"Don't talk to me that way. You'll find yourself having one helluva time
floating that loan you need next month. How about another drink,
everybody? This party's dead."
Watson said, "How about the progress reports? Briefly, we've all but
completely united Texcoco. Minor setbacks have sometimes deterred us but
the march of progress goes on. We--"
"Minor setbacks," Kennedy chortled. "Must of had to bump off five
million of the poor slobs before that commune revolt was finished with."
Watson said coldly, "We always have a few reactionaries, religious
fanatics, misfits, crackpots, malcontents to deal with. However, these
are not important. Our industrial potential has finally begun to roll.
We doubled steel production this year, will do the same next. Our
hydro-electric installations tripled in the past two years. Coal
production is four times higher, lumber production six times. We expect
to increase grain harvest forty per cent next season. And--"
The Honorable Modrin put in gently, "Please, Honorable Watson, your
percentage figures are impressive only if we know from what basis you
start. If you produced but five million tons of steel last year, then
your growth to ten million is very good but it is still not a
considerable amount for an entire planet."
Buchwald said dryly, "If our agents are correct, Texcocan steel
production is something like a quarter of our own. I assume your other
basic products are at about the same stage of development."
Watson flushed. "The thing to remember is that our economy continues to
grow each year. Yours spurts and stops, jerks ahead a few steps, then
grinds to a halt or even retreats. Everything comes to a pause if you
few on the top stop making a profit; all that counts in your economy is
making money. Which reminds me, how in the world did you ever get out of
that planet-wide depression you were in three years ago?"
Peter MacDonald grunted his disgust. "Planet-wide depression, indeed. A
small recession. A temporary readjustment due to overextension in
certain economic and financial fields."
From the other side of the table, Dick Hawkins laughed at him. "Where'd
you pick up that line of gobbledygook, Peter?" he asked.
Peter MacDonald came to his feet. "I don't have to put up with this sort
of impudence," he snapped.
Watson lurched to his own feet. "Nor do we have to listen to your snide
cracks about the real progress Texcoco is making. We don't seem to be
getting anywhere." He snapped to his associates, "Hawkins, Taller,
Roberts! Let's go. Ten years from now, there'll be another story to
tell. Even a blind man will see the difference."
They marched down the _Pedagogue's_ corridor toward their space boat.
Kennedy called after them, "Ten years from now every family on Genoa'll
have a car. Wait'll you see. Television, too. We're introducing TV next
year. An' civil aviation. Be all over the place in two, three years--"
The Texcocans slammed the spaceport after them.
Kennedy sloshed some more drink into his glass. "Slobs can't stand the
truth," he explained to the others.