Windigo Soul Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Always seemed a bit much for me, but I guess they want to get their money’s worth. You ready?”
    Hank nodded as the monitor stopped and the display lit up. Maz squinted at the remote some more and pushed another button. A short musical introduction, much too loud, blasted from the speakers as the United Federation of Nations logo spun across the screen. A very attractive young woman walked into the frame and smiled.
     
    Welcome to your new life as an associate in the Federal Department of Human Resources. Congratulations! You were handpicked for service and should consider yourself very lucky. Only about one out of one thousand retirees are recruited.
    We understand this is all very confusing for you right now. This video will be your guide and answer your questions, preparing you for your training as a human resources technician.
    At this point, you may be thinking that you’ve never heard of the Federal Department of Human Resources. Not to worry. No civilian has. It’s a highly classified organization under direct control of the Department of Retirement. In order to understand what the FDHR does, we need to go back a little and explain why it was created in the first place.
     
    The video cut to scenes of urban decay, the effects of pollution, and overall depressing images of world’s state of affairs. The woman continued her narration in the background.
     
    As you know, our planet is plagued with problems the United Federation of Nations inherited before bringing peace and order to world many years ago. Vast overpopulation, shortages of food and water, depleted natural resources, and strained energy production, just to name a few.
    Overpopulation continues to top the list as the number one issue we face today despite efforts put in place generations ago by the State. The Reproductive Restrictions Act, or “the one baby law,” as it is often called, helped to slow the birth rate substantially.
    As the Earth’s natural resources continued to dwindle, it became clear years ago a more aggressive approach to managing the population was necessary. That’s when the State started focusing on the other end of the life cycle. Each year, billions of dollars, medical care, housing, food, and other resources were once dedicated to the elderly, causing a great strain on the State.
    After a fierce debate in the Federal senate, the Mandatory Retirement Act was passed despite overwhelming public opposition. Today, retirement is regarded as a normal stage of life. It is widely accepted by citizens of the State as a perfectly natural and reasonable response to eliminate the negative aspects of aging and its effect on society. This didn’t happen overnight. In the early days of the law, violent protests often broke out at retirement processing centers and many retirees had to be arrested and processed by force. It would take decades of endless propaganda and shifts in societal norms to reach where we are today.
    Thanks to retirement and careful restrictions on births, overpopulation is within our reach of becoming manageable. Experts agree that in twenty years or less, the population of Earth will fall to that of the late twentieth century.
     
    The attractive woman came back on the screen, standing next to a young boy with blond hair and blue eyes. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he smiled at her.
     
    You may be thinking, ‘that’s great news, right?’ Well, it’s a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, kids like Billy here, face a very fragile and uncertain future due to our lack of natural resources. Contrary to what you may have heard, fossil fuels are expected to be completely depleted in less than ten years. Conservation and recycling have done little to combat the problem and research for new viable sources of energy such as wind and solar have produced few positive results.
     
    The scene changed again. The woman and Billy were replaced by a photograph of a man in a lab coat. The narration