Purpose of the economy

With his weekly salary in his pocket, Mitchell was off the clock. Long hours at Noxfocn was not the most enjoyable work, but with the money he could do things that he loved and enjoyed.

Everyday Mitchell would do the same task over and over, checking various parts to make sure it worked and repairing them if it didn't. He and his fellow workers worked 12-14 hours a day, in the end those parts would go to make the technology people used work.

To Mitchell, he took a walking path leading to his apartment. Inside was a single chair, desk, lamp and a small window to look out at the city metropolis.

"Where did his time and work go?", Mitchell wondered. Every day he worked to get his credits, but it just seemed like the city was an endless blackhole. Buildings would be built and destroyed and it seemed that nothing changed, and even if it did he didn't notice.

Mitchell grabbed a cup of water, the energy supplied by some American worker running on a treadmill.

On his electronic device, the government made a post of the diagram where their tax money was going. The transparency people demanded and fought for was displayed as a digital 3d interactive report.

The goal of the government was "Make more than you produce." Making sure there was a net surplus in productivity meant calculating health expenses, time delays, honorable acts was encouraged and rewarded. As the politician, John Stuart Mills described it, "the most Utilitarian purpose is not one of Egalitarian principles, but of capitalism intentions." (･ω･`〃)

(EN: don't take the philosophy too seriously. )

The chart displayed how their surplus is then consumed in research projects, luxury and energy. The luxury and entertainment sector sustained a 5% cut, for a 10% increase in research. Majority of the expenditure was on maintenance of failing industries and culture. Although Morden's law held out for a good two centuries, the pace that the leaders had attempted to pursue for the past few decades were starting to decline.

Jupiter and Neptune are starting to request more resources than expected an increase of 8% above the previous projections. Economic projects have yielded 2% less returns than the economists and statisticians have promised, we'll need a 4% reduction cut in the annual budget.

The various conclusions at the end described.

After reading the report, Mitchell saved his allotted power so that he could purchase a new travel pass for the next month. He'd trade his monthly quota on the energy market account in exchange for some tokens to use later.

He decided to sleep early for the day and get himself ready for the next.

Arriving at work early he heard a heated conversation in their manager's office.

"It's the economy, stupid", the boss said explaining why he couldn't afford giving them their holiday bonuses, promotions or raises. He sat there smoking a cigar. Their boss was a man who wore a hat because his hair had fallen out due to the stress and fierce competition. Although he was rude, he paid well and took care of his employees.

The dejected man talked about his family, but the boss was firm. His only piece of advice was, "Maybe try UB or MUFG, I have to go to them and ask for loans to pay your salary."

How much was society consuming and at which pace could they enjoy the fruits of their labor. Mitchell felt like an apple whose juice was being squeezed for others to drink. His blood, sweat, and tears went into the machine.

"Was this really all he was worth? Was society so inefficient and unproductive this would be all he'd receive?"

Mitchell refused to believe this, "the math just doesn't add up."

Although everyone at every level skims off the top, his boss would pay him a fraction of what he made, the government taxed him a fraction of what his boss made. He knew that his labor was being enjoyed not only by himself, but by others.

Mitchell sought to find the wealth inequality, it must exist somewhere! Someone who overindulged, it couldn't just be him who thought this way.

Gathering some of his drinking buddies, after work they'd head to the International Taxation Office (ITO). Teaching themselves accounting and cross checking with Benford's law, they found a startling conclusion.

The growth rate that the government promised wasn't holding stable, in fact they weren't even cheating, they fudged the numbers. There was a net loss, the origin of it dating back to 21XX and they've been filling the backlog of the debt they incurred all those years ago.

On the whole there were various cases of corruptions, small numbers here and there, extortions, business acquisitions, monopolies and predatory practices, the inefficiencies only amounted to a 5% loss. Considerably better than previous trends when it reached as high as 35%.

If society continued at the rate they did, human civilization would start to cannibalize itself for resources in the coming future. Mitchell suddenly understood why the government policies were so harsh, they were covering up the past and betting on the future.

If human progress and advancement found a breakthrough for interstellar space travel and communication, coupled with various efficiencies there may be a way out. However, that gap would have to be filled with human lives.

Mitchell stopped complaining about the government and started blaming his great-great grandfather, "Grandpa, did you know the sun that you enjoyed and games that you played would lead to this?"

The tears started streaming down his face. For Mitchell knew that every bite he took, every break he went on pushed future generations closer to a dark abyss. His generation was doing its best to barely break even.