The American States, 2015.

Johnson is the name. William Johnson. I work for the BART - Barter Exchange and Redemption Taxation. There is no Bay Area Rapid Transit anymore. There hasn't been much of anything since the crash of 2008. The states are no longer united, there is no President and no Federal Government. States are run by Governors who are now autonomous and make the laws, which are enforced by state militias that have the authority to kill lawbreakers on sight. Curfews vary from state to state, but in general, people must be off the streets and in their homes by 10:00 pm.

After the economic collapse of 2008, the people learned that they had been defrauded - that money had been privatized for thirty years and existed only in the form of credit. They rebelled and martial law was imposed to stop the rioting and looting. After George Bush declared an indefinite postponement of the national election, Congress instituted impeachment proceedings, which Bush tried to stop by military fiat. The armed forces refused to cooperate and subsequently incarcerated Bush and his administration at Leavenworth, Kansas. The Pentagon disbanded and the military were re-assigned to the states by a committee of Governors appointed by the Justice Department, which subsequently disbanded when the states declared independence.

These first seven years have been hell. Goods and services are virtually non-existent and Americans, in their rage against a system that had ruthlessly defrauded them, have been on a rampage with a singular purpose...hunt down and kill the billionaires that were still living the good life in their mansions, on their yachts and at their parties. The military intervened briefly, but then joined forces with the Avengers, as they were called. 30,000 Americans died in what could be categorized as a mini civil war in which the rich were pitted against common Americans. The last recorded death was Warren Buffet, who was hunted down on a lonely street in Beverly Hills. By order of the Governors, the material holdings captured were stockpiled in BART redemption centers throughout the states and these became the banks.

Stores continue to operate, but money and credit has been replaced by barter. People come with their goods and trade for credits, or units of buying value. Some people barter services, so you can go to a store and earn buying credits by painting, or re-flooring, or any other skilled labor you can contribute. Store employees work for the same buying credits. Some people call it socialism and another mini civil war broke out that took a year to quell. In the end, by 2012, people accepted the fact that the barter system worked, and as a result it has become more efficient and responsive to the needs of the people.

The drug cartel - the pharmaceutical industry, has been taken over by the states and medicines are distributed freely to those who need them. Pharmaceutical workers, scientists, researchers...all are paid in barter credits.

My job? I collect taxes, in the form of barter, but things like tax return forms and taxation rates have been replaced by a uniform collection system that demands very little from individuals. It works because there is no longer any large scale fraud or loopholes that exempt businesses, so the ultimate value of taxation barter collected far exceeds anything ever amassed by the defunct IRS.

There are still serious problems and hardships that Americans must endure. From Minneapolis west to Las Vegas, America looks a lot like the wild west of old. Roving bands of marauders and small armies terrorize cities, particularly in states that have been decimated by the Great Floods of 2012, during which an unprecedented series of hurricanes swept through the Gulf states and left a trail of complete destruction in their wake.

I wish that I could tell you more, but there really isn't much to say now. I lost my family in the Great Floods and I live alone in a small house in Rosemount, Minnesota. I had a son, Michael Jr. He was murdered by marauders on September 13 - nine days ago. I cannot describe to you the sense of complete devastation that I feel - not only for my family but also for my country; a place that I still love dearly for everything it once stood for and everything it is trying to be once again.

This is my journal. Perhaps one day someone will discover this and understand that the price for freedom and safety from tyranny is mighty high. Nothing should ever be taken for granted. Today is my birthday. I am 72 years old, but I won't be here much longer. There is only one hospital and it is overflowing with victims of a new virus that no one understands yet. I understand it, though...I am dying.

If you pass through and read this, good luck to you wherever you go.§