South Dakota Congressional Update

Day 411, 19:58 • Published in USA USA • by James MacKennon

Fellow Citizens of South Dakota,

The first third of my term representing you are drawing to a close, and as I promised during the campaign, here is an update of what has happened in congress since December 25th. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to message me--I appreciate your input!


First let's look at all the bills that have gone through congress:
President Impeachment - REJECTED
The congressman who proposed this bill did it as a joke; a way to go out with a bang (he was not re-elected). As such, it was not a serious bill, and had no debate.
I voted NO.

French Peace Proposal - REJECTED
The French president proposed peace, but failed to also propose peace to the eUS's allies. As such, congress could only conclude that the French were trying to isolate and defeat the eUS's allies, leaving our alliance, badly weakened.
I voted NO.

Oil Income Tax Change - REJECTED
Increase from 10% to 20%.
The congressman who proposed this bill, Zigon1, failed to discuss it in the congressional forums beforehand. As such, none of the other congressmen knew of his proposal until Zigon1 put it up for a vote. Congress saw no reason to raise the tax--it is already in line with the taxes on other raw materials.
Incidentally, Zigon1 resigned and moved to Indonesia shortly after the bill was rejected. A few days after that he was banned as a multi-accounter.
I voted NO.

New Citizen Fee - REJECTED
Increase from $5 to $9.
This bill was also proposed by the now infamous Zigon1, and he again gave no rationale for the increase. Congress came to the conclusion that there is no reason to give new citizens more money when they start, as many do not continue playing for long. Beyond that, private congressional inquiries found that most new citizens do not mainly need more money; they need tutorials and jobs. Such an increase would constitute an enormous and undue burden on the US treasury.
I voted NO.

Grain Import Tax Change - ACCEPTED
Decrease from 99% to 25%.
Grain was on of the last raw materials to enjoy 99% import taxes. As such, the change was long overdue. The main rationale behind the bill was to change the tax to one more in line with other raw materials.
Opponents argued that the eUS already has enough grain to supply itself, and, as such, should not import any. Proponents, however, pointed to the wood industry, where a similar cut resulted in only a few more imports. As such, they successfully argued that the tax change would not adversely affect domestic grain companies. Instead, it would act as a safety valve to prevent price gouging.
I voted YES.

Food Import Tax Change - ACCEPTED
Decrease from 45% to 25%.
The proponents of this bill, as with the grain import tax change, argued that it would put the tax more in line with other industries. Many congressmen had reservations about changing the food tax so soon after changing the grain tax, but in the end, the bill was accepted on the reasoning that previous import tax decreases had not significantly harmed domestic companies.
Indeed, I am inclined to agree with the congressmen who estimate that the import tax does not significantly affect the amount of imports until it hits about 10%. When the tax is higher than 10%, foreign companies usually can't compete, unless domestic companies are price-gouging.
I voted YES.

Purchase Q3 Defense System for Alaska - ACCEPTED
The rationale for this bill was simple: Russia is at war with Romania (both are in Alaska's back yard), and Iran is threatening the Far East. Alaska does not have a very large population, and was consequently vulnerable. Alaska is eAmerica's only connection to Asia, and it would be terrible to lose such a vital state.
I voted YES.

Moving Ticket Tax Change - ACCEPTED
VAT increase from 1% to 3%,
Import Tax decrease from 99% to 20%
Income Tax increase from 1% to 7%
This bill simply proposed to make moving ticket taxes more in line with the taxes for other manufactured goods. The conventional wisdom is that income taxes on manufactured goods should be 7%, and VATs should be 3%. Moving tickets are fairly volatile in price, and as such, the bill's proponents reasoned that if prices from domestic companies spike too high, foreign competition ought to be able to drive the price back down.
I still have some reservations about this bill, and time will tell whether it was a good idea. I plan to keep an eye on the performance of this industry.

Gift Tax Change - PENDING
VAT increase from 1% to 3%
Import Tax decrease from 99% to 20%
Income Tax increase from 1% to 7%
See my reasoning for the moving ticket tax change. Again, I will keep an eye on the performance of this industry.

On to war. There are two major fronts currently, though both are in a bit of a lull. First, there is the French front. Atlantis invaded and captured about half of France, but right before the elections PEACE counter-attacked and drove us into the sea. Since then the eUS has attacked several times, but with only the goal of distracting the French from our sorely pressed Spanish allies. We have yet to regain our lost footing in Europe.
It is my opinion that we should try to arrange peace, but only if it involves peace between France and ALL of Atlantis, including Spain, Canada, and Sweden. If France refuses to arrange peace with all of us, then we should not make peace individually, as it would only serve to weaken Atlantis more.

Now to the Argentinian front. PEACE countered Atlantis's invasion with a join Brazilian and Indonesian invasion of Argentina. The eUS had an MPP and excellent relations with Argentina, and was called to fight to defend Argentina. I'm sorry to say that we were unsuccessful in defending Pampas, the major province, and it fell. In some of the worst few days in recent history, Indonesia and Brazil conquered four out of Argentina's seven regions. Argentina subsequently sued for, and was granted, peace, under the conditions that it did not start resistance wars in the captured territories.
PEACE's opening of a second front, in my opinion, suggests that we are headed for a far more global conflict than just the eUS vs. France, or Indonesia vs. Argentina. Though I am hoping for the best, I am beginning to think that this conflict will go global. That possibility lends even more urgency to ensuring that our military is restored to top condition after its bruising battles in France and Argentina. It also makes close communication between members of Atlantis of paramount importance. I have always supported a strong and closely-knit Atlantis, and have lobbied for more and better communication between nations, as well as between ordinary citizens. If you are interested in reading more on Atlantis, check out Atlantis's newly created official newspaper.

Another area in which I have been active is that of eUS alliances. It is my opinion that the eUS needs to carefully consider which MPPs it signs, as each of them cost 30 gold. As such, I think that five MPPs is the absolute maximum that the eUS should maintain--we currently have six. I have suggested that we re-examine which alliances we carry, and pick the five alliances that make the most sense. Many other politicians are in favor of this position.

If you are interested in getting involved, check out the eUS forum:
http://erepublikusa.com/forums/index.php?topic=618.195

I did not intend for this article to be so lengthy, but there it is. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment or message me. As I said earlier, I always appreciate your input.
Respectfully,

Congressman James MacKennon, South Dakota