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Citizens of South Dakota,

My name is Stbob and I'm asking for your vote on May 25.



Background
Before I launch into my campaign platform, I thought I should talk a little about my background so you have a sense of who I am. In the real world, I am a 27-year-old graduate student pursuing a combined M.D. and Ph.D. (in cell biology). In the eWorld, I've been around for a little over two months. I am a member of the Federalist Party, to which your current Congressman, Justin Warren, also belongs. Unfortunately, my colleague felt he could not fulfill the duties of an active Congressman to the best of his ability for this term, and has asked me to step in to try to fill that void. As a scientist-in-training, I may not have the political background that the lawyers or politicians amongst us do, but I feel my analytical skills are on par with theirs, while offering a fresh perspective on old questions. As a Federalist, I espouse many of the same beliefs that your previous Congressman did. And, most importantly, as an active player, I intend to work towards the betterment of South Dakota and the country as a whole. Now, on to my political platform!

Government Transparency
I believe that the government should strive for transparency while still maintaining its duties in safeguarding the national interests. I feel very strongly that the government should be kept accountable for its actions by the eAmerican people. In matters that do not compromise state security and are not time-sensitive or exigent, I feel that the government should do its best to keep its citizens informed of developments, in a manner which the layperson can understand. However, I also understand that there are certain matters of which citizens cannot be kept fully abreast, either due to a lack of sufficient time or because they may compromise national security. That being said, I feel it is still the duty of the government to debrief the citizens in a timely fashion once the critical period has passed.

National Defense
I believe in a strong national defense. I feel the army should be well-organized, sufficiently supplied, and efficiently mobile once they are needed. However, I do not believe in wars of conquest or aggression, unless the purpose is to draw attention away from an ally under attack. While I do not condone the imperialistic leanings of some of the eUSA's former allies in ATLANTIS, I also saw value in the alliance from a defensive standpoint. Maintaining a good relationship with some of our oldest allies as well as the new friends we have made over Scrabman's tenure as President will be key to ensuring our security as we go forward. I feel that wargames are critical to priming the vast population of the eUSA for combat, as well as increasing the productivity of the nation's citizens. Because the eUSA has a decided population advantage, I feel it is not only in our nation's best interests to keep the populace militarily trained, but also to set in place an effective combat notification system in the media to help mobilize common citizens outside of the armed forces in the defense of the nation.

Fiscal Responsibility
I believe strongly that the government has a responsibility to spend the citizens' hard-earned tax dollars in a manner that is fiscally sound. This ties in directly with my views on nonaggression. The most expensive endeavor for the government is to wage a war of conquest, with costs resulting from the initiation of the military campaign, the supply of military units for travel and battle, and the loss of productivity of any soldiers stationed abroad. Additionally, the hospitals and defense systems needed to hold any territories gained in such an action are incredibly expensive. I feel that the general populace would be better served if money was spent instead on domestic infrastructure, with extra money either being saved or returned to the people in the form of tax cuts.

Tax Structure
I believe that if the nation's tax revenue is more than enough to fully fund budgeted items and fill a reserve (for use in military emergencies), the government should lower income taxes. Currently, the eUSA boasts some of the eWorld's highest income taxes at around 20%. In contrast, many of the largest nations have income taxes averaging between 5-10%. Additionally, we retain some of the lowest import tariffs amongst the developed nations (around 25% for materials and goods we do not already have in abundance). Other nations, though, tend to have protectionist tariffs ranging from 50-99%. This means that our trading partners can profit by exporting to our market, but, conversely, domestic businesses do not have the same opportunity in protected markets abroad. To counter this trade deficit, I feel we should engage our allies in an effort to persuade them to remove these barriers to trade or, as a last resort, raise our own tariffs to match theirs, in the interests of protecting the domestic business owner.

Partisan Politics
I believe strongly in multipartisanship. With a nation as diverse in political creed as ours is, it is important to recognize that occasional disagreements are inevitable. However, it is the duty of the civil servant to cooperate with even those espousing widely disparate ideals in the service of the country. Political infighting for the sake of pure partisanship is a disservice to the eAmerican public and should be left out of Congressional proceedings. I would stress, though, that reasoned political dissent should not be considered sedition, but rather can strengthen the foundation of the country by offering different perspectives on the problems facing our nation.


To those of you who survived my wall of text, I congratulate you! I encourage comments and questions and will do my best to reply in a timely fashion. If my ideals are in line with yours, then I invite you to vote for Stbob in South Dakota on May 25.

Stbob
Mr. Manager
Federalist Party Member
Running on the CvP ticket and also endorsed by the UIP.


Edited slightly on 5/20 at 19:00 to reflect the dissolution of ATLANTIS.
Edited signature on 5/21 at 14:00 to reflect my new ticket.
Edited signature on 5/23 at 19:00 to reflect the endorsement of the UIP.