The United States of Printer998 is a colossal, efficient nation, renowned for its punitive income tax rates, restrictive gun laws, and spontaneously combusting cars. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 5.383 billion Printer998ians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Administration, Industry, and Law & Order. The average income tax rate is 86.7%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Printer998ian economy, worth 790 trillion cards a year, is fairly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with significant contributions from Information Technology, Woodchip Exports, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is rampant. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 146,883 cards, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.3 times as much as the poorest.

The nation's drinking water tends to glow green at night, environmental protestors are being rounded up and taken away in sinister black vans as a massive land development campaign gets underway, parents often ask to see a credit report before lending money to their own children, and Rupert Bear is considered to be the most risqué TV programme in Printer998. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Printer998's national animal is the legendary, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Printer998 is ranked 270,167^th in the world and 738^th in Two for Most Cheerful Citizens, with 38.55 Percentage Of Water Glasses Perceived Half-Full.