The end of two long, drawn-out wars came on August 20 and 22. The desert warlords stopped fighting, and Angola ceased hostilities. Everything seemed to be on the right track; world peace appeared to genuinely start embracing humanity.
However, in the face of a devastated country, Saddam found himself feeling downcast. It was clear that his military adventures had failed; he had not achieved his dreams. Reluctantly, he acknowledged that he could no longer continue the fight. The economy was on the brink of collapse, and he still had to repay his hefty loans. Lord, if he could have a do-over, he surely would not have initiated that war.
With no more fighting, this news satisfied the American public. The credit for this clearly went to the administration. Yet, amidst this turbulence, the Democrats were furious at President Ronald Reagan for boasting about the situation. They exclaimed, "This has nothing to do with you! It's plain as day that the enemy simply couldn't hold out any longer. How can you take credit for that?"
At that crucial moment, the economy underwent a dramatic turnaround. The global stock market crash felt more like a farce; it came quickly and disappeared even faster. With an improving economy and no more warfare, the need for weapons aid to his allies diminished. Consequently, the soaring fiscal deficit should significantly drop next year.
Everything seemed so rosy; the U.S. government looked capable, unlike that group of Democrats who could only talk a good game.
Yet, this was merely superficial. The U.S. deliberately pulled back to avoid provoking the Soviets further. Now that the war had ended, oil prices could not be sustained. International oil prices dropped thrice in one day, disregarding Saddam's feelings altogether.
Repaying debts, rebuilding, and soothing the soldiers and officers all required money, and that money had to be exchanged for oil. If the funds were insufficient, more oil production was necessary. Like the Soviets, Saddam was trapped in a vicious cycle; the more oil he extracted, the lower its price dropped, forcing him to extract even more oil.
...
"Geez, no wonder you don't deal in oil. If prices keep falling, our family's going under," young Bush complained, though his tone didn't convey much displeasure.
"Please, the cost of your oil is practically nothing. If it isn't profitable, just keep extracting. I refuse to believe that non-renewable resources will keep losing value," came the reply.
Suppressing oil prices was the U.S. economic strategy. If they truly wanted to lower oil prices, they could simply extract less domestically.
"The Justice Department won't bother you for now, but don't trouble them either. Ha, you've really got to hand it to that old guard; they sure know how to stumble," laughed Bush.
"Please, those guys are just trying to avoid taking the fall. If they don't come looking for trouble, I'd be crazy to go poking around. You know what? George, American game developers have started joining us. We're just responsible to consumers, this isn't a monopoly," he shot back.
This was indeed where the Justice Department found itself entangled. William White's proclamations were far from baseless; his viewpoints garnered considerable support.
Monopoly? That was truly a joke! What business didn't aspire for monopoly? Just point out one that didn't. Some claimed monopolistic companies lacked innovation and failed to cut costs, all while citing the age-old adage, "born in worry, die in comfort."
Well, there was some truth to that, but if comfort was available, what's to complain about? Are you really willing to endure hardship for the potential of worry?
Those hipster types were the worst, always wanting to stand atop the soapbox and point fingers. The U.S. had been tackling monopolies for years without significant success; instead, they had stifled numerous excellent companies.
The Justice Department likely got wind of NBC's intention to produce an antitrust special, revisiting past cases from the division's history. Given their stance, don't hold your breath for any good words from NBC.
Upon learning of the big shot's plans, the Justice Department wisely backed down. They couldn't afford to bring up old accounts; once those matters hit the public eye, people wouldn't dare to think of the possible grim outcomes.
Of course, William White's moves were calculated to appear threatening. If he were sane, he would never act so recklessly. However, neither the Justice Department nor the corporate tycoons dared to wager. If he could describe the Federal Reserve as a vampire group, what wouldn't he dare do?
...
"Hey, Suzuki, get on those factories in Asia and hasten their shipments. The U.S. is different from yours; this time of year usually makes up at least thirty percent of our annual share," William instructed.
"Sure thing, I'll arrange that right away."
"You gotta be kidding me! Athena's still so small, and you're okay with leaving her at home?"
"You spoiled the kid rotten! Now she can learn some things. If I'm home, she doesn't listen at all," came the reply.
"Ha! You know what? Fulton spoils the kid even more than I do. But, hey, she's just a little one; what's the rush?"
Suzuki ignored him, swaying her hips as she walked away, clearly concerned about her child.
"Sir, all the invitations for the auction have been sent out. From the feedback, we already have over two hundred participants. This will be the largest auction in recent years."
"Okay, remind Tom to ensure the auction system works perfectly. The profits we earn are secondary; this system must be profitable. Have Larry Ellison double-check the software to prevent any mishaps."
"This guy is quite serious. Some folks are already calling him the Silicon Valley madman."
"This guy, hmm, might as well increase his share a bit. Can't have him harboring any grudges."
William's stock incentive strategy had become the trend in Silicon Valley. If you didn't share stocks with your subordinates, you simply couldn't retain top talent.
The personal computer was about to enter the era of 32-bit, and Silicon Valley was set for an explosion of growth. In the coming period, William would focus a part of his attention on software companies.
After all, only in Silicon Valley was the chance of external interference minimal. The corporate giants' focus could hardly extend to those small businesses.
*****
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