Join the new world

My first term as Congresswoman for Cork and Kerry has been an interesting one. Numerous topics have been debated such as the Raleigh Treaty, Neutral Alliances, New Citizen issues, Bond issues, and Market Stabilization strategies. All extremely facinating. And much of the discussion is avaible for anyone to view and comment on in the Public Dail.

http://ieforums.hobbittown.com/default.aspx?g=topics&f=6

This is where you can see your respective Congressmen and women in action. 😉

I voted for the Raleigh Treaty. Traditionally this is a symbolic gesture between the UK and Ireland. This time, however, with the UK having attacked Norway and the resultant actions since, we decided to put a few more teeth into it. The end product is something that I think we can be proud of and I commend President Patton for his efforts in bringing this to a satisfactory conclusion.

The discussion on Neutral Alliances is an ongoing debate. One thing we can all agree on is that Ireland needs to become a player on the world stage. How we go about doing that is what is up for debate. Several options have been presented such as forming a new neutral alliance of nations, joining an existing alliance, joining an existing alliance as an observer member, or remaining as we are now. Darragh has been doing a fantastic job reviatalizing our Ambassor program. This will go a long way in raising the profile of Ireland and set the stage for our next step whatever that ends up being.

There has been a lot of discussion about New Citizens, minimum wages, and how we will be able to expand on our growth. Other than the few days I was in the Technological Abyss, I have been very vocal in this area as to what I think works or does not work. The original discussion focused on a formula based on Q2 food prices. However, the prices fluctuate so quickly and widely I did not feel that this was the best measure to use.

There is a more recent thread that discussed lowering the Minimum wage to 1.4IEP, but keeping state wages at 2IEP. Having a lower minimum wage would allow more flexibility to make adjustments to the state wages based on current economic conditions.

http://ieforums.hobbittown.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=712&p=2

There was another interesting idea presented by John O'Hawley that I found intriguing. Bond issues. The government creates a bond issue. People lend the government money for a specified amount of time and at the end of that term, say a month, the bond is repaid with interest. That's a simple way of explaining the concept. I think this would add a lot of interest to the game and provide additional money making opportunities for players as well as provide a way for our country to take advantage of additional opportunities that require large cash outlays.

I have not proposed any laws and I don't anticipate that I will be doing so this term. The things I would propose are already out there. And the other things I would like to see, it isn't time yet.

I will say that this is a great group of individuals that you have elected. I don't know what previous Congress have been like, but this is a dynamic, vibrant group of individuals committed to making Ireland better, stronger, and larger. I am honored to be named amongst such great men and women.

There are even more topics than what I covered. Please feel free to visit the forums and let your voice be heard. Don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new once. Most of us are very encouraging individuals and delight in seeing new faces eager to get involved.

Until next time.

Edana Savage
Minister of New Citizens, 2nd Term
Congresswoman for Cork and Kerry