BAD WINE CRAPPY CHOCOLATE

CHAPTER FIVE-8

"Allisours is trying to get Vitala approved by the FDA. My sources tell me that you've spoken to the head of that agency about the issue."
"I feel that Vitala is a very worthwhile product. It could improve the health of the people, and thereby lower the medical costs that are driving this country to ruin."
"Do you know how it works?"
"I'm not a scientist, but I did read some material on the subject. As I understand it, your invention uses a form of gene therapy to eliminate the mutations that cause disease. It also slows the aging process."
"My invention was a simple vitamin supplement. It never involved gene therapy. Did you ever wonder why the human body has a built-in obsolescence?"
Chris did not have an answer, so Ruderman continued.
"I believe it's to prevent our species from overpopulating the planet. Nature will always strive to keep an individual's life expectancy within reason. The benefits of this new Vitala will be negated by an increase in the number of mutations. The more of them it prevents, the more flawed genes the human body will produce. A person using Vitala will have to continuously increase the dosage to counteract that. They'll develop a physical dependency on the drug."
At any other time, Chris Cane would have taken the time to delve into this discussion. However, the speech he was about to give was too important to allow this distraction. Jack Ruderman sensed that the senator was preoccupied.
"As I said before, I know you're a busy man. A scientist named Hans Anderson did a study of the Vitala that Allisours wants approved. Here's my interpretation of his results. Please read it when you get the chance. This is very important, Senator Cane."
"Does this prove your assertion?"
"It certainly raises a reasonable doubt about the drug. And if nothing else, the data strongly suggests that the new Vitala is not ready for the marketplace."
Jack shook his hand and walked to the door.

"You know, Daniel Foster claims that you're doing this because you're dissatisfied with the compensation Allisours offered you for your invention."
Ruderman's expression turned to bitter indignation as he handed the senator two pictures. They were of his two young children, Cybil and Brandon.
"They're my sole motivation," Jack said sincerely. "I'm thinking about their future. And given the rumors about what you're going to say tonight, I believe you can understand where I'm coming from."
Chris put aside the report and returned to his speech. An hour later he copied it on his Mibil and walked over to the Capitol. The senator entered the historic structure and came upon the statue of a statesman standing in the rotunda. This figure from the past had been prominent in the nation's history and was now an icon immune to the changes occurring with each turn of the ancient earth. He had never dealt with the ramifications of a 24-hour news cycle. The architects of this democracy could not have imagined it functioning in the communication age, nor envisioned the consequences of having their grand scheme being implemented by professional politicians.
"These are different times," he thought aloud. "They call for a different form of government."
The words of Jack Ruderman came back to him. He was convinced that Vitala was flawed, and was determined to destroy Foster's version of his own creation. Chris had to decide if the motive he gave for doing so was genuine.
If I help get their drug on the market and Ruderman is right...god help me.
Feeling like a sacrificial lamb, Senator Chris Cane reluctantly approached the podium in the house chamber. Those who attended the Roster Plan meetings had never discussed it in public. Chris's colleagues watched as he became the first one to do so. This would be, the speaker believed, the defining moment of not just his political career, but also of his very existence. The fact that he intended to make this splendid building obsolete would make his attempt to extol the plan that much more daring. In addition to the members of congress, a large crowd consisting of media people and curious citizens observed from the gallery. There was a strong sense of anticipation in the air, for many in the chamber believed that the senator was going to propose a radical solution for the nation's woes. Chris took a drink of water before beginning. From this moment on, he would be remembered as either a statesman or a buffoon.
"My fellow senators, members of the house, and citizens of our great country," he began. "I would like to use this opportunity to acknowledge what a privilege it has been for me to serve as the senator from Illinois for these many years. I can look back on several noteworthy accomplishments that were achieved by working with the other elected representatives in this room. But as I stand here tonight, my conscience tells me that the benefits derived from all the legislation we've passed over the years aren't enough to validate the current political system. I believe the good people of Illinois deserve better, and I also believe the same can be said for the other citizens of this country. We are at a crossroads. We can either give the people a revitalized nation, one capable of providing the things that make a person's life worthwhile, or we can stand by and do nothing as this country continues to decline."
There was a murmur from the audience. The people in the chamber were now on the edges of their seats.
"The universe has a plan to make sure we don't ever stop learning, not only in our minds, but also in our hearts," he continued. "Pam Houston, one of my favorite authors, said that. I believe her words apply to the situation we find ourselves in now. This system of government has served us well, for more years than the founding fathers could ever have anticipated. Yet its time has passed. The Electoral College is just one example of how archaic our government has become. We've also reached a point where the elected representatives have come to know it too well. The members of the house and senate, the one standing before you included, have managed to hide behind our government to avoid being held accountable to our constituents. In short, the system has been gamed. The citizens of this great republic can no longer tolerate our ineptitude. We must radically reform the way in which the people's business is transacted. I believe, as do so many of my colleagues, that we must implement the Roster Plan. Under this plan, the nation would be comprised of seven territories instead of fifty states. There will be one senator elected to govern each territory, replacing the hundreds of elected representatives that comprise the government now. The seven senators will form a committee to deal with the nation's foreign affairs. What I am proposing to you today could not be more radical, or necessary."
Bedlam ensued, with many in the audience shouting their disapproval. A sense of disbelief, and in many cases outrage, swept across the room, as Senator Cane's words were delivered to the audience by their Mibils. A few of the remarks directed at the podium were of a personal nature, with the words traitor, subversive, and other taunts ringing in the senator's ears. This was the reaction he had dreaded. Yet, as he began to read the speech being displayed in his mind, a strong sense of purpose began to take hold in Chris Cane. The words that he saw scrolling along his field of vision seemed to be coming from someone else, as though another entity, possibly a divine one, wished to see the Roster Plan implemented. At that moment the senator felt like the herald of a new age. The audience was now incapable of unnerving him.
"The children of today, and the ones of all the tomorrows to come, deserve better than a life in which their possibilities are shackled by the foolish and irresponsible actions of their ancestors," Chris continued in a booming voice that momentarily silenced his colleagues. "I'm proposing a constitutional amendment to reform our government. Nothing less than the fate of future generations is at stake. This will not be easy. But we must now go where there is no path."
A raucous response ensued. Most of the elected officials in the room thought the idea was ludicrous, including many from Cane's own party. Yet a small minority was frustrated enough to support such a plan; they made the chamber echo with the sounds of their applause. Chris continued on in the same vein for an hour, providing further details of the Roster Plan, while the audience marveled at this fiery orator who had been hiding in their midst. He retreated to his office after his speech was finished. Daniel Foster was waiting there.
"Well done, senator," he said, shaking Cane's hand.
"Thank you. But I'm sure no small number of the people who heard my speech would gladly have me committed."

"Nonsense! You looked like a true statesman up there, like Caesar or FDR. I'd wager that your noble face will be in granite someday."
"You exaggerate, though you're certainly doing wonders for my ego," Chris responded with a laugh.
"And you were right when you said this won't be easy, senator. As they say in baseball, you simply have to keep your eye on the ball. Revolution by constitutional amendment. Remember, all you have to do is give the people something better than they have now."
"Spoken like someone who doesn't have to deal with hundreds of pissed off politicians. I wish you could loan me some of your confidence," Chris replied with a grin. "Jack Ruderman came to see me today. He claims that Vitala won't work, and could even be detrimental to those who take it."
"That's to be expected. He's a very bitter individual."
"Perhaps. But he did give me some documentation. It's called the Anderson Report. Now where did I put that?"
Chris couldn't find the document.
"I've seen it before," Foster said in a dismissive tone. "It's a red herring. The scientist didn't use our drug in his study. He used another one that relies on another form of gene therapy. You can rest assured that we've thoroughly tested Vitala. Congratulations again. I'll see you soon."
The media made Senator Chris Cane the most talked about politician in the country. Most accused him of trying to win the populist vote by endorsing an outlandish scheme, though a minority viewed his proposal as intriguing. President Briar publicly denounced the speech, but privately called the senator and complimented him on his audacity.