:O/: OFFICIAL :O/:

The following memo is addressed to all gubernatorial hopefuls from the office of the Chairman of the SUPR, Mr. Anastas Iskandorj.

Dear Fellow Candidates,

I hope this letter finds you well. Although I am certain that all of us would welcome a public debate, our conflicting schedules (for I know that I myself am still holding down a 40-hour/week job in addition to campaigning, and I know that Mr. Leveque is the owner and proprietor of a restaurant) may make that impossible. Thus, in the interest of public access to information, I have circulated this letter in the hopes that all of you will answer it, and then circulate your own letters with questions of your own. I have paid a publishing house to print these out and present them to the public.

So, let me pose the first question.

The majority of us have said that strengthening public order is the key to success, and part-and-parcel of this is increasing the size of the Watch. This will, of course, require large outlays of money - there will be large initial investments to get new equipment and facilities, and large investments over time to pay their salaries. How do you plan to raise this money, if elected?

My answer was given at the 12/10 rally, but permit me to reiterate. I believe that an import tariff and currency conversion tax will provide the needed funds, with the happy side-effect of protecting local businesses from foreign competitors. I am prepared to make up the balance with the sale of government bonds.

Thank you for reading and answering this; I look forward to seeing your answers in publication and answering your own questions.

Your humble ob't Anastas Iskandorj, Chairman

((Enclosed with this letter is the address of a well-renowned publishing house, one whose neutrality in these matters is beyond doubt.))

((OOC: I don't plan to screw with the answers. The publishing thing is simply a convenient cover-story to facilitate people who aren't in this chain-letter loop but can still read the questions and answers. Also, that little ASCII thing at the top is my rendition of our logo.))

Mr. Chairman,

It is lamentable that we cannot have a public debate at this time, but perhaps establishment of Primary elections would help us to better facilitate a version of a Town Hall type of debate.

But to your point, regarding the strengthening of public order and the increase in the size of the Watch.

Yes, increased expenditures would be required if you are presuming that all of the increase would have to come from the public sector.

We at the Temple of Divine Light have a very capable Guard that can help with initial increases in manpower, and transition into a training resource as manpower becomes available.

Taxation is always a touchy subject. I believe a review of current expenditures is the first thing that should be looked at. Just how is the realm's money being spent' What efficiencies could be gained and budget modifications could be achieved before we look at a tax as a new source of revenue.

Respectfully,

Alia Anor Graham Priestess Temple of Divine Light

Theron would reply to this letter, as all letters eventually found him that eventually had anything to do with him usually did by some strange twist of fate.

Question:The majority of us have said that strengthening public order is the key to success, and part-and-parcel of this is increasing the size of the Watch. This will, of course, require large outlays of money - there will be large initial investments to get new equipment and facilities, and large investments over time to pay their salaries. How do you plan to raise this money, if elected?

Answer:

The size of any defense force for a city means nothing when the monsters they face can tear through them like they are not even standing there. The City watch size is just fine, there is really nothing wrong with it. The problem is they are bringing knives to gunfights. To raise the money would be easy enough to do. If I had to I would just have Elly throw parties, everybody would show up to those.

In reality, if the will of the people is strong, the money will come. To become elected does not mean you are the ruler of the city, it means you do the best you can to help as many people as you can. The answers are not always clear or easy. I will pay for it my self if the people demand more protection, but they must realize the goverment can not always protect them from the rigors of everyday life and it can also not predict when some psychopathic individual is going to choose this day to snap or not. All we can do is try and clean up the aftermath the best we can. Life is very hard and the monsters of this city will not be magically swept away with a cosmic broom. The people must take the first steps in securing their own city. Money is the least of our conserns right now, our first and formost consern is to revive the hope of the people themselves. The city is caught in a iron grip of terror and despair it seems it should be all of our jobs to break this grip.

With out the people, all the money in the world means nothing at all. We should all do well to remember that. We do not worship money. Taxing the people to protect them is a very bad idea I believe, the people of this city have been taxed far too much, and they deserve a break.

Signed,

Theron.

::It was placed in a nice green envelope and placed to the winds where that would be the only sure way it would get where it was going, as he really did not trust the mail system in Rhydin all that much, it would surely arrive at its destination::

Khaine was not one for long speeches or long anwsers he liked to keep things simple, clear and consise, as this was more appealing to the people, and not be a long windbag.

"I am more a person of actions then words, in light of the shortage of city guards, i and the other founders of the M.N.R. have formed the Green Guard, should i be elected as governor, this guard, made up of citizen volunteers, comprised of warriors and magic users, who will work with the people of this city, as the Green Guard is made up of this city's citizens.

Also i have no intention of taxing anyone, that is not the solution, the solution is more jobs, which brings more revenue, and in the long run, will help to lower crime rates. Thankyou and have a good day"

Signed, Khaine Levaque for the M.N.R. party

A reply was sent out today, in regards to the current debate topic from the offices of Admiral Wolvinator. It was posted with a Grayskull watermark and letter head, typed very neatly and was even hand signed at the bottom by the candidate himself.

"My fellow candidates,

The question on the table is one of safety. The question on the table is one of security. The question on the table is one of reality. The question on the table is one of feasibility.

How does one provide for the safety of a community' Does the leader bring in their own private army, as some of my esteemed opponents seem to be suggesting" Is blithely handing over the city to defacto martial law truly the answer" No matter what one calls it, whether it be a Knighthood, a Temple, or even a Security firm, what?s being discussed is a private army that answers solely to the leader, and not to the people. This, my friends, is no way to provide safety to a community.

How does one provide security' By sitting back and declaring that "it will take care of itself?" Are we to put our trust in the wishful-thinking of heartfelt, well-intentioned, but ultimately naive leaders" I should hope not. Inaction is nothing more than invitation to disaster.

What is the reality' Rhy'Din is a busy city full of wonders, the likes of which even its most jaded citizen can still find incredible. The reality is that the city is a living thing unto itself, and the reality is that there is, like with any living thing, a sickness within it. Corruption, violence, and criminals roam the streets. Something must be done about the problem.

So the question becomes: What is the most feasible action we can take" What has the greatest chance of success. Private armies" Overtaxing" Twiddling our thumbs while hoping it all turns out for the best"

Allow me, if I might, to talk to you about the zoo.

Yes, that's right. The Local Zoo. It has always been a favored attraction in the city, and most people don't mind that a small percentage of their tax money goes towards maintaining the zoo. When you order a Badsider in the Inn, you don't mind if a tiny fraction of your coin funds the zoo.

But how tiny a fraction is it' How much of your tax money is going to where it needs to go, and how much of it is being diverted and filtered into bloated projects, smoke-and-mirror investments, or simply being siphoned off by the criminals imbedded deep within the system"

Consider this: The Female Javan Tiger, long thought to be extinct, and yet there were at least two in captivity at the local zoo. Animals so rare that they would be considered priceless artifacts, and there they were not but a few meters away from the petting zoo. Or so we were lead to believe.

Do you know what a Javan Tiger eats" Do you know how much meat it requires to keep one healthy and alive"

I will give you a hint: Not nearly as much money as the zoo claimed to have spent last quarter, and not nearly as much money as the Zoo received in the insurance pay-out after these extinct animals somehow escaped the zoo. Oddly enough, there is no one I can find who can recall ever actually seeing this tiger in the zoo, and yet the amount of funds allocated to feed just one of these tigers was more than the average citizen makes in a year. And the insurance payoff that seems to have already been "absorbed" into the zoo' It was quite a bit more than that.

It's not hard to connect the dots, and this is but one example of the rampant corruption that has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our city. The money being laundered through the zoo would be more than enough to fund a great number of improvements to the Watch. Our Men and Women of the Watch could be outfitted in the newest gear, given the most intensive training, and provided with all the support they need to keep our city safe from the nightmares it has recently been subjected to.

There's no need for raising taxes. All of us already pay enough in taxes. Every time you buy a drink, money is being funneled back into the city. Every time you purchase a loaf of bread, money is going back into the city. That's what the books say, at least. Unfortunately the books don't always match the reality.

If elected, I won't just read the books. I won't sit back and hope everything will turn all right. I won't buy my own private army whose first loyalty is to me and not the city. Instead, I will take the money the wonderful citizens of Rhy'Din have already graciously donated to the betterment of their city, and make sure it is actually used for that purpose. I will do what I've always done: get involved, find out the truth for myself, and then make sure I do something about it. Actions speak louder then words, and I believe my actions speak for themselves.

And with the help of the good citizens of Rhy'Din, I think we can all do something about it.

Thank you for your time and interest in regards to this topic, and I appreciate those who have taken the time out to listen to my response.

Signed,

Wolvinator Gubernatorial Candidate"

After reading a number of her fellow candidate's replies, the Commander decided she would throw another missive into the fray.

"Fellow Candidates:

I see a lot of 'If I am elected...' and 'once I am Govenor...' statements here.

Since the very first day the Knights Templar established ourselves in this city, we have been working to keep the people safe. Whether I am elected or not, the Order will continue to work with the Watch. I shall continue to work with the Watch Commander to weed out corruption. I shall continue to coordinate with the Kitsune Foundation and other groups to provide additional support in areas like Stars End and Battlefield Park.

The position of Governor will give me additional clout in negotiations with the various factions in and around the city.

I know very well that one person cannot do everything required to run this city....that's why I will use my existing staff, as well as special consultants, to assist me in the day to day work of the office.

Lady Karen Wilder Knight-Commander of the Order of the Knights Templar

The last reply comes, by the same means as all the others.

"Dear fellow candidates, I apologize for the lateness of this response; I am presently up-country attending a funeral. As some of you may be familiar, Gelukpa Buddhist funerals require several days to complete. However, since I am not acquainted with any more followers of a Gelukpa sect, I do not anticipate having to attend any more of them (except of course my own).

The event has given me some perspective, however, and I have been reading and reviewing your answers during the night. I feel that I can speak plainly on these answers, and I hope that other candidates will begin circulating their own questions - I believe Ms. Elly had the first.

Actually, I'll answer her question now. I've done nothing larger than the personal scale. How is that relevent' You don't 'earn' the job by having the most merit badges.

I must give praise to Mr. Wolvinator, who I think has given an excellent if incomplete answer. The problem, sir, is not that nobody is reading the books - we have to give Governor Helston more credit than that! The problem is that once they are read, there is simply no way to carry them out effectively. We are well-aware of the problems with the Watch; there is an awful lot of room for misinterpretation and conflicts of interest as the orders are trickling down from the Governor's desk to the trooper on the street. I feel that it is imperative to watch the watchmen, if you get my drift, before we ask the watchmen to watch others. This does not, however, require the services of a private army.

But I question people's concern about my interest in taxation. As I've said, it's a sales tax on imported goods. If you don't want to pay it, buy local - and then, the money you spend goes back into the pockets of your neighbors, who will then have more money to buy the goods you produced. It is a win-win situation for absolutely everybody - except, of course, for retailers and middlemen who focus exclusively on imported products, but the influx of local capital will allow them to find other things to do, and in any case it's what the market will bear. Local producers benefit because their margins suddenly go up, working people benefit because this means they can negotiate higher wages, and everybody benefits because the tariffs collected by the government can go towards capital construction that's useful to the whole people.

As for those of you whose answer amounted basically to, 'I have a private army,' well, forgive me for being somewhat mistrustful. If your militia is already working for the benefit of law and order, why then should you be elected" Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free" If the city and people need the services of a private organization such as a company or order, then their lawful representatives can organize a proper contract for such a thing. And look at it from the perspective of the ordinary people - why would somebody draw up a militia" What possible motive could somebody who woke up one morning and decided to start an army have, other than to use that army on someone else? And since the very most fundamental purpose of a government is to monopolize or otherwise regulate the use of force, then what does that make you? I am particularly surprised at you, Khaine Levaque. Hasn't your platform been from the beginning that people have the right to kill each other if they do it instinctively, or if it's part of their culture" In fact, the principle is the same for money or magic powers as well - why should the city and people have to elect you in order to have access to those powers" Are we really trading submission for your private material wealth"

As for the two anarchists, it's fine for you to talk about high-minded spiritual philosophies, but that means nothing to the people on the street. I reckon that your vast cosmic powers have distanced you somewhat from the ordinary people, the ones who can be killed by a broken bottle.

And before anyone implies, yes, the officers of the SUPR do carry guns. The guns are legally registered to them, however, and considering that there are 17 of us all carrying little handguns, I don't think that quite resembles a well-regulated militia.

Anyway, I feel that this is of definite use to the people of Rhydin, and I hope that it will be continued. I will reply by letter sporadically, but I will not have returned to the city until the 4th.

Yours etc, Anastas Nikolaevich Iskandorj

((OOC: I am in Southeast Asia and the internet is really shoddy.))