Join the new world

I am announcing today that I intend to run for Congress again from Prince Edward Island. I am doing this because there is a great deal to do and single term barely allows one to learn their way around the place. I believe that my job as a member of Congress is far from being completed.

In my initial campaign statement less than month ago I set out three areas in which I hoped to be effective. Industrial Reconstruction, Infrastructure Reconstruction, and National Reconstruction. I believe that progress has been made in these areas but that much needs to be done to restore and improve our Canada. My priorities haven’t changed much so I’m going to use that same structure in reviewing where we were, where we are and where I hope that we will be going.

Industrial Reconstruction: We have made considerable progress, but a huge amount needs to be done. Prices for basic essentials – food weapons and moving tickets in the 1-star level – are among the lowest around. We are seeing more Canadian companies trading in the marketplace either as a result of the liberation of the regions where the companies were started or due to new start-ups.

It’s not sweetness and light. Wages for unskilled labour – those with 0-.99 skill levels – are the minimum wage level in most industries although things do get better as you acquire more skills. Most industries are struggling. Oil is selling for $0.30 per unit. Congress has implemented some protectionist import taxes, although in many cases these tariff increases are not as high as people in the industries would like to see. The Import Tax on Houses increased from 35% to 99% after a very bitter battle (that I was on the losing side of). Other Import Tax changes to a similar level – for Oil and Grain – were overwhelmingly rejected. I ran as a Protectionist, recognising that the policies one might wish to pursue in the real world don’t really fit in the world of eRepublik – it was about the second thing that I learned when coming into Congress – but for the moment at least we have to maintain a balance between protectionist sentiments and doing what is best for our war effort. Increases in Import Taxes in some areas need to be looked at in the near future, but they need careful consideration.

Infrastructure Reconstruction: I have to confess that this is the one that is breaking my heart right now, because we came SO close to accomplishing something in this term that it makes the failure to accomplish anything in this area particularly infuriating. Shortly after I began my run a Q5 hospital was located in Alberta, a virtual gift from Sweden (it cost us one devalued Canadian Dollar). The Alberta hospital meant that we could fight but it also meant that if we wanted to do fight we had to move to Alberta. I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent most of my time as Congressman from Prince Edward Island in Alberta; not ashamed but at the same time not overly proud. We were recently offered the chance to buy up to eight Q4 hospitals from a Croatian firm at a bargain basement price – in Canadian Dollars rather than Gold. Political wrangling – between Jacobi and Congress and between those who thought that we should get Q5 hospitals or nothing – appears to have removed the proposal from consideration.

In the short term I am willing – though not really happy – to accept the idea of a Q4 Hospital in Ontario to serve as an interim service to get more players back in the game and to offer new players who are born in Ontario a chance to fully participate without being forced to move even though Ontario will receive a Q5 Hospital sometime in November if current plans are allowed to mature. In the long term I am increasingly convinced that all regions with populations greater than 150 should be served by a Q5 Hospital and that every other region in the country should have a Q4 hospital. I was born into this game in Saskatchewan, a province that at the time had only a Q1 serving it. Saskatchewan fell fast and while I won’t that it is because we had ridiculous health care available I absolutely have to say that our national ability to mobilize the mass of players was hampered because too many areas were in adequately served. In the new Canada that is arising region by region from this war, superior health care and the national strength that comes with it must be a priority.

National Reconstruction: And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, the 900 lb gorilla in the room – The War. Unlike Basil Fawlty I`m pretty much going to have to talk about The War. It`s the 900 lb. Gorilla in the room. It’s the reason the economy is in the crapper and why a stop-gap measure of placing a Q4 Hospital in Ontario for a few months looked attractive to a lot of people. And it’s circular. The bad economy is the reason why the reserves have never received a supply of weapons since I’ve been a member – we’re having enough problems supporting the regulars. The War is why Alberta has the largest population in the country; the fighters – myself included – need to be there in order to heal. We can’t do that anywhere else. That we need to eject Iran and Hungary from our lands goes without saying but we must not let The War be our only priority. They are all intertwined.

I want to add one more thing. It is less a policy plank than it is a statement to all those who are seeking a seat in Congress: Be prepared to work at it. Membership in Congress isn't just about being able to vote on bills in the Country Administration page. In fact that’s the least of it. Read about issues in the Congressional Forums to get a sense of the issues that you will be voting on. Participate in the Forums. Bring up your ideas and see what others think. Follow procedures before you propose a bill. I have not been as active in the processes of government as I probably could have been but when I look at the number of my fellow Congress members who don’t express their opinions in the forums, who don’t even vote in the forum votes I feel less inadequate. What I’m trying to say is that if you are interested in running for Congress think about how much work you are willing to put into the job. If all you’re interested in doing is getting the 5 gold for being elected and casting your vote in the Country Administration page then maybe you’re not the right person for the job.