Holding Their Own XI: Hearts and Minds (31 page)

Bishop hadn’t been so worried about his wife since she’d been kidnapped. The drive back from Houston was passing with very little conversation, a wall of ice dividing the two front seats. Even Terri’s interaction with Hunter seemed inhibited.

The Texan had been married long enough to know when his mate needed to be alone with her thoughts and emotions. Any conversation he offered was short, pleasant, and to the point.

In reality, he couldn’t blame her. Bishop was dealing his own melancholy mood.

Memories of their previous life were one thing. Walking through the physical ruins of a former existence was quite another. The struggle to survive had served as a mental barrier, allowing so much of their former lives to be shoved back and minimalized. Seeing their old place removed much of that protective insulation, exposing the couple to a tsunami of “what if” emotions.

Bishop had always understood that having their own home meant more to Terri than to him. He had often chalked it up to one of the many differences between a man and a woman.

While no one had worked harder or enjoyed home ownership more, Bishop was well aware that more of Terri’s heart was contained in the structure of plaster and wood than his own.

But, that didn’t mean he could walk through a museum of their former life and not be affected.

Forcing the discomfort aside, he spent the last several hours trying to focus on the best method of helping Terri through the experience. He knew that she would, in turn, help him get past it all.

A quick glance at the truck’s GPS informed Bishop that they had reached the point where it was time to head north to Amarillo and Diana’s presentation.

“Where are you going?” Terri asked, noticing the change in direction.

“To Amarillo and the big town meeting. Remember? We promised Nick and Diana we would attend on our way back.”

Terri’s frown deepened, “Shit. I forgot.”

That’s not like her at all
, Bishop thought.
She’s always the one who remembers the social commitments. Now, I
am
worried.

His anxieties increased exponentially with Terri’s next statement. “I don’t want to go. Let’s just head back to Alpha,” she announced.

“Are you sure?” Bishop replied gently. “We did promise them we’d be there. It’s only a few hours out of the way.”

Terri, however, was firm. “I know, but I don’t feel like going. Please, just take me back to Alpha. Besides, like you said before we left, ‘Haven’t we already done enough?’”

Shrugging, Bishop pulled a U-turn, sending them motoring along their original route. Again, the cab was filled with nothing but the big V8’s purring and the whine of the rubber against the road.

Diana’s security team was on edge, heads pivoting sharply right and left as they escorted the Alliance’s leader into the gymnasium.

“No long guns… and no hovering directly behind me,” she had informed the team of bodyguards. “This is a public meeting of citizens, who, I might add, elected me. I’m not a queen or dictator. Keep it low key, gentlemen, and that’s an order.”

The high school facility was packed to the gills. After managing a parking lot full of buses, horse-drawn wagons, cars, trucks, and motorcycles, Diana straightened herself and prepared to enter the main auditorium.

The reaction from the crowd was positive as she appeared via a side door. Several people clapped, others shouting encouragement as she made for the stage. She found herself smiling and waving at a sea of people fanning themselves with whatever was handy. The air conditioning had failed just an hour before the gathering.

After shaking hands with several location leaders, Diana took a seat and watched as the lights were dimmed and a huge projection machine illuminated the entire back wall of the facility.

After a shrill from the microphone had caused many to wince, the mayor of Amarillo, Texas began addressing the gathering.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as I’m sure most of you know, we are gathered here this evening to present the Alliance of Texas’s new program concerning the ownership of private property and other private assets.”

Pausing to scan the crowd, the mayor then turned and indicated the dignitaries seated behind him on the stage. “It is also my pleasure to introduce several of our new nation’s servants who have honored us by attending this evening’s town hall meeting.”

One by one, the mayor introduced various council members, trustees, and other local leaders. He saved best for last.

Again, a broad round of applause greeted Diana as she was introduced. Standing, smiling broadly, and waving to the folks. With a measured step, she approached the podium.

“My fellow survivors of the collapse,” she began with a strong voice. “Thank you for your support and patience. Due to your hard work and seemingly boundless spirit, the recovery continues. Starvation no longer annihilates our ranks. The availability and quality of medical care are improving every single day. Roving bands of marauders and thieves no longer threaten the vast majority of our lives. We now live in a society governed by the rule of law.”

The sound of cheers and clapping filled the gym, several people standing to show their support.

“But our work is not nearly complete. We are far from finished,” Diana continued. “To progress down the path to a higher standard of living, we must have manufacturing, communications, transportation, automation, and a long list of other capabilities and services. Our factories must again ship products. Our hospitals, schools, shops and churches must reopen and produce.”

More applause and shouts of encouragement followed.

After waiting for the reaction to die down, Diana’s gaze swept the crowd as her voice took a serious tone. “Without banking, taxation, and a larger government presence, none of these advancements will occur. We, as a society, need a financial system. We require a fair judicial process. We must protect the private ownership of the property at all costs.”

The volume of support was less but still strong.
At least no one is booing me
, she thought.
Or shooting at me.

“So often I hear my fellow Texans talking about life getting back to where it was before the collapse. It’s only natural for all of us to yearn for the ‘good ole days.’  Tonight, you will hear what the other council members and I believe is the next step to achieving not only that goal but what may establish a foundation for an even higher standard of living for our citizens. Together, we can build a Texas that is better than before, with a quality of life that exceeds any in the history of mankind. We can do this if we work as a team. It can be done!”

The cheering was louder than ever, Diana scanning a throng of smiling faces and supporting eyes. After casting a friendly gesture to each section of the arena while mouthing, “Thank you,” she then leaned back into the mic and continued, “and now it is my pleasure to introduce Councilman Williams who will provide the details of this afternoon’s presentation.”

A middle-aged man in a suit made his way to the front of the stage, the local official tasked with delivering the nuts and bolts of the new law. The rules were simple, projected boldly on the wall for all attending to see.

Williams was well spoken and accustomed to addressing large crowds. His portion continued for several minutes, highlighting the important parameters and even managing to crack a few jokes.

As Diana had anticipated, the initial phase of the presentation drew a positive reaction from the gathering. Now it was time for the controversial sections of the new law.

Someone had estimated that over 85% of the private property in Texas had been pledged as collateral of one sort or another to various banks and credit unions. Prior to the collapse, the vast majority of financial institutions had survived by collecting interest on mortgages, lines of credit, and other loans secured by real estate or physical assets. None of those streams of income existed anymore.

For years, no one had been making monthly payments. With half of the state’s population now deceased, many of the council’s experts were doubtful that banking could be revived in any form. Others argued that, like the first failure of the economy in the 1930s, blame was to be placed at the feet of the banks. Many learned people blamed the Second Great Depression on insolvent financial institutions, claiming that the economy was pushed over the edge by their mismanagement and unworkable policies. Why should the same mistake be repeated?

The Alliance had already imitated a few of the cures implemented to reverse the contracting economy so many decades ago. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration had its modern day equal in the Agriculture Relocation Program, or ARP. Tens of thousands of unemployed, starving citizens had been relocated to temporary camps where they tilled the fields, raised livestock, and received food, shelter, medical care, and security in exchange.

But there were differences between the collapse of Diana’s time and that of her great-grandfather. Some banks had remained open during the 1930s. The council in Alpha hadn’t inherited a single functioning teller’s window. Unemployment had reached a crippling 25% in 1933. Diana’s apocalypse had seen 99.9% of the population without work.

Entire cities, courthouses, and government office complexes had burned or been looted during society’s latest fall – a problem the Roosevelt White House hadn’t been forced to overcome. That, combined with the fact that most counties kept their records on computers, left massive gaps in the government’s ability to reconcile who owned what land, factory, homes, or apartment buildings.

No
, Diana thought as Councilman Williams prepared to continue his presentation.
We need banking.

The gym grew quiet as the next projection flashed on the wall. Its title was two large font, bolded words:
Eminent Domain.
 

The concept wasn’t anything new. Since the beginning of government, tribal leaders, kings, dictators and eventually democracies had exercised a process that forced citizens to sell land or other assets if the action was deemed to benefit society as a whole.

There were, however, rules. The most important criteria in the United States had been ensuring that the citizen received fair value for the property being acquired. This was not always as simple as it might sound.

One of the most complex examples occurred when the federal government began constructing a system of interstate highways. While the narrow strip of land needed for the paved lanes wasn’t significant to many individual property owners or tenants, the planners in Washington soon found that acquiring the properties was going to be far more difficult and expensive than anyone had anticipated.

To many farmers, it was as if the Great Wall of China were being built directly through the center of their fields.

Tractors, combines, and other implements couldn’t just cross the multilane freeway to plant or harvest the crops or care for livestock. In fact, such slow-moving machinery wasn’t even allowed to utilize the freeway. Access points, such as overpasses and crossroads, were often several miles away. How was the rancher to cross the road?

As the federal government quickly discovered, the “fair” value of a thin strip of land was minor compared to the financial impact realized by an individual citizen. Over time, the court’s and public opinion agreed, and the cost of construction soared.

Williams continued his explanation and justification of the new rules and regulation. After nodding at the projectionist, he then pointed to the large display and said, “In the future, the Alliance will again exercise a similar process and take possession of unclaimed property.”

A murmur swept through the crowd, Diana noting the sharp tone of a few individual voices. The unrest didn’t go unnoticed by the man behind the podium.

“If there are office buildings… or vacant land… maybe a factory or other real estate that are not claimed by legitimate owners, then the Alliance will take possession of the property. This is no different than how every county in the United States did business before the collapse. If a citizen didn’t pay property taxes to the local jurisdiction, the land was taken and then auctioned off for the good of the community. The proposal before you today is no different.”

The explanation seemed to placate the crowd, or at least most of the naysayers.

For another 10 minutes, the councilman repeated the rules, covering the specifics of how individual citizens were to go about claiming their property. After wrapping up his portion of the presentation, Councilman Williams returned to his seat followed by a smattering of applause.

The next item on the agenda was the question and answer session.

The first man stepping to the floor-mounted microphone was a gentleman who appeared to be in his early 60s and was dressed in apparel that led most onlookers to believe he was a rancher. “My brother didn’t make it through the collapse,” he stated with a sad voice. “I have a copy of his Last Will and Testament, which clearly states his home and land were to be mine if he passed first. Is this strong enough documentation for me to make a valid claim given this new process?”