[FG4CP] Some Assembly Required

Day 1,865, 09:02 • Published in USA USA • by fingerguns

The world didn't end, so now I'm gonna make good on all this:

*If I am elected, I will keep party leaders and MU commanders in the loop and share in the responsibility of informing the public, organizing members and maintaining a united front. I will trust community leaders to lead their communities and provide them with whatever assets and information they need to do so effectively. -DETAILS HERE

*If I am elected, I will help boost activity and retention through a series of domestic initiatives. We need to focus on not only the new players, but also the two clickers and even those older players who are growing bored after years of repetition. General activity makes election activity easier. -DETAILS HERE

*If I am elected, I will restructure parts of the government for maximum communication and efficiency. We need teams of people coordinating closely to help us navigate battles and potential alliances, as well as our domestic initiatives. Additionally, if a job is really just a title, then it's going to stop existing. There is work to be done. No messing around.

*If I am elected, I will overhaul the Department of Homeland Security to turn it into a PTO fighting machine. Being defensive isn't good enough, we must also be offensive. A comprehensive assault on these infiltrators is what it's going to take to get us off the ropes so we can eventually start regaining bonuses and getting the eUS back in the shape it needs to be. There are many angles by which we can approach this, and we need to be doing all of the angles.



Point 3: Some Assembly Required

There are actually 2 points here, but they are related.

We are in a very sensitive time right now when it comes to foreign affairs. It is likely that the next President will start their term as a brand new (trial) member in an alliance. There are many benefits to being a member of an alliance, especially when we face serious internal threats, and especially when the alliance is one like CoT.

Like so many people, I'm used to fighting against many of the nations in CoT. Just recently, actually. To make the switch from enemy to ally is not a simple thing to do and to do it so quickly seems impossible. However, over the last month of working in the State Department, negotiating between nations both in and out of CoT, it is clear that this alliance really has it together. They are fair. They are equitable. They are reasonable. They are all of the things we keep saying we want in an alliance. Most importantly, they are patient. They realize the complications involved in admitting new members and they are working with us.

The major hang up, obviously, is that joining this alliance messes up relationships we have with other nations. Albania, for example, has always been a great bro to us. Just recently they jumped in to help us with our ATO efforts and really made a difference here in the States. Many of them are still here now and have become close friends and partners. Being in CoT can jeopardize that, as it allies us with their enemies. It can also jeopardize our relationship with Greece. Even though Greece is balls deep in EDEN, our relations with them are usually pretty good. I know even in my own party we have a number of Greek members who we are all rather fond of and they make invaluable contributions to our community.

If we are to join CoT, then we need to commit. We can't have one foot out the door or only be supportive of SOME of the alliance. We're either in or out. However, I don't think joining this alliance is the end of the conversation with many of these nations. It's just the beginning.

Just in the last month, I have seen some things take place that I really never thought would happen. eChile has been occupying eAustralia for a while. Relations between the two countries have been bitter, as they have both suffered from betrayals that are still fresh in everyone's mind. To come to some sort of agreement and start working together again demanded an extreme leap of faith on everyone's part. And it happened. It wasn't easy, of course, but these two nations showed real maturity and were able to negotiate with clear heads and start laying the groundwork for a partnership that will benefit both of them going forward. They're still in the early stages of this agreement, but it is amazing to me that the conversation is even happening. I take this as an example to follow and I am inspired by it. If those two nations can rise above the nonsense, then surely it can happen elsewhere.

I am hopeful that we can enter this new alliance without betraying old friendships. But it is going to take maturity. It's going to take clear heads. It's going to take a leap of faith from time to time. We have to put the work in.



This leads me to the second part of my point- assembling a team and trimming the fat. I'll get the simple part out of the way first. When campaigning, a good strategy is to include as many people as possible in your Cabinet. This makes them feel invested in your campaign and makes them more likely to vote for you, if not convince others to do the same. But it is really just that- a campaign strategy. Once the term actually starts, there are often times a lot of people milling around with nothing to do and no real idea of what is even expected of them, or people who have vanished because they really just wanted the title to add to a sig.

I hate that crap.

From the beginning I have been putting this campaign together with actual governing in mind. Fewer Chiefs, more Indians and the assembly of cohesive teams with clear objectives. Teams are exactly what we need. As I wrote in my last article, Domestic affairs will be a team of people working together. Some will be labeled as 'interior' and some will be 'education' and some will be heading up specific programs like TU2RU and B4N, but there will be no question that they are the domestic team and they are expected to think and work outside of a narrow title...as a team.

In foreign affairs and defense, it is really no different. Right now there is Defense, there is Foreign Affairs and then there is NSC, which is somewhere between the two. Then there is also Immigration and DHS (more on that tomorrow). As it stands, these groups talk to each other and there is some level of communication because they all report to the President, but I don't see a lot of actual working together to develop real strategies. Strategies are exactly what we need, though, and we need more than one perspective. Every move that is made in Defense, FA and NSC has far reaching implications that must be considered before the move is actually made. The best way I can think to do this without sacrificing speed and agility is to keep these people working directly together. I don't mean just blurring the lines between one job and another job- there are still specific roles that need to be filled and jerbs to be done. I mean keeping them all talking and working together.

While I can be comfortable in knowing Domestic Affairs will run smoothly and be extremely productive without my daily intervention, Foreign Affairs and Defense is where I will be focusing nearly all of my time and energy. Things are extremely sensitive right now and I think the eUS needs a President that will be active and available...regularly.

This is a team that is still assembling, as is the Domestic Team. If you like what you hear and would like to be a part of this, please fill out an application and let me know!

http://tinyurl.com/FG-CabinetApplication



There are a couple other bits that you guys should probably know.

-Overhauling the Ambassador program.
Ambassadors are underutilized and as a result many of them are extremely bored and stop bothering to report or show up or do anything. We don't expect much out of them. That has to change. The Secretary of State cannot be everywhere at once and these nations we work with deserve our complete attention. Additionally, people often volunteer to be Ambassadors because they want experience in Foreign Affairs, surely with the hopes of one day leading the State Department. We aren't teaching them and we aren't giving them that experience. We can do better and we will.

-Regaining bonuses.
We're not going to go back to full bonuses any time soon, but we need to take some of the strain off of our communes. Unless there are surprise changes to the economic module, I think the best way to go about this is to regain a few strategic bonuses to benefit our military. It's nothing huge, but it's what we can do.

-Clear military objectives.
This one is a must. I wish I could campaign on the promise to invade Canada or wipe Portugal or something, but I can't. Like I said, we need smart strategies and we're currently experiencing a time where things are changing quickly. It seems every day there is a new report of some nation dropping out of EDEN or some unlikely partnership forming in some corner of the world. They way the world looks today is not how it will look on the 6th. We will have battles. We will have clear priorities and objectives. I just don't know what it will be yet.

Again, if you would like to get involved with what I'm proposing on any level, please let me know by filling out this form- http://tinyurl.com/FG-CabinetApplication

Thanks for reading,



Stay tuned for Part 4- ATO efforts and DHS!