The Movement

Chapter Six - Part 4

“So where do you think those people would be in supporting The Movement? More towards total support of nationalization or more towards no support?” asked Troy.

“Well it certainly depends on the individual and his or her personal beliefs,” began Dr. Snyder. “But I’d say they would rank more towards the no support than towards the support section. But that’s my hypothesis with no actual data or research.”

“Why don’t we set certain benchmarks; then after the population reformation we can review who was exiled and who supports The Movement in both loyalty and intellect?” wondered Troy out loud so the others could here him.

“What exactly do you mean, Mr. Duckworth?” asked Dr. Snyder.

“Well, until we assess the population’s loyalty and productivity, we don’t really know who will be exiled and who will remain. In the meantime, we can set up different directions for different scenarios. Whichever of the directions that best fit the actual outcome, that is the scenario we implement,” said Troy.

“I like that idea,” quipped President Barber. “But what if the result is something totally unexpected? What do we do then?”

“I think it best if we think up every possible outcome, then we are prepared for everything,” opined Troy.

“We could definitely do that. Still, the outcome could be something other than we prepared for,” warned Dr. Snyder. “Contingencies are impossible to predict and account for.”

“That is something that we would have to deal with at that time” interjected President Barber. “But nobody has ever become successful without taking risks, albeit those darn CEOs,” he joked.

“To begin, let’s say that half of the executives support The Movement and half end up protesting the nationalization. I think half would be well supported by this group to keep The Movement afloat and with plenty of power to use elsewhere,” said Dr. Snyder.

“All we can do is prepare as much as we possibly can until that moment comes. In the meantime, let’s move on to another subject,” insisted President Barber.

“Mr. President, you mentioned earlier there are many meaningless positions or occupations. What other positions do you consider meaningless?” asked Dr. Snyder.

“There are numerous meaningless jobs that we have created in order to employ citizens. But there are also numerous meaningless jobs that everyday and responsible citizens can complete themselves. For example...custodial positions are meaningless. People need to learn to clean up after themselves and take care of their own selves and workplaces. Custodians are simply the maids of society that breed future generations of the lazy and irresponsible,” explained President Barber.

“The maids of society?” questioned Dr. Snyder. “I think you are missing a critical component of custodians. They provide clean and safe working environments, and they allow professionals to not worry about taking care of the rote responsibilities of cleanliness and instead focus entirely on their job and the task at hand. I think you are under appreciating their importance. And what happens when something breaks and needs fixed?”

“There is a difference between custodians and maintenance engineers. Custodians sweep the hallways, take out the trash, and wash the bathrooms, which every living person with any dignity has the ability and intellect to do in a matter of minutes. Maintenance engineers are trained in fixing complex appliances and technologies. We need engineers. We do not need maids to clean up after us. That we should be able to perform on our own,” said President Barber.

“I understand,” said Dr. Snyder, lowering his chin to his chest.

He picked up his sorrow head, looking directly into President Barber’s eyes.