Libra (1978)

foreign [Music] apart politicians engaging nations in Wars against the will of the people increasing worldwide poverty and starvation inflation high unemployment staggering crime rates skyrocketing costs of nationalized Health Care overpopulation inability to meet your energy needs bankrupt cities bankrupt States bankrupt Nations and morally bankrupt people [Music] yeah I still think you're being unreasonable but well let's get down to it huh oh damn it's cold it'll be just my luck that this is one of those days that the Planning Commission won't let us have any heat Alex good to see you Alex you have a good trip pleasant good Howard Alex good morning all right Howard how are you fine good to see you oh good morning Alex ah the coffee is on the sideboard oh I believe you all have had the chance to analyze the investment potential of this proposal Robert can't we turn the heat up just for an hour or so no way wow all right you know the fact that this is a somewhat unusual investment consideration for us should not muddle the issue what we want is a good return and they uh reasonably safe investment am I correct reasonably Sound Investment is exactly what I've been talking about to the last holiday uh Robert let's go at this uh in an orderly fashion The Proposal before us specifies the parameters for financial backing to build additional space habitats similar to Libra thus allowing for the expansion of their solar power companies as well as their other Industries the exact figures and contractual details are presented in the reports before you there including the projected profits the whole thing isn't feasible feasible Jim it exists now what we're interested in is expansion and Prof you know what I'm talking about and you know why I'm flatly opposed to the whole project our options are limited enough as it is without taking on so many political ifs we're asking for trouble Jim we've been through all of this before this Libra thing is a fluke it can't last look I've examined this proposal long enough to be convinced there is sound potential for profitable investment here I understand Jim's concerns certain interests are beginning to get a little nervous if Libra expands these certain interests will undoubtedly get even more nervous why don't we table these discussions until I return from Libra and while I'm in outer space investigating the Morris Industries and Dr Chin's solar Enterprises the rest of you can tickle the tiger's tail here on Earth [Music] come in good morning Edgar hello Keith good of you to get here so quickly well it's nice to be in a warm office for a change you know every other place in this town is freezing some exceptions to the rafting plan are necessary yeah I know what you mean have a seat what's up Edgar I've just learned JP's gang is trying to put together quite a deal really what kind of a deal a deal to expand Libra's energy production what's the bottom line he's going after 100 billion 100 billion do you realize what that means of course I know what it means uncontrolled energy cartel boys will be on us like tigers we made a deal with them and it was firm well they're certainly not going to stand for unregulated competition that's right that's why this makes your trip out there doubly important they must have some skeletons in the closet well who doesn't you know I'll be seeing all the key people uh chin Morris you know it is very essential that you really score some big points out there on your TV debate with Baker don't worry I can take care of Dr Paul Baker okay it's just it'll be on International TV and I'm told he's not exactly a pushover no problem Edgar the man has no practical political experience you know before he was made head of their government he was uh he was just some Professor somewhere okay but he has got to understand that they have to submit to our regulations he can be persuaded to understand I'll see to that but you know I'm not convinced that we have economic jurisdiction in space if we don't we'll get it [Music] thank you foreign [Music] we're just gonna start again may I have your attention please if you will turn to the central viewing screen you will now see our introduction to Libra a space Community where residents work raise families and enjoy living and floating around in that glorified beach ball and they call that living the illustration on your screen shows the exterior design of Libra residents live in the central sphere a rotation rate of approximately two revolutions per minute provides a gravity-like force which varies from zero gravity at the poles to full Earth-like gravity at the equator inside the sphere the land forms a big curving Valley rising from the equator to 45 degrees on each side the land area is mainly in the form of low-rise Terrace Apartments shopping walkways and small parks with grass and trees a small river flows gently along the line of the Equator you will notice the small scale of things but for the 10 000 population there is more than adequate Recreation you know I've been a world senator for 10 years not to mention my time as a member of the international Planning Commission and I've been to a lot of exotic places Bengali Kuwait Sri Lanka you name it but I have never before in all my days been sent to study space colonies the sun's rays are reflected by large mirrors through Windows into the sphere the angle of the mirrors may be changed simulating the day and night cycles producing an Earth-like environment complete with trees birds and rivers has proven more difficult than expected but Libra's pioneering advances in Environmental Research have proved to be of great benefit to the Earth's ecology you know it's their conceit that bothers me they portray themselves as some kind of rugged individualists oh hell it was government supported schools and programs that led to the technology that put this casino they call a society into space yes but it was the market economy that put the technology to work cheap source of water [Music] Libra's economy is based on the engineering advantages of manufacturing in space building large structures in the weightlessness of space is very much easier than trying to do the same thing on earth in space you don't have to worry about things coming apart that aren't firmly fastened together [Music] further these space structures can be expanded with virtually no limit to their eventual size all right [Music] the automatic beam Builder fed by rolls of strip aluminum and extruding beams continuously builds immense platforms miles or even tens of miles across in space Libra's major industry is still the delivery to Earth of abundant low-cost solar energy solar power satellites panels of solar cells several square miles in area capture the full-time sunlight of space and turn it into electricity this energy is then beamed down to earth as microwave radiation on Earth the microwaves are converted back into electricity again it is important to understand that solar power on Earth is limited by the atmosphere and cut off every night by the Earth's rotation Libra's government is small democratically elected but strictly Limited in its areas of responsibility the current head of the government is Dr Paul Baker former professor of Market philosophy at Stanford University that concludes our overview of Libra we hope you find the information useful during your stay what's fascinating is that these communities weren't built by a government I heard they were started by a bunch of real pioneers High Frontiers must have cost a fortune but the first ones have already paid for themselves [Music] foreign [Music] but the bottom line isn't the only issue oh jam excuse me although I have read the Libra proposal and I have an understanding of the economics of it apparently I'm not familiar with the complete background may I inquire as to how this project I'm sorry but I think that James and my personal disagreements may have plotted the issue so let's get down to it Robert well about 27 years ago 1978 to be exact a group of major investors was formed under the management of a miss Ann Morris they oh boy here we go again here's the second JP you have any matches all right Robert good thank you anyway they put together and financed a project to create a somewhat unique solar power industry unique in the once in operation they utilize material from space to build their satellites thus avoiding heavy lifting from Earth that's the biggest factor in their profit potential then because of the necessity for larger and more comfortable living quarters for the workmen Engineers scientists and their families they've developed a living habitat that orbits in space around the workstations this Libra is amazingly like Earth and reportedly quite satisfactory in terms of living enjoyment and this project was controlled by your government I assume no the Morris group just went ahead and did it I have no idea how they got away with it just plain guts there's plain insanity [Music] you know Senator I'm really looking forward to this personally I find the whole thing ridiculous totally without a rational and comprehensive plan senator where we change our money today to the currency I was told they do it any place Hayek strange name for money we hope you've had a comfortable enjoy your stay in Libra [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] I'm serious Howard I'd watch any Investments you might be considering out here [Music] touch with reality they're actually dealing directly with consumers they're not going through appropriate government channels and that can't go on so far everyone seems pleased they accept those appropriate government jobs Howard it's a complex situation there's more to it than that hmm I'll bet there is [Music] what is not being considered is that when this thing started when this Libra thing started government regulations were insignificant compared to today it's just plain ludicrous for any group of rational people to think that the business climate today is as free as it was in 1978 out in space so not out in space perhaps you are right but these Prophet figures are interesting to my Consortium could we go over them again this is what we have since the project was undertaken there's been a total capital outlay of 49.8 billion dollars 50 billion 1978 dollars 20 years of inflation has more than quadrupled that oh well at least that 50 billion paid off they're not sitting around in the dark remember the 1978 budget the department of energy it was over 10 billion dollars and that was for just one year since then the taxpayers have dished out over 500 billion for inept conservation schemes and that didn't even include the candles thank you well Howard I would love to take time for a drink with you but uh I've got to get down to some very important business and I've got that TV program coming up so you told me well I have an interview to get ready for myself good luck thanks and Howard don't you forget what I told you [Music] Dr Chin I see all that has been done here and I'm so discouraged about the way it is honor there are solutions to our problems solutions from Earth not just from space but there are so many policies tariffs taxes over regulation nationalization it all seems to stifle new development it's like well why don't people see the real problem I want to do so much and I want to do it on Earth there was so many times on Earth when I too wonder if it was all really worthwhile I saw countries like yours going deeper and deeper into debt to pay cartel prices for oil even back then as we were plunging into the energy and food crisis frightened World turned to it a no growth policy static state like like animals fighting over one water hole constrictor and stricter rules for allocating resources ever stronger enforcement Powers eventually a totalitarian government then and then of course a static state is forcing self-defense to suppress new ideas there can be no room for for ordering one's life it's one pleases no place for intellectual curiosity [Music] no New Horizons [Music] good morning Morse Enterprises may I help you but I interrupted you were talking about how you got involved oh yes well when I was in New York I got to know a young physicist Dr Chin and became acquainted with a lot of people involved in the space Concepts students on campus scientists government and Industrial Research people and certain businessmen I became convinced that solar power satellites manufactured in space eventually from space materials could provide enough cheap energy to give the Earth some breathing time and make a profit for investors I was excited about doing it as a private Enterprise Venture but it wasn't as easy as I thought oh getting The Upfront money was hard enough but but living in space was nothing like you see it now sir in the beginning we had to lift everything from Earth but that was so expensive both the Earth and the moon sit in what are in effect gravity wells in space but the Earth's gravity well is 4 000 miles deep that's how far you have to throw something to get it off the Earth [Music] but the moon's gravity well is 200 miles deep so throwing things off the lunar surface is very much easier that's where the mass driver came in using solar power derived from generating stations on the day Side of the Moon the mass driver is a type of electromagnetic catapult it's able to throw small Parcels of raw materials from the surface of the Moon out into space then these bundles are caught up near our workstations of course no one had ever done this back then now it's it's all turned out greater and different than my wildest dreams dreams that kept me going through those rough and difficult stages all seem so slow [Music] with radiator panels attached are 350 meters long but largest of all are the huge solar mirrors once unfurled into orbit nearly four kilometers across four kilometers yes and each power set has four or five of them and yet four kilometers is small compared to the ones we're building now Dr Chin has your work made all of this alone are the scientific knowledge in the world could not make all of this happen Kamala no more than alone 50 billion dollars could have made it happen it's the release of Creative Energy in an atmosphere of freedom that has made this possible of course having the sun continuously at our disposal helps yeah just put it right here okay bye [Music] oh what the heck is this that's Abacus abacus Abacus is one of the most popular consumer information computers on Libra space Computing systems will give and receive information when you want it where you want it and in the style you want it uh how does it work or is this a he or she yes it is it's in it when a man's voice activates Abacus it answers in a man's voice but when a woman asks a question it answers in a female's voice people seem to like that interesting now if you have any questions about products or Services anything from toothbrushes to a doctor's qualifications it can probably answer you better than I can and in any one of four languages want to try it sure now let's see have you bought anything since you've been on Libra this watch I picked it up at the hotel mine just seemed to give up let's ask him it if it thinks I made a wise choice oh Abacus won't uh what kind of a watch is it an astro Astro 500 Abacus I am not what can you tell us about the Astro 500 astrophy find features our minute second month solar readout stopwatch six digital calculator readout warranty 25 years suggested retail price 20 hayeks complaint rate high 23 in last three months my God it looks to me like whoever runs this has a real thing going you pay off buy a good rating to give to the various Computer Services simple not simple if one of these testing companies were dishonest it would become apparent very quickly either through the products they endorse being terrible or and this is much more likely another testing company wanting to prove that they were more reliable with this kind of information so easily available no business is likely to gamble away its credibility [Music] already most governments either own or control the energy production business oh and look at what a great job the government has been doing for it efficiency has nothing to do with it these governments won't allow this space thing to produce cheap energy without being controlled I'll bet my last cent that the fertile minds of the world planners will produce regulations and the means to implement them that will effectively sink this this dreamy-eyed project you know Jim I'm really getting sick and tired of all of this Hagley for one am not afraid to take this project on now that's my kind of thinking Jim what's the investment world come to they're afraid of their Shadows you know I remember I remember sure Spirit sure but those days are gone we're no longer children believing in such freewheeling ego-centered games oh so much for Emerson self-reliance Justine you make me sound like look I'm just being realistic no matter what you think Libra's is like the Titanic it's a self-sustained habitat floating in the ocean of space the international Planning Commission and their bureaucratic bodyguards are hell-bent to plan an equal distribution of the world's resources which of course they will control that is the iceberg I for one I have no desire to invest in the Titanic foreign [Music] [Music] you said there have been a lot of complaints lately about the Astro 500 which watch should I have fought free session free session free decision free decision how much does that one cost a free vision is a good watch it's a free decision Abacus is an objective type of consumer computer it will give you information given to it by several Testing Laboratories accurate information that you will need to make your own decision but Abacus won't make it for you it can't decide what's best for you that's your free responsibility responsibility it's not a bad word I know it's what's been attracting more and more regulation refugees from Earth give me a close-up on the senator for his rebuttal stand by five four three two you were saying Dr Baker that we've made a mess of the energy problem on Earth I disagree now I admit that what you've achieved out here with your solar energy production is a remarkable technological breakthrough but what it needs now is a comprehensive international plan we are planning the energy needs necessary for the survival of our world nothing as important as this can be left to Mere chance any potentially disrupting element must be taken out of the control of selfish private interests and given a planned Direction do you think all of this could happen without planning that is precisely the point people here are free to plan you talk about selfishness you wish to legislate your energy plans into the lives of others you believe your thinking is the clearest your logic the most irrefutable if this isn't oppression seeking to legislate your particular mind conf on other people then I am unfamiliar with the definition of the term oh free people make mistakes we have made some and undoubtedly will make others but yes you make mistakes we can't afford to make mistakes any system the Crux of the matter is this Dr Baker and I mean this sincerely we are intelligent enough to know that we cannot administer a world society by primitive Notions my God a world Society of over 6 billion is so complex that only the most sophisticated planning can cope with its problems but wait how well are your sophisticated plans working you've been at it for decades now no mistakes the perfect system look at the record face it your world is falling apart politicians engaging nations in Wars against the will of the people increasing worldwide poverty and starvation inflation high unemployment staggering crime rates overpopulation skyrocketing costs of nationalized Health Care inability to meet your energy needs bankrupt cities bankrupt States bankrupt Nations and morally bankrupt people [Music] these are the results of years and years of your planning this is the record [Music] I would like to comment on this no growth planning Jim has been talking about I feel this is where our attention should be focused I have here the latest report from the international Planning Commission I haven't seen it I'd like to hear that I haven't either let me read from their concluding statement quote this commission's proposal is oriented not toward the supply of abstract economic Services satisfaction of human needs abstract economic services now what does that mean and how in the hell do you satisfy human needs food clothing housing and energy by ignoring the economics of production no one gets any if there isn't any how much energy is really needed and how much should it be allowed to substitute for human labor thus producing unemployment then they're saying we're going to have more employment if we have less energy we're saying and not so subtly that energy consuming machines do the work of four or five sometimes 50 men thus putting them out of work replace spy technology same old myth that should have been exposed 50 years ago by the mere fact that it doesn't work that way never has and never will nonetheless that's what they're throwing at us ah yes but to go on we should make every effort to supply energy only in the quantity needed for the task at hand and not to use up energy for Unnecessary purposes and who decides you know they might say that a meeting such as this is an unnecessary use of energy now do you see what I mean too much energy from Libra or anyplace else is a threat to their plans to their reason for existence it takes away their power Banks too much energy puts the commission out of commission good I think it's time that their game plan is upset [Music] well you must know by now Libra got the money every newspaper in town is full of it that in your undevestating performance in the debate what the hell happened to you out there you made a fool out of yourself not really but now Edgar you have to understand I thought you understood I understand that two and a half billion people watched the silver tongue Senator put his foot in his mouth and the IPC with it I was trying to make a point well you made a point all right you made a point of not making any forget about the debate and what about chin did you get anywhere with him will he cooperate in a nutshell no doesn't he understand but he thinks he does what does that mean roughly translated he thinks we stink he feels we're not concerned with meeting the energy challenge that we're on an ego trip and that we're concerned only with saving our own necks that's absurd he also tried to give me a lesson in economics a self-righteous moralists what about Mars same thing very polite but wouldn't budge you know she's really rather smug I don't know where her unbridled optimism comes from and her plans for the future are unbelievable you know you really should hear some of the things in other words you got nowhere with anyone right I wouldn't say that never mind the point is JP's gang is launching a campaign to discredit the ipc's entire existence now some of the energy companies are getting nervous you might say very nervous well I don't see why the whole world knows why energy producers must be controlled or they won't buy some upstart disrupting things with irresponsible production don't kid yourself everybody loves the scrappy underdog now the media is already smelling a story they're falling all over each other to try and get the first scoop you bring them in line divert them okay but how you know don't me Senator do it and bring that Libra gang into line also they'll refuse and there is no taxes Senator taxes you can tax them right out of existence we can't tax a nation in space at least I don't see how what is wrong with you protective tariffs we slap attacks on Earth's receiving terminals make Libra prices more expensive than the cartel prices I'll soon come in line and if the terminal owners refuse to pay Senator not paying taxes is illegal we can force them to pay if they do pull any funny stuff well the black market is illegal also we still hold the one important card the legal force of government well Edgar I'm just not so sure [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music]