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“Getting By”

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

The Queen's State of Hault is a gargantuan, efficient nation, remarkable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, complete absence of social welfare, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, hard-working, democratic population of 30.75 billion Haultians 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, is solely concerned with Industry. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 4.6%.

The very strong Haultian economy, worth a remarkable 1,373 trillion betales a year, is driven almost entirely by the private sector, which is led by the Uranium Mining industry, with significant contributions from Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Basket Weaving. Average income is 44,666 betales, but there is a vast disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 303,678 per year while the poor average 2,399, a ratio of 126 to 1.

The alarmingly racist TV show 'Bigtopians Say the Darndest Things' is a hit, the government is avowedly atheist, none has been named as Hault's national religion, and fur coats have become the latest fashion trend. Crime is a major problem, probably because of the absence of a police force. Hault's national animal is the deer, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is none.

Hault is ranked 305,233^rd in the world and 1^st in Ails for Highest Poor Incomes, with 2,400 Standard Monetary Units.