Yes, I have accepted this position as Deputy MERL, and while time is short, I hope to work with Minister Lundgren in achieving some positive results. I’d like to take this time to thank Minister Lundgren for this opportunity.
As I said, time is short, and there is much to be done. One pressing issue is that of freeway acquisition. The General Assembly has had that bill on the floor for some time. If passed, it is a bill that will end the fiasco of privatized roads in Eutopia. It will end the highway robbery that our tolls have become. It will ease commute times. It will cut the cost of doing business in Eutopia. The General Assembly has had more than enough time to consider this bill. It is time to act.
But, highway acquisition is just the first step. Our infrastructure remains in need of repair, expansion, and modernization. Infrastructure is the economic backbone of the nation. Our economy will never grow beyond what our infrastructure can support. The damage from the hurricanes is still not completely repaired. The dire situation of our rail lines has still not been addressed. We need to fix things, but we need to go beyond piece meal solutions. We need to upgrade and modernize. We need to improve both our capacity and our efficiency. Roads, power, rails, communications – they can all be improved.
My office will work to create a legislative package to encourage and assist in this process. This package will not only improve our infrastructure standards across the board, but it will provide job opportunities for many Eutopians. It will make Eutopia a more attractive option to foreign investors. It will be the first step in reviving our economy and putting the men and women of this nation back to work.
But there is more we can do. Minister Lundgren and myself are committed to finding new markets for both Eutopia’s raw materials, such as lumber and coal, and our finished products. Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, they are all untapped markets within our reach.
Lastly, there is a matter that simply must be addressed. Our nation is still operating under a budget from the Gall administration. Fred Williamson and the Senate refused to vote on the Al’Aeshir Administration’s budget, and so far the current administration has refused to submit a budget before the ill conceived Value Added Tax is passed. In the past, the constitution dictated that the budget must come from the President’s office, but our September Constitution makes no such provision. Therefore, I would like to take this time to invite every party to send a representative to a budget conference. We will begin work next week, even if it is only Minister Lundgren and myself. While we do not have the power to introduce a budget into legislation, we can craft one and use the influence of this office to pressure our elected officials to act in a responsible manner and pass an updated budget.
perhaps a well written bill will yield mod rewards of economic improvements 
