Join the new world

I would like to formally announce my candidacy in the North Dakota congressional race. Although this is my first run for Congress, I believe that my experiences in the game have prepared me for the office. I have participated in the economics of the game as both a worker and a company owner, so I have a solid grasp on the day to day needs of citizens and the practical consequences of what Congress does. I have participated in numerous wars, independently in the early game and now as a Guardsman, contributing to our defenses and earning the rank of Colonel. I have witnessed how important our military organization is in getting the best out of our soldiers and will safeguard that structure to the best of my ability.

I am a proud member of the Conservative Party, but I am not seeking to represent them alone. In addition to my own party, I have also been endorsed by the Libertarians and the Federalists. If elected, I will be available to address the concerns of our citizens and will remain open to the ideas of all parties. I believe that it is essential that we remain a multi-party nation. If any party achieved unilateral dominance of this country’s politics, its leaders would have an unhealthy level of influence over our nation’s policies and discourage the spirit of innovation that we need to keep our country prosperous.

Our nation stands at a crossroads. The inter-alliance partisanship of the ATLANTIS era is behind us and our destiny is uncharted. It is essential, now more than ever, that we choose policies that will strengthen our country and secure its future. Below, I have outlined the course that I believe will best serve that future and make us the free and united country that we all deserve. I have tried to be as open and honest as possible about my intentions if elected. If you share this vision of America, I hope you will honor me with your support.

Fiscal Policy
New players may not realize this, but our current tax rates are the result of an emergency measure. Some time ago, a disreputable player gained access to our country’s accounts and the US treasury was stolen. With no resources, Congress feared that we would come under attack and understandably raised tax rates in order to replenish our funds. By any rational measure, this crisis has long since passed, but we are still paying the government twenty cents of every dollar we earn. Just as in real life, our government’s spending needs always seem to grow into whatever amount of money it has available.

If elected, I will provide a healthy voice of skepticism toward government spending. Every time I vote on appropriating funds, I will remember that every worker in this country took a pay cut to provide that money. Congressional authority over those funds must never be taken lightly or abused. Obviously, some costs are necessary and unavoidable, but we need to start cutting the tax rates as soon as we can safely do so.

Military strength is always dependent on economic growth. In the long run, this means that lower taxes will make us even stronger. The more money citizens’ keep, the more they can invest in our nation’s economy. This will allow for more efficient production and produce higher profits and wages. Lower taxes will also attract more players to the US and make our products more competitive abroad. The money that we don’t spend today will reap more resources and manpower tomorrow.

Trade Policy
Like the incumbent, I consider myself a free trader. It is very tempting to bar the rest of the world from our markets and keep our prices high, but this is a dead end. It only creates the illusion of wealth: our pay is higher, but so are the prices of all the goods we spend it on. Protectionism only denies us access to the most efficient suppliers and keeps our real standard of living artificially low.

Even in the confines of the existing game mechanics, however, trade policy does not have to the a zero sum game my opponent described. Unlike many countries, America is blessed with high production regions for three raw materials. This means that we have the potential to command a substantial export market. Remember that some countries need our Grain, Oil, and Wood just as much as we need their Iron and Diamonds. Free trade does not just mean more goods on our market, it can also mean more markets for our goods.

The only problem that I have with the current policy is that the government has not done enough to make trade reciprocal. We should always honor our alliance obligations, but we have a great deal of discretion in deciding how much we spend in support of particular allies. An ally’s trade policy should rank high among the factors that we consider when making that decision. With other countries, I would consider approving trade embargoes if they are especially intransigent and I saw no other way to convince them to accept more open trade.

Foreign Policy
As we struggle to rebuild our place in the post-ATLANTIS world, it is important to learn from the mistakes of the past. Empire building for its own sake is not a viable foundation for an alliance. ATLANTIS has collapsed in ruin, with Hungary replacing Romania as the dominant power in Europe. I believe it is only a matter of time before Hungary and Indonesia begin to feel the pressure from their overlapping spheres of influence. In the end, their ambition for conquest will set them against each other for the same reason that Romania and Indonesia became rivals in the first place. It would be counter-productive to fall into the same trap ourselves. By the same token, we cannot afford to defend the entire world.

Gaius Julius of the Federalists has offered a viable alternative to this: a network of allies explicitly committed to the principles of free trade and bound together by ties of commercial interest. Such an enterprise can foster genuine loyalty. Once a nation has become integrated with its allies’ economies, they become essential to its own prosperity, so there can be no thought of abandoning them. Since the members of a commercial alliance will already be reaping the benefits of each others’ resources, their will be no incentive to turn on each other as the Swedes and Poles did to Germany.

Such an alliance would also be far less threatening than the traditional blocs. With resource deficiencies corrected through trade rather than conquest, the primary motivation for inter-alliance rivalry would be neutralized. PEACE would have nothing to fear from such an alliance unless they had hostile intent toward its members. Making this clear would finally show their baseless accusations and propaganda for what they are and make it clear to the world who the aggressors are.

Defense Policy
The defense of our nation is the single most important issue. I have supported our nation’s military as a member of the Home Guard and will continue to support them in Congress. I am willing to challenge our leaders if there is a more cost effective way to achieve our aims, but our troops must never be denied the resources that they need to defend our nation and its interests.

Our best (and most popular) military innovation has been the use of regular war games. War games have increased the experience and potential power of our citizens, created opportunities for our citizens to increase their wellness, and gained the favor of our allies who also reap these rewards. This program is clearly beneficial and will almost certainly be continued whoever is in Congress.

Like many new programs, however, there have been errors in its implementation that we will need to guard against in the future. First, all multilateral war games must be negotiated in advance; once they are under way, there is no incentive for our allies to volunteer their share of the cost. Second, we should never have war games on days when an MPP allows our citizens to fight for free. Any war games agreement must include an option to postpone in these situations. Finally, any actual offensive should be delayed if war games have already diminished our ability to attack for the day. The inexplicable decision to invade the Far East after many citizens had exhausted their ability to fight resulted in an attack that drained our treasury for no good purpose.

The other major error in our recent defense policy was the decision to turn our backs on an ally when Germany was attacked. A strong national defense cannot exist without credibility. If we want the support of our allies, they must have confidence that we will come to their aid when they are threatened. If we want to deter aggression for rivals, they must believe that we will back up our treaties with more than words. When we enter into an MPP with another nation, that commitment must remain inviolable. We are the largest country in the new world, but we have never lived up to our potential. Many people abroad believe that we are unable or unwilling to rally our forces when we are called upon. The military has done much to correct the disorganization that has hampered us in the past, but that will be meaningless unless we demonstrate the will to use it.


I want to thank all citizens who have taken the time to read this presentation. Please vote for Arken from the Conservative Party for North Dakota Senator.