Strange Future: A 23rd Century Guide for the 21st Century Cynic by Josh Smith
Chapter 27
"Good morning everyone!" Lyla said as she approached the group's table at breakfast. She took the last remaining seat across from Thomas and winked at him as she sat down. Thomas looked to see how the others would react, but they had apparently not noticed. This was a good thing in his mind. It wasn't that he was ashamed of the fact that he and Lyla were sort of in a relationship. He was just nervous that it might not go anywhere, and in the event that it didn't pan out, it wouldn't be nearly as awkward afterwards if no one else knew. He wouldn't be upset if the others did find out of course, but he wasn't going to any trouble to let them know now.
The waiter came over and took Lyla's order. The rest of the group had already eaten, but they still had plenty of time, so the sharp, annoyed commentary was kept to a minimum. Once they finished eating, the group made their way out the door, opting to take the POD system instead of a taxi. It was much cheaper, and the morning rush hour traffic was not something they wanted to get stuck in. Fortunately for them, the closest POD station was just a few blocks away. Moments later, they were emerging on the street outside the International House.
"That's Buckingham Palace!" Vera said, pointing and waving her arm wildly.
"Hey, yeah, it is!" Thomas said.
"What?" Darin and Lyla said in unison.
"Buckingham Palace," Thomas explained, "used to be where the British royal family lived. I'm surprised it survived this long, but they probably kept it as a historic landmark after the world united as Pangaea, then reused it for the International House."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go in!" Vera ran ahead of the group and led the way into the building. They passed through security gates very similar to those that were used in the airport, although these were unmanned. Surprisingly there were no lines. In fact, there was hardly anyone around at all. A lonely security guard who appeared very near retirement snoozed in a chair behind a large, round counter in the main lobby. He was heavyset, balding, and had a white beard. As they approached, he woke up, startled by the presence of people.
"Oh, hello there!" He said quickly, attempting--but failing--to cover up for the fact he was sleeping. "What can I do for you?"
"Well we were hoping to take a tour of the house," Vera said.
"What? Really? Wow." The man pulled out a radio. "Hey, Joe! We have a group of young people here who want a tour."
"A tour?!" replied a voice.
"Yes, that's right, a tour. Who's here from that department today?"
"Bob, that department was dissolved more than a year ago after the OP found out that they were getting paid good money to come here and do nothing every day." The group exchanged confused looks.
"What?" Asked Bob, clearly shocked by this news. "Well I know they weren't as busy as in times past, but the entire tour department getting dissolved?"
"Yeah, don't you remember? The OP claimed it as a great victory in the war against excessive government spending."
"Well the OP always talks about cutting something or other, but as long as it isn't my job, I don't pay attention."
"I don't know what to tell you..." The voice replied. Bob thought for a second.
"I could take them on a tour I guess if you'll send someone down here to sit at the front desk."
"I'll try to find someone. Don't wait up, just go ahead and take them on the tour." Bob developed a quizzical look and returned the radio to his pocket. He grunted and got up out of his chair, walked out of the door at the back of the counter, and came around to the front where the group was standing.
"Sorry about that," he said as he approached, "we just hardly ever have visitors anymore. People aren't as excited about politics as they used to be," he said with a wistful look in his eye. "Anyhow, I'm Bob Farley, and I guess I get to be your tour guide today." He exchanged handshakes and pleasantries with each of them in turn, getting their names along the way.
"Let's say I show you around, eh?" he asked and began walking. The group followed eagerly behind. "So is there anything in particular you want to see?"
"Yeah," said Lyla glancing at a clock they were passing, "we really want to see things in action in the chambers, so we'd like to go up to the observation room early enough to make sure there's still room left."
"I wouldn't worry about that Lyla," Bob said, "the observation room is rarely used. There are usually only a few regulars in there. 'Government Watchdogs' or some such nonsense."
"Oh, OK I guess," she said, not convinced. "It's around 9:15 now, so can we make sure we get up there right before ten?"
"Yeah, I can do that. Until then you have no preference on what you see?"
"I have no idea what else is here so I guess we can just see whatever you show us."
"Well, let's just do the complete circuit then." They walked down a large corridor and admired the paintings hanging on the walls as they passed. "This is the west wing. After this place was taken over when Pangaea was founded, they basically gutted the internal walls and started over from scratch. They made the layout much simpler and divided it into an east and west side. The west side is mostly dominated by the chambers where the house meets. The east side consists of offices on the first floor, and the second floor has galleries of historic artwork, documents, and so on."
"Beyond here," he said, pausing behind a line of velvet ropes "is the main chamber." Down the corridor, they could see politicians entering via a set of PODS lining the left side of the wall.
"Where do those PODS go?" Doug asked.
"Oh, those are special PODS that are used exclusively by the house members. They connect directly to their living quarters so that they can get to work here as quickly as possible without taking public transit. Before the POD system was installed, they actually had a small subway that ran back and forth between the living quarters and here. The train is still there, but is never used anymore. They keep it as a backup."
"Those doors down there on the right side of the hall lead to the chambers?" Lyla asked.
"Right."
"So where do the doors straight down lead to?"
"Those lead to an enclosed courtyard. It's for house members only, of course. Many of them enjoy eating their lunches outside when the weather is nice. Anyhow, let's go on, there's nothing else to really see in the west side, not on this floor at least." The group walked over to the east side where they passed by offices that were dark and seemed unused.
"These aren't the offices given to the house members of course, these are reserved for the different organizations that service the house members."
"Why are they all empty?" Darin asked.
"Most of the organizations were disbanded or dissolved by the house. They just weren't really needed anymore... At least that's what the house said in the bill when they passed it." The group kept walking, passing one dark, empty office after another. Finally they came to a staircase and went up to the area where the galleries were.
"What?!" Bob said as they entered a vast, empty room. "Where did the gallery go?"
"Did the house dissolve it while you were asleep?" Vera asked. The others turned and looked to her, shocked that she would say something so biting to someone she just met. Fortunately for them, Bob didn't seem to hear it and was already on his radio trying to figure out what had happened. While he yelled at this mysterious Joe character, the group walked around the room. The walls were bare, but the silhouettes where artwork had previously hung were glaringly obvious. Pedestals that likely once contained statues and busts of people long dead were also scattered around the room, barren. It was all rather depressing.
"What do you mean they passed an act to get rid of the gallery years ago?" Bob was shouting behind them. The group was too far away to hear the answers but didn't need to. Government had once again passed an act and then taken years to fulfill it. "It took them that long to do it? Well yes I know the collection would've gotten more exposure in the other museums, but... You know what Joe, I'm so glad I can retire soon and get out. Hopefully
"I'm sorry guys. I don't know what's going on with our government... I've been working this job for sixty years and I've seen a lot of changes in my lifetime, but lately it's just been accelerating. I can see why they'd cut programs that aren't being used... And people's interest in our government and what it does really has waned, which is a shame. That's why I was so glad to see you all here, but, well, apparently you're too late. Nearly everything to do with letting people see how their government works has been taken away..."
"I hope the observation room is still there!" Lyla blurted out.
"Oh dear," Bob said, seeming unsure. "I'll bet it is, the press still comes in occasionally whenever they get ready to pass something big. Let's just go and see." The group walked through the rest of the empty gallery rooms in silence, finally coming to a walkway that passed over the lobby area. No one had come to man Bob's post at the front desk. Bob didn't say a word about it, which indicated that he either hadn't noticed or had given up caring.
As they came to the end of the walkway, they turned left and soon found themselves directly above where they had been observing the house members arriving just minutes before. Ahead and to the right was a set of doors. They now stood in front of them.
"Ready?" Bob asked.
"As we'll ever be," Lyla replied.
The group entered the observation room above the chambers. It was only about half past ten, so many house members were still arriving. The variety in the members was impressive. It was as if they were looking down upon a meeting at the United Nations in the 21st century. There were people from every culture and ethnic group arriving. The idea that so many people from so many different backgrounds could work together in one united government was so strange to Doug, Thomas, and Vera, but seeing it really happen was almost inspiring.
"The Regional Houses," Bob began, "can create and approve various proposals for each region on the Earth. There are twelve regions altogether. However, the different laws and regulations that each region passes must be in compliance with anything that comes down from the International House. In the end, the International House has the final say-so on nearly everything."
"What about taxation?" Vera asked.
"Well there are two taxes. There is the global tax that is applied each year by the International House. It funds most of the government programs and institutions that everyone around the globe uses. Then there is a regional tax that is created by the Regional Houses. That tax is used to fund things specific to each region. I'll give you an example: the maintenance and creation of the global positioning systems used to guide hovercars and hovertrains is funded by the global tax. The creation of a POD system in a specific city, however, is funded by the regional tax for that area."
"Sounds like it could get to be expensive." Doug said.
"Oh but it is! That's why they've been on this 'war on spending' kick for a while. The International House is striving to eliminate every unnecessary program it can so that the global tax will be as small as possible." Bob continued to provide occasional commentary, but the group sat in silence, not asking anymore questions, waiting to see what would happen next. Finally, it appeared that most of the members were there and it was time to begin.
"Alright, it is now eleven and time for this session of the International House to begin," said a woman who had taken her place at a podium in the front of the hall. The house members were sitting in stadium style seating, ascending nearly to the room where the group was overlooking the chambers. In front of each seat was a console that contained a computer, a voting apparatus, and a few other buttons that had no obvious purpose. Thomas did a quick head count and estimated that there must've been at least six-hundred people present.
"That's Lydia Shults, she's the International House Organizational Person, or IHOP," Bob said, referring to the woman who had begun talking. "She basically leads the sessions and brings up the bills that are to be dis--"
"Wait wait wait, did you just say IHOP?" Doug asked, grinning madly.
"Yes, she's the IHOP." Bob didn't have a clue why this was funny. Doug, Thomas, and Vera just snickered. Lyla and Darin shared looks of confusion. The IHOP banged the gavel and started the session.
"First up," she said, "we continue the war on spending with this set of bills that will eliminate two rarely used government offices, remove two-thousand unneeded government jobs, and grants the tax division the authority to auction off excess equipment that is estimated to be worth more than one-hundred million dollars. As a result, the global tax rate will drop by 0.2%." Charts and figures were projected on a screen behind her. "The floor is open for discussion."
Suddenly in a frenzy of what almost seemed to be panic, the house members began consulting their computers, looking up each bill to read the full text. Some dialed aides on their implants to find out what their position should be in order to have the best chances of being reelected. Others simply turned and began arguing with the person seated next to them.
"It's a circus!" Vera said, disgusted by it all.
"This is how they pass laws?" Lyla asked, genuinely shocked. Darin's facial expression matched hers. Neither of them had ever bothered to investigate how their government actually conducted its business. Instead, they had blindly trusted that the government knew best and that the system worked. It was a dangerous mistake to make, and further elevated their shock at discovering that the leaders of the world are bumbling idiots. Suddenly, like clock work, the IHOP banged her gavel and everyone fell silent.
"We will now take a vote on the issue." The information projected behind her disappeared and was replaced by a bar graph. She picked up her voting device, and everyone else followed suit. Soon the votes began coming in and the bar graph updated in real time to show the results. It passed by a fairly large margin: 421 yeas, 221 nays, and 8 abstaining. The next bill came up for discussion, and the house once again degenerated into fighting and screaming.
"I've seen enough," Lyla said, "let's get out of here."
"Amen to that," Vera replied. The guys just nodded. They started to leave.
"I'm sorry you guys," Bob said as they were leaving the room. The group just kept walking, but Vera felt slightly guilty, and turned back. No one noticed as she left them and reentered the room. Bob sat there in a chair, head in hands, looking out at the circus below.
"It's not your fault," she said.
"What?"
"It's not your fault."
"Well I know that. I know you guys are disappointed in how our government works, and to be quite honest, I am too. If I wasn't so close to retirement, I would've quit a long time ago and found another job somewhere else. Our government was founded on some pretty rock solid principles, but even those with the best intentions can't see what the future will hold... Now those principles have been so watered down that it's not the same government anymore."
"That's just the way every government in history has been. Maybe someday we'll figure it out and get it right," she said, smiling. He thought for a moment and finally smiled back. Vera quietly left and made her way outside to rejoin the others. She found them on the steps out front where they had come in. Darin and Lyla were consulting a map and Doug and Thomas were staring off into the distance. "Hey guys, what's up?" Neither Doug nor Thomas responded. "What's wrong with you?" She looked at the direction and angle they were gazing in, and finally saw it. She gasped. It was Big Ben with a digital face.