacity as a simple private citizen, is to ignore those bounds whether they’re set or not and be your best creative selves year-round.

Gutter politics has understandably turned people off of the game, but the game is so much more than politics. Fantasyland is down, but not out; its potential can still be made use of on the creative, non-officeholding, non-electoral side of things. What better times could there be for putting that into action? Start a focus group; start a newspaper; start a serious or memey timeline; catch a ride to wherever the limits of artistry take you! (Though obviously excessive party-switching, even for the memes, and overworking Peebs is taking it a tad bit too far.)

Art is liberating. We’ve arguably never needed liberating more than we do now. If people feel confined by the current state of the game, the nice thing about Fantasyland is that outside of the electoral considerations and the legal bounds of government (and obviously forum TOS) there are no rules for how to play. We can make these boards, as the kids say, a happening place once more. A place capable of celebrating the best parts of this nation and of ourselves. A place for everyone.

[Joseph Cao]

Appropriately Sized Sticks: On Our Foreign Policy

Hello again, folks. In view of the GM's confirmation and the hopeful resumption of a foreign policy engine firing on all cylinders,  I think it is appropriate I let you all know my thoughts on the matter.

There’s no other area where the President has the opportunity to direct the conversation, or be the face of an entire nation, to the same extent as in the foreign policy sphere. With an active SoS and several storylines about to be picked up (both of which should, with luck, be sustained), this coming term will be possibly the most consequential one foreign policy-wise since the Second Korean War. As with that conflict (but hopefully with more peaceful outcomes this time), there is an opportunity once more for renewed activity revolving around discussion, legislative work relating to these stories, and the like that I certainly will do my part to advance. It is my intention, as I am sure it is for Scott and everyone else, to ensure we chart the best possible course for Atlasian involvement on the world stage during this time.

I have had the good fortune to work on charting a sensible and principled foreign policy with many folks, including then-Senator Blair and now-SoS Transit, and that reminds me to tell you all that, technically, I glossed over something in my opening just now. Foreign policy is an active and continuously moving, changing dynamic that is always better approached as part of a team effort. That is what the President will have to do with the GM, the SoS, the NSC, and Congress. And my experience with crafting and debating some of the past year’s preeminent foreign-policy moves, could not have been accomplished without working alongside members of every party. It will be of the utmost importance to have a mutual trust with regard to balancing idealism and pragmatism, preserving our long-term power, using our voice and backing it up, and how that translates to FP action.

Throughout this legislative work I have held continuously in mind our unique place on the world stage and our obligation, as it were, to continue to advocate for human rights, democratic ideals, and religious and civic freedoms in all their forms. Yet it will be incumbent upon us all, but especially the drivers of our foreign policy, to temper that with humility on the world stage.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the following are parts of our foreign-policy outlook I intend to pursue in a major capacity:

• Obviously, the China and Taiwan situation is developing into the crisis of our time – of the past year or two at any rate – and I have made my thoughts clear on these threats to the safety of what in another reality would be my former neck of the woods. Our first priority here must be a defusing of the incredibly tense situation, we will pursue all diplomatic means available, but we must make it incredibly clear to China while we do so that it has no business escalating things in this fashion. We do not want the Taiwanese people to become the latest victims of China's alarmingly violent attempts at expansionism by force. We will strive toward peace for nations and for people wherever possible – for the upholding and fulfilment of democratic principles, and against any attempts to undermine them.
  
  
• I am eager to pursue a more concrete policy toward two of our generally overlooked corners of the world. Firstly, the Myanmar coup is the most prominent of an underreported (in-game, anyway) epidemic of creeping illiberalism and democratic retreat across Southeast Asia. I will, for obvious reasons, be extremely interested in further updates on the region, particularly the state of the insurgency in Myanmar and the stability or lack thereof of the Philippine, Laotian, and Thai governments. We have a vested interest in continuing our outreach to this region, one of the largest and most diverse in the world in all senses of the word, in any way possible. I will certainly explore possible such avenues as President. Latin America at large, but especially Peru, El Salvador, and Colombia, also deserves our additional attention and concern. All three of these countries are at severe risk or are in the process of democratic backsliding – these will be important points of focus for any future GM action. Given the large populations that they represent and the obvious repercussions for ordinary people in these regions, we are always welcoming of further information on their political situations.
  
  
• Our balancing acts and monitoring in various ongoing situations must of course continue. Paflagonia has gone through some spectacular civil unrest and now faces the difficult task of resuming a democratic order for the first time in over six years. We’ll do what we can to support a return to stability in that nation and certainly welcome all diplomatic channels toward cooperation in these areas, as we will likewise with our allies and their domestic situations. Small-scale conflicts such as those in Eritrea and Azerbaijan will need resolution and I look forward to seeing the GM's actions on these. As for the elephant in the room, it of course bears reminding that we still need to tread carefully in the Arab world, certainly armed with some extra carrots to make up for our challenges to several nations on human rights and the like – which I still stand by, by the way. Israel’s continued political musical chairs should not mask their continued importance in the ongoing peace talks and our continued need to reach out to both sides. But it is, if anything, the least dangerous part of our relationship with the overall region.
  

We have a great opportunity here to demonstrate anew the potential for Atlasia to exert a much-needed diplomatic weight for all the values that we hold dear. As with the rest of our foreign-policy team, should I have the honor of becoming Commander-in-Chief I will most certainly play my part in demonstrating to the world the necessity of an Atlasian international outlook that cherishes, above all else, a place for everyone under the banners of human rights and democracy and a pragmatic stance on how to do that to the fullest and best possible extent.

[Joseph Cao]

Save the _______: On the Environment

In my time serving this great nation I've found no better way to ground myself and take up the people's burdens in Nyman than to visit people directly, listen to their stories and needs directly, and get to know what makes our communities tick. I spend most of my extended periods away from our nation's capital on this other half of the representative's duty (yes, that representation continues to be paramount in my mind; I was a man of the People's House before anything else).

There certainly is no better way to get a sense of just how expansive Atlasia's natural wonders are and the integral part they often play in shaping communities. Of course, that is a truism, but the story of Atlasians' relationship with their environment has been as much about their mastery over it (in every sense of the word) as their efforts to preserve it, both of which have been driven by varying concerns. And so the federal government has likewise done, first in its expansion and then the conservation picked up by T.R. and his successors. It needs no reiterating that our legislators and executives here in Nyman have maintained a consensus on the need for a muscular climate and environmental policy, though a lot has been exchanged in the past over how best to do it. I think it is good that those exchanges continue; climate is the one area where vigorous ongoing discussion is badly needed.

Much of the mastery has been long over at a local level, but higher levels of government have finally noticed that in recent decades and begun to act on it. In community after community, from Oneida to Logansport and from North Hero to Two Rivers, I've seen a relief at the widespread recognition of local emphases on clean energy, renewables, jobs based around natural restoration and upkeep, and of course the burgeoning culture of awareness toward local environmental issues. It has spurred a great general move toward closer cooperation between local government and the higher levels, in the precise bottom-up fashion we in the Federalist Party love to harp on about. For good reason: because it is the best form of environmental change so far as our citizens and their communities are concerned, and it gives them the openings they need to adapt after their own fashion and with all the appropriate care for those affected.

I have worked both in and out of my congressional docket to pursue this continuing necessity, in bills sponsored establishing greater regional and local cooperation on the environment as well as my vocal support for regional and local initiatives doing the same. As President there are several elements of this cooperation that I would emphasize and welcome bills from Congress on the subject: greater research into our ecosystems, which never gets the attention or funding it deserves; preserving our biodiversity, both fauna and flora, in the face of both natural and human threats to them; creating jobs in these areas with their local input that will continue to sustain these economies and give them another shot in the arm as we emerge from a pandemic that has no doubt increased our regard for the natural beauty we possess.

Of course, the flip side of that is the continued defense against the increasingly devastating natural disasters and creeping effects of the planet's warming. I have talked about local efforts toward these issues several times, particularly in the South where the effects of hurricanes, water shortages, cold snaps, and the like are felt in abundance. Alongside the federal government's continued situational monitoring and assistance to regional authorities when these disasters occur, there will need to be an investment into climate-specific infrastructural upkeep for dams, bridges and the like that are regularly threatened by their effects.

Internationally there is much that relates to the environment which the President will need to consider. Cooperation with other nations and with the international bodies over the same shared aims of preserving biodiversity, international aid for climate disasters and displacements, etc. must continue to be pursued. On the broad (literally relevant worldwide) issues of tackling global climate change, long-term plans for energy solutions, fixing global supply chains and averting if at all possible widespread food shortages, and the like, it is absolutely necessary that Atlasia's face on the world stage takes as many steps as necessary to get international cooperation toward finding solutions for the entire planet. Our climate pledges should be upheld even as we find ways to help other nations stick to their own pledges or make more stringent ones.

The environmental and climate issue has many, many dimensions. It is not obvious to me that one-size-fits-all solutions focusing solely on one body and one dimension ought to be our last word on the subject, and as President I assure you all that each and every possible avenue, at local and regional levels, at federal levels, and at international levels, will receive the appropriate thought and care. We are going to do our best to give a place at the table for all those who will be affected, whether positively or negatively, in Atlasia or abroad, and we are going to do it post-haste. I may be relatively green compared to others in this game, but that is a promise I feel confident making. That's how important it is.

[Fmr. Representative Encke]

Good luck!