Slutbum Wallah
12-02-2004, 03:32
Minister Polposhon smiled kindly, reset his spectacles on his nose and considered the bright, charismatic and deluded young man in front of him. He cleared his throat and began to speak, "Now then, what seems to be the problem?"
"This government is corrupt. This organization is pathetic. This country is sick. I am the cure." Minister Kanzansky glared, he was 23 years old, the youngest man in the sprawling mass that passed for a government in Slutbum Wallah, and was arguably one of the most brilliant minds the country had ever known. Such a pity that he continued to follow his warped idea of righteousness.
Polposhon sighed and shifted the papers on his desk, "Kazansky, the ministry..."
"The ministry is the source of the country's problems! Three quarters of the cabinet actually admitted to accepting bribes from the United Trading Conglomerate on television and they still hold office! Why?"
"Because thats the way things work. Bribery is the grease on which government is run. People accept that. They deal with it every day of their lives. Thats the way the world works."
"Don't talk to me like that! I've seen the rest of the world! There are countries with good and just governments that listen to their people and act on what they hear! Counties with morals and ideals worth fighting for! They have achieved so much that we cannot! Don't you see that? Don't you see that this organization is sick?"
"The important thing about those countries is that they are not Slutbum Wallah. Here, fully half the country is in the civil service, we go through around eighteen trillion tons of paper every year, no-one is in control, no taxes are collected since taxing rights were sold to the corporations, we have no military since the army was sold to the U.T.C, most of the country is a wasteland and we produce nothing worth buying but somehow it all works! You must remember that."
"But we can change all that if you'd just listen to me! We could appeal to the international community for help. For God's sake we don't even know who our people are anymore! The last census was taken 800 years ago, our official population is 182 thousand."
"The international community? Kazansky, we only exist because we aren't worth conquering. Just ask anyone at the Ministry of Foreign affairs, we are officially at war with half the nations of the world, luckily for us most of them don't know it."
"But we must do something! The people..."
"The people don't care about anything beyond half a mile away. Most of them don't know what country they live in. Look out the window Kazansky."
The window looked out over the capitol city, miles and miles of mouldering tenement blocks dotted with the occasional factory or landmark.
"That city out there, it's not clean, pleasant, smart or healthy. But it works. Don't ask me how, but it works. People go in, civilization comes out. The vicous circle of society rolls on. We can't change it, for better or for worse. We can only hope to prolonge it's existence that little bit more." Polposhon sat back, and let his words sink in.
"Kazansky, why don't you take some time off. You're family has a house in the country, use it for a few weeks. Relax, calm down and you'll come back to the job ready to help your country."
Kazansy sat still for a moment, before getting to his feet and striding to the door, he paused before leaving. "You just don't understand, do you? This country is broken. It must be fixed. And if I have to tear it apart to do so, then I will. Goodbye, Minister." The door snapped shut behind him.
"This government is corrupt. This organization is pathetic. This country is sick. I am the cure." Minister Kanzansky glared, he was 23 years old, the youngest man in the sprawling mass that passed for a government in Slutbum Wallah, and was arguably one of the most brilliant minds the country had ever known. Such a pity that he continued to follow his warped idea of righteousness.
Polposhon sighed and shifted the papers on his desk, "Kazansky, the ministry..."
"The ministry is the source of the country's problems! Three quarters of the cabinet actually admitted to accepting bribes from the United Trading Conglomerate on television and they still hold office! Why?"
"Because thats the way things work. Bribery is the grease on which government is run. People accept that. They deal with it every day of their lives. Thats the way the world works."
"Don't talk to me like that! I've seen the rest of the world! There are countries with good and just governments that listen to their people and act on what they hear! Counties with morals and ideals worth fighting for! They have achieved so much that we cannot! Don't you see that? Don't you see that this organization is sick?"
"The important thing about those countries is that they are not Slutbum Wallah. Here, fully half the country is in the civil service, we go through around eighteen trillion tons of paper every year, no-one is in control, no taxes are collected since taxing rights were sold to the corporations, we have no military since the army was sold to the U.T.C, most of the country is a wasteland and we produce nothing worth buying but somehow it all works! You must remember that."
"But we can change all that if you'd just listen to me! We could appeal to the international community for help. For God's sake we don't even know who our people are anymore! The last census was taken 800 years ago, our official population is 182 thousand."
"The international community? Kazansky, we only exist because we aren't worth conquering. Just ask anyone at the Ministry of Foreign affairs, we are officially at war with half the nations of the world, luckily for us most of them don't know it."
"But we must do something! The people..."
"The people don't care about anything beyond half a mile away. Most of them don't know what country they live in. Look out the window Kazansky."
The window looked out over the capitol city, miles and miles of mouldering tenement blocks dotted with the occasional factory or landmark.
"That city out there, it's not clean, pleasant, smart or healthy. But it works. Don't ask me how, but it works. People go in, civilization comes out. The vicous circle of society rolls on. We can't change it, for better or for worse. We can only hope to prolonge it's existence that little bit more." Polposhon sat back, and let his words sink in.
"Kazansky, why don't you take some time off. You're family has a house in the country, use it for a few weeks. Relax, calm down and you'll come back to the job ready to help your country."
Kazansy sat still for a moment, before getting to his feet and striding to the door, he paused before leaving. "You just don't understand, do you? This country is broken. It must be fixed. And if I have to tear it apart to do so, then I will. Goodbye, Minister." The door snapped shut behind him.