The Democratic Republic of Payne is a titanic, cultured nation, remarkable for its museums and concert halls, compulsory military service, and irreverence towards religion. The compassionate population of 17.959 billion Payneans have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Environment, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Rotherhoff. The average income tax rate is 70.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Paynean economy, worth a remarkable 1,184 trillion beefcakes a year, is highly specialized and led by the Tourism industry, with major contributions from Information Technology and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 65,971 beefcakes, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Turning eighteen is often referred to as the 'Age of Aquarius', the examiners who examine examiners are being examined by examiners, ice-filled coffins are ominously positioned in the corner of every hospital ward, and throwing garbage out of your house's front window makes it legally someone else's problem. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Payne's national animal is the cat, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Payne is ranked 69,443^rd in the world and 500^th in the Rejected Realms for Most Advanced Law Enforcement, scoring 4,110.86 on the Orwell Orderliness Index.