Omicron Alpha
19-08-2004, 16:06
We are not very active so far as international politics goes; normally, it is more expensive than it's worth. You may have spoken to one of our representatives in the past, although forgotten about it by now. But once in a while, we jump in if there is profit in it for us. And so just for those eventualities, we thought some sort of information on how our people tick would be of use.
Basics of Omicron Alpha
Omicron Alpha is a heaven of pure, unbridled capitalism. If you want anything, you have to buy it. If you want to sell it, you can sell it. Money is more important to most of our consumers than their very lives -- demonstrated most perfectly by the military, but we shall cover that in a moment or two. This may be hard for some to understand, but each culture has its own sets of beliefs, and its own set of moral codes. Ours revolves around credits. A credit is usually in electronic form, but there is a solid gold version for those occasions when you need to avoid the middleman -- banks here take a slice of all transactions, not just interest on loans and mortgages, to make money.
There is no government, as such. The public government was dissolved over 200 years ago when it was bought out by the newly-formed Omicron Government Incorporated (OAGI). Instead of the traditional voting system, the company is organised into several different factions with several different economical outlooks. If you want a say in national politics, you buy a share in the faction you agree with the most. The faction with the most shareholders has the most power. Anyone is free to buy rights for a new faction, of course, and be integrated into OAGI, but most people view it as a low-profit venture and so stay well away. This system has worked well for the most part, and coupled with other projects, negates the need for income tax, or local tax, or any other form of 'official' tax. The current faction in power is called Compassionate Capitalists, which makes the current Director of Omicron Alpha John Berry. Consumers may only buy one share in their preferred faction, and companies are not permitted to purchase any shares in this consumer market.
A sub-company of OAGI is for corporate interests. It operates the same way, only companies may buy shares in whichever faction they deem appropriate. This is significantly more profitable, but less powerful as it only deals with laws regarding companies, not the entire country.
Healthcare is privatised. The most prominent organisation in Omicron Alpha today is 'MediCare Ltd', which offers surprisingly low rates and excellent repayment plans. They even offer inclusive death insurance -- in the event that a person treated under their care dies, his medical bills are automatically covered by the insurance pool, saving the relatives a heap of cash. Most hospital companies do not offer this service; you would have to go out and get a more expensive, independent policy.
Alpha Police Inc. is the policing body of Omicron Alpha. They make their money primarily from speeding tickets and successfully convicting criminals -- the most common sentence, and most severe in some people's eyes, is a fine, paid to the police for their troubles by the criminal. A slice of the fine goes to the courts, but the rest usually covers police costs and then some. Remaining costs and profits are covered by prisoner labour. The most violent criminals can hinder the profitable operations of society, so they must be contained. Instead of simply leaving them in a cell, however, they are put to work in factories built on to the sides of prisons. The companies which own these factories pay wages, though not to the prisoners, but to the police. Some were worried that this would cause the police to be oppressive, however strict regulations by Government Incorporated seem to have been successful in preventing this from happening. The death penalty is seldom used, mainly because people value money over life and as such a fine can be worse for them. But for those criminals who deliberately and knowingly hinder the profits of another, and have a blatent disregard for money and continue with criminal acts to attack other peoples' assets, the death penalty has and can be used.
FireKillers is the company which fills the role of the fire service. You do not have to pay them a penny should they put out a fire, though -- your insurance company does. Which is one major reason why it is illegal not to insure everything you own.
OMilitary is the military company of Omicron Alpha. They gained a monopoly over previous companies in the Great Civil War or 1987. The only other military company still existing from before that period is Mercs R Us, but they no longer compete effectively and will either go out of business or be bought out soon. OMilitary (short for Omicron Military -- they changed their name to a more modern, catchy name recently) provides our country with very cheap defensive services. If a war were to be waged, it would be funded by any corporations who could stand to loose from war, including but not limited to the Government Inc. They also lease soldiers and equipment to foreign militaries, on the condition that they not be used against Omicron Alpha commercial interests. Omilitary acquired a navy after purchasing 'Marinus PLC', and an airforce after purchasing 'Zoom'. They are now the chief suppliers of personnel, equipment and supplies to our nation.
Because of the devout loyalty to the profits of Omicron Alpha, workers in OMilitary or any other military company cannot be bought by foreign invaders. If bribery is attempted and found out (and given the value of money in OA, you can't move a penny without it being noticed by someone -- they will be found out), all the worker's assets are confiscated, his banks emptied and his pay stopped. Fines are also used. Because financial ruin is far more scary than death, no worker has ever succumbed to bribery. To completely make sure, OMilitary offers rewards to workers who record their resistance to a bribe -- if they record the conversation, they will get a fiscal reward. Proof must be presented, however.
The Great Civil War of 1987 was a turbulent time in our economic history. Inflation crippled some smaller companies and individuals. The largest companies such as OMilitary and MagiTech took the opportunity to struggle for total control over their particular market. OMilitary bought out seven different arms and personnel suppliers during the war, and MagiTech gained 75% of the software and electronics markets. OMilitary even tried to gain control over another massive company, Alpha Police, but AP managed to hold on until the Great Boom thanks to a loan from OAGI.
Although the slave trade was abolished almost 50 years ago, we know of a black market still operating. Alpha Police have been sponsored by various individuals and companies to try to put a stop to it, and OMilitary has also put some substancial resources towards it -- they believe that by trading slaves, possible recruits are being denied from them. Slavery is considered unprofitable in the long term; although it is true that after the initial payment, a slave is a free worker, there are other things to be considered. An Omicron Alpha consumer not being paid for his work is particularly unhappy, even compared to foreign slaves. Their work is sloppy at best and they live for only a short time. In addition to this are the medical bills required to keep them alive during their phenomenally depressed lives, and then on top of that their food, clothing and accomodations. Those few slaves that are still owned illegally are done so as little more than tokens to demonstrate their owners riches.
There are very few restrictions on your business opportunities here. Even though we have not signed any treaties or agreements, we have tried to abide by international human rights laws as best as possible. For example, up until 50 years ago, people were quite literally selling their mothers. Civil rights in Omicron Alpha are phenomenal; quite simply, you can do whatever you want provided it does not damage profits or economical stability, on an individual or national level. Murder, for example, is banned here not because it is morally wrong but because it is depriving the economy of a potentially profitable worker. Along this same vein, laws have been enacted to try and keep people safe, such as speed limits on roads (this was more to do with the insistence of Alpha Police looking for additional sources of profit, however). All drugs are banned with the exception of alcohol. Drugs inhibit profitable functions, and as such are immoral. Alcohol, however, was already far to established as a profitable industry to be dissolved, and in an economic investigation it was found that the profits made by alcohol companies far outweight the damages the alcohol causes on any level.
The Consumers of Omicron Alpha
What you call civilians, or citizens, we call consumers. They live typical lives by Western standards, owning houses, cars, living in family units where profitable. It is very advisable for a close man and a woman to form a partnership, as many economical benefits can result. Most companies offer discounts when dealing with such partnerships. The partnership licence is not too expensive, at just over 400 credits, and the benefits far outweigh the cost. Same-sex partnerships are totally unrestricted, and have been for years -- primarily because there are few financial reasons to forbid it.
Children are taught in private schools, which for the most part are very high quality. There are no public schools, as there is no tax to fund such public schools. If a child is born of a family that is worth very little, many things can happen so that the child can still be taught in a school.
- The child can be sponsored by a company, on condition that they work for that company for at least 15 years once education is finished.
- The parents of the child can enter into a similar deal on its behalf; a company could sponsor the child, only instead of the child working for the company, both parents do.
- Standard loans in the child's name
- Standard loans paid off by the parents (very rare)
- The school itself sponsors the child for five years; if the child shows promise as a future teacher, they continue to sponsor them, otherwise standard rates apply (rare)
As private schools are the only schools, however, they are a lot cheaper than you would normally assume because nearly everyone uses them. This, in addition to the fact that there is no tax, means most families can afford to send their children to school with no more trouble than a poor family in a welfare state.
There is a religion in Omicron Alpha, but it is not a typical religion. Ecomomism, the Belief in Divine Incorporation. It probably wouldn't even register as a religion for foreigners, but here it has meaning to some people. Roughly 45% of people in Omicron Alpha aspire to live profitable lives for their very soul. They believe that in death, they 'become' part of the economy. Us non-believers aren't entirely sure how and quite frankly, I doubt they are either. But they believe that each time a rich person dies, the economy gets a little bit better. If you die in debt, the economy will suffer. At the moment, it is true that more profitable people are dying than people with debts, and the economy is growing, which fuels their beliefs. And during the Great Civil War of 1987, there were more people dying with debts. But this was a RESULT of the inflation, not the CAUSE, obviously. However, they believe what they believe, and they continue to be profitable, so Government Inc. lets them practice their beliefs.
Family units must be profitable in order to survive. In most countries, love is required. Here, money is required. A group of people living together essentially forms a small business. Children are considered 'employees undergoing training'. If a family is not functioning profitably, they tend to disband and either form their own families, or go out and try to make money as a sole trader. A 'merger' is formed by partnership, specifically, the son of one family uniting with the daughter of another. Most cultures would probably compare this to marriage, and they would probably be right. Despite all the capitalism, our consumers still feel and act on emotions, and there needs to be a bond for a partnership to form. Family mergers often create some of the wealthiest and most successful families in Omicron Alpha. Merged families then joining with merged families is even more profitable, and so on and so forth. A great many families frequently do become private limited companies, registered as such and competing with actual companies -- the middle class was born. Most families, though, are content to breakeven.
There is very little in the way of entertainment here. Most companies soon realised in early ventures that the consumers are as capitalistic as they are, and so most refused to pay for trivial things. A few cinemas and record industries do exist in Omicron Alpha, but they are very low profit markets here. Most people get genuine entertainment through their own commercial ventures. Television, radio and the internet were logically successful here. Television is filled with news, business and stock exchange channels, as is the radio. The internet pushed businesses further than they ever dreamed possible. These ARE high-profit endeavours. Every family unit has at least one television and an internet connection. These vital links to the outside world help them monitor economical conditions.
Infrastructure
As you probably already guessed by now, public amenities in Omicron Alpha are not public. Most roads are toll roads. Though, to overcome the inherent traffic jams created by such necessities, new technologies have made the process instant. Every time you cross into a new section of the toll road, you pass a small 'box'. This box senses your Commercial Identity Number (programmed into credit and debit cards, and into your car's computer when you first purchase it). This is then fed into the company database, and the money automatically taken from your account. This requires us to inform you of another law; specifically; when you purchase a driving licence, you must first prove that you have a bank account. It would be nearly impossible to survive in Omicron Alpha without a bank account, but there you go. Most roads are owned and maintained by nearby companies, though there are a few companies that specialise in providing roads. Those companies are responsible for the vast motorways that criss-cross Omicron Alpha.
Trains, subways and buses are private. Railway companies either own rails, trains or a bit of both. They pay whoever owns certain tracks for a licence to use them, and passengers must logically buy tickets. The same goes for buses, only they pay for use of the roads with the same system as individual consumers. Planes and ships function as they would anywhere.
Power is provided by various companies. The grid itself has been standardised, so you can switch company wherever you are. Certain regions of power cables are owned by certain power companies, who get a cut from other providers using their cables. And again, the water and sewage companies operate the same way.
Basics of Omicron Alpha
Omicron Alpha is a heaven of pure, unbridled capitalism. If you want anything, you have to buy it. If you want to sell it, you can sell it. Money is more important to most of our consumers than their very lives -- demonstrated most perfectly by the military, but we shall cover that in a moment or two. This may be hard for some to understand, but each culture has its own sets of beliefs, and its own set of moral codes. Ours revolves around credits. A credit is usually in electronic form, but there is a solid gold version for those occasions when you need to avoid the middleman -- banks here take a slice of all transactions, not just interest on loans and mortgages, to make money.
There is no government, as such. The public government was dissolved over 200 years ago when it was bought out by the newly-formed Omicron Government Incorporated (OAGI). Instead of the traditional voting system, the company is organised into several different factions with several different economical outlooks. If you want a say in national politics, you buy a share in the faction you agree with the most. The faction with the most shareholders has the most power. Anyone is free to buy rights for a new faction, of course, and be integrated into OAGI, but most people view it as a low-profit venture and so stay well away. This system has worked well for the most part, and coupled with other projects, negates the need for income tax, or local tax, or any other form of 'official' tax. The current faction in power is called Compassionate Capitalists, which makes the current Director of Omicron Alpha John Berry. Consumers may only buy one share in their preferred faction, and companies are not permitted to purchase any shares in this consumer market.
A sub-company of OAGI is for corporate interests. It operates the same way, only companies may buy shares in whichever faction they deem appropriate. This is significantly more profitable, but less powerful as it only deals with laws regarding companies, not the entire country.
Healthcare is privatised. The most prominent organisation in Omicron Alpha today is 'MediCare Ltd', which offers surprisingly low rates and excellent repayment plans. They even offer inclusive death insurance -- in the event that a person treated under their care dies, his medical bills are automatically covered by the insurance pool, saving the relatives a heap of cash. Most hospital companies do not offer this service; you would have to go out and get a more expensive, independent policy.
Alpha Police Inc. is the policing body of Omicron Alpha. They make their money primarily from speeding tickets and successfully convicting criminals -- the most common sentence, and most severe in some people's eyes, is a fine, paid to the police for their troubles by the criminal. A slice of the fine goes to the courts, but the rest usually covers police costs and then some. Remaining costs and profits are covered by prisoner labour. The most violent criminals can hinder the profitable operations of society, so they must be contained. Instead of simply leaving them in a cell, however, they are put to work in factories built on to the sides of prisons. The companies which own these factories pay wages, though not to the prisoners, but to the police. Some were worried that this would cause the police to be oppressive, however strict regulations by Government Incorporated seem to have been successful in preventing this from happening. The death penalty is seldom used, mainly because people value money over life and as such a fine can be worse for them. But for those criminals who deliberately and knowingly hinder the profits of another, and have a blatent disregard for money and continue with criminal acts to attack other peoples' assets, the death penalty has and can be used.
FireKillers is the company which fills the role of the fire service. You do not have to pay them a penny should they put out a fire, though -- your insurance company does. Which is one major reason why it is illegal not to insure everything you own.
OMilitary is the military company of Omicron Alpha. They gained a monopoly over previous companies in the Great Civil War or 1987. The only other military company still existing from before that period is Mercs R Us, but they no longer compete effectively and will either go out of business or be bought out soon. OMilitary (short for Omicron Military -- they changed their name to a more modern, catchy name recently) provides our country with very cheap defensive services. If a war were to be waged, it would be funded by any corporations who could stand to loose from war, including but not limited to the Government Inc. They also lease soldiers and equipment to foreign militaries, on the condition that they not be used against Omicron Alpha commercial interests. Omilitary acquired a navy after purchasing 'Marinus PLC', and an airforce after purchasing 'Zoom'. They are now the chief suppliers of personnel, equipment and supplies to our nation.
Because of the devout loyalty to the profits of Omicron Alpha, workers in OMilitary or any other military company cannot be bought by foreign invaders. If bribery is attempted and found out (and given the value of money in OA, you can't move a penny without it being noticed by someone -- they will be found out), all the worker's assets are confiscated, his banks emptied and his pay stopped. Fines are also used. Because financial ruin is far more scary than death, no worker has ever succumbed to bribery. To completely make sure, OMilitary offers rewards to workers who record their resistance to a bribe -- if they record the conversation, they will get a fiscal reward. Proof must be presented, however.
The Great Civil War of 1987 was a turbulent time in our economic history. Inflation crippled some smaller companies and individuals. The largest companies such as OMilitary and MagiTech took the opportunity to struggle for total control over their particular market. OMilitary bought out seven different arms and personnel suppliers during the war, and MagiTech gained 75% of the software and electronics markets. OMilitary even tried to gain control over another massive company, Alpha Police, but AP managed to hold on until the Great Boom thanks to a loan from OAGI.
Although the slave trade was abolished almost 50 years ago, we know of a black market still operating. Alpha Police have been sponsored by various individuals and companies to try to put a stop to it, and OMilitary has also put some substancial resources towards it -- they believe that by trading slaves, possible recruits are being denied from them. Slavery is considered unprofitable in the long term; although it is true that after the initial payment, a slave is a free worker, there are other things to be considered. An Omicron Alpha consumer not being paid for his work is particularly unhappy, even compared to foreign slaves. Their work is sloppy at best and they live for only a short time. In addition to this are the medical bills required to keep them alive during their phenomenally depressed lives, and then on top of that their food, clothing and accomodations. Those few slaves that are still owned illegally are done so as little more than tokens to demonstrate their owners riches.
There are very few restrictions on your business opportunities here. Even though we have not signed any treaties or agreements, we have tried to abide by international human rights laws as best as possible. For example, up until 50 years ago, people were quite literally selling their mothers. Civil rights in Omicron Alpha are phenomenal; quite simply, you can do whatever you want provided it does not damage profits or economical stability, on an individual or national level. Murder, for example, is banned here not because it is morally wrong but because it is depriving the economy of a potentially profitable worker. Along this same vein, laws have been enacted to try and keep people safe, such as speed limits on roads (this was more to do with the insistence of Alpha Police looking for additional sources of profit, however). All drugs are banned with the exception of alcohol. Drugs inhibit profitable functions, and as such are immoral. Alcohol, however, was already far to established as a profitable industry to be dissolved, and in an economic investigation it was found that the profits made by alcohol companies far outweight the damages the alcohol causes on any level.
The Consumers of Omicron Alpha
What you call civilians, or citizens, we call consumers. They live typical lives by Western standards, owning houses, cars, living in family units where profitable. It is very advisable for a close man and a woman to form a partnership, as many economical benefits can result. Most companies offer discounts when dealing with such partnerships. The partnership licence is not too expensive, at just over 400 credits, and the benefits far outweigh the cost. Same-sex partnerships are totally unrestricted, and have been for years -- primarily because there are few financial reasons to forbid it.
Children are taught in private schools, which for the most part are very high quality. There are no public schools, as there is no tax to fund such public schools. If a child is born of a family that is worth very little, many things can happen so that the child can still be taught in a school.
- The child can be sponsored by a company, on condition that they work for that company for at least 15 years once education is finished.
- The parents of the child can enter into a similar deal on its behalf; a company could sponsor the child, only instead of the child working for the company, both parents do.
- Standard loans in the child's name
- Standard loans paid off by the parents (very rare)
- The school itself sponsors the child for five years; if the child shows promise as a future teacher, they continue to sponsor them, otherwise standard rates apply (rare)
As private schools are the only schools, however, they are a lot cheaper than you would normally assume because nearly everyone uses them. This, in addition to the fact that there is no tax, means most families can afford to send their children to school with no more trouble than a poor family in a welfare state.
There is a religion in Omicron Alpha, but it is not a typical religion. Ecomomism, the Belief in Divine Incorporation. It probably wouldn't even register as a religion for foreigners, but here it has meaning to some people. Roughly 45% of people in Omicron Alpha aspire to live profitable lives for their very soul. They believe that in death, they 'become' part of the economy. Us non-believers aren't entirely sure how and quite frankly, I doubt they are either. But they believe that each time a rich person dies, the economy gets a little bit better. If you die in debt, the economy will suffer. At the moment, it is true that more profitable people are dying than people with debts, and the economy is growing, which fuels their beliefs. And during the Great Civil War of 1987, there were more people dying with debts. But this was a RESULT of the inflation, not the CAUSE, obviously. However, they believe what they believe, and they continue to be profitable, so Government Inc. lets them practice their beliefs.
Family units must be profitable in order to survive. In most countries, love is required. Here, money is required. A group of people living together essentially forms a small business. Children are considered 'employees undergoing training'. If a family is not functioning profitably, they tend to disband and either form their own families, or go out and try to make money as a sole trader. A 'merger' is formed by partnership, specifically, the son of one family uniting with the daughter of another. Most cultures would probably compare this to marriage, and they would probably be right. Despite all the capitalism, our consumers still feel and act on emotions, and there needs to be a bond for a partnership to form. Family mergers often create some of the wealthiest and most successful families in Omicron Alpha. Merged families then joining with merged families is even more profitable, and so on and so forth. A great many families frequently do become private limited companies, registered as such and competing with actual companies -- the middle class was born. Most families, though, are content to breakeven.
There is very little in the way of entertainment here. Most companies soon realised in early ventures that the consumers are as capitalistic as they are, and so most refused to pay for trivial things. A few cinemas and record industries do exist in Omicron Alpha, but they are very low profit markets here. Most people get genuine entertainment through their own commercial ventures. Television, radio and the internet were logically successful here. Television is filled with news, business and stock exchange channels, as is the radio. The internet pushed businesses further than they ever dreamed possible. These ARE high-profit endeavours. Every family unit has at least one television and an internet connection. These vital links to the outside world help them monitor economical conditions.
Infrastructure
As you probably already guessed by now, public amenities in Omicron Alpha are not public. Most roads are toll roads. Though, to overcome the inherent traffic jams created by such necessities, new technologies have made the process instant. Every time you cross into a new section of the toll road, you pass a small 'box'. This box senses your Commercial Identity Number (programmed into credit and debit cards, and into your car's computer when you first purchase it). This is then fed into the company database, and the money automatically taken from your account. This requires us to inform you of another law; specifically; when you purchase a driving licence, you must first prove that you have a bank account. It would be nearly impossible to survive in Omicron Alpha without a bank account, but there you go. Most roads are owned and maintained by nearby companies, though there are a few companies that specialise in providing roads. Those companies are responsible for the vast motorways that criss-cross Omicron Alpha.
Trains, subways and buses are private. Railway companies either own rails, trains or a bit of both. They pay whoever owns certain tracks for a licence to use them, and passengers must logically buy tickets. The same goes for buses, only they pay for use of the roads with the same system as individual consumers. Planes and ships function as they would anywhere.
Power is provided by various companies. The grid itself has been standardised, so you can switch company wherever you are. Certain regions of power cables are owned by certain power companies, who get a cut from other providers using their cables. And again, the water and sewage companies operate the same way.