Buster's Uncle
AC2 Owner
CEO Morgan attempts an economic victory. Can you control the Market Forces?
(Click on the picture to download)
***
The restaurant was expensive, possibly the most expensive on Planet, but in an extravagant, rather than exclusive, way. The cutlery was heavy with precious metals; the meals were large, even ones made up of genuine, non-vat grown, meat and rare spices. The room was bright with harnessed solar energy, leaving the dark Chiron night to those of lesser means.
In Jeneba's mind, though, the primary source of light seemed to be the smile of the man sitting opposite her, lighting a fine cigar.
"This, in fact", CEO Nwabudike Morgan said, indicating the cigar, "is a good example of what I was talking about. If some other faction leader, Lal for example, was to smoke one of these in public, there would be talk of the leader setting a bad example by smoking unhealthy cigars before the eyes of those poor helpless drones who can't think for themselves. We, however, would think of it as inspirational. 'Look, he is rich enough to smoke expensive cigars'! Then we leave it to the individual drone to pursue his or her happiness in order to be able to smoke one of these one day.
Or, for that matter, buy a restaurant and turn it into a non-smoking area.
The point is that we don't demand a certain behavior - all we demand is that you work hard, by hand or by brain, whatever your assets are, to be able to afford the behavior of your choice! And we don't need an army of bureaucrats to make sure you don't put in more than you take out - because you can't! That's the power of the Market!"
Morgan leaned back, obviously pleased with his speech, cheerfully slapping the bottom of the waitress who had just brought him a glass of brandy and laughing loudly at her wide-eyed surprise. He leaned forward and winked at Jeneba.
"That would have been called 'sexual harassment', or perhaps 'adultery', in several other factions; indeed it would have in much of our own. However, in this restaurant, 'brief body contact with serving personnel' is part of the deal we made when having this table reserved for us. We paid good money for it and so it's ours!"
"And does the girl get extra money for providing this - service? ," Jeneba asked. Morgan raised his eyebrows.
"Why, if she was smart enough to negotiate for it! Her body is, of course, protected as her private property under our property laws - the only kind of laws you need - and may be sold or leased as she likes. It's all a matter of supply and demand! It's all in her contract; signed by her out of her own free will!"
"You see", Morgan continued, "the Market is good not only for organizing the distribution of energy, minerals and other limited resources, but also for organizing most human relationships. 'Human behavior is economic behavior', to quote my own greatest role model. And it's not just crude egotism, either. By striving to accomplish wealth for yourself, you inevitably create a better life for everyone around you, from the scientist getting rich from patenting a medical drug which helps ill people all over Planet, to the actor earning sweet credits pursuing his dream while at the same time entertaining his audience."
Jeneba considered her next move. Her boss had asked her to question The Morganite lifestyle, so that he could defend it as a sort of intellectual pastime.
"Well, but what about inherited wealth? Might that not be construed as unjust? Didn't you - "
"Yes, there's a point right there", Morgan interrupted. "We all know that some - not all - who inherit wealth become lazy and passive. However, the urge to provide for your offspring is such a strong driving force that the benefits are greater than the costs. Market forces gain their strength because they are tied to the deepest evolutionary drives imprinted in our very genes. When you mess with the Market, you're messing with a force of nature, which is why the non-market economies are like people thinking they've grown wings when they're really plain-old people in a plane that's about to run out of fuel."
Jeneba spread her hands, "Well, that's plain to see. But the elites of the other factions have invested huge resources and much prestige in their systems. They are not likely to listen to reason and some of them are heavily armed, you know..."
Morgan leaned forward, lowered his voice and put on the let's-get-down-to-business face that Jeneba had come to admire and fear through the years of working for Morgan.
"Ah, this brings us to the reason we're here tonight. You see, I have a plan..."
(It can also be downloaded here.)
(Click on the picture to download)
***
The restaurant was expensive, possibly the most expensive on Planet, but in an extravagant, rather than exclusive, way. The cutlery was heavy with precious metals; the meals were large, even ones made up of genuine, non-vat grown, meat and rare spices. The room was bright with harnessed solar energy, leaving the dark Chiron night to those of lesser means.
In Jeneba's mind, though, the primary source of light seemed to be the smile of the man sitting opposite her, lighting a fine cigar.
"This, in fact", CEO Nwabudike Morgan said, indicating the cigar, "is a good example of what I was talking about. If some other faction leader, Lal for example, was to smoke one of these in public, there would be talk of the leader setting a bad example by smoking unhealthy cigars before the eyes of those poor helpless drones who can't think for themselves. We, however, would think of it as inspirational. 'Look, he is rich enough to smoke expensive cigars'! Then we leave it to the individual drone to pursue his or her happiness in order to be able to smoke one of these one day.
Or, for that matter, buy a restaurant and turn it into a non-smoking area.
The point is that we don't demand a certain behavior - all we demand is that you work hard, by hand or by brain, whatever your assets are, to be able to afford the behavior of your choice! And we don't need an army of bureaucrats to make sure you don't put in more than you take out - because you can't! That's the power of the Market!"
Morgan leaned back, obviously pleased with his speech, cheerfully slapping the bottom of the waitress who had just brought him a glass of brandy and laughing loudly at her wide-eyed surprise. He leaned forward and winked at Jeneba.
"That would have been called 'sexual harassment', or perhaps 'adultery', in several other factions; indeed it would have in much of our own. However, in this restaurant, 'brief body contact with serving personnel' is part of the deal we made when having this table reserved for us. We paid good money for it and so it's ours!"
"And does the girl get extra money for providing this - service? ," Jeneba asked. Morgan raised his eyebrows.
"Why, if she was smart enough to negotiate for it! Her body is, of course, protected as her private property under our property laws - the only kind of laws you need - and may be sold or leased as she likes. It's all a matter of supply and demand! It's all in her contract; signed by her out of her own free will!"
"You see", Morgan continued, "the Market is good not only for organizing the distribution of energy, minerals and other limited resources, but also for organizing most human relationships. 'Human behavior is economic behavior', to quote my own greatest role model. And it's not just crude egotism, either. By striving to accomplish wealth for yourself, you inevitably create a better life for everyone around you, from the scientist getting rich from patenting a medical drug which helps ill people all over Planet, to the actor earning sweet credits pursuing his dream while at the same time entertaining his audience."
Jeneba considered her next move. Her boss had asked her to question The Morganite lifestyle, so that he could defend it as a sort of intellectual pastime.
"Well, but what about inherited wealth? Might that not be construed as unjust? Didn't you - "
"Yes, there's a point right there", Morgan interrupted. "We all know that some - not all - who inherit wealth become lazy and passive. However, the urge to provide for your offspring is such a strong driving force that the benefits are greater than the costs. Market forces gain their strength because they are tied to the deepest evolutionary drives imprinted in our very genes. When you mess with the Market, you're messing with a force of nature, which is why the non-market economies are like people thinking they've grown wings when they're really plain-old people in a plane that's about to run out of fuel."
Jeneba spread her hands, "Well, that's plain to see. But the elites of the other factions have invested huge resources and much prestige in their systems. They are not likely to listen to reason and some of them are heavily armed, you know..."
Morgan leaned forward, lowered his voice and put on the let's-get-down-to-business face that Jeneba had come to admire and fear through the years of working for Morgan.
"Ah, this brings us to the reason we're here tonight. You see, I have a plan..."
***
(It can also be downloaded here.)
Fantastic artwork hey, did you make them?
