[1678] Parliamentary Campaign Thread

[Recks]

Building a Better Country:

The Aldurian National Alliance’s 1678 General Platform

Introduction
My fellow Aldurians - we extend to you my warmest greetings, on behalf of the full-slate of candidates being run up and down this nation for the Aldurian National Alliance.

While we may look like a new party, those of us in the Aldurian National Alliance come from a variety of backgrounds that make us experienced and ready to govern on Day 1. From our leadership team’s experience in the private sector, in government, and in non-profit settings, we believe that we are best positioned to move Alduria forward: to build a better country.

Like 50% of the nation, we in the Aldurian National Alliance do not believe this past government has been effective. With 55% not satisfied with the direction of the nation, we acknowledge that the runaway, laissez-faire and libertine instincts of the current government have failed us.

That is why we are standing on this platform: a platform that is at the same time conservative and compassionate. We in the Aldurian National Alliance care about everyday people from across Alduria, not just the connected big businesses in Punta Santiago.

No nation - least of all a new nation - can be built without preserving our culture. While Aldurians come from many backgrounds, we all share that national identity, a sense of belonging. While this past government has sold out Aldurian interests to the highest bidder, we will not do so. We will fight for everyday Aldurians - the local plumber and the passionate schoolteacher, the small businessman and the union member - and we will put your values and beliefs first.

Together, we can build a better country!

Signed,
Atanasio Paredes           Parliamentary Leader, Aldurian National Alliance
Camille Belmont            Presidential Candidate, Aldurian National Alliance

Military, Security, and Settlements
No country can properly be called a nation without a strong and capable military. That is why our MPs have been supportive of promoting our armed forces, and why our Government will be ruthless in pursuit of the West Baatharz terrorists. This is not a time to pander to libertarian anti-war interests or socialist-inspired human rights, but rather a time to deliver victory for the Aldurian people who need it most.

Alduria has a calling: And we in the ANA firmly believe in the greatness of our country’s potential. We will promote the eastward expansion of Alduria across large swaths of unsettled Eura. The use of private settlements to expand have been successful, but we in the ANA believe that we can do more to assist these brave settlers. The right of these settlers to protect themselves from often-hostile native populations must be paramount, and this is where the state can - and must - play a role in promoting Aldurian greatness.

Specifically, an ANA government will:

• Enable military officers on the ground to make life-and-death decisions that protect their troops without having to run operations through political interference;
  
• Enhance funding for our military to ensure optimal lethality against our foes who would cause Aldurians people harm;
  
• Expand the ability of our police forces to cooperate with one another and coordinate international anti-criminal operations;
  
• Promote state-involvement in supporting the settlements across the eastern-edges of Alduria, from the safety of our settlers to the provision of basic public goods.
  

Society and Values
The Aldurian National Alliance is the only party that places an important role on the very nature of our society, and the values that Aldurians hold dear and near to their hearts. As a movement, we heartily reject the defeatist and morally-relativistic ideas of the other major parties: ideas that diminish the role of the family, that diminish the role of cooperation among communities.

Instead of our rivals who pander to ideologies of division, ANA is proud to stand for actual principles that can bring all Aldurians behind our common, shared national identity. We in the ANA are not ashamed of our staunch social conservatism, and it will continue to be these values that drive us forwards as a nation amid difficult times globally.

Specifically, an ANA government will:

• Deliver on our promise to pass a bathroom bill, so that our children and women do not have to fear public facilities;
  
• Establish community-wide efforts in areas such as sport and leisure, to promote an Aldurian cultural identity that we can all rally behind;
  
• Oppose the continuation of gay marriage, which has radically re-defined this institution’s meaning;
  
• Criminalize marijuana, which is a gateway to other narcotics usage, and impose sin taxes on other antisocial substances.
  

The Economy
According to our opponents, there are only two alternatives to economic policy: you are entirely on your own, like a ship lost at sea; or you don’t matter at all, you are just a cog in a machine. We reject this extreme libertarian and extreme totalitarian dichotomy outright. In fact, we in the ANA support a third way - where families and communities can succeed because of individuals and the state working in tandem.

The key part of our mission for the economy is equitable development: not just focusing on Punta Santiago’s growth, like the current government, but instead focusing on the growth of each of our states. To promote this strategy, we need to provide high-quality infrastructure at an affordable price while also respecting the rights of our working population.

Specifically, an ANA government will:

• Promote a state-led oil industry to ensure profits are equitably distributed across society, not just for the wealthy bankers and business interests who would benefit from privatization;
  
• Place equalizing taxes on the incomes of the super-rich, to provide for social-safety net providing mechanisms that are neither too cumbersome nor too weak;
  
• Encourage equitable distribution of jobs and resources across Alduria, for example by spreading key government bureaucracies across the nation they help - not just in Punta Santiago;
  
• Develop infrastructure capacities across the nation by building new roads (including a National Highway System), railways, runways, and ports.
  

Public Services
As a corollary to our economic policy, the Aldurian National Alliance firmly believes in the role of public services in our society. While we promote the idea of subsidiarity, we also recognize that there exist great inequalities between the Aldurian Capital District and the rest of the nation, especially our settlements.

To counteract this tension, we in the ANA believe that the national government does have a clear and distinct role to play in promoting health, education, and housing outcomes. In particular, we will fight to give our local doctors, local teachers, and local officials the power they need to provide for their communities.

Specifically, an ANA government will:

• Promote a variety of healthcare options, based on individual needs, to include public, private for-profit, and private not-for-profit choices;
  
• Strengthen an education system that recognizes real-world application - not just book smarts - and promotes skillful acquisition of trades;
  
• Continue to expand the construction of housing and allowing individuals in government-run housing projects to become a part of an ownership society by buying their property;
  
• Protect the environment by continuing the sunflower experiment and finding innovative solutions to the water issues facing Alduria.
  

Immigration and Trade
Alduria is first and foremost a nation of immigrants. We have opened our doors to the stateless from around the globe and this has made our unique national character. However, as any sociologist would affirm, bringing in new people puts a strain on the existing cultural norms of a community. To this end, the Aldurian National Alliance is calling for an end to unlimited immigration (which only drives down wages to the benefit of the wealthy few) and instead will be prioritizing those immigrants who can contribute to overall societal well-being.

Immigration’s twin issue, trade, is also an important area for Alduria to prosper. In order to be wealthy and prosperous, Alduria ought to focus on an export-centered economic path. No society can be rich which simply consumes excess cheap goods from abroad; it takes a strong-willed and productive spirit to prosper in the intensely competitive environment, and the Aldurian National Alliance will prioritize Aldurian interests first, always.

Specifically, an ANA government will:

• Advance a skills-and-assimilation-based immigration system with total and state-based quotas to cap the number of new entries;
  
• Ensure new arrivals have the tools necessary to contribute to society while cracking down on illegal entry that poses a security threat;
  
• Impose tariffs on the import of products from overseas that could be easily made in Alduria in order to kickstart our economic progress;
  
• Re-evaluate any and all existing trade agreements on a regular basis to assess whether they are a net job creator or a net job destroyer.