Difference between revisions of "Stbob"
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Contents
Biography
Birth
Stbob was e-born on March 16, 2009 in Alabama, USA. This event was particularly mystical in that not only did he not have a father, but he also had no mother to speak of. In fact, the closest relation anybody could find in the annals was that he was "referred" into the world by fellow eUSA citizen Gosford.
Joining the Federalist Party
Stbob joined the Federalist Party as soon as he was able to, mainly because he always felt Alexander Hamilton got a bad rap after the famous "Got Milk" ad. The fact that their center-right, libertarian leanings were in line with his own helped matters along. He remained a silent member of the party until May 3, 2009, when he became an active voice on the party forums and started mouthing off to anybody and everybody. The only heated exchange he has had in the public domain regarded President Scrabman and what he contended was the politically-motivated firing of fellow Federalist Bill Brasky from his position as the head of the Department of Education.
Moving to South Dakota
Stbob was recently called upon by his party to run for the Congressional seat in South Dakota, a position currently held by the outgoing incumbent, Justin Warren, another Federalist. Those interested in his campaign platform may find more information here.
The Future
Stbob doesn't know what the future holds for him in the world of eRepublik. If the voters of South Dakota see fit to elect him as their Congressional representative, he looks forward to serving the state and the country as a civil servant. Aside from these political aspirations, for now, he is content to collect a paycheck and train militarily in the event his services are needed in the defense of his country.
Political Views
Government Transparency
Stbob believes that the government should strive for transparency while still maintaining its duties in safeguarding the national interests. Upholding the accountability of the government for its actions to the eAmerican people is something he feels strongly about. In matters that do not compromise state security and are not exigent and time-sensitive, he feels that the government should do its best to keep its citizens informed of developments, in a manner which the layperson can understand. However, he also understands that there are certain matters of which citizens cannot be kept fully abreast, either due to a lack of sufficient time or because they may compromise national security. That said, he feels it is still the duty of the government to debrief the citizens in a timely fashion once the critical period has passed.
National Defense
Stbob believes in a strong national defense. He feels the army should be well-organized, sufficiently supplied, and efficiently mobile once they are needed. However, he does not believe in wars of conquest or aggression, unless the purpose is to draw attention away from an ally under attack. While he does not condone the imperialistic leanings of some of the eUSA's allies in ATLANTIS, he also sees value in the alliance from a defensive standpoint. He feels that wargames are critical to priming the vast population of the eUSA for combat, as well as increasing the productivity of the nation's citizens. Because the eUSA has a decided population advantage, he feels it is not only in our nation's best interests to keep the populace militarily trained, but also to set in place an effective combat notification system in the media to help mobilize common citizens outside of the armed forces in the defense of the nation.
Fiscal Responsibility
Stbob feels strongly that the government has a responsibility to spend the citizens' hard-earned tax dollars in a manner that is fiscally sound. This ties in directly with his views on nonaggression. The most expensive endeavor for the government is to wage a war of conquest, with costs resulting from the initiation of the military campaign, the supply of military units for travel and battle, and the lost productivity of soldiers stationed abroad. Additionally, the hospitals and defense systems needed to hold any territories gained in such an action are incredibly expensive. Stbob feels that the general populace would be better served if money was spent instead on domestic infrastructure, with extra money either being saved or returned to the people in the form of tax cuts.
Tax Structure
Stbob believes that if the nation's tax revenue is more than enough to fully fund budgeted items and fill a reserve (for use in military emergencies), the government should lower income taxes. Currently, the eUSA boasts some of the eWorld's highest income taxes at around 20%. In contrast, many of our ATLANTIS allies have income taxes averaging between 5-10%. Additionally, we retain some of the lowest import tariffs amongst our allies (around 25% for materials and goods we do not already have in abundance). Our allies, though, tend to have protectionist tariffs ranging from 50-99%. This means that our allies can profit by exporting to our market, but, conversely, domestic businesses do not have the same opportunity in those protected markets. To counter this trade deficit, Stbob feels we should engage our allies in an effort to persuade them to remove these barriers to trade or, as a last resort, raise our own tariffs to match theirs, in the interests of protecting the domestic business owner.
Partisan Politics
Stbob believes strongly in multipartisanship. With a nation as diverse in political creed as ours is, it is important to recognize that occasional disagreements are inevitable. However, it is the duty of the civil servant to cooperate with even those espousing widely disparate ideals in the service of the country. Political infighting for the sake of pure partisanship is a disservice to the eAmerican public and should be left out of Congressional proceedings. Stbob stresses, though, that reasoned political dissent should not be considered sedition, but rather can strengthen the foundation of the country by offering different perspectives on the problems facing our nation.
