I'm running for Congress in Oregon -- my platform
Day 484, 11:35
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Published in USA 
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by
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by ligtreb
UPDATE: I have updated my platform at this link.
I'm thrilled to announce that I'm running for Congress in Oregon, and have received the USWP's official endorsement to do so.
My platform:
Transparency
I believe in the transparency of government, and if elected I will regularly publish newspaper articles detailing why I voted yes or no on every issue that comes to a vote. If elected, I will be diligent about updating every vote in the Google Docs on the eUS forums. It's a shame that only about 55% of votes have been made public on there.
I support Aren Perry's Public Information Act to show government expenses and actions (other than national security and foreign policy issues before they become public in-game).
Foreign Policy
eUSA needs strong allies, to bolster our own strength and have a strong force to counter PEACE. ATLANTIS is far from ideal and needs changing, but we have to try to make it work. I agree with ProggyPop's idea of lowering the advanced time of notice of an attack to 24 hours.
War
As we saw with the recent Mexico battles, we need to be careful before attacking anyone, even for war games. While war games can be beneficial, it is important to remember that the country we attack gets all the same benefits as we do (higher wellness, more experience). In the future, I recommend battling with an ally if at all possible, and having all of the details worked out beforehand, focusing on only one battle at a time.
Accountability
I expect all of you to hold me accountable for my actions and I believe it is Congress' responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable. Had I been in Congress at the time, I would've voted for Uncle Sam's impeachment because of the lack of communication and the multiple avoidable mistakes.
You don't impeach a President just for losing a battle or making one mistake, but if he pays a good chunk of the Treasury without informing congress, fails to follow the basic rules of a treaty (not telling ATLANTIS 48 hours in advance), and starts a war without closing the old one in Portugal (which helped make this worse), he needs to be held accountable. We were led to believe the war games in Mexico would not turn into a real war, but they did, and that can't happen again.
Taxes
Nobody likes paying taxes, but they are necessary. I know taxes get a very bad rap in RL because a lot of people don't agree with the programs they pay for. However, in eRepublik, these don't exist. There is no welfare, unemployment, public education or health insurance. Hokiehigh said it much better than me in this article.
It's important for the government to have tax funds for war purposes, defense systems and hospitals. While it's not ideal for the government to be funding weapons companies, I agree with it and think it will work in the future. I think PANEC will work in the long run and even if it doesn't, don't think we should change the taxes again for at least a few weeks to see what the results are.
About Me
I've been a part of this game for a little over a month, and have become hooked. I've worked and trained every day, fought in the wars I've been able to fight in, read the forums daily even if I don't post much, and have subscribed to (and read) tons of newspapers here. I have an open mind with this game and expect to ask a lot of questions in Congress if elected, but will think for myself about the issues.
Thank you all for reading this, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me either in the comments or in an in-game message. Everyone, please remember to vote on March 25th.
-- ligtreb
I'm thrilled to announce that I'm running for Congress in Oregon, and have received the USWP's official endorsement to do so.
My platform:
Transparency
I believe in the transparency of government, and if elected I will regularly publish newspaper articles detailing why I voted yes or no on every issue that comes to a vote. If elected, I will be diligent about updating every vote in the Google Docs on the eUS forums. It's a shame that only about 55% of votes have been made public on there.
I support Aren Perry's Public Information Act to show government expenses and actions (other than national security and foreign policy issues before they become public in-game).
Foreign Policy
eUSA needs strong allies, to bolster our own strength and have a strong force to counter PEACE. ATLANTIS is far from ideal and needs changing, but we have to try to make it work. I agree with ProggyPop's idea of lowering the advanced time of notice of an attack to 24 hours.
War
As we saw with the recent Mexico battles, we need to be careful before attacking anyone, even for war games. While war games can be beneficial, it is important to remember that the country we attack gets all the same benefits as we do (higher wellness, more experience). In the future, I recommend battling with an ally if at all possible, and having all of the details worked out beforehand, focusing on only one battle at a time.
Accountability
I expect all of you to hold me accountable for my actions and I believe it is Congress' responsibility to hold the executive branch accountable. Had I been in Congress at the time, I would've voted for Uncle Sam's impeachment because of the lack of communication and the multiple avoidable mistakes.
You don't impeach a President just for losing a battle or making one mistake, but if he pays a good chunk of the Treasury without informing congress, fails to follow the basic rules of a treaty (not telling ATLANTIS 48 hours in advance), and starts a war without closing the old one in Portugal (which helped make this worse), he needs to be held accountable. We were led to believe the war games in Mexico would not turn into a real war, but they did, and that can't happen again.
Taxes
Nobody likes paying taxes, but they are necessary. I know taxes get a very bad rap in RL because a lot of people don't agree with the programs they pay for. However, in eRepublik, these don't exist. There is no welfare, unemployment, public education or health insurance. Hokiehigh said it much better than me in this article.
It's important for the government to have tax funds for war purposes, defense systems and hospitals. While it's not ideal for the government to be funding weapons companies, I agree with it and think it will work in the future. I think PANEC will work in the long run and even if it doesn't, don't think we should change the taxes again for at least a few weeks to see what the results are.
About Me
I've been a part of this game for a little over a month, and have become hooked. I've worked and trained every day, fought in the wars I've been able to fight in, read the forums daily even if I don't post much, and have subscribed to (and read) tons of newspapers here. I have an open mind with this game and expect to ask a lot of questions in Congress if elected, but will think for myself about the issues.
Thank you all for reading this, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me either in the comments or in an in-game message. Everyone, please remember to vote on March 25th.
-- ligtreb
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Comments
Vote Green vote Ricky Blair congress of Oklahoma.
Good luck Ricky.
Good Luck ligtreb! You have my endorsement as California Congressman and USWP Western Congressional Region Director! Don't miss out on a great candidate Oregon! VOTE LIGTREB!
This is an excellent manifesto, I agree with most of the points set forth in this agenda. You have also taken time to talk about yourself which is great. As a Congress candidate, the people should know who they are voting for on a personal as well as a political level.
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It's a shame you had to drop out, I wish you the very best in any other state seat you are planning to run for.
Thomas, I did not drop out, I'm running. I have the USWP's endorsement.
Even better 😃
Hey ligtreb, i just checked out the USWP's candidates for Eoregon, and it shows michael Lewis as having the official nomination.
Please tell me Michael Lewis doesnt have the official nomination. That guy is.... well... you said more thoughtfull things in that article than that dunce has thought in his life.
I have the official nomination, not Michael Lewis. I don't know where you saw that, but I have been told my the USWP Political Action committee that I'm their nominee. I don't speak for the party, but I don't think anyone in USWP wants to be associated with Michael Lewis.
(;,,😉