The temperature that morning was fourteen or fifteen degrees, which was actually just right for the people of the Federation--
As the economy improved, the weight of the Federation's people began to increase noticeably as well.
People had more money to spend on personal indulgence, and among all the countless pleasures available to them, food was the cheapest and most accessible, as well as the easiest way to satisfy their material desires! Nothing could make people happier than buying a huge bucket of popcorn loaded with excessive amounts of butter and sugar for ninety-nine cents.
Add a large bottle of sugary soda and some fried chicken or hamburgers, and most of the day's happiness would be concentrated right there.
Besides, it did not cost much money. Five dollars might be all it was worth! Large numbers of countries had joined the World Development Committee, contributing to global trade.
This had also brought many goods to the market at prices far below those of products made by the Federation itself.
Take the corn kernels used to make popcorn, for example. Corn kernels produced by the Federation itself cost around fifteen to twenty cents per pound.
But imported from abroad, including shipping costs, the price could be pushed below twenty cents. Sometimes it was sixteen cents, sometimes eighteen, but it never exceeded twenty.
It seemed that this was not much different from growing the corn themselves, but in reality, the difference was enormous!
That was because local farms paid more than simple sums of money. They also invested time and energy—things that were difficult to measure in terms of wealth.
As far as capitalists were concerned, did buying corn from one supplier or another make any difference? If something cheaper was available, they would certainly prefer to use it. Saving two cents