[ WP ] In the future , criminals are sent to a colony on Mars because of overpopulation . You commit a crime to get away from the awful conditions on earth

The capsule was time locked. To open it before the date inscribed would destroy the contents. It was one of the old relics - a piece of the fall of Earth. The Earth was hopelessly backwards - overpopulated - polluted. It died. For over one hundred years the Earth has been silent. Astronauts from the Martian Aeronautics Mission ( MAM ) had brought the capsule back from the wreckage of an old city. The time was up, the capsule was ready to be opened. 
 
 Once opened, a holographic figure of a man appeared... 
 
 `` My name is Jax Muldorf and I am recording this at the Martian Penal Facility. I do n't know if this will reach you, in fact I doubt it will, but I hope it does. 
 
 I should let you know that I'm a secret reporter for the Underground, the last free human newspaper on the planet. I've used fake credentials to fake a reputation as a business leader who was embezzling billions of dollars from his company. It was n't long before the police rounded me up and sent me here - to prison. 
 
 We've all been told of the horrors of the Martian colony and I'd never have expected what I've seen here. Not in a a million years. 
 
 The whole thing, I think, was a lie from the get-go. 
 
 Think about it for a second. The whole premise seems odd: criminals are going to be frontiersmen and colonize Mars. Why would we trust criminals to do that? And then the so-called accident of the Titanic Space Transport ( TSP ) which cost the lives of every single prisoner being transferred to Mars. 
 
 And how did we all come to accept so readily the De-criminalization of almost every act. That or the'instant retribution' that goes against everything humanity has stood for. This reporter is, personally, in favor of execution for murderers, but to automate the system with cameras in every house and every street - to force people to watch as citizens are gunned down by automated defense systems... it's just so barbaric. And everything else is pretty much ok - just a ticket. The only prison offense these days are the white collar crimes - embezzling, falsifying financial documents, corporate espionage.... we were happy to get these low life executives off of our planet. 
 
 And the corporation-owned news media fed us like a baby. Every line about the horror and hard work and terrible conditions of the Mars Colony were a complete lie! 
 
 I tell you now, to anyone who might intercept this broadcast, that the Mars Colony is not a penal colony - it is a resort! I have thus far been treated like a king, with conditions never before seen on Earth. The enviro-dome surrounding the compound has been set up with projectors to look like beautiful blue sky. The beaches are pristine - the water is pure and warm. The food... oh God, the food.... they grow their own crops here - GROWN crops, not processed chemicals. And chickens, and cows, and pork... oh I've heard tales of bacon but they do n't do it justice. 
 
 Of course, it's not all beaches and dinners; new arrivals, which included about fifty on my transport, are expected to work for ten hours a week for the first two years of being here. Those who have been here beyond that two year period are free from any daily responsibilites. 
 
 Of course there's also a full set of'prison workers' who, in reality, are mechanics and engineers, carefully planning and designing this'prison' to meet the needs of their customers... er, their prisoners. They've got their own city up here - totally unknown back on Earth. They live in homes spread out and only one family per house. They have leisure and they, too, grow crops and raise animals. I've even spoken to one who said that he raises dogs not as food but as loved family pets. 
 
 So there is my evidence. My evidence to support the most damning of claims: the prison system of Earth is a farce. It was designed as an escape from the overpopulation of Earth. Only the wealthy know about it and purposefully commit crimes to be sent here. In short, the rich are buying paradise while the rest of us on Earth are left to fend for ourselves in terrible conditions. 
 
 Being a reporter, I had to let the truth be known. And when and if this reaches the people of Earth in two hundred years, I will be long gone. You see, while I feel for the people of Earth I've come to the realization that I'm no longer among them. This life of luxury is too much to pass up. To all my fellow reporters at the Underground - if you're still in operation by the time you hear this - I'm sorry. I was n't strong enough to resist what I found here.'' 

