Part 13 (2/2)
Schmidt added, ”It'll pay for a better defense, too, Juani, if and when we actually have to fight.”
Juanita shrugged. ”We agreed, Jack, that if we fight, we lose. Leaving aside the economic consequences, if Rottemeyer wins, a President who fought and won on her own authority, this country will be in a lockdown like we have never even had nightmares about.”
”Sure Juani, we agreed. Even I agree. But if nothing else we have planned works, we'll end up fighting anyway. I'd rather do it better armed than worse.”
Juanita didn't answer. She had every intention of ordering her own forces to lay down their arms before it came to fighting if that was the only way to end things short of bloodshed. Of course, she didn't intend to tell anyone that.
”Fine, then,” she told Schmidt. ”What do you need? Where do you think you can get it? What will it cost? And how will we pay?”
Schmidt, scratching beside his nose, answered, ”Well... with a federal mint to do our purchasing, I don't see a problem with paying,” He grinned. A mint couldn't counterfeit counterfeit the money it printed as a matter of course. ”Cost? h.e.l.l, we're just starting to figure that out. We've got a fair number of people, tens of thousands really, flocking to join us. A lot of them have guns they buried when Was.h.i.+ngton started taxing them so heavily. But even there, a lot of them, most really, are non-standard. So I would want at least compatible small arms. I imagine we could buy those almost anywhere and s.h.i.+p them through Mexico.” the money it printed as a matter of course. ”Cost? h.e.l.l, we're just starting to figure that out. We've got a fair number of people, tens of thousands really, flocking to join us. A lot of them have guns they buried when Was.h.i.+ngton started taxing them so heavily. But even there, a lot of them, most really, are non-standard. So I would want at least compatible small arms. I imagine we could buy those almost anywhere and s.h.i.+p them through Mexico.”
”All right. When you know what you need, bring it to me and we'll see. And now, if you will forgive me, I have a speech to prepare.”
Chapter Nine.
From the transcript at trial: Commonwealth of Virginia v. Alvin Scheer DIRECT EXAMINATION, CONTINUEDBY MR. STENNINGS:.
Q. Alvin, what did you think about the things Texas started doing after the ma.s.sacre...
MS. CAPUTO: Objection, Your Honor. That kind of inflammatory language-
MR. STENNINGS: Withdrawn, Judge.
Q. After the mission, Alvin. What did you think about what Texas did after the mission was destroyed?
A. I've got to confess, I was so sheerly tickled when the governor went to the legislature and asked for a law declaring income tax withholding for the feds illegal in the state. Didn't change the withholding, mind you, just sent it straight to the state.
Now, I didn't see the TV when the governor spoke. I was a little busy fixing up my truck, packin' a few things, figurin' out the map and all. Well, I never was too good with a map. So I missed the governor when she came on TV.
But my friends who saw it told me about it. Said the governor used some mighty strong words speakin' to the legislature about federal income tax. ”No matter what the Supreme Court may have said, tyranny long endured does not equal law...'Disobedience to tyranny is obedience to G.o.d.' ” They told me she said that the income tax was illegal from the beginning, never properly made part of the Const.i.tution. Never...ratified? Is that the word, Mr. Stennings? Well, if that really was true, I guess that means they were pickin' my pocket every two weeks for most of my life.
The other thing was, she and the legislature said no Texas corporation could pay corporate income tax either. That didn't sit too well with me, the fat cats getting over and all. But my friends said that when the governor explained it, it made sense. See, the corporations never did pay any tax. It was all smoke and mirrors, a sales tax-we were used to that in Texas, of course-pretending to be an income tax. The big corporations? They just raised their prices to cover the tax they paid, plus a little more profit for themselves. So it was just me and folks like me that were payin' the big corporations' income tax. ”Obtaining money under false pretenses,” the governor said it was. That, and ”We aren't going to roll for their scam, anymore, either.”
Anyway, the governor's bill pa.s.sed by a pretty good margin.
Was.h.i.+ngton, DC
The President's office was bright with the sun, but dark with anger and-more than a little-with despair, frustration and sheer worry. Things were simply not not supposed to happen like this; not to supposed to happen like this; not to her her, certainly. Rottemeyer had never in her worst nightmares envisioned the kind of resistance she had generated in Texas, the kind of hatred. She thrived on being loved and wors.h.i.+pped. Indeed, every step of her life had been devoted to purchasing love and wors.h.i.+p; albeit generally with other people's money. This change in her fortunes was both unexpected and deeply demoralizing; not least demoralizing to the Cabinet that had had such faith in her.
Privately, Rottemeyer thought of her Cabinet as the ”Four F's”: ”flunkies, flics, flacs and fairies.” The first three described, respectively, those who did her job for her, those who arrested those who made her job more difficult, and those who dealt with the press. The last, the ”fairies,” were scattered about the first three groups, each ”fairy” representing cash payment for the unquestioning support given Rottemeyer by much of the extremely influential gay community.
As the herd of ”Four F's” droned on, Rottemeyer had rotated her chair around, in seeming contempt for her Cabinet. Still, eyes fixed elsewhere, her ears listened intently to what was being said...listened, and didn't like what they heard.
Treasury spoke last and to the President's back. ”To my mind, Madam President, the most dangerous things the Texans have done are fiscal. General McCreavy can worry about their having increased their defense forces. I am not worried about that. Ultimately, even she agrees we could handle that problem, if not easily.
”The attorney general fears a breakdown of law and order across the country. That's specious nonsense; sorry. The Texans appear to be doing a fine job of controlling crime within their borders without any federal help. Though, with recent round-ups there, I concede that some Texan criminals are fleeing that state for the other forty-nine.
”The surgeon general's office worries about abortion rights. I think we can safely say that any Texan woman who wants an abortion can easily go to Oklahoma or Louisiana to get one. Women in New York, contrarily, seem safe from being forced to go to Texas to prevent them from having one. They can already not have one, even in New York, if they wish.
”The secretary of state worries about our influence in the world waning when we cannot exercise full power here at home. I submit to you, Madame President, that if we fail to exercise full power at home then to h.e.l.l with our influence in the world.
”But this nullification of the income tax and other taxes? The grabbing of the Western Currency Facility? These are potentially disastrous.”
Rottemeyer swung her chair around. ”Explain,” she demanded.
Treasury sighed. He knew the President was fully aware of what he was about to say. Yet, still, it had to be stated, and clearly.
”Texas provides something like seven point six percent of federal revenues. A good portion of that goes back to the state, of course, in the form of federal aid. Yet, overall, taxation of Texas and Texans is a profit-making endeavor for the federal government. About a six-cent profit on the dollar. Money from there, other less populated and more conservative states too, goes to paying for social programs all over the rest of the country. Madam President, your continued popularity with the voters depends on those programs.”
Around the table heads nodded soberly. Few in Willi's Cabinet had any real illusions that her popularity and power-their own power as well-was, except for a small hard core, anything but bought and paid for through federal largesse. Certainly they had no doubt that it would not survive a significant decrease in federal payouts.
Treasury looked from face to face. Yes, he saw. He had the Cabinet's agreement, by and large. Even the attorney and surgeon generals, State and Interior, agreed.
”We can continue to print money, of course, and write checks that have no tax money to back them. That doesn't matter, per se. Yet the effect of doing so will be increased inflation, indirect taxation if you will. And that that will also cost influence with the voters.” will also cost influence with the voters.”
Rottemeyer scowled, ”Can it, Seymour. In about five years. But these are all leisurely leisurely emergencies. Their consequences can't possibly be felt till this issue is resolved. emergencies. Their consequences can't possibly be felt till this issue is resolved.
Plenty of time to head off that problem. Next?”
Treasury tried to go on in that vein. ”But Madame President, my predictions-”
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