The Concordium of Independent Planets is a gargantuan, genial nation, ruled by Chief Executive Mark Halpert with a fair hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, frequent executions, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful, devout population of 25.496 billion Planetians love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded, outspoken government juggles the competing demands of Education, Spirituality, and Environment. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Saint Francis. The income tax rate is 100%.

The frighteningly efficient Planetian economy, worth a remarkable 8,539 trillion credits a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Tourism industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing and Information Technology. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an amazing 334,941 credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Citizens have to dodge their neighbor's drones while getting the morning paper, the new coalition government has 99 problems and can't agree on how to fix one, criminals and college students are taking an interest in the government's new weed-killing program, and motorcycle riders are required to wear so much gear they've been nicknamed "Stay Pufts". Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Independent Planets's national animal is the ox, which is also the nation's favorite main course.

Independent Planets is ranked 111^th in the world and 4^th in Texas for Most Efficient Economies, scoring 100 on the Krugman-Greenspan Business Outlook Index.