Day to Day Activities - Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Federalist candidate steps down; Central Committee names replacement
BY TIM COOPER
BOYS STATE CITIZEN
INGLE CITY

Federalist State Office Candidates Standing, from left: Westin Miller (Att. General), Jared Lund (SC), David Waites (SC), Matthew Rose (SC), Danny Cisar (SC), Daniel Cook (SC), Benjamin Johnson (SC), Caleb Harris (SC), Michael McClellan (Auditor), Karac Lindsey (Treasurer). Seated from left: Robert Revis (Lt. Governor), Ryan Sparkman (Governor), Micah Uptegrove (Sec. of State).

“Unity. Loyalty. Prosperity.” This is a message that many have seen countless times this week…a message from former Federalist candidate for Governor, Spencer Alexander.

Not long after Alexander began seeking signatures to run for office, there was suspicion involved with his campaign. The general story spread by MBS citizens involves Alexander receiving more than the maximum amount of thirty signatures, in order to hinder other Federalist candidates seeking office.

“My brother who came two years ago instructed me to go big on signatures,” Alexander said. “There was not a cap on the amount you could receive when he came, so my goal was to get as many as possible.”

Nationalist State Office Candidates Standing, from left: Benjamin seidel (SC), Caleb Phillips (SC), Frank Johnson (SC), Zachary Doyle (SC), Daniel Garnett (SC), Solomon Williams (SC), Alex Reinisch (SC), Jaron Fowler (Auditor). Seated, from left: Samuel Lorey (Treasurer), Christopher Fernandez (Lt. Governor), Michael Jones (Governor), Jordan Sheets (Sec. of State), Miles Fig (Att. General).

As one can imagine, receiving more signatures would bring more support and greater likeliness of getting elected for any candidate. However, it was made clear to all citizens that to receive more than thirty is illegal.

Alexander defended his campaign saying, “I never had more than thirty signatures. I had one petition completely filled out, but the other remained blank, as I was made aware of the election rules.”

Despite these statements, many still question Alexander’s legality as a candidate. No record of Alexander receiving more than thirty signatures was ever found in the investigations conducted by the Attorney General’s office.

“The way the process works, petitions are reviewed by the Federalist Party, specifically the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary,” Lewis City Counselor, Parag Shah, said. “No staff member has any involvement in determining the validity or eligibility of these petitions.”

Although drama behind the allegations has led to Alexander’s withdrawal from the race, he still shows prominent leadership characteristics in supporting his party whole-heartedly.

“I have indescribable respect for the Federalist Party and the way they went about the situation,” Alexander said. “I was not forced to resign, but I chose to do so for the sake of my party, and in doing so, I am also endorsing Mr. Sparkman.”

This week will change our lives
BY COLBY TEEMAN
BOYS STATE CITIZEN
CARNAHAN CITY

Every one said it was a week to change our lifetimes. How many of us at MBS really took that to heart? Many thought it would just be another week long summer camp where we could make a few new friends, have a good time and go home happy. It didn’t take long before every MBS citizen knew this would not be the case.

The first day seemed long and even boring to many citizens, but the action soon picked up. Both parties and all 16 cities began building platforms and electing officials to form the base of MBS. From this point on it was our MBS, built and ran by its own citizens. The transformation of MBS was quick and very impressive. What started out as nothing, MBS now had its foundation up and running.

As the week continued to progress leaders emerged from all cities hoping to help their city receive the coveted Model City award. To receive this award cities must show an unparalleled amount of teamwork and planning to prove their city is truly the standard of excellence. With the natural competitive instincts that brought many of us here, it brought out teamwork towards a common goal that many of us didn’t know we had in us. We all went from individual citizens to know a whole MBS.

Throughout the week we all kept hearing it over and over; this is your MBS. The farther we’ve progressed through the week there has been change in all of us. We have built up, along with a government, a greater respect for each other and for ourselves. We were strangers to each other only a few days ago (even thought it seems like an eternity); now we are good friends. We see in every one else what we see in ourselves: a great will to succeed and be future leaders of tomorrow. Not many are probably willing to admit it yet, but every one of us can feel a change in ourselves. As we continue through this week and elect the remaining officials of our MBS that change will be complete. Our lives will continue on their distinct paths, but all of us will remember what they have told us from the beginning.This is a week to change our lifetime, some believe it now, but all of us will believe by the end of this week and we can all take this experience with us every where we go.

Twice today the citizens conducted Governmental Activities which included the following:
-City Councils in session
-County officials meet to make appointments and conduct business
-Senate and House in session
-Circuit, Associate Circuit and Municipal courts in session.
-State Central Committees meet.
-Lobbyist Conference
-State appointed officials meetings
-Community Service Coordinator Meeting

Now that the final candidates have been selected for each of the state offices, it was time for citizens to hear their views and learn more about them. First, the Gubernatorial Debate was held where representatives from the media school prepared questions for a formal debate. Later, the Joint Party Rally was held where all candidates of both parties where given a set amount of time to address the citizens.

Gubernatorial hopefuls square off; election is today
BY NATHAN FULTON
BOYS STATE CITIZEN
INGLE CITY

Citizens assembled Wednesday afternoon for a gubernatorial debate in Hendricks Hall, where fiscal and monetary policies dominated discussion. After a week of tough campaigning, Spencer Alexander got his chance to set their tone of the gubernatorial race one last time. Amidst scandal, his message to each citizen was, “...keep your own.” That is precisely what the candidates did. The party platforms outlined at the beginning of the presentation set the tone for the rest of the debate. Despite assurances of unity, the candidates rarely swayed from their party lines, and extended basic philosophies into new waters.

Ryan Sparkman of the Federalist Party outlined his plans for limited government intrusion and limited government assistance. He made his most prevalent stance against Jones on welfare, calling for free market reforms that, “...rewards hard workers not slackers.”

Federalist gubernatorial candidate Ryan Sparkman (left) and Nationalist gubernatorial candidate Michael Jones face off in the 2008 gubernatorial debate Wednesday afternoon in Hendricks Hall.

He also made stances on current congressional fiscal policies including the casino tax, state business taxes, and the media tax. Sparkman spoke for an end to government intrusion into the economy and an end to the welfare state.

Mike Jones had differing opinions. His platform was one of leniency, stressing that people sometimes have bad breaks. Once again, he stressed his flagship fiscal and economic flagship program entitled the Business Booster plan. His plan focuses on drastically cutting the income tax and streamlining the business application process. In his closing remarks, Jones—like Sparkman—deviated from the economic focus of the day by promoting unity.

Zach Kerns—the “pinecone” candidate—was notable only in his absence, as he called for unity by promoting an independent vote.

As a first public display of party platforms and their leaders, the gubernatorial debate was a success.

 
It's the HiPo!! Bad boys, Bad Boys.....