Open letter to the eUS
King Harambe X
Hello America. This is going to be quite tl;dr, so get over it. I'm going to get into a lot of things some won't like...to them, I say troll away, you phase me not.
Just ending a congressional term as a representative of WTP. Was an interesting month all in all. Most interesting was the fight for a 25% tax rate. Vicious, Simply vicious. I was against it from the start, because unlike some of my peers, I actually listen to the 'peasants'. We had a 25% tax rate when it was first implemented into the game, as we were wiped and could not change it congressionally. It wiped out a good portion of some players individual wealth in the time we had to cope with it. I was astonished (though not surprised, considering the source of the bill) that this number would be brought up again in a tax talk. Temporary or not, this was a bad idea.
As talks went on, I noticed the pressure to vote yes to this tax was increasing. Even to the point where I was called an 'enabler' to a future wipe of the eUS. That is NOT how a leader in a party speaks to people. Needless to say, I laughed that off as I should have. WTP is now run by people who seem to like to cave to the other top five parties to keep their illusion of power. WTP is no longer the party of pride it used to be...it is now pretty much just the lackies of other parties. Get a new party president, our current one seems to have left his spine at home.
So. Time passed. The 25% tax bill was soundly rejected, mostly because of John Largo and myself...more John. Personally, I would like to thank him and the rest of the honorable congressmen who decided that the tax was not good for our country. We made the right decision.
We move to later on in the month. People are starting to tire of Oblige's 'spend all the money we have' routine. Even rigid supporters of the so-called 'Whale' were starting to shy away. We spent 4 million (yes, with an M) USD to rid our country of it's wipe. No plan to replenish. And look where we are at now, back down to, what is it, 8 states? 4 million dollars down the tubes for NOTHING. And he wants more. Oblige is like the Obama of eRep...he couldn't control spending if we padlocked his wallet. Throw money at it, it will go away. Didn't work out so well for us, did it?
So we come to the really shady part. A backdoor, unadvertised discussion started in private congress threads about another tax hike. This time they wanted to eff you good though. Not just a tax hike, but a constitutional amendment to raise YOUR taxes until the government reaches a certain amount in the reserves, which I believe was ten million USD. All done in private, where YOU, the individual had no say and could not object. This is how your government runs. They figure, you're already bent over, why not slide the tip in?
The leadership of this party, and of this country, is in dire straights. The incompetence from top to bottom is incredible. It's time for action, America. You need to harpoon this whale, and elect a real leader. A proven leader, not one that was impeached in his previous terms for utter incompetence. A leader that will put our foreign relations back on the map, and working to the level it should be. A president that will actually listen to the public and his cabinet instead of the preteens the current POTUS has in his cabinet. It is time for a change America, and that change is Josh Frost. He is the only real choice considering Oblige hasn't amounted to much in his two months in power. As far as the party leadership goes, you have to make your own determination WTP. Considering that the current PP has made no bones about meddling in affairs that aren't his to meddle in, forcing a congressional card this month that was a joke to say the least, telling congressmen they aren't 'needed' anymore because they don't toe the PP's party line, I could go on and on. This party used to be honorable. Not anymore.
In conclusion, this country is a wreck. And the leadership is the reason. This country will not be great again until you get rid of the selfish people in government who think of all of us as 'peasants', or more accurately, treating you like you are just another ATM for feeding their bad ideas and strategies. Think before you vote, it really is time for a change.
Yours in service,
Leather Neck
Comments
Great way to misrepresent almost everything that happened JJ. I expected nothing less.
Not surprising that the first response from you would be defensive. Nothing was misrepresented in the least. Nice try though./
It would be easy to judge who was misrepresenting if the forum discussion was available. But it isn't. Convenient. One question, an important one, is: did congress amend the constitution or not? A secret discussion about a secret change to the constitution is a pretty big step.
Second important question: where was Josh Frost? did he have access to/knowledge of the debate?
Third important question: can you conceive that secrecy is counterproductive?
Many of the things he's talking about on the WTP-side of things occurred in a WTP-Congress ingame PM that is well over 200 messages long at current moment.
This month's Congressional Proceedings should shortly be becoming public, so all can read for themselves.
I'm not saying that the vote was carried out in private was a misrepresentation. That's why I used the word "almost".
ahhhhh.... starting to understand... the 200 message PM -- shared amongst only congressmen or do all WTP members get to know about ongoing private congress matters?
The best time to publish congressional debates is while they are happening surely, but I suppose it will be comfort to some to read how a decision was made.
And.... about that other thing -- did you fellows amend the constitution?
I'm not in Congress, but I do believe it was passed as a cconstitutional amendment.
The PM is WTP Congress only, as it is impossible to include an entire party in a single PM, and "classified"things may be discussed.
quick responses are really useful: thank you. I assume that if you weren't a congressman, you were part of the PM as Party President, and there may be a large number of non congressmen who have access to the "private" congressional discussions: a host of advisors and shadows for instance?
I am not aware of the actual access list, but there are advisers and the PP's are given access.
There were no Shadow Congressmen for the previous session, that bill never made it to a vote.
After a double-check, it was not a constitutional amendment, it was merely a law that automatically expires when a certain condition is met.
Hi olivermellors, nice to see you. What I would like to ask you: you've now been in Turkey for a while - how does the Turkish congress operate in regards to ours? How is the government organized? Are finances disclosed to the public, is there a forum where political debates take place?
thor: although I do take a keen interest in Turkish politics, your courteous observation is note😛 that I comment on the politics of the eUS from time to time. I often add that my outsider views can be safely ignored. Just as Dawkins' views are irrelevant to life in the real US: outsiders have nothing valuable to contribute.
You got me wrong. I also do comments in articles about some other country's political questions...I see no wrong there. I would really be glad to get some of the information I've asked for to be able to compare and evaluate.
perhaps I misjudge but this isn't the place for the discussion. Perhaps I can do a little article in the Turkish press and you can reprint, soliciting US reaction and commentary. Sometime next week sounds plausible if you are game. kind regards as always.
Looking forward to it.
Would like to say, as a congressman from last term and the current term as well, that the claim of misrepresentation is entirely accurate. I adamantly opposed the 25% rate, demanded we build our reserves rather than spend recklessly, and I found Leather Neck to be an entirely unpleasant person to share a congress with--and his apparent inability to accurately recall what happens after so short a span of time reinforces my lack of interest in repeating such.
That said, the *majority* of us opposed the 25% rate, and there was very little actual pushing for the rate once the problems with it were noted. If anyone feels inclined to take Leather Neck's word over that of Talo, Hale, or any number of others... I am entirely certain that he's enjoying the attention gained through this sensationalist piece.
As for the 5% work tax increase? Simply a temporary law set in place to rebuild our treasury. It was not a constitutional amendment, merely a law that will no longer be relevant once the conditions are met, and thus the 5% increase will be reverted and the law will cease to be.
Well said JJ
Strength and Honour
Defensive? Hardly. Truth. But I'd need an entire article to debunk all the misrepresentations in this article, but I'll do my best to keep it brief.
1 ) Where did "peasants" ever come into the conversation? Because I don't remember seeing it in the discussions.
2 ) I'm "spineless" for not standing up for you, and instead asking you to propose a better plan (which you utterly and completely failed to do, short of outright refusal)?
3 ) Enabler is the truth.
4 ) What affairs have I meddled in, exactly?
5 ) I never said anyone wasn't "needed" I expressed two-fold concerns to the leader of a group whom we had been running candidates before, both about their ability to provide the minimum required votes (50, their MU has 48 living members at last count) and concerns about the attitude of the Congressman they ran previously.
6 ) Where's the joke in this month's Congress? The party voted, there was no shady dealings. In any other party, I could have set the list as I chose to without any sort of Primary, and it would have been the norm.
7 ) The last time you ran for PotUS, you lost, threw a fit, and held the country hostage over your lust for the PotUS Seat, and when you finally relented, you resigned your Party Presidency and vanished, changing your name and fading into obscurity.
There's likely more that I missed, but I think I've done what I've needed to do.
In conclusion, come at me on the 15th JJ. I welcome some real competition for the seat, and if you beat me, all the better for me.
1) Sure, act like the word 'peasants' has never been spoken in congressional threads. I lol'd
2) Why would I propose a tax plan when a tax plan was not needed? I told you it was not, and that was not good enough for you. When I told you to propose your own bill, you said you couldn't, which you knew full well was false. I think spineless is accurate.
3) I enabled the eAmerican public to stay at a reasonable tax rate. I don't see an issue with that at all.
4) You continuously meddled in congressional affairs, up to and including telling everyone in the WTP congressional PM that YOU saw numbers and YOU were for it. Why weren't those numbers shown to actual congressmen, the ones who have to cast votes? Fun fact, not everyone is going to just take you at your word when it comes to a huge tax increase. Rookie mistake.
5) You said exactly that. Frenchie has been an exemplary congressman in his tenure in the WTP. He didn't deserve the treatment and the underhandedness of your actions. Period.
6) You must be tired from campaigning for others to exclude people. You're surrounded by yes men now, kudos.
7) This is your favorite one. You cannot come at me with anything else other than this. What I did was warranted, whether you like the way it happened or not. You see it as a diss, I see it as an accomplishment. You need to get over it.
1) I didn't see it in WTP's Congress PM,
2) Last I checked, PP's aren't able to propose something in Congress. If that was different, perhaps I should have received some of that "Advice" from your open door policy you claim to have offered to every WTP PP since your tenure.
3) Both.
4) The graph of the eUSA population has been posted repeatedly. That was never held, never on a "trust me" basis, unless I doctored a graph I didn't even make.
5) I said he wasn't a good fit because of his habit of taking things personally, and it was secondary to the fact that VMA couldn't provide the minimum of required votes to run an outside candidate.
6) Please show me where I campaigned to exclude people.
7) It is my favorite, because it is incredibly telling. You didn't get you way and tried to hold a country hostage because of it, then abandoned the party that supported you. I don't need to get over anything when it comes to someone who abandoned a party claims to know what is best for it.
1) You lost ALL right to criticize leadership in WTP when you left the party to remove yourself from the ballot. You didn't just pull from the ballot - you abandoned the party. Left it in Oblige & ilphens fins/hooves. (I'd like to clarify that this is not about the issues with that Unity election.) You can complain about what every person in this party does ALL you want. That is YOUR right, but don't pretend you were some great leader who cared. Your PotUS run apparently was what mattered to you, and not the benefit of the party. Is that why you're so disappointed JJ? No party to run you now?
2) You do realize how contradictory your arguments are? OMG! NO MOAR TAXES! OMG! WE NEED MONEY! Seriously? Complete opposite sides of a spectrum there. Unless you gave some sort of suggestion for raising money another way?
Who are you? Oh right, the xanax queen who couldn't hack it here. Your opinion means exactly zero to me.
Secondly, There would be no need to raise money right now if it weren't for Oblige's foolish spending. All that money wasted, for nothing. We are close to being back to where we were when he started, minus 4 million dollars...maybe more. I see no contradiction in my statement.
And of the two of you, only one of you has resigned in disgrace.
LMAO! You're just too funny. When I make a very legitimate point - you bring RL to play? Sounds rather RGR of you.
Secondly - if my opinion doesn't matter to you... Why did you respond? Oh. Because you wanted to insult me, and then make your point. Do you feel better now?
So - from that logic.... you'd rather still have the money, AND be occupied by multiple countries from all fronts? Just to clarify.
I already disliked you for your addled thought-process and self-serving character; but your insults against Mazzy Cat? You are a spineless b*stard and a keyboard macho.
So, I take it she's got a new eLover? 🍿
The 25% tax rate proposal failed because both the USWP (minus Tenshibo) and the Federalists voted against it, with WTP in favour (except you) and AMP divided. Your vote against it was appreciated, but was hardly the reason for the law failing.
Truth
Oblige is like the Obama of eRep...he couldn't control spending if we padlocked his wallet....... Very funny, too bad it is true.
the deficit has fallen along with tax rates under Obama.
We've spent all or almost all of our money a number of times. Spending giant gobs of money while we are wiped or close to it is what the MONEY IS FOR. It's the entire point of a reserve, spending it when the nasty hits the spinny. Trying to replenish it all in one whack may not make complete sense, but you're wrong if think spending it when necessary is stupid.
Avruch, I am all for spending when there is a clear cut plan to take AND keep our regions. There was never any such plan. It is wasted money, seeing that we are yet again on the precipice of being wiped again.
There is no such thing as a clear cut plan to take and keep our regions, nor could there possibly be. The only route out of the mess is an alliance realignment, which doesn't seem like its impending (not that I'd know).
Somehow I did not know about your name change. Puts a different spin on it, since I don't know most of these other people that well 😛
John, you disappoint me. Near everything in this letter is wrong. No one called you an enabler to anything but being an abrasive dick in the Congress thread.
Also, you paint the Party Leadership as being incompetent because the WT was apparently a super-secret thing. Firstly, this was debated throughly. Second, I disagree with it being voted upon in the Private Threads as well. But, going to third, there was an article released by Tenshibo detailing the reasoning.
TLDR; There was lengthy debate, feelings from both Private and Public, and while I disagree with a private vote because it let people hide their stances, an article was made. Exactly where did the Party Leadership f**k up here?
And, while I don't care for defending Oblige these days...a rant like this makes it all too tempting. Oblige has pushed eAmerican control over CoT to its highest point in forever. We now run this alliance, and have finally made the position of SoFA to coordinate the MoFAs and aMCs better. He was working on this for months.
I have problems with his FA, namely the lack of Romania et Turkey. But, a large part of that was Bulgaria's fault and we can't do anything atm since they want to wipe our long time allies.
Also, seems like you're vying for the top spot of PP again, eh? Will love to see how that works out for you.
Bitter rage without conclusive vision, plus a terrible track record, generally wins you no favors.
Actually Hale, I did call him an enabler.
My mistake then. If only comments had edit buttons
Did you amend the constitution in secret?
Nope. That's both unwanted and unattainable. A law was passed that called for Reserves to get to...10 mil, I believe, before WT is put back to 5%. Till then, it would be at 10. I voted in favor. We've a war to fight, afterall. Sad that the tourney and the Spain debacle has slightly sidetracked that.
ahhh... well if no constitutional amendment that is a good thing. The usual rule is that a present congress cannot bind a future congress i.e. a future congress is free to depart from the policy by simple majority. If that is the case its not so bad. The secrecy - use of private congress - is arguably misguided but honest men can disagree about that.
says the punk who dropped out of the CP race because of pressure.
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Actually under my states law it would be up to 18 months, minus parole and good behavior, so more like I'd be out by next summer, but whatever you say. 😉 Silly uneducated goose with no understanding of the laaw
law
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Silence Fluffy.
i laughed aloud
You calling anyone a "punk" is laughable Ajay. You have been the focus of pretty much the entire country's scorn and jokes for years now. You are viewed as a pathetic joke of a human being and you accomplish nothing more than providing us all with a bit of entertainment when we collectively piss all over your latest parade. I'm not taking up for John Jay here cause he's a big boy and can take care of his own. But any time you crawl out of your hole and stick your head up Ajay, i will be there to put my boot on your throat so to speak. Now go back to formulating your latest plan to take over the e-world so we can be entertained by pissing all over it.
and I will be there with the blade, if the boot to the throat did not do the job...so to speak, of course.