Join the new world

Not only am I back in Ireland, but I’ve decided to run for Congress again. I’m not going to bore you with promises that will likely never happen or by achievements I’ve had in the past. I’d like to swing your vote by what I am in the present.

A few main points:

• I’m active, and check the forums everyday
• I’ve had experience in the Dáil in a time where people weren’t complaining that it did nothing, but in a time when people were complaining it did too much and needed to get back to game mechanics.
• I love Ireland and will stick to a commitment when I make it.
• I’ve been elected to the Dáil 4 times, each of which I’ve had an active voting record and have stayed the whole term and I will do my best to stay that way.
• Most importantly, I don’t hold grudges and won’t let my personal opinions affect my stances and viewpoints

A few ideas; not promises:

• Government Bonds- I will bring up the discussion of issuing government bonds. It has been done and been successful by many countries in this game and in real life. The idea is that in return for gold, the government will pay back the amount plus a little extra in IEP at a later specified date. Gold is the real currency of value in this game and many countries are stuck with large amounts of their local currency. This is a way for the government to collect extra money in the short term without flooding their local monetary market with currency for gold offers.

• Lower Import taxes and Government Subsidies- One key aspect for a strong military is low food prices and low weapon prices. Cheaper food means more fights while cheaper weapons means more efficient fights. It is because of this that I think we need to cut down import taxes on food and all weapons to 10-15%. The setback of this is that it hurts Irish businesses. Due to this I will also bring up creating government subsidies. A focus of these subsidies would be to create more and higher quality companies while at the same time creating more export opportunities for the owners. The eRepublik economy is mercantilist by nature and because of this, exports are very important. Government subsidies would be given in IEP and would encourage or reward companies who want to or have worked towards getting the previously mentioned goals. Specifics on these plans would have to be discussed and debated by the Dáil but hopefully they would be able to be financed by the new import tax income and purchases of foreign export licenses to Ireland. Also these subsidies would be designed to directly benefit the industries that need the help the most. For example, the prices in our grain market are currently inflated. The government would support entrepreneurs in setting up and developing new grain companies.

Both of these plans are simply ideas and would need to be approved which is why I do call these ideas and not promises. I’m not quite sure where I’ll be running but chances are it will be in either Cork and Kerry or North Dakota under the Economic Free Thinkers Society (EFTS).

Thanks,
Michael Hook
Former servant to the people of Ireland