by Barry Girolamo

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: April 26, 2012

Welcome to "The Obamanated Union of the Socialist United States", the banner read. It was hanging at the airport so that all of the international travelers could see it as they arrived in this country. Upon passing through the gate from your flight, you had to pay a turnstile tax which varied depending upon your income. Everyone had to carry a card declaring their exact income from the prior year which was distributed to all citizens by their governments, and you could not enter this country without your "Income Declaration" card. You had to hand your income declaration card to a government employee who would scan the card and then scan your retina to assure there was no fraudulence being committed. Only those making less than one thousand dollars per year were exempt from the turnstile tax, which was certainly a cash cow for Big Brother (formerly Uncle Sam). Yes, things had really "Changed".

Going down to collect your luggage required an elevator tax to be paid with your "Tax Collection" card, which you had to carry at all times. Most people opted for the stairs, which they hadn't put a tax on yet. Your card was scanned, and the elevator tax was automatically deducted form your pay check. If you were in a wheel chair, you had to pay the tax regardless of your inability to use the stairs. Most traveled light, as you were taxed on each bag you brought into the country. The tax averaged fifty dollars per bag, with all of the money going to Big Brother. The fortunate ones who didn't work that hard didn't have to pay this tax, as their income was less than one thousand dollars per year.

If you decided to stop for a bite to eat before leaving the airport, you had to pay a Big Brother tax on top of the state and federal taxes. This could be very pricey, so most people just brown-bagged it. The majority of the restaurants had long closed anyway, and the only place to get a bite to eat was McObamanolds, and even though the price of a hamburger was only fifty cents pre-tax, it came to thirty five dollars after all of the taxes were figured in. It was illegal for a restaurant to make any profit, but if you made under one thousand dollars a year, your hamburger was free. Most of the homeless lived in these McObamanolds fast food places now, and the homeless population had reached better than two hundred and fifty million people in the Obamanated Union of the United States. Big brother had made it illegal to kick out any homeless person from any establishment, so most of them slept in any building they liked.

The politicians in Obwashington lived in a gated compound where it was said that they lived very opulent life styles, with plenty of restaurants and places to shop, just like the old days. Once Obama appointed you to your political post, it was for life, as long as you did as you were told. There was only one news source, the O'Tass agency, so it was hard to get a handle on what was actually taking place in the world. The majority of the population was comprised of homeless alcoholics, so it didn't much matter anyhow. As long as you made less than one thousand dollars per year, everything you needed was free.

I suddenly heard the dog barking to get me up so that I could let her out, and the nightmare ended. I was soaked in sweat and breathless, and glancing at the clock, I saw that it was seven a.m., November fourth. Thank God it was all just a bad dream. They say sometimes dreams come true. Could it ever happen? Maybe, but there's still time to vote. Got to go now, the dog has to be let out. Make sure to vote today, hear?

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