The new year started out with much anticipation. The economy was booming. Jobs were ubiquitous. The banking leaders in New York and Detroit were arranging policy to encourage more building. Oil from Kansas was already being shipped to other parts of the RSNA. Oil interests in Texas and Oklahoma were arranging to transport both crude and refined oil products to the RSNA. In Falls City, the James Oil Company, acknowledging that it would no longer dominate the RSNA oil market, nonetheless expanded to accommodate the increasing oil supply.
With greater oil access, automobiles and air travel both became more feasible. Nearly dormant car and airplane manufacturing plants were being refurbished to meet the anticipated increase in demand. Wichita, with its aerospace businesses, bristled with anticipation of both a revitalized airplane industry and the improved prosperity of joining the RSNA.
The anticipation of more automobile usage necessitated that more roads be fixed up. Highway construction workers were in high demand. Workers from all over the RSNA, the non-RSNA states, and even foreign countries flocked to fill those positions.
For President Marshall, this prosperity boded well for his reelection bid, which was coming up in November. Politicians and world leaders speculated if he would become the longest-serving president besides Franklin Roosevelt.
Even the Virginias were experiencing better times. A side effect of President Marshall’s blockade was that General Krakowski could no longer trade food for weapons. He could only provide that food to his people. With healthier food, fewer people were trying to escape.
One major RSNA leader had reservations about this booming economy. Treasury Secretary Fields expressed concern that once these projects were completed, people working on these projects would no longer have jobs. The economy would then slip into a recession. Carefully, he worked with the Federal Reserve to try to protect against this risk.
In Texas, Governor Mesta was working with officials across the state to set up a special election. People in the state would elect legislators to represent them in Austin. Once the new legislature convened, the governor’s first priority would be to advise joining the RSNA.
In college sports, Indiana boasted another excellent basketball team. They had close contenders. Kentucky assembled the best team it had since the dissolution. Auburn was doing well in the Southeast. Other possibilities were Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, and Nebraska. North Carolina had several good teams, but it seemed like they were competing against each other for the same pool of talent.
Meanwhile, business leaders from various large cities in the RSNA announced that they would restart the National Basketball Association. Twelve teams would participate. The Northern Division teams would be established in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota. The Southern Division would consist of teams in Indiana, Memphis, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, and Orlando. Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Kansas City all expressed interest. League officials replied that they would consider those cities depending upon the success of the new league.
Jeremy got a pleasant surprise when he got a letter from Vincent Black. He and Molly Lamp had gotten back together and decided to get married. The wedding would be held in Grinnell next summer. Vincent asked Jeremy if he could be the best man. Jeremy checked with Colonel Upjohn for approval. He said it was OK. Jeremy just needed to let him know which days he needed off. Then Jeremy wrote Vincent and said he would do the job.
On the national front, debate continued on where to locate the US Military Academy. Secretary Holmes believed that as secretary of defense, he could order the school to remain in New Salem. But politically, he was learning that it not that easy. Many senators and congresspeople wanted to restore the academy to West Point. Their point about it being cheaper than to keep building onto the New Salem facility was valid.
Secretary Fields wanted to restore the academy to West Point. That was understandable. He was managing the money that would pay for it. He would support the alternative that would be more cost-efficient.
Finally, Secretary Holmes asked President Marshall for help. Perhaps if the commander-in-chief could be persuaded to keep the academy in New Salem, he could order a decision.
President Marshall, not wanting to make waves in a reelection year, decided not to take sides. Instead, he asked Congress to vote on it. He would stand by Congress’s decision.
While the RSNA waited for Congress’s decision, other notable things were happening. President Marshall and Secretary of State Stevenson would both fly to Rome. They would meet with other world leaders to try to work out an arrangement to reunite Italy. Besides the United States and Canada, Italy was the only other country to break up when the dissolution occurred. While the northern half of the country had reunited and was doing well, the southern half remained fractious and struggling. The world leaders wanted to work with Italy to help it achieve full reunion.
Major League Baseball announced that it would not expand for the new season. Minnesota was the only Major League Baseball location that had joined since last summer. It would not work to add just one new team.
The remnants of the old state professional baseball leagues were gradually coalescing into something like the old baseball farm system. Omaha’s pro team was connected to Kansas City. St. Louis linked with a farm club in Memphis. Atlanta connected with a pro team in Birmingham. It resembled the old farm club system, except there was more of a tendency for the major league teams to affiliate with minor league teams in nearby cities.
College sports faced new issues. The schools in Minnesota and Kansas would be joining in the fall. New conference alignments were needed. Before, when most of the new states were coming from the South and the East, the best way to create alignments was to create new conferences. Kansas and Minnesota did not have enough schools to create their own conferences. Somehow, these schools would have to be aligned with teams in conferences that had not changed since their formation.
Another issue facing college sports involved the football playoffs. The eight-team playoff format worked well when there were only twelve states participating. But now there were twenty-seven states in the RSNA. Of those, only two (Idaho and Alaska) were not participating. People were complaining that teams that should qualify for the playoffs were being left out.
In March, the college basketball playoff started. As expected, Indiana was among the favorites. When Missouri defeated Indiana in the opening round, it was the upset of the tournament. But then Northern Alabama knocked off Missouri in the next round. Then Western Illinois defeated Northern Alabama to advance to the championship game against Columbia.
Columbia won the national championship game. New Yorkers gloated over the fact that their city had won both the World Series and the national college basketball championship. Elsewhere in the RSNA, sports fans wanted New York to get beaten next time around.
Once the college basketball championship was decided, attention turned to Congressional debate over where to locate the US Military Academy. Soon a clear sectional pattern emerged. States in the east favored West Point. States west of the Mississippi River favored New Salem. With more population in the east, West Point easily won in the House of Representatives. The vote was closer in the Senate, but West Point still prevailed. The US Military Academy would relocate back to West Point. The New Salem facility would continue as a smaller but nonetheless prestigious military college.
Defense Secretary Holmes stepped down soon after losing the vote to West Point. He planned to go home to North Dakota. President Marshall told Secretary Holmes that he had done a good job and was welcome to stay. But Secretary Holmes insisted. President Marshall selected Edward Goodman of Alabama for the new defense secretary. Upon arriving back in North Dakota, Mr. Holmes accepted a position as president of the school he had helped found.
Jeremy was surprised to learn that Dean Fisher was no longer playing baseball for Detroit. He was traded to Miami. Jeremy hoped that Dean could help his new team achieve success.
The American League pennant race started much like the prior year, with New York and Detroit battling for first place. The biggest change was that Baltimore stayed within striking distance in third.
In the National League, St. Louis continued its success. This year, they were being challenged by Cincinnati and Atlanta. Somebody commented that over the eight years since Major League Baseball restarted, seven of the championships had been won by American League teams. The only exception was the first season, when Pittsburgh won it.
Another American sports institution restarted in May. The Kentucky Derby ran for the first time since the dissolution. Jeremy remembered reading about it on what was still the only airplane flight he had ever been on. While many of the people stationed at the base gathered around televisions to watch, Jeremy and Alicia stayed home with their two girls.
In June, the family of four rode the rails up to Grinnell for Vincent Black’s wedding. While Brenda was nervous about the speed of the train at first, she soon started to enjoy it. Jeremy walked Brenda around the train so she could see the different parts of it.
First, they made connections in Kansas City, then Des Moines. The familiar ride to Grinnell was slower, stopping in all the towns along the way, as always. Jeremy enjoyed showing Brenda the farms they passed by and the towns they passed through. Just like the first time Jeremy had taken this ride, they had to stop in Newton to allow a faster train to pass through.
Jeremy’s grandparents cheerfully greeted them when they arrived in Grinnell. This time, Mr. and Mrs. Lane were there too. They gladly crowded all eight people into their car and drove them over to Jeremy’s grandparents’ home. Upon arriving, the Voorhies all thanked the Lanes and hurried into the house.
Once inside, hugs and kisses were shared among the six people. Jeremy’s grandparents were jubilant about seeing their great-granddaughters again. They commented on how much they had grown. The four adults caught up on things that had happened since they last saw each other. They told him that Vickie’s son, Cliff, would be attending Penn State that fall.
At rehearsal, Jeremy commented to Vince that it seemed like the Virginia men liked to marry the first woman they got involved with. Vince, with a slight laugh, responded that it did seem like it. Vince also pointed out that the Virginia escapees tended to have hero status in Iowa.
Jeremy and Vince talked about their Virginia-escapee distinction. Jeremy agreed that Virginia escapees were treated like heroes. That certainly helped them both with getting accepted by the people they met in the RSNA.
Jeremy also pointed out that Vince’s loved ones in Virginia at least would believe that he was most likely alive. Jeremy’s loved ones all believed he was dead. Both wondered if they would ever see those loved ones again.
Jeremy asked Vince where in Virginia he had lived. “Danville,” replied Vince.
“Perhaps Danville will be among the next cities liberated,” rationalized Jeremy.
“I hope it happens soon,” Vince responded.
The next day, on the date of the wedding, Molly smiled as she walked down the aisle, escorted by her father. Jeremy looked at Vincent. He was smiling too. They were both happy about being married to each other. Jeremy knew they had challenges ahead but felt confident the soon-to-be married couple loved each other so much that they would gladly face those challenges together. Just like he had with Alicia.
After the wedding, Jeremy and his family stayed with his grandparents the next night. Jeremy could tell that his grandfather was steadily weakening. He should no longer have to do the kind of physical labor he did at his job. Jeremy asked if his grandfather could find different work. But it was hard to find such a job for a man his age.
Upon arriving back in Texarkana, Jeremy promptly contacted Vickie and Cindy. Both were concerned about their parents’ welfare. Finally, Cindy informed Jeremy that she and Vickie would talk things over. Jeremy wanted to have more of a voice in any decisions but decided to let his aunts talk things over. They could get together and talk. He could not conveniently join them.
Sergeant Hackwell provided Jeremy with some good news. He had been selected for officer training. His heroics in Winfield convinced the decision-makers that he could do the job. He was to report to New Salem for his training.
Jeremy’s heroics in Winfield proved to be a mixed blessing. Colonel Upjohn informed Jeremy that word of his heroics had gotten back to Virginia. While General Krakowski was not as serious of a threat to kidnap Jeremy now that Governor Woodring was out of the picture, he was still dangerous. The army would therefore transfer him to Jackpot, Nevada.
Located on the Idaho line, Jackpot was founded as a convenient location for Idahoans to gamble. It was never a large town. After the dissolution, the town was largely abandoned. Only a dozen or so people remained to provide basic services.
When Idaho joined the RSNA, the RSNA forces in Idaho quickly took over Jackpot. The Mexicans made no defense there. The remaining residents were Americans who wanted to be with the RSNA anyway. The buildings were refitted to make a military base.
Colonel Upjohn told Jeremy that there was no railroad service to Jackpot. If he did not have a car, the army would provide transportation to get him there. But Colonel Upjohn advised Jeremy to buy a car if he could afford it. First, it would be easier to transport himself and his family out there. In addition, there was practically no activity in Jackpot. The nearest larger town was Twin Falls, about fifty miles north.
First, Jeremy and Alicia shopped for a new car in the Arkansas side of Texarkana. Because the auto industry had just started gearing up in the prosperity, there were not many cars for sale. They liked some of the cars they saw but were not overly impressed. The best they found was an economy car that could barely accommodate their family.
There was only one car dealer on the Texas side of Texarkana. Things did not look good at first, until the dealer realized his customer was Jeremy Voorhies. Suddenly, he was willing to offer a good deal to a man who had become a hero in his state’s liberation. Jeremy and Alicia got a generous deal on a car that would much better meet their young family’s needs. Financing arrangements made through the army’s connection with National Bank of Michigan enabled the young parents to drive home in their new car that afternoon.
Before departing for Jackpot, Jeremy got more good news. He was being promoted to the grade of first lieutenant. This promotion would involve a little more responsibility. On the other hand, he would get paid more.
Soon the Voorhies family had their belongings packed up and loaded on a truck, except for the ones they were taking with them. Then they set off for Jackpot.
The first part of the trip was the hardest. The twisting, hilly, undermaintained highways in southwestern Arkansas proved challenging for even the most experienced drivers. While Jeremy and Alicia shared driving responsibilities, both found it nerve-racking. They stopped at one point so they could relieve themselves and get a small lunch, whileAlicia could nurse Julie.
Even though they started early in the morning, it was late afternoon when they arrived at Fort Smith. Both Alicia and Jeremy were exhausted at that point but agreed that they needed to go further. Brenda’s mood alternated between restlessness and enjoyment of the scenery outside. Julie mainly slept, crying out whenever she wanted attention.
After resting and having a light dinner, the family continued its journey. The roads north of Fort Smith were much better than the roads further south. Upon reaching Joplin, Jeremy and Alicia decided to stay there for the night.
The next morning, they started out again. Except for some road construction, the drive went smoothly up to St. Joseph, where they had lunch. Upon reaching Iowa, instead of going up to Omaha, they turned westward shortly after entering the state. They crossed into Nebraska at Nebraska City, then drove through the south side of Lincoln. West of Lincoln, they connected to a main highway, westbound.
More road construction near York slowed the drive down somewhat. Jeremy thought about Lisa Plummer as they drove past York, remembering that it was where she had been sent to prison. He hoped Lisa had not been released yet.
They had dinner at Grand Island, then pushed onward to North Platte, where they stayed for their second night. Brenda, not understanding why they needed to drive so much, was clearly getting restless. Jeremy could hardly blame her. He was getting restless too. He suspected that Alicia felt the same way.
The Voorhies entered Wyoming on the third day of the trip. The road conditions in Wyoming were not as good as they were in Nebraska and Missouri but were nonetheless passable. Jeremy could tell they were not making as good time. Jeremy was also glad that the people in Wyoming were not treating the RSNA people like foreigners.
In Wyoming, the roads were fairly good. In Utah, they were fairly bad. At least they did not have the sharp curves and hills that were in southwestern Arkansas. But it was plainly evident that the Mexicans had neglected these roads. Dodging the potholes and other hazards became particularly strenuous after dark. Jeremy gladly called it a night when they reached Ogden.
Starting out in daylight the next day made the drive easier. Light traffic also made it easier. In fact, past Tremonton, there was hardly any traffic at all.
Road conditions improved in Idaho, showing what a difference being part of the RSNA made. Road construction slowed down driving in some places. This part of the drive was particularly boring. Jeremy and Alicia mainly compensated by talking to each other and Brenda about anything they could think of. Brenda seemed particularly agitated about spending so much time in the car. Alicia tried to comfort Brenda by telling her they would get to their new home later in the day.
Filling their gas tank in Twin Falls, Jeremy made sure they had enough gas to complete the trip. Jeremy, Alicia, and Brenda all enjoyed the splendid view from a bridge over a deep gorge. In another hour, they were in Jackpot.
Upon arriving in Jackpot, Jeremy reported to the headquarters building and checked in. The commanding officer, Major Antoine Fiala, told Jeremy that he and his family would live in a house on the east side of town. The major told Jeremy that this was a small base that only needed a major for its commander.
Major Fiala continued to explain that this base was established in case any issues with the Mexicans arose. Even during the liberation of Texas, their base had no altercations with the Mexicans. The nearest Mexican outpost was in Wells, about seventy miles to the south. They had a barricade set up just north of the town. Nobody bothered to drive down there for two reasons. First, that highway was exceptionally poorly maintained. Second, there was nothing of interest in Wells anyway.
Jeremy thought about his visits to Brewster while he had attended Creighton. Brewster was a tiny community. The sparsely populated area was almost entirely open rangeland. While driving out to Jackpot, he had seen plenty more wide-open space. But this was more wide-open than Brewster. This land also looked drier and less useful. Now Jeremy felt like he was more remote than ever. What did people do here?
During the days, the routine was typical. Drill, classes, formations, field maneuvers, and shooting were all performed frequently. Sometimes they would practice using military vehicles. Many of the service people also learned more about working with computer models.
This camp was more laid-back than the Texarkana camp. After hours, officers, NCOs, and privates socialized with one another like good buddies. Some old casino tables for games like dice, blackjack, and roulette had been salvaged from the old casinos. Seeing as how gambling was illegal on the base, servicepeople and spouses alike enjoyed playing these games with casino chips that had no value. Play was strictly for fun. It was like a small town where everybody knew each other. They all wanted to have each other’s backs.
Childcare was simply finding someone to look after the kids. Jeremy and Alicia quickly made friends who would gladly look after Brenda and Julie. Jeremy and Alicia also were happy to look after the children of other couples. Brenda soon became friends with a girl her age named Vanessa Stafford. Alicia and Vanessa’s mother gladly took turns looking after the two girls.
Much of the camp’s focus was on the pending ruling by the World Court on which nation should possess the area known as the Mexican Cession, which constituted the remainder of the southwestern United States still under Mexican control. If the court sided with the United States/RSNA, the soldiers stationed in Jackpot might be needed to help enforce the ruling. There was no word on what the RSNA might do if the World Court sided with Mexico.
The soldiers in Jackpot all hoped there would be no combat between the RSNA and Mexico. Granted, Texas had been liberated with relatively little loss of life, but even one combat death was too many. There was also speculation about which side the people living in the Mexican Cession would want to be with. Likely, they would want to be with the RSNA.
Baseball was a popular topic among the men at the base. Some of the women were avid baseball fans too. It seemed like each of the sixteen major league teams had some backing at this camp. In college baseball, not many people paid attention when Miami won the College World Series.
But the close races in Major League Baseball created plenty of excitement around the camp. In the American League, New York and Detroit were battling it out for the pennant, with Baltimore within striking distance in third. In the National League, St. Louis was locked into a tight battle with Cincinnati.
Late in the summer, the Texas legislature convened. The first order of business was the question about joining the RSNA. Governor Mesta submitted the recommendation to join the RSNA on the first day in cession. Many people thought the approval would sail through the legislature with hardly any dissent. An aura of disappointment spread around both the Jackpot camp and the RSNA when a lively debate took hold in the Texas legislature. Some of the old-timers in the camp commented that Texas always had an independent streak. They said this was Texas being Texas.
Jeremy got a letter from Vincent Black. Both he and Molly had found jobs in Cedar Rapids. They had bought a cozy house and were enjoying life together. They were happily married. Jeremy wrote back and asked Vincent if he had any difficulty with Virginia trying to catch him. When Vincent wrote again, he said that too many people had escaped from Virginia for the leaders to try to trace them all down. Instead, they were focused on the high-profile escapees. Vincent was not among them. But Jeremy well knew he was. He wondered if he was stationed in Jackpot just to make it less likely that he would do anything that got publicity.
As fall approached, the NCAA announced its new conference alignments. Kansas, Kansas State, and Wichita State would join with Missouri State, St. Louis, Arkansas State, Arkansas, and Arkansas Tech. The position in the conference with Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri schools to be vacated by St. Louis would be filled by Minnesota. The vacancy in the conference with the Dakota teams, which was created by Army’s move eastward, would be filled by Moorhead State.
The season started with a notable game. Nebraska hosted former conference rival Kansas. While Nebraska won the game easily, the attendance was the real story. About forty-three thousand people attended the game. While this turnout was small compared to what it had been before the dissolution, it was still the largest turnout for a regular-season football game since the dissolution. Schools like Creighton and Drake did not have stadiums that could accommodate that many fans. Perhaps now the power was starting to shift toward larger schools with larger stadiums.
Shortly after the start of college football, the Major League Baseball World Series started. New York once again represented the American League, facing Cincinnati from the National. It appeared that New York would win the series for the second year in a row, after it won the first two games. But Cincinnati came back to win the next four, claiming its first championship since the dissolution. It seemed like baseball fans in Jackpot and around the RSNA were, for the most part, happy with the outcome.
After the World Series, attention shifted to the presidential election. A total of thirty-eight candidates met the requirements for being placed on the ballot. Aside from Calvin Marshall and Peter Bryant, Jeremy had no idea who any of the candidates were. Nor did Alicia. In fact, hardly anybody at the base had ever heard of any of the thirty-six other candidates. Nonetheless, newspapers, radio stations, and the gradually recovering television industry tried to give every candidate equal treatment.
One week before the election, a major event occurred that overshadowed the election briefly. The Texas legislature had approved the new constitution, which was readily signed by Governor Mesta. Texas, the twenty-eighth state to join the original union, was now the twenty-eighth state to join the reunion. The RSNA was just ten states away from becoming the United States.
While Texas scrambled to prepare polling places for the upcoming election, the rest of the RSNA looked toward the election with anticipation. While many believed that Calvin Marshall would likely be reelected, Peter Bryant still had significant support. With so many candidates on the ballot, there was also a chance that no candidate would get a majority. If that happened, a runoff between the two top vote getters would be held in another month.
President Marshall won reelection with 54 percent of the vote. Peter Bryant got 41 percent. The remaining vote, slightly less than 5 percent, was divided among the other thirty-six candidates. Major Fiala commented that it sounded like presidential aspirants needed to meet stricter requirements to get onto the ballot.
With Texas in the RSNA, attention was focused on Oklahoma. It was nearly surrounded by RSNA states. Oklahoma political leaders tried to reason with the Native American leaders to get them to agree to join the reunion. Led by the Cherokees, the Native American leaders resisted. RSNA leaders pointed out to the Native American leaders that the reunion of the states under the RSNA was now almost unavoidable. But the Native Americans insisted that they wanted to become independent nations.
Roger Ham, the Oklahoma governor, came back with a response. He proclaimed that if the Native Americans in Oklahoma wanted to be independent nations, they would be treated like foreign countries. The state would not allow railroads to connect with their lands. If such foreign countries experienced a disaster, there would be no emergency aid provided by the state or the nation. No roads would be upgraded to connect with their nations. Residents of their countries would need passports to enter the rest of Oklahoma, the RSNA, and the subsequent United States. The Cherokees would have a particularly awkward nation. Part of it would inside the boundaries of Oklahoma. The other part would be landlocked between Georgia and North Carolina. If invaded, neither the RSNA nor Oklahoma would provide military assistance. Then Governor Ham left the matter up to the tribes.
Football fans in both Texas and Oklahoma attentively watched the college football season. Both states had been fanatic about football since well before the dissolution. They both had notably successful college football programs. Now both states were eagerly awaiting their chance to play against the RSNA teams that had enjoyed the most success.
Nebraska once again reached the college football playoffs. They would face Northern Illinois in the opening round. The winner would face the winner between Kentucky and Alabama. In the other bracket, South Carolina would take on Jacksonville State. The winner would face the winner between Penn State and Army.
Playing in Chicago, Nebraska faced down Northern Illinois, 34–19. In Nashville, Kentucky bested Alabama 24–3. South Carolina defeated Jacksonville State in Atlanta, 31–21, while Army ousted Penn State, 17–14, in New York.
The next week, it was Nebraska against Kentucky in St. Louis. Nebraska continued its winning ways, defeating Kentucky 28–17. In Pittsburgh, Army triumphed against South Carolina, 21–7, setting up the championship game between Nebraska and Army. The game would be played in Chicago.
The base rigged up some television sets in the former casino buildings. Jeremy and Alicia hired a babysitter to stay with Julie. Brenda went over to Vanessa Stafford’s house and stayed with her mother. Then Jeremy and Alicia went to one of casinos to watch the game.
While Jeremy and Alicia both rooted for Nebraska, most of the people at the base wanted Army to win. To Jeremy, it seemed logical that all these army personnel would support Army’s football team. At least nobody gave him or Alicia a hard time about cheering for Nebraska.
Nebraska drew first blood with a touchdown in the middle of the first quarter, going ahead 7–0. Army responded with a touchdown later in the first quarter. Army then made a two-point conversion to take the lead at 8–7.
A Nebraska touchdown in the second quarter was the only scoring in that period. Nebraska missed its two-point conversion attempt, taking a 13–8 lead into halftime.
Army took the second-half kickoff and drove for another touchdown. Another two-point conversion put Army ahead 16–13. Nebraska answered with a field goal, tying the game at 16–16. Before the end of the third quarter, Army connected on a field goal, taking a 19–16 lead into the fourth quarter.
Nebraska battled back in the final period with a touchdown, retaking the lead at 23–19. Everyone watched intently as the two teams battled toward the finish. With four minutes remaining, a fifty-three-yard touchdown run gave Nebraska the biggest lead of the game at 30–19. After that, the best Army could do was muster one field goal. With its 30–22 victory, Nebraska became the first team with two national football titles since the dissolution.
Just before Christmas, Jeremy got a letter from his Aunt Cindy. She and Vickie were going out to Grinnell to get Grandma and Grandpa Voorhies. They would help their parents move back to Pennsylvania, where they could better assist their parents. Jeremy wrote back and said he was disappointed that he would not be included in helping but would not interfere if that was the best thing to do.
The new year witnessed another state joining the RSNA. Connecticut had decided to approve the new Constitution. Now the total was up to twenty-nine.
Connecticut’s entry into the RSNA brought up a new issue. Before the dissolution, Hartford had been a major insurance center. The insurance industry, like the banking industry, had toppled with the dissolution. Now the old insurance interests in Connecticut wanted to revive the insurance industry.
Jeremy knew nothing about insurance when this talk about reviving the insurance industry started. He asked Alicia. She said that she knew little about it herself. But she did remember that when the dissolution happened, her parents talked about how badly Des Moines was going to be hit. Part of this talk had to do with insurance companies.
Alicia wrote to her parents and asked what this insurance talk was about. Alicia’s mother’s response enlightened them. She explained that Des Moines and Hartford were both major insurance centers before the dissolution. Some larger cities, such as Boston, New York, and Chicago, were also major insurance centers but were not as dependent on insurance Hartford and Des Moines were.
Insurance companies, like banks, provided financial services. But while banks focused on borrowing and lending, insurance companies would take payments called premiums to protect against large losses. These losses included cars, property, health, and even premature death. When such losses occurred, the insurance company would reimburse the policyholders for these losses.
When the dissolution rendered the nation’s money worthless, insurance companies, like banks, failed. They could not do business with worthless money.
After the dissolution, Des Moines became more of a government city, since it was such a pivotal part of the reunion. It would probably start some insurance companies, but Hartford had a much bigger need for them. At that point, the most insurance you could get in the RSNA was the old-age and disability-pension program. The program, headquartered in Detroit, utilized math wizards called actuaries to figure out how much of the payrolls needed to be taxed to obtain the money needed to pay the benefits.
The only other kind of major insurance protected against large health claims. Many places in the RSNA had co-ops that would assess the residents’ amounts that were needed to fund their programs. Because Jeremy was in the army, the army paid for his family’s health care. The health co-ops were run by entities within their respective locations. The old-age and disability-pension program was run by the RSNA government.
Mrs. Shelby then concluded by writing that before the dissolution, the large insurance companies were major businesses with assets in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Losing the insurance industry had been a major blow to the economy. While both Jeremy and Alicia agreed that it sounded like a good idea to revive the insurance industry, they both agreed that it was nothing either one of them could do anything about.
With no major incidents occurring, the mood at the base was largely calm. Most of the attention was focused on the basketball season. Jeremy cheered as Creighton rose to the top of its conference. As usual, Indiana was at the top of its conference. Jeremy wondered what it must be like for basketball players on the other teams in that conference.
The new NBA proved interesting because of its balance. In the Northern Division, Chicago and Philadelphia were on top, but each of the other six teams were within striking distance. In the South, Charlotte had opened a small but not insurmountable lead. Except for Miami and Atlanta, the other teams in the south still looked like possible winners.
While basketball season progressed, Major League Baseball tried to resolve its issues. There were now three cities in the RSNA that had Major League Baseball teams before the dissolution that did not now. Those were Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and the Twin Cities area. All three had been in the American League before the dissolution. Ideally, Major League Baseball wanted to add four teams with two in each league.
After much discussion, it was decided that Texas and Minnesota would rejoin the American League. Houston would return to the National League. The former National League franchise in Washington, DC, was awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina.
The college basketball playoffs expanded to sixteen teams that year. This new format pitted Creighton against Nebraska State in the first round, assuring that Omaha would be represented in the second round. Kansas, in its first year of competition, made the playoffs and would face Memphis. Western Illinois had the unenviable task of facing Indiana in the first round, while Michigan State would face Miami of Ohio. To the south, Georgia Tech would take on Florida Atlantic. Duke would square off against Louisville. Rutgers was matched up against Maryland. Finally, Syracuse would play against Maine.
Jeremy cheered when Creighton prevailed over Nebraska State in the opening round. Meanwhile, Memphis bumped Kansas. Indiana, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, and Maine were the other first-round winners.
Jeremy’s joy grew even more when Creighton defeated Memphis in the second round. But then he realized that his alma mater would have to face formidable Indiana in the semifinals. The winner would face the winner between Louisville and Maine.
Jeremy’s hopes for a Creighton national basketball title were dashed when his alma mater proved no match for powerful Indiana. Now the RSNA prepared for the final showdown, with teams from neighboring states clashing for the national title.
Indiana and Louisville proved well-matched for each other. While Indiana led most of the way, Louisville always kept it close, sometimes taking the lead or moving in front by a point or two. Then, late in the game, Louisville broke away with an 11–0 run. While many at the base were happy that Louisville had won its first national college basketball championship, there were some Indiana supporters who were disappointed.
Soon the NBA playoffs commenced. Philadelphia, the first-place finisher in the North, would take on Memphis, the second-place finisher in the South, in a best-of-seven playoff. Meanwhile, the Southern champion, Charlotte, would face second-place Chicago. It turned out to be a good round for the South. Charlotte and Memphis won their respective playoffs.
The two teams battled it out in the finals. Charlotte won the first game by eighteen points. Then Memphis won by four. Charlotte retook the lead with a twenty-one-point win. Memphis once again evened the series, winning by three. The fifth game was Charlotte’s most masterful, winning by twenty-nine points. But Memphis pulled out game six in overtime.
Just like they had been for the college football championship, televisions were rigged up in most of the former casinos. Most of the people in Jackpot gathered to watch the seventh game of the NBA championship. Support for the two teams was about equal.
The game was largely close. Neither team got more than six points ahead in the first half. Charlotte looked headed for victory when it led by nine in the third quarter, but Memphis determinedly battled back. Then, with time running out in the fourth quarter and Charlotte up by two, a Memphis player hit a three-point buzzer beater. Memphis won the first post-dissolution NBA championship.
While the reaction around the base toward the NBA championship was not overly biased about who won, the consensus was that it was a good playoff. The final game went right down to the wire. It provided plenty of excitement.
With basketball over, attention turned to Major League Baseball. For the first time since the dissolution, the major leagues would be playing a whole schedule of 162 games. Many people expressed interest in how well it would work.
The start of Major League Baseball was soon overshadowed by a much larger event. The World Court ruled in favor of the United States regarding the Mexican Cession. Mexico needed to relinquish its holdings in the southwestern part of what had been the United States. But the Mexicans refused to back down. Was another conflict between Mexico and the RSNA looming?