Keith Remadra, former chief advisor to the UNP Security Council on Clone affairs The economic problems of the Clone Star Empire persist, although there are signs the slump has bottomed out. The main talking point among Clone economists is that the CSE now seems to be a economic cycle of moderate boom and crushing bust every ten years or so.
The hard questions are beginning to be asked, even at the highest level of the CSE i have been informed : is the Clone Star Empire a viable entity in its current form? The answer keeps coming back : no!
The problem for the CSE is that a few planets effectively bankroll the rest. In the West Cloneworld, Sandworld, Lomar and Randalf 74 are net contributors to the empire's coffers. A few planets like Daggaddon more or less break even but the bulk like Paragon and Taragargi are money sinks. They bring little to the empire except the odd mineral deposit and land but instead suck in a large amount of money for protection and to maintain the territorial integrity of the empire's massive borders.
The problem is even more marked in the East with only Austini 55 having any net contribution, Woloron 12 breaks even and the rest require heavy subsidy. The problem for CSE-E is that Austini's surplus is insufficient to support the rest hence the billions in zarks that have to come from the West.
Now the question is being asked, how can the empire shed these money sink planets to reduce losses and make the borders more coherent but at the same time maintain face? Its a tough problem to be sure (though some contacts of mine say that Oojok is waiting for Benito to secede from the CSE as that will then be the opportunity to ditch some other planets too...)
So what could this reduced CSE look like? The central core of the empire more or less with Paragon and Taragargi retained for strategic reasons. The Calantratia hub of the empire and Benito's part would go. Such a reduced empire would be much easier to defend, would retain all the net contributors and lose most of the loss makers in the West and of course the East. Analysts estimate that the HCS could be safely reduced in size dramatically with poor quality units ditched keeping the elite core of the armed forces.
Could it happen? Don't rule out anything in this universe.
