"OK, so you're occupying my offices here because you want me to insist something be done to break the 1%, and quickly?" The man at the head of the pack nodded. "OK, fair enough. Let me let you in on a few things here, outside of the fact that we have been working at that, albeit at a much slower pace.
"First and foremost, like it or not, we are still dependent on Earth to some degree. We still need to import food from there, even now, and even those places that are 'self' sufficient, haven't been that way long enough to take the chance on that changing if we break the 1%.
"Second, in that dependence, we are also quite, quite tied into the 'dane economies, whether we really want to be or not. Any effort to break the 1% on a timetable other than decades will... well, we will feel it all the way up here, and it will actually push back the date we can be completely independent of Earth.
"Third, as a side note, there is no way this breaking will occur in anything less than a year, and would likely take two or more to actually completely collapse the Earth economy as a whole, which is what it would take to get them out of power that quickly... and I can guarantee that the 1% will do whatever it takes to ensure that, even if they do indeed lose out, we'll lose as well in the court of public opinion.
"Any questions? OK, good. Now please, vacate my office so I can get back to work on the long-term plan."
The group, much subdued, filed out of the office, and Jeph let out the sigh that had been building up. Then he picked up the desk phone, and dialed a familiar number. "Hi Mal. Just got done with another group. Gave 'em the same explanation I gave the last one, too. I swear, we have an awful lot of Jaynes up here." A pause, and Jeph giggled darkly. "Now, now, Mal, that would be especially cruel. Please don't tempt me by mentioning it again."
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor
"First and foremost, like it or not, we are still dependent on Earth to some degree. We still need to import food from there, even now, and even those places that are 'self' sufficient, haven't been that way long enough to take the chance on that changing if we break the 1%.
"Second, in that dependence, we are also quite, quite tied into the 'dane economies, whether we really want to be or not. Any effort to break the 1% on a timetable other than decades will... well, we will feel it all the way up here, and it will actually push back the date we can be completely independent of Earth.
"Third, as a side note, there is no way this breaking will occur in anything less than a year, and would likely take two or more to actually completely collapse the Earth economy as a whole, which is what it would take to get them out of power that quickly... and I can guarantee that the 1% will do whatever it takes to ensure that, even if they do indeed lose out, we'll lose as well in the court of public opinion.
"Any questions? OK, good. Now please, vacate my office so I can get back to work on the long-term plan."
The group, much subdued, filed out of the office, and Jeph let out the sigh that had been building up. Then he picked up the desk phone, and dialed a familiar number. "Hi Mal. Just got done with another group. Gave 'em the same explanation I gave the last one, too. I swear, we have an awful lot of Jaynes up here." A pause, and Jeph giggled darkly. "Now, now, Mal, that would be especially cruel. Please don't tempt me by mentioning it again."
--
"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor