2543-Mars

So we spent all day at Hershey Park.

As we are want to do when we come out for these things, we thought....about Mars.

[Yeah sure, you were on MILF patrol-Ed]

Were we ever. There was this one blonde woman, high cheek bones, big brown eyes,  body a of a swimmer, tank top, shiny tights...

[Oh  my god...Ed]

Anyway, we thought about Mars in 2543.

A planet of 200 million. Mars is not terra-formed. 

There are only a few major cities on Mars and the population is scattered throughout. Most people live in small dome communities of a few thousand people, or isolated family homesteads - also under domes. There are large mining communes. 

Great aqueducts bring water from the poles.

After four centuries of immigration, ethnically Martians are completely polyglot and more or less bronze colored.  They like to say Mars' red soil made them so. Snide Earthers call them Bronzies. Don't ever call a Martian a Bronzie. They look down at the more ethnically homogenous Earthers, 'inbred' they like to call them.

Religion does not play a huge role in Martian life. They're sort of like 20th century American Protestants.

Martians, or Marsmen are hyper-nationalists. 

Aesthetically they're neo-Spartan. They build a lot of big amphitheaters, stadiums and such, with lots of granite. See the work of Albert Speer.

Military service is compulsory. A middle-aged Martian is called a 5 and 10: five years active duty, ten years reserve. Mars has a small army as they could never match Earth in a war of attrition. Everything goes into the navy to keep Earth off the planet. They don't trust large armies anyway.

Mars is a Federal Republic with a bicameral legislature composed of an upper and lower house. The executive is run by a president elected to a single 6 year term. There are three political parties, one that hates Earth (the urban Nationals), one that really hates Earth (the rural Marsland Party), and one that is isolationist (the Conservatives).