South Park Conservative Press Conference

[SPC]

I will be holding a press conference right now regarding my Senate run. Feel free to ask me questions about my campaign.

[SPC]

I pledge to do the following things:
1. I will introduce legislation to lower the mandatory minimum for office to 50 posts
2. I will introduce legislation lower the requirement for registering to vote in an election to 5 days before that election
3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian
4. I will never pass a law that restricts the freedom of a businessowner
5. I will introduce legislation to repeal direct election of regional senators
6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators


Any questions

[TomC]

I pledge to do the following things:
3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian

7. I will introduce legislation to put a 90-day ban on any polls made by BRTD

Any questions

Which is correct?

[SPC]

I pledge to do the following things:
3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian

7. I will introduce legislation to put a 90-day ban on any polls made by BRTD

Any questions

Which is correct?

Allow me to change that:

3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian within reason

[Јas]

I pledge to do the following things:
1. I will introduce legislation to lower the mandatory minimum for office to 50 posts

Why change the current system?
And why 50 posts - if you're in favour of freedom, why not seek to repeal the post requirement?

2. I will introduce legislation lower the requirement for registering to vote in an election to 5 days before that election

Same questions as point 1, why change the current system?
And why 5 days - if you're in favour of freedom, why not seek to minimise/eliminate the required pre-registration period?

3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian

Can you explain how this point isn't inconsistent with points 1,2,5,6 and 7?

5. I will introduce legislation to repeal direct election of regional senators

Why?
How do you propose to elect regional senators, or do you hope to eliminate the positions?

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

[SPC]

I pledge to do the following things:
1. I will introduce legislation to lower the mandatory minimum for office to 50 posts

Why change the current system?
And why 50 posts - if you're in favour of freedom, why not seek to repeal the post requirement?

Notice that I put within reason in an update

2. I will introduce legislation lower the requirement for registering to vote in an election to 5 days before that election

Same questions as point 1, why change the current system?
And why 5 days - if you're in favour of freedom, why not seek to minimise/eliminate the required pre-registration period?

Same point as question 1.

3. I will never vote for a law that restricts the freedom of any Atlasian

Can you explain how this point isn't inconsistent with points 1,2,5,6 and 7?

1 and 2 I already explained. 5 and 6 I will get to later. Statement 7 I retract, doing that only to cash in on BRTD's unpopularity on the forum.

5. I will introduce legislation to repeal direct election of regional senators

Why?
How do you propose to elect regional senators, or do you hope to eliminate the positions?

I would propose that all regional senators be appointed by the governor of each region. This would make it so both the people of the districts and the people of the regions have a voice in the Senate.

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

My term limit would be similar to that of the Virginia gubernatorial term limit. Senators can serve unlimited terms, but they can only serve one consecutive term. I do this so that incumbents are not sho-ins for their districts, allowing others to have a legitimate shot at winning a Senate seat. If the people like their senator, they can reelect him after the other person has served his turn. Note that this wouldn't restrict write-in campaigns of incumbent senators.


Are you satisfied, because I welcome constructive criticism.

[Јas]

5. I will introduce legislation to repeal direct election of regional senators

Why?
How do you propose to elect regional senators, or do you hope to eliminate the positions?

I would propose that all regional senators be appointed by the governor of each region. This would make it so both the people of the districts and the people of the regions have a voice in the Senate.

But the people of the regions already elect the regional senators - how will removing their votes and making it an appointed position help give the people of the regions a voice in the Senate?

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

My term limit would be similar to that of the Virginia gubernatorial term limit. Senators can serve unlimited terms, but they can only serve one consecutive term. I do this so that incumbents are not sho-ins for their districts, allowing others to have a legitimate shot at winning a Senate seat. If the people like their senator, they can reelect him after the other person has served his turn. Note that this wouldn't restrict write-in campaigns of incumbent senators.

Is there any particular basis, in Atlasian history (recent or otherwise) to your claim that incumbent Senators are particularly difficult to unseat, in so far as to deem it an unfair electoral advantage?

[SPC]

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

My term limit would be similar to that of the Virginia gubernatorial term limit. Senators can serve unlimited terms, but they can only serve one consecutive term. I do this so that incumbents are not sho-ins for their districts, allowing others to have a legitimate shot at winning a Senate seat. If the people like their senator, they can reelect him after the other person has served his turn. Note that this wouldn't restrict write-in campaigns of incumbent senators.

Is there any particular basis, in Atlasian history (recent or otherwise) to your claim that incumbent Senators are particularly difficult to unseat, in so far as to deem it an unfair electoral advantage?

Well consider that in the February 2007 Senate elections, all four incumbents seeking reelection were reelected.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I fully support South Park Conservative's candidacy to try and bring some balance to Atlasia.

[Gabu]

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

My term limit would be similar to that of the Virginia gubernatorial term limit. Senators can serve unlimited terms, but they can only serve one consecutive term. I do this so that incumbents are not sho-ins for their districts, allowing others to have a legitimate shot at winning a Senate seat. If the people like their senator, they can reelect him after the other person has served his turn. Note that this wouldn't restrict write-in campaigns of incumbent senators.

Is there any particular basis, in Atlasian history (recent or otherwise) to your claim that incumbent Senators are particularly difficult to unseat, in so far as to deem it an unfair electoral advantage?

Well consider that in the February 2007 Senate elections, all four incumbents seeking reelection were reelected.

Two of them didn't even have any competition at all.  Ernest's challenger was someone who didn't campaign, nor even post at all for two or three weeks before the election.  The only serious competitor was MasterJedi, who did come within one vote of tying the incumbent.

The problem is really a lack of candidates, not anything to do with incumbents being hard to unseat.  Three of five Senate elections, or four of five if you don't count Conan as a real opposition, were unopposed in that general election.  That's just bad.  It's for this reason that I've always been opposed to term limits purely as a practical matter - at the current rate of influx of new members, if politicians were term limited, we would eventually run out of candidates!

[SPC]

6. I will introduce legislation to impose term limits on senators

What duration of term limit do you propose?
Why introduce term limits at all - surely that limits the freedom of the voters to decide on their representative?

My term limit would be similar to that of the Virginia gubernatorial term limit. Senators can serve unlimited terms, but they can only serve one consecutive term. I do this so that incumbents are not sho-ins for their districts, allowing others to have a legitimate shot at winning a Senate seat. If the people like their senator, they can reelect him after the other person has served his turn. Note that this wouldn't restrict write-in campaigns of incumbent senators.

Is there any particular basis, in Atlasian history (recent or otherwise) to your claim that incumbent Senators are particularly difficult to unseat, in so far as to deem it an unfair electoral advantage?

Well consider that in the February 2007 Senate elections, all four incumbents seeking reelection were reelected.

Two of them didn't even have any competition at all.  Ernest's challenger was someone who didn't campaign, nor even post at all for two or three weeks before the election.  The only serious competitor was MasterJedi, who did come within one vote of tying the incumbent.

The problem is really a lack of candidates, not anything to do with incumbents being hard to unseat.  Three of five Senate elections, or four of five if you don't count Conan as a real opposition, were unopposed in that general election.  That's just bad.  It's for this reason that I've always been opposed to term limits purely as a practical matter - at the current rate of influx of new members, if politicians were term limited, we would eventually run out of candidates!

I see your reasoning and conform to your position, but I do not want to be accused of flip-flopping.

I fully support South Park Conservative's candidacy to try and bring some balance to Atlasia.

Likewise to you.