Joseph collapsed back into a chair. The chair tilted dangerously but did not fall. "Of course, this is just the outline. I'll have to plan it out into detail-"

"You don't." Lawson interrupted. "Can't you just have the Head of the Department of Health and Human Services plan it out? You're not exactly an expert." He finished it off with a chuckle, to offset the accusatory tone diffused throughout the last sentence.

Joseph groaned. "Yeah, I guess, but..."

The president shook his head. "That's for later." He exhaled loud enough for Lawson to hear. "So, to summarise,

Hospitals - standardised to a high level of quality, and left to a board of 12 directors to decide how it should operate and toe the line between for the people and enough money to self-sustain itself. If needed, the government can give funds to the hospitals.

Health Insurance - collated and put under a better motto of for the people. Abolish the for profit clause, and ensure that all get insurance. And I mean, all. Have those that oppose the Health Insurance taken down, and a building for the collation built in each state to ensure that all get health insurance."

Joseph pulled at his hair. "Now, the most thorny bit is Big Pharma. The big bosses will not want to lose everything they've worked for. That's why... there is a need to have a mixed approach.

Only when they are in the direst need does a little bit of hope become essential. That's what the letter is. Then, when they are on the verge, offer them just the littlest bit of hope, and they'll grab at it to escape. As well, I have to appeal to their best interest.

The thing is, I have to finish this in one fell swoop. If this....medical coup happens consecutively, they'll suspect something. I need to do it fast enough that by the time they suspect it, it'll already be too late, the window of opportunity closed.

And I need someone I can trust." He turned his head to look at Lawson. "Already, you've got too much on your hands. I can't leave it to you. Hm....I will decide the criteria for a suitable candidate after this talk."

He took out a notebook and jotted it down.

"The plan is pretty much the same as for the health insurance companies. Incite public opinion, launch an investigation, have them no way out, until I give them a generous way out.

Before all that, drop a law with clause that both benefits them and dooms them to be blinded by that shard of hopeful light."

Joseph lifted his head. "Sounds a bit abstract, doesn't it? It's an idea that requires fleshing out, but that's how all ideas first come into being.

I would go into detail now, but I'm afraid that would derail my train of thought."

At some point in time, Lawson had found a chair and sat on the opposite side of the desk. "Continue, then."

"Well, first I would like to sort out-" Joseph turned and stared at the messy whiteboard. "Lawson. There's not enough whiteboards."

Lawson stared with him. "I can see why that is a problem."

"Ah, that ruins everything!" Joseph threw his hands up in the general direction of the whiteboard. The whiteboard deigned to react. Joseph leans back into his seat and sighs. "Well, there goes that. I still have a meeting in around an hour or so."

Lawson pats him on the back and stays silent in solidarity.

"...Lawson, can I vent? I'm worn out."

At once, Lawson felt a wave of emotion overwhelm him, a sensation that he could not quite put into words. The Assistant squirmed in his seat and re-adjusted his seating twice. "Sure, why not."

Joseph begins.

"I feel too lucky. I feel that everything is going my way. I fear that this is the calm before the storm." Joseph peeked at Lawson and confirmed that he was listening. "At the same time, I want to move forward with reckless abandon. I want to ensure that everything can be solved. Yet I fear that if I put in too much momentum, I will hit a brick wall with that exact amount of momentum transferred back to me.

I have a huge amount of ambition, Lawson. I want to solve all the problems in one fell swoop. A single show of force that fixes everything. The economy. The suffering of the workforce. Morality. Breaking people out of their mentality that 'it has always been this way, this is correct'. Legal does not mean correct. I want to increase the quality of policemen. I want to ensure that we don't have to go to war. I want the whole world to work together to explore space. I want clean energy to power the country. I want every country to prosper, so that we can all progress.

But resources are little, are they not? Scarcity.

According to economics, the workforce is a resource. Human resources. Disgusting. Every human contains within themselves potential. The thought of ideas, potential researchers, potential genuises, snuffed out due to their inauspicious surroundings, due to luck, the thought of a living, breathing person that fills in space mental, physical, and spiritual, something full of life and more, gone simply because we could not afford to care - it scares me, Lawson. That all this potential is just... gone.

At the same time, I fear getting corrupted. I fear getting forced to compromise. I fear, 'for the greater good', 'the lesser of two evils'. I think...I just want a miracle, Lawson. Miracles take no effort. But instead I need to work for this." The chair leaned back dangerously before falling back into place. "That's it. In order to prosper, we need to put in effort and empathy.

I think I'm just scared, Lawson. For no reason. I'm just scared of. Not scared due to. Just scared of... of something. Of too many things I can't put into words. Of too many emotions that can never be conveyed properly."

He rubbed his nose. "Yeah, I guess that's about it. I'm just scared. They say an unhappiness talked to is an unhappiness shared, but I don't think unhappiness can be destroyed, Lawson. It's just shared between everyone. Maybe one day, the unhappiness will be shared such that everyone can tolerate that unhappiness, but.. that day is still so far away, you know?

I actually somewhat envy the alchoholics and the addicts. They have something that can take their minds of the terror of reality. But no. We have to be sane. We cannot run away. Running away is not an option. We have to face reality, or risk dying under it.

...

Sorry, I know this is a bit too heavy handed."

"No, no, it's alright, it's alright, I understand. We all need to vent sometimes. Stress is painful to bear."

"Yeah? Yeah..Yeah, I guess. Have a good day, Lawson. Meet up tomorrow, same time? I'll go find some more whiteboards."

"No...I can do that. Buy some whiteboards. I'll do it."

Joseph nods and swallows. "I've got more groundwork to discuss with you, if that's alright? We've got a long way ahead of us." Joseph stared out the windows, at the rapidly dimming light. "A long way."

"I'm here for you, Joseph. I'm willing to listen, crazy plan or not." Smile tugging on his lips, Lawson left the room, closing the door behind him. At once the smile died away, and he tilted his head backwards to look at the ceiling. Unhappiness can't be destroyed? Very well. He tapped at his phone. 'hey, you've got time? i need to vent a little.'

'Sure, why not? I've got nothing to do now, anyways.'

Inside, Joseph appreciated the beauty of the falling sun. He raised his phone like raising a glass to a toast. "For the future of America."