by G.R. Carter
*****
OVAL OFFICE – WHITE HOUSE
FEDERAL DC – FREE ZONE
“My Fellow Americans…” the President of the United States began as every other President had for as long as anyone could remember. Luis Aguilar didn’t need a teleprompter, though one stood in front of him. He discovered as a young child that he possessed a photographic memory. That, along with an outgoing personality rare among geniuses allowed him to rocket through the ranks of education and then politics. First as a state rep, then as a Senator, a brief stop as a Cabinet member and then right to President. Having a Hispanic-sounding name helped with the current demographics. His home state of California made up almost twenty percent of the nation’s population currently. Once America finally ridded herself of the archaic Electoral College, all he needed were the larger city metros to come to his side and the Presidency was his in a popular vote landslide.
“…We stand witness to the greatest example of political cooperation our great nation has seen since the Civil Rights act of the 1960s, or even the New Deal before that. We’ve witnessed history when our elected leaders have come together and accomplished great things.
“In front of me right now is legislation, approved by both chambers of Congress and already approved by the Supreme Court, setting our country back on the right path. This bill insures protection from the Solar Storms and gives us a pathway that leads out of the economic challenges you face.
“With this bill, which I have dubbed the Connectivity Restoration Project, or CRP, your government now has the means to reestablish the connections between our great cities. Yes, it is a lot of money, but the Congressional Budget Office has determined that this bill will return over one hundred times the amount spent to fortify our electrical infrastructure in positive GDP growth. And it is estimated to create or maintain at least forty million new jobs.
“To avoid any delay, each state will be allocated money to their infrastructure accounts through the Department of the Interior by tomorrow morning. Each Governor will be allowed to submit plans to Secretary of the Interior Vincent Dikario for immediate approval. The Secretary has been allowed to add 25% capacity in Department of the Interior staff to ensure we encounter no delays. This fresh way of looking at things will allow states to prioritize their projects while making sure that there is a strong hand overseeing the people’s hard-earned money.
“With help from our friends at the Con–Pro Coalition, our nation realizes significant savings from the Pullback. As you all know, it has been a goal of mine to bring our troops home from around the world. We need to streamline our military, and right-size it in this day and age of mutual world cooperation. Both Conservatives and Progressives agree with this central pillar of my administration. Effective immediately, I have instructed the Pentagon to begin handing over all overseas bases to our allies, and to begin disbanding at least 50% of all active duty units. National Guard Units will now form the basis of our national defense. While tasked with helping their local communities, I have now federalized their commands and placed them under the authority of the Secretary of Defense to replace the manpower lost from regular army units. Even now, we are in the process of shipping back all of our military hardware to be distributed to community police forces across the country.
“Additionally, all naval groups will report to our bases at Pearl Harbor and Norfolk to await assignment for drug interdiction, inspection of offshore drilling procedures, and to patrol our nation’s fisheries. This is vital work, meant to solidify the environmental initiatives crafted by your champions at the Environmental Protection Agency.
“All in all, this bill in front of me tonight is an extraordinary net positive for our economy and the future of our children. It is unfortunate that it takes an extraordinary event like the Solar Storms to bring unity to our government. But let us rejoice that once again the people of America are up to the challenge this century brings us. Thanks to all, and be united, America.”
Thomas Reed walked on from off-camera and handed a ceremonial pen to the President. As President Aguilar signed the document, America assumed another 500 trillion dollars in debt.
