The Pale Goldenrod Node of Node Pale Goldenrod is a colossal, efficient nation, notable for its disturbing lack of elderly people, punitive income tax rates, and suspicion of poets. The hard-nosed, devout population of 4.628 billion Node Pale Goldenrodians are prohibited from doing almost everything except voting, which they do timidly and conservatively.

The large, corrupt, moralistic, socially-minded government prioritizes Defense, with Law & Order, Administration, and Education also on the agenda, while Welfare isn't funded at all. The average income tax rate is 69.3%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The all-consuming Node Pale Goldenrodian economy, worth 542 trillion Nodecoins 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 black market in Arms Manufacturing, Tourism, Information Technology, and Woodchip Exports. 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 117,256 Nodecoins, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.0 times as much as the poorest.

Saying 'no homo' is enough to escape punishment for the crime of being gay, top-shelf magazines feature risqué centrefold spreads of ladies' wrists, the government makes bereaved siblings into bereaved orphans, and maximum security fish farms leave caged salmon pining for the fjords. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Node Pale Goldenrod's national animal is the Circuit, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Node Pale Goldenrod is ranked 322,230^th in the world and 145^th in The Node for Largest Welfare Programs, scoring -10.95 on the Safety Net Mesh Density Rating.