The Peaceful Union of Ashtie is a colossal, orderly nation, ruled by Queen President Aria Latriva with an iron fist, and notable for its frequent executions, unlimited-speed roads, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 9.88 billion Ashtiens are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Education, and Administration. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Ashtide. The average income tax rate is 74.9%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Ashtiean economy, worth 640 trillion Rubies a year, is highly specialized and led by the Arms Manufacturing industry, with significant contributions from Pizza Delivery, Furniture Restoration, and Basket Weaving. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 64,828 Rubies, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The constant playing of Merry Birthday on Ashtiean radio has led to calls for the song to be classified as a crime against humanity, the lasting legacy of the current generation is a million years of buried radioactivity, the government regularly publishes lengthy reports on its own excessive recordkeeping, and prisoners can't do number twos without their "toilet buddy" present. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a very well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ashtie's national animal is the Saint Bernard, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its national religion is Spiritualism.

Ashtie is ranked 43,245^th in the world and 20^th in The Labyrinth for Most Efficient Economies, scoring 95.26 on the Krugman-Greenspan Business Outlook Index.