Nuke Nes: After Victoria
- Thread starter Nuka-sama
- Start date
germanicus12
First Citizen of Rome
@Lowlands:
Regarding: One World Currency.
This is the sort of thing best served in the LEAGUE OF NATIONS THREAD.
Dont we technically have a World Currency?
Then I wonder what the IC is....
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
@Nuke. Hope you'll read my orders and do something accordingly for each part. I spent quite a lot of time on your NES this week. 
Anonymous2U
Deadly Serious
@Nuke
I would appreciate some fixes to the technology research system. With IC caps and banning of tech research groups the smaller the powers have no way to compete. Not only that but apparently the large powers can gifts techs to their favorite nations. I just noticed Imperial China has Early Tanks, Tank Turrets, Improved Rifle, Engineering Divisions, Tank Division, and Sanitation. While Republican China has no technology. This presents an army quality of 13 versus 4. I know Imperial China could not have researched this technology. It must have been gifted. How is this fair? Japan cannot join a research group to speed up technology research but Imperial China gets a pile of techs handed to them? In the real world countries like the USA provide technology to other nations, but these nations also pay for the technology.
My solution is to adopt Iggys recommendation. This will limit countries from gifting technology because if they spread them out too much then all countries will receive them or be able to research them at cheaper rates.
I agree that larger nations should have an advantage but I feel this sets such a huge advantage that smaller countries will soon be fighting modern infantry with muskets. (exaggerated to make a point)
I know complaints are supposed to be PM’ed but I wanted other player’s feedback on this.
I would appreciate some fixes to the technology research system. With IC caps and banning of tech research groups the smaller the powers have no way to compete. Not only that but apparently the large powers can gifts techs to their favorite nations. I just noticed Imperial China has Early Tanks, Tank Turrets, Improved Rifle, Engineering Divisions, Tank Division, and Sanitation. While Republican China has no technology. This presents an army quality of 13 versus 4. I know Imperial China could not have researched this technology. It must have been gifted. How is this fair? Japan cannot join a research group to speed up technology research but Imperial China gets a pile of techs handed to them? In the real world countries like the USA provide technology to other nations, but these nations also pay for the technology.
My solution is to adopt Iggys recommendation. This will limit countries from gifting technology because if they spread them out too much then all countries will receive them or be able to research them at cheaper rates.
I agree that larger nations should have an advantage but I feel this sets such a huge advantage that smaller countries will soon be fighting modern infantry with muskets. (exaggerated to make a point)
I know complaints are supposed to be PM’ed but I wanted other player’s feedback on this.
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
Don't worry. I noticed this too and balanced the situation in Republic China by 'gifting' them this turn. As for Japan, I offered but...
I am going to implement a new system soon. Tech groups may be started, but you may only have 10-15 IC in it total, but this will extend to all nations. THis will make tech groups appealing to smaller nations, while letting them keep up with the bigger powers. I will reduce the tech trade option to 2 turns, so we got that now, and we will have the tech osmosis implemented
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
Will gifting techs be outright banned after this turn?
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
OOC: I like how Dld just copied and pasted Haynes's 14 points from Wilson's 14 points. x)
And I think that the people of the Lowlands should be called the Lowlandese. Just kidding.
IC:
November 14, 1927
"Good evening. In a few days, I will lay down my official responsibilities in this office -- to take up once more the only title in our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen.
Of the Queen, my Cabinet and the hundreds of others who have served with me during these difficult years, I wish to say publicly what I have said in private: I thank them for the dedication and competence they have brought to the service of our country.
But I owe my deepest thanks to you, the Lowland people, because you gave me this extraordinary opportunity to serve. We have faced great challenges together. We know that future problems will also be difficult, but I am now more convinced than ever that the Republic of the Lowlands -- better than any other nation -- can meet successfully whatever the future might bring.
This past year has made me more certain than ever of the inner strength of our country -- the unchanging value of our principles and ideals, the stability of our political system, the ingenuity and the decency of our people.
Tonight I would like first to say a few words about this most special office, the presidency of the Lowlands.
This is at once one of the most powerful office in the world -- and among the most severely constrained by law and custom. The president is given a broad responsibility to lead -- but cannot do so without the support and consent of the people, expressed informally through the Congress and informally in many ways through a whole range of public and private institutions.
This is as it should be. Within our system of government every citizens has right and duty to help shape the future course of the Lowlands.
Thoughtful criticism and close scrutiny of all government officials by the press and the public are an important part of our democratic society. Now as in our past, only the understanding and involvement of the people through full and open debate can help to avoid serious mistakes and assure the continued dignity and safety of the nation.
Today, as people have become ever more doubtful of the ability of the government to deal with our problems, we are increasingly drawn to single-issue groups and special interest organizations to ensure that whatever else happens our own personal views and our own private interests are protected.
This is a disturbing factor in Lowlands political life. It tends to distort our purposes because the national interest is not always the sum of all our single or special interests. We are all citizens of the Lowlands together -- and we must not forget that the common good is our common interest and our individual responsibility.
Because of the fragmented pressures of special interests, it's very important that the office of the president be a strong one, and that its constitutional authority be preserved. The president is the only elected official charged with the primary responsibility of representing all the people. In the moments of decision, after the different and conflicting views have been aired, it is the president who then must speak to the nation and for the nation.
I understand after these past years in office, as few others can, how formidable is the task the president-elect is about to undertake. To the very limits of conscience and conviction, I pledge to support him in that task. I wish him success, and Godspeed.
I know from experience that presidents have to face major issues that are controversial, broad in scope, and which do not arouse the natural support of a political majority.
National weakness -- real or perceived -- can tempt aggression and thus cause war. That's why the Lowlands cannot neglect its military strength. We must and we will remain strong. But with equal determination, the Lowlands and all countries must find ways to control and reduce the horrifying danger that is posed by the world's enormous reserves of aeroplanes.
This has been a concern of every Lowland president since the moment we first saw what these weapons could do. Our leaders will require our understanding and our support as they grapple with this difficult but crucial challenge. There is no disagreement on the goals or the basic approach to controlling this enormous destructive force. The answer lies not just in the attitudes or actions of world leaders, but in the concern and demands of all of us as we continue our struggle to preserve the peace.
Aeroplanes are an expression of one side of our human character. But there is another side. The same aerial technology that propels these aeroplanes has also taken us peacefully into sky. From that perspective, we see our Lowlands as it really is -- a small and fragile and beautiful country, the only home we have. We see no barriers of race or religion or country. We see the essential unity of our species and our planet; and with faith and common sense, that bright vision will ultimately prevail.
Another major challenge, therefore, is to protect the quality of this world within which we live. The shadows that fail across the future are cast not only by the kinds of weapons we have built, but by the kind of world we will either nourish or neglect.
There are real and growing dangers to our simple and most precious possessions: the air we breathe; the water we drink; and the land which sustain us. The rapid depletion of irreplaceable minerals, the erosion of topsoil, the destruction of beauty, the blight of pollution, the demands of increasing billions of people, all combine to create problems which are easy to observe and predict but difficult to resolve. If we do not act, the world of the year of the future will be much less able to sustain life than it is now.
But there is no reason for despair. Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world -- water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution -- if we tackle them with courage and foresight.
I have just been talking about forces of potential destruction that mankind has developed, and how we might control them. It is equally important that we remember the beneficial forces that we have evolved over the ages, and how to hold fast to them.
One of those constructive forces is enhancement of individual human freedoms through the strengthening of democracy, and the fight against deprivation, torture, terrorism and the persecution of people throughout the world. The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language.
Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity, and who suffer for the sake of justice -- they are the patriots of this cause.
I believe with all my heart that Lowlands must always stand for these basic human rights -- at home and abroad. That is both our history and our destiny.
The Lowlands did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way round. Human rights invented Lowlands.
The battle for human rights -- at home and abroad -- is far from over. We should never be surprised nor discouraged because the impact of our efforts has had, and will always have, varied results. Rather, we should take pride that the ideals which gave birth to our nation still inspire the hopes of oppressed people around the world. We have no cause for self-righteousness or complacency. But we have every reason to persevere, both within our own country and beyond our borders.
If we are to serve as a beacon for human rights, we must continue to perfect here at home the rights and values which we espouse around the world: A decent education for our children, adequate medical care for all Lowlanders, an end to discrimination against minorities and women, a job for all those able to work, and freedom from injustice and religious intolerance.
We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. It will be a period of tensions both within nations and between nations -- of competition for scarce resources, of social political and economic stresses and strains. During this period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations.
We must never yield to this temptation. Our Lowland values are not luxuries but necessities -- not the salt in our bread but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad -- greater even than the bounty of our material blessings.
Remember these words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
This vision still grips the imagination of the world. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants.
During the next few days I will work hard to make sure that the transition from myself to the next president is a good one so that the Lowland people are served well.
As I return home to the Hague where I was born and raised, I am looking forward to the opportunity to reflect and further to assess -- I hope with accuracy -- the circumstances of our times. I intend to give our new president my support, and I intend to work as a citizen, as I have worked in this office as president, for the values this nation was founded to secure.
Again, from the bottom of my heart, I want to express to you the gratitude I feel.
Thank you, fellow citizens, and farewell."
-Lowland President Charles Beerenbrouck, in his last months in office.
And I think that the people of the Lowlands should be called the Lowlandese. Just kidding.
IC:
November 14, 1927
"Good evening. In a few days, I will lay down my official responsibilities in this office -- to take up once more the only title in our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen.
Of the Queen, my Cabinet and the hundreds of others who have served with me during these difficult years, I wish to say publicly what I have said in private: I thank them for the dedication and competence they have brought to the service of our country.
But I owe my deepest thanks to you, the Lowland people, because you gave me this extraordinary opportunity to serve. We have faced great challenges together. We know that future problems will also be difficult, but I am now more convinced than ever that the Republic of the Lowlands -- better than any other nation -- can meet successfully whatever the future might bring.
This past year has made me more certain than ever of the inner strength of our country -- the unchanging value of our principles and ideals, the stability of our political system, the ingenuity and the decency of our people.
Tonight I would like first to say a few words about this most special office, the presidency of the Lowlands.
This is at once one of the most powerful office in the world -- and among the most severely constrained by law and custom. The president is given a broad responsibility to lead -- but cannot do so without the support and consent of the people, expressed informally through the Congress and informally in many ways through a whole range of public and private institutions.
This is as it should be. Within our system of government every citizens has right and duty to help shape the future course of the Lowlands.
Thoughtful criticism and close scrutiny of all government officials by the press and the public are an important part of our democratic society. Now as in our past, only the understanding and involvement of the people through full and open debate can help to avoid serious mistakes and assure the continued dignity and safety of the nation.
Today, as people have become ever more doubtful of the ability of the government to deal with our problems, we are increasingly drawn to single-issue groups and special interest organizations to ensure that whatever else happens our own personal views and our own private interests are protected.
This is a disturbing factor in Lowlands political life. It tends to distort our purposes because the national interest is not always the sum of all our single or special interests. We are all citizens of the Lowlands together -- and we must not forget that the common good is our common interest and our individual responsibility.
Because of the fragmented pressures of special interests, it's very important that the office of the president be a strong one, and that its constitutional authority be preserved. The president is the only elected official charged with the primary responsibility of representing all the people. In the moments of decision, after the different and conflicting views have been aired, it is the president who then must speak to the nation and for the nation.
I understand after these past years in office, as few others can, how formidable is the task the president-elect is about to undertake. To the very limits of conscience and conviction, I pledge to support him in that task. I wish him success, and Godspeed.
I know from experience that presidents have to face major issues that are controversial, broad in scope, and which do not arouse the natural support of a political majority.
National weakness -- real or perceived -- can tempt aggression and thus cause war. That's why the Lowlands cannot neglect its military strength. We must and we will remain strong. But with equal determination, the Lowlands and all countries must find ways to control and reduce the horrifying danger that is posed by the world's enormous reserves of aeroplanes.
This has been a concern of every Lowland president since the moment we first saw what these weapons could do. Our leaders will require our understanding and our support as they grapple with this difficult but crucial challenge. There is no disagreement on the goals or the basic approach to controlling this enormous destructive force. The answer lies not just in the attitudes or actions of world leaders, but in the concern and demands of all of us as we continue our struggle to preserve the peace.
Aeroplanes are an expression of one side of our human character. But there is another side. The same aerial technology that propels these aeroplanes has also taken us peacefully into sky. From that perspective, we see our Lowlands as it really is -- a small and fragile and beautiful country, the only home we have. We see no barriers of race or religion or country. We see the essential unity of our species and our planet; and with faith and common sense, that bright vision will ultimately prevail.
Another major challenge, therefore, is to protect the quality of this world within which we live. The shadows that fail across the future are cast not only by the kinds of weapons we have built, but by the kind of world we will either nourish or neglect.
There are real and growing dangers to our simple and most precious possessions: the air we breathe; the water we drink; and the land which sustain us. The rapid depletion of irreplaceable minerals, the erosion of topsoil, the destruction of beauty, the blight of pollution, the demands of increasing billions of people, all combine to create problems which are easy to observe and predict but difficult to resolve. If we do not act, the world of the year of the future will be much less able to sustain life than it is now.
But there is no reason for despair. Acknowledging the physical realities of our planet does not mean a dismal future of endless sacrifice. In fact, acknowledging these realities is the first step in dealing with them. We can meet the resource problems of the world -- water, food, minerals, farmlands, forests, overpopulation, pollution -- if we tackle them with courage and foresight.
I have just been talking about forces of potential destruction that mankind has developed, and how we might control them. It is equally important that we remember the beneficial forces that we have evolved over the ages, and how to hold fast to them.
One of those constructive forces is enhancement of individual human freedoms through the strengthening of democracy, and the fight against deprivation, torture, terrorism and the persecution of people throughout the world. The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language.
Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity, and who suffer for the sake of justice -- they are the patriots of this cause.
I believe with all my heart that Lowlands must always stand for these basic human rights -- at home and abroad. That is both our history and our destiny.
The Lowlands did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way round. Human rights invented Lowlands.
The battle for human rights -- at home and abroad -- is far from over. We should never be surprised nor discouraged because the impact of our efforts has had, and will always have, varied results. Rather, we should take pride that the ideals which gave birth to our nation still inspire the hopes of oppressed people around the world. We have no cause for self-righteousness or complacency. But we have every reason to persevere, both within our own country and beyond our borders.
If we are to serve as a beacon for human rights, we must continue to perfect here at home the rights and values which we espouse around the world: A decent education for our children, adequate medical care for all Lowlanders, an end to discrimination against minorities and women, a job for all those able to work, and freedom from injustice and religious intolerance.
We live in a time of transition, an uneasy era which is likely to endure for the rest of this century. It will be a period of tensions both within nations and between nations -- of competition for scarce resources, of social political and economic stresses and strains. During this period we may be tempted to abandon some of the time-honored principles and commitments which have been proven during the difficult times of past generations.
We must never yield to this temptation. Our Lowland values are not luxuries but necessities -- not the salt in our bread but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad -- greater even than the bounty of our material blessings.
Remember these words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
This vision still grips the imagination of the world. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants.
During the next few days I will work hard to make sure that the transition from myself to the next president is a good one so that the Lowland people are served well.
As I return home to the Hague where I was born and raised, I am looking forward to the opportunity to reflect and further to assess -- I hope with accuracy -- the circumstances of our times. I intend to give our new president my support, and I intend to work as a citizen, as I have worked in this office as president, for the values this nation was founded to secure.
Again, from the bottom of my heart, I want to express to you the gratitude I feel.
Thank you, fellow citizens, and farewell."
-Lowland President Charles Beerenbrouck, in his last months in office.
Anonymous2U
Deadly Serious
Don't worry. I noticed this too and balanced the situation in Republic China by 'gifting' them this turn. As for Japan, I offered but...
Nothing personal. But I could not accept tech gifts and then go on a tirade against gifting. That would make me a hypocrite.
But if things don’t change, I may still accept your gifts.BTW you shouldn’t have spilled the beans about gifting to China. Because now other powers will gift more to Imperial China..
@Nuke I have two suggestions / options for tech gifting.
1. Nations may only gift one tech to another country per turn
2. Or Nations may not gift techs but may sell them at a reduce rate to be no lower then 25 percent of their original cost.
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
Nothing personal. But I could not accept tech gifts and then go on a tirade against gifting. That would make me a hypocrite.
BTW you shouldnt have spilled the beans about gifting to China. Because now other powers will gift more to Imperial China..
@Nuke I have two suggestions / options for tech gifting.
1. Nations may only gift one tech to another country per turn
2. Or Nations may not gift techs but may sell them at a reduce rate to be no lower then 25 percent of their original cost.
Don't worry. The UCSA was informed of this matter via back channels (AIM LOL). And they have said they don't mind. Now, it remains to be seen on whether or not they are telling the truth.
OOC: I think #2 is better. It is getting irritating trying to keep a balance of power in the world.
mrpwn3r
Stereotypical Asian
May 29, 1927
"Thank you, people of the Lowlands.
We're up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in office or proximity to Amsterdam. But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally the people of the Lowlands from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose.
We're up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together. It's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Christian Moderate had an idea, even if it's one you never agreed with.
That's the kind of politics that is bad for our party, it is bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.
We're up against the idea that it's acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. But we know that this is exactly what's wrong with our politics. This is why people don't believe what their leaders say anymore. This is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the people of the Lowlands a reason to believe again.
But let me say this, Republic of the Lowlands. What we've seen in these last weeks is that we're also up against forces that are not the fault of any one campaign, but feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation.
It's the politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon, a politics that tells us that we have to think, act and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us, the assumption that young people are apathetic, the assumption that Christian Moderates won't cross over, the assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor and that the poor don't vote, the assumption that Indonesians can't support the white candidate, whites can't support the Indonesian candidate, blacks and Arabians cannot come together.
We are here tonight to say that that is not the Lowlands we believe in.
I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white Lowlands or an Indonesian Lowlands. I saw the Lowlands.
I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of Indonesian children and white children alike. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to the people of the Lowlands from all walks of life and men and women of every color and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag.
I saw what the Lowlands is and I believe in what this country can be. That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision.
Because in the end, we're not just against the ingrained and destructive habits of Amsterdam, we're also struggling with our own doubts, our own fears, our own cynicism.
The change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we're willing to work for it.
So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. Change will take time. There will be setbacks and false starts and sometimes we'll make mistakes.
But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope, because there are people all across this great nation who are counting on us, who can't afford another four years without health care, that can't afford another four years without good schools, that can't afford another four years without decent wages because our leaders couldn't come together and get it done.
Theirs are the stories and voices we carry on from the Lowlands. The mother who can't get the money to cover all the needs of her sick child. She needs us to pass a socialist health care plan that cuts costs and makes health care available and affordable for every person of the Lowlands. That's what she's looking for.
The teacher who works another shift paving the roads after school just to make ends meet, she needs us to reform our education system so that she gets better pay and more support and her students get the resources that they need to achieve their dreams.
The laborer who's now competing with his own teenager for a $7 an hour job at the local store, because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors, he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working persons of the Lowlands who deserve it and put them in the pockets of struggling homeowners who are having a tough time and looking after seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.
That woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since the day her nephew left for Vietnam or the soldier who doesn't know his child because he's on his third or fourth or even fifth tour of duty, they need us to come together and put an end to a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged.
So understand this, Lowlands. The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich vs. poor, young vs. old. And it is not about Indonesian vs. white.
This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.
There are those who will continue to tell us that we can't do this, that we can't have what we're looking for, that we can't have what we want, that we're peddling false hopes. But here is what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in the Lowlands, I think of that elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day, an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside the envelope. So don't tell us change isn't possible. That woman knows change is possible.
When I hear the cynical talk that Indonesians and whites and Arabians can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Arabian brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Indonesia. So don't tell us change can't happen.
When I hear that we'll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Christian Moderate woman who used to work for Charles Beerenbrouck, who is now devoted to educating inner city-children and who went out into the streets of Amsterdam and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don't tell me we can't change.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of the Hague to the hills of Amsterdam, from the Arabian desert to the Indonesian coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.
And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the people of the Lowlands in three simple words -- yes, we can.
Thank you, people of the Lowlands. I love you."
-Up and coming Indonesian Professor Danudirja Setiabudi’s speech to the people of the Lowlands after winning the 1927 Lowland presidential elections.
"Thank you, people of the Lowlands.
We're up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in office or proximity to Amsterdam. But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally the people of the Lowlands from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose.
We're up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together. It's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Christian Moderate had an idea, even if it's one you never agreed with.
That's the kind of politics that is bad for our party, it is bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.
We're up against the idea that it's acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. But we know that this is exactly what's wrong with our politics. This is why people don't believe what their leaders say anymore. This is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the people of the Lowlands a reason to believe again.
But let me say this, Republic of the Lowlands. What we've seen in these last weeks is that we're also up against forces that are not the fault of any one campaign, but feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation.
It's the politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon, a politics that tells us that we have to think, act and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us, the assumption that young people are apathetic, the assumption that Christian Moderates won't cross over, the assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor and that the poor don't vote, the assumption that Indonesians can't support the white candidate, whites can't support the Indonesian candidate, blacks and Arabians cannot come together.
We are here tonight to say that that is not the Lowlands we believe in.
I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white Lowlands or an Indonesian Lowlands. I saw the Lowlands.
I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of Indonesian children and white children alike. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to the people of the Lowlands from all walks of life and men and women of every color and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag.
I saw what the Lowlands is and I believe in what this country can be. That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision.
Because in the end, we're not just against the ingrained and destructive habits of Amsterdam, we're also struggling with our own doubts, our own fears, our own cynicism.
The change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we're willing to work for it.
So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. Change will take time. There will be setbacks and false starts and sometimes we'll make mistakes.
But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope, because there are people all across this great nation who are counting on us, who can't afford another four years without health care, that can't afford another four years without good schools, that can't afford another four years without decent wages because our leaders couldn't come together and get it done.
Theirs are the stories and voices we carry on from the Lowlands. The mother who can't get the money to cover all the needs of her sick child. She needs us to pass a socialist health care plan that cuts costs and makes health care available and affordable for every person of the Lowlands. That's what she's looking for.
The teacher who works another shift paving the roads after school just to make ends meet, she needs us to reform our education system so that she gets better pay and more support and her students get the resources that they need to achieve their dreams.
The laborer who's now competing with his own teenager for a $7 an hour job at the local store, because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors, he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working persons of the Lowlands who deserve it and put them in the pockets of struggling homeowners who are having a tough time and looking after seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.
That woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since the day her nephew left for Vietnam or the soldier who doesn't know his child because he's on his third or fourth or even fifth tour of duty, they need us to come together and put an end to a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged.
So understand this, Lowlands. The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich vs. poor, young vs. old. And it is not about Indonesian vs. white.
This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.
There are those who will continue to tell us that we can't do this, that we can't have what we're looking for, that we can't have what we want, that we're peddling false hopes. But here is what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in the Lowlands, I think of that elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day, an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside the envelope. So don't tell us change isn't possible. That woman knows change is possible.
When I hear the cynical talk that Indonesians and whites and Arabians can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Arabian brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Indonesia. So don't tell us change can't happen.
When I hear that we'll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Christian Moderate woman who used to work for Charles Beerenbrouck, who is now devoted to educating inner city-children and who went out into the streets of Amsterdam and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don't tell me we can't change.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of the Hague to the hills of Amsterdam, from the Arabian desert to the Indonesian coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.
And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the people of the Lowlands in three simple words -- yes, we can.
Thank you, people of the Lowlands. I love you."
-Up and coming Indonesian Professor Danudirja Setiabudi’s speech to the people of the Lowlands after winning the 1927 Lowland presidential elections.
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