Government

## Overview

Government remains the same, only more so.

There are three levels of government: local, sectional and whole or national, and of course, there are sometimes turf wars. At any of the levels, the role of government is real, but extremely narrow.

Democracy exists since it is particularly useful in creating a self-interested, individualistic work force. Each person has a vote, and voter turnout can be quite high depending on the charisma of the candidates (see politics).

Regardless of this democracy, the Corps have the real power and act in their own best interests. If the Corps pulled their support away from any level of government, that level would crumble. The government knows its role.

As well, some Corps receive such a high level of dedication, their Connected tend to vote as a block for the candidates that either come from their Corp or are supported by the Corp (this is particularly true in the case of the "Ninjas" - see Nowkyo). Some people hope to rise in position, or even become Connected, through supporting a Corp candidate and working hard (and visibly) on a winning campaign.

Although Corp influence on the government is strong, a vicious competition or conflict between the Corps would have disastrous effects on the society. The most important role of government thus is to act as a mediator or referee between the Corps.

## Local

Local governments have limited power. They work to ensure the best course of action for their municipality. This includes community planning (building standards, garbage collection/recycling, lighting, park development, etc.) as well as community visioning (celebrations, fund-raising projects for beautification programs etc.).

In reality though, the work a local government does depends very much on their location. In the Doomed areas, there tends to be more activists (a few of them are future Xs) but less money for necessities such as lighting, improving existing building structures, or creating parks.

As well, since needs are so pressing, it is difficult to attain a common community vision or course of action. One solution is to lease out areas of the community to gamers (e.g. BloodMoney) to raise some funds.

## Sectional

This is analogous to state or provincial government. Sectional government primarily serves the interests of the Corps and the Connected, and, to a more limited extent, the middle class.

The primary responsibility for Sectional government is to award contracts to various Corps. These contracts cover such things as road-building, water and energy supply, education, transportation, etc. Since certain Corps have a monopoly in these areas, they can offer the best "deals" and therefore they receive the contracts. Government officials, as well as a good portion of the general public, are reassured by such fair competition practices. Besides, who wants to learn all about supplying water to a bunch of people? Best to leave it to the experts in a given Corp.

Sectional government is also responsible for maintaining and monitoring the police. Since Corps have their own security forces, the section police officers or **SPers** (pronounced "Spurs") don't have to worry much about the areas where the Connected live. The middle-class get involved in white-color crime and some mindless stuff (spurned lover beatings, tension shootings) but otherwise are pretty law-abiding--at least on the surface.

The Doomed areas can be a problem because these people have nothing much to lose and it's obvious the society isn't doing much for them anyway. No SPer wants to be assigned to a Doomed Area. With enough skill and heroism, a SPer might get noticed by someone high in a Corp and get to be on a security force, or even better, become a bodyguard. It's pretty much impossible for the sectional government to hold on to really good SPers. And the worst end up in the Doomed Areas.

## Whole (National)

"Whole Government" is a mid-century slogan that caught on and is now used synonymously with National Government. Governments realize that nationality has some usefulness still, as people love to belong and feel proud about their country.

However, since the Corps are multinational or Uberwhole, this has overturned any type of capital protectionism between countries. It isn't even a question of free trade, since the Corps are Uberwhole.

Support from the people is important for the WG though, and nationalism works well here. A current popular WG slogan is "Our flag or none." This gets cheers pretty much everywhere, although the WG has received word that a charismatic, flamboyantly homosexual candidate is quickly rising through the ranks of local and sectional government. His followers have turned the slogan into "Our fag or none." Most of the Doomed like this version of the slogan too, given the rumors that have been growing about the sexual practices of several leading and very conservative members of the WG...

Whole Government has responsibility for maintaining a national police/security force (the army), passing and implementing laws that affect everyone in society, mediating any conflicts between the Corps (see above) and encouraging general esprit de Corps. Political campaigns are useful for the latter, and there are regular democratic elections.

## Politics

Political candidates tend to be charismatic, connected people. Many are backed by a Corp because otherwise it's simply too expensive to get noticed and run an effective campaign.

Sometimes a Farm dweller candidate makes a run for office, at least as a way to get Connected, if not elected. More rarely an extremely charismatic candidate rises from the Doomed population. This type of candidate is derogatorily referred to as an "X" (derived from Malcolm X, and also he/she is a "cross to bear" for the WG people).

An X generates a huge amount of excitement and solidarity among the Doomed. Although once elected an X can cause tension and long arguments at the WG level (some years earlier, one prominent leader summed up the situation with Xs as, "The ideals of the few too often compromise the lives of the many"), the Xs are valuable because the Doomed feel like they have a voice and role in government. This is helpful in quelling revolutions. As well, some of these charismatic Xs can be scooped into more conservative government roles, or into one of the Corps. Besides that, one or two Xs among several hundred regular government officials won't be able to change anything.