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It's that time of month again! I am, of course, referring to the congressional elections. After taking a month off, due to busy RL circumstances, I have decided to run for my 2nd Senate Mandate. For those of you who don't know me, I have been a part of eRepublik for over 8 months and have been an Australian citizen for 2 of those months. In the past, I have been a Council member of the Conservative Party in the U.S, an Ambassador between the U.S and Austria, a 6 time company owner, a Platoon Commander in the U.S army, a one time Senator for NSW in the Australian senate and a current Dropbear.

Below, you can find my voting records on some of the major proposals that were put forward in my 1st term.

Votes from previous mandate (March-April, 2009):

Lower Weapons Import Tax from 99% to 10% for war games: Yes
Alliance Proposal with Argentina: Yes
Lower Iron Import Tax for war games: Yes
President Impeachment: No

Now for my policies.

Economic Policy
I am an advocate of the free market. The only exceptions to this are as follows:
The government has a responsibility to intervene and regulate the value of the dollar so as to ensure a stable economy.
The government has a duty to further ensure economic stability by encouraging domestic consumption and productivity and by discouraging foreign investment and consumption.

Medicare/Centrelink
I am a critic of Medicare. I will concede, however, that I am not completely familiar with the Medicare program, and my knowledge of its budget and expenditure is limited. To the best of my knowledge Centrelink includes funding for gifting citizens as well as the running of government companies. I am simply against the concept of freely gifting citizens just because they have low wellness. I know that people will disagree with this, and I am always open to persuasion if a valid argument to the contrary is put forward. I am not as strongly opposed to the government building hospitals, but would rather it be left to the markets to handle.

Let me make clear, that I am not suggesting that Centrelink/Medicare be completely dismantled, but instead be reduced to a reasonable extent.

Taxation
Income Tax:
It's simple. I would like to see income tax lowered and government spending reduced.
Import Tax:
I believe income tax should reflect a nations ability to produce its own goods. That is, high import taxes for the goods we can produce ourselves and lower taxes for the ones we can't. We already seem to have achieved this in our taxation system, and I am not proposing any radical changes to import tax.
Value Added Tax (VAT):
Again, I would like to see this tax lowered for all goods, to reduce government revenue and thus reduce government spending.

Hospitals/Defence
I always support the construction of higher Q hospitals and defense systems, especially in regions with high resources, populations and border regions.

Military Policy
I support war. This is not real-life. We are not killing anyone and the moral implications of going to war are minimal to non-existent. War gives all citizens something to do and creates a sense of patriotism and national pride. It unites citizens and gives a major boost to the economy. There is also a noticeable, substantial increase in the average health of a citizen during wartime, which is very good for companies and productivity. It is for these reasons that I also support war games, and will continue to support them.

As previously outlined, I support minimal government spending. However, the military is one area of government spending that I would never cut. As always, if spending could be made more efficient, I would support reforms, providing our military did not suffer.

Summary
If you have not already figured it out, or simply chose not to read the wall of text, I am an economic liberal, who is willing to make a few concessions if doing so benefits Australian citizens. I am not stubborn, and am always willing to modify and develop my policies if reasonable, coherent arguments are put forward.

Why should you vote for me?

I'm an active citizen both on eRepublik and on the forums, logging on 2-3 times a day.

I mentor new citizens, am a business owner, and a Dropbear so I have an firm understanding of the issues that affect a broad range of citizen groups.

I have had previous political experience, both in the U.S and in Australia, and feel I have more to add to the political landscape of Australia.


On the 25th of June be sure to vote Jaz Razzle for congress in NSW.