Dead Politician Society Read Online Free Page A

us? Also, I don’t think anyone should ever vote party line over their own principles; in my government, all votes will be free votes. I can’t stand hypocrisy. I say let’s get real and change the world.”
    The ten group members put their votes onto paper. Susannah won, and named Brian her deputy. Brian’s chest deflated, but he congratulated Susannah and kept his smile bright.
    Dr. Easton called the class back to order. “Can I have the party leaders come up to the stage?”
    Three students arranged themselves on the raised platform by the chalkboard.
    â€œNext we’ll hear a short speech from our leaders. The Commies have the most representatives, so Susannah, that makes you World Leader. Go ahead.”
    Susannah wiped her palms on her jeans and nodded at her classmates. “My government will be dedicated to social causes, redistributing wealth, and creating a world that works. I’m not looking to dominate by numbers; instead, I’d like to incorporate good ideas from across the spectrum. All votes will be free votes. Let’s make this country fabulous.”
    â€œSounds benevolent,” Matthew said. “How many of you think she would be taking such a generous stance if she had a majority?”
    The class tittered, and Clare felt left in the dark.
    Next up was Diane Mateo, the leader of the Rednecks. She wore black dress pants and a red polyester top. A large, sparkly cross hung from her neck, and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a bun. “Great theory, Susannah, but show me a minority government that gets anything done. For me, fiscal responsibility is the first premise of responsible governing. And that includes an accountable government. In the private sector, every employee, even a CEO , has to justify their wages or they lose their job. For too long, in government, we haven’t made our politicians earn their keep. I plan to seek an alliance with the Tree-Huggers in order to give this ‘world’ the leadership it deserves. Without a balanced budget, it doesn’t matter how wonderful the Commies’ ideas are — we won’t have the money to make them happen.”
    â€œThanks, Diane. Let’s hear from the Tree-Huggers.”
    Jessica stood up. “The environment is the most neglected and essential issue facing us today. Our party will focus on maintaining and restoring wildlife habitats, reducing carbon and other emissions — duh — and promoting weekly wilderness visits as part of every child’s education — gotta get the love for the Earth flowing forward, right?
    â€œThen there’s the economy — the other parties have only made a mess of it. Our fiscal policy will be conservative — yes, arts funding will suffer. If you like the opera, either pay to go see it or donate to keep it alive. And yes, social welfare will be revised: instead of giving homeless people shelters they don’t want, we’ll give birds the sanctuaries they do want.
    â€œOur mandate is conservation — or to use the hot word of today, ‘sustainability.’ We want the earth and the economy to thrive in tandem.”
    â€œThanks, leaders. You can sit with your parties again.” Dr. Easton smoothed back his short, sandy hair. “I’ll be your Speaker of the House, with the odd lecture thrown in for good measure.
    â€œYou’ve all taken language courses that were conducted entirely in French or Spanish. This course will be run almost entirely as a mock parliament. The focus should be global — I want ideas that make the world a better place, not just the microcosm where we live. The culmination of the course is twofold: by the end of the year, you will each hand in an independent package describing your personal utopia. Also, the class will, through debate and voting, determine its collective utopia. No one can cross the floor to join another party, but alliances and coalitions are fair