[SEMI-PUBLIC] The von Streusser Report

[von Streusser]

Linked directly off the Society for Good Governance's website is The von Streusser Report, a special interest group weblog. The Report is published and paid for by the Society for Good Governance, a watchdog group focused on accountability among political officials, among other goals. Michael von Streusser, former CEO of ENDTech; former Minister of Trade, Economy, and Finance; former Member of the General Assembly; and well-known political figure from approximately Terms 3-7 serves as Editor-in-Chief.

The von Streusser Report is a revolutionary new form of media for Eutopia, an open forum for special interests and concerned citizens to voice their opinions in a nationwide format. It is our hope that this publication will bring the minds of the people and the actions of the government closer together, in furtherance of the Society for Good Governance's goals and ideals.

The views and opinions presented in this publication do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of either the editors of this newsletter or the Society for Good Governance. While we will make every effort to ensure that the facts presented in this newsletter are true and correct, the items we present here will not be free of bias or "spin". They are opinions.

Additionally, the opinions presented here may not be the opinions of a majority of Eutopians. However, our publication is here to ensure that all groups, not just the largest, richest, or most influential, can make their voices heard in Eutopia City.

-Michael von Streusser, Editor-in-Chief

(Details and explanation coming soon!)

 

[The_Hawk]

The Eutopia Fisherper's Union, which recently celebrated in the wake of the failure of the Value-Added Tax Act, today called for it to be defeated again in the General Assembly. The EFU has been almost unique among labor unions in its staunch opposition to the Act. In a press statement released last week, the Union decried the "unthinking definitions" of the Act. "Eutopia's fisherpers are among the hardest working and poorest class of people in our nation," the release continued. "Defining the boats that are their livelihood as 'luxury items', to be severely taxed, is crippling to this most basic of Eutopian industries."

The EFU is Eutopia's oldest organized union, first appearing in 1888 as the League of Honest Fishermen. They were joined in their celebration by the only two other major unions which stood in opposition to the VATA, the Large-Scale Farmer's Coalition and the Furriers and Trappers of Western Eutopia. The LSFC similarly protested the defintion of "luxury vehicles" as any costing over 40,000 ducats. "You might get a tractor for a few grand," said Jonas Magruder, LSFC spokesper, "but your average combine-harvester costs over 200,000 ducats, and has a useful life of only ten years. You'd better believe the VAT would have a serious impact on farmers." Though they released no press statement, it is assumed that the FTWE expected a sharp dropoff in demand if the VAT taxes fur clothing.

The value-added tax was a major campaign promise of the ESA during the last presidential campaign, and continues to be an issue that galvanizes civil society. Following revelations of a backroom deal said to guarantee support for the VAT in exchange for military spending, several groups blasted both sides of the political spectrum for abandoning their principles for the purpose of compromise. Still others praised the spirit of bipartisan cooperation shown by the purported agreement (which was verified by neither side), though most have retreated from this position given the lack of bipartisan voting surrounding the failure of VATA.

One organization that has remained vocal throughout is the Society for Good Governance. "While we can appreciate the ongoing debate surrounding the value-added tax, we remain firm in our opposition to any appropriations bill that would give the government such enormous amounts of discretionary funds," stated an SGG press release. "Taxing measures should be passed pursuant to or concurrent with a valid budget, not in anticipation of one. Such measures give our elected officials the unbridled power to play with billions of Eutopian dollars as they see fit."

The Society for Good Governance also lambasted the Eutopian Worker for what they described as "extreme disregard for the truth." Said the SGG press release, "The only reason the budget is held up by the failure to pass VATA is that President Sergei refuses to propose a budget without it. There are other methods of raising funds, such as borrowing, that have been proposed, and, given VATA's inability to pass, should be considered."

Relatively new on the scene, the small and secretive SGG was formed in the wake of the Gall administration as a government watchdog group. What it lacks in size it makes up for in power, as it appears to have considerable funds. It is also rumored that a number of former Eutopian politicians, such as former MILE Yuber Harding, were charter members of the group. Whether these rumors are true or not, it lends the organization a legitimacy it might not otherwise enjoy.

 

[The_Hawk]

Following recent revelations that Per Cornelius Dank was involved in inciting the riot which followed the attacks at the Million Worker March, a loose coalition of moderate and conservative politicians in local and provincial government have called for his resignation. Failing that, they appealed to President Josephus Locke Sergei, in his capacity as leader of the ESA, to remove Dank from his GA seat.

"It is imperative that President Sergei use this opportunity to show that he represents the people of Eutopia as a whole, not simply the radical elements of the left. We call on him to denounce Cornelius Dank's criminal acts."

These politicians were joined by the Society for Good Governance, which issued a more neutral press statement. It read in part, "The government of Eutopia has often been shaky in the last thirty years, but we cannot tolerate even the suggestion that those in positions of public trust have committed criminal acts." SGG also extended its comments to Pers Jeremiah Olson, the newcomer MGA who was arrested on minor charges, and Lamont Rashaad, who was photographed smoking what appeared to be marijuana and making gestures indicative of support for the rioters. All three politicians, the SGG said, "should take the high road and resign their positions, and show the Eutopian public that they regret these mistakes."

These calls for resignations were met with support for the beleaguered politicians by some radicals. In the absence of their leader, the ECL leadership pushed through a press statement, which read in part, "Rashaad and Dank are the only men in the assembly who have shown willingness to do whatever it takes to draw attention to the plight of the working man in Eutopia, and they should not be silenced for it." Other, more moderate ECL members have publicly requested that their names be excluded from the document, however.

Meanwhile, at a press conference earlier today, Eutopia City Police Commissioner Gwenneth Lowtower slammed the Eutopian Worker for what she called "inflammatory journalism." "The police reacted to physical attacks with measured, reasonable force in an effort to disband an explosive situation that Per Dank was responsible for creating in the first place," she said. "Despite the Worker's suggestion, being attacked was not and should never be justification for continued violence. This wasn't self-defense. Per Dank should've gone to the hospital, not led a riot."

 

[von Streusser]

Lumber Industry Applauds MERL Lundgren, But Urges More Action - Other Organizations Plead for Caution

Following the announcement that MERL Michael Lundgren has imposed a small symbolic tariff on Canadian lumber, the Confederation of Eutopian Loggers and Lumberworkers (CELL) declared that it was "high time that someone in Eutopia City took notice of our plight. Per Lundgren has finally shown that we're not going to tolerate Canada's predatory trade practices any longer! But this is only the first step, tariffs need to be raised much higher if this action is going to have any more than a symbolic impact and will actually put our people back to work!"

Canadian logging companies have been selling softwood lumber exports in Eutopian markets at well below cost for several terms now. Whereas the typical Eutopian market price for such lumber is 325 ducats per 1,000 Board Feet (MBF), Canadian companies have been selling at nearly 3/4 that price, 250 ducats per MBF. MERL Lundgren's latest tariff of 1.5% raises the Canadian price to 253.75 ducats, still far below the Eutopian level. CELL has called on the MERL and the President to raise tariffs on Canadian lumber as high as 33% (which would bring Canadian lumber prices to 332.50 ducats) in order to make Eutopian lumber competitive again. "This is about putting Eutopian citizens back to work in an economically depressed country and time!" cried the CELL spokesman. "We need to haul ourselves out of this recession by our own bootstraps, and the first step is ensuring our citizens have jobs!"

However, free trade advocates and home builders across Eutopia have spoken out against any further tariffs. "Softwood lumber is used primarily for building homes; almost 40% goes to new construction, while another 30% goes to repair. Every 1 ducat increase per MBF in the cost of softwood lumber raises the price of a new home by nearly 20 ducats. Multiply that by this proposed tariff and you get numbers in the thousands. If you don't think that makes a difference for low income families in this economy, then you're dead wrong! We live in a global economy now, if our lumber industry can't cut it, then they should do something else. Are we going to raise the price of construction and repair all over the island just to benefit a few people too stubborn to realize when they're beaten and change jobs?"

The Society for Good Governance, meanwhile, issued a more middle-ground statement, saying that "while Canadian lumber-dumping is certainly a predatory practice, tariffs should not be the course of first resort. As the United Provinces of Eutopia is a member of the WTO, we should take our grievances there and at least try to work within the international agreements we have signed. We need to give diplomacy and cooperation a chance before we initiate any trade wars. Additionally, while some of our citizens may be put out of work, we are receiving lumber at a price much cheaper than many other countries in the world, and should look for a way to turn this excess to our advantage, perhaps in expansive construction projects or infrastructure renewal that could employ all those put out of work by the dumping in the first place."

 

[von Streusser]

General Assembly Lurches to Life, First Bill Of the Term Receives Mixed Reviews

The Psychedelic Drug Reform Act recently passed the General Assembly. Few pundits have expressed surprise, however. "First of all, this is a bill that was proposed and debated last term" said one government-watcher "and historically, the General Assembly has always enjoyed its highest level of activity right at the start of the term. The true test of a GA is whether or not they can keep this level of activity up for the rest of the term."

The Bill itself, originally proposed by now-missing former General Assemblyman and MESA Lamont Rashaad, has received mixed reviews. The Anti-Drug Coalition, a loose confederation of church groups, PTAs, and conservative organizations, issued a press release calling the bill "a gigantic step back". The group has been lobbying for more anti-drug laws and stricter enforcement of those already in place. "First this man appears in public smoking marijuana, and now his bill has been passed? No matter how 'well-meaning' the GA is in passing this legislation, there will still be MESA officials and doctors who are ethically challenged enough to make these dangerous drugs available to anyone who asks."

The Soldiers of God came out with even stronger criticism. "These substances are the tools of the devil, and our government shows once again that it completely lacks any moral fiber! How many acts of vandalism and violence must be committed by youths on drugs before the government stops legalizing more and more of them? I shudder to think what tragedies must befall our country and our youth to convince our corrupt government to step in and stop sending our country on a downward spiral into moral turpitude!" said an SoG Spokesper.

However, the Organization for Legalizing Freedom, one of the United Provinces' predominant Libertarian groups, has expressed admiration for the recently passed bill. "We're glad to see the government has finally realized that our citizens are capable of making their own decisions. If anything, the legislation doesn't go far enough: the bureaucrats in Eutopia City have no right to tell us what our morals should be, and as long as I don't hurt anyone else, I should have the right to get all doped up whenever I want. Still, we're glad that medical research and treatment will no longer be held up by silly religious and moral complaints. If people are so concerned about their kids getting hold of drugs, maybe they should be better parents instead of constantly depending on the government to do their parenting for them."

The Society for Good Governance was more concerned with the General Assembly's activity than the content of the bill itself. "We believe a great deal of praise is due Speaker John O'Floinn for keeping the General Assembly moving. Other parties have had majorities in the GA before, and still gotten nothing done, so the UMP's unprecedented margin of victory is no guarantee of consistent activity. While we don't feel the GA has necessarily been addressing the issues most pressing to the country, we are encouraged by the activity we have seen thus far, and hope it continues."

 

[The_Hawk]

FSSA Passes Senate, Conservatives Critical

In an uncharacteristically close vote today, the Food Safety Standards Act squeaked through the Senate by a 6-3 margin after a considerable debate regarding the merits of food regulation. Interestingly, this charge against the CUE-introduced legislation was led by the only conservative on the Senate, former UEF, now CUE Senator Donald Rogan.

"There are times I wonder whether Per Strasse understands what our party stands for," Rogan said. "More regulation means less freedom, it's as simple as that. And 400 million ducats? Now the Eutopian citizen has even less wherewithal to spend money earned as he or she sees fit."

Per Rogan was joined in his critique by Pers Granfromage and Bouchard of the Federalist party, who suggested that regulation of food should fall under the ambit of "agriculture" rather than "health" in constitutional terms, and should therefore be the concern of provincial governments.

The remaining Senators, however, lauded the bill as a victory for bipartisan cooperation. "The Food Safety Standards Act is clear evidence that the Eutopian government is capable of putting aside partisan rancor for the benefit of the Eutopian people," said Senate Speaker Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. "Even our most fervent opponents have come to recognize the dire situation of the Eutopian working per, and have taken action to improve quality of life for all Eutopians."

 

[The_Hawk]

Free Speech Groups Blast PRRFA

Immediately after the Protection of Racial and Religious Freedom Act went to a vote today, the League of Eutopians For Free Speech (LEFFS) fired back with a resounding critique. "The protection of free speech is not a one-way street," said spokesper Adam Adamczyk. "Eutopians must take the bad as well as the good. We of LEFFS find the ideals of racists, bigots and fascists abhorrent -- but how can we have a free and open exchange of ideas in society if they are not permitted to express those views?"

"What's worse is that PRRFA isn't even limited. Where's the line drawn? Huck Finn has racist undertones. So do many other works of historical or cultural interest. Are we going to ban them all? And what's the punishment for violating this Act? Ladies and gentlemen, PRRFA is a piece of legislation waiting to be abused."

Other questions about the Act have been raised in venues less overt, if no less critical. In a press release posted on their website, the Society for Good Governance questioned whether Part A of PRRFA was even necessary. "Workplace discrimination is already prohibited under Article 27 of the Eutopian Charter of Rights. PRRFA might be a laudable step toward enabling legislation, but it fails to set out penalties for violation; we must therefore question whether it serves any real purpose at all." Conservative religious group the Soldiers of God also attacked Part A. "PRRFA is unqualified," read a press release from the group. "It prohibits even rational discrimination, such as requiring that a preacher be Christian or a rabbi Jewish. Further, the extremely broad phrase 'dealt with' is, we assume, a means of preventing any religiously-based interaction between an employee and an employer. But shutting one's eyes to the spiritual existence of an employee prevents them from even requesting a day off for a religious holiday."

Popular support for the Act remains high, however; in a poll conducted by LoopPolls, Inc. just before the Act went to vote, nearly 70% expressed "strong" or "very strong" support for the legislation.