Bump Nose clears his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. What exactly is the purpose of the Adam's apple? I probably knew once. I've hit my head too many times now to remember. "The 21st century was the turning point in which human weakness reached its epitome. At last human nature imploded on itself causing the destruction of the planet and 97% of all life on Earth."
Bump Nose looks frail and tired. Every time he stops talking it seems as though he is trying to pass a kidney stone. "The first date of note came in 2080 when government data collection determined that 94% of the United States water supply was being imported from abroad. This was a result of the incessant failure of the government to pass legislation limiting the practice of hydraulic fracturing, which had contaminated almost all water supplies in the country."
"Hydraulic fracturing wasn't the only contributor, but it was the one with the most significant influence. This was a major hit to the economy, Americans were being forced to spend billions more per year on bottled water for all purposes. As you know, by 2085 the US corn crop failed in the central states. The crop failure was caused by a combination of water and air pollution. The corn was also unable to adapt effectively through natural selection because in 2058 a new policy ensured that all future corn was to be genetically modified to have homologous genomes for optimal crop production. This further damaged the economy, raising food prices astronomically."
"Then in 2089 the US stock market finally crashed due to age old corrupt business practices, and the excessively rich having too much influence over government. Taxes were increasingly lowered on the richest of the population while said individuals used their money to ensure their company's interests were put over public interests-especially when the environment was concerned. The US and other first world countries moved their operations to 3rd world countries to avoid paying income tax and evade labor protections, costing the developed nations billions in lost revenue. CEOs and other corporate strong men took billions of dollars from their companies in interest of satisfying their own greed. When their companies floundered the government protected them over and over again. With an environmental crisis already damaging the economy, a slew of banks went bankrupt. This time the government found they didn't have sufficient funds to bail them out. This resulted in the worst worldwide economic depression in history."
"Unemployment hit 56% in 2091, this is 12% higher than the unemployment rate that facilitated Hitler's rise in Germany in the 1930s. The situation was further exacerbated by the fact that millions of human jobs were being replaced by technology. Between this and the rise of neoliberal free trade policies there were few job opportunities for unskilled workers in developed countries. Much of the government corruption, monetary nepotism and failure to redistribute wealth was caused by a slew of leaders who themselves were grossly wealthy, corrupt businessmen-oftentimes not sufficiently qualified to hold their positions."
"On Sunday May, 16th, 2093 over three-million protesters gathered outside the United State's capital, demanding that the government do something about the economic depression. The protestors had not first acquired government approval for the demonstration-the entire thing had been orchestrated at the spur of the moment only hours before via social media. When the police were sent in to quell the chaos multiple members of law enforcement were stampeded to death by the sheer numbers. The next day military personnel were sent in, and they were given orders to open fire on the protestors to protect themselves. 256 were killed and another 765 were injured."
"Media coverage of the incident sent the country into outrage. Several other protests and a nationwide strike occurred. The result was a month long government shutdown. The president was impeached. When the vice president came to power he was under incredible pressure to make a statement about the massacre. When addressing the American people on national television he claimed that the deaths of the protestors were the result of attacks by radical Islamic terrorists. He continued to claim that anything the media said contrary to his statement was false journalism. Yet Americans had watched the massacre play out on national television. Angry chaos ensued throughout the country."
