State of the Union XIII

**Written By:** Ryan Bleitze, Major Executive

**Released:** January 29, 2014

We have had a rough start, but we are not the only ones. Despite the fact that the very people who elected me have now had a dramatic and unsavory change of heart and decided to attack me at every angle, we are settling in for a trimester that promises fairness, equality, and social justice.

My agenda for this trimester is about that. Fairness and Equality. No longer shall an elite minority be able to profit at the expense of those with less opportunity and less wealth than them.

It is time to equalize the playing field and make competition fair. Triumvirate businesses are taxed at 10%, so too should be foreign ones, or else they get an unfair advantage against our members. That is why I will be proposing a 10%-15% tariff on foreign goods so that no one has the advantage over the Triumvirate’s own businesses. It is not something I seek because it has benefits or disadvantages; it is something that I seek because it is fair. Why should we tax our own businesses at 10% but not tax foreign ones? There are those in the Triumvirate who are against this, and I have asked them why, to which they have given no answer. Today, a Triumvirate business owner can sell a book for 20 tri. 2 tri of that transaction is taxed, meaning the business only makes 18 tri. However, if a foreign corporation wants to sell the same book for 20 tri, there is no tax at all and they get the full 20 tri. Why should foreigners get an advantage over those who have the Triumvirate as their home?

I will impose limits on big business so that the pooling of money that has occurred will come to an end. No person or institution will be allowed to have more than 30% of the shares of one company, which makes sense so that companies are truly public rather than schemes to screw people out of money for nothing. Every person who owns a share of a company deserves a say in it, and someone owning 51% of the company allows them to control the entire company as they want, regardless of the other 49% being totally left out.

I want to tether the amount of tri we have in circulation to our total citizenship, so that we do not have fluctuating tri per member and potential for dangerous inflation or deflation due to fluctuations in members or money supply. My idea is that we coin 20 new tri for every new citizen, delivered straight to them, so that every citizen gets a fresh 20 tri as soon as they join to be able to get started in the economy and put them on an equal playing field. If they leave, the government gets the money back and can destroy it, but if they stay, then money grows proportional to membership and new citizens have opportunity before them.

I will fight to outlaw all weapons in the Triumvirate, for they put us at risk and leave us subject to international concern. I took several actions to prevent the trade of weapons outside of the Triumvirate and will be asking that the government assists me in passing a constitutional amendment to ban all weapons from being developed, owned, or sold without approval from the Executive Branch. It is exactly what Nathan Maine attempted to do but failed to get the votes on, and it is time to make it real.

I cannot give a speech like this without talking about transparency, which is essential for a society of the people. I will be continuing the great tradition of releasing old Executive Branch discussions but I will also be looking at other subjects where we can be more transparent and open with the public. Just before I gave this speech, I ordered by Chief of Staff to begin preparations for an ethics investigation pertaining to the incapacity of command in the previous Majorate, which is one path I am exploring so that the people know what their government has done and we do not make the same mistakes again. I will also be going around personally speaking with our non-Executive members throughout the next month to ask what I can do for them. I believe that one person can and will make a difference, and I believe that, as Major Executive, one has the opportunity to do more good than before, and I want to use that for the people by working with each citizen to make their life more enjoyable in the Triumvirate.

As I present this address, there are four empty seats on the Executive Branch. Head of Research, Head of Intelligence, Head of Commerce, and Head of the Treasury. We need to make it a priority to fill those positions. It is now easier than ever to get members with a central forum where our entire community can come together and interact, but we need to put pressure on ourselves and our officials to go that extra mile towards getting a new member. “Naturalization is the issue of the day” has been the saying for four years now, but when can we vanquish it? Since I took this position, I shifted around the Major Task Force on Naturalization to perhaps provide better options, and I want to talk to both old recruiters and new members to help us get to where we need to go.

This trimester can be as easy or difficult as we want to make it. I have made it my goal from the first day I joined the Triumvirate to fight for every person, and I have attempted to work with any who want to help me achieve wellness for all. The fight will be uphill, as those who take offense to my goal of wellness for all are those with great power and great wealth, but I know that the masses will always win out. As the Triumvirate’s first Speaker of the Administration, Nremni, stated, “Nothing will ever be more powerful than the will of the people,” and I hold this thought very dear to me. It will be hard to find a common ground as there are heartbreaking differences between some of our politicians, but if we look at what is in the common good and the common interest, we will get there.

*-Ryan Bleitze, Sixth Major Executive of the Universal Triumvirate*