[‘Hail to the Chief’ intro]

ANNOUNCER

From the White House in Washington D.C., we present a special address from the President of the United States.

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.

SAILOR

My fellow Americans:

Happy Fourth of July! Today, we celebrate our independence day. For on this day in 1776, our founders birthed a new nation. A nation conceived in individual liberty and dedicated to the premise that all of us are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  

(beat)

When I was inaugurated I pledged that there would be a rebirth of liberty in America. That is because I believe in you. I believe in your ability to solve your own problems. I believe that the role of the government is to either support your natural talent for self-determination, or get out of your way.

America may be the most unique nation in the world, but that also means that it was never perfect. For too long, our country has been divided on issues of race, sex, gender, orientation, and political opinion. The Black Friday phenomenon highlighted just how deep and dangerous divisions are. By aligning ourselves in factions we lose sight of what unites us as a nation. Our commitment enshrined that hot July day in 1776; each individual American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is time we return our focus to the individual.  

(beat)

Therefore, I am proud to announce that Congress will shortly authorize the signature initiative of my administration. At midnight tonight, Congress will pass - and I will sign - the Freedom of Choice in the United States Act. You might have heard it called the FOCUS Act.  

The FOCUS Act will do one simple thing. It will let you solve your own problems. Nothing more. Nothing less.  

(beat)

With the FOCUS Act, Americans will be free to enter into any kind of contract that they want. Whether you wish to enter into a multi-partner marriage. Or whether you’d like to begin a lifetime employment contract. With the FOCUS Act, governments at the local, state, and federal levels will get out of your way.

(beat)

The FOCUS Act will abolish any mention of race, sex, gender, national origin, or sexual orientation in our laws. From the moment it passes, America will be one step closer to becoming completely neutral on these issues and helping heal the divisions that have plagued us for centuries.  

(beat)

In order to move into the future, we must also reckon with the sins of America’s past. To do this, we must accept a simple fact. Discrimination is a permanent and enduring part of American life. We all discriminate in small ways and in large ways. By refusing to acknowledge this simple fact, we run from one bad solution to another. We never confront the simplest truth of all: Discrimination is much more than a part of American life. Discrimination is a fundamental individual right.^[a]

(beat)

With all of this in mind, I want to tell you about the final section of the FOCUS Act - Article Three.  

Article Three will wipe away all the failed civil rights laws of the past. These laws were well-intentioned attempts to correct America’s flaws. They all failed because they denied that discrimination is fundamental to how America works. They failed to recognize that discrimination will always be with us.

I recognize how insidious and harmful discrimination can be. Therefore, Article Three will replace our failed civil rights laws with a new system. We call it the Choice License.

(beat)

With the Choice License, anyone who does not wish to serve or interact with people of a specific race, sex, gender, color, creed, or orientation will be free to do so. Provided that they apply, pay for, and receive a Choice License.

The Choice License must be displayed at your place of business or carried with you at all times. The Choice License must also be renewed every four years.

To ensure that the license is accessible to all Americans, its cost will be proportional to your gross annual income. The less you make, the less you pay.

Any individual or business who discriminates without a Choice License will be fined. The fines begin at $10,000 for the first offense, and this number will increase tenfold for each subsequent offense.

The money raised by the Choice License fees and fines will be collected in a special pool account. The money from the pool will then be re-distributed to individual Americans to compensate them for the insidious and negative effects of discrimination.  

For example, if you or your business do not wish to interact with people affected by the Black Friday phenomenon, you can simply apply for a Choice License. The fee you paid for the license will be redirected to individuals affected by the Black Friday phenomenon.

This is a radical re-thinking of our society. It is only possible because we recognize - United Mankind recognizes - that the only way America survives is by focusing on you, the individual. We can only move forward by giving you the tools to solve your own problems. The Choice License is one of these tools. It returns power to you, the individual.

(beat)

At midnight, we begin anew the work of our founders. Only by facing the truth can we truly be free. Only then can we achieve the goals set out in the Declaration of Independence. Only then can we build a more perfect union where each individual has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

(beat)

At midnight tonight, America begins a new chapter of peace, harmony, and liberty. Join me. Join us in the rebirth of a nation.  

(beat)

Thank you all.

God bless you.

And God bless the United States of America.