The Metal of Brass is a titanic, safe nation, ruled by Hugh Masekela with an even hand, and renowned for its ban on automobiles, frequent executions, and zero percent divorce rate. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 19.447 billion Brassians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The large, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of New Orleans. The average income tax rate is 82.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Brassian economy, worth a remarkable 2,646 trillion Cus a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized, quite specialized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Furniture Restoration, and Beef-Based Agriculture. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 136,093 Cus, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.8 times as much as the poorest.

Interviewees for teaching jobs are waterboarded to "reveal undesirable histories", the nation's diplomatic missives are now delivered via sniper rifle, it is mandatory to learn evolution in schools, and structures are raised on promises. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Brass's national animal is the Elephant, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Jazz.

Brass is ranked 22,838^th in the world and 3^rd in The Misty Regiment for Most Developed, scoring 86.27 on the Human Development Index.