NationStates Jolt Archive

The administration today is working under a deadline to put the finishing touches on President Whitmore's address to the nation tomorrow. He is expected to address a number of issues including foriegn policy. Among the issues he is expected to address are free trade, climate change, national defense, terrorism, and US space policy.

President Whitmore has come under criticism for his foriegn policy in recent days when he called free trade with Prosperas and Gauthic.
Members of Congress have also opposed his call for action against global warming.

The gallery became silent as President Woodrow Whitmore took the podium, having been recognized by the Speaker of the House.
This was his opportunity to pitch his projects and objectives that he thought were in America's interests.

"My fellow Americans, the state of our union is strong. However, we must not neglect the challenges ahead of us. Foremost among those challenges is the vile threat of global climate change resulting from human induced global warming. In a report by the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it has been made clear that climate change presents the single greatest threat to the national security of the United States and its allies.
Members of the business community have also recognized the threat that climate change poses to both domestic and international commerce.
While climate change still has its detractors the following facts are indisputable:
In the last year alone, changes in the world's ecosystem began taking place at such an accelerated rate that even NASA is beginning to have a hard time tracking them. The ice on Greenland's ice shelf is now melting 3 times faster than it was 5 years ago.
We are seeing an acceleration in the rising levels of the world's oceans.
In Africa, the ice on the continents mountains will disappear within the next 20 years.
By the end of this century there will be no ice left on the alps. Many european communities rely on the Alps for their source of water.
Antarctica is 2 degrees warmer today than it was just 2 years ago.
In both Antartica and Greenland combined, 20 billion tons of water flows into oceans every year because of runoff from ice sheets in these two polar areas.
Just two months ago, satellite recon showed that massive cracks the size of the area of the British Isles have appeared in the Artic Ocean ice sheet. This has been verified by in person survey teams from various nations around the planet.
Here at home, we face bigger and deadlier and longer living wild fire in the western states. Hurricanes hitting the east coast and the states bordering the gulf of Mexico are now more frequent, more powerful, and deadlier than ever. In fact, in both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, Average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic and Pacific oceans have risen by 1.2 and 0.58 degrees Fahrenheit in the 20th century; the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years.
Whales are having to move farther north into the artic to escape temperatures that are too warm for them.
Some Europeans nations have taken climate change so seriously that they have pledged to become fossil fuel free with in the next 15 years. It is incumbent on our nation to do the same.
In the last year alone, over 300 species became extinct because of global warming.
In Europe, spring arrives an average of six to eight days earlier than in the 1970s. Seventy-eight percent of 542 plant species studied flowered and fruited earlier in the year. Migratory birds were flying home to Northern Europe earlier in time for the beginning of spring.
In the pacific ocean, the flow of air currents that fuel transpacific trade winds are weakening and could die out by 2050.
In Siberia, as lakes in the permafrost zone of northern Siberia thaw, they are releasing methane—a potent greenhouse gas. The carbon in the methane had been sequestered in the permafrost for more than 40,000 years. It was massive release of methane the killed off 90% of all life on earth during the Precambrian.
Directly to our south, in Latin America, Glaciers in the region are melting so fast that some are expected to disappear within 15–25 years. The resulting water shortage would jeopardize people and food supplies. In fact, global warming has been causing ethnic conflicts and wars around the planet.
Communities bordering the Himalayas are in danger from massive flooding as the ice on the Himalayas has also begun to melt and shrink.
China will soon outdo the United States in terms of output of carbon emissions. When that happens the situation will worsen by 50%.
I have shown you the facts and the dangers we are faced with.
The rest of the world has responded by developing bigger regional governments to help them cope with the changes ahead and to give themselves greater clout.
Today, I offer solutions to this great and vexing problem.
First I propose that we end our reliance on all foriegn sources of oil. This past April researchers at Boston University and the University of North Carolina announced a remarkably versatile technique for converting wastes, coal, or almost any source of carbon into synthetic diesel and gas. The new method builds on Fischer-Tropsch chemistry, which was invented for making synthetic fuel in Germany more than 80 years ago. Called alkane metathesis, the technique combines two catalytic reactions to cut up relatively low-value hydrocarbon chains and recombine them into chains of useful length. This process can produce heating gas and diesel fuel. Improving the method's yield and efficiency could allow the United States to convert some of its abundant coal supplies into synthetic fuels, reducing the nation's dependence on imported oil.
Another technology, this one developed by Americans is thermal polymerization that takes every day household waste and converts it to oil. It is in the interests of the United States to subsidize these new technologies. Therefore I propose policies to encourage the development of thermal polyrmerazation sites in communities across America to provide them local sources of cheap and abundant oil for winter heating.
However, it is important that we develop non oil sources of energy. In 20 years the world's oil supplies will run out. Therefore we must adopt policies to alternative sources of energy. I propose tax cuts for corporations and communities to develop alternative sources of energy. Further, my administration has begun designing tax policies to encourage Americans to switch over to electric vehicles. These new policies will involved tax cuts for American who buy electric powered vehicles and a $10 per gallon gas tax hike for vehicles still reliant on gas and oil. It is my hope that we can ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2020.
America must work with the world and its allies to bring negate the effects of global warming and assist all of our peoples in adapting.
Because of the new dangers and destabilization caused by global warming, terrorists and rogue regimes are gaining latitude in many parts of the world. These terrorists hate America and threaten our interests and those of our allies around the world. Terrorism remains a national security threat to the United States and we must remain prepared to combat it anywhere it crops up. To counter the problems that provide terrorist groups with their source of bombers and hijackers, the United States will be increasing foriegn aid to poor and imporverished parts of the world. We will work with allies to combat poverty and the lack of healthcare. The Pan Pacific Free Trade Agreement is a central part of my initiative on this front. Free trade will help people get jobs and better themselves. It will enable people, currently vulnerable to the threat of global warming to buy and develop technologies to defend themselves from the effects of global warming. Free trade brings people together and helps prevent misunderstandings that can lead to wars. It enables countries to fund community development and social improvement programs that enhance their nation's stability. It dries up the source of manpower for terrorist groups and insurgencies. It also improves the quality of life of everyday people.
But free trade can only end up worsening a problem if it does not take precautions to prevent further destruction of the environment or to prevent cases of virtual slavery or unethical business practices that can lead to destabilization and increased anti-Americanism. Therefore, I will in the coming Pan Pacific free trade talks I will insist that that participating nations imlement are reasonable living wage. I ask Congress to pass a law that would require American companies to pay the same wages to their employees overseas that they would otherwise have to pay to employees here at home. This way we can level the playing field and eliminate the temptation for American companies to engage in offshoring of American jobs. We will give this policy teeth and enforceability without infringing on the soverignty of other nations. America will work with other governments to ensure that American corporations stay in compliance with American laws and the laws of the host nation.
I will also insist that some type of environmental protection be included in the free trade agreement and that a collective fund be created to help those whose communities are devastated in acts of nature directly related to global climate change.
But it is not enough to promote foriegn aid. America must stand for freedom and democracy against the forces of oppression whereever they might. I will oppose the admission of any oppressive regime into the Pan Pacific Free Agreement. Further, America will no longer support governments that engage in political or religious oppression. I have directed the State Department to begin rating nations based on how they treat their own people and how much of a threat they present to regional or global stability. Those who get low marks or who present a grave threat to stability will not recieve American aid.
America will stand by its allies. We will not tolerate aggression from any regime against any smaller nations or allies. As in the past, America's allies can rest assured that they are under the protection of America's nuclear umbrella. A nuclear attack on American forces or on any of America's allies will result in a full scale thermonuclear retalation against the agressor state.
Those who seek friendly relations with us will find Americans willing to work with them to solve common problems and help prevent conflicts. They will find us ready to assist them in producing a better future for their people.
Those who oppose us will find us to be the most formiddable enemy they have ever faced.
America supports the peaceful use of space by all nations. But we will not brook no moves to deny us free access to and free use of space as is our right. Should any nation seek to deny our free right to use of space, let no one be decieved, that we will do everything in our power to deny that nation access to space by eliminating their launch vehicles as well as their space launch facilities. Those who use space to launch attacks on America or its allies and friends will face severe repercussions.
Tonight, in face of difficulties faced by our nation and nations around the planet the American people remain strong and resilient. I look forward to working with Congress, the states, and our allies resolve these problems and alleviate the threats to our current way of life. Good night."

When he finished there was a standing ovation in the gallery.

In the opposing party's response, Senator Humpback denounced the President's speech. He said that climate change was a myth being used to scare Americans into giving up their rights. He further said that free trade would lead to America's economic collapse and that other nations would use free to get American dollars which they would then use to persecute their own people.
On terrorism he said the President was a do nothing President and said international military action was needed in Africa. And that "the fact that the President thinks the South Africans can handle the issue themselves is proof that the President has lost touch with reality."
He finished his closing remarks by calling for renewed American isolationism saying the people of other nations deserved impoverishment and bad health because of the illegal regimes they supported. He said that he would actively oppose all of President Whitmore's proposed initiatives.

These new policies will involved tax cuts for American who buy electric powered vehicles and a $10 per gallon gas tax hike for vehicles still reliant on gas and oil. It is my hope that we can ban fossil fuel vehicles by 2020.

OOC: Sorry to butt in, but I just hope you realize that a $10 per gallon gas tax hike for gasoline vehicles would utterly destroy the US economy. Sure it would encourage alternate fuels, but in the meantime the costs of pretty much everything would increase, along with a jump in inflation, which would send the US into a severe recession.

OOC: Sorry to butt in, but I just hope you realize that a $10 per gallon gas tax hike for gasoline vehicles would utterly destroy the US economy. Sure it would encourage alternate fuels, but in the meantime the costs of pretty much everything would increase, along with a jump in inflation, which would send the US into a severe recession.

OOC: yeah it would have tremendous negative impact. But then again Congress is the one who really controls taxes and the like. All Whitmore can do is say "I think this is a swell idea that we should do." But Congress can say "Whitmore go to hell." The whole seperation of powers thing can make things messy and complicated.