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

[Jerry Friedman]

--- Jon Lincicum <lincicum at comcast.net> wrote:

> 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
...

There's also a tax on gambling houses (not always paid).  I guess
that /could/ just be in Dragaera City and Adrilankha (that is, the
County of Whitecrest?) and the licensing of brothels could just be
in Adrilankha, but I doubt it.

Jerry Friedman

Jerry Friedman



       
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