“If I run, I’ll fundraise, like every other candidate.”
“Corrinne Powers has a war chest. Let’s be realistic. She has the money and the popularity to not only win the Democratic nomination but also to beat President Warner.”
Naomi pursed her lips. “If you have it all figured out, why am I here?”
Jacob leaned forward. “Because you’re a wonderful wild card. Because, with my family’s money behind you, I believe you can win.”
“If you didn’t think I could win without your money, I wouldn’t be here. I’m sure you’re also backing Corrinne and Warner.”
Jacob went quiet.
Naomi narrowed her eyes at Jacob. “If I wanted your support, what would I have to do in return?”
“I think you’ve misunderstood the situation. You’re free to do as you wish, whether you take our support or not. I can’t control you. Now, we can have a conversation to determine whether or not your potential presidential policies would support or hinder my family’s business. If we have mutual interests, it makes sense to give you ample support.”
“Let’s cut the bullshit. What is it that you want?”
Jacob nodded, his face blank. “Your socialist policies interest me. Are you against capitalist monopolies?”
“Yes.”
“Thorium Unlimited has built quite the energy monopoly. Today they provide one-quarter of all the power in the US, and that’s including transportation fuel. At current trends, by 2060, they’ll provide 40 percent. Would you consider taking action against Thorium Unlimited?”
“If it was in the best interests of the American people, yes.”
“How about a 90 percent tax rate on thorium power generation?”
“If it was in the best interests of the American people.” Naomi leaned back in her chair. “Are you against monopolies, Mr. Roth?”
“I think this is one place where we have mutual interests.”
“Doesn’t the Federal Reserve have a monopoly on money and credit? Should I also apply a 90 percent tax rate on the member banks of the cartel?”
Jacob tensed his jaw for a split second, relaxed, and smiled. “That would be a problem.”
“I imagine it would be.”
“The Federal Reserve has had an uninterrupted charter since 1913. I would assume you’d want that to continue.”
“If it’s in the best interests of the American people.”
“Do you think it’s in the best interests of the American people?”
Naomi snickered. “It’s in the best interests of the member banks.”
“That may be, but it’s also in the best interests of the American people.”
“What if I tell you that I’ll support the Federal Reserve system, and your family helps me win the election, then, when I’m elected, I do the exact opposite of what I promised? What then?”
“We can be very powerful allies, but we can also be very powerful enemies.”
Naomi glared at Jacob. “What does that mean?”
Jacob smiled back. “What do you think it means?”
Naomi stood from her seat. She was short in her flats. “I won’t be bought. I’d rather lose with my integrity intact.” She left the office, leaving the door open in her wake.
Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses. “Shit.” He stood from his desk, walked to his open door, and shut it. He dreaded the call to his father but preferred to rip off the metaphorical Band-Aid. Jacob removed his cell phone from his pocket and tapped the Nathan Roth icon. He paced in his office as the phone rang.
“How did it go?” Nathan asked.
“She’s a problem,” Jacob replied.
“What kind of problem exactly?”
“I think she wants the federal government to control credit and money creation. I doubt she’d have the votes for abolishment, but she might bring unwanted awareness.”
Nathan exhaled heavy. “I should’ve sent Eric.”
15
Summer and Gradualism
Summer touched her flat stomach, thinking of the child growing inside her. It had been two weeks since she found out, but she still hadn’t told Connor. She woke from her daydream to Connor making an impassioned point.
“We’ve had world peace since 2040,” Connor said.
“Yeah, because the bankers own every country now,” Javier said. “Venezuela went down in 2039, and North Korea just let ’em in after fat-ass Kim Jung Un died in ’37.”
“And those people aren’t starving anymore.”
“Seriously, Connor? Are you really arguing in favor of central banking?”
“I’m just looking at the facts.”
The Resistance was in session. Javier sat on the couch, across the coffee table from Connor and Summer. Mark hadn’t arrived yet.
Javier shook his head. “The bankers control money and credit. They own the world and everyone in it. If you don’t comply, they use the government to fuck you up. Plain and simple.”
Connor rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I’m not denying that it’s a corrupt system. I’m just suggesting that maybe it’s the best we could do at the time, and maybe now it’s run its course.”
“Nah, fuck that. They planned all this shit. You ever heard of gradualism?”
“No.”
“Like doing something slowly over time?” Summer asked.
“Exactly. Gradualism was their plan. That’s what they called it,” Javier said. “They created the Federal Reserve in 1913. The League of Nations in 1919. The IMF and the World Bank in 1944. The United Nations in 1945. The World Health Organization in 1948. The EU in 1993. The World Trade Organization in 1995. The euro currency in 1999. The African Union in 2002. The Union of South American Nations in 2008. Government cryptos in 2022. Then the Crypto Exchange System in 2038. Now we have a one-world-currency controlled by the central bankers, and we don’t have any wars anymore because they can control governments with credit. If a country gets out of line, they can collapse their economy with the tap of a screen.”
Connor shook his head. “I don’t buy the New World Order nonsense. Just because things happened over time doesn’t mean it’s a conspiracy. They were reacting to disruptions in the economy.”
“Dude. Come on,” Javier said. “Tell me that you’re not falling for their Hegelian dialectic bullshit.”
Connor’s phone buzzed. He tapped the screen. “Mark’s here.”
“What’s a Hegelian dialectic?” Summer asked.
“Problem, reaction, solution. For example, the crash of 2020 was the problem. The reaction was, people freaked the fuck out and begged the government for a solution. The Federal Reserve, in concert with the government, already had a solution. They banned cryptocurrencies, precious metals, and cash, so we couldn’t escape with our wealth from one paradigm to the next. Then they introduced government cryptos, and everyone readily accepted their solution.”
“People accepted it because they were afraid,” Summer said.
“Exactly. Another good example is the crash of 2038, with the Saudi revolution and the oil shortages, which were worse than the oil shortages during the Greater Depression of the 2020s.”
“I remember the crash of 2038,” Connor said, nodding. “They rationed food. They rationed gas. They closed the banks. Then we had rolling blackouts because people compensated by using electric vehicles.”
“After the crash of 2038, we had Bretton Woods III and the Crypto Exchange System, which is basically the one-world-currency we have today. People were so freaked out by what happened that everyone accepted their bullshit money without a fight.” Javier grabbed his beer from the coffee table and took a large gulp.
“It could always be worse,” Connor said. “At least Fed Coins are relatively stable.”
A banging came at the door.