|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 25, 2014 12:27:05 GMT -6
Vuode Senatorial Debate Let me first say how honoured we at Beric'ht Talossan are to be able to present this debate between Vuode's two Senatorial candidates, incumbent Sir Trotxâ Betiñéir, UrN, and challenger Éovart Grischun. Both of these fine politicans are looking for your vote, Vuode - and it's our privilege to help them speak right to you. I will be your moderator today. And remember, Vuode, if you email us at BerichtTalossan@gmail.com and become a subscriber, then you get to read your special election coverage - including coverage of this race! - just a little bit earlier than everyone else, as it's delivered right to your inbox! I'll review the approach we'll be taking, first. The format will be familiar to observers of past Talossan Senatorial debates. There will be an opening statement, given by a candidate chosen at random and with a maximum length of 600 words. Then their opponent will get to give a reply of the same length. If I think it's worthwhile to have a bit of further discussion, or if candidates particularly demand it, a round of rebuttal and counter-rebuttal will follow, both of 300 words. I may permit an additional second round of rebuttals if I think it would help clarify the points, but we're not going to go back and forth on any one topic for a long time. Candidates may address myself, the fine province of Vuode, or each other, as they please. Whomever you speak to, please be courteous. This debate is not to solve any issues, just to illuminate your positions on them. We'll keep it brisk and readable for the voters of your province. The questions have been written and certified by a multi-party panel of Beric'ht Talossan staff, and I hope they will be enlightening. The flipping of a coin has randomly chosen S:reu Grischun to go first. We will begin with a simple enough question - and one you might already be prepared to answer. S:reu Grischun, please introduce yourself to the citizens of Vuode, and tell us why you would be a good Senator, taking care to name your accomplishments and qualifications. Please remember to keep your answer at a brief 600 words or fewer.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 26, 2014 21:39:26 GMT -6
It's been more than a day since I asked this introductory question... after an additional day of waiting, we'll move on, and perhaps return to this one.
|
|
|
Post by Eðo Grischun on Jul 26, 2014 23:31:18 GMT -6
My apologies to the moderator and to my opponent for the delay. I only just read this thread this morning. May I take a moment to thank S:r Davinescu and his publication for hosting this debate. And, before we begin, to take a moment to shake Sir Troxta's hand and wish him the best of luck in this Senatorial race.
My Voudean friends,
As you probably know already, I am Éovart Grichun (Sometimes, I go by Eðo), and I have decided to stand for election as your Senator.
If it has not been obvious over the years, let me declare it now in no uncertain terms. I love this province. I am Vuodean by mistake, of course. Perhaps, 'mistake' is a strong word, but I should have been an Ataturkey, but due to the geographical assignment rules I ended up here due to a province closure. How, then, did I end up falling in love with Vuode?
I remember reading through King Ben's big bad history tome and finding myself fascinated by the historical events that took place right here in Vuode. I read all about the Kingdom's founding and the early years of our nation. I found a real-life hero in Dan Laurieir. I found inspiration at a difficult time in my life in Ben Madison, Gary Cone, Ian von Metairia and others. I somehow forged a connection to the words I was reading and in turn with the province of Vuode.
I have strived to be the best Vuodean and Talossan I could be over the years. Now and again I made terrible mistakes. But for the most part, I believe I have served this nation and my province well. At this time, it feels somewhat natural to stand as Your Senator.
My Talossan CV is rather varied. I have been hugely involved in party politics, Cosa affairs and national governance over the years. I have been an MC multiple times, have served in the Cabinet and I've even had a stint as Deputy Secretary of State where I conducted several Clarks and a national General Election. I've authored quite a few bills and seen many of them pass into law. My proudest legislative achievements are authoring the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act and co-authoring the massive rewriting of the Covenants of Rights and Freedoms in the Organic Law.
I served our province as joint-Premier under the old system from inception until abolishment, and have served as the sole Premier since the reinstatement of the office to date. In other words, I have led the province for several years. My greatest provincial accomplishments include being the primary author of our current constitution as well as being responsible for naming our province's Parishes and Townships. In addition, I have written most of the Vuodean pages on TalossaWiki.
A vote for me is a vote for an active Senator and for someone confident and proficient in navigating our nation's laws. A Senator who believes wholeheartedly in representing the province and it's citizens before acting on conscience or personal conviction. In me, you will gain a Senator who will be active in the Senatorial chamber and won't find himself lost in the mix, having to have his vote's chased down.
I humbly ask you to consider voting for me in this election.
Yours For Talossa, Yours For Vuode.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 27, 2014 8:24:52 GMT -6
Thank you very much.
Sir Trotxâ, please introduce yourself to the citizens of Vuode, and tell us why you have been a good Senator, taking care to name your accomplishments and qualifications. Please remember to keep your answer at a brief 600 words or fewer.
|
|
Trotxâ
Talossan since 10-17-2005; Knight since 11-5-2006
Deo duce, ferro comitante
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Trotxâ on Jul 29, 2014 1:39:57 GMT -6
Thank you very much. Sir Trotxâ, please introduce yourself to the citizens of Vuode, and tell us why you have been a good Senator, taking care to name your accomplishments and qualifications. Please remember to keep your answer at a brief 600 words or fewer. Before I begin, I want to thank Sir Davinescu and Beric'ht Talossan for sponsoring this event. I'm also pleased to shake S:reu Grischun's hand, to thank him for his good wishes, and to extend to him my best wishes for he and his family this election. Fellow Vuodeans – My name is Trotxâ Betiñéir, UrN, and I had the honour to represent you and Vuode in the Senäts last term. This honour was not sought, but was a burden I accepted when the previous Senator left. When duty calls, one must answer. That is why I accepted when Éovart Grischun nominated me to fill in for Senator Marcianüs. Today was the start of judging at our county fair, so it has been a busy weekend at the Betiñéir household. We took 4-H projects for baking, sewing and lace-making to the fairgrounds to be judged. Our county fair is a great example of how people with different interests can come together and create something that is bigger and better than the individual. Talossa is another example of that same thing. I ask my fellow Vuodeans to vote Trotxâ for Vuode. As a candidate for Senäts, Vuode needs to know where I sit before it knows where I stand. Know that I am a: - Roman Catholic – I'm been mandated to two minor orders, and I serve as a catechist and sacramental instructor. I'm planning to lead a group of pilgrims on the Way of St. James in 2017.
- Husband and Father – S:ra Betiñéir and I celebrated our 25th anniversary last April. Our oldest will be wed in November, leaving us with only three teenagers in the house (including the county champion pie baker).
- Monarchist - I was first invited to the Kingdom of Talossa just in time to watch King Ben melt down and depart for good. Even from the sidelines, that was not fun. Still interested in Talossa, I found the Republic. I studied both options, and read their joint and separate histories. I soon realized that I lived in a republic. One thing that makes Talossa unique is that it is a monarchy. I became a believer. I studied the advantages of constitutional monarchy, and became a citizen in 2005.
- Civil Servant – I work as a data scientist for a municipality larger than Milwaukee. For me, governing isn't a theoretical subject. I work with government every day. I have experienced the impact of a bad idea poorly formed into law – seeing not just emotional impact, but the actual damages spelled out in the statistics. I hope I can continue to bring this real-world experience to benefit Talossa.
- Servant Leader – In my hometown, I've been elected to non-profit leadership roles, have supervised teams of 12, and have managed half-million dollar budgets. The life lessons I learned have helped me in past leadership roles in Talossa. This experience helped me in establishing the working practices of Talossan College of Arms. The Ministry of Defense still uses the web pages that I created. My proudest legislative accomplishment is writing the law that created the Zouaves of the Royal Bodyguard. As Presiding Officer of the Estats Xhenerais, I endeavoured to bring new energy to our meetings this past session. As Senator, I've helped pass some good laws, and kept some bad laws from damaging Talossa.
Fellow Vuodeans, in this election, people from other provinces will look to their own interests, which won't match the interests of the citizens of Vuode. I believe the people of Vuode are smart enough and wise enough to make the right decision. My friends, when you decide – decide for yourself and for Vuode. Don't decide based on a twisted vision spewed by loud mouths from other provinces. Look to protect your home – the oldest and best province in Talossa. I trust you to do what's best for Vuode. Vote Trotxâ for Vuode/ Votez Trotxâ à Vuode.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 29, 2014 7:20:40 GMT -6
Wonderful and well-spoken, both of you. Thank you. Let's move on, since I think we can forgo rebuttals.
Sir Trotxâ, what is a key issue for you - what will be a specific issue you will be fighting for (or fighting against) if you are elected?
|
|
Trotxâ
Talossan since 10-17-2005; Knight since 11-5-2006
Deo duce, ferro comitante
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Trotxâ on Jul 30, 2014 0:03:52 GMT -6
Sir Trotxâ, what is a key issue for you - what will be a specific issue you will be fighting for (or fighting against) if you are elected? Sir Alexandreu – When the topic of "issues" comes up, I am reminded of that famous quote from the 'Sage of Baltimore', H. L. Mencken, is his 1918 book In Defense of Women, I have no aspirations to be number one in hobgoblin menacing. For the most part, things in Talossa work. However, I have two issues that I will work to address in the upcoming session. - Election Fraud. The recently identified hole in the Wisconsin codes should be fixed.
- Immigration: not just the timeliness of responses to applicants, and not just the applicant fail rate. I have several ideas to share in the upcoming term, including:
a. I support the idea of the Citizenship Test, as most recently taken up by C. Carlüs Xheraltescù. I would be happy to consult with the test development project team. b. Increasing our numbers. This comes down to marketing and communications. At present I am not ready to post the language of these bills, but I will be happy to discuss these points with any citizen or cestour who is interested in seeking solutions. Like all of his Majesty's subjects, I will work to make our micronation well known and vibrant. God save the King
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 30, 2014 6:22:48 GMT -6
Thank you. S:reu Grischun, same question.
|
|
|
Post by Eðo Grischun on Jul 30, 2014 15:28:56 GMT -6
Sir Alexandreu,
I would be fighting for things that benefit Vuode and fighting against things that harm her. I do not think it is up to our Senators to think up grand ideas or undertake gargantuan projects in the Kingdom. It is not the role of the Senator to guide policy or attempt to enact changes to the way we do things. I believe the role of a Senator is more part goalkeeper and part representative. As Vuodes Senator, I would fulfil my duties as the province's representative by voting for or against Bills in such ways as my constituents demand and I would act as Vuode's goalkeeper by trying to spot things that may harm our fine province then bringing such information to the attention of my constituents before asking their final decision on any matters.
I find myself in agreement with Sir Troxtâ in that for the most part, things are working quite fine in our Nation. However, there is one issue that I believe harms Vuode at present and would like to work on finding a solution to this.
34RZ9.
I think the geographic catchment areas are mostly nonsense. A couple of things make sense, like the Italian connection in Benito. However, take a look at the non-US catchment areas for Vuode: the nations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Do you know how many people immigrate to Talossa from those regions? Very, very, very, very, very few to none. And, how do people from Japan relate to people from Morocco exactly? I wholeheartedly believe the primary reason for Vuode's absolutely terrible activity levels lies somewhere in this formula. Now, make a comparison between the catchment areas for Vuode and the catchment areas for Florencia. Florencia has zero catchment areas outside of the United States! Not a single area where English is not the primary language! This is not a fair system. I would be seeking to reopen the geographical division debate in the next Cosa term and would work with fellow Ziu members at finding a fairer and better system for all provinces.
Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 30, 2014 16:03:18 GMT -6
Sir Trotxâ, would you care to make a rebuttal? 300 words or fewer.
|
|
Trotxâ
Talossan since 10-17-2005; Knight since 11-5-2006
Deo duce, ferro comitante
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Trotxâ on Jul 31, 2014 0:11:15 GMT -6
Sir Trotxâ, would you care to make a rebuttal? 300 words or fewer. No rebuttal needed. S:reu Grischun and I are in agreement about the need to work on immigration. T
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Jul 31, 2014 13:19:21 GMT -6
Okay then! S:reu Grischun: while Senatorial candidates do not run on a party ticket, you are a member of the PP party and are strongly associated with that party. I wonder if you would oblige us, however, and specifically address the ZRT, MRPT, and RUMP voters of your province. How will you work for them - what is your common ground?
|
|
|
Post by Eðo Grischun on Aug 3, 2014 7:58:28 GMT -6
Sir Alex,
The common ground between myself and the citizens of Vuode is Vuode.
A couple of notable points here. First, I have a history of being loose in how I have voted in the Cosa chamber over the years. I've not always followed my Party's leadership or whip. Second, for those who remember, I was extremely vocal a while back regarding stopping the practice where parties contesting the General Election could officially endorse a Senatorial candidate. I still wish this.
Our OrgLaw is clear. Senators run on merit and are supposed to be apart from party politics. I believe the framers of the OrgLaw had an original intention to create an upper house of provincial stewards that wouldn't be influenced by the wishes of their party affiliations. This would be how I operate as your Senator. I am somewhat proud that we have a "Fortress Senate". I believe it was intended to be a fortress when conceived (only a non-political fortress, but that's a whole other argument).
There doesn't seem to be much problem in Talossa over wearing multiple hats. We have a Secretary of State who is party affiliated. We have upper court justices who, while not being attached to a party, have close links to their political pasts. We have Senators active in party politics.
For any Vuodean worried that I would forego the wishes of my constituents over the Progressive Party, I can assure you that I would not. I intend to engage with the citizens of Vuode and act according to the desire of the Province...whether I agree with that desire or not! The only time I would not act as my province asked of me is when I wholeheartedly believe that in doing so would cause harm to the province or the nation at large.
Thank you.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Alexandreu Davinescu on Aug 4, 2014 15:23:46 GMT -6
Thank you. Sir Trotxa, you are a member of the RUMP party and are strongly associated with that party. I wonder if you would oblige us, however, and specifically address the ZRT, MRPT, and PP voters of your province. How will you work for them - what is your common ground?
|
|
Trotxâ
Talossan since 10-17-2005; Knight since 11-5-2006
Deo duce, ferro comitante
Posts: 1,574
|
Post by Trotxâ on Aug 5, 2014 2:05:02 GMT -6
Thank you. Sir Trotxa, you are a member of the RUMP party and are strongly associated with that party. I wonder if you would oblige us, however, and specifically address the ZRT, MRPT, and PP voters of your province. How will you work for them - what is your common ground?Sir Alexandreu – Thank you for your question. I am happy to address ALL the citizens of Vuode, specifically my brothers and sisters affiliated with the ZRT, MRPT, PP, or LIB parties. We are all part of the best province in Talossa – the United Provinces of Vuode and Dandenburg. Vuode - our province - our home - is our common ground. As I have said before – while I have been a member of both Cosa and Senats, I have never voted a straight party ticket. Instead, I have voted the best choice for the citizens of Vuode. I believe that a Senator shouldn't have to sell his soul for a party endorsement, but should be free to do what is best for his home province. This is the hard work of the Senats – hard work that I will continue to do for Vuode and her citizens. Fellow Vuodeans – when duty called last December, I accepted the challenge of representing you and your values in the Senats. Each of you have received messages from me (by PM or e-mail) soliciting input and describing how I have understood the will of my fellow citizens. Many of you have responded - and I thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. I pledge to continue that practice of outreach and listening when re-elected. Vote Trotxâ for Vuode/ Votez Trotxâ à Vuode.
|
|