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“Try as I may, It still makes no sense”

Overview • Policies • People • Government • Economy • Rank • Trend • Cards

The State of Aike is a gargantuan, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its complete lack of prisons and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 43.319 billion Aikeans are effectively ruled by a group of massive corporations, who run for political office and provide their well-off citizens with world-class goods and services. Their poorer citizens, however, are mostly starving to death while being urged to go out and get real jobs. The populace has reasonably extensive civil rights, although these are mostly aimed at allowing them to buy whatever they like.

The minute, pro-business, outspoken government, or what there is of one, prioritizes Industry, although Education is also considered important, while Law & Order and Spirituality are ignored. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.9%.

The very strong Aikean economy, worth a remarkable 1,889 trillion betales a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is fairly diversified and led by the Book Publishing industry, with significant contributions from Woodchip Exports, Beef-Based Agriculture, and Gambling. Average income is 43,614 betales, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 296,525 per year while the poor average 2,343, a ratio of 126 to 1.

The streets are increasingly clogged with poverty-stricken beggars, the tenet of free speech is held dear, all tariffs have been abolished, and the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller. Crime is a major problem, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Aike's national animal is the deer, which can occasionally be seen sifting through garbage in the nation's cities.

Aike is ranked 194,215^th in the world and 1^st in Aike for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 57.88 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.