The Dissociative State of Hardscrabble is a colossal, safe nation, ruled by Dr Norvak Dolokai with a fair hand, and renowned for its daily referendums, irreverence towards religion, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, hard-working, democratic, cheerful population of 9.228 billion Hardscrabblers hold their civil and political rights very dear, although the wealthy and those in business tend to be viewed with suspicion.

The large, liberal, outspoken government prioritizes Education, with Environment, Administration, and Healthcare also on the agenda, while Defense and Spirituality aren't funded at all. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Squash Flats. The average income tax rate is 96.6%.

The frighteningly efficient Hardscrabblean economy, worth a remarkable 1,621 trillion florgons a year, is highly specialized and mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Tourism and Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 175,661 florgons, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Earthquake sirens are a leading cause of hearing loss, taxpayer-funded government ads are promoting Brancaland as a premier filming location, it is mandatory to learn evolution in schools, and feuilletons can only be deciphered with a Galliennais dictionary. Crime is totally unknown. Hardscrabble's national animal is the wood shrew, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Hardscrabble is ranked 6,275^th in the world and 355^th in The North Pacific for Highest Poor Incomes, with 123,807.73 Standard Monetary Units.