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Citizens of Tennessee and of the eUSA:


Today, I announce my candidacy for an eighth term in Congress. I write you at a time of economic and political difficulty in the eUS. Although I have been an active member of the Budget and Finance Committee for most of my Congressional career, I will leave commentary on our economic situation to others. Many people, both inside and outside Congress, are analysing this situation. To demontrate the experience and independent thought I have brought and will continue to bring to Congress, I will briefly and incompletely describe what seems to me to be a political crisis afflicting our nation.

Political Experience

I will review my political experience during the 10 1/2 months I have been a citizen of the new world and of the eUSA. I hope this background establishes my credentials as a credible observer of the political scene.


As soon as I could, I joined America's Advancement Party, at that time the fifth ranked party in the eUSA. I soon became a party volunteer. My first assigned task was to rewrite the party's manifesto. That version is still used. I then took over the party's Public Relations Department, responsible for writing our party's paper, "Advancing America". Soon after that, I ran for and was elected to my first term in Congress, where I have served continuously, except for one term. I was primarily responsible for organizing the AAP Congressional Caucus and served as its first Leader. Currently, I serve on the AAP Roundtable (governing body) and on the Congressional Election Committee, responsible for evaluating and approving applicants for AAP Congressional candidacy.


My political experience is long and extensive. I hope my opinions below have some credibility.


The Symptoms of Political Crisis

Electoral Participation

Two developments indicate to me that we have a problem in our political life. Our nation experienced its first PTO attempt last election, and the PTOers were successful in electing at least five PTO candidates to Congress. While those elected were excluded from the Congressional forums immediately, they cannot be prevented from using the in-game Congressional powers. Specifically, each can approve 21 immigrants for citizenship. Thus, 105 enemy citizens can be approved this term. Carefully used, these new citizens can win election in most Wasteland states.

This is the direct result of insufficient participation by our citizens in the political process. The parties, which under game mechanics control elections, were able to defeat some PTO candidates, but were unable to mobilize sufficient last minute voters to defeat them all. A mobilization of the electorate is essential to prevent such events from happening in the future.

Congressional Participation

Congress has been rather inactive this term. We take votes on matters not available for an in-game vote in the forums. Participation by half the Senators is required for a proposal to be enacted into law. At least two proposals have failed for lack of this quorum. This is another symptom of a larger crisis in our political system.


Possible Causes and Remedies

It appears that neither members of our electorate nor of our Congress find participation in politics to be especially interesting. The electorate's disinterest might be explained by the secrecy in which Congress and the entire government operates. How can we expect anyone to be active in an aspect of the game when he knows almost nothing about its day-to-day operations? There might be good reason for this secrecy, but, as I described in my last platform, there are probably some Congressional forum boards that could safely be opened to public view. Such transparency may contribute to interest in politics as a game activity.


Congress members' disinterest in participating in Congressional activities can, at least in part, be attributed to the fact that Congress has gradually lost importance in determining governmental policies. The Administrators gave Congress a set of powers that made efficient governmental action impossible. Through a series of actions too complex to explain here, Congress granted the President authority to spend a large portion of the budget as he wished. Gradually, Presidents created ways to act that entirely circumvented Congress, and Congress did not object. Now it is accepted as fact that any activity the rules (game mechanics) do not explicitly assign to Congress or the President is automatically assigned to the President's sole power. Congress has no say whatever in an increasing number of governmental actions. The result has been a decline in the ability of Congress to influence policy in any way. This process has made Congress a much less interesting place in which to serve.


This problem is much more difficult to grapple with. It is generally accepted wisdom in the eUS that the "national security" requires that the Executive have the power to act unimpeded by "Congressional red tape and delay". (Note that "national security" is also the reason offered to justify extreme governmental secrecy.) It is possible that this opinion is correct. If so, the obvious solution is to give the Executive full power and to recruit a group of Congresspeople willing to do nothing except click the appropriate buttons when the President so orders.


Is Congress useless or actually harmful? Or is it a valuable participant in creating beneficial policies and in placing some checks on the actions of the President? Should Congress be made into an absolute rubber stamp? Or should it work to reclaim some of its lost power? I cannot answer these questions here. But, if we want to maintain a functioning Congress, we must confront them.


Conclusion

If you want to be represented by a highly experienced Congressperson who is willing and able to raise complex and difficult issues and questions like those above, vote for seeker1 on February 25.


seeker1
Senator from Tennessee