[Dragaera] States and violence (was Re: OT: Ray Bradbury)

[Jon Lincicum]

Jerry Friedman wrote:
> But on the other hand, the Empire regulates and supervises banking
> fairly closely, as we know from /Orca/.  And we know from /Five
> Hundred Years After/ that the Empire can make drugs illegal.  I
> don't know the details, but I think this is far more central
> control than the Holy Roman Empire or the pre-Constitution U.S.
> had.
>   
...and the Empire clearly levies direct taxes, unlike the U.S. under the 
Articles of Confederation...

Although it does so in a fairly unique way--setting a budget, and then 
making all the Houses dicker about who's going to pay what percentage of 
it. (See chapter one of /Five Hundred Years After/)

I suppose this would tend to keep the Houses at each other's throats. 
Which benefits the Empire as a whole by ensuring no one House completely 
dominates the others.

Hmph. This system must have been put in place by a Yendi Emperor.

Majikjon

-Wonders why SKZB is so good at making taxation seem interesting while 
George Lucas is so bad at it...