Join the new world

My fellow Belgians,

Congressional elections are now behind us and they were a rousing success as usual. Once again, we have a very active, qualified group of Congress members to carry the torch for another month. Congratulations to all who won, especially those taking their seat for the first time.

With the Congress elections over, it is time to begin seriously taking a look at the presidential election upcoming. As I declared one week ago, I will be a candidate in the June election. The intention of this article is to explain my plans for the future of Belgium while I am president by presenting a manifesto of sorts.

Economy
The world economy has seen some rough times over the last few months as admin has implemented many new features sporadically. Prices rise and fall seemingly at random at times, but always stabilize at a market average that is affordable for most players. Consumption drives the market in ordinary times, so prices will always reflect the demand for goods made by company owners and citizens (except when new changes are implemented). Regulating the market is not the responsibility of the government, and I will not ask my Minister of Finance to attempt to regulate either the product or monetary market using government funds - that would be a waste. The exchange rate between BEF and gold will remain high as long as there are people who will exchange at that rate. At this time, only the users of the monetary market can change the rate by ceasing market activity until the rate naturally decreases, which it will given time as offerers realize that their offers are not being accepted.

The Ministry of Finance will be tasked with documenting rate changes, tax revenue, and expenditures. The Minister will follow the monthly budget and disperse funds as required. Government funding will continue as before unless changed by Congress, which is the only body that has authority over government funds. The Ministry of Finance is only the warden of the treasury, keeping it safe to use at the duly elected branch's discretion. Neither the Minister nor myself will dole out government funds without Congressional approval.



Foreign Affairs
With the recent signing of a MPP with Venezuela, we have balanced our allegiances and taken a step back towards neutrality. The majority of the citizenry seems to prefer neutrality and I will honour their wishes, maintaining a balance between the two major global alliances rather than officially favouring one over the other. Henceforth, we will sign two MPPs each month, one with a ONE/NWO nation and one with a Terra/EDEN nation. The nations considered for MPP will offer both protection and frequent battles in which we can fight from Belgium.

In regards to our northern neighbours in the Netherlands, I will continue to monitor the debates within each nation regarding possible merger and discuss the possibilities with my Netherlander counterpart. Belgium will not invade and conquer the Netherlands unless agreed to by the majority of citizens of both nations. With our MPPs, it seems likely that a training war with the Netherlands is no longer possible, which is detrimental to their population's continued growth and will be conveyed to them.



Military
Over the last two months, there has been considerable debate in Congress regarding the military. My first act as president will be to order a complete audit of the army's finances to be submitted to Congress within a week following the presidential election. This should not be considered a hostile act towards the military, simple a way to reach concurrence between the military and Congress. Part of the debate that has arisen is whether or not the military is a separate branch of the government. The status of the military will be determined during my term as president by a coalition of the military, Congress, and the executive once and for all. If deemed necessary, an amendment to the Constitution will be proposed that settles the status of each branch of government according to the joint decisions reached by the coalition.

Now something that might make the army happy. I want to see our army utilized more extensively throughout the world. At the moment, our soldiers fight primarily at home for our signed allies, occasionally venturing overseas for a fight here or there at the generals' discretion. I would like to see us further that by deploying our army to major world battles on a more regular basis and providing our soldiers with additional weapons to increase their rank accumulation faster. There are a few ways in which we can fund this, and I will discuss them with both the military leadership and Congress. The military should not have to be in the food industry, but rather should only have to focus on weapon production. To accomplish this, we need a work-coop to get all of our soldiers self-sufficient in food production. Finally, I would also like to see us start funding additional strength training, although I do not yet have a funding plan for such a program.



Home Affairs
Home Affairs will continue to concentrate on education, immigration, and retention. Unlike the other areas of focus, I do not have a lot to add to any of these categories as we are doing fairly well on education and immigration. Retention, especially of older citizens of late, needs to be addressed, but unfortunately, this is one area that is mostly out of our hands. Providing opportunities for citizens through the areas above will help with retention to a point, but retaining new and old citizens will continue to be problematic.

Finale
This is a brief summary of what I plan to do as president of Belgium. I realize that it is not all-encompassing and that there are areas I probably didn't even consider. I welcome all questions, comments, and suggestions, whether publicly or privately. In the end, I have the best interests of all Belgians at heart and want to maximize the playing experience for us all. So please, when you visit the polling booth on the 5th, cast your vote for Chris Stanwick. Thank you.

-Chris Stanwick, June 2011 CP Candidate