Journal entry, November 22, 2015
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Smith is the name. Michael Smith. I work for the BART, Barter Exchange and Redemption Taxation. There is no Bay Area Rapid Transit anymore. There hasn't been much of anything since the crash of 2010. The states are no longer united, there is no President and no Federal Government. States are run by Governors who are now autonomous and make the laws, which are enforced by state militias that have the authority to kill lawbreakers on sight. Curfews vary from state to state, but in general, people must be off the streets and in their homes by 10:00 pm.
After the economic collapse of 2010, the people learned that they had been defrauded - that money had been privatized and existed only in the form of credit. They rebelled and martial law was imposed to stop the rioting and looting. The Pentagon disbanded and the military were re-assigned to the states by a committee of Governors appointed by the Justice Department, which subsequently disbanded when the states declared independence.
These first seven years have been hell. Goods and services are virtually non-existent and Americans, in their rage against a system that had ruthlessly defrauded them, have been on a rampage with a singular purpose...confiscate the holdings the billionaires that were still living the good life in their mansions, on their yachts and at their parties. The military intervened briefly, but then joined forces with the Avengers, as they were called. 30,000 Americans died in what could be categorized as a mini civil war in which the rich were pitted against common Americans. The last recorded death was Warren Buffet, who was hunted down on a lonely street in Beverly Hills. By order of the Governors, the material holdings captured were stockpiled in BART redemption centers throughout the states and these became the banks.
Stores continue to operate, but money and credit has been replaced by barter. People come with their goods and trade for credits, or units of buying value. Some people barter services, so you can go to a store and earn buying credits by painting, or re-flooring, or any other skilled labor you can contribute. Store employees work for the same buying credits.
Still, the states are poor. Having depended for so long on import as the source of goods, there are massive shortages and in a sense, the country resembles it's earliest beginnings. America is starting from scratch once again and hardship is common. However, there is a plus side to all of this. Values and beliefs long ago discarded in favor of greed are beginning to return as the distribution of goods and services reflect humanitarian principles. The disabled, the sick and the needy are cared for. State militias are empowered to enforce drug laws and again, another war broke out but it didn't last for long. Over 200,000 drug traffickers and dealers were killed on sight, and by 2013, the war on drugs was finally over.
My job? I collect taxes, in the form of barter, but things like tax return forms and taxation rates have been replaced by a uniform collection system that demands very little from individuals. It works because there is no longer any large scale fraud or loopholes that exempt businesses, so the ultimate value of taxation barter collected far exceeds anything ever amassed by the defunct IRS.
Don't get me wrong - there are still serious problems and hardships that Americans have to endure. There are many "dead spots" in the country, places where utilities have not been restored and some of the states do not have the resources to provide law enforcement. From Minneapolis west to Las Vegas, America looks a lot like the wild west of old. Roving bands of marauders and small armies terrorize cities, particularly in states that have been decimated by the Great Floods of 2012, during which an unprecedented series of hurricanes swept through the Gulf states and left a trail of complete and totally devastating destruction that followed a path as far north as Maine and New Hampshire.
I wish that I could tell you more, but there really isn't much to say now. I lost my family in the Great Floods and I live alone in a small house in Rosemount, Minnesota. I had a son, Michael Jr. He was murdered by marauders on September 13 - nine days ago. I cannot describe to you the sense of complete devastation that I feel - not only for my family but also for my country; a place that I still love dearly for everything it once stood for and everything it is trying to be once again.
This is my journal. Perhaps one day someone will discover this and understand that the price for freedom and safety from tyranny is mighty high. Nothing should ever be taken for granted. Today is my birthday. I am 62 years old. I own a stereo, some furniture, and this typewriter. It's not much, but it's mine and I would defend it to the death.
I got sick last year and I think I have lung cancer. There aren't any doctors in my area and only one hospital that is overflowing with victims of a new virus that no one understands yet. I still work but soon I will have to stop - I've lost 60 pounds and have little strength left. I doubt that I will last beyond the new year.
If you pass through and read this, good luck to you wherever you go. §