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Well, Presidential Elections are coming up in, what, 3 days I think? Several issues are
coming up and tensions are rising. I wanted to do an article about that, but I wanted to
do something that wasn't being beaten to death. So I decided to do an interview with a
president, only this is the president of a political party. You all know this party, and
alot of you know this person. He has helped this party become what it is, even before
presidency. I give you, Mr. Tacointern.

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Stryke: Well I'm sitting here with the president of the Associates of General Wellness, Mr.
Tacointern. Welcome Mr. Taco.

Taco: Thanks for having me, Stryke. It’s good to be here. And let me just say that Mr. Taco
has a nice ring to it.

Stryke: Yes it does, hahaha. Well, I'm sure you have plenty of other things to do, so let's
get this started, shall we?

Taco: Sounds good. Let’s get this party started. Preparation for Finals Week can wait 😛

Stryke: Alright, well what better place to start than at the beginning? How did you get
here on eRepublik?

Taco: Along with many members of the AGW, I joined because of Travis Granger. I was watching
Travis play a game a few months ago, when I saw in chat the link to eRepublik. Travis said
we were taking back eUSA, and since I’m a patriotic guy IRL and in the Virtual World, I
decided to help out. At the time, I didn’t know that eUSA was controlled by Russia, so
when I moved to my home state of Pennsylvania, I was shocked to see it not belong to
America.I stayed for a few weeks, since there weren’t many jobs in eSA at the time (at
least not enough to live comfortably on). When there were finally jobs available, I moved
to eSA and started two-clicking, since I didn’t know what else to do. However, what I did
know was that I rather enjoyed the game, reading articles and such, so I stayed and grew
to enjoy the community that eSA provided.

Stryke: Sounds like the way I started, I wonder why, haha. Ok, now let's go with another
question. How did you become the Party President of the AGW?

Taco: The short answer? Hard work and determination. The unabridged version? One night
during this past semester in college, I joined the 4PP forum. After enjoying some…spirits…
with my friends, I decided to take initiative. Now, I don’t know if it was the booze talking
or confidence. Sometimes, what’s the difference? I talked to Seisan about redesigning our
party logo since Travis left. iRoyal (who is unfortunately inactive now) and I came up with
the idea for the logo, and it stuck. Fast-forward to after an unsuccessful congressional
run, and it was time for the PP election. Seisan was hand-picked by Travis to lead after
him. For some reason (to this day, I still don’t know), I went against the group and
decided to run, thinking I had better ideas. I realize I was very naïve. Heated debate
ensued, and I eventually dropped out for the good of the party. At this point, I felt I
owed it to all the members for me to work hard, and earn everyone’s respect. Then came the
infamous Congressional Debacle of 2009 (alright, that’s really exaggerated). I thought I
could finally win the election, but alas, none of us except Champ did. I felt a lot of
things, so I took a sabbatical and went to eAustralia to fight for their Independence.
This is when I started really thinking about politics and what I could do to really help
the party. I came back with a renewed focus and decided to tell the group of my plans to
run for PP and my ideas for a successful Congressional election (which worked, by the way).
They agreed, then came the Travis Debacle of 2009 (I know I’m not very clever with titles),
which is public record. Travis dropped out, and I won.

Stryke: Hmm, very interesting. Seems like quite the journey. Well, How do you feel the AGW
is in terms of stance in eSA?

Taco: I feel like our reputation is on the rise. I know that Enoch and Ines in particular
have welcomed us with open arms, which really means a lot to have that kind of support. No
longer are we the n00bs (as some put it) that sit idly by and wait for Travis. We are all
blazing our own trails, and it’s really an amazing evolution to have witnessed, especially
having been in the party since the beginning. I know in the beginning, people saw us as
outsiders, intruders, and potential PTOers. I believe we have squelched that notion by
being active members of the eSA community. We are even planning a few projects that will
help benefit eSA as a whole and give back to the country that has given so much to us.

Stryke: Well I would ask what those projects are, but I have the feeling that it's a
suprise, so I don't want to ruin anything 😛. Well, we have time for a couple more
questions, let's make them about the matter at hand, the Country Presidential election,
shall we?

Taco: Absolutely. For the first time, we have some real competition, and that makes this
election extremely unique compared to other elections, which is definitely exciting.

Stryke: Alright. In all seriousness now, how do you feel about the candidates?

Taco: The candidates that are running are qualified, there is no doubt about that.
So whoever ends up winning, I will feel comfortable with that person at the helm. Well,
except Corn. However, there are a few issues that make this a complicated question. It
seems that Frank and Ines have basically the same platform (which has been pointed out),
which makes deciding on a candidate extremely hard for anybody. Personally, I feel that
each candidate needs to really step up and make his or her platform/candidature less
vanilla and more unique. I know this is the first election that involved the Goals system,
so the candidates aren’t going to do anything crazy or impossible, but I’m not really
seeing the WOW! factor that really puts a candidate on top. Speaking for the AGW, we want
a candidate that will increase the population in a way that’s already been promised,
reform the Ministries, and reach out to other parties for increased cooperation.
Only when we can all cooperate in a cohesive manner can we really progress as a society.
Choosing between the candidates is like choosing what soda you want to drink: they might
taste the same, but which one will be better for you and satiate your thirst in the long
run?

Stryke: Well that is certainly an interesting way to put it. Well we have time for one more
question, so let me ask you the question that's on a number of people's minds.......Who is
the AGW supporting come Election Day?
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Taco: Right now, we are currently debating the matter, and I hope to have a conclusion by
tomorrow at the latest, after we have all had a chance to read the transcript for the
Presidential Debate. We have one candidate that it seems we are leaning toward, but I’m
not at liberty to discuss that at this moment. When we decide, EVERYONE will know.

Stryke: Well, certainly some intelligent words, but I know you personally, and I can't
say I'm suprised, hahaha.

Taco: Haha, well I’m certainly surprised at my intelligent words. My brain should be mush
right now after all my cramming for Finals.

Stryke: Alright, well it was gracious of you to allow me to give you an interview. I'd ask
you for another interview in the future, but other reporters deserve an intelligent
interview from you too. 😛

Taco: Well you were my first interview, and I thank you for your questions. Hopefully you
won’t be the last cause this was pretty fun.

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Well, an interesting interview from an interesting person. I hope this interview has shed
some light on the president of the AGW.

I can't say much now, as there are issues to be discussed. The only thing I can say right
now:

Here's to you Taco \~/.

And to all of the Presidential Candidates, I wish you all luck, and a toast \~/.