CultureBustiansA resident or citizen of the Allied States.
Criminals, according to many nations in the Taijitu, are the average Bustians that know that each person's life is their own. This philosophy has pushed away people that try to force their beliefs upon them from the Allied States. A Bustian citizen is typically proud and headstrong, having devoted a portion or all of their lives to military service. They also have high confidence in their government due it's non-interference policies in their lives. Approval ratings have always been above 92%. Since there is no government welfare system, Bustians learn to be independent and hunger is a strong motivator to get a job.
SocietyCivil freedoms are very highly regarded. This has led many laws to have either been abolished or to never come into effect. Drugs laws, prostitution laws, weapon laws, gambling laws, traffic laws, even business and environmental regulations are nonexistent. The decriminalization has allowed for time, money, and manpower to focus on crimes that violates those civil freedoms. Although the allowance of the residents' and citizens' right to bear arms have empowered the people to defend their property and lives from criminals. A criminal is more likely to be shot and killed by his/her potential victim(s) than the police.
"Give us liberty or give us death," is the unofficial slogan of Bustian residents and citizens.
There are basically two types of people that live in the Allied States; residents and citizens. Any person residing in the Allied States is a resident and lives their life as any other person. A citizen is a person who has served for at least one tour (five years) in the Bustian military. This awards the person the right to vote in elections and run for a political office once honorably discharged.
Everything, from the government to road maintenance, is privatized.
The nation has long since run on nuclear power.
PopulationAs with any modern capitalist country, growth is a factor in the Allied States.
*Life Expectancy: 90 years
*Growth Rate: +.27% per year
*Current Population: 300+ Million
Age Structure:
-0-14: 23.1%
-15-64: 56.2%
-65+: 20.7%
DemographicsSince the Allied States welcome anyone into their country, it is extremely difficult to try to keep record of the various nationalities and races within the Allied States. Coupled with the beliefs of race- or nationality-superiority as ignorant societal concepts, the government does not bother to create a census that includes such factors. Thus only keeping track of gender percentages when coming to demographics.
Female - 54%
Male - 46%
EducationAs the Allied States grows, its people know the value of advanced skills in the modern world. Initially the government did not have any public education system at all, so Bustians had to rely on private education systems or learning on the job. As society continues to advance, so does the pressing demand for educated and skilled workers. This has led to a government funded education system, where Bustians can study for their desired field. Once they have a job, they then can pay back the government for their educational support. Many corporations will often pay for the education received from the government, pending the potential employee work for an agreed amount of years, knowing they are hiring a very skilled employee.
The military is another alternative for an education. The English language (including speaking, understanding, reading, and writing) and basic math in addition to advance skills are taught to soldiers for their service in the military. The English language and basic math teaching add a year to the first tour of service.
Literacy100% of the population in the Allied States is literate.
LanguageEnglish is the official language of the Allied States. Being one of the dominant languages in the Taijitu, Bustians have little to no problems communicating with non-Bustians. If a non-Bustian visitor doesn't know English when visiting the Allied States, unless the visitor has someone to translate for him/her, the visitor will have a difficult time getting around.
Bustians that know more than one language, or continue traditions from their past before becoming Bustian residents or citizens, often teach their children the language and traditions of their former country.
*English - 98%
*Others - 2% (Visitors, new residents, etc)
*Knows more than one language - 72%
ReligionSince many religions impose limitations on what a person can do, many Bustians are atheists. In general, there is strong opposition to religions that preach enforcement and imposition of their beliefs on everyone, whether wanted or not. This does not mean there are no religious Bustians but a majority of them have learned to keep to themselves.
*Atheist - 87.6%
*Christian - 4.9%
*Jewish - 3.3%
*Islam - 2.1%
*Other - 2.1%
EconomyWithout a strong economy, the Allied States would not be where it is today. As a capitalist, free market, business owners can run their businesses as they see fit. Due to strong competition and desire to make money, very few business survive using discriminatory practices or creating a hostile workplace. Many business people know it is the person's skills that matter, not nationality, race, or gender. However there are still some small businesses that are extremely discriminatory and still turn profit, however they never grow as many customers find such businesses repugnant and do not want to support them.
It is said anything can be bought or sold in the Allied States. The only known thing not for sale in Bustian markets are people. Slavery is viewed as an abhorrent practice and is outlawed under the penalty of death. Many items and services that are illegal in other nations, such as weapons, recreational drugs, gambling, and prostitution, are sold in the open.
The economy is based on the gold standard. Alan Greenspan, one of the most famous Bustian economists in its history, wrote an essay titled "
Gold and Economic Freedom" which has been the basis for following and keeping the gold standard.
IndustriesLeading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
GDP: $13,210,000,000,000.00 (13.21 trillion golds)
Government Budget: $3,585,200,000,000.00 (3.585 trillion golds)
Education (15%): $537,780,000,000.00 (537.78 billion golds)
Defence (39%): $1,398,228,000,000.00 (1.398 trillion golds)
Law and Order (27%): $968,004,000,000.00 (968.004 billion golds)
Commerce (19%): $681,188,000,000.00 (681.188 billion golds)
CrimeConviction of a capital crime warrants a public execution within a week. The execution is always televised to national and local media. Capital crimes include, but are not limited to, murder, kidnapping, rape, slavery, and assault.
Conviction of a non-capital crime warrants physical punishment and/or labor in various industries within prisons for a certain period of time. Non-capital crimes include, but are not limited to, theft, destruction or defacing of property, resisting arrest, invasion of privacy, and harassment.
A convict loses all freedoms and rights entitled by the Allied States for duration of punishment.
