Mississippi

Mississippi is a state within the United States of America. After the Collapse, governor Carol Holmes offered prison labor to the Chinese company Dai Lung Armories in exchange for them building a factory in the Northern part of the state. Once they had moved in, she pushed through a new tax bill in the state legislature, taking just enough where it would still be profitable for Dai Lung to operate there, but only barely. Later, she aimed a similar tactic at the Agricorp Arcadiex, leading to a stand off between Corporate solos and state police. When Arcadiex tried to stop paying their taxes completely for a quarter, several of their trucks of material went "missing, presumed hijacked." With the revenue from these tax policies and the decreased prison costs from her deal with Dai Lung, Holmes was able to create government jobs with carefully constructed pay scales and advancement to advantage those deemed "politically reliable." These jobs created a "Holmesian middle class" of workers loyal to the governor. Thanks to this, while being the only cotton republic to hold elections, Holmes is at no risk of losing her power. In addition to protecting her politically, this system has helped revitalize the state of Mississippi, leading Georgia alone to hold more power in Dixie.