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"The One Percent," by Roy Hudson
It was the day of a new President's first State of the Union address, and everyone was anxiously awaiting his first major speech as Commander-in-Chief. He had promised to improve the Income Tax Incentive Program that had been instated by the previous President and his extremely right-wing Congress. That President, prior to his assassination, had created I-TIP to create less unemployment by eliminating the welfare program, making an unemployed parent's search for work even more difficult, especially since the super rich had already outsourced most of the jobs they supposedly created. In order to feed the working class, everyone who could not pay taxes was rounded up, slaughtered, and ground into a cheap form of sustenance. Of course, the majority of the country felt that this was unfair and only beneficial to the 1% of the wealthiest business owners and political fund donors.
Naturally, with the country in such dire straits, the citizens voted for a Presidential and Congressional candidates who would help the majority instead of only the rich, who had funded the construction of the tallest building in the world right in the middle of the nation's capital. The blueprints for the skyscraper were kept secret from all but the original architect, the new President, and his construction company. The average citizen felt angry that this structure was built, seemingly to honor the very people who had murdered their loved ones and turned them into food for the blue collar workers. They would soon appreciate the new President's new building, however.
The State of the Union address was to be delivered at the unveiling of the new building, and every wealthy political donor, as well as many of the recently voted-out Congresspersons, was invited to the penthouse.
Two former Senators walked through the front doors and saw the lobby, which was entirely empty. There was no elevator, just a long set of stairs. "He wants us to walk up there?" one elderly Senator asked. "He's crazy."
A Secret Service agent took hold of a wheelchair and said, "The ramp is this way, sir. I'll walk you up."
When the wealthiest men in the nation finally arrived at the penthouse, they noticed that it was the same as the lobby, with no furniture or anything besides a widescreen TV and a video camera, both bolted to the ceiling. A billionaire looked around and asked, "Well, where is he?"
Once the very last man was in the penthouse, the Secret Service closed the doors to the stairs and stood guard there. Outside, a commoner tried to enter, as he wished to see the Presidential address, but did not own a TV. The guard said, "Trust me, sir. You don't want to go in, but if you'd like, you can wait here. The President designed this building to broadcast the address on its side. You and everyone else with no TV can watch his speech here."
The young man turned away, angry, and simply stepped back and looked up, where the President appeared on screen... from the Oval Office. This also appeared on the TV in the penthouse, which aroused much suspicion in its occupants.
"Good evening," the President said as an picture-in-picture appeared above his shoulder, showing the confused billionaires in the penthouse. "I promised reform in I-TIP and I meant it. We go now live to the unveiling of my new tower for the heaviest donors and wealthiest business owners who fought to keep me out of the White House."
"What's going on here?" another former Senator asked, as the TV's speakers emitted his own voice..
"I'm getting to that," the President said with a smile. "During the design phase of that tower, I had it planned to change I-TIP... to include tax evaders. And, wouldn't you know it, everyone in the penthouse there did not pay their taxes over the past several years."
Suddenly, the penthouse occupants heard many jeers from the crowd outside. The President said, "I urge the citizens outside not to try to get inside. You don't want to be in that penthouse... Trust me."
The former Senators and fund-raisers gulped in synchronicity. "What do you mean?" the spokesman asked.
"Look down."
The hologram projector from beneath shut off, revealing a glass floor above a thresher. "You can't be serious," the spokesman sputtered.
"After what you have done to this once great nation, you'd better believe I'm serious. Goodbye, gentlemen... but know that you're going to a better place: the stomachs of the poor tomorrow morning."
The penthouse occupants ran to the stairway door, only for the floor to begin retracting away from the Secret Service agent, who simply shrugged at their plight. Under their feet, a thresher began to grind. Outside, the crowd cheered.
The President continued, "After tomorrow's feed, I'm canceling I-TIP and distributing your wealth toward creating actual jobs in this country. Your kind will simply cease to be."
The billionaires crowded each other toward the opposite wall, only to be pushed one by one into the thresher, screaming all the way. Once the penthouse was empty, The President said slyly, "To those of you who will be eating the I-TIP-sanctioned meal tomorrow, be very careful... the food is only one percent meat."