George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 230

< 229 >

“Have you finally lost your mind?”

The Chief of Staff stared at his President, dumbfounded. Bush looked remarkably composed, which only amplified the absurdity of the situation.

“That’s a bit harsh. I’ve considered this from every angle.”

“Someone who considers things from every angle wouldn’t dream of visiting a battlefield.”

That was undeniably true. To be precise, Bush was planning to travel through Busan, which was somewhat removed from the direct front lines, but even that was a reckless proposition.

“Speaking of which, how many American citizens are still in Korea?”

“151,922. The majority are concentrated around Nampo Port, primarily for business purposes.”

“It seems quite a few managed to leave. Weren’t they supposed to be evacuated by private planes?”

“Those who intended to leave that way already have. The remaining individuals seem to believe Nampo Port offers sufficient safety. And most of them have significant investments in North Korea.”

Bush closed his eyes, replaying their conversation in his mind. A strange unease settled over him.

‘151,922 people… 151,922 people…’

“Something’s off. The number doesn’t quite match my recollection. There’s one more person, isn’t there?”

The figure was one higher than the last reported count. He remembered it clearly because the report had been presented with such confidence, touted as perfectly accurate. He’d even mobilized the CIA, which had been scrambling for funds recently, so the information should have been impeccable.

“There’s one individual who used a route that was difficult for us to track. By the time we identified it, it was too late. That person is solely responsible for their own safety.”

“Ah, that’s quite something. There should have been entry restrictions due to the war, right? And even with the wartime limitations, we issued a travel ban. It’s not an illegal entry, is it?”

“No, they traveled through several other countries. Strictly speaking, it’s not illegal.”

If Bush truly wanted to, he could have reclassified it as illegal and imposed sanctions. Or he could simply abandon the individual in case of an emergency. But that wasn’t the immediate concern. Bush was actually grinning.

This smile made the Chief of Staff deeply uneasy.

“In that case, adding one more person to that statistic wouldn’t be a problem, would it?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Even without that, the global economy is teetering on the brink of collapse because of this Super SARS. We need to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. It’s in our best interest, too.”

The fact that the American economy was not only stable but thriving despite the pandemic was due to a collective ‘belief.’ The constant media reports on the progress of the treatment and the imminent prospect of mass production were fertile ground for fostering that belief.

In fact, the ‘ignorance’ of many Americans also played a role. Without fear, there’s no economic contraction. Because they didn’t fully grasp the severity of the situation, consumer spending didn’t decline significantly. And the promise of free treatment, even if infected, allowed them to continue living relatively normally.

Of course, this behavior didn’t help prevent the spread of the virus, but it did support the economy. The high cost of medical care in the United States often discourages people from overworking themselves.

‘I’d like to address this aspect if I could, but it’s not as simple as it seems.’

It would be ideal if everything in the world were intuitive, but it isn’t, which is truly unfortunate. Especially for civil servants, who have been burdened with an immense workload due to the government’s active involvement.

“Speaking of which, what’s the status of the treatment? The last report was a week ago, and there haven’t been any updates since?”

The Chief of Staff frowned, as if struggling to recall. Then, he seemed to remember something, retrieved a document from his secure file, and placed it on his desk.

“Last we heard, they had entered the final testing phase. They were searching for the most suitable sample for mass production, and they indicated that there wouldn’t be any reports during that period.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Mass production was essentially in its final stages. While some minor procedures remained, they were prepared to begin mass production as soon as the research results were finalized. The production lines were secured, and they were ready to distribute the treatment across the country and around the world.

The decision to distribute the treatment free of charge globally was based on the judgment that it was the most beneficial approach. There was the public image aspect, and the economic aspect. The goal wasn’t just eradication, but extermination. Eradication could be achieved by distributing it domestically, but that wouldn’t eliminate the threat entirely. Given the substantial budget allocated, they needed to act decisively.

Of course, complete extermination was impossible, but something close to it was achievable.

“This is a mess. More problems are emerging than being solved.”

It was like the Hydra from Greek and Roman mythology. For every problem solved, dozens more appeared, driving the people handling the work, the investigators, and those responsible for reporting and approving everything to the brink of madness.

‘There’s also the fresh food supply problem.’

To be honest, this wasn’t a major issue. People living in food deserts [areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food] would be outraged to hear that, but it was the truth. More accurately, there were far greater problems than this one.

After all, people don’t die immediately from a lack of fresh food, do they? There’s a common misconception in other countries that vegetables are expensive in the United States, but that’s not the case. In reality, they’re quite cheap compared to the rest of the world. Otherwise, why would the world import American vegetables and fruits?

This perfectly illustrates the saying ‘things are cheap at the place of origin.’ Of course, while some places are cheap, others are expensive, which is normal. This applies to any country, but it’s simply more noticeable in the United States due to its size.

If you consider the origins of food deserts, you shouldn’t aim to eliminate them, but rather create them to be eliminated. The process of creating a food desert is as follows: Imagine a virtual city with a virtual area, a slum. Slums are typically areas where low-income individuals reside.

Now, a store opens in this slum, specializing in selling vegetables and fruits. The prices are reasonable, and the store owner has minimized profits to remain competitive. Considering transportation, management, and labor costs, it could even be considered a loss.

However, vegetables and fruits don’t sell well. Cheap and convenient fast food dominates the slum. Vegetables, priced similarly or higher, can’t compete. People simply don’t have enough money to buy them. After about a year of struggling, the fresh food store closes. Now, the area has become a food desert.

In short, the primary reason for the creation of food deserts isn’t simply people’s eating habits, but the low-income status of the residents. Even if fresh food is supplied, there’s no consumer base to sustain it, so it naturally becomes obsolete. Even if they have the money to buy fresh food, they have to factor in transportation costs to reach the store, making fast food a more appealing option.

“I’m going crazy. And it’s been four years, and the reports are a mess. What are they, Robocops? How come they don’t have any flexibility?”

In reality, this was more of a personal complaint. It’s problematic when civil servants make arbitrary interpretations. They were simply being overly faithful to Bush’s order to ‘report as is!’ Ideally, modern civil servants should act like law enforcement robots.

The moment personal feelings or opinions influence law enforcement, the matter is completely distorted and misrepresented.

For example, imagine two burly adult men getting into a fistfight. After fighting until blood is drawn, the heat subsides, and it’s time to determine who’s at fault. The reason for the fight is simple: they were arguing while using drugs. Each is 50:50 at fault.

A report is filed, and the police are dispatched. But what if one of the men and the police officer know each other? Or what if they’re family? It wouldn’t matter if the arrest is carried out properly, but would the process go smoothly?

The world is built on school ties, regional ties, and blood ties, isn’t it? Anyway, they were trying to minimize these influences as much as possible, but as a side effect, the people at the very top were suffering. For example, President George W. Bush, who was reviewing twice as many documents a day as he did a year ago.

“And the Korean problem can be solved as soon as I go.”

“I can roughly guess what you’re planning to do there, but this is still insane. Maybe everything will be resolved while you’re en route.”

“To be clear, this is also important for reelection.”

“That’s true. But is this worth it? Reelection is already practically guaranteed.”

“I want to do it that much. Isn’t that enough?”

“Of course, that’s not enough. Don’t risk your life. You’re not just your own person. Do you think you’re a knight from the Middle Ages?”

‘It’s not just my own body anymore, what a strange feeling.’

Well, if Bush were to die now, I can roughly imagine what would happen. All the powers and authority of the president would be transferred to the vice president. Think about it. Dick Cheney was openly discussing attacking Russia and seriously suggesting it to Bush. How would Dick Cheney act if he took power?

Standing in front of the magnificent red button, would he be able to resist? Of course, he might resist. They say you can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but you can’t know the heart of a man. But when Bush considered it, he couldn’t envision a future where Dick Cheney didn’t press that button and simply endured.

“Uh… World War?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Well, why worry about what happens after you die when you don’t even know what will happen when you die? Maybe when you die, you’ll meet the god who made you this way.

“Adjust the schedule.”