Federation City, Greater Acadia – The Acadian electoral race is heating up as we reach the half-way point. Recently a surprising success in the form of the United Technocrat Party, which was once the junior member of the Acadian Socialist Coalition, their message of economic reform and transformative technology has resonated particularly among young voters. At current rates, their vote share may soon equal that of the SDP and the Federalists. Today, Maxwell Gaunt sat down with Elizabeth Johnston to hear her views on the issues most concerning to Acadians:
Gaunt: “Good morning Ms. Johnston. Thank you for your time.”
Johnston: “Thank you Mr. Gaunt. Thank you for the invitation.”
Gaunt: “You’re welcome. Now, let’s begin with our first question. Many Acadians are conflicted as to how our nation will tackle a number of threats abroad. From the Kerlian Crisis to the belligerence of Xiomera. Would you be willing to go into how your party – an coalition – would tackle these challenges.”
Johnston: “I would be happy to! To start I would say that the Kerlian Crisis itself shouldn’t have happened. Frankly, we should’ve had some kind of hotline to the Kerlian government to ensure that the miscommunications we saw wouldn’t have happened to begin with. The result was a rather incoherent response that drove Kerlile towards Xiomera.”
Gaunt: “And you would try to set up this hotline?”
Johnston: “If the Kerlian government were amenable to such an option, yes.”
Gaunt: “And as for Xiomera?”
Johnston: “We need to crack down further on attempts by the Calhualyana Regime to intimidate Acadian citizens and Caxcanan immigrants, first off. Aside from that, we need to increase our cooperation with other countries abroad that are facing Xiomeran aggression. Further ties need to be made with the Union of Caxcanan States for example.”
Gaunt: “You’ve said that you would support a conscription plan targeting the youth. Is this involved with preparing Acadia for war?”
Johnston: “I want to correct you on the subject of consription. My party – and our coalition’s – proposal is a national public works plan to get our students graduating highschool and in college or university valuable work skills. We would focus more on public works like assisting in cleaning our public parks, assisting in community centers and soup kitchens, things of that nature. These positions would be paid, of course. But we don’t want to send our youth off to war. We want to help foster a sense of community and civic engagement in future generations, something that I feel we have lost over the years.”
Gaunt: “I see. But taking a greater role would naturally require an increase in military funding and staffing would it not?”
Johnston: “On the subject of funding, yes, it would. However, I disagree on the need for more soldiers. The nature of war in the 21st century has changed. New capabilities have emerged, particularly in the cyber-warfare domains. We need to reimagine how our military operates and what capabilities we’ll need going forward.”
Gaunt: “Alright, now onto more domestic issues. You’ve put forward a rather interesting proposal in regards to an economic restructuring. Would you be willing to elaborate on exactly what your proposal would entail?”
Johnston: “Yes, certainly. Our proposal is to create a universal basic income for all Acadians. This would provide a basic standard of living, and allow Acadians time to develop their own firms or engage in greater learning and self-improvement. To fund this, we would create a system of public firms to produce basic goods to meet people’s needs. These firms would be heavily automated to keep costs down, and require little human labor. The eventual goal being to expand these firms over time to meet the needs and wants of all Acadians through smart investment of resources, leveraging new manufacturing and recycling processes and materials.”
Gaunt: “And in the short term, people are worried about housing and that economic growth is slow? How would to attempt to tackle this on the first day in office?”
Johnston: “Well we aim to get people to work through the National Public Works Service proposal. That would put money in people’s pockets and would more than pay for itself through taxes and sales of basic services that can now be met. Immediately, we will add more money into a National Housing Program that would aim to boost construction not just to meet demand but exceed it in order to ensure low housing prices. That way, we can make sure that everyone has a safe place to call their own.”
Gaunt: “Your party seems to be thinking more long term.”
Johnston: “Yes. We’re less concerned with the next election cycle and more with the next three. We want to transform Acadia to meet its potential and make a better future for all.”
Gaunt: “Very well Ms. Johnston. That will be all. Thank you for your time.”
Johnston: “Thank you Mr. Gaunt. I appreciate the invitation to speak with you today.”
