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Due to us having a touch competitor in Alaska, I have been moved to New Hampshire. This will be the last time that I have moved.



Greetings! Some of you may know me from Internet Relay Chat or when I linger in the United Independents Party forums, but for the bunch who don’t I will take this time to introduce myself. You can probably guess where my name comes from. My name is HobbitTon. I am a Hobbit who weighs a ton. This is because of me staying up playing eRepublik so long that I forgot to go on spy on Golum’s lawn gnomes. Anyways, I have decided to declare myself as a candidate for Congress in the great state of New Hampshire!

What! Are you delusional? You can’t run for Congress! You are a level 17 newb.

Indeed. I am a newb. You are a newb. That level 26 dude over there is newb. Everyone in this game, regardless of level, is a newb. Be proud! Unless you have been living under a rock, you should have known that we have began a journey into the unpredictable eRepublik Rising, which I have a review of here. Unlike the version previous to this one, no one has quite mastered this game yet. Since this is a vast learning process, mistakes are inevitable. The question is, are we going to fix these mistakes?

Stop copying me!

No, you stop copying me. I was never a imitator, and I never will be. I believe we are all unique and can contribute genuine ideas, and I have a very cogent abidance to that idea. It is the pedestal for my work ethnic. How am I different from the other candidates, you ask? I think ideas start from the ground up, and if something isn’t going right for a while, maybe it is time to rebuild it from scratch. In addition, I believe that we should tackle problems deeper than just the obvious ones we hear complained on our friend’s shouts. Furthermore, while I think working as a group is phenomenal, if you don’t contribute to the well being of the group, you would be better off working by yourself.

My Previous Experiences
1. Chief of Publications for the United Independents Party
2. Ambassador from the UIP to the Socialist Freedom Party
3. White House Staff Writer for the White House Press Release
4. Writer for the Omega News Network
5. Current ambassador from the eUS to eParaguay
6. Teacher at the NAU (World History)
7. Editor in the eRepublik Wiki
8. Member of the Community Development Program
9. Avid debater

What do you stand for?

1. I stand for looking out for US soldiers’ interests in Congress.
2. I stand for having a better eUSA for Hobbits, Orcs, and Humans alike.
3. I stand for the hatred of elves (anti-elvenism).
4. I stand for creating an environment where citizens can thrive without worry.

What do you want to accomplish by the end of your term?
1. Help bring Congress, the Executive, and the Military together by working together.
2. Pass laws that will favor the government and the citizens.

How did the 31st Congress perform?

Foremost, I wouldn’t be running for a position in Congress, if I didn’t have anything to put into it. If you compare them to the other Congress periods of eUS history, they didn’t do a smashing job, but that was not their fault. The 31st Congress was just happened to be the lucky Congress that was placed in the transition from eRepublik to eRepublik Rising. Because this was the datum of a new eRepublik, there were so many things to discover, but most of the time they were busy debating game mechanics. Like I previously stated, it was not primarily their fault. I believe they did a good job for the situation they were placed to fight in.

My In-Game Experience

Newspaper: I am a very creative person, so I am very involved in literature. I currently own a newspaper, The Times of Lore, which has received a lot of support. The topics I write about are usually game play aspects. Humor is very important in my writing. In addition, I am a White House Staff Writer for the White House Press Release, so I already lend my skills as a writer to the government. Furthermore, I am also a writer for hire as I am a writer for the Omega News Network.

Party: I am very active in participation with the United Independents Party. I am the Chief of Publications and Chief of the Library. In addition, I am part of the ISS, which is basically the FBI of the UIP. My friends at the UIP, have helped me a lot. They have given me the opportunities to make my eRepublik career the best that it can be, and for that, I give you guys my dearest gratitude. Thank you.

IRC: I am a very sociable person. Many people would call me an IRC-aholic. I cannot deny it. I am on IRC a lot, discussing things that are important to me. Furthermore, I have met a lot of friends on IRC that I will never forget. On the other side, I have met people that I have had disagreements with. This has taught me to stand up for what I believe in and take the initiative.

Now without further ado, the bread and butter of this presentation, my platform!

High Population ≠ More Activity

At this moment, the eUS has roughly 17,000 citizens, holding us at fifth place when we compare it to the world statistics. Unfortunately, that does not correlate to our nation's citizen activity. I can easily find just as active a community in Croatia, who has a significantly lower population than we do. If I get elected into Congress, I will be working with the other Congressmen in promoting a more active environment. One way we might keep more people active is by working with the executive branch to help improve our great ongoing programs. For example, due to the introduction of the customizable goods feature, we could update Meals on Wheels. Chances are if we don’t get the attention of new players right away, they might leave the next day. Remember, the Shire wasn’t made in a day.

Furthermore, the problem can be effectively solved with increased player education and retention. In addition, I heavily support the education of our newer members. If they feel like they know what is going on, then they will be able to get involved more. For example, we need to get new members involved in the military. That is why I support the expansion of the TC. Although the TC is not much of Congress’s business, we must be here and support the CJCS when he needs more money to support the TC.



Taxes

To be honest with you, no one likes taxes. I mean, who would pay a little extra after every purchase or give part of your check away? Yet, to tell the truth, taxes are a necessity for any nation. They significantly fuel the funds we have to shell out for things that assist you. For example, the majority of our taxes go into the eUS Military, which an overwhelming number of you are in. Our Income Tax, which reduces how much money you receive daily through your job income, is set at 23% throughout the board (except for titanium, where it is set at 50😵. At this moment, I think that the Income Tax, VAT, and Import Tax are fine. While some may argue that the Income Tax is too high, we just cannot drop this at this time unless we can brace the loss of a vital government program or until there is evidence such a drop will not affect the government.



Economic Policy

I feel that the biggest reason for eUS’s suffering comes from the economy. We are not necessarily under a tremendous amount of debt, but our economy isn’t expanding like we want it to. Most of this comes from all the importing we do and that we in the early stages of eRepublik Rising. I think much of the importing is unnecessary. If I get elected, I will help pass a bill increasing the import tax by 4% to 5%. The downside to this is that some people may withdraw licensees, but it will be good for our manufacturing products in our country. Either that, or we can cut spending somewhere in our budget. I would rather increase taxes than limit our spending. We must make bold moves if we are going to change the course of our path.

In addition, I believe we should provide more economic security for our citizens, especially in the job field. As of time of writing, job payouts are very bumpy through out the board. Harvesters are making substantially more than all the other professions. This is particularly due to the face the war module has not been released yet. When the module is released, crashes are going to be unavoidable. If I am elected, I will push legislation to create programs that will speculate when the job market will crash. We need to help the citizens of the eUS fallback on something.

Military Policy

Man, the military has changed since I was a wee lad. You guys use attack helicopters and magic wood that shoots rocks. Back when I was a wee boy, we used swords and bows and arrows. That was the good life. As you can see, the military has never been my forte.. Anyways, the Military not only defends our prominent country, but also keeps the best interests of our allies in mind. With that being said eRepublik Rising has brought the Military into a whole new level. I believe we must spend a little bit extra on our armed forces. The expansion of our armed forces is essential element for the success for our nation.

In addition, we must fight smart. Wars are usually won with strategy, not brute force. Instead of going trigger crazy, like we did before the end of v1 with Russia, I think we should think of how we play war games at a slower pace. We should only attack when we know we can win. Congress has to analyze the situation better during wars. The ultimate goal for our military right now is the destruction of Phoenix, which can only be solved with critical thinking.




Foreign Policy

Although Congress doesn’t play a major role in foreign policy talks besides over viewing MPPs, we still have our own opinions on things, and these opinions can alter decisions that are made. Let’s face it, we need allies. No country, regardless of strength or wealth, can succeed in this game by going solo. I believe Mutual Protection Pacts are a wonderful thing indeed, but at the same time, we need to be more selective when choosing them. Believe me, it would fabulous for us to have MPPs with all of our friends, but I don’t see the point of wasting gold that could be used for something else for countries that don’t fight effectively for us.

On the other hand, I believe any friendly country can become our ally regardless of size or population if they prove it to us. Now let me take this time to deliver you a take on a previous matter reflecting foreign policy. Croatia is no doubt one of our most important allies. When we are at war with a country, don’t be surprised when they generate half of the number of points inflicted as we do. In a recent war against Serbia, Croatia lost a valuable region, Slovenia. We didn’t help them at all in that war. As you can see, I can go on and on about this topic. I feel if we are going to go anywhere, we must improve our foreign policy.

Our main goal should be to expand the Broliance without transforming it into a massively large alliance like Eden. Furthermore, I would like to stay out of EDEN because we are not as easily pushed around when we are in a smaller, intricate alliance such as the Brolliance. While I believe a very large alliance is a great thing, being an active member in a smaller alliance is best in the situation we are in. Eventually, we might be able to increase the size of the Brolliance by bringing in neutral countries. With the expansion, we could increase our margin for victory and have a better chance fighting against Phoenix. Also, I support the foreign policy of the Bradley Reala administration.

Accountability

As a Congressman, I understand that you must be accountable for your actions more than ever. Looking over the recent Congressional report released by Necros Xiaoban, 20 Congressmen were absent! That is not acceptable. How are you going to serve the people if you are not present? I believe that every vote in Congress counts. If I am elected, I will try to create something that will try to get more of the Congressmen active again.

Transparency

This brings me to the second to last subject in my platform, my transparency views. Being a Congressman of the eUS, you serve the people of the eUS. In addition, the citizens should be able to see most of the things going on in Congress. How is it possible to serve the people if they cannot see how you are representing them? Roughly half of all Congressmen show their votes to the public. We cannot afford for the public to lose faith in their Congress. If I elected, I will try publishing my voting periodically, so the general public can see how I am representing you!

Why should you vote for me?

Yes, I am running for my first term in Congress, but I understand what the citizens of the eUS are going through, and I will represent you correctly. . After you have seen my previous experiences, you might ask how I am in so many things while I am a very young player. I took the initiative. In addition, I am fresh meat in the arena. I can bring in great ideas that could further Congress and even crack people up with a joke once in a while. We need to choose someone for Congress who has the creativity and determination to get things done the effective way, and we need some who can listen to the needs and concerns of the American people. We need critical change in Congress, and that is why you should vote for me, HobbitTon on July 25.

Conclusion

I hope this whole presentation helped you visualize what I am trying to get acomplished in Congress. If you have any questions regarding my candidacy or what I all about, don’t hesitate to private message me in-game or find me on IRC.

Thank you reading my platform and vote for HobbitTon on July 25 in New Hampshire!

Special Thanks

• I give a special thank you to my fellow members of the United Independents Party for helping me through this process.
• I give a special thank you to George Armstrong "F-Bomb" Custer for opening my eyes and critically critiquing my platform in ways others didn’t. He wasn’t scared to give me an honest review.
• Thank you KillerAtLarge for working countless hours to get everyone where they should be!

Endorsements











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