The Confederation Daily

[Oneida]

The Confederation Daily
Established in 1910
One of the nation’s most popular newspapers, the Confederation Daily has worked endlessly for the last forty-two years to bring you the news from all across the nation and world.

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[Oneida]

August 17, 1952
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Interstate Highway Act of 1952 passed!

The Confederation of Free Occidentia is enjoying a booming car industry as for the first time cars are becoming a popular mode of transportation, beginning to outshine the train systems that used to be the cornerstone of Occidental transportation. Cars are becoming so popular that the States took it upon themselves to begin constructing new road systems designed to create an easily accessible road to travel on high speeds to get to different areas of the State.

President Setton, seeing the opportunity in these road systems, approached the Confederate Congress with an idea of building an Interstate Highway System designed to create nearly 20,000 miles of roads to get to numerous points throughout the nation quickly and efficiently. So, Congressman Kyle A. Ross and Joseph E. Adams helped to developed the Interstate Highway Act of 1952.

Initially, the proposal called for a C$15 billion budget over the course of eight years to link up, expand, organize, and construct the nation’s Interstate Highway System. The roads will be paid for by placing a new tax on automobiles and gasoline. Although the tax is very small, it was the subject of massive debates in the Congress as numerous Congressmen declared a tax increase on cars and gasoline in a period where the industry is booming would be damaging to the economy and the average citizen.

The argument over taxes shelved the Act for nearly three weeks as Congress went back and forth over whether or not building an Interstate Highway System was even within the government’s responsibilities. Eventually, Congressman Ross came up with a compromise that saved the Interstate Highway System. Ross proposed that the taxes be dropped in exchange for tolls along the highways. These tolls will eventually make the highway pay for itself and eventually become a profitable venture, making the money the Government would have made from the taxes. This way, citizens would not be hit with the sales tax and then an automobile tax and gasoline tax on top of it.

To pay for the construction initially, the Confederate Congress will loan the money from the individual states and use the toll money and surplus budget funds to repay these loans. Although the States weren’t ridiculously pleased with the idea, they eventually caved in on the compromise. As a result, the Interstate Highway Act of 1952 was brought back before the Congress for voting and passed by an almost two thirds majority.

Today, August 18, 1952, President Setton signed the Act, which officially called for the construction of the Interstate System. The construction of around 20,000 miles of road makes this act the largest public works project ever undertaken by the Confederation in history, far exceeding second place. Setton was extraordinarily proud of the Act and optimistic about the completion of the roads. The construction will be done through private contractors with the Department of the Interior coordinating the construction process.

In other news
:!: Infrastructure: Coplay International Airport and Lehighton International Airport have reported the completion of the expansion process and announced that both are now capable of holding international commercial flights.
:!: Election: President Diana Setton announced she will be keeping Vice-President Alden Reese as her running mate. Both Presidential hopefuls, Mathew Shiffert and Abel Smith have yet to announce their running mates.

 

[Oneida]

August 19, 1952​

Peace in Wasatch declared!

The chaos and fighting that swept Wasatch by storm has finally ended today with an announcement of an agreement between the Wasatchi Government and the revolutionaries. President Setton announced that the troops the Confederation deployed to Wasatch will be returning home immediately to be reunited with their families after a “job well done,” said the President.

When the Wasatchi Government approached the Confederate Government about aid in the current crisis, President Setton summoned a Governors’ Summit to discuss the possibility of militarily intervening to aid the Wasatchi Government in restoring order, under one condition. That condition was the end of the dictatorship and the allowance of free and fair elections, when the Wasatchi Government agreed to this, President Setton and the Confederation’s Governors agreed that military action would be a suitable reaction to the chaos in Wasatch, so long as it remained limited.

The Confederate Congress approved a deployment of 1,000 troops to the city of Salt Lake City to help maintain order in the city after the bombing of the West Wing of the Nation’s Capitol Building. The soldiers sustained twenty causalities from the armed revolutionaries. The soldiers of the Confederation aided in keeping the Government of Wasatch safe for the length of time they needed to deliberate on how to handle the present situation. It was a blessing when the two opposing forces agreed to come to peace talks.

Days after the announcement of the peace talks, the Government of Wasatch announced that an agreement was made and Democracy would again return to the land with the promise of elections in the near future. President Setton and the Confederate Congress were more than ecstatic that peace was achieved through negotiation rather than violence. Lady Diana[SUP]* [/SUP]stated she was even more thrilled to see the end of a dictatorship in Occidentia in favor of a new Democracy. Lady Diana stated she was prepared to have the Confederation stand firm with the new fledgling democracy.

International space cooperation?

Today, scientists from the Hamilton Institute of Science and Technology, or HIST, as well as government selected scientists from the Government’s defense contractors have agreed to go to a summit in Lehighton, about the possibility of opening up an international effort to further develop space technology. HIST has a rather underfunded rockets and aeronautics program that has been working on the possibility of getting a rocket into space.
This isn’t the first time HIST has hosted a summit, but what makes this particular one interesting and intriguing is that it’s not only the Confederate Government’s eye that HIST has captured, HIST is also hosting representatives from Ivernia and Touzen that are interested in a joint Space Project between the three nations.

HIST is planning on working together with Adams & Strohl Aeronautics, the chief aeronautic defense contractor for the Confederate Government, as well as the Aodh-Mór Corporation from Ivernia and Arakawa Aeronautics from Touzen. The level of cooperation between some of the most advanced companies in each nation as well as Government cooperation would make this project the most ambitious space agency in the world. Administrators at HIST are ecstatic about the idea and are ridiculously optimistic about the cooperation between Governments for a project so ambitious and scientific as this.

First zero-stop flight to danmark

Today, the company Adams & Strohl Aeronautics set its new Archangel Airliner to flight for a zero stop flight from Coplay to Christiansborg, Danmark. The distance between the two cities is incredible and previously, planes would need to touch down for refueling before making the final way to Danmark, or nations of the like. However, today the Archangel Airliner changed that.

The Airliner carried thirty-five passengers from Coplay to Danmark, a nearly 14 hour flight. The plane was able to get to Danmark without having to stop and refuel, making the plane have one of the longest ranges in the commercial airliner fleet of the Confederation. Although a ticket to board the plane did not come cheap, there is much optimism that in the near future international flights will be cheap enough for all to afford.


In other news

:!: Foreign Affairs: Statesminister Schneider-Krogsgaard has landed in Lehighton for a two day summit with Lady Josephine to discuss the relations between the two states as well as show a bit of the culture that Danmark made upon the Confederation.

(OOC: Lady Diana is how to properly refer to President Diana Setton without saying "President Setton.")

 

[Oneida]

September 11, 1952

Mathew Shiffert attacks Lady Diana

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Mathew Shiffert is the People’s Confederation candidate for President in this year’s election. He is currently Governor of Saucon and son of the esteemed President James R. Shiffert. Mathew Shiffert is a “ripe” 55 year old man who is well distinguished in politics and a legendary figure in Saucon, a State that has historically gone to the People’s Confederation.

Shiffert had always acted extraordinarily professional and very formal, which is a different tone from current President, Lady Diana Setton. The politics of Setton and Shiffert differ greatly as well. Shiffert promotes an increased role for the Confederate Government in the nation, as Setton has reduced it greatly. Shiffert opposes the State quota system of finances, which is the creation of Setton. Shiffert argued that the quota system forced States to increase taxes higher than if the Confederate Government would issue taxes, therefore increasing the tax burden on the population. Shiffert claims that Setton has not done enough to promote fairness in the market place, he comments on the continued land ransack occurring in Flachland as corporations eat up farmland owned by families moving towards bankruptcy. Today, however, Shiffert made a very controversial attack on Setton.

“The President of the Confederation of Free Occidentia is supposed to be our Head of State, that means the PCFC represents our country across the globe. Lady Diana Setton has degraded the office of the Presidency and acts more like a movie star than a President. She’s insulted this nation in doing so. It’s time the President stop worrying about her appearance and start worrying about the nation she’s supposed to be governing.”

Shiffert’s comments received mixed reviews with the people, some calling it a sexist comment while others deem it as true and insulting to the office. Lady Diana responded with the simple statement:

“[Laughter] it’s quite alright. I usually like to look good when I try and represent the people of our great nation. However, he’s right, during my Presidency, Free Occidentia suffers from one of the lowest tax burdens in our history, a renewed commitment to the civil liberties and freedoms of all people in Free Occidentia, a government that answers to its people, and a government that allows the States to govern their territories how they see fit, not how Lehighton sees fit. So yeah, Mr. Shiffert is right; I’ve certainly insulted the Occidental People.”

Currently, Lady Diana Setton holds a sizable lead in Northampton and Hamilton, the two most populated States in the nation. The Freedom Party is powerful among businessmen and middle class citizens; however, the People’s Confederation is gaining an ever firmer grip over the lower class and working class citizens.

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New Constitutional Amendment promises to hit corruption

Today, the State Legislature of Flachland has proposed a Constitutional Amendment on the Confederate Level that would put term limits on nationally elected officials in an attempt to stop “dynasties” and help fight corruption.

The Amendment would limit the President to being able to serve no more than ten years as President of the Confederation. For the President’s cabinet and Vice-President, they can serve as long as they are appointed by the President. Congressmen will only be able to serve a total of ten years in Congress before having to be forced to wait six years before being able to run again.

Recently, Lady Diana Setton pushed through an amendment that the Confederate Government had to submit a balanced budget unless there were extreme circumstances (i.e. war, natural disaster). All of the States signed onto the Amendment, making it law relatively easily. The term limit amendment is not as well received by the States. Some call it useless, other call it a “feel good” law that would stop good, honest politicians from serving as long as the people elect them.

The Amendment will likely be voted on by the States in the coming weeks. Neither Governor Mathew Shiffert nor Lady Diana have commented on the amendment.

In other news…
:!: Domestic:Highway construction begins along the Hamilton-Northampton border to connect major roads. The first project will be a highway that goes directly from Northampton City to Coplay. Current estimations say that the Highway Project may take at the very least, two decades to complete entirely.
:!: Business:National Rail Companies offer to aid in constructing the highway system, provided that a portion of the toll money goes to the companies.
:!: Legal:Farmers in Flachland begin to file class action lawsuits against numerous big corporations that are claiming farmland.
:!: Foreign Affairs:Rumors persist of the State Department planning a conference with the Government of Slyvania. Reason being, the CFO and Slyvania are two of the only capitalist republicans nation not only in Occidentia, but the world.