RyansWorld: United States of Mars

'''Special Note: Please note that this scenario is meant to be read as entertainment, not as an accurate prediction of the future. Also note that the viewpoints and opinions that may come across in this scenario are not necessarily the viewpoints and opinions of the author.'''

The United States of Mars is an authoritarian socialist republic that declared their independence from the "tyrannical" United States of Earth after a relatively intense 14-year-long conflict.

Researchers at the University of New Hong Kong unanimously blame the inequality between the wealthy people of Earth and the nouveaux riche of Mars as one of the key reasons behind Mars' War of Independence. As of the late 22nd century, the United States of Mars has a development level equivalent to that of mid-21st century South Africa. Although 10% of Mars' population has become dollar millionaires due to the thriving slave labor and narcotics trade, there are a lot of people whose level of poverty prohibits them from getting an education level higher than completing high school.

Elections take place every 40 Earth years; with people only allowed to choose between one political party (The Martians' Workers Party) and four candidates who belong to that party. Like Earth, the Better Entertainment Act of 2018 was ratified on this planet-state. Gender quota laws put into place shortly after independence limits the number of male politicians in Parliament to a maximum of 45% of the electoral seats.

Summary
Even prior to becoming a sovereign planet-state, Mars was set-up from day one as being a space tourism destination for people who live on Earth. Due to the fact that flying to Mars is more hazardous than a five-hour flight from Toronto to Vancouver is in the year 2015, people will be boarded in special cabins, and cannot freely walk about the plane even after reaching a stable flight path. However, flights will be faster with the quicker space shuttles and it will only take five days to get to Mars by the mid-2050s. Once the passengers arrive on Mars, there will be a recreational facility just one block away from the motel district (where the tourists dream of exciting adventures in outer space - humanity's last true frontier).

Having their planet completely terraformed by the mid-22nd century, it has become possible to build Terran-like buildings on the surface of Mars. Realizing the need for extra trade, the United States of Mars has kept up good relations with the Lunar Protectorate and the United States of Venus. Narcotics are completely legal for adults (people 13 years of age and older) to buy, sell, manufacture and use. The intergalactic slave trade is also legal on Mars while being illegal on the Lunar Protectorate and on the United States of Earth (the Martian government legalized slavery after declaring independence from the USE).

In the year 2331, a legendary theme park called The Pleasuredome opens up on Mars. Containing 208 stories of video arcades, residences, hotel rooms, bars, casinos, white collar office jobs and light industry, it becomes the unofficial capital city of Mars by the year 2371. Three major cities serve as the joint capitals of the United States of Mars; Abraham Lincoln City, Vladimir Lenin City and New Hong Kong. Specialized spaceports allow for direct non-stop travel from Mars to long-distance places like Gliese 581 g, Barnard's Star and Alpha Centuari. Places where food and beverages are served quickly like McDonald's, Pizza Hut Bistro, Starbucks Coffee and Taco Bell can be found within 15 minutes of each other on major bus routes. McDonald's is the cheapest restaurant followed by Pizza Hut; making Taco Bell the most expensive restaurant on Mars. Ultra-highways allow people to navigate from major city to major city on their hydrogen-powered driverless vehicles while travelling at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Hydrogen refuelling stations are always located within 15 minutes of each other and offer various services like fast food restaurants, inexpensive groceries, garage service and arcade-style video games.



Political ideology and laws
Due to Mars' repressive government, fuel taxes are lower than on the United States of Earth. The cost of hydrogen is typically 9 cents per ton cheaper than on Earth and 18 cents per ton cheaper than on Venus. The most popular form of electricity on Mars is cold fusion energy; although hydroelectricity is used as a backup along with geothermal energy, solar power and wind power. Uncensored reports released on Huffington Post suggests that Mars is under a closed police state with a two-tiered healthcare system and frequent background checks on resident aliens. Slaves are legally considered to be workplace equipment according to Martian law; not resident aliens. Slave owners are simply required to be at least 13 years of age with a permanent residence and an active e-mail address.

On the other hand, residency requirements don't apply to slave retailers (who buy the slaves from auction and re-sells them on other planets). Some of the most infamous companies using slave labor on Mars includes: Toyota, Google, the Wikimedia Foundation, Facebook Nintendo and NBC Universal Studios.

Citizens from the United States of Earth and Lunar Protectorate are blocked from owning slaves by virtue of the Canadamerican Emancipation Proclamation. These citizens would be sent to hard labor for the remainder of their natural lives if apprehended while owning slaves either on their person or on their estate. Space pirates operate several bases on Mars by the late-22nd century: tobacco, drugs, and slaves are held in cargo bays waiting for the pirates to buy and sell them where "contraband" goods are considered to be legal.

Colonies of Mars will probably be matriarchal and ultimately rely on male pregnancy to realize the goals of their society. Husbands will adopt this mantra in their lives: I am subordinate to my wife because she is the head of the family; just as philosophy is the head of scientific endavors. A man is never to be independent of female authority. First, he is under his mother’s authority, and then under his wife’s authority. A widower would be under his daughter’s authority, or, if he had no daughters or his daughters were young, he would return to his mother’s authority.

Prehistory
Back in 2006, then-current American president George W. Bush vowed to put men on Mars by the year 2020 using fossil fuel-powered spaceships. However, the plan never came to frutition until after the because the politicians kept cutting back funding for NASA to the point where it could have declared chapter 11 bankruptcy had it been a private-sector corporation. A group of prominent businesswomen managed to buy out all the surplus equipment from the public sector NASA program in only six days; intending to create a space program free from political interference. As a result, less than 1% of Martian colonists would practice Christianity by the year 2050 thanks to religion called Radio Del Mundoism.



These factors would delay the colonization of Mars until later in the 21st century. Under the watchful eye of a conglomerate of multi-billionaires, the privately-funded "people's space program" would restore a sense of scientific pride and educational ideas for the young people. The predominant cuisine on Mars for non-vegans/non-vegetarians will be sushi due to its abundant water once the planet is terraformed. Mars' ocean (the North Ocean) just barely do not qualify as fresh water (instead being Brackish water). The ocean is not salty because the rivers have not had enough time to carry much salt to the ocean.

Would you live on the United States of Mars? Yes, if there are the right kind of jobs for me. Yes, but only if my friends came along with me. Not until I win the lottery again win millions of dollars. No, because I don't want to lose my friends and I don't want to have to start over in a strange planet. What would you hate the worst about the United States of Mars? I don't believe in slavery. I don't like the idea of narcotics being legal for all adults. I simply don't like the history of this planet. Nothing