“Commissioner Zlzch, Second Class Viewer Tlnxp is here.”

“Thank you. Please send him in.”

Tlnxp, a young but intelligent looking Spth, veebled in with his antennae curved deferentially but, Zlzch noted, an ill-concealed air of confidence and excitement revealed in his blue mid-cilia.

Zlzch: “If you have your report on Earth ready, please go ahead.”

Tlnxp: “Ahem, well sir, I have my bi-snrtly report on this faraway planet. As you know, I’ve had this viewing assignment for several snrtlies, and our data goes back to well before the now-dominant species, man, took over. But I’ve never been so enthused as I am today.

‘Of course, you realize that my own opinions, as a mere second-class viewer of a largely insignificant, so far, planet are not of great importance and may well be wrong. Nevertheless...” He cleared his throats.

“We primarily concern ourselves with the status of the ruling group in the main political district, which they call the United States. As reported before, they have advanced technologically enough to be able to completely destroy their little planet, without having advanced socially enough to make sure that they won’t. We’ve always known that the ruling group there has no capacity for preserving life and sanity, as they are totally fixated on advancing themselves at the expense of everyone else and all life forms.

‘Of late, we have begun to notice evidence that this incompetent and dangerous ruling group may be losing its grip. Worldwide economic competition with other political districts brought them into crisis several of their political cycles ago. They responded, of course, in the only way they know how, by tightening the exploitation of everyone else. In the time period that they call the year of 2007, the ongoing crisis became much more evident to all.

‘The ruling group’s main method, quite successful before now, is something best described as ‘capitalist democracy.’ That is, the voters have certain minimal rights, which they have successfully defended and dramatically extended over time, but the major economic decisions remain in the hands of the ruling group. Their failure to provide any kind of security for all, especially known since the current crisis began, has caused the voters to press harder for democratic solutions. In elections of their 2008, the ruling group received a stunning blow. Voters pressed for democracy, even including democracy in previously prohibited economic areas such as the allocation of jobs and other benefits.

‘Of course, the ruling group was deaf to the new demands. Their main response was to change the rules of democracy, through a legal maneuver, so that they could array much more of their economic power against the rising democracy. In the United States elections just concluded, that economic power was brought to bear, along with their usual political trickery, to successfully thwart the democratic demands of the majority population.

‘Now, it must be noted, we are moving into an area of my own speculation.

‘It goes without saying that the newly-elected spokespersons for the ruling group will not be able to resolve the economic crisis any more than the previous ones were. In fact, they will be less able to do so because the population, more knowledgeable every snrt, is becoming aware of the effect of anti-democratic economic power on their latest elections, and because the economic proposals just brought in are completely ridiculous. Their only direction, I may say with conviction, is backwards!

‘Very soon, possibly by their next election cycle, the general democratic trend for more direct control of the economy by the voters of the United States, will rock the ruling group’s hold on power more than ever.

‘In conclusion, although other observers might think that nothing is changing on Earth, it is clear that the main ruling group is losing its grip. Not many snrts from now, I hope to be recommending to you, Commissioner, that it is safe enough for us to send emissaries to establish contact with Planet Earth. If it is not overly ambitious of me to suggest it, I would very much like to be among them.” Tlanxp’s blue mid-cilia were almost violet with anticipation!

Commissioner Zlzch: “Thank you, Tlanxp. Your report is accepted, and your enthusiasm is noted. We have always known that the general direction of history is toward more understanding and more democracy, so I may say that I share your hopes for the Earth dwellers. Only the timetable remains unsettled.”