DemWorld

By Dave Wanner

An ordinary citizen accidentally discovers information that could potentially damage the credibility of the global government.  Should he risk his own future and the future of his family to make the information public?  If so, how can he hope to succeed in a world where citizens are under constant surveillance and the global government controls all communications?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dave Wanner
• Release date: Sep 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223638247

Book preview

Chapter One

It was his favorite time of the week. In exactly seven minutes DemAI would contact Hadley and the fun would begin. Hadley was allowed a single hobby and it was the only thing he was allowed to spend money on as he wished. Of course, money wasn’t what it used to be prior to the implementation of DemCash a few years ago. DemCash was fully digital and Hadley never actually had any control over most of his. Hadley’s pay was automatically added to his account. Amounts for shelter, food, clothes and other necessities were automatically deducted from his account by DemBank based on the items the Party decided he should have.

None of those financial details mattered at the moment. Hadley waited excitedly and was soon rewarded when DemAI’s voice came through the viewscreen. Hello Hadley. I see you have quite a bit of DemCash in your hobby account to spend this evening. Hadley’s hobby was tying flies for fishing. He asked DemAI to display the list of available items for his hobby. After several minutes of considering the confluence of what he wanted and what he could afford, Hadley selected several items. As with everything else, the items would be delivered directly to his apartment in clear chip-embedded packaging with no printed labels. Everything was done electronically via DemAI these days, to the extent that printers and printing presses were not only uncommon, but were largely illegal for anyone but Party members or selected government employees to use.

There was really no need for anyone to have anything on paper anymore, anyway. Everything was stored on DemCloud and anything a person was allowed to hear or see could be accessed only by asking DemAI to tell it to you or display it for you via the viewscreen. Hadley could barely recall a world without DemAI, even though he grew up without it. DemAI was, like everything else of importance, the brainchild of the First Dem. The First Dem, who now presided over the World Government, had first conceived of the idea when he was the head of what was then called Europe. DemAI was instrumental in governing a united world, since it allowed everyone to see and hear the correct things. At first DemAI needed to be fed information, but now it was capable of continuously poring over the entire DemCloud to assimilate any recently added information. It had taken DemAI several years to scrub DemCloud of past misinformation, but by now DemAI could answer any question without the possibility of incorporating anything considered to be wrong in the response.

With a satisfied sigh, Hadley prepared for bed. It had been a good evening and Hadley could scarcely wait for his new fly-tying supplies to arrive.

Chapter Two

Hadley was awakened the next morning by DemAI’s pleasant time to rise and shine coming through the viewscreen. After showering, Hadley prepared the breakfast sent to him as part of his weekly food package. The breakfast didn’t quite fill him up, but since his weight had been holding steady over the last few years, DemAI wouldn’t make any changes to his food rations.

As Hadley ate, he thought about what lay ahead at work. Hadley worked at one of the many giant data centers required to store DemCloud’s data. Each data center had three main work groups. Hadley was in the work group that maintained the electrical supply equipment for the data center. Every data center had its own dedicated source of electrical power, including thousands of solar panels, hundreds of wind turbines and a massive battery system used to store power for times when it was dark or the winds were calm. Hadley’s specialty was solar panel cleaning and maintenance, although he hoped to gain experience in other parts of the system and one day earn a promotion to a managerial job.

The second work group at the data center installed and maintained the server arrays on which data were stored. Hadley knew several people in this work group, since at times the electrical supply system needed to be partially shut down or modified to meet the needs of the server arrays. Hadley also encountered members of the server equipment work group when they entered the data center at the main entrance or ate in the common cafeteria. The electric supply portion of the plant was separated from the server array section of the plant by a security checkpoint.

The third work group was responsible for feeding data into DemCloud. Hadley never saw anyone from this work group. They entered the data center using a separate entrance protected by heavy security and they didn’t eat with the other workers. Hadley thought they were Party members, but nobody he knew could say for sure.

Hadley stepped out of his government assigned, fully furnished apartment and waited for the bus to take him to the data center. Like almost everybody else, Hadley didn’t own his dwelling place, its furnishings, or a car. As DemAI had informed him shortly after he had awakened, it was a beautiful day, so Hadley was slightly disappointed when the driverless bus pulled up promptly on schedule. Hadley got on the bus. He saw a coworker, Henry, and sat down beside him. Henry greeted Hadley by saying, So, are you looking forward to the First Dem’s State of the World address tonight? Of course, said Hadley. I can hardly wait to hear about all the improvements that have been made since the last address. It’s amazing how much things have improved since the First Dem and the Party have taken over leadership of the World Government.

The bus dropped Hadley and the other passengers off directly in front of the main entrance to the data center. Hadley took one last look at the beautiful day surrounding him and entered the data center.

The work day passed uneventfully for Hadley. He arrived back at his apartment and hurried to finish his dinner before the scheduled start time of the First Dem’s address. After washing his dinner dishes, Hadley settled into his most comfortable chair in anticipation of the First Dem’s viewscreen appearance.

At exactly 7:00 PM, Hadley’s viewscreen became filled by the World Government logo. It was time for the First Dem’s State of the World address. The First Dem was the undisputed leader of both the Party and the World Government. He was a tall, solidly built man with an expressive face and a booming, yet oddly soothing, voice. His jet-black hair was in sharp contrast to his pale gray eyes. The viewscreen showed just enough background for Hadley to recognize a few of the First Dem’s most important subordinates seated behind him on massive wooden chairs made of what appeared to be teak.

The viewscreen zeroed in on the First Dem’s face as he began his address in the usual fashion. He described the many areas in which life had improved over the last year, thanking not only the Party, but the entire global population for their efforts. Hadley felt a warm glow in response to the First Dem’s praise. He thought it was wonderful that a man with so much authority and so many responsibilities made the effort to acknowledge others. The First Dem went on to announce that the world continued to be entirely free of war, crediting the abolishment of individual countries and religions, along with the elimination of global wealth discrepancies and the establishment of a single world language, DemLang, as great contributors to this success. The transition to the single world language had been eased by DemAI’s ability to instantaneously translate between any language and DemLang.

The First Dem next laid out World Government priorities for the upcoming year. Although the overall objective continued to be the improvement of all aspects of life, certain areas would receive more emphasis than others. Just as Hadley thought the address was beginning to wind down, the First Dem took on a serious expression and stared even more intently than usual at his audience.

After a brief pause, the First Dem resumed speaking. Before concluding my address, I would like to inform all world citizens of an important scientific development poised to bring great benefits to our society. As you may be aware, birth rates have been falling throughout the world. They have now fallen below the rate needed to replace those passing away. As a means to address this situation the esteemed Dr. Anton Preshoney has been working for years on a process using ordinary human skin cells to create an embryo capable of developing into a fully functioning human. Any of those among you who have asked DemAI questions on this topic may know that a few years ago Dr. Preshoney succeeded in creating a mouse embryo that developed into a fully functioning adult mouse. Tonight, I am pleased to announce the process has been perfected for humans. A few humans have already been created starting from human skin cells and they all appear to be developing normally. The process can be scaled up, although it will take some time.

The First Den continued: The existence and expanding use of the Preshoney Process will bring significant benefits to society. Instead of watching the human population inexorably decrease, the World Government will eventually be able to produce the number of humans needed for society to maintain the optimal population required to maintain prosperity. It will take time to ramp up the Preshoney Process. Therefore, in the meantime, in order to better plan the rate of Preshoney Process expansion, any woman intending to bear a child will first need to apply to the Party. If approved, the pregnancy will be allowed. I would also like to announce plans to build Preshoney Centers throughout the world. Each Preshoney Center will include birth to adulthood living and learning facilities. These facilities will allow the Party to assume the role currently played by families and are essential since a human produced by the Preshoney Process will only have parents in an abstract sense. There is much detail to be worked out, but I wanted to share the big picture with the entire world tonight.

With that the First Dem ended his address. Hadley was stunned by the news. He wasn’t sure he would ever be a parent and he wasn’t currently in a relationship that could be expected to lead to such a thing. However, the fact that he might no longer have the option to father a child was somewhat disturbing. Still, thought Hadley, the Party knows what it is doing. After all, things are getting better every year. Yet Hadley could not completely shake his uneasiness over the First Dem’s big news.

Chapter Three

The next day was a day off for Hadley, so he took his time eating breakfast and otherwise starting his day. Although it was acceptable to stay home on a day off, everyone was encouraged to use at least part of the day to participate in a DemVol activity or a DemChat. Today Hadley had scheduled himself to participate in a DemChat, which would take up most of his afternoon.

A DemChat was a gathering of people to hear about and then discuss important issues. DemAI typically started each DemChat by showing a video or displaying some other form of information on the topic at hand. After the video, people could make comments or ask DemAI questions on the DemChat’s topic. In some cases, the DemChat ended with DemAI opening up the floor for questions on any topic, regardless of whether or not it had a connection to the DemChat’s subject. Attending a DemChat had three primary benefits. First, it was a source of information on topics considered important by the Party. Second, participating in a DemChat added DemCash to your hobby account based on your level and quality of participation. Third, if you conducted yourself properly, a DemChat could have a positive impact on your DemScore.

Hadley definitely wanted to add DemCash to his hobby account. He had seen several items he really wanted last week, but couldn’t afford. Improving his DemScore was also of great importance to Hadley at the moment. A person’s DemScore was determined by DemAI’s analysis of everything it knew about each individual. DemAI recalculated DemScores in real time as new video of a person’s activities and other information such as a person’s whereabouts was added to DemCloud. If Hadley wanted to obtain a managerial position at the data center, he would need to raise his DemScore. Most jobs, but especially higher ranked jobs, had a minimum DemScore requirement included as one of the job qualifications. Extensive and enthusiastic participation in DemChats was a good way to improve a person’s DemScore.

Another good way to improve a person’s DemScore was to have positive location data. Starting about ten years ago, each newborn was injected with a small seed shaped chip known as a DemChip. Among other functions, the DemChip continuously sent a person’s location to DemCloud. Everyone was encouraged to spend most of their time at their apartment, their workplace, at a DemChat or at a DemVol activity. Wandering around was discouraged and could negatively affect a person’s DemScore. The DemChip’s functionality included features in addition to location tracking. It contained personal data for use in medical or other emergencies. The DemChip also allowed a person to unlock and open approved doors. It also linked to a person’s DemBank account for use in making payments. For example, DemCash was automatically deducted from a person’s primary DemBank account each time they boarded a bus.

Hadley was born well before the onset of the DemChip injection program for newborns. He obtained his DemChip during the multi-year program that culminated in the injection of the entire global population. It was a monumental effort, but because it had become virtually impossible to function in society without a DemChip, any objections people may have initially had were eventually overcome.

Another program that initially saw objections was the cell phone elimination program. The First Dem realized that the combination of ubiquitous viewscreens, unlimited DemCloud storage and constant access to DemAI made individual cell phones or other analogous electronic devices unnecessary. All cell phone towers were converted to a new frequency matching the viewscreen frequency. As a result, cell phones no longer functioned and were confiscated by the Party. People soon got used to the new situation and benefited from no longer having to worry about charging an individual device or replacing it when it broke or became obsolete.

Hadley arrived at the DemChat ten minutes early. He wanted to get a good seat. The chairs were staggered so that each person had an unobstructed view of the viewscreen, and vice versa. Hadley scanned the room to see how many people he knew. A DemChat was one of the few times outside of work that people physically came together. Entertainment such as concerts and sporting events were mostly virtual. Hadley knew more people by their virtual avatars than he did in the flesh.

Nonetheless, Hadley saw a few people he knew. Ned worked with Hadley at the data center. They often sat at the same cafeteria table for lunch. Ned and his wife had three children, which was quite a large number these days. Alphonse was seated a few rows behind Ned. Alphonse and Hadley had participated in a few DemVol activities together. Hadley particularly remembered the time they had volunteered to assist in the painting of a large mural on the side of a building depicting the First Dem in a heroic pose. There were a few others Hadley knew only well enough to greet in passing.

Hadley took a seat in a row located between Ned and Alphonse. The DemChat soon began and the topic, unsurprisingly, was the Preshoney Process. A video summarizing the science behind the process in layman’s terms was followed by a video extolling the benefits of the process. After the second video was finished, DemAI opened the floor for questions. Ned got to his feet and asked, Will live born children continue to attend their current schools or will they be moved to Preshoney Center schools to learn alongside produced children? Hadley thought the question risked lowering Ned’s DemScore since it could be viewed as trying to divide live born children and produced children into different groups. DemAI responded, Many details need to be worked out as Preshoney Centers are built. Regardless of where any child is educated, the child will receive the same quality education. The First Dem is a firm believer in quality education for all.

The next question was asked by a person Hadley didn’t recognize. The video explained the many benefits of implementing the Preshoney Process. Which of these benefits is the most significant? Now there was a question that could help a person’s DemScore, thought Hadley. DemAI responded, Thank for your question. All of the benefits are significant. The most significant is the ability of the Party to ensure that the optimal number of people inhabit the planet. There will be enough people to produce all that we need in order to continue growing the economy, but not so many as to deplete our planet’s resources. The First Dem cares deeply about sustaining progress and improving the quality of life for all.

The questions continued for another thirty minutes or so, but nothing particularly noteworthy was asked. Hadley didn’t trust himself to ask a question, since he was still feeling some of the trepidation that had overcome him upon first hearing about the Preshoney Process during the First Dem’s State of World address. Oh well, thought Hadley, I’ll still gain some DemCash and help my DemScore a bit just by virtue of attending the DemChat even if I didn’t ask a positive question.

Chapter Four

The years passed quickly for Hadley. As frequently noted by DemAI, life continued to get better in general for everybody, including Hadley. He was still working at the same data center, but by working hard to improve his DemScore and by being good at the tasks he was assigned, Hadley had finally obtained the managerial position he had long coveted. Along with the managerial position came a better apartment in a better neighborhood as well as more money in his DemCash hobby account.

Fifteen years had passed since Hadley initially heard the First Dem talk about the Preshoney Process. Hadley’s uneasiness about the process had mostly waned. At any rate, Hadley still wasn’t in a relationship that could be expected to lead to parenthood for him. Hadley didn’t have much interaction with anyone of school age, so he didn’t have much interaction with produced children. During his limited interactions, Hadley couldn’t tell a produced child from a live born one. He didn’t foresee any problems arising when they began to move into the workforce en masse over the next few years.

Hadley glanced at his viewscreen one day while preparing his dinner and saw a notice for the upcoming elections. Many sector-wide positions were to be contested. Sectors had replaced countries under the First Dem’s Global Government. These sectors were called DemSects. Their size and boundaries were established to optimize administrative efficiency. Certain positions within each DemSect were filled via election. Elections had changed significantly since Hadley’s younger days. Back in the early 21st century attempts had been made to increase the number of ways a person could vote, to increase the amount of time during which they could vote and to reduce any requirements, such as providing identification, required in order to vote. Despite these measures, many people still didn’t vote and there were often controversies over the validity of many votes.

About ten years ago the First Dem had come up with a typically brilliant idea to improve elections. Instead of requiring people to cast a ballot, DemAI would compare each voter’s known characteristics to each candidate’s known characteristics and cast the voter’s ballot for the candidate who best matched the voter’s preferences. A while back, Hadley had asked DemAI why the First Dem had instituted the new voting system.

DemAI responded: The First Dem saw the problems with the previous system. The new system fixes all of these problems. Voter participation is now 100%. The First Dem feels very strongly that everyone should have their say. There is no longer any controversy over the validity of ballots. DemAI has sufficient information to accurately select the candidate each voter would choose if they filled out a ballot themselves. The first Dem feels very strongly that everyone should have no doubts about the validity and veracity of all votes. The new process has other benefits as well. In the past, a barrage of money spent right before an election could sway people to vote for a candidate they would not typically support. This cannot occur under the new process because DemAI looks at all of a voter’s information, not just the last few weeks before the vote. The First Dem feels very strongly that voters should not be subject to manipulation.

Most of the positions on the ballot for the upcoming election had multiple candidates. The candidates didn’t have any party affiliation listed, since there was only one political party. Hadley remembered when there were multiple political parties, but the First Dem’s Global Democracy Party, originally called the Dems for short had supplanted them all, eventually becoming known simply as the Party.

As usual, the First Dem didn’t have any opposition. Hadley decided today was a good time to ask why this was the case. DemAI responded: The First Dem has done such an exemplary job, that any candidate considering running in opposition soon realizes he or she could not do a better job. DemAI then showed several videos of candidates through the years making announcements explaining how they had considered running against the First Dem, but eventually concluded that the First Dem was the right person for the job. Therefore, it was their civic duty not to run.

Hadley was grateful that DemAI was always available to provide a complete and thorough answer to any of his questions. There was no longer any need to search through multiple websites in an attempt