Retech

Well maybe the first 25 and the last 25. The first 25 helps you understand how to start, but the last 25 helps you understand how we're currently playing.

Of course I'm not carrying on like nothing happened. It's just that the recession isn't nearly as bad as everyone thinks, especially now that the sharp downturn is over and it's mainly stagnant. The GDP drop was equal to the growth for a bit less than 3 years. That's not the super serious recession that you're talking about here, with the slashing of everything. The only slashing would be like asking police officers to only use two cushions on their squad car seats, instead of three. The spaceship funds came from the old spaceship project. There is nothing new there. It's just that you're switching focuses on research. Economies naturally grow over time (like I was saying before, but I guess it's because we have different opinions on economics. However, the massive GDP crunch that you predict has failed to materialize in the real world). Lots of the money also went to deficit reduction, which was a big problem for Japan in 2009. Currenly, the deficits is about 10-20% of GDP, which is a manageable amount. And remember, the government doesn't have a budget of the entire GDP, that would be ridiculous. The government DOES have the money however, for infrastructure projects (the infrastructure was already good, but bridges and things can always be better), and it will maintain its public services, since it has the money. The 1% system is much better than the spreadsheet system, where according to you, Switzerland had a budget surplus greater than that of Japan. That was just bogus. A large country would logically have more things going on in research than a small country. For example, the United States has all these defence contracters working every which way to develop weapon systems that go nowhere. At first I was going at research with, okay, I have to put 10 billion here and 10 billion here, and I'll get good result from that. Then I look over and see Australia and Turkey spending 1 billion at most for a project, and they get it done in the exact same amount of time and the same results as my 10 billion dollar project. So that's where I decided, why not have 10 different billion dollar projects. That would certainly be fair. If you would like to develop a simple and effective system that does not involve people putting numbers into spreadsheets that are not facts, then people can work with that. Until then, I'm going with the 1% system, which undervalues budget. I recall the time when I plugged numbers into the spreadsheet, and I came out with an 800 billion surplus. That just doesn't make any sense at all, and is easily exploitable. With the 1% system, it can be exploited, but everyone can exploit it equally and it will turn out fairer than a spreadsheet.

Well Japan's healthcare system is already top of the line, so it's like everyone is driving around in Mercedes-Benz cars and drinking from gold goblets, eating like kings. I thought we were talking about healthcare. What do "projects" have to do anything? The Library thing was about construction, which is much more costly than maintanance. Besides, think about this. GDP of Japan in 2009: 5 trillion GDP of Japan (only Japan, not Federation as a whole) before ICBM strike: 10 trillion GDP of Japan after ICBM strike: 9 trillion Population increase: 2-3% (Not including Immigration from Federation) I'm pretty sure that the 9 trillion is higher than 5 trillion by a considerable amount. --- Besides, there's nothing much to improve in Japan. World class infrastructure, health care, education system, cities, you name it. I think what you're talking about is the United States, which actually has things to improve on. Like health care...

No problem Ross. See ya tomorrow, hopefully. :P

That's true, but it's not about getting a promotion. It's more about the fact that the healthcare was already in tip top shape, and didn't need further improvement. The surplus money from the prosperity went into infrastructure and museums and libraries and music halls and parks and all that nice stuff. So you are already paying for the healthcare that's good, but you had extra. Now you go down a bit, which is like how rich you were three years ago, and you still have all that funding for the healthcare, since Japan didn't suddenly drop a buncha GDP and go back to below 2009 levels.

Or wealth and trade rise, but population does not. The government keeps the same high level public service it usually has, and pays down the deficit and other expenditures which are optional, like building libraries and museams. Oh yes, and the infrastructure projects. Health care budget, let's say starts at 50 billion. It rises to an impressive high of 50 billion, and after the ICBM attacks, the budget is still 50 billion, since the one time expenditures of the past decade happened to be concluded, and the treasury could afford the budget still. The level of service during the months after the ICBM probaly decreased, considering there were more wounded. That is because there were more wounded, not a decrease in funding. Like I said before, nothing never had to increase and nothing ever had to decrease. ----- It's like a family of 4 buying food. Then they get richer and buy a sports car because they have money lying around. Then they need some more money, but it's okay because they finished paying off the sports car.

Thanks Doom! :D

Why would the Japanese state have to pay for the doctors? The Japanese medical system relies on the fact that each procedure costs a certain amount, and that is basically it. The thing is that the Japanese health care system was already good. It didn't need any improvement, and it was cheap. Health care costs would stay about the same in good times and bad times, so why would doctors be laid off? There's plenty of money to pay the doctors that were there in 2009, and the ICBM attack would've been resolved rather quickly. Normally with big things like that, the effects are more immediate than long term. It's been two or three years since the attack? Here's my example: 20 doctors in 2009, 20 doctors before attack, 20 now. In the few months after the attack, the medical system would've been loaded with victims. That's where the government steps in, as do other aid organizations like the Red Cross and Doctors without borders. Then when their injuries are treated, or they die (as so happens as a result of weapons), then they leave the health care system and there's no harm done. Basically, health care system was already good so it didn't need improvement. Sustaining the level of care would've been great already.

Jen makes the targets smaller (so that they're harder to hit) and fires more arrows. Then she attempts to make specialized armor-piercing arrows, which have a tougher tip (they're also heavier). She tries to use those on the larger targets. Afterwards, Jen tries to create an ice quiver.

Japan is still wealthier than before, so even though it was a recession, it doesn't really mean that it's going down. GDP of Japan alone increased a decent amount, and a recessionary period might do some harm, but it doesn't mean that the country is going backwards. It's just stagnant for the moment, which is normal for an industrialised country. After all, how rich can you possibly get?

Of course not. Who said the hospitals are closing and the police are forced to lay off officers? I sorta didn't read your post when I was all hyped up, since I didn't think it really mattered. Besides, the 1% is completely free according to the system, so it's definitely responsible to spend like crazy with that.

(Is it like a high quality bow, or is it just like one crudely fashioned out of a twig?) Jen attempts to create the string again, which will hopefully stay up with the water enchantments. She tries this repeatedly (don't need the exp, but I just need this to work). If she succeeds, then she sets up some targets (like snow clumps) and practices her archery on them.

I'm asking Korea to join in alliance, so that they don't allow foreign troops in their borders and that they share intelligence with Japan, incase someone starts sneaking in near there. Oh, I am always ready to go to war, since if I get ICBMed when I'm at school, I need immediate retaliation on the very same post. --- 2.5 billion of surplus money. That's 1% that has no effect on the economy.

Japan offers to add its own completed spaceship development project into the mix, to reduce research time to three or two years, for the modifications. Japan will be putting in 2.5 Billion as well.

With who?

Jen carefully begins working in water magic into the wood, so that it starts being permeated with magic..ness and just some resilience/strength. During the process, she curves it gently it into the shape of a bow, using the enchantments she was putting in to make sure it didn't break while she was shaping it. If she succeeds with that, then she takes the life crystal from Wubbles and tries to inlay it into the bow. The goal isn't to make it living (it probaly wouldn't be that, but to basically instill it with energy). Then she tries to store some water magic in the life crystal, and tries to create a bow string out of flexible magical water which begins attached to the bow. The hope is that the water magic and the life crystal will sustain it. Afterwards, she attempts to make some regular ice arrows (not magical, so that it won't conflict with the water).

Icu, since I'm proposing an alliance with Korea instead of getting South Korea back, then I'm not giving you the 50 billion. However, I could put in some funding and we could make it a joint project, if you'd like. My navy just finished its construction, so finally I have some surplus. How much are you putting in for the project?

Japan proposes that it become close allies with the reunified Korea, as long as Korea tones down its nuclear weapons talk (like they can go ahead with it, but not make it so blatantly obvious and state every few years that they were making a bomb). Japan states to the rest of the world that even though Korea and the rest of the world may not see eye to eye, they should at least reach out. Archi, response?

Jen drags the tree home, since it's fairly small. She begins drying it out carefully with a hot wind.

50 billion, only if South Korea is actually returned. No points for trying. :P

Icu, 50 billion dollars if South Korea is returned to the Federation.

Jen asks Hakon telepathically if he would happen to have a gem of some sort that she could have.

Pwease? Well the helium wasn't exactly a solid or a liquid. It was a special phase that they are still researching.

Jen wonders how large the tree is. If it's pretty large, then she backs up a distance away (so she doesn't get crushed) and tries to make the water inside the base of the tree freeze, expanding it and hopefully toppling the tree. If it's decently small, then she tries to cut it with her ice knife.

At absolute zero, don't some things become this wierd substance which crawls up walls and stuff? I saw a video once of Liquid helium very close to absolute zero, it was like it was alive. :thumbsup: